Hong Kong: Govt preparing sanctions law (To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.) Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Laws detailed implementation in Hong Kong is pending the country's instruction, but preparation is being made locally. At the moment we do not have an explicit timetable because the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee has yet to make the decision on listing this Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law into Annex 3 of the Basic Law for application to Hong Kong. We have started some initial discussions on what the law should look like, if there is going to be a piece of local legislation, she explained to reporters at a media session ahead of the Executive Council today. The Chief Executive noted she proposed enacting the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law through local legislation subsequent to its likely inclusion in Annex 3 of the Basic Law, having taken into account the business communitys possible concern. We could be in a better position to explain the purpose of this Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law and to take into account Hong Kongs actual situation before we prepare this piece of local legislation. This story has been published on: 2021-08-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Labour dept to conduct virtual EE workshops The Department of Employment and Labour is set to conduct virtual Employment Equity workshops from 1 September. The departments Employment Equity (EE) Directorate and the Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch will jointly conduct this years workshops. The national workshops are being held virtually for the second year in succession due to the impact of COVID-19 in the country and the world. The department will host the workshops through Microsoft Teams in all the nine provinces under the theme Real transformation makes business sense. The virtual EE workshops will start on 1 September until 28 September 2021. The first workshop will target stakeholders in Limpopo and the workshops will conclude with stakeholders in Mpumalanga. The workshops will be held from 10:00 - 13:00. The workshops will target employers and their employers organisations, human resources executives and practitioners, EE forum members, assigned senior managers/transformation managers, academics, employees and trade unions, labour relations practitioners and civil society organisations, among others. The department will send an invitation to each province in order for the stakeholders to access the Teams link ahead of the actual workshop. Participants will be limited to not more than 250 per session and it will be on a first come, first served basis due to the limited capacity of the Microsoft Teams platform. The schedule of the planned virtual workshops is as follows: Limpopo - Wednesday, 01 September 2021 Free State Thursday, 02 September 2021 KwaZulu-Natal Tuesday, 07 September 2021 Eastern Cape Wednesday, 08 September 2021 Western Cape Tuesday, 14 September 2021 Gauteng Wednesday, 15 September 2021 Northern Cape Tuesday, 21 September 2021 North West Wednesday, 22 September 2021 Mpumalanga Tuesday, 28 September 2021 - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-08-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. RTHK: Taliban declare amnesty, give olive branch to women The Taliban declared an amnesty across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government on Tuesday, trying to calm nerves across a tense capital city that only the day before saw chaos at its airport as people tried to flee their rule. The comments by Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, represent the first comments on governance from a federal level across the country after their blitz across the country. While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in Kabul, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the insurgents takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Older generations remember their ultraconservative Islamic views, which included stonings, amputations and public executions during their rule before the US-led invasion that followed the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims, Samangani said, using the militants' term for Afghanistan. They should be in government structure according to Shariah law. He added: The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join. Samangani remained vague on other details, however, implying people already knew the rules of Islamic law the Taliban expected them to follow. "Our people are Muslims and we are not here to force them to Islam, he said. Under the Taliban, which ruled in accordance with a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, women were largely confined to their homes. The insurgents have sought to project greater moderation in recent years, but many Afghans remain sceptical. Meanwhile, Stefano Pontecorvo, Nato's senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, on Tuesday posted video online showing the runway empty with American troops on the tarmac. What appeared to be a military cargo plane could be seen in the distance from behind a chain-link fence in the footage. The runway "is open, he wrote on Twitter. I see airplanes landing and taking off. Overnight, flight-tracking data showed a US Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules plane at the airport and later taking off for Qatar, home to Al-Udeid Air Base and the US military Central Command's forward headquarters. The German Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said a first German military transport plane has landed in Kabul, but it could only take seven people on board before it had to depart again. Because of the chaotic conditions at the airport and regular exchanges of fire at the access point last night, it was not possible for further German citizens and other people who need to be evacuated to come to the airport without protection from the German army," the ministry said. A special military flight with some 120 Indian officials separately landed in the western state of Gujarat after taking off from Kabuls main airport on Tuesday, the Press Trust of India and state TV reported. Another flight made it off the ground on Monday as well. Swedens Foreign Minister Ann Linde wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that the staff from the Swedish Embassy in Kabul had returned to Sweden. On Monday, thousands of Afghans rushed into Kabuls main airport, some so desperate to escape the Taliban that they held onto a military jet as it took off and plunged to their deaths. At least seven people died in the chaos, US officials said. Across Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands had been wounded in the fighting. Security forces and politicians handed over their provinces and bases without a fight, likely believing the two-decade Western experiment to remake Afghanistan would not survive the resurgent Taliban. The last American troops had planned to withdraw at the end of the month. The world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Talks appeared to be continuing between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the countrys negotiating council. President Ashraf Ghani earlier fled the country amid the Taliban advance and his whereabouts remain unknown. An official with direct knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief journalists, said senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi had arrived in Kabul from Qatar. Muttaqi is a former higher education minister during the Taliban's last rule. Muttaqi had begun making contact with Afghan political leaders even before Ghani fled. (AP) This story has been published on: 2021-08-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: Bay area drives market development Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui Over the past years the China Private Equity Summit organised by HKVCA (Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association) has been recognised as a flagship event for the industry, gathering venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) practitioners, corporates and professionals to discuss the way forward for our industry. I am really honoured to take part in this significant event with all of you. Many important topics concerning the industry will be discussed today, for example the impact of COVID-19, geopolitical situations, regulatory updates, and the latest trends of PE and VC investments across different industries. Before looking into these topics with the industry bright minds here today, I wish to share with you how our financial markets have performed, and from there we could set our sights on the future for further development. In particular, I wish to share with you my thoughts on the three major drivers for the industry, covering I&T (innovation and technology) and new economy development, carbon neutrality, and the Greater Bay Area. In my recent engagements with the industry, these three drivers are on top of everyones minds, and I believe, as PE and VC managers, you have a unique role to play in fostering the development across these three areas. The overall asset and wealth management market of Hong Kong has performed extremely well, despite challenges presented by the pandemic. Assets under management (AUM) grew by 21%, reaching over HK$34 trillion in 2020, and we have observed net fund inflows of over HK$2 trillion into the market. As global investors continue to leverage Hong Kong in seeking investment opportunities, non-Hong Kong investors remained a major source of funding, accounting for 64% of our AUM. As our market continues to grow in size and diversity, we would have the capacity and scalability to innovate and achieve more. Through pro-market legislation and regulatory updates, our aim is to create a positive cycle that would allow the ecosystem of asset and wealth management to continuously grow and prosper. Zooming into the PE segment of the market, Hong Kong has indeed demonstrated ourselves as an ideal place for operating PE funds. With close to 600 PE firms operating here, the AUM of the industry has reached US$170 billion, making Hong Kong, the city we love, the second largest PE centre in Asia just behind the Mainland. Among the 20 largest global PE managers, 15 have established a presence here, and I very much look forward to more of them coming to Hong Kong. Numbers and figures aside, PE and VC investments play a unique and important role in Hong Kong. In the context of our financial markets, PE and VC funds are structured and designed to take calculated risks, with a view to nurturing businesses that would eventually thrive and prosper. When businesses start to demonstrate credible profit models and prospects, our well-established IPO (initial public offering) market would provide them with an avenue to tap into a larger pool of capital. Indeed, we pride ourselves in building one of the best markets for IPOs globally, catering for the financing needs of companies with different business profiles. In the first half of 2021, our IPO market raised over HK$210 billion of funds for newly listed companies, ranking the first in Asia and third in the world. In order to stay competitive and continuously develop our markets, we fully recognise the importance of having a vibrant PE and VC ecosystem to provide risk-taking capital, such that we can build up a healthy pipeline of IPO candidates, and benefit the whole value chain from early stage to IPO public investments. In the context of broader economic and social development, PE and VC funds deploy capital as a tool to empower aspiring entrepreneurs, with a view to helping them realise their goals and dreams. This brings us to the first driver I wish to share with you today, which is the development of I&T and new economy in Hong Kong. It has been well recognised globally that many of the innovations we enjoy today, be it online or offline, are initially funded by the brave capital from PE and VC funds. Under our countrys 14th Five-Year Plan, for the first time Hong Kong has been given support to develop ourselves into an international I&T hub. Now it is the opportune time for Hong Kong to fully leverage capital from the PE and VC sector, and promote I&T that would find application scenarios in Hong Kong, the bay area and beyond. Our capital markets have undergone some fundamental changes in recent years, and now the I&T and new economy sectors are becoming part of our financial DNA. Through concerted efforts of market participants, regulators and the Government, we reformed our regime in 2018 and allowed the listing of companies with weighted voting rights (WVR) and pre-revenue biotech companies. In 2020, the top four stocks by trading volume were all new economy stocks, whereas in 2017 there was only one. More recently in the first half of this year, we have welcomed four biotech company listings, four secondary listings and three listings with WVR structure. We also welcomed the very first dual primary listing with WVR structure in July, and it is a well-known Mainland electric vehicle manufacturer. Recognising the benefits of having a vibrant PE and VC sector, the Government is fully committed to promoting its development. Many of you would have heard about our three-step approach comprising first of all, new fund structures, secondly tax concession and thirdly redomiciliation mechanism. All of the three steps are enabled by legislative changes, and I am glad to share with you that so far they have all been very well-received. With respect to the first step of establishing a limited partnership fund regime, it is designed using a user-friendly registration approach with our Companies Registry, and contractual flexibility is also allowed considering the unique features and requirements of PE and VC funds. We are very encouraged to see that over 300 funds have registered under the new regime since its launch. And for the second and third steps, we have passed legislation to offer tax concession for carried interest issued by PE funds operating in Hong Kong, and a redomiciliation mechanism will also be put in place such that offshore funds may relocate to Hong Kong. We are confident that this three-step approach would greatly enhance the competitiveness of our market, and promote Hong Kong as one of the top global destinations for operation of PE and VC funds. I note that in one of the discussion sessions planned for todays event, the topic of environmental technologies will be covered. That brings me to the second major driver of my sharing, which is carbon neutrality. Our country has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Indeed, Hong Kong has also made a commitment and the Chief Executive has announced that we would achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. With a clear goal in mind, actions will then be required. Similar to the pandemic, climate change is a global problem facing everyone and our only hope is to collectively and proactively devise workable solutions, which is our only way out. Capital and investments have a crucial role to play here, facilitating our transition from polluting production and consumption to green and sustainable technologies. Recognising the importance of green and sustainable finance, the Government has taken a proactive approach to develop the market. We issued two tranches of green bonds in 2019 and 2021 totalling US$3.5 billion. These proceeds raised are then credited to the Capital Works Reserve Fund to finance or refinance public works projects that provide environmental benefits and support the sustainable development of Hong Kong. Through the publication of Green Bond Report, we detailed the projects financed and the resulting quantifiable green benefits, offering transparency to both market participants and members of the public. Our second Green Bond Report will come out very soon and I look forward to sharing more with you when the report has been released. Encouraged by the strong interest from global institutional investors on our offerings, the Financial Secretary has announced that the Government will further issue green bonds totalling HK$175.5 billion in the coming five years, subject to market conditions. This will allow us to continuously deploy capital on green projects, facilitating the development of low-carbon economy in Hong Kong. Besides the efforts on issuing government green bonds, there is also a Green & Sustainable Finance Cross-Agency Steering Group to coordinate our development holistically. The steering group in July announced the next steps to develop Hong Kong as a leader in green and sustainable finance. The next steps shall focus on climate-related disclosures and sustainability reporting, carbon market opportunities and the launch of a new Centre for Green & Sustainable Finance. Among them, a Carbon Market Work Stream is established to assess the feasibility of developing Hong Kong as a regional carbon trading centre to strengthen collaboration in the bay area, and we will also focus on talent and data as the priority areas of action under the new Centre for Green & Sustainable Finance. For the development of green and sustainable finance, you may have noticed that the Government has been deploying a supply-side approach via issuing green bonds ourselves. On another development, which is to establish a Hong Kong Growth Portfolio (HKGP) making strategic investments in projects with a Hong Kong nexus, the Government has indeed employed another approach which is demand-side driven. As announced by the Financial Secretary, part of the Governments Future Fund will be used to establish the HKGP, and by actively creating demand to invest in projects with a Hong Kong nexus, the portfolio will reinforce Hong Kongs status as a financial, commercial and innovation centre, and raise our productivity and competitiveness in the long run. Under a two-tier committee framework, including a Governance Committee and an Investment Committee, we are actively taking forward this initiative with a view to deciding on the appointment of general partners who will make investments for the HKGP. Finally, on the third driver of the bay area, we will seek to realise opportunities for the industry, and strive for early implementation of the Wealth Management Connect programme. The strategic goal of the bay area is to foster more free flow of capital, talent, data and other resources in the area, with a view to realising synergy and promoting coordinated development among all the cities. To realise this goal, we would require innovative business models and new technologies, and in the process immense value will be unlocked. Coupled with our countrys new policy directions of dual circulation and a higher degree of technology self-sufficiency, PE and VC managers will be given a vast market to incubate promising projects. Ladies and gentlemen, despite the challenges and uncertainties presented to Hong Kong from the global pandemic, we have indeed demonstrated strong resilience and agility through the outstanding performance of our markets. I am optimistic and I think things can only get better from here. As PE and VC managers, I am sure many of you also have a very positive mindset, since all you do is making somewhat risky investments with the hope that things will turn out in your favour. I like this mindset, and I look forward to working with all of you to explore more opportunities in the PE and VC markets of Hong Kong, the bay area and beyond. In particular, the three areas I have mentioned in terms of I&T, carbon neutrality and the bay area, which are indeed something that all of us should look into and leverage further. Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui gave this speech at the 20th HKVCA China Private Equity Summit held online on August 17. This story has been published on: 2021-08-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: SA raises concern over Afghan crisis South Africa has expressed concern at the plight of citizens who seek safety and security among the deepening crisis in Afghanistan. The South African government has taken note of the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and is particularly concerned by the plight of thousands of displaced Afghanis seeking safety and security amid the deepening crisis in Afghanistan, said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. This as media reported that the Taliban took over the capital Kabul and that President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, with some Afghani cities taken over by the Taliban. In a statement on Tuesday, the South African government called on the authority in power to ensure that the rule of law, human rights and safety of all Afghans and foreign nationals alike are protected. We wish to appeal to all military and security groups to exercise the utmost restraint and protect the lives and property of the people. The South African government furthermore encourages all Afghan parties involved in the internal conflict to ceaselessly search for a solution through dialogue, restoration of stability and an orderly transition to a new government. The department said South Africans in Afghanistan could contact its consular section. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation have established, via the South African High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan, that they are in contact with a number of South African nationals based in Afghanistan to ensure their safety and provide the necessary consular assistance. South African nationals currently in Afghanistan and in need of assistance, should contact the Consular Section of the Department at (+27) 012 351 100, islamabad.consular@dirco.gov.za or the South African High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan at (+92) 304 371 1869. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-08-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Application window for eligible, unfunded 2021 registered students Higher Education and Training Minister, Blade Nzimande, has commended the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Boards decision to request the dabatase for unfunded 2021 registered students eligible for NSFAS funding in all universities. This follows the plight of currently registered university students that were not able to apply for funding during the funding application window due to various reasons. Nzimande announced that the NSFAS board has resolved to grant a once-off application window period for the students to apply. All universities are required to send their exhaustive list by no later than 17 August 2021 to be considered for this once-off opportunity. The application period will open for a two-week period, from 18 August 2021 3 September 2021. NSFAS encourages all universities to notify students to ensure that they apply and have all the relevant supporting documents as applications submitted after the closing date will not be considered, Nzimande said. The Minister restated this initiative is not intended to create any future precedence and has also factored in, among other things, the NSFAS available funds. The initiative is aimed at alleviating the financial burden of eligible and deserving students, but also minimising the burden of student debt. This concession is applied only to qualifying students who are registered in the 2021 academic cycle and are without any other form of bursary and requisite financial support, Nzimande said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-08-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: Govt tightens travel rules The Government today announced that the boarding, quarantine and testing requirements for people arriving in Hong Kong from overseas will be tightened from August 20. It said the compulsory quarantine period in designated quarantine hotels for inbound travellers who had stayed in medium-risk places could at most be shortened to 14 days if they hold a recognised vaccination record. The two scientific committees under the Centre for Health Protection and the Chief Executive's expert advisory panel updated the consensus interim recommendation on quarantine requirements for vaccinated inbound travellers at a meeting on August 16. Experts suggested that the compulsory quarantine period for inbound travellers can only be shortened to 14 days at most, even if they were fully vaccinated and possess positive serology antibody test results. After making reference to the updated expert recommendations, the Government decided to adjust the relevant boarding and quarantine arrangements from August 20 and enhance the testing requirements for people arriving in Hong Kong from overseas places. The number of post-arrival tests for people from relevant overseas groups will be increased to at least six times during their quarantine and self-monitoring periods, and the final compulsory test after the completion of quarantine must be conducted in a community testing centre. Under the new arrangements, the boarding and quarantine requirements applicable to high-risk Group A specified places remain unchanged. Only Hong Kong residents who are fully vaccinated and hold a recognised vaccination record can board flights for Hong Kong. They are subject to a 21-day compulsory quarantine and should undergo six virus tests during the period. For medium-risk Group B specified places, Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents who are fully vaccinated and hold a recognised vaccination record will have a shortened quarantine period of 14 days upon arrival, followed by a seven-day self-monitoring period. Regarding low-risk Group C specified places, the quarantine period for fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents with a recognised vaccination record can be shortened to seven days upon arrival. The relevant quarantine rules remain unchanged except the requirement of recognised vaccination records and the enhanced testing requirements. The Government noted that it will tighten the vaccination record requirements, under which fully vaccinated people can only have their quarantine period shortened upon presentation of a recognised vaccination record, and the quarantine period can no longer be further reduced even with a positive serology antibody test result. This story has been published on: 2021-08-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. HCM City police seize a large number of narcotics Police in HCM City seized over 30 kilos of drugs hidden in confectionery and chocolate sent from France. Over 30 kilos of drugs seized The Customs Department of HCM City said they worked with the police and the anti-smuggling department of the General Department of Vietnam Customs on the case. The narcotics were sent to Vietnam from France under the cover of gifts. They would then be distributed to various provinces like Binh Duong and Dong Nai. After discovering the smuggling ring, the authorities had set up a plan for two months and seized 10 packages on August 16. Inside the packages are 29kg of ecstasy and 1.4kg of ketamine which were disguised as chocolate and confectionery. The investigation is being expanded. Since the start of 2021, HCM City Customs Department has solved 50 drug smuggling cases and seized 150 kilos of narcotics. News Headlines Poland to transfer COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam Commentary: America's disastrous legacy in Afghanistan Xinhua) 13:50, August 17, 2021 BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- "Afghanistan was the ultimate nation building mission ... and we had a moral obligation to leave behind something better," wrote former U.S. President George W. Bush in his memoir, introspecting on the motives for ordering the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. As the United States pulls out, 20 years of what Washington called "nation building" is crumbling before the eyes of the world. And death, bloodshed and a tremendous humanitarian tragedy are what the United States has truly left behind in Afghanistan, which is vividly exemplified by some Afghans who fell to death from a U.S. military plane rushing to leave. Since entering Afghanistan, U.S. troops have caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths, injured more than 60,000 and turned 11 million people into refugees. According to official figures, just in 2019, at least 6,825 drone strikes took place in Afghanistan, and 7,423 bombs and other munitions were dropped on the land, an average of 20 bombs a day. With U.S. bombs blasting all around, peace and stability have long been a goal far beyond the reach of ordinary Afghans. The 20-year-long U.S. war in Afghanistan abounds with heartrending tragedies of ordinary Afghan families. One of them was a deadly U.S. airstrike on an Afghan hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in 2015. Though around 40 civilians were killed in what the MSF called "a war crime," the Pentagon downplayed the severity of its felony by claiming that the deadly attack was "caused primarily by human error." On March 5, 2020, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled that its prosecutor could open an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Afghan war since May 2003, including those committed by members of the U.S. armed forces and the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), such as alleged attacks against hospitals and other non-military targets, civilian casualties by drones, abuse of prisoners and torture. In a move typical of U.S. hegemony and bullying, Washington then blocked the financial assets of certain ICC staff and imposed visa restrictions on them and their immediate family members as retaliation. To justify Washington's economic and legal offensive, then U.S. Attorney General William Barr claimed that the measures "are an important first step in holding the ICC accountable for exceeding its mandate and violating the sovereignty of the United States." The tragic irony is that the United States, a country that least respects the sovereignty of other states, wanted to use sovereignty as a pretext to block an independent investigation by the ICC into its war crimes. Two decades ago, the United States roared into Afghanistan in the name of fighting terrorism. If they could have limited their focus on the claimed target, the atrocities this Asian nation has suffered from over the decades might not have been that horrifying. And yet Washington's imperial hubris has overwhelmed its rationality, and the Afghan people have paid a monumental price. "The United States exposed Afghans to prolonged harm in order to defend America from another terrorist attack," Carter Malkasian, a historian who once served as a senior advisor to the U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, wrote in his book The American War in Afghanistan. The United States may have chosen to leave on its own terms, yet the unspeakable atrocities it has perpetrated against the country and its people will be indelibly imprinted on the mind of people across the world. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Hongyu) Chinese FM talks with U.S. secretary of state over Afghanistan, bilateral ties Xinhua) 13:57, August 17, 2021 BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday exchanged views with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken over phone on the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral ties. During the phone talk, Blinken expressed appreciation for China's participation in the Doha meeting on the Afghan issue, noting that the current situation in Afghanistan is entering into a crucial stage. The Taliban should announce a clean break with extremism, opt for an orderly transfer of power and establish an inclusive government, the top U.S. diplomat said, expressing hope that China will also play an important role to this end. The United States recognizes that the future of Afghanistan should be decided by the Afghan people, Blinken said, calling on the Taliban to ensure the safety of all those who wish to leave the country. For his part, Wang expounded China's stance on the situation in Afghanistan, saying that facts have once again proved that mechanically copying an imported foreign model cannot readily be fitted to the use in a country with completely different history, culture and national conditions, and ultimately, is unlikely to establish itself. Without the support of people, a government cannot stand, and the use of power and military means to solve problems will only cause more problems, Wang said, adding lessons in this respect deserve serious reflection. Wang said that China stands ready to communicate with the United States to push for a soft landing of the Afghan issue, so that a new civil war or humanitarian disaster will be prevented in Afghanistan and the country will not relapse into a hotbed and shelter for terrorism. China encourages Afghanistan to establish an open and inclusive political framework in accordance with its own national situations, Wang added. The United States should play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan maintain stability, forestall turbulence and realize peace and reconstruction, Wang said. The hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops has had a severe negative impact on the situation in Afghanistan, and it will not be a responsible attitude if the United States created new problems in its next move, Wang said. The previous U.S. administration announced revocation of the designation of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization, and applied double standards to the counter-terrorism issue, which is dangerous and wrong, Wang said, calling on the U.S. side to start afresh to remove obstacles to the China-U.S. cooperation on Afghanistan and the international counter-terrorism cooperation. Wang said that both China and the United States are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and important participants in the contemporary international system. In the face of various global challenges and urgent regional hotspot issues, the two countries should carry out coordination and cooperation, which is what the international community is looking forward to, Wang added. And yet the U.S. side cannot, on the one hand, deliberately contain and suppress China and undermine China's legitimate rights and interests, and on the other hand, expects support and cooperation from China, because such logic never exists in international exchanges, Wang said. It is an objective fact that China and the United States differ in ideology, social system, history and culture, and neither side can change the other, Wang said. It is advisable for the two major countries to work together on the basis of mutual respect to find a way to coexist peacefully on this planet, he said, adding that history will surely prove that whatever the U.S. side intends to do, China-U.S. relations should eventually seek only such a future and follow only such a path, Wang said. The U.S. side should pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, respect China's core interests and major concerns, strengthen dialogue and manage differences in accordance with the spirit of the phone talks between the two countries' heads of state, and push China-U.S. relations back on the right track at an early date, Wang added. For his part, Blinken said that it is very important for the United States and China to maintain communication on major international and regional issues. Blinken said he agrees that it is a common goal for the United States and China to realize peaceful coexistence, voicing hope that both sides will seek and carry out cooperation. Of course there are also obvious differences between the two sides, Blinken said, adding that those can be gradually resolved in a constructive way in the days to come. The United States, Blinken said, reiterates its opposition to all forms of terrorism and its pledge not to seek to foment unrest in China's western border areas. The evolving situation in Afghanistan once again demonstrates the importance of U.S.-China cooperation on regional security in a constructive and pragmatic manner, he said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Hongyu) Explore the paradise of flora and fauna in SW China's Yunnan People's Daily Online) 14:12, August 17, 2021 Photo shows an Alcimandra cathcardii. (Photo courtesy of the publicity department of the CPC Wenshan prefecture committee) The Wenshan National Nature Reserve located in the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan province, is home to a large number of rare and endangered plant and animal species. The natural reserve is a veritable paradise for China's endangered species of wild flora and fauna, said Lu Shugang, a professor with Yunnan University, adding that plants and animals under protection in this reserve include Magnolia plants, Bretschneidera sinensis, Slow loris and Nycticebus pygmaeus. Bo Yongfu, director of the Laojunshan branch of the Wenshan National Nature Reserve Administration, noted that since the reserve boasts many species of animals and plants under state priority conservation, it is considered an exceptional species gene bank in southern China. (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) Draft law revision to better protect female soldiers Xinhua) 14:19, August 17, 2021 Photo/ www.81.cn BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A draft revision to China's military service law has proposed strengthening protection of the lawful rights and interests of female military personnel. The draft was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for a second reading on Tuesday. The armed forces should, in light of characteristics of female soldiers, make reasonable arrangements for their tasks, rest and vacation, and provide special care for them in terms of childbirth and health, according to the draft. It also stipulates that military service departments and their staff members should maintain the confidentiality of the collected personal information. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Hongyu) The 'lab leak lie' is unscientific By Josef Gregory Mahoney (CGTN) 14:53, August 17, 2021 Photo taken on Aug. 10, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Editor's note: Josef Gregory Mahoney is professor of politics at East China Normal University in Shanghai. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. Let's be clear from the start. From a scientific perspective, the lab leak theory isn't really a "theory." In casual conversation, a theory might be any half-baked idea that someone advances for whatever reason; but when the term is used in scientific and diplomatic contexts, especially in the midst of a global pandemic, a different sort of rigor is required. This is because the term "theory" is a scientific term, which conveys an idea based on principles grounded in material facts and scientific reasoning. However, the claims asserted by some in the West, including the Trump and Biden administrations, that COVID-19 is potentially or worse, definitely, intentionally associated with a laboratory in Wuhan, China, have never been based in science. Rather, the desire to demonize China, especially the Chinese political system, with clear racist implications, has always been the driving force behind these narratives. In fact, one should not even call this the "lab leak hypothesis," as the word "hypothesis" also conveys a normative, pseudo-scientific gloss. Perhaps the proper term here is "surmise," which means to assert something is true without proof, and actual science might demonstrate in due course that the best way to describe these narratives is a "bald-faced lie." What does science say? Understanding the origin of a virus is important for scientific reasons. Knowing how and where it started can provide key insights into containment and recovery. And clearly, science must have the leading role to play when it comes to learning how to handle this outbreak. Indeed, experience demonstrated that when and where science has been followed, negative impacts have been minimized. Conversely, wherever science has been politicized in ways that run contrary to basic facts, the damage has been maximized. The lab leak lie had its beginning with the Trump administration. Prior to the outbreak, massive anti-China narratives was already crafted by the U.S. government, which repositioned for yet another containment strategy. We know from the American investigative journalist Bob Woodward's book that Donald Trump admittedly lied about the virus from the start, calling it the "Chinese virus" and promoting the lab leak lie, which suggested the Chinese government might have deliberately released the virus to attack the White House and the American people. This narrative thread was woven with others, including the ridiculous, unfounded allegations of genocide in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as scaremongering about Chinese technology, the idea that China stole American jobs, and that China was the world's leading currency manipulator and so on, all of which discursively convinced many Americans and others that the Chinese government was at the root of many American problems, and intended to take over the world. The only truth in the story manipulated by the U.S. is that there is a laboratory in Wuhan, which in fact hires international researchers and is funded by the U.S. government. So, as stated by the Chinese government and foreign scientists working there,it is not a secret military laboratory up to no good. It is also tacitly acknowledged by some U.S. government officials. Many believe the virus originated at Wuhan in late 2019, claiming that the city is where people first experienced the outbreak. But in fact, we don't actually know where it started or when. According to a recent study by the leading public health journal Lancet, the virus was present in Italy since the summer of 2019. We also know that Italy was the worst hit European country initially. It's possible that the virus started in Italy, and it's likewise possible that it started somewhere else. We just have yet to determine at this point. Another study says that the virus was possibly transmitted from bats to humans in Southeast Asia. As some scientists speculate, bats moved further north due to global warming, while the new habitats and changing temperatures encouraged viral mutations. In the meantime, experts in virology, including leading foreign scientists who have worked with the laboratory in Wuhan, indicate the extreme unlikelihood that COVID-19 could have come from any laboratory. First, this type of research was not underway there. Second, there were no containment failures. Third, actually engineering this kind of outbreak is incredibly hard to do, perhaps even impossible. It might be the case that science will never determine the origin of coronavirus. That will be unfortunate both for science and China, as the lab lead lie will remain "true" for many. But the simple fact is that science rarely pinpoints origins. For example, scientists still can't conclusively prove when and where HIV originated, despite decades of research and billions of dollars spent. What we do know is that a lot of political narratives about HIV that proliferated in the early 1980s, which led to discrimination against gay people and Africans, undermining effective public health responses and contributing to many avoidable deaths, are still embraced as the truth by many. Yet scientists indicate HIV was in circulation globally long before the American "patient zero" Gaetan Dugas, a gay flight attendant of international routes, was diagnosed with the disease. Given the history of HIV, the lab leak lie regarding COVID-19 might persist, unfortunately, even if science is capable of proving otherwise. This is due in part because so many already believe it categorically, but also because many of those who do believe it don't believe in science. In the end, this won't serve anyone's interests, but only contribute to more misery and misinformation. That's generally true of all forms of lying, especially when lies are promoted as science during a pandemic. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Hongyu) Politics won't give us facts of coronavirus origin By Ikenna Emewu (CGTN) 14:54, August 17, 2021 A staff member performs random sample check on inactivated COVID-19 vaccines at a packing line of the Sinovac Research & Development Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, on Dec. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) Editor's note:Ikenna Emewu is a journalist and editor-in-chief of Africa China Economy Magazine, Nigeria. His primary research interests are China's international relations and "socialism with Chinese characteristics." The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. COVID-19 has been one major strenuous global-scale health challenge that has confronted the entire humanity in the past century. Though the ill wind hasn't actually blown over, the world has not been lax to the obligation of surmounting the pandemic. Nothing within the reach of man science, faith, research, cooperation, charity, diplomacy has been spared. The war against the pandemic has also not been lacking in negativity. When it broke out, former United States president Donald Trump was in charge of the country that influences global information manipulation most. He didn't disappoint in his traditional terse verbiage to malign China. The mudslinging was possibly his best contribution to the war with his calamitous and unimpressive handling of the situation in his country. He gave wings to bloated biases and hate against China to fly since the major outbreak started in China. Then, the common notion was that coronavirus cases were first reported in China until later research proved otherwise. Even after these facts of earlier infections like those found right in California in the U.S. were appropriately confirmed, Trump stuck to his guns. Eight months after Trump left office, the ghosts of his biases to nail China over the coronavirus origin still lurks in the shadows in Washington. Likewise, in the face of evidence to the contrary, the line of argument Trump initiated to at all costs tie the liability of the coronavirus origin to China remains the fad. Trump had gone as far as pulling his country out of the World Health Organization (WHO), alleging that the agency connived with China to release a false report to cover the "real" facts. The refashioned fallacy has started sounding like the weaponization of the coronavirus' origin. No doubt, the U.S. has introduced so much politics to the efforts to trace how the coronavirus came to ravage humanity, rather than rely on facts and science. The politics of this effort is the insistence that the origin tracing must be in China, and repeatedly so. Since it's established that there were cases of COVID-19 in France and the U.S. before the major outbreak in Wuhan, there is no scientific harm in spreading out the search to other countries other than China. That insistence on searching in China over and again rings the bell of bias betrayed by the call of the U.S. that another search for the origin be staged in China, the third time. The calls send the impression that until a finding the U.S. deems appropriate is arrived at, it would possibly ask for other rounds of searches in China for as many as 20 times. In May 2020, the BBC reported that a doctor in Paris who treated a man with influenza said he found his patient with no history of an overseas trip had what proved to be COVID-19 about a month before the outbreak in Wuhan. Arising from this finding, the WHO, through its spokesman Christian Lindmeier, had called on countries to check their records for similar cases. There was also another find in California that coronavirus-related death was recorded in the U.S. almost a month earlier than previously thought. With these facts, why must all searches for COVID-19 origin start and stop in China at the U.S. behest? No records available to the reading public suggest China acted in any suspicious manner toward sincere actions against the pandemic. At the beginning of the battle, the WHO had commended China for its efforts and cooperation when it landed in the country to work with local experts. The WHO's initial report from the joint research of February 16-20, 2020, conducted by experts from the U.S. and some European countries, was specific that "COVID-19 is a zoonotic virus. From phylogenetics analyses undertaken with available full genome sequences, bats appear to be the reservoir of COVID-19 virus, but the intermediate host(s) has not yet been identified." Acknowledging China's openness and efficacy in handling the outbreak, the WHO said, "In the face of a previously unknown virus, China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history Achieving China's exceptional coverage with and adherence to these containment measures has only been possible due to the deep commitment of the Chinese people." On March 30 this year, the WHO released another report by a team of international researchers after their findings in China on the subject that confirmed the earlier position that the origin is not linked to any lab leak. This latest report was by a team of experts from 10 countries, including the U.S., Australia, the UK and Japan, that worked with local Chinese experts for 28 days. Their report was explicit that a lab leakage was extremely impossible, with suggestions that origin tracing studies should be conducted in other parts of the world. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Hongyu) Xi extends condolences to Algerian president over forest fires Xinhua) 15:56, August 17, 2021 BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a message of condolence to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune over the recent forest fires that caused heavy casualties in the country. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi expressed deep condolences to the victims and extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Hongyu) UNDERSTAND CHINA: How the CPC differs from Western political parties People's Daily Online) 17:04, August 17, 2021 It's hard to truly and fully understand a country without first appreciating the nature of its own political system and unique path towards development. On this topic, People's Daily Online has got you covered with our series of multi-faceted and in-depth conversations with foreign and domestic thought leaders on the subject of domestic and international politics, discussions that can hopefully help to clear some of the air between China and those who may still have a false impression of the country and its people. In this episode, see what sparks of insight are ignited between Ivan Melnikov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma and Chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Association, and Tan Jijun, Director of the Center for Russian Studies at the China Foreign Affairs University, when it comes to the subject of how the Communist Party of China fulfills its role. (Web editor: Liu Ning, Bianji) Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk) said on August 17 that it has forged an alliance with Del Monte Philippines Inc (DMPI), a subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Limited. Total investment capital for the first phase is 6 million USD, in which, Vinamilk and its partners contribute 50 percent each. The joint venture will import dairy products from Vinamilk, and market and distribute them in the Philippines through DMPI. It will use the co-brand Del Monte-Vinamilk for its products and promote the brand strength of both businesses. The joint venture will take advantage of Vinamilks strength in production and Del Monte in distribution. Despite facing difficulties due to the application of social distancing, Vinamilk completed production of the first shipment for the joint venture at the end of July. The joint venture's products are expected to officially reach Filipino consumers in September. Revenue of the joint venture in the first year is estimated at around 8.8 million USD and has the potential for double digit growth of about 50 percent a year in the medium term. A modern production line at a factory of Vinamilk. (Photo: VNA) Vinamilk is among the top 40 largest dairy companies in the world. Its products have been exported to 56 countries including the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Vinamilk has three factories in the US, New Zealand, and Cambodia and a dairy farm complex in Laos. Overseas business currently accounts for 15 percent of Vinamilk's total revenue. DMPI is a producer and distributor of healthy food and beverages including ready-to-drink pineapple juice. It has been operating for more than 95 years in the Philippines Del Monte Pacific Limited is a company listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange and the Philippine Stock Exchange. It indirectly owns 87 percent of DMPI./. VNA China's housing market eased slightly in July, with home price increases slowing in 70 major cities, official data showed on Monday. New home prices in four first-tier cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou -- rose 0.4 percent month on month in July, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The growth rate has slowed 0.3 percentage points from that seen in June. Prices of second-hand homes in the four cities gained 0.4 percent, down 0.3 percentage points from the growth in June. Second-tier cities saw a month-on-month increase of 0.4 percent in new home prices, slowing 0.1 percentage points from June. On a year-on-year basis, new home prices in first-tier cities rose 6 percent in July, down from the 6.1 percent growth in June, while those in second-tier and third-tier cities went up 4.7 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively. China avoided applying a deluge of stimulus policies when strengthening its macroeconomic policy adjustment. The country has taken a slew of measures to tackle housing problems in big cities to implement the principle that housing is for living in, not for speculation. China's housing authorities last month held regulatory talks with officials in Yinchuan, Xuzhou, Jinhua, Quanzhou and Huizhou, and urged them to stabilize their property markets as residential housing and land prices in these cities increased too rapidly over the first half of 2021. Beijing has also upped its efforts to combat housing speculation related to school districts, a move that will have a significant influence on the housing market in the metropolis. Loans to China's property sector saw slower expansion by the end of the second quarter, with outstanding property loans up 9.5 percent from last year to 50.78 trillion yuan (about 7.85 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of June. Second-hand homes have taken a dominant place in the housing market in the first and second-tier cities, but price regulation in the sector has been lacking. A new round of measures such as price management and control for second-hand homes were recently rolled out in several big cities, including Shenzhen. The monthly growth pace of second-hand home prices has significantly slowed, according to a real estate analyst, noting that under regulations, the price index for old homes will cool significantly in the future. Enditem BEIJING, Aug. 17 -- On August 17, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted joint live-fire drills involving forces of multiple services including naval warships, anti-submarine aircraft and fighter jets in the sea and airspace surrounding the southwest and southeast of the Taiwan Island, in a bid to test the troops capability of integrative joint operations, Army Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said on a written statement on Tuesday. Recently, Washington has frequently colluded with the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, constantly making provocations and sending serious wrong signals, which has seriously violated China's sovereignty and undermined the peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits, and has become the biggest source of security risk in the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson slammed. Shi said that the joint fire assault and other drills staged by the Eastern Theater Command troops are a necessary action to further safeguard Chinas sovereignty under the current security situation in the Taiwan Straits, and also a solemn response to the interference of foreign forces and the provocation of Taiwan independence secessionists. The PLA Eastern Theater Command will keep strengthening combat-readiness training, the spokesperson stressed, adding that the troops under the theater command have full determination and ability to repel all Taiwan independence separatist activities, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. By Zhang Jiadong Two US military drills of unprecedented scale Large Scale Exercise (LSE)2021 and Large Scale Global Exercise (LSGE21) wrapped up on August 16 and 17 respectively. The scale and features of these two exercises, as demonstrated below, are closely related to the changes in foreign policies of the Uinted States. First, the exercises are more targeted. The two exercises, geographically spanning from America to Europe and from the Pacific to the Atlantic, mainly tested the US and its allies capability of coordinated commanding, maneuvering and concentration of forces. The exercises involved warfare concepts that might be used in case of a conflict with the Chinese army and aimed to deliver signals of military deterrence to China and Russia. Besides, the LSE 2021 should have been called LSE 2020 as it was originally scheduled in 2020 but has been postponed because of the pandemic, and the name reflects the consistency of Washingtons China policy. Second, the exercises are of a larger scale. The LSE 2021 has been the first large-scale drill jointly conducted by the US Navy and Marine Corps since NATOs Ocean Venture drill in 1981. Spanning 17 time zones and in the Cold-War style, it involved all of Americas three Marine Crops Expeditionary Forces and 5 of the 7 Fleets. More than 30 warships including aircraft carriers, over 50 US military units, and 25,000 service members participated in the exercise. With a combination of on-site and distance virtual drills, it displayed an obvious elevation in scale and complexity. Third, the exercises are more similar to actual combat. The LSGE21included drilling of field operations, logistics replenishment, amphibious landing, air-ground and sea-air operations, and special forces operations. The LSE 2021 was jointly commanded by the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Europe, designed to quickly converge the scattered and independently operating US naval units into a unified force in wartime. Fourth, participating countries are more diverse, showing a tendency of an exercise including allies from around the world. The LSGE21 is an exercise of global commanding and control system organized by the US Indo-Pacific Command. It was aimed to enhance the coordination and integration between forces of the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region. These large-scale exercises have definite strategic purposes. First,they are aimed to consolidate the alliance. This is Washingtons chief objective and also a pillar for achieving its diplomatic goals. When Trump was still in office, the US-centered alliance system loosened resulting in the increasingly tenuous bonds between the US and its allies. This impaired Americas capability of coping with countries like China on the one hand and created the possibility of turning those allies into strategic competitors on the other. To prevent the second situation, Biden has placed great emphasis on the alliance since he took office and taken into account the allies concerns and interests on many issues. Washington is also trying to rope in the allies on many dimensions, including military exercises, in order to tie them more tightly to its chariot. Second, they are aimed to strengthen the military deterrence against China and other countries. The exercises not only showcased Americas military strength but also sent a clear signal that Washington, while not wishing to engage in military conflicts with China, doesnt fear that scenario either. Editor's note: This article is originally published on huanqiu.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. (The author is a professor with the Center for American Studies of Fudan University) Daily new coronavirus infections in the country have crossed the 2,000 mark for the first time since the disease broke out in January last year. The daily tally hit 2,219 as of Wednesday morning, setting a new record for Korea. More than 1,000 new infections have been counted for 36 days. The spike came amid news that shipments of millions of doses of Moderna's vaccine have been delayed yet again and the government was forced to extend the interval between jabs, setting Korea's glacially slow inoculation efforts back even further. She said only three cases of blood clots have been found among recipients of 12.69 million AstraZeneca shots in the country so far. Jeong Eun-kyeong, the chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, "The recommended age group for AstraZeneca vaccines is still the over-50s, but we want to give over-30s a chance of inoculation if they want amid a surge of the pandemic." The leftover AstraZeneaca doses have been available since last Friday even for people who have already booked a shot of another vaccine later. They can be located on Naver and Kakao apps. The latest decision to lift the restriction for under-50s came after an outcry over thousands of doses being thrown away every day amid a dire shortage of vaccines here. People between the ages of 30 and 50 have belatedly been cleared to sign up for AstraZeneca vaccines that are left over at inoculation centers in Korea. But lifting the restriction may not make a huge difference at this point. People in their 50s have been given Pfizer or Moderna vaccines since last month, and the rest are also lining up mainly for Pfizer or Moderna shots. That means there is no great benefit for them in replacing one or both of their jabs with AstraZeneca since the intervals between shots are now almost the same -- AstraZeneca eight weeks and Pfizer and Moderna six weeks. A mixture of Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots has been found to be as effective as two Pfizer shots, but Astra Zeneca alone is less effective. The government has changed its AstraZeneca guidelines several times depending on the prevailing wind. Initially the vaccine was given to younger people until fears over blood clots surfaced. Some other countries that had earlier put age limits on AstraZeneca have also eased the age restrictions recently. One dose of AstraZeneca is thought to be about 33 percent effective against the Delta variant, which is fast becoming the dominant strain here, and two doses 67 percent. Meanwhile, health authorities claimed they have signed contract for another 30 million doses of Pfizer vaccines for next year's use, with an option to buy another 30 million if necessary. They will be used as booster shots for high-risk groups. Jeong also said the government is "considering" another contract for an additional 20 million doses if the Delta variant runs rampant here. Meanwhile, a government delegation visited the headquarters of U.S. drug maker Moderna in Massachusetts last week and asked it to speed up its delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. "We asked for a faster supply of vaccines and Moderna apologized," claimed Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Kang Do-tae, who led the delegation. Press Release August 17, 2021 Pangilinan pushes for agricultural pension for farmers, fisherfolk SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Monday filed a measure that seeks to create a social security and pension program for farmers and fisherfolk. "Kinikilala ng panukalang batas na ito ang mahalagang papel at kontribusyon ng ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda sa araw-araw nating pamumuhay (This proposed measure recognizes the fundamental role and contributions of our farmers and fisherfolk on our everyday lives), Pangilinan said. "Ang benepisyong matatanggap nila ay pasasalamat at pagkilala sa kanilang serbisyo at sakripisyo para mapakain ang sambayanang Pilipino. (The benefits they will receive will be our gratitude and recognition to their service and sacrifice to feed the Filipino people)," He added. The still unnumbered Senate Bill which is to be known as the Pensyonadong Magsasaka at Mangingisda Act seeks to establish the Farmers and Fisherfolk Social Security Program that shall provide agricultural workers a substantial and reliable source of income security and secured retirement benefits in their old age. Under the measure, the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) and the Social Security System (SSS) shall act as the primary agencies tasked to implement the provisions of the law. In 2016, Pangilinan met Mang Romeo, a rice farmer from Nueva Ecija, whom at the time was 73 years old and still farming for six decades since he was 12 years old. "Anim na dekada na tayong pinapakain ni Mang Romeo. Pero ilang dekada man siyang nagbabanat ng buto sa pagsasaka, nananatili pa rin siyang mahirap. Hindi ito tama. Hindi ito makatarungan," said the former Senate Agriculture chair and food security secretary. The average age of farmers in the Philippines ranges from 57 to 59 years old. Studies show that while most are engaged in farming for an average of 30 years, there are some who keep on farming until 89 years old. In a recent study published in the Philippine Journal of Science, 65% of farmers believe that their children "won't have any future" in farming and consider tilling the soil as a last resort for earning a living. "Kailangang magpursige ang estado na matiyak ang mas magandang kalidad ng buhay para sa mga nagpapakain sa bayan, na sila ay may maasahang retirement benefits at social security. (The State must strive to ensure a better quality of life and provide a substantial and reliable source of retirement benefits and social security to the very people who feed the nation.) To secure our food, we must secure our farmers first," said Pangilinan. Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth Fund officially known as Public Investment Fund (PIF), has increased its investment in American video game company Activision Blizzard ATVI.O by 13.3%, reports say. PIF, Zawya reports citing a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday, bought 4.4 million shares in the video game maker in the second quarter. The US regulator did not provide information about the value of the new shares. PIF, with $400 billion in asset the economic transformation agent of the Gulf country which want to diversify its economy, away from the oil sector. PIF is expected to inject at least $40 billion annually in the local economy until 2025, and increase its assets to $1 trillion by that date, Zawya notes. Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) is investing $187 million to expand the production capacity of the Al Nouf oilfield to 175,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2024 from the current 160,000 bpd, Zawya reports, citing the company. By 2030, the oil giant hopes to reach its 5 million bpd oil production capacity target, ADNOC reportedly said in a statement on its LinkedIn page on Monday. Al Nouf field located around 85 kilometers southwest of Abu Dhabi will also include more than 20 new wells. ADNOC has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractlasting over 39 monthsof the Nouf development to Abu Dhabi-based contracting company Robt Stone. The company, the worlds 12th largest oil firm by production, produces nearly all the oil in the United Arab Emirates. Your browser does not support the video tag. During the past year, Emory undergraduates and alumni connected through virtual panels showcasing how valuable an education in the humanities is to a wide range of career fields. The initiative is supported by an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant. Students in Emory College of Arts and Sciences and Oxford College took a deeper dive into the broad applicability of a liberal arts education this past year by hearing directly from alumni who have taken their degrees in the humanities into wide-ranging and rewarding careers around the world. More than 200 members of the Emory community logged onto the Alumni Connections panels that featured various humanities departments and their alumni. Initially planned as an in-person opportunity, the pivot to an online format proved successful and expanded the initial reach of the program. In one event, a supervisor at Amazon explained how studying German helps with a career at the tech giant. In another, a music major explained how applying the ensemble mindset aids in the teamwork necessary during medical school. Those and other interactions in the nine panels proved so successful energizing undergraduates, professors and alumni alike that Alumni Connections will continue online even after campus reopens this fall. The connections being made with our alumni are invaluable in helping our students see the meaning and purpose of an education for life beyond campus, says Emory College Dean Michael A. Elliott. One of the things our students learn, in meeting our alumni across the country and abroad, is that the humanities can take you places and into careers you may not imagine are possible. Adds Dean of Oxford College Doug Hicks, "We have learned a great deal about how virtual technology can help us to connect alumni to our students, for mutual benefit and learning. It is easier for us to engage active alumni when they can log directly into courses, and students see the clear connections between what they are studying and career pathways that are open to them. Although we will be adding in on-campus opportunities for alums and worksite visits for undergraduates, these virtual connections will continue long after the pandemic, Hicks says. The Alumni Connections panels are one of four components of the Humanities Pathways initiative at Emory College and Oxford College, Emorys liberal arts colleges for undergraduates. Supported by a $1.25 million grant Emory received in 2019 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the initiative focuses on faculty innovations that help students understand the value of a humanities education. The initiative has hosted workshops for faculty seeking to integrate skills into their courses to be useful for a variety of careers. It also held a seminar on the history and future of the workforce, allowing professors to consider their disciplines role in large-scale outlooks. Planned alumni panels that brought a handful of graduates to the Atlanta and Oxford campuses were canceled in spring 2020, says Peter Hoyng, professor of German studies at Emory College, who co-directs Humanities Pathways with Tasha Dobbin-Bennett, associate professor of art history and studio art at Oxford College. Last fall, the team brought on Sophia Falvey, a PhD candidate in English, as a graduate assistant to partner with Emory Colleges Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement to recreate the panels in a virtual environment. The resulting Alumni Connections panels convened three to five Emory and Oxford alumni from specific humanities departments for more focused conversations. Between November and April, 119 students joined faculty and alumni for the conversations. It was fascinating for the faculty to reconnect with their alumni and for the students to see how the humanities, their majors and minors, open doors both professionally and individually, Hoyng says. If COVID-19 taught us one thing in higher education, its how much meaningful learning comes with the emotional bonds we were able to create, even online. Alumni share their stories Sarah (Earp) Lee 12C entered Emory sure of two things: She wanted to major in music, and she wanted to become a doctor. This spring, she completed her residency in psychiatry at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, where she also played chamber music with her program director and other musicians. Her discipline of practicing viola since she was 10 no doubt helped her focus on her studies there and at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. But Lee focused her panel chat on how her music and neuroscience and behavioral biology double major, along with the friendships she forged while playing in the Emory University Symphony Orchestra, helped her thrive. The similarities between orchestra and clinical work, she says, are striking: Each has either a conductor or attending physician in charge of the room and a first chair or senior resident handling the performers, as everyone collaborates in service of a singular goal. It was intentional to major in music, because you can do something thats enjoyable and still learn, says Lee, who just started a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical Center. You develop a different set of creative skills that keeps you balanced, Lee adds. And over time in performing, I learned to have fun and just do the best I could, which has helped me with performing at my best in high-stress medical situations. Music also has provided a community of support, both in performing and mentorship. Lee has stayed in regular contact with her undergraduate mentor Kristin Wendland, including inviting the professor of pedagogy in music to her recent wedding. My mentorship at Emory gave me the confidence to do what I wanted to do, while my classes gave me the space to learn what I wanted to learn and to hone the critical thinking skills no matter what I was studying, Lee adds. For Sarah Richards 09C, the panel was a way to stay connected with Emory at a time when she couldnt travel. She first visited Vienna as an undergraduate sociology major and German studies minor, participating in the nine-week summer course there. She later served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Austria and has since become a German teacher at a Gwinnett County high school. Aside from last summer, when global travel all but halted, she has journeyed each year to Vienna and Germany for her own vacation and to teach with the very Emory program that first drew her there. The value of the liberal arts education is the bravery and privilege that lets you look beyond the immediately obvious degree that leads to a specific career, Richards says. In some regards, my path is the obvious path. But the bigger message, which I try to impress on students, is that getting a perspective on the world through another language or culture is something you can apply to anything you want. Falvey, who graduates in August, noticed that alumni on all of last years panels also emphasized curiosity as well as other skills cultivated in the humanities, such as the ability to think and communicate across different perspectives and grasp new information quickly and apply it to multiple contexts. She recently accepted a one-year position in Dean Elliotts office to help plan another year of panels that build out that framework for all humanities departments and alumni. The goal is to deepen connections among faculty, students and alumni to show the role the humanities can play in creating meaningful careers and lives. Its exciting how often our alumni expressed that the skills and knowledge cultivated through a humanities education will be valuable in jobs you cant even name yet, which will help you navigate an uncertain job market and adapt quickly so you remain competitive and fulfilled in a rapidly changing world, Falvey says. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Moscow court extends detention of ex-Governor of Penza Region charged with graft Moscow's Basmanny District Court 16:43 17/08/2021 MOSCOW, August 17 (RAPSI) Moscows Basmanny District Court on Tuesday extended detention of ex-governor of Penza Region Ivan Belozertsev charged with receiving bribes in the amount of 31 million rubles (over $420,000) until November 20, the courts press service told RAPSI. Belozertsev was placed in detention on March 22. Following that, President Vladimir Putin relieved him of the post of Governor due to the loss of trust. Other defendants in the case are head of BIOTEC Group of Companies Boris Spiegel, his wife Eugenia Spiegel, Director of Pharmacia Company Anton Koloskov and two other men Gennady Markov and Fedor Fedotov. Depending on their alleged role in the crime they have been charged with mediation in bribery, bribegiving and acceptance of a bribe. They are also in detention. According to the investigation, between January and September 2020, Belozertsev accepted through intermedia money and other values worth over 31 million rubles (over $400,000) in bribes from Spiegel, his spouse and Koloskov. In turn, the official allegedly promised to give BIOTEC Group of Companies the competitive gain in execution of state contracts for acceptance, quality and validity period tracking, storing and supplies of medical drugs and goods for the needs of health care institutions of the Penza Region. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on August 17, 2021 2021/08/17 CCTV: The study outline on Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy was released yesterday. Do you have more on that? Hua Chunying: The outline for studying Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy compiled by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was published yesterday. The book is a comprehensive reflection of the original contribution of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the diplomatic field. It gives systemic elaboration on the historical background, profound connotation, theoretical undertone and brilliant practice of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, and provides an authoritative reading material to help officials and the public to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made a series of major innovations in both theories and practice in China's diplomacy, with a deep understanding of the development trend of China and the world in the new era. In this course, Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy is formed. Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy is an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, a major theoretical achievement in applying the basic tenets of Marxism to the practice of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, a reflection of the governance philosophy the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core on the diplomatic front, and a fundamental guidance for China's external work in the new era. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, China's diplomacy has held high the banner of peace, development and win-win cooperation, firmly safeguarded China's sovereignty, security and development interests, actively expanded the comprehensive diplomatic agenda, promoted high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, pioneered the reform of the global governance system, and promoted the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China's diplomacy has made a series of brilliant achievements. It has not only upheld the fine diplomatic tradition of new China, but also demonstrated the new demeanor of a major country, embodied the new feature of the times and showcased China's responsibility for world peace and development as a major country. The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century and has entered a period of turbulence and transformation. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics for the new era will continue to fulfill its responsibility for national rejuvenation and human progress, make new and greater contributions to realizing the second centenary goal and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, and promoting world peace and development. Xinhua News Agency: Recently, the Philippine-BRICS Strategic Studies, the Integrated Development Studies Institute (IDSI) and the Global Talk News Radio (GTNR) jointly launched an online petition calling on the WHO to probe the Fort Detrick bio-labs in the US. Many political and academic elites in the Philippines said that Fort Detrick is shrouded in suspicion and that shifting the blames onto China and stigmatizing China is the only way out of the US failure in fighting COVID-19 for the Biden administration. Some netizens in the Philippines said that the US is scapegoating the Wuhan lab to divert people's attention from Fort Detrick. Do you have any comment? Hua Chunying: The masses have sharp eyes. Multiple Philippine institutions initiated an online petition recently calling on the WHO to launch a probe into the Fort Detrick bio-labs. It has received much attention. This petition is mainly initiated by Herman Laurel, a famous political commentator and founder of the Philippine-BRICS Strategic Studies. Laurel said that Fort Detrick was closed for security reasons in August 2019, after which a mysterious EVALI outbreak occurred in the US. There are signs showing that the lab is very dangerous. Ado Paglinawan, former press attache at Philippine embassy in the US, released a book entitled "No Vaccine for a Virus Called Racism" on the same day of the launch of the petition. In the book, Paglinawan sorted out the timeline of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US and made the judgement that the disease started in June 2019 in the US and later spread across the world. It's worth mentioning that Paglinawan pointed out that the 1918 flu pandemic, dubbed the "Spanish Flu", actually originated in Fort Riley, Kansas in the US and was spread by the US Army onto Europe. He wrote that the US politicization of COVID-19 origins tracing is repeating the history of the "Spanish Flu". There are more and more clues pointing the origins of the novel coronavirus to the US. Media and experts from the US, Russia, the ROK, Japan and other countries have called for a probe into Fort Detrick for the origins tracing. However, on the one hand, the US has turned a deaf ear to the doubts and call of the international community and tried to shut out all these and dodge the issue. On the other hand, it has resorted to political manipulation, fabricating lies and distorting facts, and sparing no effort to smear and malign China. China once again calls on the US side to respond positively to the international community's doubts as soon as possible, release and review early case data, invite WHO experts to investigate Fort Detrick, its more than 200 biological laboratories overseas and the University of North Carolina, and release the data concerning the sickened American military athletes who attended the World Military Games in Wuhan. The US should give the world a clear explanation and help solve the mystery of the virus as soon as possible. The Paper: We noted that China has good relations with the Afghan Taliban and other factions. Could you offer more details about China's role in promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan? Hua Chunying: As Afghanistan's largest neighbor, China has always respected Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, adhered to non-interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs and pursued a friendly policy toward the entire Afghan people. China has all along maintained contact and communication with the Afghan Taliban on the basis of fully respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty and the will of all factions in the country, and played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue. In the past few months alone, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted the second China+Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers' meeting, the fourth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, attended the foreign ministers' meeting of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, and engaged in close communication and interactions with important stakeholders on the Afghan issue including Russia, Pakistan, the United States, the Central Asian countries, the European Union, Iran, Turkey, etc., and put forward China's proposal for achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan at an early date. On July 28, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the visiting delegation led by head of the Afghan Taliban political committee Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin. He expressed the hope that the Afghan Taliban will put the interests of the country and nation first, hold high the banner of peace talks, set the goal of peace, build a positive image and pursue an inclusive policy. All factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan should form solidarity, truly implement the "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" principle, push for early substantive results in the peace and reconciliation process, and independently establish a broad-based and inclusive political structure that suits Afghanistan's national realities. In recent days, Yue Xiaoyong, the Special Envoy of the Chinese government on the Afghan issue, has shuttled intensively between Afghanistan, Russia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran. China continues to maintain communication with all parties after major changes took place in Afghanistan in recent days. Last night, State Councilor Wang Yi had telephone conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Blinken upon invitation. The Chinese side also participated in the UNSC emergency meeting on Afghanistan. China encourages the Afghan Taliban to pursue a moderate and prudent religious policy, work with other parties to form an open and inclusive political structure, pursue a foreign policy of peace and friendship, and in particular, live in harmony with its neighboring countries and achieve reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. We also hope that the new Afghan regime will make a clean break with all kinds of international terrorist forces, restrain and combat terrorist forces including the ETIM, and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a gathering place of terrorist and extremist forces again. China will continue to maintain close communication and coordination with all relevant parties to push for an end to the war and lasting peace in Afghanistan at an early date. China News Service: On August 16, over 60 countries including the US, the UK, Australia, Japan and the ROK issued a joint statement on Afghanistan, which says that given the deteriorating security situation, foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country should be allowed to do so; roads, airports and border crossing must remain open; those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility-and accountability-for the protection of human life and property. Will China also endorse this joint statement? Hua Chunying: China has noted this statement. The situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes in recent days. Some countries are evacuating their embassy personnel and citizens in Afghanistan. Some Afghan people are also planning to leave the country. We hope relevant parties will take effective measures to ensure security and stability in Afghanistan, maintain public security and order, protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of the Afghan people and foreign citizens in Afghanistan, facilitate the evacuation of relevant personnel, and advance the relevant work in a safe and orderly manner. In particular, efforts should be made to prevent casualties. China has also noted that the Afghan Taliban said it would take responsible actions to ensure the safety of Afghan citizens and foreign missions in Afghanistan. Bloomberg: Has China discussed the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement issue with the Afghan Taliban? Will China require that the Taliban disavow the ETIM in order to be recognized by Beijing as Afghanistan's government? Hua Chunying: The ETIM is an international terrorist organization designated by the UN Security Council, which poses a direct threat to the security of China and its people. Combating the ETIM is the common responsibility of the international community. China once cooperated with the Afghan government in the fight against the ETIM, and now the head of the Afghan Taliban has made it clear to China that no force will be allowed to use the Afghan territory to do anything harmful to China. We hope that the Afghan Taliban will make a clean break with all terrorist organizations, including the ETIM, and resolutely and firmly crack down on the ETIM so as to remove obstacles to regional security, stability, development and cooperation. CGTN: The international public opinion in the recent two days has been focusing on the current Afghan situation and the US responsibility in it. US President Joe Biden said in his remarks that the decision to end the 20-year Afghan War is the "right one for America", and that the US mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation building. The US media widely share the opinion that the US policy on Afghanistan is a complete failure. The CNN, for example, compared the withdrawal of US troops from Kabul to a new "Saigon moment". The New York Times said the situation "may strike another blow to US credibility" among US allies. What is your comment? Hua Chunying: I have noticed the world pays great attention to the current situation in Afghanistan and the US responsibility in this regard. Whether the US policy on Afghanistan has failed, and whether US allies would find the country unreliable, I believe the US and relevant countries will do their own thinking and come to conclusions. But to be honest, people have been shocked by the chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport on television and the internet since yesterday, especially the video clips capturing some unfortunately falling to their deaths after clinging to the landing gear of a US aircraft to evacuate. The US launched the Afghan War in the name of counterterrorism. But has the US won? After 20 years, the number of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan has grown to more than 20 from a single digit. Has the US brought peace to the Afghan people? For 20 years, more than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or wounded in the gunfire of US troops and its ally forces, and more than 10 million people have been displaced. The Afghan War caused an average loss of $60 million on a daily basis, putting a drag on the socioeconomic development of Afghanistan. The US troops have also paid the price of more than 2,400 deaths and over two trillion dollars. I also noticed that President Biden said, the US mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation building. This is the truth. Wherever the US sets foot, be it Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan, we see turbulence, division, broken families, deaths and other scars in the mess it has left. The US power and role is destructive rather than constructive. As State Councilor Wang Yi stressed in his phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last night, facts have proved again that military intervention and power politics win no support and are doomed to fail. A model copied from another country can hardly fit or stand in a country with distinctively different history, culture and national conditions. Solving problems with power and military means would only lead to even more problems. I also noticed President Biden said in his remarks that he will not repeat the mistake of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, or attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of US forces. We hope the US could seriously reflect on its willful military intervention and belligerent policy, stop using democracy and human rights as an excuse to arbitrarily interfere in other countries' internal affairs and undermine peace and stability in other countries and regions. CCTV: Today marks the 39th anniversary of the August 17 Communique between China and the US. Do you have any comment? Hua Chunying: There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. The People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. It was on the basis of the one-China principle that China and the US established diplomatic ties 42 years ago. On this day 39 years ago, China and the US jointly issued the August 17 Communique. The US side pledged that it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, that its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution. The August 17 Communique, the Shanghai Communique and the China-US Joint Communique constitute the political foundation of China-US relations, and their core essence is the one-China principle, which the US side should strictly abide by. But what we see is the fact that the US side has kept breaching its own commitment. It has engaged in official exchanges with the Taiwan region, sold arms to Taiwan and helped it to expand the so-called international space. Let's take US arms sales to Taiwan as an example. Over the past 39 years, the total amount of arms sales to Taiwan by successive US administrations has hit as high as nearly $70 billion. The Trump administration alone has sold arms to Taiwan 11 times in four years, totaling $18.3 billion. Not long ago, the Biden administration announced its first arms sale deal to Taiwan, approving a $750 million weapons sale to Taiwan. In response to all the wrong moves on the US side, the Chinese side has made strong and resolute reactions to firmly safeguard its sovereignty and security interests. To solve the Taiwan question and realize the complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration of all the Chinese people. We are ready to make every effort with the utmost sincerity to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification. At the same time, we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures in response to the interference of external forces and the very small number of "Taiwan independence" separatists and their activities. No one should mistakenly underestimate the strong determination, firm will and strong capability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No matter how many weapons the US provides to Taiwan, it cannot change the overriding trend of cross-Strait relations, still less stop the process of China's reunification. A person without faith cannot establish himself or herself; a country without credibility will decline. China urges the US to fully recognize the highly sensitive nature and serious harm of its arms sales to Taiwan, abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, stop official contacts and military ties with and arms sales to Taiwan, oppose the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and their activities, so as to avoid causing further serious damage to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Bloomberg: Just on the topic of the virus. When did China learn of research published in June that documented the flourishing wildlife trade in Wuhan? And as a corollary to that question, what has China done since investigating what happened to these animals, the farms they were raised on, the traders and transporters moving them around and the vendors selling them? Have they been interviewed, tested for antibodies and their businesses thoroughly examined for potentially infected animals? Hua Chunying: I'm not aware of what you're talking about. But I do have a question for you: The Chinese people and government have been saying that the origins study should be carried out in multiple places around the world and there are many suspicions on the US. How is Bloomberg doing in terms of the coverage on these issues? Focusing on only China while turning a blind eye to the call of the world's people and their suspicions on the US goes against the principle of objective and fair media coverage. On China's fight against COVID-19, the Chinese government already issued a white paper in which there is a clear timeline of our response. If you are interested, I would like to give you a copy of the detailed material and go through it with you after the briefing. I hope you can join us in urging the US side to take the right and rational attitude and support the WHO in conducting the origins tracing in multiple places around the world. The imperative for the US is to open its Fort Detrick and North Carolina bio-labs and the 200-plus ones overseas. This will help with the origins tracing work and lead to a more united and effective global response to similar public health crises in the future. Shenzhen TV: According to reports, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda said recently that the country is committed to defend its democratic principles and values. He said, "as a sovereign and independent country, Lithuania is free to decide which countries or territories it develops economic and cultural relations with". What is China's comment? Hua Chunying: I have read relevant reports. The Lithuanian President said it would defend its own values and interests. If Lithuania can do that, China certainly should and can defend its own interests more firmly, especially the core interests concerning territory and sovereignty. It must be pointed out that the Lithuanian side tries to distort concepts and disguise its challenge against the one-China principle as the so-called defence of "principles and values" to quibble for its development of relations in essence with Taiwan authorities. Such an attempt can only fool themselves. The meaning of the one-China principle is clear and brooks no distortion and misrepresentation. Supporting the one-China policy means strict compliance with the one-China principle, including severing official exchanges in both flagrant and secret ways with Taiwan authorities. Multiple O'Brien Award-winning trotter Forbidden Trade opened Tuesday morning's seven-race qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Recording his first charted line on Canadian soil this year, Forbidden Trade took command from post five and clocked fractions of :29.2, :59.2 and 1:28.4 en route to the 1:56.3 one-length qualifying win with Bob McClure in the sulky. New Zealand import Rydgemont Son N, debuting in North America here, followed in second and Tuckers Son was third. Trained by Luc Blais, Determination's five-year-old son of Kadabra-Pure Ivory returned to Mohawk after competing in the John Cashman Jr. Memorial Trot on Hambletonian Day at The Meadowlands. Two-for-seven this season, Forbidden Trade won the Crawford Farms Trot at the Big M in early July. Canada's 2019 Horse of the Year has earned 18 career wins and more than $1.6 million in purses. The same connections were behind three-year-old pacing gelding Shazam Blue Chip, who followed the pocket-pulling Number One Hit as he swept around the tiring leader at the 1:25.1 third quarter mark and then opened up 5-1/5 lengths on that foe with a :27.2 final frame to win his qualifier in 1:53 flat. The son of Shadow Play-Michelles Song has made just one start this year after putting together a 2-2-2 record during a 10-race rookie campaign. The Determination-Blais campaigned Delvin Miller Memorial champion Donna Soprano was also in action this morning and closed from the back of a five-horse qualifying trot to finish third behind 1:58.3 winner Southwind Cersei, a sophomore filly driven by Paul MacDonell and trained by Sarah McCoy, and two-year-old gelding Royal Champane, who was coming off an early August Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots victory at Kawartha Downs for the Ben Baillargeon barn. Another OSS Grassroots winner, Renegade Gypsy took the lone two-year-old trot of the session in 1:58.1 for trainer/driver Mario Baillargeon and Thestable Renegade Gypsy of Guelph, Ont. The Archangel-Sea Gypsy gelding crossed over to the lead from post eight before the first turn and led the field through fractions of :29.4, :59.4 and 1:30 on his way to the 1-1/2 length qualifying win. Take Command and P P E followed in second and third, respectively. Two-year-old pacing colt Heart Of Dixie was the fastest of the freshmen with a 1:57.2 mile in his third qualifying start for trainer Blake MacIntosh. With James MacDonald in the bike, the American Ideal-Open Book Test colt pulled the pocket to take over command after fractions of :28.2, 1:00 and 1:29.1, with filly Just Like Wilma angling out from behind and following 1-1/4 lengths back in second. Pacesetter Maskedman finished third. Owned by Ozzie Mackay of Moncton, N.B. and Gilles Landry of Dieppe, N.B., the Winbak Farm-bred colt Heart Of Dixie was a $25,000 yearling purchase at the Harrisburg sale. To view Tuesday's complete qualifying results, click on the following link: Tuesday's Qualifying Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park. Georgia Lawmakers Back Overturning Roe NEWS PROVIDED BY Georgia Right to Life Aug. 17, 2021 NORCROSS, Ga., Aug. 17, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) today praised four state lawmakers who joined more than 300 colleagues from 34 other states in petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. "Those who value the sanctity of human life and the Personhood of every pre-born child are grateful for the courage shown by these GRTL PAC endorsed legislators in taking a public stand against the un-godly, horrendous ruling that has claimed the lives of more than 62 million innocent children," said GRTL President Ricardo Davis. The legislators: Rep. Charlice Byrd (Woodstock), N. Stanley Gunter (Blairsville), Philip Singleton (Sharpsburg), and Tyler Paul Smith (Bremen) added their names to an amicus brief filed with the court that says Roe is "egregiously wrong." The case involves a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks gestation. The high court is being asked to overturn an appeals court's decision that upheld a lower court ruling that struck down the law. The brief asserts that Roe is "based on inadequate reasoning; it is at odds with modern law; and it has been undermined by modern science." Arguing for states' rights, the filing quotes another high court ruling that said Roe has elevated abortion from a state-based debate "to the national level where it is infinitely more difficult to resolve." It concludes that "Roe has made this Court the sole arbiter of abortion regulation." In addition, Roe has taken away the ability of state lawmakers to carry out the will of those who elected them. Davis noted that overturning Roe would "return the power to end abortion to the states. In Georgia, that would clear the way to adopting a Personhood amendment to our constitution in order to guarantee the protection of all innocent human life from earliest beginning through natural death." The court is expected to hear the case this fall and issue a ruling next spring. Georgia Right to Life promotes respect and effective legal protection for all innocent human life from earliest biological beginning through natural death. GRTL is one of a number of organizations that have adopted Personhood as the most effective pro-life strategy for the 21st century. SOURCE Georgia Right to Life CONTACT: Zemmie Fleck, 770-339-6880, stateoffice@grtl.org Finastra has announced that it is the first technology provider to secure the Swift Compatible Application label 2021 for Trade Finance. The achievement proves that Fusion Trade Innovation, Finastras global trade and supply chain booking engine and processing solution, meets rigorous Swift industry standards. The solution is ready to support customers ahead of the Swift SR2021 go-live in November this year, which impacts Category 7 Guarantees and Standby Letters of Credit messages. Anastasia McAlpine, Head of Product for Trade and Supply Chain Finance at Finastra said: Swift SR2021 completes the cycle of the most significant set of changes to the trade finance messaging interface in nearly 30 years, with the updated message structures and the introduction of new message types. We are delighted to have secured this Swift Compatible Application label as it demonstrates Fusion Trade Innovations strong capabilities to align with the extensive and complex Swift standards. It is also testament to the solutions ability to support customers as the industry evolves. Banks around the world are facing many challenges due to the pandemic, and this leads to greater intensity when navigating the changes needed to ensure compliance with the Swift SR2021 for Category 7 Guarantees and Standby Letters of Credit messages. The new fields and message types, introduced as part of these upcoming changes, require banks and financial institutions to review existing business and operational processes for multiple trade finance products, domestically and cross-border, including the introduction of the new Undertakings functionality. Finastras Fusion Trade Innovation supported customers through the first wave of Swift changes in 2018. Now the solution is the first compatible and ready to support banks with this next stage. -- TradeArabia News Service Zurich International Life in the Middle East has announced that Sajeev Nair will head up its Zurich Workplace Solutions (ZWS) business in the Middle East, effective August 1. With its own individual identity, Zurich Workplace Solutions was created to act as a plan administrator of the DIFC Employee Workplace Savings (DEWS) Plan. The DEWS scheme is a progressive end-of-service benefits (EoSB) plan introduced within Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to restructure its former defined employee benefit arrangement into a funded and professionally managed defined contribution plan. The initiative also offers a voluntary savings option, allowing employees working in DIFC to secure their financial future with ease. Nair has been with Zurich Insurance Group for over 12 years, and in his previous role as Head of Global Application Development and Maintenance was responsible for Zurichs global application portfolio, focusing on improving technology delivery models, simplifying the technology landscape, creating new commercial partnerships as well as driving innovation. Up until July 31, ZWS was led by Reena Vivek. She now hands over the reins to Nair, who has been identified as a strong internal successor. Vivek and Nair have worked closely together over the last few months, ensuring a smooth transition before the official appointment. Meanwhile, Vivek has agreed to step in as interim CEO for Zurich International Life in the Middle East, subject to regulatory approval. With a customer-centric focus, Nair said his vision for ZWS is to continue to deliver world-class EoSB solutions while continuously investing in technology and automation to provide an inspiring and engaging customer experience. Nair said: I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead an organisation at the forefront of driving thought leadership and solution implementation to help transform end-of-service benefits in the region. We have an outstanding proposition with a highly motivated team in an exciting market, and I look forward to leading ZWS as we progress in building a secure financial future for our customers. We are focused on investing in technology and process automation to enable on-boarding of an even greater number of members, as well as speaking to employers and employees to ensure that what matters to them also matters to us. Prior to joining Zurich in the Middle East, Nair worked as a management consultant in London, and his strong operational experience, a deep understanding of technology and a valuable network of relationships in the Financial Services, IT and BPO Services industry have provided the perfect preparation for the role.-- TradeArabia News Service Global investments company BNY Mellon and SNB Capital, a unit of Saudi National Bank, said they have commenced the arranging and provision of integrated world class global securities services capabilities to institutional and large asset owners based in Saudi Arabia. This builds on an earlier announcement in October 2020 in which NCB Capital (now SNB Capital following the merger with Samba Capital) announced its entry into an alliance with BNY Mellon, one of the largest investment services companies in the world. The alliance was developed to address the demand to adopt global best practices of segregated asset management, brokerage and custody functions following the launch of the Kingdoms Independent Custody Model in 2017. The alliance is the first of its kind to bring together SNB Capitals local market leadership in the adoption of recent technological and regulatory developments, while leveraging BNY Mellons global custody, asset servicing, data and technology capabilities. The relationship is intended to benefit asset owners by providing them with access to diverse asset classes across local, regional and international markets. Loai Bafaqeeh, Managing Director of the Securities Division at SNB Capital said: The activation of our alliance with BNY Mellon fully enables SNB Capitals Securities Services platform, further extending our leadership position in the local custody arena. We are excited about the additional services that we can now offer our clients, including local and global custody, administration, securities borrowing and lending, and clearing, all of which will contribute to the growth and development of the Kingdoms capital markets, and the financial sector as a whole, in line with Vision 2030. Moreover, as financial services continue to pivot to more data-driven activities, our collaboration with BNY Mellon will also enable us to offer clients market-leading custody and consolidated reporting solutions, all while complying with the relevant cyber-security regulations. Anthony Habis, Head of the Middle East and Africa at BNY Mellon said: SNB Capitals local expertise, combined with our global capabilities capitalises on the growing opportunity for asset services in the Kingdom and supports the development of its financial infrastructure and banking sector. BNY Mellon has been serving clients in the region for over 100 years and we are excited to work together to meet the increasingly sophisticated demands of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias institutional clients; to provide data solutions, technological expertise, and breadth of experience. BNY Mellon has $45 trillion assets under custody and/or administration and works with a wide range of sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, governments and other clients throughout the region, offering asset servicing and ancillary services, corporate trust and treasury services. In the Middle East, BNY Mellon has an office in Saudi Arabia, a branch office in the Dubai International Finance Centre and representative offices in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, Cairo and Istanbul. SNB Capitals market leadership is evidenced by its position as: Saudi Arabias largest custodian settling 22% of trades on Tadawul in Q4 2020, the Kingdoms largest asset manager with $57 billion in assets under management as of June 2021, one of the sectors leading investment banks, and a consistently top ranked broker on Tadawul. TradeArabia News Service Mabaat, an innovative tech operator platform focused on disrupting the short-term rental market, has secured SR9 million ($2.4 million) in a seed funding round led by Deryah Ventures with participation from Seedra Ventures. Founded in October 2019 by Talal Al Sorayai, Mabaat has rapidly grown into a trusted marketplace for short-term rental. The companys unique digital platform onboards properties and manages them on behalf of its owners, with offerings ranging from mid to high-end private homes and compounds distributed throughout key markets in the kingdom. Mabaat provides a unique level of transparency and efficiency to property partners and guests through real-time information streamlining vital operations like booking and payment, sterilisation and cleaning schedules, property maintenance updates, and much more. Commenting on the funding round, Talal Al Sorayai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mabaat said: We are extremely proud of this investment that supports our vision in disrupting the alternative accommodation market. Mabaats innovative platform is unique as it offers property partners higher occupancy levels at attractive rates. With this direct support that we have received from the Saudi government and our partnership with the Ministry of Investment and Tourism, Mabaat is now well positioned to disrupt the alternate accommodations market throughout the kingdom. Funding will be used for increasing awareness of the Mabaat brand and highlighting its unique value proposition to property owners and guests. Marketing activities will also target regional travelers seeking short-term rental solutions, while visiting the kingdom. Funds have also been earmarked for enhancing the technology behind Mabaat to ensure the continuation of matching guests with the most suitable properties. Mabaat is also focused on seeking talent to fill key positions over the forthcoming months to meet its clients needs. Faris Al Rashed, Head of Derayah Ventures, commented: Investment in the tourism sector is one of the pillars of the Saudi Vision 2030 that targets a contribution from this sector close to 11.5% of Saudi GDP by 2029. In order to realise this, one of the new models considered is short-term rental that capitalises on existing and hardly-utilised capacities, therefore, prepare them for medium to short-term stays. Mabaat, the countrys fastest-growing alternative accommodation platform, is focused on maximising the benefits for property owners and their guests. Its underlying objective is to reduce the burden suffered by property owners, while managing their properties, and afford business and leisure guests maximum experience throughout their stay.-- TradeArabia News Service The Saudi Contractors Authority has launched a new initiative to evaluate contractors as part of its efforts to ensure transparency in the sector, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The criteria will include quality, schedule, environment, health and safety value, communication, responsiveness and compliance, it stated. According to SCA, it aims to develop an electronic database containing necessary data about contractors and their evaluation report, which will be prepared in cooperation with the relevant authorities. It will also provide opportunities to contractors to highlight their performance in different projects to allow a fair competition in the sector and raise the quality of work. In a bid to strengthen Malaysias position as the worlds halal hub leader, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) aims to facilitate high-value, cross-border halal trade digitally at the upcoming Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas) in September. Digitally enabled trade is the way forward and key in rebuilding Malaysias economic resilience. In keeping up with the current trend and due to the current pandemic situation, Mihas this year will spearhead the digitalisation agenda for the Halal industry in bringing patrons, investors and trade partners under one virtual platform. Since its inception in 2004, the event has progressively profiled as the marquee halal sourcing platform, attracted over 1,000 exhibitors from 44 countries participated in the last edition of MIHAS in 2019. We look forward to fortifying Malaysias positon as the global halal hub with another successful showcase this year amid the challenging environment, said Matrade CEO, Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz. Mihas 2021 has kicked off as scheduled with its weekly preview sessions organised by Matrade, commencing every Wednesday from August 11 to September 1. In partnership with Mihas 2021 collaborative partners, namely Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB), Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad, Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) and CIMB Bank Berhad (CIMB), the sessions aim to provide audiences with brief insights on the relevancy of Halal to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Exports, Technology Adoption and Sustainability. Building on the momentum, Mihas 2021 virtual Knowledge Hub will continue from September 10 to 12, 2021, beginning with sessions for Malaysian exporters to get up-close with Matrade Trade Commissioners from markets such as South Asia, Mena, West Africa, Central Asia and Europe for the opportunity to explore potential Halal export opportunities, with Mihas 2021 as a catalyst. In addition to that, line-up of thought-provoking dialogues on Halal related topics of interest are well outlined, covering Islamic financing, innovation and business sustainability, digital technologies and the role of women entrepreneurs in Halal economy, among others. Prominent policy makers, strategic thinkers, renowned academicians as well as industry leaders and influencers are eager to offer their perspectives and thoughts, which will be streamed live over three days. Mihas aims to virtually host a bevy of Halal exhibitors, and over 15,000 international buyers and trade visitors across the Halal ecosystem, making it the worlds largest Halal event. The showcase has attracted industry giants, including Mihas Diamond sponsor CIMB Islamic Malaysia, and collaborative partner, Standard Chartered Saadiq, which will be leading conversations about enabling the Islamic economy and sustainable supply chains respectively. "CIMB Islamic is pleased to be partnering with Mihas in supporting the growth of halal trade in the local, regional and global space by creating business opportunities through its networks, which include trade corridors and its access to the Trade Club Alliance. Matching halal businesses from across Malaysia, Asean and Europe, CIMB Islamics bespoke financing programmes and end-to-end solutions promote growth for suppliers, distributors and retailers throughout the halal trade value chain. This value proposition is further strengthened by our continuous commitment to digitalisation as a powerful enabler for business," said CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad CEO, Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff. With major events pushed to pivot digitally in light of movement restrictions, Global event organisers, Reed Exhibitions found 65% of visitors, 57% of exhibitors surveyed expect digital event technology will remain relevant even after the pandemic. Mihas has quickly adapted to these changes, going fully digital for the first time. This years edition of Mihas will be held from September 9 until December 31. Fitted with digital capabilities, MIihas has neutralised disruptions from the pandemic by enabling exhibitors, visitors and participants with the freedom to network with AI assisted business matching sessions, connect across time zones with live chats available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, view showcases of products and services, and participate in webinars from the safety and comfort of their home countries. Exhibiting brands will also benefit from real-time data access crucial for analysis and brand development to remain competitive in todays highly digitalised environment. Standard Chartered Saadiq is very excited to be part of MIHAS 2021, a world-class platform for halal businesses to collaborate and grow the halal economy. As an international Islamic bank with a network spanning Asia, Africa and the Middle East, we are in a prime position to help businesses thrive within the global halal ecosystem with a range of Shariah-compliant trade financing solutions. Through our collaboration with MATRADE, we are poised to be a key driver in facilitating business matching opportunities for local businesses in their global expansion. This year, we also will be hosting a conference at MIHAS to offer insights on building resilient and sustainable supply chains, said Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad CEO, Mohd Suhaimi Abdul Hamid. Themed, Empowering Halal, Tomorrow, Together, Mihas 2021 will focus on showcasing 12 key pillars. These include education, pharmaceuticals, services and enablers, franchise, modest fashion, Islamic finance, cosmetics and personal care, media and recreation, Muslim friendly travel, e-commerce and food technology.--TradeArabia News Service The Dubai Airshow 2021, set to take place from November 14-18, serves as a key indicator of Dubais success in overcoming the challenges that the pandemic has posed, and moving in the right direction towards achieving a full recovery of the aviation industry. Commenting on the progress that Dubais aviation sector has made following the pandemic, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said: We have crossed many significant milestones this year despite the difficult period. Dubai has been a symbol of resilience and agility in responding to the challenges that the pandemic brought, and we are confident that the collaborative work done by the sectors key players to restore consumer confidence and boost travel operations will pave the way for a thriving aviation industry. Dubai Airshow 2021 will serve as the ultimate testament to the industrys steady recovery and growth and firmly establish Dubai as the leading global aerospace hub. Major Gen Staff Pilot Ishaq Saleh Al Baloushi, Military Advisor to State Minister of Defence and Executive Director for Military Committee for Dubai Airshow, said: For many years we have been collaborating and working closely with different defence delegations from across the world for the Dubai Airshow. This engagement has continued virtually throughout the pandemic, and we are now planning on having in-person meetings and sessions at the Airshow itself. With the positive sentiment within the industry and the appetite for business continuity, we believe the Airshow will provide the ideal event for strategic development and the creation of new partnerships. "Taking centre stage will be the different technologies that enhance safety and accelerate efficiency. They will play a key role in the aviation, aerospace and defence industries getting back to business following the pandemic. A great experience awaits the industry as they once again gear up to network, discuss the future of the industry and do business at the Dubai Airshow. There will be a high number of attendees from the defence industry at the Airshow and we are very much looking forward to meeting them during the event. The UAE recently started opening quarantine-free travel corridors with multiple countries across the world, which counts as a major step for bringing a higher influx of travellers and tourists. In addition, Dubai Airports recently re-opened Dubai Internationals (DXB)Terminal 1, following a 15-month closure, as part of its plan to ensure the airports full operational readiness. DXB is targeting 28 million passengers in 2021. To be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, Dubai Airshow 2021 will take place at Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai Airshow Site. Dubai Airshow 2021 will be held with the support of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports, the UAE Ministry of Defence and Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, and organised by Tarsus Middle East. The highly anticipated event will provide a platform where international aerospace and defence entities can gather and convene to drive the recovery of the global aviation and aerospace industry. - TradeArabia News Service Himalaya Wellness, a world-leading producer of over 300 herbal products, has signed an agreement to build an AED120 million ($32.6 million) state-of-the-art herbal pharmaceutical plant in Dubai Industrial City, a major manufacturing and logistics hub. The facility will be producing three billion tablets, 15 million syrup bottles and three million units of ointment annually. The new herbal pharmaceutical facility in Dubai Industrial City will create hundreds of specialised jobs and export medicines to over 100 countries. The signing ceremony was attended by Abdulla Belhoul, Chief Commercial Officer of Dubai Holding Asset Management; Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, Managing Director of Dubai Industrial City; Shailendra Malhotra, Global CEO of Himalaya Wellness; and Jatin Brahmecha, Global CFO of Himalaya Wellness. The commercial production at the new facility will start in the first quarter of 2024. The proposed factory will sit on 760,000 sq ft of prime land and will be the first of three facilities Himalaya will build in Dubai Industrial City. The herbal pharmaceutical facility will be followed by dedicated units for Personal care products and Functional foods in future. The plant will be built to the highest standards recognised by the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agencys good manufacturing practices. It will enhance global trust and confidence in high-quality Made in UAE products, boost medical security, and support the nations industrial strategy, Operation 300Bn. Himalaya operates a Seed-to-Shelf model where captive farmland is used to grow organic herbs free from pesticides and insecticides. It has operations all around the world and established its UAE presence in the year 2000, followed by setting up its R&D centre Himalaya Global Research Centre in Dubai Science Park in 2013. Abdulla Belhoul, Chief Commercial Officer of Dubai Holding Asset Management, said: In line with the vision of our leadership, the UAE continues to consolidate its status as a global leader thanks to a raft of infrastructure investments, new initiatives and regulations. Combined, these factors have created a competitive and enabling industrial ecosystem. Under Operation 300Bn, the manufacturing of pharmaceutical and medical products is a crucial segment, and our partnership with Himalaya is another milestone that will contribute towards achieving the nations ambitious plans for the industrial sector. Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, Managing Director of Dubai Industrial City, said: Stimulating growth in the pharmaceutical industry by increasing domestic medicine production is of vital national importance in line with the vision of our leaders for economic diversification. We are delighted to enter into this agreement with the leading wellness company Himalaya and believe our competitive ecosystem, with advanced infrastructure and an easy setup process, is the perfect place for its next phase of growth. For more than a decade, we have been a strategic driver and enabler of Dubais knowledge and innovation-based economy and todays announcement is the latest step forward in our ongoing efforts to position this city as a global hub for advanced manufacturing and logistics. Shailendra Malhotra, Global CEO, Himalaya Wellness, added: After over 20 years of successful operations in the region, we have decided to build the manufacturing facility here for our herbal pharmaceuticals. We pride ourselves on being environment friendly and this facility would be Leeds certified - Green Building. Our flagship brands like Liv.52 & Cystone are household names in many countries and the proposed manufacturing facility will be supplying to over 100 countries. The objective is to increase our global manufacturing capacity for herbal medicines, and we decided on UAE due to its strategic location, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and efficient business environment. UAE has been the cornerstone of Himalayas global success and this partnership with Dubai Industrial City shall further reinforce our global strategy, Malhotra added. Established in 2004, Dubai Industrial City is home to more than 750 businesses and hundreds of advanced factories using fourth industrial revolution technologies to make everything from car parts to coffee. TradeArabia News Service Madame Tussauds Dubai has offered a tantalising glimpse of what visitors have to look forward to by revealing its first Middle East wax figure, the much-loved Emirati-Yemeni music star, Balqees Fathi. With her combination of talent, beauty, glamour, strong work ethic and dedication to championing womens rights, Fathi is an apt and much-deserved addition to the iconic Madame Tussauds attraction. Located within the popular island destination Bluewaters, Madame Tussauds Dubai is one of the most talked about attractions to come to the UAE that will open its doors later this year. The music star met her wax figure for the first time at a special side by side unveiling held in partnership with Madame Tussauds at the luxury lifestyle resort, Caesars Palace Dubai, which is at the heart of Bluewaters Island. Fathi said: I feel privileged to be the first Arab artist to stand beside my wax figure at the Madame Tussauds Dubai. I am overwhelmed with the incredible likeness that this wax figure holds to my physical appearance and to the impeccable attention to detail that captures my personality. "I cannot wait for people to visit Madame Tussauds and to finally be able to enjoy this unique experience in the Arab world. Dressed in an opulent gown and with her trademark glowing smile, Fathi's wax figure captures both her looks and personality, while the accolade cements her position as a member of Arab music royalty. Fathi's figure will be amongst the most famous movie stars and musicians from around the globe in the extravagant, A-list party room, which is styled as a glamorous, desert oasis. Madame Tussauds Dubai General Manager Sanaz Kollsrud said: We are thrilled to reveal our first side-by-side and offer a glimpse into the magic that is Madame Tussauds. Fathi is a music icon from the region, and we cant wait for our guests to meet her and feel the fame when they step into the attraction when it opens this year. Since rising to fame in 2013 she has enjoyed huge musical success, releasing three record-breaking albums and travelling the globe as a member of the UAE NSO Symphony Orchestra. Her latest hit Entaha, meanwhile, is being touted as the song for summer 2021 in the Arab world. What sets Fathi apart further and makes her recognition here all the more deserving, is her pioneering commitment to gender equality and supporting women. A great amount of effort went into crafting Fathi's wax figure with a team of Madame Tussauds sculptors travelling to Dubai to document 500 of her measurements, before setting to work back in London, spending three months crafting the figure by hand and even inserting real hair, strand by strand. It will be located next to Ain Dubai, the worlds largest observation wheel.-TradeArabia News Service Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) is set to operate the new Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), the largest venue at Expo 2020 Dubai which will increase the Emirates indoor exhibition capacity by 45%, presenting new opportunities for the Mice (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) industry. DEC represents a unique value proposition with its world-class exhibition space and is a business and trade hub which will host international and regional trade exhibitions, meetings, conferences and business events for the six-month duration of the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai, reported Emirates News Agency WAM. Mahir Abdulkarim Julfar, Executive Vice President, Venue Services Management, Dubai World Trade Centre said that DEC will increase Dubai's events infrastructure and attractiveness to global businesses, and is purpose-built to host ambitious, large-scale events for the world's most influential companies and industries. He also highlighted DWTCs plans for the post 50th anniversary of the UAEs union, noting that Dubai Exhibition Centre is a world-class venue for that will also play a central role in the future legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai. Under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Expo 2020 Dubai will form a new urban centre as part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. DECs opening will represent a milestone for Dubais world-leading Mice sector, which is empowering the development of a self-sustaining entrepreneurial ecosystem and knowledge-based economy. DEC will also be an integral landmark of District 2020, the planned mixed-use urban development that aims to repurpose 80% of the Expo's built environment - a project which will deliver sustained economic value to Dubai. Evolving from Expo 2020 Dubai, District 2020 will form a smart and sustainable urban centre, providing an innovation-driven business ecosystem and coming together of minds in which technology and innovation will support industry growth. Focusing on innovations in sectors including clean energy, artificial intelligence and autonomous transport, District 2020 will spawn a mixed use community of innovators that will provide unique opportunities for collaboration in advanced technologies. India has launched a series of competitions to popularise Expo 2020 Dubai as its preparations gather steam for participation in the world exposition in just over six weeks. "The main purpose of these competitions is to amplify the core message of the Dubai World Expo: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," according to an overview of the contests by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The representative organisation of Indian business, FICCI is the industry partner for Indian participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, a WAM report said. "Since the Dubai World Expo is pivoted on sustainability, empowerment, a more equitable and a greener world, these competitions will get the conversation going and attract the right funding for such projects," according the FICCI overview. Through as many as 10 competitions now under way, the India Pavilion intends to identify and felicitate individuals and groups with innovative ideas which merit demonstration at Expo 2020 Dubai. "Winners will get to exhibit their project plans at the India Pavilion, promote it among 25 million visitors, network with delegates participating from 191 countries and present them on the Expo Live platform," FICCI said. "Besides, they would get an opportunity to interface with industry honchos and Indian ministries representatives." The contests range from a Digital Services Design Competition and an Ocean Pollution Mitigation Competition to a Future Universities Design Competition and a Global Sustainable Housing Design Competition. The challenges are collectively themed as "Ideas and Innovations at the India Pavilion". One contest whose winners are expected to be a big draw at the India Pavilion features success stories of women from Indias villages, concrete examples that have added value to peoples lives. "Women in rural India have been quietly working to improve their lives through various initiatives, including self-help groups. The competition focuses on stories of such inspiring rural women. These success stories can inspire the underprivileged across the world," says the rationale for this contest. This challenge is, by its nature and content, open only to residents of India. Most of the competitions are open to all nationalities above the age of 18, living anywhere, putting FICCIs effort to popularise Expo 2020 Dubai beyond Indias borders on a global scale. A Business Plan Competition for Social Enterprises, although open to global contestants, is limited to start-ups social enterprises and individuals associated with such ventures. A Global Photography Competition will be on the theme "Many Hues of Mankind: Celebrating Culture". This contest is open to non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin resident anywhere, including those living in the Gulf. The winning photographs will be exhibited at the India Pavilion.-- TradeArabia News Service The 300 megawatt (MW) first stage of the 900MW fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park was inaugurated by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Implemented by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, the solar park is the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned total capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030, said a Wam news agency report. The Solar Parks projects constitute one of the key pillars of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to provide 75 percent of Dubais total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. The fifth phase investments amount to AED2.058 billion, according to DEWA. During his visit to the site, Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Media Council; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy: and Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General of the Ruler's Court in Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed was welcomed at the solar park by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, and board members of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, including Dawood Al Hajiri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality; Abdulla bin Kalban, Managing Director of Emirates Global Aluminium; Saif Humaid Al Falasi, CEO of Emirates National Oil Company; and Nasser Abu Shehab, CEO of the Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector at the Roads and Transport Authority, in addition to Mohammad Abdullah Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power; and Li Xuhang, Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in Dubai. In November 2019, DEWA announced the consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation as the preferred bidder to build and operate the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park using photovoltaic (PV) solar panels based on the IPP model. DEWA achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of $1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour (levelised cost of energy) for this phase. A total of 60 requests for qualifications (RFQ) were received from international developers. To implement the project, DEWA established Shuaa Energy 3 in partnership with the consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation. DEWA owns 60 percent of the company, and the consortium owns the remaining 40 percent. The project uses the latest solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies, which allows solar radiation to reach the front and back of the panels, with single-axis tracking to increase generation. The fifth phase will provide clean energy to over 270,000 residences in Dubai, including 90,000 residences by the commissioned first stage, and will reduce 1.18 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. To be commissioned in stages until 2023, the fifth phase uses the latest solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies with Single Axis Tracking to increase energy production. Sheikh Mohammed also launched a project to study the feasibility of generating electricity by utilising wind energy in Hatta. Based on field visits and available preliminary data on wind in Hatta, DEWA has identified the location for a wind farm with a total capacity of about 28MW. Actual wind speed for a full year is currently being measured at the location using a 150-metre metal tower. The purpose is to collect accurate data and study the total capacity of the power plant as well as other technical details in terms of number of turbines, capacity of each, annual operating hours, among other things. "At DEWA, our strategy and plans are guided by the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to promote sustainability, innovation and the shift towards a green sustainable economy. The project to generate electricity using wind power is part of our efforts to diversify clean and renewable energy sources in Dubai. These include photovoltaic solar panels technology, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), green hydrogen production using renewable energy, and pumped-storage technology in the hydroelectric power station in Hatta," said Al Tayer. "Commissioning the 300MW first stage of the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park increases DEWAs total capacity of clean energy to 1,310 MW. This brings clean energy capacity in Dubais energy mix to around 10 percent. DEWAs production capacity has increased to 13,200MW of electricity and 490 million imperial gallons of desalinated water per day (MIGD). By the end of 2021, clean energy capacity will increase to 13.3 percent of Dubais total energy mix after adding 517MW from solar photovoltaic panels and CSP in the fourth phase of the solar park. These include 100MW from the world's tallest CSP tower at 262.44 metres, 200MW from first project of the parabolic trough, and 217 MW using photovoltaic solar panels," he added. Al Tayer emphasised that DEWA's major project in cooperation with the private sector and using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model contributes to the economic growth of the Emirate. Through this model, DEWA received the lowest solar energy prices (levelised cost of energy) globally five consecutive times, making Dubai a global benchmark for solar power prices. DEWA has attracted investments of around AED40 billion from the IPP model. Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power, said: "ACWA Power, a renowned Saudi company, is at the forefront of global efforts in progressing the energy transformation. Stemming from this notion, and based on our long-term strategic partnership with DEWA, the launch of the first stage of the fifth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park has been completed in record time of less than twelve months. The milestone reached today stands testament to our commitment to fulfil our mission despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic, and reinforces our support of DEWAs ambitious vision of strengthening the green ecosystem in Dubai and adopting innovative sustainable solutions. These solutions have already been demonstrated through our portfolio of projects that span 13 countries in three continents. We mark this occasion with great pride and would like to reiterate our commitment in supporting the development of pioneering sustainable development plans in Dubai." Ibrahim Al Qadhi, CEO of Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), said: "GIC is pleased to participate in the development of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (Phase V) together with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and ACWA Power, and to achieve the commissioning of the first phase of this landmark project ahead of the target date despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 outbreak." "GIC is a leading investor in energy projects with over US$11billion in investments in the sector and intends to continue to play a major role in utilities projects in the Arabian Gulf region," Al Qadhi added. Saudi oil major Aramco is looking to raise at least $17 billion from the sale of a significant minority stake in its gas pipelines, Reuters reported quoting unnamed sources. The amount is higher than the $12.4 billion the company raised from its oil pipeline deal. Potential bidders including North American private equity and infrastructure funds, as well as state-backed funds in China and South Korea have been approached by Aramco through its advisers before a formal sale process kicks off in the next few weeks, Reuters said. According to Reuters, the companies tapped include the ones who took part in the stake sale process for Abu Dhabi National Oil Cos gas pipelines, which was bought by a consortium of investors including Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Brookfield, Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and European gas infrastructure owner and operator SNAM. Aramco did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, the report said. Jazeera Airways has taken delivery of its seventh Airbus A320neo aircraft from Airbus in Toulouse, France. Jazeera Airways fleet now includes 15 aircraft with seven A320neo. Two more A320neo will be delivered this year. The A320neo has a range of benefits which include fuel-saving, longer range flights, quieter engines with less CO2 emissions, additional payload and lower operating costs, it said. Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said: Jazeera continues to take delivery of new aircraft as part of its expansion plans. Appetite for travel has been strong across our network during the summer season, as restrictions are lifting in line with the positive progress in vaccination programs. All delivered aircraft are fitted with the airlines standard cabin configuration including its signature leather seats. Jazeera Airways operates commercial and cargo flights out of its Jazeera Terminal T5 at Kuwait International Airport, and flies to 50 popular destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa comprising high-demand business, leisure, family and weekend destinations. In 2021, the airline became the first Gulf-based low-cost carrier (LCC) to launch a direct service to London Heathrow, United Kingdom, which it operates with an A320neo aircraft. Jazeera also launched in 2021 new destinations to Colombo, Addis Ababa, Bishkek, Tashkent, Sarajevo and Antalya. -TradeArabia News Service British Airways passenger flights between Dubai and London since January 2021 have resumed to a daily operation since August 13, the airline has announced. The flight will depart from Dubai at 12:15 (LT) and will arrive in London at 16:55 (LT). These direct return flights from Dubai to the UK will enable many people to reunite with their loved ones who have been kept apart due to Covid-19, it said. Sohail Ali, British Airways Senior Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Airport Operations, said: We cant wait to welcome our customers on board our flights and are delighted to be able to reunite families and friends with their loved ones after such a long time apart. The safety of our customers and colleagues has always been at the heart of everything we do. We have also introduced a range of measures to provide stress and hassle-free travel. Customers booking with British Airways can do so with absolute confidence, thanks to the airlines flexible booking policy. They are able to exchange their booking for a voucher or move their dates without incurring a change fee. British Airways existing online Covid hub includes information on flexible bookings, testing, how to use a voucher and what the British Airways flying experience looks like for those that havent travelled for some time. British Airways has also introduced a number of measures at the airport and on board to look after the safety and wellbeing of its customers and colleagues. These include social distancing measures, the wearing of face masks (which remain in place) and hand sanitiser stations. Prior to travel customers will also receive details of how they can prepare for their journey, including information on discounted testing providers. To help customers navigate the changing entry requirement and facilitate a seamless journey, they can choose to download the VeriFLY app before departing to London. The digital health app allows customers to combine their travel verification documents and Covid-19 test results in one place and confirming their eligibility with a few simple steps. British Airways has partnered with Dettol to offer a range of products to keep its customers and colleagues safe in the air and on the ground. The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards, the airline said. - TradeArabia News Service Help India! Chairman of Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity (FDCA), Professor Muchkund Dubey said the country achieved Independence after a great struggle. He said that our forefathers made these sacrifices because freedom gives self-respect and dignity to a nation. TCN News Support TwoCircles New Delhi, Aug 17: Veteran diplomat and former foreign secretary, Professor Muchkund Dubey, while sharing his Independence Day message on Tuesday said that the socio-economic development of the country is impossible without freedom. People from across the country joined the online programme, which was organized by the Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity (FDCA). FDCA is a national body, formed by legal luminaries, renowned journalists, social activists, intellectuals and eminent citizens for promoting peaceful coexistence among different communities of the country. Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman of the FDCA, Prof. Dubey said, The country achieved independence after a great struggle. Lakhs of people sacrificed their lives in this struggle. Our forefathers made these sacrifices because freedom gives self-respect and dignity to a nation. Explaining the value of freedom, Prof. Dubey quoted freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who has said Freedom is my birthright and I shall have it. Prof. Dubey said, No self-respecting nation can deprive itself of this right, and without it, socio-economic development is impossible. Prof. Dubey said, Dr Ambedkar while presenting the draft Constitution before the Constituent Assembly, stated that if we fail to implement the economic and social provisions of this Constitution, its political provisions will become useless and our democratic system will fail. Prof. Dubey further said that when Subhash Chandra Bose was the President of the Congress, he formed a committee to consider the matter and make recommendations. Rights of the minorities enshrined in the constitution to ensure their right of customs, educational institutions, religious freedom and security were taken from this recommendation. Subhash Chandra Bose appealed to the majority to take care of the freedom of minorities, their religious freedom. Expressing concern over the new laws targeting minorities, Prof. Dubey said, Their basic rights are being deprived through laws, violence, and harassment by the police and investigation agencies. All this is happening according to a set policy. This has been an agenda of the ruling party for a long time. The present government is practically implementing it. No prudent person can believe that laws related to cow protection, love jihad are being passed in the states without the consent of the central government. The government is pursuing a policy of division. Social and economic progress can never be achieved due to it. Talking about economic policies, Prof. Dubey has said that the Indian government has handed over the country to the capitalists in the name of economic policies, neglecting the health and education sectors, consequently, poor people are suffering. Making some suggestions during his speech, Prof. Dubey advised, The wave of communalism must be stopped. For this purpose, the minds and hearts of the people should be changed and the path of Gandhi has to be followed. This requires education, training and research. The Indian nation needs to be given a direction that is different from the communal and fanatic image. There should be a fundamental change in economic policy. Old institutions have to be developed. People related to the healthcare sector have to be trained and encouraged. It can be done only in the public sector. Under the Foreign Policy, India must first create friendly relations and a cordial atmosphere with its neighbours. FDCA National General Secretary and Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Prof. Mohammed Salim Engineer, while congratulating the people on Independence Day, said, We will try to convey to the government that the country needs to be taken in the same direction on which the founders of the constitution had determined. Together, we will strive to lead the country on the path of peace, prosperity, love and justice. By Fang Chao RYAZANSKAYA OBLAST, Aug. 17 -- On the morning of August 16, local time, Russia, airborne teams participating in the Airborne Platoon contest of International Army Games (IAG) 2021 from 18 countries and regions, had their first and only trial parachuting before the competition, so as to further familiarize themselves with the competition site and related game processes. At 9 a.m., the participating teams from China, Belarus, Venezuela and Brazil gathered at the Zhdova airborne field in Ryazanskaya Oblast, Russia. The Chinese airborne participants boarded a transport helicopter in three squads and arrived at the designated parachuting airspace dozens of minutes later, where all the members descended to the drop zone and rushed to the staging ground. All the 25 members of the Chinese team to participate in the airborne assembly and rapid march, as well as fixed-point parachuting competitions under the Airborne Platoon contest took the trial parachuting. Members of a team for the International Army Games (IAG) 2021 sent by the Chinese PLA Navy carry out adaptive training at a training ground of the Russian Marine Corps. Photo by Xiao Yongli VLADIVOSTOK, Aug. 17 -- The Chinese naval team to participate in the "Seaborne Assault" event of the International Army Games (IAG) 2021 in Russia has completed quarantine and started the outdoor pre-competition training. "We mainly carried out training of three subjects, i.e., the 10-km aerobic running will help the team members adapt to the local climate as soon as possible, the unarmed strength training is helpful for them to maintain the cardiopulmonary function and physical strength, and the obstacle-crossing training is designed to improve their capability of passing obstacles in the contest," said Liu Chao, the instructor of the Chinese team. Considering that the team members had to adapt to huge climate change after they arrived in Russia and that no regular training was carried out during the quarantine, the pre-match training is a must to help them adjust the physical and psychological state, said Liu. In the next few days before the competition, the Chinese participants will check, adjust and familiarize themselves with the weapons and equipment provided by the Russian side, and carry out adaptive training at two local shooting ranges, which will also be the venue for the competition. The IAG 2021 will kick off on August 22. In the "Seaborne Assault" event, the Chinese team will compete with teams from countries including Russia, Iran and Venezuela in the tasks of relay, obstacle course and survival path. By Jin Hanbo and Wang Xuechao TASHKENT, Aug. 17 -- On August 16, local time, a Y-20 transport aircraft of Chinas PLA Air Force with members of a Chinese team on board landed in the airport in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. They were here to participate in the Military Medical Relay Race of the International Army Games (IAG) 2021. The Military Medical Relay Race will be held in Jizzax Province of Uzbekistan from August 22 to September 4 as scheduled. It includes more than 20 contests, such as light weapon shooting, Russian 400m obstacles, field first aid and simulated equipment operation, which is a comprehensive competition for all participating teams in terms of physical fitness in combat, tactical quality and war-time rescue skills. The over 20 members of the Chinese participating team were selected from military hospitals and grass-roots units affiliated to the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force. From about 8-10 per cent before the war, the community has dropped to the current 3 per cent. No official statistics exists but the decline is evident especially among young people, source told AsiaNews. Should Europe and Canada open their doors to immigration, there is a real danger of another exodus. Christian parties try to build unity. Damascus (AsiaNews) About two thirds of Syrias Christian population has fled the country since the start of its brutal civil war in the spring of 2011, this according to the Assyrian Democratic Organisation (ADO), a party linked to the Kurdish autonomous administration in north-eastern Syria (Rojava). A decade ago, Christians constituted about 8-10 per cent of the Syrian population; now they are a bare 3 per cent. This is the case in Kurdish majority areas, like Jazira in the north-east, where the number dropped from 150,000 to just 55,000. However, the decline has also been reported in areas under government control where economic difficulties, lack of resources, general impoverishment due to sanctions, and the COVID-19 pandemic have fuelled the exodus. A n anonymous Catholic source in the capital told AsiaNews that "there are no precise statistics" on the number of Christians who have left the nation; however, it can be said that their presence "has decreased a lot during the past 10 years of war. Several bishops, priests and pastors "have noticed this decline, especially among young people as well. In the event that Europe and Canada should open their doors to immigration, many Syrians, especially Christians, will leave". Fr Ibrahim Alsabagh, custodian and priest of the Latin parish of Aleppo, spoke recently of the difficulties of the Christian population, especially the youth population, in a Letter to friends. For the 50-year-old Franciscan religious, "there are many problems that block the possible recovery of Syria" and that favour the continuous exodus. In the future, he warns, the priority of pastoral action is aimed at young people and couples who intend to marry at a historical juncture in which getting married is a heroic act of faith. At the political level, various Christian groups are undertaking some initiatives aimed at unity and collaboration, the only way to acquire greater economic, social and political weight. In this regard, further confirmation comes regarding the decision of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) and the Syriac Union Party (SUP) to start talks to boost their influence in the country. SUP leader Henna Sewime told Rudaw, a Kurdish news media network, that the talks are centred around three fundamental points: Christian unity, a united Syria, and the recognition of Christians in the future constitution of the country. by Melanie Manel Perera In the new wave of the pandemic, Sri Lanka has become the fourth country in the world in terms of the number of deaths per million inhabitants. Many are in favor of a general lockdown, but the government is slow to impose it. Health authorities concerned about situation in hospitals. Christian Solidarity Movement: 'Day labourers cannot afford self-isolation'. Colombo (AsiaNews) - The Sri Lankan government is slow to impose a general lockdown against Covid-19, despite the fact that the country has become the fourth largest in the world in terms of the number of deaths per million inhabitants after Georgia, Tunisia and Malaysia. Health authorities yesterday asked the population to "practice self-isolation to save lives." Upul Rohana, who heads public health, urged all citizens to "voluntarily put in place restrictions on their travel to protect our families." "We don't want to criticize the government, but we would like to invite the authorities to see how they work in hospitals, where we are forced to make decisions based on the pain of covid patients." Yesterday, the country recorded 3,640 new cases and 167 deaths, bringing the total death toll to 6,263. There are currently more than 39,000 people infected with Covid-19. Given the increase in infections, the government, led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has imposed a curfew from 10 pm to 4 am. According to citizens, this measure is more likely to curb "the nocturnal travel of owls and bats" than to bring down the number of new cases. In addition, from today, attendance at weddings is limited to the bride and groom, the parents of the couple and witnesses. Public opinion is in favor of a generalized lockdown and is surprised that the government has not yet taken concrete measures to limit the increase in new cases. The government then pointed to vaccination as the only solution to the spread of the delta variant. According to official data, 54% of the population has been injected with a single dose and 21% have completed the vaccination cycle. Last week, deaths were up 48% from the previous week, while the positivity rate rose 30%. "We are in a situation where there are more than 150 deaths a day," said Manilka Sumanatilleke, vice president of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. "Whatever the government's decision is, as individuals we have to isolate ourselves." However, the Christian Solidarity Movement highlighted the problems with this choice: "If day laborers don't go to work, they don't get paid for that day. They have to go unless the government provides a minimum amount of food for each family. It's still fair that those who can afford to limit the frequency of their movements do." Beijing backed newspaper says the fall of Afghanistan is a "lesson" for Taipei. From Saigon to Syria, it is the practice for Americans to "abandon allies". The island's leadership must "wake up from dreams" of independence. Chinese military exercises off the coast of Taiwan. Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has led to a "rapid fall" of the government in Kabul, while the world witnessed with their own eyes "the evacuation of diplomats by helicopter" as happened at the end of the war in Vietnam, in 1975. This is how The Global Times, the English-language newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, comments on the events in Afghanistan.In an editorial it stresses that Washington's "exit" is "a lesson" for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan. From Saigon to Syria, warns the newspaper close to the Beijing government, "abandoning allies" in order to "protect one's own interests" is an intrinsic "flaw" "rooted" in the US. And the message is accompanied by an eloquent cartoon in which the American eagle accompanies President Tsai Ing-wen towards an open manhole. For the media outlet linked to the communist leadership, Taiwan "is in all likelihood the most cost-effective ally" of the United States in East Asia, although there is no "military presence" on the island. Washington, it notes, sells arms and encourages the local government "to implement anti-continent policies through political support and manipulation." An approach that has "caused a degree of impoverishment" between the two sides of the Strait. The Global Times invites Taipei to "wake up from its dreams" of independence, carefully evaluating what "happened in Afghanistan: once the war breaks out - it adds - the island's defence will collapse in a few hours and the American army will not come to help". That's why, the editorial concludes, "the best choice for the leaders of the Ppd "is to avoid bringing the situation to that point" and "act as strategic pawns of the United States, bearing the bitter fruits of a war". The propaganda of the party organs are also flanked by military operations on the ground: just in these hours, in fact, China has promoted a series of exercises and simulated attacks with warships and fighter jets in the waters south-west and south-east of Taiwan. For the Beijing government those of the People's Liberation Army are a response "to external interference" and "provocations" against Chinese sovereignty in the area. In a note, the PLA Eastern Command said that warships, anti-submarine aircraft and fighter planes carried out near Taiwan a "joint fire assault and other exercises using real troops." Taiwan's Defense Ministry declined to comment on the latest Beijing-sponsored military exercises in the area. In contrast, China's military leadership says that recently Washington and Taipei have "repeatedly launched provocations [...] seriously violating China's sovereignty and undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." The decision is meant to prevent anti-coup fighters from attacking soldiers at checkpoints. A Myanmar Buddhist organisation endorsed the decision but back in March it had condemned the militarys violence. Since the coup on 1 February, the junta has arrested at least 20 monks. Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) Some Buddhist monks will be deployed at checkpoints in Mandalay, Myanmars second largest city. The local Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee[*] agreed to this after a meeting with the military junta that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the coup on 1 February. The Myanmar armed forces asked for 30 monks, one for each checkpoint in the city. The Committee (Ma Ha Na) decided to provide just three. They are using ultra-nationalist monks who have little political knowledge, an anonymous monk close to the religious organisation told Myanmar Now. As a result, the Buddhist community will be damaged. Some observers believe that the move was taken to reduce attacks on soldiers. Most people sympathise with those who resist the military, but if monks are also wounded in attacks in the city, support for the anti-coup fighters might decline. In March of this year, Ma Ha Na issued a statement condemning the violence against protesters. In Pegu and Pakokku, the monks organised peaceful rallies and protests together with local Christians. Ashin Issariya, a monk who played an important role in the 2007 Saffron Revolution and an outspoken critic of military supporters, declared that the monks who accept the junta's plan are traitors to the country. Since February, Myanmars military have arrested more than 20 monks, including two leading figures from the monastic community in Mandalay, Venerables Thawbita and Myawaddy Sayadaw. The latter was released recently, but other monks who have been released say that a number of fellow religious have been tortured. [*] The Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee is body of high-ranking Buddhist monks that regulates the Sangha (Buddhist clergy). by Vladimir Rozanskij Russia's Ambassador in Kabul, Zhirnov: "The impression of the first day is good." Putin spoke on the phone with the president of Uzbekistan. Concern over repercussions on former Soviet republics of the "redefinition of the Islamic fundamentalism". Moscow (AsiaNews) - In the aftermath of the conquest of Kabul by the Taliban and the proclamation of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan, all countries are scrambling to reassert their positions towards an old and new state at the same time. Russia had for some time already established fruitful relations with the representatives of the movement, which even in Moscow is defined as a "terrorist organization". Russian diplomats have only partially left the Afghan capital, as announced in a note from the Moscow Foreign Ministry, having received guarantees for their safety from the Taliban. For now, the Russian government waits to recognize the new government of the Taliban: "everything in its own time", reads the note of the ministry, which in case of non-compliance with the agreements is ready to implement "plan B, which we keep in mind and in our hearts". The Russian embassy in Kabul has been surrounded and "taken into custody" by the Taliban, as communicated to Ekho Moskvy by diplomat Zamir Kabulov, who also stated that he "does not fear that Afghanistan will become the new Isis." In the evening from Kabul it was the Russian ambassador Dmitrij Zhirnov who spoke: "I do not pretend to draw conclusions at the moment. I just assess the first day of Taliban control in Kabul: the impression is good. I think there is a good chance for cooperation in the government of various political forces, because the Taliban needs support from everyone." Zhirnov also stressed the importance of humanitarian aid for all Afghans, assuring that this will be Russia's priority in Afghanistan these days. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with the President of Uzbekistan, Savkat Mirziyoyev, to assess "according to the circumstances" the development of the situation in Afghanistan. According to some, the now ex-Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, has taken refuge in Tashkent, even though Radio Ozodi states that he is currently in Dushanbe in Tajikistan, waiting to go to another country (according to other sources, Oman). However, the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the information, as has Kazakhstan. One of the leaders of the Afghan army, Marshal Abdul-Rashid Dustum, has returned to his original homeland of Uzbekistan, along with about a hundred officers; about 150 officers and soldiers have repaired to Tajikistan. One of the few Russian politicians to comment on the events was the deputy speaker of the Federation Council (the Russian Senate), Konstantin Kosacev, who intervened with an article in Rossiiskaja Gazeta. He recalls the promises made by the Taliban to Moscow on July 8, declaring that they would not threaten the neighboring countries, but stresses that "in Afghanistan there are many groups and small groups, some of which have come from the former Soviet territories, which put all the Central Asian territories in turmoil. However, according to Kosacev, a "redefinition of the Islamic fundamentalist brand" is to be expected, reuniting under the Taliban flag the variants of Isis and Al-Qaeda, with which relations have never been interrupted, also for family reasons. It is necessary "a joint diplomatic effort of all the powers involved, of Russia together with China, India and Pakistan", but also the strengthening of the border defenses around Afghanistan. Many Russian comments underline the mistakes made by the Americans and their allies in these twenty years, which would be the causes of the Islamic restoration in Kabul, which crumbles the hopes of a peaceful "Greater Central Asia". On Meduza Andrej Serenko, expert of the Research Center on Contemporary Afghanistan, writes that in order to stifle any attempt of revenge on the Afghan territory, it would have been necessary to put serious pressure on Pakistan, with economic sanctions and others, since it is from the training camps of the neighboring country that the Taliban forces come from. Serenko defines the Taliban as "a hybrid section of the Pakistani army", which would be the real winner of the assault of the past few days. The Americans would have preferred to surrender Afghanistan, in order not to go against a nation of 200 million people like Pakistan, which also holds a nuclear arsenal. A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, explicitly stated that "the tragedy of Afghanistan is the result of Washington's experiments, and now the whole world is forced to watch helplessly". In reality, Russia does not yet know how to deal with the Taliban, but the sense of revenge against the Americans makes their conquest of Kabul much less unpleasant. by Nirmala Carvalho Fr Jerome Sequeira works for the Jesuit Refugee Service, which has suspended all its activities. He and a fellow Jesuit are safe, but the Taliban will come once they have fully captured all of the country. They have a list of all organisations. Fr Robert Rodrigues is still in Bamiyan, in the central region. Jesuits in South Asia are in contact with UN agencies for their evacuation. New Delhi (AsiaNews) Two Indian Jesuits working for the Jesuit Refugee Service in Afghanistan are doing well but are still stranded in the country, this according to Fr Jerome Sequeira, in a message to his friends picked up by the Matters India news agency. Thank you for your continuous prayers for our safety, writes Fr Sequeira, from Jharkhand who came to Afghanistan in 2006. The situation is changing in the country; the chaos is beyond anyones imagination, he adds. I have never seen such a breakdown in the past 15 years. The clergyman tried to fly out to India yesterday but was forced to turn back. For now, he is "safe". His fellow Jesuit, Fr Robert Rodrigues, a native of Karnataka, is still in Bamiyan, in central Afghanistan. In his letter, Fr Sequeira explains that on Sunday evening, his confrere was already at the airport waiting for a UN plane for a 25-minute flight to Kabul. However, it never took off because the airport staff suddenly left the airport. "We are seeking possible ways to evacuate him from Bamiyan to Kabul through the help of UN agencies, Fr Sequeira explains. For now, Both are safe, says Fr Stany D'Souza, president of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia. We are in contact with them. We have set up a crisis unit with international experts. We meet regularly to take stock of the situation and offer moral support to Fr Jerome and Fr Robert. We will take all the necessary steps to get them back to India as soon as possible. In his letter, Fr Sequeira adds that right now the Taliban are busy seizing government institutions. They are not harming civilians but they will come once they have fully captured all of the countrys institutions. They have a list of all organisations and profiles too. In some places, they have started door-to-door enquiries about staff. For its part, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has indefinitely suspended its activities in Afghanistan: Everyone is holed up in homes or communities. All flights have been cancelled. It all depends on agreements between UN bodies and the Taliban. The entire JRS staff is putting all efforts to evacuate me and Father Robert. The Jesuits have been in Afghanistan since 2004 to help the population rebuild the country education. They have trained more than 300 teachers who are educating 25,000 children in four provinces, with a special focus on internal refugees and other vulnerable groups. Girls are among the main beneficiaries. Until 2001, under Taliban rule, they were subjected to many restrictions. I have worked with Father Jerome from 2009 to 2011, said Fr James Dabhi, also a Jesuit at the Centre for Culture and Development in Gujarat, speaking to AsiaNews. I taught at the University of Herat, he noted, while Fr Jerome went to the remotest areas. We are all waiting for his safe return. Until a days ago, Fr Sequeira reiterated his commitment to "accompany and give hope in any way we can to those who suffer, while uncertainty and nervousness become more and more palpable. The Jesuits remained in Afghanistan even after Fr Alexis Prem Kumar was abducted on 2 June 2014, probably by the Taliban. He was released in February 2015 after the intervention of the Indian government. 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. Engineer studies net-shooting robots that corral space debris Eleonora Botta awarded NSF grant to model how tether systems could remove debris from low-Earth-orbit The idea is that, after a piece of space debris is captured, it is tugged to a disposal orbit by the active spacecraft where the tether is deployed from. BUFFALO, N.Y. University at Buffalo researcher Eleonora Botta studies how to prevent space debris from crashing into each other or from falling uncontrollably down to Earth. An assistant professor of aerospace engineering, she was recently awarded a $175,000 National Science Foundation grant to examine how to best utilize robot tether systems to corral some of the 27,000 pieces of debris that NASA tracks. Many of these space-cleaning-systems call for using nets imagine a satellite shooting a web, like Spiderman to capture and control debris. The idea is that, after a piece of space debris is captured, it is tugged to a disposal orbit by the active spacecraft where the tether is deployed from, says Botta. For objects in low-Earth-orbit, the disposal orbit would be such that the capture piece of debris would re-enter and burn up in the Earths atmosphere, Botta says. The idea is not new. Both Japan and the European Space Agency have launched satellites with similar missions. However, none have proved especially effective. And given the 20-ton Chinese booster rocket that crashed down on Earth in May, its easy to see why Bottas work is important. One of the advantages of actively capturing and de-orbiting large pieces of debris is that their re-entry trajectory is controlled and can be chosen such that, in case some piece of debris survived the re-entry, it would splash down in the ocean with extremely low probability of causing any casualties, she says. For the grant, Botta will use powerful computers to model all components of the robot tether system. That includes a chaser spacecraft with sensors and actuators, controlled reeling mechanisms, the cable and net, as well as targeting and contact dynamics. Shell also focus on what happens after the debris is captured. This involves controlling the system, as well as the debris it captures. The latter process known as de-tumbling essentially means gaining control of an out-of-control object in space. Additionally, Botta will work on developing simpler, potentially less-expensive systems than what exist or have been proposed. Maria's profound sense of guilt over Oliver's death is revealed in a harrowing flashback (the film's lone effective sequence) juxtaposed with an attempt to take her own life. While her actions shake Michael, they spark something else in housekeeper Piki (Suchitra Pillai). Having lost a child of her own and seeing Maria at the end of her rope, Piki shares the story of a remote Hindu temple where visitors can communicate with the dead to share their final goodbyes. The hitch: They can only converse a single time through the temple's front door, and Piki warns Maria in no uncertain terms to keep the door shut, no matter what happens. It's hardly a spoiler to say Maria has difficulty following instructions. One of the men was identified as Darion Hood, 27, of the same block on which he was shot, according to information from the Cook County medical examiners office. He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital at 1:07 p.m. Monday. Defendants created an extremely and obviously dangerous and deadly environment, which led directly and foreseeably to the shooting of Anthony Huber and others, the lawsuit said. Defendants open support of and coordination with the armed individuals in the minutes and hours before the shootings deprived Anthony Huber and the other protesters of the basic protections typically provided by police, and it was a license for the armed individuals to wreak havoc and inflict injury. 13360 W. 167th St., Homer Glen: $5,999,999 | Listed: July 12, 2021 This five-bedroom limestone/stone home has six full baths, three half-baths, a professionally landscaped courtyard with a Bronze fountain and a two-story foyer with custom chandeliers. The kitchen is equipped with a hidden walk-in-pantry, two islands, a professional Wolf range, multiple SubZeros refrigerators and freezers, a built-in Miele coffee/cappuccino maker and a hand-painted barrel ceiling adorned with chandeliers. The primary bedroom suite features a double-sided fireplace, terrace access, a sitting/reading room with a wet bar, two walk-in dressing rooms, a walk-in shower and a tub with a two-story canopy. Another four en-suite bedrooms with walk-out balconies are on the second floor. The lower level of this home is inspired by Venetian Hotel galleries and features hand-painted sky ceilings and wall murals, a full second kitchen for caterers, a theater with seating for 12, a full spa, a professional gym and a stone wine cellar with a bistro area. A large pool completes this home. Agents: Kelly Rynes and James Larson, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, 847-987-6296 and 773-706-9371 *Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options. To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. (Kim Quillen) The Lake County Health Department said that most people infected with West Nile virus have no symptoms of illness. Officials also said that some people may become ill, usually three to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. In some individuals, severe illness including meningitis or encephalitis, or even death, can occur. Weissbluth went home briefly and returned to the scene with his father, who asked about the incident at a restaurant, prosecutors said. The two then went back to their Wilmette home and awoke Weissbluths mother but neither contacted police, prosecutors said. Dash Carts, which use cameras, sensors and scales to identify the items and ring them up, allow customers to tally up their purchases by linking the payment to the credit card affiliated with their Amazon account. In doing so, they can skip the checkout line and an electronic receipt is sent to their email address. Initially, the Concannons had hoped to be open in the new Park Ridge location in time for Cinco de Mayo celebrations, but delays in the delivery of materials, like the front door and windows that open to a patio, as well as some kitchen equipment, pushed the opening back by three months, Maria Concannon said. On August 16, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at request. Both sides mainly exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan and China-U.S. relations. Blinken expressed appreciation for China's participation in the Doha meeting on the Afghan issue, noting that the current situation in Afghanistan is entering a crucial stage. The Taliban should announce a clean break with extremism, opt for an orderly transfer of power and establish an inclusive government. Blinken hopes that China will also play an important role to this end. The United States recognizes that the future of Afghanistan should be decided by the Afghan people, calling on the Taliban to ensure the safety of all those who wish to leave the country. Wang Yi elaborated on China's position on the situation in Afghanistan, saying that facts have once again proved that it is difficult to gain a foothold in a country with a completely different history, culture and national conditions by mechanically copying foreign models. A regime cannot stand without the support of its people, and using power and military means to solve problems will only cause more problems. Such lessons deserve serious reflection. Wang Yi said that China stands ready to have communication and dialogue with the United States to push for a soft landing of the Afghan issue, so that a new civil war or humanitarian disaster will be prevented in Afghanistan and the country will not relapse into a hotbed and shelter for terrorism. China encourages Afghanistan to establish an open and inclusive political framework in accordance with its own national situations. Wang Yi said the United States should play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan maintain stability, prevent chaos and rebuild peacefully. The hasty U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has caused a severely adverse impact on the situation in Afghanistan and it would not be responsible if it continues to create new problems. Wang Yi stressed that it is dangerous and wrong that the last U.S. administration announced to remove the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement from its list of terrorist organizations and apply double standards on the issue of counter-terrorism. The U.S. side should change course and remove obstacles to the Afghan-related cooperation between China and the United States and international counter-terrorism cooperation. Wang Yi further expressed that both China and the United States are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and important participants in the contemporary international system. In the face of various global challenges and urgent regional hotspot issues, the two countries should carry out coordination and cooperation, which is what the international community is looking forward to. However, the United States cannot, on the one hand, work hard to contain and suppress China and undermine China's legitimate rights and interests. On the other hand, it counts on China's support and cooperation. Such logic has never existed in international exchanges. China and the United States differ in ideology, social system, history and culture. This is an objective fact, and no one can change the other. The right thing to do is to work together on the basis of mutual respect to find a way for the two major countries to coexist peacefully on this planet. History will surely prove that no matter what the United States wants, China-U.S. relations should ultimately pursue such a future and there is only such a path that can be taken. The United States should follow a rational and pragmatic policy towards China, respect China's core interests and major concerns, strengthen dialogue, manage differences and bring China-U.S. relations back on track at an early date in accordance with the spirit of the conversation between the two heads of state. Blinken said that it is very important for the United States and China to maintain communication on major international and regional issues. I agree that it is a common goal for the United States and China to realize peaceful coexistence, hoping that both sides will seek and carry out cooperation. Of course there are also obvious differences between the two sides, Blinken said, adding that those can be gradually resolved in a constructive way in the days to come. The U.S. side reiterates its opposition to all forms of terrorism and does not seek unrest in China's western border areas. The evolution of the situation in Afghanistan once again shows that it is very important for the United States and China to cooperate on regional security issues in a constructive and pragmatic manner. Actress Zhang Ziyi, actor-and-director Wu Jing, comedian Shen Teng, and actor-and-director Xu Zheng come together to direct four short films as part of a new anthology drama paying tribute to China's families. Tentatively titled "Me and My Father," the project focuses on normal Chinese families in four different eras, as well as their collective memories. According to the production company, China Film Co., Ltd., the project looks to shed light on family relationships and how parental love can enlighten children. The new film will be included as the final installment of "National Day Celebration" trilogy. Though the films are not connected in terms of their storylines, their themes echo the idea of creating a national tribute through the perspectives of normal people. The previous two anthology blockbusters, "My People, My Country," directed by seven prominent directors headed by Chen Kaige, and "My People, My Homeland," directed by seven popular directors headed by Ning Hao, grossed 3.17 billion yuan and 2.83 billion yuan, respectively, following their releases in 2019 and 2020. "My People, My Country" celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China with seven short stories, while "My People, My Homeland" centered around telling five stories about China's poverty alleviation successes in a fresh and innovative way. "It's very challenging for me during the creative process, but with sincere and strong emotions, we will show our respect for the selfless dedication of our elder generations," said Zhang Ziyi, whose short film in the patriotic omnibus will be her directorial debut. Shen Teng is also making his directorial debut for the project. Wu Jing and Xu Zheng have acted in and directed numerous film projects, and Xu is the only director to have participated in both the previous two "National Day Celebration" installments. According to the film's latest poster and trailer, the four actors will not only direct their short films but also star in them. "Me and My Father" will debut on this year's National Day on Oct. 1, 2021. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, responded to the controversy surrounding Shang-Chi during a cloud interview with a renowned Chinese film critic published on Monday. After the studio's first Chinese superhero film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was announced in 2019, the details around the film have created fierce controversy. For Chinese and wider audience worldwide, one of the biggest flashpoints is the issue of Shang-Chi's father in the first issues of the original comic books. The character, Fu Manchu, is widely considered a composite of negative Chinese stereotypes shaped by nearly one hundred years of Western misunderstanding and prejudices. Angry Chinese patriotic internet users have been especially incensed by the connection. "It is one of the truths that Fu Manchu was a part of that story in the early comics. But Fu Manchu is not a Marvel character; he is not a character we own or would ever want to own. That was changed in the comics many, many, many years ago. We never had any intention of [representing him] in this movie. Fu Manchu is not in this movie in any way, shape or form," Feige affirmed. "It is important for people to know and understand that we want heroes that our fans can look up to," he said to film critic Raymond Zhou. The title character, Shang-Chi, is inspired by Chinese legendary kung fu star Bruce Lee and played by Liu Simu. Born in Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Liu immigrated to Canada with his parents when he was five. Before Shang-Chi movie, he was an unknown actor, but Feige said Marvel's philosophy is about "finding the best person for the part and allowing them to become the character," adding, Liu really "was able to embody the heroism, the flaws, and all of the related abilities." Veteran Hong Kong-based actor Tony Leung stars in the movie as Shang-Chi's father, an entirely new character named Wenwu. "This is a story of love between a father and a son, but with misunderstanding and conflict. That's what we expect people to see in the movie between these two amazing actors," Feige said. He also revealed how "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is a pure kung fu movie plus Marvel elements influenced by Chinese film gurus from Ang Lee to Zhang Yimou as well as Hong Kong cinema from the 1980s and 1990s. The production was also buoyed by a "spectacular" stunt team, many of whom are long-time collaborators with Jackie Chan. Shang-Chi, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, also stars several actors of Asian descendant, including Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong, Fala Chen, Ronny Chieng, and Zhang Menger. It is set for release in some markets, including North America, on Sept. 3 after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there is no opening date set for China, but Disney is pushing for release in the world's biggest film market. Beijing education authorities announced on Tuesday that no more after-school training institutions will be approved for teaching primary and middle school students whose parents are pushing them to improve their performance in a particular subject. Existing programs can continue as long as they meet standards, but all of them will be reviewed, they said. The new rule was made to prevent young students from being overloaded with academic work. Li Yi, spokesman for the Beijing Education Commission, said at a news conference that Beijing will continue to take steps to ease the burden heaped on children in the form of additional homework required by private teachers outside of regular school. "The training institutions should not take up holidays, weekends or vacation time in winter or summer to teach," he said. "Nor should they go public for financing." He added that the public schools themselves will increase their services to meet demand from students, such as providing after-class services to help with homework or other activities. Beijing's Haidian district, where most training institutions are located, announced that it will hold job fairs to help employees of education institutions find new jobs as needed. Previously, the commission had asked schools to offer day care services for students in grades one to five during summer vacation to ease the burden of parents. The U.S. has made human rights a central component of its foreign policy since the Jimmy Carter administration (1977-81). Carter, seeking to improve the international image of the U.S. in the aftermath of the Viet Nam War, criticized human rights abuses and the lack of political freedoms in various U.S.-allied dictatorships, including Chile and Nicaragua. Such criticisms were designed not only to enhance the reputation of the U.S. internationally but also to buttress and give credibility to its ongoing ideological warfare against the socialist world. Taking up residence in the White House in 1981, Ronald Reagana Cold Warrior par excellenceshifted the human rights spotlight away from America's geostrategic allies and toward its enemies, particularly the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's refusal to implement a Western-style parliamentary system was painted as the quintessential abuse of human rights, and was used to rally support for the Reagan administration's "full-court press" hybrid warfare against the socialist camp and the Global South. Ironically, this included propping up some of the world's most violent and repressive regimes, including in apartheid South Africa. Since then, the conversation on human rightsat least in the Westhas been whittled down to the discussion on a specific set of individual political rights. This narrative is framed in such a way that the leading capitalist countries appear as the poster children of human rights; conversely, countries with alternative political models are pariahs. The current barrage of propaganda about alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region also has a very clear purpose: winning popular approval for the U.S.-led new cold war against China. This war has nothing whatsoever to do with promoting human rightsand certainly nothing to do with the human rights of Muslims, given the role the imperialist powers have played in majority-Muslim countries such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine, Yemen and Somalia. The purpose of the new cold war is, rather, to slow down China's rise, to prevent China from becoming a major power; to prevent the emergence of a multipolar system of international relations; to preserve the U.S.-led imperialist system. When examined through the lens of international law, however, human rights are much broader than the narrow set of issues now framed by the West. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, speaks of several different branches of human rights, including the right to live in dignity, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom from discrimination; the right to food security and housing security; and the right to work, education, healthcare, clean water and modern energy. To many people, particularly in the developing world, socio-economic rights are foundational, and they provide the indispensable basis for other rights. Sovereign development The definition of human rights was expanded in 1986 at the UN General Assembly to include the right to development: "All peoples shall have the right to their economic, social and cultural development with due regard to their freedom and identity and in the equal enjoyment of the common heritage of mankind." The right to development includes "the full realization of the right of peoples to self-determination" and recognizes that "states have the primary responsibility for the creation of national and international conditions favorable to the realization of the right to development." As such, national self-determination and sovereign developmentthe right of each country to choose its own development modelare a pillar of human rights as properly understood in the modern era. China provides a valuable example. China in 1949 was one of the poorest countries in the world. Its human rights situation was disastrous: Millions of people routinely died in famines; the majority of its people were undernourished and lacked access to basic healthcare and education. Nor did they have even basic political and democratic rights. The principal reason for this parlous state of affairs is that, for a century, China had been denied the right to sovereign development. Foreign powers, starting with Britain in 1840, had actively imposed "underdevelopment" on China. These foreign powersmost notably Britain, Japan, the U.S., Russia and Francewere intent on profiting from China, and had no interest whatsoever in the human rights of the Chinese people. It was the Chinese revolution, and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, that created the space for sovereign development and set up a political and economic environment in which the human rights of the Chinese people could flourish. In the 72 years since that time, China has been transformed. Life expectancy has more than doubled. Extreme poverty has been eliminated. Literacy is universal. Everybody has access to healthcare, housing, modern energy and clean water. To achieve all this in a huge developing country of 1.4 billion people clearly represents an enormous step forward in the human rights of the Chinese people. This progress was predicated on the Chinese people exercising their right to sovereign development and ending imperialist domination. Western narrative The hollowness of the Western focus on human rights is amply demonstrated by its selective application. The U.S. has a long record of supportingand indeed helping to installprofoundly repressive, violent and anti-democratic governments, such as the Augusto Pinochet regime in Chile and the Suharto regime in Indonesia. In reality, the Western human rights narrative in its current form is a type of political theater designed to win public support for a foreign policy based on cold calculation of geostrategic and economic advantage. Meanwhile, human rights are increasingly put forward as a motivation for war, under the doctrine of "responsibility to protect." Libya is an example: Western governments and media repeatedly criticized the Muammar Gaddafi government's supposed human rights violations. Many of their stories were later proven to be false, but they had the effect of winning public support for a vicious imperialist war in which tens of thousands of people were killed and a whole country was reduced to rubble. In other words, the imperialist countries have developed an elaborate and sophisticated narrative around human rights which they leverage with the intent to deny peoples their human rights. Perhaps the most startling irony is that the major capitalist countries are themselves failing in terms of providing basic rights for their people. In the U.S. for example, poverty levels are rising. Millions of people don't know where their next meal is coming from, millions have no hope of finding work, and over half a million people are homeless. Racial discrimination is also rampant. There are over 2 million people in prisonthe highest incarceration rate in the world. Of this prison population, 34 percent is African-American, in spite of the fact that the black community makes up only 13 percent of the population. The effects of the pandemic are compounded by the virus of racism. Life expectancy in the U.S. fell by 1.5 years in 2020, largely as a result of the government's utter failure to manage the pandemic. For black and Latinx people, the drop in life expectancy was three years. These communities face a human rights catastrophe. In the U.S. and Britain, the number of COVID-19 deaths per million population so far is around 1,900. In China it is three. If China had followed the Anglo-American strategy for managing the pandemic, it could be expected to have suffered a death toll upward of 2.5 million. In fact, fewer than 6,000 people on the Chinese mainland have died from COVID-19. Is the right to life not a basic human right? And should we not say that China has done significantly better in protecting that right? The imperialist countries should no longer be allowed to dominate the discussion on human rights, and the voice of the developing world should be heard. People in developing countries for the most part recognize that promoting human rights at the international level includes promoting the right to sovereign development. This means adhering to the principles of peaceful cooperation, multipolarity, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Once countries are allowed to develop in peace freely, according to their people's specific situations and needs, and choosing a development model that suits them, their human rights will prosper. Carlos Martinez is an author and political activist from London. He is co-founder of the No Cold War campaign and co-editor of the Friends of Socialist China website. Flash Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday exchanged views with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken over phone on the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral ties. During the phone talk, Blinken expressed appreciation for China's participation in the Doha meeting on the Afghan issue, noting that the current situation in Afghanistan is entering into a crucial stage. The Taliban should announce a clean break with extremism, opt for an orderly transfer of power and establish an inclusive government, the top U.S. diplomat said, expressing hope that China will also play an important role to this end. The United States recognizes that the future of Afghanistan should be decided by the Afghan people, Blinken said, calling on the Taliban to ensure the safety of all those who wish to leave the country. For his part, Wang expounded China's stance on the situation in Afghanistan, saying that facts have once again proved that mechanically copying an imported foreign model cannot readily be fitted to the use in a country with completely different history, culture and national conditions, and ultimately, is unlikely to establish itself. Without the support of people, a government cannot stand, and the use of power and military means to solve problems will only cause more problems, Wang said, adding lessons in this respect deserve serious reflection. Wang said that China stands ready to communicate with the United States to push for a soft landing of the Afghan issue, so that a new civil war or humanitarian disaster will be prevented in Afghanistan and the country will not relapse into a hotbed and shelter for terrorism. China encourages Afghanistan to establish an open and inclusive political framework in accordance with its own national situations, Wang added. The United States should play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan maintain stability, forestall turbulence and realize peace and reconstruction, Wang said. The hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops has had a severe negative impact on the situation in Afghanistan, and it will not be a responsible attitude if the United States created new problems in its next move, Wang said. The previous U.S. administration announced revocation of the designation of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization, and applied double standards to the counter-terrorism issue, which is dangerous and wrong, Wang said, calling on the U.S. side to start afresh to remove obstacles to the China-U.S. cooperation on Afghanistan and the international counter-terrorism cooperation. Wang said that both China and the United States are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and important participants in the contemporary international system. In the face of various global challenges and urgent regional hotspot issues, the two countries should carry out coordination and cooperation, which is what the international community is looking forward to, Wang added. And yet the U.S. side cannot, on the one hand, deliberately contain and suppress China and undermine China's legitimate rights and interests, and on the other hand, expects support and cooperation from China, because such logic never exists in international exchanges, Wang said. It is an objective fact that China and the United States differ in ideology, social system, history and culture, and neither side can change the other, Wang said. It is advisable for the two major countries to work together on the basis of mutual respect to find a way to coexist peacefully on this planet, he said, adding that history will surely prove that whatever the U.S. side intends to do, China-U.S. relations should eventually seek only such a future and follow only such a path, Wang said. The U.S. side should pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, respect China's core interests and major concerns, strengthen dialogue and manage differences in accordance with the spirit of the phone talks between the two countries' heads of state, and push China-U.S. relations back on the right track at an early date, Wang added. For his part, Blinken said that it is very important for the United States and China to maintain communication on major international and regional issues. Blinken said he agrees that it is a common goal for the United States and China to realize peaceful coexistence, voicing hope that both sides will seek and carry out cooperation. Of course there are also obvious differences between the two sides, Blinken said, adding that those can be gradually resolved in a constructive way in the days to come. The United States, Blinken said, reiterates its opposition to all forms of terrorism and its pledge not to seek to foment unrest in China's western border areas. The evolving situation in Afghanistan once again demonstrates the importance of U.S.-China cooperation on regional security in a constructive and pragmatic manner, he said. Flash Evacuation flights carrying diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan's capital continued as of Tuesday afternoon, a witness confirmed. "The military flights are continuing in Kabul airport. Roughly at 3:28 p.m. (local time), a huge cargo plane took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport," witness Farhad Mohammdi who lives near the Kabul airport told Xinhua. "This is the first time the flight departed during the day. All Monday night, huge planes were taking off or landing in the airport. The sound of four-engine military cargo planes could be heard from Monday night to early hours of the day," he said. A fighter jet was also flying over Kabul sky for hours at midday on Tuesday, he said. The United States was taking charge of air traffic control at the airport for military and commercial flights as around 2,500 U.S. soldiers are in Kabul to assist the evacuation of U.S. personnel and others, according to reports. Earlier on Tuesday, unconfirmed reports said Taliban officials suspended all flights in the airport. I dont know about you, but the world just seems busy. I find when I ask people the question, how are you doing?, 90% of the time the answer is: busy. A common reason for our busyness is our work. The hustle culture of today continues to puzzle me. For those who arent familiar, hustle culture is obsessed with striving (NY Times). Its a culture that worships mantras such as sleep when youre dead, or rise and grind (Nike Ad). Its strange because I think the concept of work ethic has become distorted in our modern-day and age. No longer is it associated with sustained effort in meaningful work, but rather just any work of long duration. Busyness has become a virtue. #hustle I think that one of the reasons for the proliferation of hustle culture is this age of start-ups that we live in. Many of the billionaires today Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk have all made their fortunes in these start-up companies which are characterized by outlandishly long work weeks. Take Elon Musk, for example, he works 85 to 100 hour week two full-time jobs (Business Insider) It surprises me that working excessive amounts is often praised. I just think that if we dedicated that amount of time to anything else besides work, it would be considered an addiction; and we would be encouraged to go to therapy! Yet, somewhere along the line society has decided that these tech giants are aspirational and that sacrificing your family life and social life for work is respectable. Now, of course, many of these people I have mentioned have done great work. Microsoft, Tesla, they are all companies that have changed the world. Furthermore, Bill Gates continues to donate billions in philanthropic efforts. I dont deny any of this, nor discount it. However, something that has been on my heart lately is that how we do something is just as important as why we do something. Ive found that I often use the reason I am doing something to justify how I am doing something. The how is important Ill give you an example. I am currently studying civil engineering at university. I put a lot of hours into my study because I want to be the best that I can be. Also, I want to set myself up for opportunities in the future that could make a difference in peoples lives. But often Ill justify denying certain opportunities to volunteer, or to share my faith, or to do ministry because Im busy with university. Ill say to myself that when I finish university, I will have more time to read my Bible. Or, when I finish this assignment, I will have more time to spend praying. However, the truth is that there is always going to be another assignment, there is always going to be another task. If I keep using that as my excuse, I will never actually serve in the way that I intend to, or in the way that God has called me too. Many of us will similarly justify our work life. We might say that we are working hard for these years to save up and then use the money to do good. Now that is admirable, and I dont denounce that goal. However, we need to ask ourselves what are we doing in the meantime as well? The truth is that Jesus died to reconcile ourselves to Him (Romans chapter 5, verse 10). He died so that we could have a relationship with Him, not so we would just work harder. He died for our presence, not our productivity. Yet, often it is time spent with Him or serving Him that is sacrificed at the altar of our busyness. I dont deny that certain seasons will require more hard work and more sacrifice of our time than others. During exam times, for example, I will have less time to dedicate to other things than usual. What is important is that we reflect on our overall pattern. People like Bill Gates are fortunate. He is in a position now that he can leverage the hard work he has put in the past for good. However, not everyone is that lucky. The scary truth is that day which we tell ourselves will be the day that we start serving, it may never come. The future is not guaranteed. So, we need to ask ourselves, if we died tomorrow, what would we have to show? Are we busying ourselves with things that have eternal value, or those things that will pass away when we die? Making time So where do we need to be spending more time? If obsessive work or study is a constant in our lives, then we need to ask ourselves what we truly value, and whether we are giving these things the time we should. The truth is that we will always be busy. Therefore, we need to be intentional about making time for the things we value. Even though Jesus was occupied with the most important job in the world reconciling mankind He still took hours out to pray, to spend time with His Father (Luke chapter 5, verse 16; Mark chapter 1, verse 35). If anyone could have used the excuse of busyness, it was Jesus. However, He knew that the how was just as important as the why. It is important for us too. Comfort eating. My faithful friend for the last decade or so. I cant pinpoint the exact date but over time Id developed a habit of reaching for food when I experienced negative emotions. I convinced myself that it wasnt a huge problem since Im in a healthy weight range, and I only snacked when I felt sad. However, my husband politely pointed out that I also reach for junk food when Im tired, or if Ive had conflict with someone, or if Im under pressure. I remained in denial that it wasnt an all-encompassing problem until my yearly blood test told me otherwise. Ok - time for a change. I tried to cut out sugar for 6 weeks, I did it successfully and felt great - but at the next birthday celebration and the taste of delectable cake, I was back to my old habit and at it ten times harder! I tried watching Netflix documents about the effects of junk food I was disgusted and horrified by the idea of damaging my body for about a day, before the life-sucking sweets serenaded me again. (Just quietly, did I mention Im a physiotherapist and I promote health to my patients?) It seemed like a battle that I couldnt win until I decided to speak to a Christian psychologist. She explained to me that overcoming comfort eating completely is possible if Im reaching for food because I need comfort, then I needed to uncover what feelings and thoughts, were bringing up the need for comfort. She explained the process of neural rewiring in a one sentence summary, its that we can rewire the pathways in our brains that make us act certain ways, when certain feelings came up. I was familiar with this concept from an exercise perspective Id used neural rewiring when working with stroke patients and teaching them how to regain the use of their limbs. But Id never thought of it from the point of comfort eating. With scientific reasoning behind it, I was excited to give it a try. Yet I knew science and my own efforts were not enough - Id tried that before - so grandma and I both started praying for this weekly, as I asked the Holy Spirit to help lead the way. Meditate on Jesus I started to meditate on Jesus words that spoke to the holes in my heart, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John Chapter 10 verse 10). I remember the first time I read this verse; I was bamboozled. I knew Jesus came to give me eternal life but he was talking about life now and it being full? It seemed unachievable. But I meditated on that verse every day for a week and I read it in different translations Life abundantly, life overflowing, life with joy, life in its fullest measure! I was determined to taste more of this freedom. I started keeping a journal of events that made me reach for cookies: Day 1. Walked the dogs around the block. Saw construction workers pass bricks to each other. Need a cookie! I couldnt really figure out the link between dogs, construction workers and cookies, so it was time to figure out what I was feeling. As I tried to uncover what I felt images of Kettle chips, donuts and chocolates came up. It seemed that any time a negative emotion came up Id shortcut processing it and go straight to the solution of numbing it with food. I literally didnt know what I was feeling, other than I didnt like whatever it was, and I certainly didnt want to feel it. My psychologist told me to focus on sensations in my body which might help me know what I was feeling. Ok, attempt two. Bricks smashing against each other loudlychest is tight...hearts beating fastanxietys rising. Next step why does this make me anxious? (Long pause)Its making me feel unsafe. Unsafe. I felt unsafe. It took me many steps to know what I was feeling but I finally had uncovered it. I thought back to parts of my childhood where I felt unsafe and loud noises meant things were escalating and I needed to be on guard. But Id never realised that everyday loud noises were triggering that same feeling of me being unsafe. I spoke to my psychologist the following session I celebrated identifying my feelings but what next?! She asked me to repeat the thoughts I had spoken to myself, once I had figured out I was feeling unsafe. I thought back and told her it went something like this Why are you feeling unsafe? Stop being stupid, the construction workers are doing their job and its got nothing to do with you. She smiled and gently suggested I tried a more compassionate approach, Why dont you tell yourself, Im safe now, this is not the same. So the next day I walked past the construction site again, the same feelings of anxiety rose and instead of letting me judgmental inner voice speak, I told myself, Im safe now. Instantly, my heartbeat stopped its 100 m dash and went for a relaxed victory lap instead. I casually walked home, past the kitchen without any desire to stuff my feelings away. It was a big win after years of having no idea what was going on. It doesnt explain why I reach for cookies in a multitude of other reasons, but it was the first taste of victory after a decade of defeat and I believe there will be many more wins. Jesus came to save us and give us full lives - it doesnt mean we will be free from suffering, but it does mean, that we dont always have to suffer. Many of us have gone through some sort of trauma or multiple traumas at different points in our lives and even if weve grown from it, we can still carry scars that hold us back. If this is you, then I hope sharing this part of my story will help you also to connect with your feelings and your thoughts and to speak to yourself with the compassion that Jesus would. If you felt like you cant change, I hope my story encourages you to get the help you need. My prayer is that you get to know Jesus and experience the life that He came to give you a life lived to the full! Competitive Landscape Oilfield chemicals have seen increased demand over the years, due to development initiatives by developed countries and oil exploration projects. Companies functioning in the global Oilfield Chemicals Market are also being challenged due to unstable oil prices around the world and environmental concerns. Mergers and acquisitions by Market companies are anticipated to help the market during the forecast period 2019 to 2025. As the Market is set to register a high CAGR of 4.64% and is also anticipated to reach a US$1.56 billion by 2025, the report highlights key areas companies need to focus on. The report suggests that the Market will see a healthy growth in the long run till 2025. Based on SWOT analysis and Markets analysis based on Porters Five Force Model presented in the Oilfield Chemicals Market report. Mergers and acquisitions by Oilfield Chemicals Market companies are anticipated to help the market during the forecast period 2019 to 2025. Industry News The purchase of a Schlumberger unit would make the second largest fracing supplier in North America, Liberty Oilfield Services Inc., which expects Hallibrton Co. topple from position number one one one one day. The Denver contractor didn't even break the top ten because of their frac fleet number, only about three years ago. In its ninth financial year, Liberty is expanding in a seriously diminishing business: According to Primary Vision Inc, multiple of U.S. sand crews were rejected this year. Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/oil-field-chemicals-market-1755 The global Oilfield Chemicals Market, during the forecast period 2019 to 2025, will register growth at a CAGR of 4.64%. The market for oilfield chemicals is set to reach US$1.56 billion by 2025. As per market analysts, the global market is anticipated to witness growth owing to the factors such as expansion of shale oil & gas drilling & production as well as growing spending on advanced oilfield chemicals. However, the market will face challenges and restraints due to stringent regulations and lack of resources during the forecast period 2019 to 2025. The rise in activities for oil exploration & development in the Market is set to play a key role in determining the growth potential during 2019 to 2025 years. Analysts have also studied the market to understand potential threats and challenges the market companies could face. Although the Oilfield Chemicals Market is poised to grow at a fast pace across applications and type segments, factors such as tight environmental legislation could slow down the market's growth worldwide. Market Segmentation The Oilfield Chemicals Market has been segmented into applications and type. Based on the segment which is applications, the market is categorized on the basis of downstream, midstream, and upstream. The global market for oilfield chemicals is further segmented based on type into demulsifiers, inhibitors & scavengers, and others. The global Market research report covers all the aspects of the Market based on the segmental analysis of these applications and type segments. Analysts have also studied the global Market's regional markets spread across many continents and countries. The applications and type segments along with their sub-segments have been analyzed and companies functioning in the Market across these segments are profiled and analyzed based on input and feedback from Market based decision makers as well as primary and secondary sources. The Market research report presents analysis based information for companies functioning in the Market. To request a sample copy@ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1755 Regional Overview The shift to renewable energy sources may hinder the Oilfield Chemicals Market growth. The market research report suggests that companies in the Market could be supported by growth in projects for deep-water & ultra-deep-water drilling as well as growing demand for technologically advanced cement products during the forecast period. The Market is set to register growth at a high CAGR owing to these key factors. The Market is spread across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other parts of the world. The global Market research report reveals that APAC, North America, and Europe regional Markets will dominate the global Oilfield Chemicals market for oilfield chemicals during the forecast period 2019 to 2025. As per Market analysts, the market is set to witness tremendous growth across applications and type segments in North America which covers Markets across the United States, Canada, Mexico and several other regional markets. Companies active in the Market are also analyzed and studied in the Market research report. Under the National Infrastructure Pipeline launched in 2019, India has earmarked a total investment of $1.4 trillion (INR 102 lakh crore) on infrastructure development. Moreover, by 2025, the construction sector of India will be the third-largest in the world, behind that of the U.S. and China. Naturally, the two most-populated countries in the world account for the largest construction sectors in the world. Moreover, the government of these nations is extending its support for the real estate and infra sector. Due to the rampant growth of this industry, P&S Intelligence predicts the Asia-Pacific (APAC) construction chemicals market revenue to rise from $19,754.8 million in 2017 to $29,686.2 million by 2023, at a 7.1% CAGR between 2018 and 2023. This will essentially be due to the burgeoning population of the region, which is already the highest on earth. More people means a requirement for more houses, roads & highways, transportation facilities, schools, office complexes, hospitals, retail spaces, hotels, factories, and all other kinds of infrastructure imaginable. Presently, the highest demand for all such construction chemicals, not just in APAC, but the entire world, is generated in China, which is home to the largest construction sector globally. In 2019, 26 construction projects, with a total investment of $142 billion, were sanctioned in the country, as per the South China Morning Post. The largest and most-expensive construction project underway in China right now is the SouthNorth Water Transfer Project, under which three systems of canals are being built to divert 44.8 billion cubic meters of water from the Yangtse River in southern China to the north of the country each year. In the coming years though, Indias contribution to the APAC construction chemicals market will grow at the highest pace. As per the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), between April 2000 and December 2020, the countrys construction sector received a total foreign direct investment (FDI) of almost $50 billion. Moreover, in the 2021 Union Budget, the government allocated $32.02 billion (INR 233,083 crore) for transportation infrastructure alone! Under this, over 600 railway stations have been identified for redevelopment, the entire broad-gauge network of Indian Railways is being electrified, and all routes are being double-tracked. Thus, with governments pushing for infrastructure development in APAC, the demand for construction chemicals will boom in the coming years. Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday requested the Centre to take urgent steps to repatriate Malayalis stranded in Kabul in view of the Taliban capturing power in Afghanistan. As directed by the CM, the NORKA Roots, the state-run welfare agency of non-resident Keralites, submitted a letter to the External Affairs Ministry in this regard, government sources here said. As many as 36 people, who got stranded in Kabul, have so far contacted NORKA seeking help, they said. Harikrishnan Namboothiri K, the CEO of the agency, contacted the Malayalis, among the stranded, the other day, they said adding that steps were on to trace whether more Keralites were trapped in the Afghanistan capital. The NORKA has already passed the information they received to the External Affairs Ministry, sources added. About 3.9 per cent have been detected with tuberculosis, the minister said. Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Tuesday urged people who have recovered from Covid and their family members to voluntarily get evaluated for Tuberculosis (TB). "There are more than 28 lakh people in the state who have recovered from the COVID-19 infection. Since both COVID-19 and TB infect the lungs we have launched a special drive to ensure early detection of TB in people who have recovered from the virus," the minister said at the Vidhana Soudha here after launching the special TB test drive which will be held across the state from August 16 to 31. He said, "People who have recovered from Covid-19 should voluntarily get themselves evaluated for TB. If it is detected at an early stage treatment will become easier." Sudhakar said the state government has initiated this special drive to evaluate post-COVID-19 complications in people who have recovered from novel cororavirus infection. Since 2017, as many as 75 lakh suspected TB cases have been identified and 88 per cent of them have been tested. About 3.9 per cent have been detected with tuberculosis, the minister said. He also said due to the Covid pandemic, the TB evaluation drives have been slightly hit. Sudhakar insisted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has laid a vision to make India free from TB by 2025 and the state government has been working towards this goal. The Health Minister said a new initiative called 'Aryogya Nandana' will be launched keeping in mind the experts' view that the third wave of COVID may affect children. "There are about 1.5 crore children in the state and all of them will be subjected to tests under this initiative. This will be launched by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai soon," Sudhakar said. Under this programme, children with lesser immunity and other comorbidities will be identified and they will be provided with nutritious food and supplements to boost immunity. All precautionary measures will be taken to monitor their health, the minister explained. Regarding vaccines, Sudhakar said the state has set an ambitious target to fully inoculate the entire eligible adult population in the state by December. "I will soon visit Delhi to seek additional supply of vaccines to our state. Private sector can procure 25 per cent of the vaccine production. We are having discussions with corporate companies to explore possibilities of companies procuring vaccines under CSR and providing it to state Government. This will significantly accelerate the vaccination drive," minister said. While speaking at the event, the Wayanad MP stated that whatever Mahatma Gandhi said, he put it into action. (Twitter) Wayanad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday unveiled Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Gandhi Park in Mananthavady in Kerala's Wayanad district. While speaking at the event, the Wayanad MP stated that whatever Mahatma Gandhi said, he put it into action. "The powerful thing about Mahatma Gandhi was that whatever he said, he put into action. So, if he said India should be a tolerant country then he behaved in a tolerant way. If he said India should treat its women with respect, he treated women with respect," Rahul Gandhi said. "If Gandhi ji said that India is a secular country, he himself behaved in a secular manner. He had the Gita, the Quran, the bible, and the Guru Granth Sahib as his guide," the Congress leader said. "Today we have many people who say they want a country that is fair and then they treat others unfairly. They say they want an India that respects women and then they themselves disrespect women. They say they want a secular nation but they themselves view religions differently." "For me, the statue is much more about the practice than it is about the personality," he added. The Congress leader is on a 3-day visit to his parliamentary constituency Wayanad in Kerala, from August 16 to August 18. Rahul Gandhi will also inaugurate two drinking water projects, one at Koovalathod Colony in Padinjarathara and another at Kattunaika Colony in Ponkuzhi later in the day. On August 17, the Congress leader will meet the District Collector of Kalpetta, followed by the inauguration of the Karassery Panchayat Farmers' Day Program where he will felicitate farmers at Karassery Bank Auditorium, North Karassey, Thiruvambady. Thereafter, he will have lunch with residents of Gandhi Bhavan Sneharamam old age home at Wandoor in Malappuram. A research revealed a potential cybersecurity attack for Windows users after seeing a flaw from one of Operating System's tools that can be exploited by hackers and other online attackers. This was after Microsoft released a notice for its users regarding a patch that has fixes to the said tool, which flagged several of its vulnerabilities along those lines. According to Redmond, security researchers have found that the said attackers are using said flaw in their attacks. A Potential "Nightmare" In an blog posted by CrowdStrike, attackers incorporated the so-called "PrintNightmare" in their cyberattacks using a ransomware known as Magniber, which targets Windows users in South Korea. NEW: PrintNightmare vulnerability weaponized by Magniber ransomware gang in attacks against South Korea -Which PrintNightmare is this? -CVE-2021-34527, the original one, the RCE split off from CVE-2021-1675 and for which a PoC was released in Junehttps://t.co/srPh8DnVJT pic.twitter.com/f9WKn0cJHQ Catalin Cimpanu (@campuscodi) August 12, 2021 The said malware, according to KimKomando, were first surfaced in 2017, and used the said flaw as a medium for attackers to spread said malware to victims. READ ALSO: Cyber Attackers Unleashed Cryptomining Malware 'Crackonosh' Masked as Free Games: How to Avoid Virus-infested Free Games PrintNightmare is the name given to a print spooler flaw that was seen in the Microsoft's operating system. It was first revealed in a patch notice by the company last August 13. The flaw, which is originally named as CVE-2021-36958 vulnerability, is a remote code execution vulnerability that, if exploited by attackers with user interaction, can gain access to any system privileges. According to the company's summary of the said vulnerability, it can run arbitrary code with the said privileges and install any programs, including malware and spyware, in order to view, change, or delete any data, or create any new accounts with the user's/victim's full rights. The said PrintNightmare print spooler flaw was not new in terms of being one of the methods used for cyberattackers. In the same blog, CrowdStrike revealed that last July 13th, they successfully detected and prevented attempts to an another cyberattack by means of exploiting the said flaw. Also, Microsoft also addressed the existence of the said flaw in their previous patches, most specifically the June patch bundle. In July, the company has issued several patches for PrintNightmare while providing several solutions how to prevent it, including disabling the said print spooler tool. However, doing so may disable a system to do print. Several IT experts believe that the said patches did not work in preventing the said flaw, however the company said that they were "effective" in doing so. How to Prevent Against Ransomware Attacks Ransomware attacks, including the aforementioned Magniber one that uses the PrintNightmare flaw, can compromise a user's system data in his or her computer, which includes those that contains private information. Along with data encryption, these ransomware can also lock their operating system, making then inaccessible unless the users pay the "ransom" that were demanded by the attackers themselves In order to prevent such attacks, users must be prepared. To do so, according to Kaspersky, they must first know the security vulnerabilities by checking if their device they are using has an outdated software or if their browsers (or operating systems) were patched to its updated versions. They can also do a vulnerability scan in their systems to check if it is vulnerable to cyberattacks, as well as installing anti-ransomware software. But the best way to prevent said attacks is to do the following: Avoid clicking on unsafe links, avoid disclosing personal or private information, avoid opening any suspicious email attachments, never use any unknown flash drive sticks, and use VPN services while on public Wi-Fi. READ ALSO: Kaspersky's 'Random Password Generator' Can Create Passwords 'That Can Be Easily Cracked:' How to Create Stronger Passwords United Kingdom authorities are scrambling to resolve the issue brought about by a gunman who shot and killed five people last week as it was revealed the suspect's gun was returned by police who failed to clear his history. Police continued to investigate the areas in Keyham where 22-year-old Jake Davison went on a shooting spree on Thursday. The suspect's first victim was his 51-year-old mother, Maxine Davison, a three-year-old girl, Sophie Martyn, and her 43-year-old father Lee Martyn. Horrific Plymouth Shooting In a nearby park, 59-year-old Stephen Washington was the shooter's victim and the last, 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, was shot in Henderson Place. Shepherd was initially transported to the hospital where the victim was later pronounced dead. The gunman's crime came after his YouTube channel uploaded a video of him ranting about the "Incel" movement and his comparison of himself to the "Terminator." It was revealed that Davison liked Incel TV, an online support group for "involuntary celibates" who are linked to male supremacy and misogyny, The Sun reported. Many have gathered together to mourn the deaths of the victims as more than 70 bouquets were left outside a Lidl supermarket near the area of the shooting. The names of the five fatalities were inscribed on green heart-shaped balloons and tied to a nearby railing. Read Also: Donald Trump Calls for Joe Biden to Resign as Administration Admits Miscalculation Over Pace of Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan British police were found to have returned the gun of the suspect before his heinous shooting. They confessed that they never checked his social media accounts before returning the firearm. They argued that doing so would be an invasion of his privacy. Many believe that if authorities bothered to look at Davison's posts and uploads they would have discovered that he was obsessed with gun videos on YouTube. It was also shown that the gunman was infatuated with one of the country's most deadly shootings which occurred in 1987, a massacre that was conducted in Hungerford, the New York Post reported. Revising Gun Laws and Checks In December 2020, authorities confiscated Davison's gun and license after being accused of assault three months prior. But last month, a few weeks before the deadly shooting, officials returned his firearm. Devon and Cornwall Deputy Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer confirmed that police officers did not check Davison's internet activities before returning his gun. He said that it was not standard procedure to check people's private posts before returning confiscated firearms. However, one local politician criticized the police for their lack of security, prioritizing privacy over protection. Tory MP Tim Loughton said the matter was related to public records. He argued that a misunderstanding of social media privacy invasion led to the horrific crime. A former top prosecutor for the Crown, Nazir Afzal, said the suspect should have been placed on the police's watch list. He argued that Davison was exactly the type of person that authorities are supposed to keep their eyes on for potential criminal activities. Moving forward, British police will be required to check people's social media profiles and accounts pending firearm license applications. The new rules were implemented after Davison's horrific mass shooting in Plymouth, Reuters reported. Related Article: Hunter Biden's Third Laptop Stolen by Russians in a Vegas Party Blowout, Allegedly Contains Compromising Videos @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Seeing hogs devouring people is not exactly the image of pigs that is usually on the news. These animals are omnivores. However, they are not precisely smart to recognize their owners, and these animals will eat human flesh. Some speculation about these animals is that criminals use them in murders by feeding them minced human flesh of their victims. At times these animals may assault people and kill as well. It seems pigs can be dangerous despite their silly appearance; this is borne out of reported incidents. Farmer gets eaten by his own giant pigs One farmer Terry Vance, 69, truly cared for his hogs and took time to raise them into huge pigs! Compared to ordinary pigs that were usually 350 lbs, Vance's hogs were twice as heavy at 700 lbs! Unfortunately, they ended up eating him alive, reported the Daily Star. According to the police that handled the case, they found nothing left of the farmer. They assumed the dead man's flesh was in the swine's bellies. Authorities cannot rule out the cause of death due to lack of a complete corpse to examine if the victim had a medical condition; they will never know. Another possibility that the authorities are looking for is whether the animals attacked him or if someone was involved in killing the victim. The last time he was seen alive was the night when he went to feed the animals, but he never went back. When the family went out to look for him, they saw pure shock, and almost nothing was left of his body, instead tatters of flesh, dentures, and bits of clothing inside the pigpen. Hogs devouring humans do happens, and Mr. Vance was unfortunate to have been a victim. Read Also: Man's Helmet Saved Him from Ferocious Tiger Attack That Killed Two of His Friends A police spokesperson said it might have been a horrendous accident and absurd that even foul play might have happened. A year earlier, family members recall that the victim accidentally stepped on a piglet that caused a large sow to attack him. There was a possibility that he was attacked because it was revenge that the pig had in mind the night, and it killed him. Michael Garner, the victim's brother, mentioned that they planned to kill the pig, but Vance later changed his mind. Garner added that Vance was a nice guy, and he loved his pigs, noted the Daily Advent. Other reported swine attacks Although these swine are not very aggressive animals, there are incidents where they attack those who take care of them. When a toddler in China entered a hog pen, the animal consumed the child's flesh. A Russian woman suffered the same fate when she had an epileptic episode while feeding the hogs, which then ate her alive. In some cases, the pigs were a convenient way to get rid of murder victims' bodies and hide the crime. In a mobster feud in 2013, when the Godfather was shot three times close range in his car, the rival gang kidnapped the mob boss Francesco Raccosta, as an act of revenge, cited the Daily Record. He got beat up and given to hungry hogs alive, and his flesh ripped to tatters by the animals. A secret recording captured the victim screaming while getting torn alive by the feasting hogs. Hardly enough was left, as the pig ate the flesh until nothing was left. A similar case happened in 2016, when a businesswoman, Maria Chindamo, was killed for not selling her farm to the mafia. She was thrown into a thresher that tore her to bits and then fed to pigs. These hogs may look harmless, but they can devour people till nothing is left of the victim, and they might have been instances when they attacked and murdered people too. Related Article: 5-Year-Old Indian Girl Beheaded by Leopard After Fatal Attack at Home; Authorities Determined to Catch Man-Eater @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An Ohio mother has pleaded guilty to killing her 6-year-old son and attempting to abandon her two other children. The request comes as officials decide to search for James Hutchinson's body. Brittany Gosney, 29, of Middletown, Ohio, pleaded guilty Monday to murder and two counts of child endangerment after attempting to dump her son in a wildlife area and running him over as he tried to get back into the car. She filed her pleas during a court hearing sought by her lawyer, who wanted prosecutors to be barred from using statements she made to detectives at trial. Mom and boyfriend attempted to abandon children Gosney was charged with 16 charges in all, and she first pleaded not guilty due to insanity. Following a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, she was declared able to stand trial in April. As part of her plea agreement, the other 13 counts were dismissed. When she gets sentenced on September 13, she might spend the rest of her life in jail. James Hamilton, Gosney's boyfriend, was charged with 15 counts in the case, including mistreatment of a body, evidence tampering, and child endangerment. Hamilton pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was scheduled to appear in court later Monday although it was unclear if he would enter any pleas, Fox News reported. According to authorities, Gosney told investigators that Hamilton pressured her to get rid of 6-year-old James Hutchinson and his two other siblings, aged 9 and 7. Investigators said Gosney took the three children to the park in late February intending to abandon them, but there was no indication that she intended to murder them. Per Daily Mail, prosecutors claim that on February 26, the mother of four took three of her children to a park in Preble County intending to abandon them. As she rushed away from the children, James Hutchinson, her six-year-old son, grabbed the car door handle and collapsed, receiving a fatal head injury. After returning to the park 40 minutes later, Gosney discovered the kid had died. She then returned home with his body and her other two children. Gosney's boyfriend, James Hamilton, 43, reportedly assisted her in dumping the kid in the Ohio River, which was weighed down with a concrete block, two days later. For murder, she faces a sentence of 15 to life in prison, as well as 36 months for each allegation of child endangerment. Gosney was first charged with 16 felonies, including involuntary manslaughter, endangering minors, abduction, and kidnapping. Read Also: Rhode Island Woman Serves Lifetime Imprisonment After Plotting to Kill Ex-Boyfriend's Mom With Her New Fiance Missing son's weighted body dumped in the river Prosecutors claimed Gosney kept James' body in a separate room for two days after bringing it home before discarding it in the Ohio River near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, with the help of her boyfriend Hamilton. According to WXIX, a concrete block was used to weigh down the boy's body before it was tossed into the river. James' corpse has still not been located nearly six months later. The Middleton Police Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment regarding the search's status. James was remembered with balloons and stuffed animals at a memorial held in front of his former house in Middletown. Prosecutors said the children's abandonment was motivated by Hamilton's pressure, and she had previously attempted but failed to take custody of them. Hamilton also appeared in court, where he faces 15 accusations including corpse abuse, evidence tampering, endangering minors, kidnapping, and abduction. He filed a not guilty plea in front of the judge and is expected back in court later this month, with a jury trial set for October 4 if he does not accept the plea. Hamilton is being detained on a $750,000 bail at the moment. According to officials, the other children were removed from the house and placed in foster care or with Child Services. Gosney has four children, according to her various Facebook accounts: two daughters and two sons. Related Article: Massachusetts Police Shoot Dead in Distress Woman After Allegedly Wielding Knife At Officers; Family, Friends Question Use of Fatal Force @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Over the weekend, a worker at Queen Elizabeth's summer palace tested positive for COVID-19; but the monarch will remain at the Scottish retreat, according to a report. On Saturday, a worker at Balmoral, who was staying in a different building on the estate, tested positive for the virus and was sent home. The 95-year-old Queen will spend her summer vacation in Balmoral, where she is said to be spending time with a "castle-full" of family. Royal staff tested positive for COVID-19 Per The Sun, the monarch has had her vaccination and has previously advised her countrymen to do so as well. Following the worker's positive COVID-19 test, other estate employees were instructed to wear masks and maintain a social distance, according to the report. The staffer was sent home on Saturday after a positive PCR test, but Queen Elizabeth chose to spend her summer vacation at the Scottish retreat. The yearly vacation is Her Majesty's chance to "get back to normal" following the loss of Prince Philip and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's crisis. Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, granddaughter Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mozzi, and her youngest son Prince Edward and wife Sophie are said to be among her "castle-full" of family. Workers have been ordered to wear face masks and maintain social distance, while members of the royal family are very much moving on as they were, according to the source. They further said that Queen Elizabeth has granted her approval for employees to continue serving meals after a proposal for royals to assist themselves from a buffet table was rejected. The royals will also have picnics on the extensive estate while shooting stags, MIRROR reported. Insiders said the Queen and her family may have opted to skip Sunday's church service on the estate while they awaited the results of PCR tests. Last Monday, the Queen formally began her summer vacation in Balmoral. At Balmoral Castle, she was greeted by a guard of honor, which included a Shetland pony mascot. Read Also: Prince Andrew Sexual Abuse Claim Prompts Royal Family to Review Titles; Jeffrey Epstein's Employee Plans to Testify Against Him Queen Elizabeth takes the first getaway since Prince Philip's death The Queen's visit to Balmoral marks her first time away from Windsor Castle since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April. Family gatherings are planned, with Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children, as well as Zara and Mike Tindall, scheduled to visit later this month. In February, the British prime minister urged vaccine skeptics to get vaccinated. Queen Elizabeth made an unusual intervention, suggesting that refusing to get the vaccination is selfish, and urging individuals who are hesitant to think about other people rather than themselves. It comes as official data show that daily COVId-19 cases in the UK are continuing to rise, although fatalities have held steady, despite "Professor Lockdown" Neil Ferguson's warning that daily infections may potentially reach 100,000 per day. The number of positive coronavirus tests reported by the Department of Health increased by 13% in a week to 28,438. For the past 10 days, the number of infections has been steadily increasing. And, according to other data, hospital admissions in England are still slowly increasing. On Saturday, another 689 COVID-19 patients required medical attention, up from 630 the week before. Meanwhile, yesterday's death toll was nearly a third lower than last Monday's, with another 26 people added to the Government's official toll, down from 37 the week before. Because of the weekend registration lag, daily numbers might vary greatly from day to day, especially on Mondays. However, the general trend in deaths has remained flat for over a week now, although cases are weeks behind cases due to the time it takes to get very ill after becoming infected. The number of hospitalizations is influenced by the number of fatalities, Daily Mail reported. Related Article: Queen Elizabeth Decides to Hand Prince Harry's Royal Responsibility to Kate Middleton; Here Are 2 Major Roles She Will Get @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Michigan authorities have identified the suspect in the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy during a pursuit in the southwestern parts of the state. Officials revealed that the suspect in the previous crime was involved in a separate car chase with a different law enforcement agency earlier in the same day. On Monday, Michigan State Police identified the man but refused to publicly reveal his name. Fatal Shooting of Michigan Deputy However, authorities said that during a standoff with deputies, the male suspect was shot and killed. Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller spoke during a news conference where he said the suspect brandished a firearm and pointed it at deputies during an encounter at a gas station. The standoff between the suspect and law enforcement personnel occurred on Saturday night shortly before the criminal drove off. Authorities revealed the identity of the deputy who was shot and critically wounded as Ryan Proxmire. Reports noted that deputies went into a pursuit with the suspect who later drove into a field and exchanged gunfire with other deputies. During the shootout, deputies managed to hit the man who later died of his injuries, ABC News reported. Proxmire later died from his wounds on Sunday while being treated at a hospital. Fuller said that deputies had a concern they wanted to discuss with the suspect shortly before the situation went chaotic. He added that the man committed a crime in front of deputies, which then resulted in the current situation. Read Also: Joe Biden Washes US Hands Off, Blames Afghan Leaders for Taliban Take Over Officials did not reveal further details about the initial incident involving a separate agency, saying it would later be revealed in court documents. Portage Police Chief Nick Armold said that his officers tried to pull over the same suspect on Saturday for a minor traffic violation. On Sunday night, a vigil was conducted in memory of Proxmire and his service to the force, an event that was attended by more than 200 people. The attendees included law enforcement and other first responders, Yahoo News reported. Previous Arrests Authorities also revealed that the suspect was out on bond in relation to felony drug and weapons charges when he was involved in the shootout with deputies. The suspect was later identified as 35-year-old Kyle Anthony Goidosik from Vicksburg. The suspect was previously arrested two times and released on personal recognizance bonds in the two months prior to the death of Proxmire. Goidosik was last arrested by Portage police on June 23. He was charged with three felonies, possession of methamphetamine, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon without a license. Authorities released the suspect without requiring him to pay any money to await future hearings, as revealed by court records. Goidosik's release was six weeks before the horrific shooting which eventually led to his death. In March, a bench warrant was issued after Goidosik failed to appear for a settlement conference. In May, court records showed that he also violated the conditions of his bond, WWMT reported. Related Article: Stimulus Check Scammers Send Fake Payments to Steal Yours; Here's How to Know If You Are Getting The Right COVID-19 Relief Money @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Oregon authorities reported that the Bootleg Fire, which has burned down more than 413,000 acres across the region, has been fully contained thanks to firefighters. The massive wildfire was 100% contained after burning for 39 days and firefighters struggling to douse the flames. The blaze became one of the largest fires in the history of Oregon. The area that the Bootleg Fire ravaged included national forest and private land northeast of Klamath Falls. Bootleg Fire Containment Fire departments stationed more than 2,000 crew members at one point in an attempt to quickly contain the massive blaze. As firefighters slowly began making progress in slowing the spread of the fire, resources were naturally pulled towards other areas suffering from wildfires. The Patton Meadow Fire ignited earlier this week in an area southwest of the Bootleg Fire due to a lightning strike. Oregon State Governor Kate Brown declared an Emergency Conflagration, which sent the state's resources out towards Lake County to support the fight against the flames. Officials also activated the Multnomah County task force to douse the massive wildfire, KATU reported. The Bootleg Fire began burning on July 6 in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, around 15 miles northwest of Beatty. It was accompanied by the Log Fire six days later, which it merged with after three weeks into one massive blaze. Read Also: Ohio Mom Pleads Guilty of Abandoning 3 Children, Killing 6-Year-Old Son and Dumping His Body in River While the containment of the Bootleg Fire comes as good news to Americans, officials warned that there are still 29 other, large wildfires burning in Oregon and Washington, which cover an area of about 887,069 acres. More than 8,039 firefighters have been sent to trenches to fight the flames, Oregon Live reported. In a township north of the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California, authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order on Monday. The announcement was made as communities are being ravaged by wildfires, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes in the last few days. Devastating Wildfires The Shasta County Sheriff's Office warned Platina residents of the immediate threat and urged them to be ready to evacuate at any given moment. They argued that gusty winds continued to push the McFarland Fire toward the community that is home to about 200 people. The blaze is one of at least six large wildfires in Northern California, which include the deadly Dixie Fire, which has since become the second-largest blaze in the history of the state. The flames have destroyed at least 1,100 structures, authorities said. As of Sunday night, the Dixie Fire has ravaged more than 570,000 acres across four different counties, as reported by Cal Fire. The blaze started more than a month ago and quickly burned through an area about three-quarters of the size of Rhode Island. As of Sunday, the wildfire was only reportedly 31% contained. Officials warned the fire could become even larger due to the threat of lightning and high winds in the region. The U.S. Forest Service had to deploy about 21,000 federal firefighters nationwide to fight roughly 100 wildfires. The blazes are a result of drought and scorching temperatures. The number of deployed personnel is double the number compared to this time one year ago, the New York Times reported. Related Article: Massive Earthquake in Haiti Leaves 1,297 Deaths, 2,800 Injured; Rescuers Race to Find Survivors @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Blue Origin files a case against NASA after it gave the contract only to SpaceX of Elon Musk to create a new moon lander. Firms wanting a foothold in space travel will have to win such contracts to be the first corporations to commercialize space. These complaints attempt to make the space agency scale back on its program to develop a lander that SpaceX seems to have roped in. Blue Origin does not want to concede anything to the Musk fronted space enterprise, as the one to lead the US to drive into a new age of space travel. NASA only choose SpaceX for Artemis program The space company of Jeff Bezos made a lot of noise about awarding the final contract to another company other than it. Its rival has the Human Landing System (HLS) contract for the Artemis program, which was expected to have two firms chosen, not one, reported Space. Musk's competitor has sent its protest to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), which was snubbed. Blue Origin is now getting serious by filing suit against the National Aeronautical Space Agency (NASA) for choosing only one. SpaceNews says that the suit against the US space agency has charged an unlawful and improper evaluation of proposals given to subcontractors of the HLS program. Cant get it up (to orbit) lol Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2021 The firm had the suit filed last Friday, on August 13, via the Court of Federal Claims, which decides protests that have been covered and reviewed by GAO. So far, the details of the Blue Origin case are not public and were given a protective order on August 13. A spokesperson of the Bezos space firm said to TechCrunch that its suit is in the US Court of Federal Claims to correct the mistakes of the acquisition process in choosing the provider of the off-world lander system. Blue Origin files a case against NASA to keep their chances alive to get the contract if it is possible. Read Also: How will the Chinese Space Station 'Tiangong' Redefine the International Space Station's Mission in Space? In a statement, one of the reasons stated is how the agency will choose the awardee of the contract based on fairness, equal competition, and a thriving space vehicle to bring astronauts back. Contract supposed to be awarded to both Blue Origin and SpaceX Last April, the HLS contract was given by NASA to SpaceX agency that would entail a bid for $2.9 billion, and a variant of the Starship space vehicle will be the vehicle used to transport NASA astronauts. Under the auspices of Artemis 3, the lunar mission is set to launch in 2024. But it was unexpected when Blue Origin did not win because only one firm was getting the award and not two. Three companies were competing in the contract, and a third was Dynetics include to the three as choices for providing the spacecraft. Having three is an option to have a third provider for the moon lander, in case. Sources say the bid was accepted in 2020, with approval of the US senate based on the lesser expense that NASA would have spent for its lunar landing in 2024. On July 30, the GAO said it has turned down the protests of Blue Origin and Dynetics, with the US space agency preferring the option of SpaceX only. This response was unacceptable to the two other firms involved, but the GAO will publish more on why Blue Origin and Dynetics were turned down on August 10. Blue Origin files a case against NASA, which said all evaluations were correctly done, with a right to choose only one contractor. But, the Bezos firm will do everything to change the decision to have SpaceX only. Related Article: Elon Musk's SpaceX SN20 Dubbed 'Tallest Spacecraft' Equipped with Super Heavy Booster Awaits Launch from FAA @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines has become the global powerhouse for contact centers. Despite a relatively modest start at the turn of the century, it had surpassed even India as a destination for call centers in less than 10 years. BPOs in the Philippines now contribute around 7% of the nation's GDP, employing well over a million Filipinos in over 800 companies, servicing customers from around the world. The rise of BPO companies in the Philippines owes a lot to government policies. Keen to encourage investment, the government set up several special economic zones, offering foreign investors incentives and tax-breaks to set up businesses and create employment. Among the early adopters of this were call centers, but there are several factors that helped propel the BPO industry in the Philippines to its status as a world leader today. One is an accident of history. The Philippines has long had an association with the West, first with Spain, then with America. The result has been that, despite its geography, the nation has a close cultural affinity with the West, from the education system to the movies people watch. This results in a population who don't just have a high level of English proficiency, they also understand US slang and idioms. Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, a mid-sized BPO provider in the Philippines, said, "the high level of English is a huge advantage. The biggest cause of complaints about offshore outsourcing is communication difficulties caused by accents or misunderstanding, but industry-leading BPOs in the country hardly ever get those sorts of complaints." BPOs in the Philippines are part of a mature sector, and with that comes a huge amount of experience and expertise. Those 800 companies are operating in competition, but not all serve the same sectors. As customer demands have become more sophisticated, so too has the offer of BPOs. While a BPO in the Philippines might conjure images of regimented banks of agents on phones, many are more sophisticated. Frequently operating from custom-built facilities, specialist providers can offer the highest standards of security required to serve clients in the healthcare or finance sectors. The government has even reformed local regulatory standards to meet the stringent demands of Western states to ensure that BPO to the Philippines is a secure destination for customer data. The outsourcing industry's beginnings owe a lot to the demand for lower prices. And this is an area where BPO vendors in the Philippines can offer significant value to its clients. The low cost of living in the Philippines means that labor costs are also low. Despite being an attractive career option for talented Filipinos, the overall cost to clients is lower. Using a BPO in the Philippines can be as low as half the price of in-house or onshore operations. However, this saving does not mean sacrificing quality, Ellspermann says, "the educated population, high standards of English fluency, and experienced and specialist operators creates an unbeatable offer. We can not only provide big savings, but maintain, or even improve on the service quality our clients get from their in-house or onshore outsourced operations." The Philippines has become a world leader in BPO. The combination of quality services and cost reductions make it the first choice for companies - from small businesses to multinationals - looking to ensure their customers get high-quality customer service without having to pay over the odds for it. @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Your stimulus check could have been swapped with a fake! The third round of coronavirus relief payments is still being mailed out to eligible families. However, scammers might have stolen these checks from your mailbox. There are five signs you can assess to validate your stimulus check. From early this year until the end of December, different checks from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are scheduled to be delivered: Child Tax Credit - a monthly payment of $300 that started in July and ends on December Third Stimulus Check - a one-time payment up to $1400 per eligible family, delivered anytime between March and the end of December Unfortunately, during this waiting period, COVID-related scams are sure to target these payments. One of the possible malicious schemes that could happen are thieves who steal paper checks addressed to you. To avoid raising suspicions, they will replace your mail with fake stimulus checks instead. Immediately check your stimulus check upon delivery, so you can deter counterfeit attempts. Five Signs That Your COVID-19 Relief Money Paper Check Is Real AARP listed out five security features added on every printed stimulus check. If your stimulus check doesn't have one of these features, the likelihood of it being fake is high. 5. Treasury Seal Analyze the seal beside the statue, directly below the "United States Treasury" text print. There should be a treasury seal printed. This seal will feature the Department of Treasury logo, with the text "Treasury - Bureau of the Fiscal Service" written on the sides. 4. Bleeding Ink The treasury seal indicated above has another secret. This one is printed with a security ink that will run and turn red when moisture is applied. Unfortunately, checking your stimulus check through this method might permanently damage it. Read Also: Child Tax Credit August 2021 Payments: How to Track Your $300 Check, 4 Reasons It's Delayed 3. Watermark Hold up the stimulus check against the light. All stimulus checks are printed on watermark paper with the "U.S. TREASURY" stamped on its front and back. Note that copiers cannot reproduce the watermark. Any check without these watermarks is automatically suspected as counterfeit. 2. Microprinting All checks also have microprinting at the back of the check. These words are so small they appear as a straight line to the naked eye. However, a real check has "USAUSAUSA" repeatedly printed on it, unlike fakes, which use either a solid line or a series of dots. 1. Ultraviolet Printing An ultraviolet pattern is printed over these stimulus checks. Under black light, you should see four lines repeating the words "FISCAL SERVICE." The words are bracketed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service seal on the left and the U.S. seal on the right. Watch Out for Stimulus Check Scams The Sun also warned American families waiting for their stimulus check to keep an eye out for fraudsters. In these last few months, stimulus scam strategies have been launched through: Unsolicited calls and emails: Note that the government will never require you to pay upfront fees to receive your funds. Messages to 'verify' your identity: Scammers use this strategy to steal your personal information like name, address, email, number, social security, and bank account numbers High-Pressure Tactics: A scam tactic where the caller claims they need sensitive information "immediately." These often say something like, "your stimulus check is expiring." Be careful not to fall victim by keeping in mind these pointers when searching for your stimulus checks. Related Article: Fourth Stimulus Check Update: $2000 Online Petition, Unemployment Rate Impact Han Min-ho, a former culture ministry official who was dismissed in October 2019 after openly criticizing President Moon Jae-in on his social media, recently won the legal battle against the government. On Aug. 11, the Seoul Administrative Court ordered the ministry to reinstate him. Courtesy of Han Min-ho After suspension, Han Min-ho, a high-ranking official who was openly critical of president's policies, gets the green light to return to work By Kang Hyun-kyung Former culture ministry official Han Min-ho, 59, has endured "self-chosen" tribulations for nearly two years, since he was dismissed in October 2019 after openly criticizing President Moon Jae-in for flaws in the administration's policies. As a father of two sons, losing his job was painful enough. But, he said, the hardest part was watching his mother, who was shocked by the news that her son had been publicly dismissed. Her health also worsened and she was eventually hospitalized. "I was so angry," he told The Korea Times over the phone Monday. Han said that there were many times when he regretted his social media posts, but he nonetheless found himself coming to the same answer regarding the question, if he were in the same situation again, would he do the same thing? "My answer to that hypothetical question has always been the same: I would do it again, because I still believe that what I did was the right thing," he said. On Aug. 11, Han won his legal battle against the government, regarding the Ministry of Personnel Management's decision to dismiss him, on the grounds that he had violated the code of conduct for government officials, which prohibited him from getting involved in any actions that could disgrace the government or public affairs. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in his favor, giving him the green light to go back to work at the culture ministry. "I was relieved," he said, when asked how he felt when he heard that he had won the decision. "A more accurate expression of my feeling would be cautious relief. I mean, the court ruling may not be the end of my legal battle, depending on how the government reacts to it. The government might appeal to a higher court, and if that happens, the case could drag on for six more months." Even though he got the green light to go back to work at the culture ministry as the court ordered, Han said the ministry may want to hold a disciplinary committee meeting to discuss ways to sanction him again, this time with a lighter punishment, such as demotion. "Anything is possible, so that makes me not overly excited about the court's decision," he said. In retrospect, Han said, he took an unprecedented path that no other government official of his time has ever done, being that he was a culture ministry official confronting the person holding the government's top job. "If a civil servant were ever to attempt to challenge a sitting president, that individual would be considered insane, because the risks are so high. But I had to do it because I felt the urgency to do so," he said. "I was very worried before I uploaded a series of social media posts critical of the Moon government. But I could not hold myself back, because I was really concerned about the direction this country was heading in." His dismissal made news, partly because he was (and still is) a rare high-ranking government official who was vocal in pointing out shortcomings in the policies of the Moon administration. In his social media posts, he assailed the Moon administration for its "flawed" foreign policies, which he claimed prioritized South Korea's diplomatic ties with China and engagement with North Korea over that of the United States, while alienating Japan by fanning anti-Japan sentiment. "The national interest and the (Korea-U.S.) alliance are not a zero-sum game. They can go together. A country that neglects paying due attention to its alliances is doomed to fail," he wrote. He was also critical of the Moon administration for its heavy emphasis on Japan's wartime crimes, such as the Korean victims of forced labor and sexual slavery, while turning a blind eye to North Korea's human rights violations. His critical social media posts made him a target of the culture ministry. The ministry held a disciplinary committee meeting concerning Han's alleged violations of the code of conduct for government officials and proposed that the Ministry of Personnel Management dismiss him on those grounds. When asked if there were any areas of policy he'd like to focus on during the rest of his career in government, when he returns to it, he said that he would like to complete his anti-illegal gambling initiative. "I worked on the draft of a government bill to ban illegal gambling, which was submitted to the National Assembly before I was dismissed. There has been no progress made on the bill since then. Illegal gambling poses a grave threat to the nation, as money earned from it has been used to lobby politicians, prosecutors and the police, but few know much about it," he said. "I don't have much time though. Even though I am now back at work, I only have 10 months left in public service. So I am not quite sure if I can finish the job." People wait for COVID-19 testing at a screening center of a public health center in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji Concerns are mounting over a possible shortage of beds in hospital intensive care units (ICU) and at treatment centers, as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic here shows no signs of abating. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, 272, or 33.6 percent, of the 810 hospital beds for critically ill patients across the country were available as of 5 p.m., Monday. There are 18,053 beds in 79 treatment centers for patients with mild symptoms, and 6,829 beds were available, but some regions have been facing shortages. Seventeen of 18 ICU beds in South Chungcheong Province are already in use, leaving just one available. Daejeon also has only two of its 14 ICU beds left. Among 431 beds allocated to semi-critical patients, just 154 or 35.7 percent remain. These are patients who are unlikely to improve from their current status, or whose condition is highly likely to worsen. The number of beds for such patients is also reaching its limit in some areas. There are no beds available for hospitalization in North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang and North Jeolla provinces, while there is only one such bed out of 23 left in Incheon. The health authorities said they were pushing for the designation of more beds for critically ill and semi-critical patients as the country's daily new cases continue to rise rapidly. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 1,373 COVID-19 cases, including 1,323 local infections, were reported, Monday. The daily infections fell slightly, mainly due to less testing being conducted over the three-day holiday. Six deaths were reported, raising the toll to 2,173. With the reporting of bed shortages, the death of a woman in her 50s at a treatment center also raised fears of a possible collapse of the medical system. The 58-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with COVID-19, was admitted to a treatment center in Incheon Aug. 1. According to a medical report from the center, the woman was diagnosed with pneumonia Aug. 5, four days after entering the facility. At that time, her body temperature rose to 39 degrees Celsius, but medical staff decided to observe her symptoms as her pneumonia did not appear serious based on her X-rays. However, the woman was found dead in her room at the center Aug. 9. A man, who identified himself as the woman's son, filed a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for an investigation into the exact cause of his mother's death. "It is so unjust that a normal healthy person without any chronic disease, died without being treated at a treatment center as she couldn't even go to the hospital," he said. "There were two patients housed in a small room in the center, without medical equipment installed. The medical workers were managing the patient only by phone." The petitioner then wrote that only antibiotics and fever reducers were used and only one doctor was on duty managing hundreds of patients there. In the Ministry of Health and Welfare's guidelines for treatment centers, seven to 11 doctors and nine to 16 nurses are recommended to be assigned for 200 to 300 patients. However, 16 medical staff, including one doctor, one radiologist, and 14 nurses, worked in shifts at the treatment center. On Aug.9, when the woman died, there were 222 patients in the center, with only two nurses and no doctors on site. President Moon Jae-in and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hold a press conference on the outcome of their summit at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap Moon, Tokayev commemorate independence fighter Hong Beom-do By Nam Hyun-woo President Moon Jae-in and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agreed to expand their two countries' strategic partnership, Tuesday, in order to have bilateral ties cover new industries related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, public healthcare and space exploration. The leaders also commemorated the return of the remains of Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do, stressing it was a symbol of the two countries' friendship. President Tokayev is on a two-day state visit to Korea at the invitation of President Moon, and is the first foreign leader to Seoul since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tokayev, who arrived here Monday, is the first Kazakh president to travel to Korea in five years. During their summit, Moon offered congratulations to Tokayev on the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence, adding that the two countries' bilateral ties will develop further on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their relationship next year. "Kazakhstan is Korea's largest trading partner and investment destination in Central Asia," Moon said. "In the past three decades, the two countries have strengthened their friendly cooperation and actively engaged in non-face-to-face exchanges during the pandemic last year." Moon stressed that Kazakhstan is one of the major partners of the Korean government's New Northern Policy, and the two countries' relations have potential for further development. The New Northern Policy is Moon's initiative to boost economic and political ties with countries to the north of South Korea. Tokayev expressed gratitude for Moon's invitation and underscored Korea's importance in trade with his country. "Korea is one of the most important Asian trading partners for Kazakhstan, with more than $6 billion of South Korean funds invested into the Kazakh economy," Tokayev said. "In terms of developing our bilateral relations, Kazakhstan has a special interest in Korea's advanced technologies and wants to introduce them into the Kazakh economy. Also, we have strong interests in the public healthcare system, especially for battling COVID-19." President Moon Jae-in bumps fists with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before their summit at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap Trade between Korea and Kazakhstan reached a record high of $4.22 billion in 2019, nearly triple the $1.53 billion in 2017. The number declined to $3.09 billion in 2020 due to the pandemic. Korea's investment into Kazakhstan increased from $7 million to $74 million in 2020, while investment from Kazakhstan stood at $50 million last year. In a joint statement after the summit, Moon and Tokayev recognized that the two sides' economic cooperation program, called Fresh Wind, has been operating actively since it was established in April 2019, when Moon visited Kazakhstan. They agreed to expand the coverage of the program and strengthen their cooperation in energy industries such as nuclear energy, ferroalloys and gas plants. In addition, they agreed on the necessity to enhance reciprocal cooperation in sharing experiences in Fourth Industrial Revolution sectors and the commercialization of 5G networks, with Kazakhstan showing keen interest in partnering with Korean firms in developing technologies for digital infrastructure, big data, artificial intelligence, space and cybersecurity. Regarding the healthcare sector, Moon and Tokayev agreed to expand their cooperation to the pharmaceutical industry, with Kazakhstan inviting Korean companies to bid for public-private partnership healthcare infrastructure projects in a number of Kazakh cities. Also during the summit, Moon updated Tokayev on his Korean Peninsula peace initiative and expressed gratitude for the Kazakh government's steadfast support. Tokayev responded that his country's experience of denuclearization could be a useful reference for Moon's efforts. Months before Kazakhstan's independence in December 1991, its government closed the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, gave up more than 1,400 nuclear weapons and joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in May 1992. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a ceremony to confer posthumous honors on Korean independence fighter Hong Beom-do at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Hong's remains were returned to Korea two days earlier during Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's state visit to Seoul. Yonhap The military plans to deploy advanced amphibious bridging vehicles by 2027 to boost operational capabilities, the arms procurement agency said Tuesday. Under a 500 billion-won ($426.5 million) contract, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Hanwha Defense will develop and produce the localized version of the European M3 Amphibious Rig for their deployment starting around 2027, according to the agency. The M3 rig was developed by the European manufacturer General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS), and DAPA earlier this year chose Hanwha as the preferred bidder for its licensed production. The self-propelled, four-wheel vehicle is used as a bridge, or a multi-bay raft, to help tanks and other vehicles cross water obstacles. Hanwha Defense has said the envisioned asset will be built in partnership with 31 local firms to produce more than 90 percent of the parts domestically. "The M3 variant requires a fewer number of personnel for its management and no time for preparations," a DAPA official said. "Its increased level of mobility and maneuverability, compared to the ribbon bridge system currently employed by the Army, is expected to help improve our military's operational capabilities." (Yonhap) A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, to evacuate U.S. diplomatic personnel. AP-Yonhap Korea faces questions over whether to prioritize self-reliant defense or US alliance By Jung Da-min In the wake of the crisis in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, a debate has arisen among defense watchers here over the stability of the current South Korea-U.S. alliance and if Seoul should also prepare for a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces. Some defense watchers, especially those in the country's conservative bloc, expressed concerns over a similar scenario occurring here, saying the country's military has been neglecting joint military exercises with U.S. troops under the Moon Jae-in administration, which has been focusing on an engagement policy toward North Korea. But others said the situation here is different from Afghanistan, as Seoul has a strong military capability with support from a democratic government and has strategic value to the United States. "The Afghan crisis, in which the Islamic militants took full control of Afghanistan, is the result of the government's incompetence, the incapacitated military and the cold-hearted nationalism of the international community," Rep. Kang Min-kuk, floor spokesman of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said Tuesday. "Unless its partner has strong defense capabilities and strong will for self-reliance, the U.S. could leave the partner to pursue its own national interests. The Moon Jae-in government and the military should do their best to strengthen the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance and maintain a strong military, using the Afghan situation as a turning point." The PPP spokesman said there are concerns over South Korea's military defense capabilities, as the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises have been conducted only in computer simulations for several years in order to support diplomatic efforts, such as North Korea's denuclearization. Kang said, "How can the military protect our people in an emergency without having practical experience?" Armored vehicles and other military equipment are lined up at the U.S. military base in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 10, as the pre-training for annual Republic of Korea-U.S. joint military exercises begin. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a statement the same day to condemn the annual drill, calling it a hostile policy toward the North. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han A Gumi woman, surnamed Seok, arrives at the Gimcheon branch of the Daegu District Court in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Aug. 17, to attend her hearing in a child death case. Yonhap A forty-something woman, who recently made headlines in South Korea for allegedly switching her newborn infant with her daughter's baby years ago, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday for attempting to abandon the body of her 3-year-old daughter this year and abducting her granddaughter of the same age in 2018. The Gimcheon branch of the Daegu District Court gave the prison term to the 48-year-old woman, surnamed Seok, after convicting her on multiple charges, including baby switching and abduction. The case dates back to Feb. 10, when the mummified body of Seok's young daughter, who died apparently of starvation six months earlier, was discovered at the multi-unit house of her 22-year-old daughter, surnamed Kim, in Gumi, a quiet industrial city about 260 kilometers southeast of Seoul. At that time, the dead girl was believed to be a daughter born to Kim. However, it was discovered through DNA tests in March that Seok is the biological mother of the dead girl. Prosecutors suspect that Kim and Seok each gave birth to baby girls around the same time, and the elder woman may have switched the babies so her baby would be raised by her adult daughter. Seok has steadfastly denied giving birth to a baby girl, let alone other suspected offenses. In the previous hearing on July 13, prosecutors demanded an imprisonment of 13 years for Seok, saying the offense committed by her is extremely inhumane and the nature of her crime is bad. The local court said it has found Seok guilty on all charges after confirming that the defendant is the biological mother of the deceased girl. "The defendant's acts are serious crimes that infringe on the protective and fostering rights of the parents," the court said. "She broke into a maternity hospital to switch her child with her daughter's baby. And it seems that she actively tried to hide the body of her child to cover up her crimes." Separately, Kim was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June after being convicted on charges of abandoning the 3-year-old girl in an empty house and causing her death. (Yonhap) Rep. Woo Won-shik, left, chairman of the Hong Beom-do Commemoration Committee, receives the Order of Merit for National Foundation from President Moon Jae-in on behalf of Hong, a historic independence fighter, at Cheong Wa Dae, Aug. 17. Yonhap South Korea awarded a posthumous medal of honor Tuesday to Hong Beom-do, a historic independence fighter, whose remains returned from Kazakhstan two days earlier. President Moon Jae-in conferred the Order of Merit for National Foundation on Hong in a ceremony attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at Cheong Wa Dae. Hong, who served as commander of Korea's independence army, is revered for leading victories in the troops' battles against Japanese forces during the 1910-45 colonial rule, especially the Battle of Fengwudong in Manchuria, China, in 1920. He died in 1943 at the age of 75 in the Kazakh region of Kyzylorda. In 1962, the South Korean government bestowed on him the Presidential Medal of the Order of Merit for National Foundation. By Kim Sun-ae Every morning, my family and I eat apples. Every Wednesday, an apple seller comes to our neighborhood. His apples are crisp and sweet, so I sometimes buy them. Cutting red apples each morning, I feel grateful to all beings and things that enabled the apples to grow, including farmers, bees, the sun, the soil and rain. Recently, I read an article about Ma Yong-un, an apple grower in Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province. He talked about the problems for farmers as a result of climate change. It must be very difficult for farmers to deal with unpredictable weather phenomena which result from global warming. The warmer our planet gets, the more powerful typhoons are likely to become. Typhoons cause great damage to apple orchards by making apples fall from the trees prematurely. The climate crisis has affected people all over the world, but farmers are one of the groups who especially have had difficulty in responding to this problem. Fields and paddies are farmers' workplaces, so even though summers have been getting hotter and hotter, they have no choice but to work outdoors. Extreme weather events such as heat waves, typhoons and droughts severely damage agricultural production. Climate change may lead to food crises. As well as pesticide use and urbanization, global warming is one of the reasons for decreasing bee numbers. Experts say that the number of bees is declining because they can't rapidly adapt to the changing ecosystems. Not only in Korea, but also around the world, the ecosystems that support bees are being destroyed and have been for at least the last 10 years. Bees pollinate many crops, so if they disappear, it will be difficult or impossible to grow the nuts, vegetables and fruits, including apples, which are dependent on them as pollinators. In this case, food prices could soar. Moreover, because most of the foods that Koreans eat are imported, if food exporters do not products to ship due to the climate crisis, Korea may face food shortages. This summer, from time to time, I cooked risotto and pasta with red cherry tomatoes and green chilies that my family and I grew in our small plot of land. We also cooked and enjoyed various meals using fresh potatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and perilla leaves that we harvested. If every person could have a little house and a small area of land to grow vegetables for themselves and their family, the more these people will have less to worry about. We can live without luxuries, but we all need food every day. If we don't have to worry about our survival, our hearts will be lighter and our lives will be happier. On the stems of the beans that we are growing, light purple flowers are blooming. There is not much time left to minimize damage resulting from global warming. It is a big challenge, but I believe that if all of us individuals, civic groups, companies, governments and international organizations work together to cut greenhouse gas emissions, we can achieve this goal. Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/dancinglf) wrote "Old Potato, New Potato" and translated "Little Lord Fauntleroy." Scarce jobs, soaring home prices lead to low birthrate The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said Friday that the country has made little progress in boosting the birthrate despite spending 380 trillion won ($325 billion) over the past 15 years. While announcing the results of its audit on the government's demographic policy, the state agency also released a report analyzing the causes of the low birthrate, which pointed out that high private educational costs, runaway housing prices and high jobless rates have pulled down young people's desire to have children. All of these indicators have continued their trajectories under the Moon Jae-in administration. Private tutoring costs have jumped 25 percent because of the government's inconsistent college entrance system. In addition, ill-conceived real estate policies have pushed home prices in Seoul up 86 percent in four years. Worse still, excessively rapid minimum wage increases have brought down the annual net growth of jobs to the 5,000-mark. To sum up, the government has allowed the socioeconomic environment to worsen, which encourages people to avoid having children. All the while, it has been spending taxpayers' money without producing any successful results. The total birthrate the average number of children a woman chooses to have in her lifetime fell from 1.17 just before the May 2017 inauguration of the Moon administration to 0.84 in the second quarter of this year, the lowest among 37 OECD member nations. Last year, Korea became a country with a natural decline in the population. Population decreases adversely affect the country's labor supply, dampen domestic demand, and discourage investments, throwing the economy into a slump. The start of a drop in the working-age population (15 to 64 years old) in 2020 will be a big burden on the economy. Even under these circumstances, the government is trying to get out of the imminent difficulties by only increasing budgetary spending instead of addressing structural problems. A persistent fall in the number of decent jobs makes it more difficult for people to buy their own house. Combined with a growing tax burden, young people find it more difficult to marry and have children. Thus, financial support cannot on its own do the trick to boost the birthrate unless the government offers hope for the future to younger generations. It is imperative to find fundamental solutions by providing more decent jobs, affordable homes and equal educational opportunities for young adults. World should learn lessons from Afghanistan The United States' longest war ended in Afghanistan over the weekend after 20 years. On Sunday, the Taliban insurgents recaptured the Afghan capital of Kabul and declared victory with little bloodshed. The Taliban's rapid takeover of the country is shocking not only to America, but also the world. It is all the more shocking because the insurgents' return to Kabul came much faster than had been expected. The problem does not seem to lie with President Joe Biden's plan for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Rather, Biden appeared to miscalculate the situation after the troop withdrawal. He was also blamed for having done too little in way of preparations for any possible contingencies there. On Monday, Biden defended the troop pullout and put the blame on Afghans for the Taliban's faster-than-expected re-conquest of the war-torn country. In fact, the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed due to rampant corruption, incompetence and political division. Its President Ashraf Ghani fled the country hurriedly. Its armed forces surrendered to the insurgents without any resistance. The chaotic scenes of Afghans desperate to escaping from the country at Kabul's airport are reminiscent of the fall of Saigon in April 1975, when the South Vietnamese capital was captured by North Vietnamese forces. Simply put, the U.S. suffered another humiliation. America's reputation as the global superpower was undermined again despite its pledge to defend freedom and democracy around the world. We should learn a painful lesson from the Afghan case. Washington's efforts to fight terrorism and build a pro-U.S. government there have now gone up in smoke. The U.S. and its allies invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The invasion was part of their hunt for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida which were responsible for the deadly attacks. The allied forces toppled the Taliban regime which had ruled the country from 1996 to 2001. The U.S. has spent about $2 trillion in Afghanistan over the last 20 years and more than 2,400 American soldiers have died there. However, it is regrettable to see the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power. Now the case shows how incapable the U.S. has been in ensuring security and stability in Afghanistan and building a nation based on a Western model. The U.S. and its allies should make all-out efforts to avoid such a fatal mistake again. Most of all, the international community must do all it can to prevent Afghanistan from emerging as a breeding ground for terrorism. China and Russia should not try to fill the power vacuum in the country to increase their influence there. The United Nations and its members need to do more to protect the freedom and basic human rights of Afghans, especially women, under the Taliban's rule. By Lee Seong-hyon Although the U.S. and China are not on good terms, they have not stopped trying to communicate. After Joe Biden took office in January, he was on the phone with Xi Jinping in February for two hours! In March, the two sides held a ministerial meeting in Alaska. Although the latter meeting became a crazy TV reality show that revealed U.S.-China discord to the world, in July, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi sat face-to-face in Tianjin, China. Recently, Qing Gang, the new Chinese ambassador to the U.S., has also flown to Washington. Looking at this series of events, some observers commented that the U.S.-China relationship is "hardline in words but (consisting of) compromise in reality." The wording reflects the saying summarizing the U.S.-China relationship during the 20th century, which goes, "If they fight, they will both be harmed, so they will eventually compromise." The reason that this outdated observation, however, cannot be ignored is U.S. officials themselves still characterize the relationship in that way. They argue that the U.S.-China relationship is complex and contains all three of the following aspects: competition, cooperation and confrontation. The three elements progress simultaneously. The global audience is confused by this description, and apparently, it's meant to be that way. It's like saying that the U.S.-China relationship is a concept in Zen Buddhism, or like the yin and yang. It is dualistic. It has both elements of cooperation and competition. It is now also triadic, adding confrontation. But diplomacy is like investing in stocks: if you simply act on what others are saying publicly, you are likely to fail. In addition, as with stock prices, a diplomatic strategy should be forward-looking into the future. In other words, any plan should be in anticipation of the future, not merely based on what is unfolding today. It should be noted that the current axis of U.S.-China relations has clearly leaned toward "competition" rather than "cooperation" at the government-level, and "confrontation" (if not animosity) has become the mainstay discourse in terms of the U.S. public sentiment toward Xi Jinping's China. Countries betting on U.S.-China relations will have to look more closely. It is fortunate that the U.S. and China are still in contact, but the bigger problem is that, even if they meet, they do not really communicate. Rather, the more they meet, the more they find how different they are from each other. The prime reason is that the U.S., the sitting superpower, cannot afford to accept the demand of China, the challenging power, to recognize "a new era" (xin shidai). This abstract vocabulary, used by Xi Jinping, has been included in the Chinese Communist Party's Constitution. In China, the party constitution has authority over the state constitution. As such, the "new era" is a de facto state mandate that dictates changing the status quo of international relations, centered on the United States. Xi famously said, "China has already been able to see the world as flat." This quote means that China has now grown strong (qiang guo) and that the U.S. should get used to accepting China as an equal power. Le Yucheng, the vice minister of foreign affairs, put it more directly. He said, "The U.S. has declared, 'America is back!' but the world has already changed," arguing that the U.S. should "proactively adapt" to this change. China's ambassador to South Korea, Xing Haiming, who recently sparked controversy, also struck the same chord when he declared publicly: "Those who follow the prevailing trend of time will flourish" (tianxiadashi, shunzhizhechang). It is predicted that the top leaders of the U.S. and China, Biden and Xi, will hold a meeting at the G20 summit in Italy in October. Yet they are unlikely to succeed in narrowing the gap in their fundamental competition over the leadership of the global order. As the old Chinese saying goes, there cannot be two tigers on the same mountain. There are things one can compromise; there are things one can't. Looking at the big picture, the competition between the U.S. and China is not just a battle over economic benefits. It has gone beyond the political systems and ideologies too. Now, it has even expanded to the very fundamental levels of values and "ways of living." In a comprehensive assessment, as of today, no reason has been found to recalibrate the current prognosis that U.S.-China contacts and negotiations in the coming months will have difficulty finding an agreement. In fact, the more they talk, the more they will find out how fundamentally different they are. Lee Seong-hyon, Ph.D. (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), is a visiting scholar at Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. He is the former director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute. By Andrew Hammond Less than 100 days from the landmark 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) climate summit, concerns are growing about U.K. preparedness for hosting the event, as a landmark U.N. report released Aug. 9 gives the world body's strongest warning yet on the perils of global warming. The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change pulls no punches on the big changes forecast, warning a "code red for humanity" in the words of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The report argues that "there is no time for delay and no room for excuses to avert catastrophe." The findings will put extra pressure on the U.K.-hosted COP 26 climate event which is the "jewel in the crown" in a so-called "super year" of sustainability events in 2021 including the U.N. Biodiversity, U.N. Food Systems and U.N. Nutrition for Growth Summits. What makes this a potential once-in-a-generation period too is that the presidency of COP 26 is shared between the Italian and U.K. governments which are also the chairs of the 2021 G20 and G7 respectively. Taken together, this presents an unparalleled opportunity to create synergies between the summits and to leverage the G20 and G7 to increase the chances of successful outcomes at the environmental events. Yet, there are worries that the U.K. government is not remotely as prepared as the French were in the build-up to the last big global environmental event: the Paris COP 21 summit. To be fair, this is partly because of the pandemic, but the fact remains that Paris threw the full weight of the state behind the 2015 talks with then-Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was in the 1980s France's youngest-ever prime minister, the most effective ever COP president. It's a stark contrast from this year's COP chief Alok Sharma, the former U.K. business secretary. To be sure, Sharma is doing extensive diplomatic legwork, having flown to at least 30 countries over the past seven months, including some of the U.K.'s travel "red" list such as Bangladesh with his ministerial exemption from quarantine. However, even Sharma's allies admit he lacks Fabius' gravitas and global connections. Further up the U.K. political food chain too, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are not global political "heavyweights" either, and have all been criticized for failing (yet) to put urgency behind the talks. Take the example of Johnson whose efforts, such as they are, to meet the challenge of net zero is falling far short of that needed. All too often, his climate change strategy seems to amount to encouraging everyone to have their own electric car, a solution that is not feasible given that there aren't enough rare earth materials in the world to replace every U.K. car currently in use, let alone right across the globe. The clear danger is that U.K. under-preparedness not only translates into a weak COP 26 outcome, bad as that would be. In addition, it could unravel this year's wider sustainability agenda. Yet, with around three months left until COP 26, all may not be lost if there is now a concerted U.K. campaign of leadership. In part, this is because of the sea-change in U.S. leadership in 2021, and the fact that the pandemic has underlined that no nation can now deny a globalized world faces interconnected threats which require far-reaching and coordinated action. But the biggest change factor is U.S. leadership. Biden's big initiative is a plan to cut by 2030 greenhouse emissions by at least 50 percent below 2005 levels, approximately doubling the previous U.S. promise, and this is stimulating activity in other nations too. Japan committed soon afterwards to a reduction of emissions by 46 percent in 2030 compared to 2013 levels. Key emerging markets including Brazil, South Africa and India are also working to strengthen their so-called nationally determined contributions (NDCs) pledged at Paris in 2015 to cut emissions. So rather than Johnson "pulling a rabbit out of the hat," the success of November depends much more on U.S. diplomacy to convince others to step up to the plate. To persuade large emerging markets to increase their carbon-cutting, the industrialized world led by Washington will also need to increase aid in a context where the U.N. Environment Programme estimates there remains an annual $70 billion gap for addressing global climate impacts. The single biggest relationship where U.S. diplomacy is needed is that with China which was key to delivering the Paris deal. Biden is therefore pushing Beijing hard for a new bold commitment to reciprocate the 2030 one he has announced. If China were to make such a verifiable, bold new pledge, the EU would provide a third leg of the stool to get a deal over the line in November. Collectively, the 27-nation European club plus China and the United States account for around half of global climate emissions and the triumvirate are critical to a positive outcome. With the outcome of COP 26 very much in the balance, massive momentum is therefore needed in the weeks ahead. It is Biden, not Johnson, who can potentially provide this impetus by leveraging U.S. influence to encourage more key countries to reduce emissions faster and deeper in what is now a race against time. Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics. LG Display's production cluster in Paju, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of LG Display Display unit's investment plan reflects Apple's growing OLED demand By Kim Bo-eun LG is strengthening its ties with Apple as its core client, as its affiliates are increasingly supplying components for the U.S. tech giant. LG Display is on track to expand production facilities for medium-sized to small organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) set to be supplied for Apple's smart devices. LG's display manufacturing unit submitted a regulatory filing Tuesday, outlining 3.3 trillion won in investments through 2024 for production of medium-sized to small OLEDs at its plant in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The additional investments are set to scale up LG Display's production capacity for smaller OLEDs to 60,000 on a monthly basis, up from the current 30,000. LG said that it could not comment on client matters, but sources said that the smaller display panels produced here are set to be supplied for Apple's next-generation iPads and iPhones, as the Cupertino-based company is increasingly opting for OLEDs in its devices. Apple incorporated OLEDs into its iPhone for the first time with the iPhone X in 2017, and all models in its latest iPhone 12 series have OLEDs. The U.S. company is also set to start using OLEDs in its next iPad to be released next year. LG declined to confirm the specific production lines that would be scaled up. Industry sources say that the E6-3 line will likely be expanded and exclusively assigned to produce panels for Apple, as a new line will be needed for to produce the panels used in iPads. LG has lagged behind Samsung in smaller OLEDs, given that its strength has been in large OLEDs for TVs. LG Display is the only display manufacturer capable of mass-producing large OLED TVs. Samsung Heavy Industries on Tuesday announced that it will sell stocks to raise 1.23 trillion won ($1.1 billion) to improve its financial health and develop eco-friendly shipbuilding technologies. Samsung Heavy will issue 250 million common shares at 4,950 won per share, but the offering price will be finalized on Oct. 25, it said in a regulatory filing. Of the 250 million new shares, 50 million shares, or 20 percent, will be sold to the company's workers first, Samsung Heavy said. Excluding shares to be sold to its workers, the rest will be allotted to its shareholders from Oct 28-29. If shareholders fail to pay for the new shares, they will be sold to the public from Nov. 2-3, the company said. The new shares will be traded on the main stock market starting Nov. 19. Samsung Heavy named NH Investment Securities, Korea Investment Securities and Mirae Asset Securities as co-managers for the share sale. In May, Samsung Heavy said it plans to push for the capital reduction and sell new shares to put it in better financial shape. The shipbuilder had been suffering an accumulated deficit of over 2 trillion won. The company cut its capital stock from 3.15 trillion won to 630 billion won by reducing the face value of its ordinary shares and preferred shares from 5,000 won to 1,000 won in July. The capital surplus from the capital reduction will be used to repay the shipbuilder's debts, the company said. (Yonhap) Namyang Diary Product's former Chairman Hong Won-sik wipes tears as he steps down from his position at the company's headquarters in Seoul on May 4. Yonhap By Kim Jae-heun Namyang Dairy Products founder Hong Won-sik, who was recently hit for his abrupt cancellation of a scheduled meeting with Hahn & Company to finalize the company's sell-off on July 30, confirmed that the deal can still go ahead. "I did not intend to cancel the deal with Hahn & Company. The temporary meeting of shareholders was only postponed because we were not fully prepared, thus we closed off the transaction. The deal will eventually take place," Hong said through a local report, Tuesday. Hong added that he had kept silent for the last two weeks because he could not reveal specific details in the contract as a refutation to Hahn & Company's argument that he had canceled the deal unilaterally. "I thought it was inappropriate as a contracting party to disclose the transaction process in detail. As the largest shareholder of this company, I am always striving to maximize its corporate value and I am currently dedicated to the ongoing deal to make it successful. I hope Hahn & Company is with us in this regard," Hong said in a statement. Hong's statement was revealed personally as he no longer engages in the company's business management. In the first week of this month, the dairy firm planned to invite executives from Hahn & Company to fix the date of handing over the 53.08 percent stake owned by the former chairman and his family. The private equity fund (PEF) agreed to pay 310.7 billion won ($263.9 million). However, Hong delayed the meeting by six weeks to Sept. 14 and did not show up for the event. Local reports claimed that Hong was dissatisfied with the acquisition price proposed by Hahn & Company. Namyang Diary said the two companies needed more time to smooth out the agreement but the PEF said it was considering taking legal action. Meanwhile, Hong reportedly has been showing up at his office at Namyang Diary's headquarters in Seoul. Although he no longer holds any position at the company, the former chairman is in the office almost every day to address current management issues. On Aug. 3, only a few days after he postponed the shareholders meeting, Hong had a face-to-face talk with the company's labor union. "Hong told us that he will make sure the company is handed over to Hahn & Company, but he did not reveal anything in detail. He also gave ambiguous answers to our questions related to the stock purchase agreement. Many of us saw that he wanted to withdraw the sell-off contract," an official at Namyang's union said. Prosecutors have raided Hyundai Heavy Industries' headquarters in the southeastern city of Ulsan for allegedly destroying evidence to avert the antitrust watchdog's investigation into unfair business practices, judicial sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office recently searched the company's office in Ulsan, about 415 kilometers southeast of the capital, to seize internal documents. Last year, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and several other civic groups reported the CEO and three other employees of South Korea's largest shipbuilder to the prosecution on charges of evidence tampering related to the company's alleged unfair trade with its subcontractors. In 2019, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) fined the shipbuilder 20.8 billion won ($17.7 million) for allegedly signing formal contracts with its 200 subcontractors only after putting them to work and also lowering payments from 2014 to 2018. The FTC also imposed on Hyundai Heavy and some of its employees fines of 100 million won and 25 million won, respectively, on charges of attempting to hinder the watchdog's investigation by replacing the company's 273 hard drives and 101 computers ahead of an on-site inspection in 2018. The civic groups called for punishments heavier than financial penalties for the alleged destruction of evidence. (Yonhap) Taliban fighters patrol in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Aug. 17. Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar on Aug. 16 declared victory and an end to the decades-long war in Afghanistan, a day after. EPA-Yonhap The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the U.S. and its allies melted away. Here's a look at what happened and what comes next: What is happening in Afghanistan? The Taliban, a militant group that ran the country in the late 1990s, have again taken control. The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 ousted the insurgents from power, but they never left. After they blitzed across the country in recent days, the Western-backed government that has run the country for 20 years collapsed. Afghans, fearing for the future, are racing to the airport, one of the last routes out of the country. U.S soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul's airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others. AP-Yonhap Why are people fleeing the country? They're worried that the country could descend into chaos or the Taliban could carry out revenge attacks against those who worked with the Americans or the government. Many also fear the Taliban will reimpose the harsh interpretation of Islamic law that they relied on when they ran Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Back then, women were barred from attending school or working outside the home. They had to wear the all-encompassing burqa and be accompanied by a male relative whenever they went outside. The Taliban banned music, cut off the hands of thieves and stoned adulterers. The Taliban have sought to present themselves as a more moderate force in recent years and say they won't exact revenge, but many Afghans are skeptical of those promises. Why are the Taliban taking over now? Probably because U.S. troops are set to withdraw by the end of the month. The U.S. has been trying to get out of Afghanistan, its longest war, for several years now. American troops ousted the Taliban in a matter of months when they invaded to root out al-Qaida, which orchestrated the 9/11 attacks while being harbored by the Taliban. But it proved more difficult to hold territory and rebuild a nation battered by repeated wars. As the U.S. focus shifted to Iraq, the Taliban began to regroup and in recent years took over much of the Afghan countryside. Last year, then-President Donald Trump announced a plan to pull out and signed a deal with the Taliban that limited U.S. military action against them. President Joe Biden then announced that the last troops would leave by the end of August. As the final deadline drew close, the Taliban began a lightning offensive, overrunning city after city. Why did the Afghan security forces collapse? The short answer? Corruption. The U.S. and its NATO allies spent billions of dollars over two decades to train and equip Afghan security forces. But the Western-backed government was rife with corruption. Commanders exaggerated the number of soldiers to siphon off resources, and troops in the field often lacked ammunition, supplies or even food. Their morale further eroded when it became clear the U.S. was on its way out. As the Taliban rapidly advanced in recent days entire units surrendered after brief battles, and Kabul and some nearby provinces fell without a fight. In this Jul. 28 file photo, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani looks on while attending a Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board meeting (JCMB) at the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul. Ghani said on Aug. 15 after fleeing the country that the Taliban had won, as the militants entered Kabul nearly 20 years after they were ousted from power by a US-led invasion. AFP-Yonhap What happened to the President of Afghanistan? He fled. President Ashraf Ghani hunkered down and made few public statements as the Taliban swept across the country. On Sunday, as they reached the capital, he left Afghanistan, saying he had chosen to leave to avoid further bloodshed. It's not clear where he went. Why are people comparing Afghanistan to the fall of Saigon? The Fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces in 1975 marked the end of the Vietnam War. It became an enduring symbol of defeat after thousands of Americans and their Vietnamese allies were airlifted out of the city on helicopters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has rejected any comparisons to Afghanistan, saying: "This is manifestly not Saigon." Afghan migrants demonstrate over Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, Aug. 16. Reuters-Yonhap What will happen next in Afghanistan? It's not clear. The Taliban say they want to form an ''inclusive, Islamic government'' with other factions. They are holding negotiations with senior politicians, including leaders in the former government. They have pledged to enforce Islamic law but say they will provide a secure environment for the return of normal life after decades of war. But many Afghans distrust the Taliban and fear that their rule will be violent and oppressive. One sign that worries people is that they want to rename the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is what they called it the last time they ruled. Women with their children try to get inside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Aug. 16. Reuters-Yonhap In this April 11, 2020, file photo and released by Melanie Wang, Zhang Zhan stands near scaffoldings outside a shop during a visit to Wuhan in central China's Hubei province. AP-Yonhap A Chinese citizen journalist serving a four-year sentence after reporting on the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Wuhan is in ill health after staging a long-running hunger strike, according to a lawyer who spoke with her family. Zhang Zhan was hospitalized on July 31 and now weighs less than 40 kilograms (90 pounds), according to a message sent by Zhang Zhan's mother to a group on Chinese social media. Authorities notified the family that she was in poor health and told them to come to the prison, said Peng Yonghe, a lawyer who spoke with Zhang's mother about the visit. Her parents and brother went to Shanghai on August 2 but were only permitted to speak with her over the phone. ''We just hope that she can get out of jail, because her hunger strike is really worrying,'' said Peng. Hospitals in Chinese prisons under generally poorly equipped, said Jane Wang, an activist with Humanitarian China, a U.S.-based group founded by Chinese dissidents. Wang helped share Zhang mother's message more widely. ''It's not a proper medical facility,'' said Wang. Publication of her case has brought expressions of support for Zhang, including from Tan Binlin, who held a one-person demonstration on Aug. 4 in his town in Hunan province. Tan called on authorities to let her seek proper medical treatment. Zhang's mother could not be reached for comment. A Shanghai court sentenced Zhang last December over accusations of ''picking fights and provoking trouble,'' a vaguely defined charge often used in political cases. Zhang early on went on hunger strike, then began taking some food after her health declined, Wang said, citing one of Zhang's lawyers. Calls to the office at Shanghai's Prison Administration went unanswered Tuesday. Authorities detained Zhang in May of last year as China stepped up censorship to control the narrative about the pandemic, which was first detected in Wuhan. The government has faced accusations that it covered up early missteps and delayed the released of critical information that would have helped slow the spread of the virus. Zhang had traveled to Wuhan shortly after the city was placed under strict lockdown in February last year, with millions of residents forbidden to leave. She uploaded dozens of short, shaky cell phone videos to YouTube, showing deserted streets and other signs of life under lockdown. One documented her visit to a police station where Dr. Li Wenliang had been reprimanded for spreading word about the outbreak where she tried to ask about his case. Another shows a security guard repeatedly batting away her phone and threatening her as she filmed a dispute. (AP) Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, is suing the US government over its decision to award a massive Moon exploration contract to its competitor SpaceX, it said in a statement Monday. The company has filed a suit with the US Court of Federal Claims "in an attempt to remedy the flaws" in how the contract was awarded, according to the statement. The human landing system (HLS) contract, worth $2.9 billion, was given to SpaceX, owned by Bezos's billionaire rival Elon Musk, in April. It was protested by the other bidders, who argued NASA was required to make multiple awards and that the evaluation process was unfair. "We firmly believe that the issues identified in this procurement and its outcomes must be addressed to restore fairness, create competition, and ensure a safe return to the Moon for America," Blue Origin said. Since losing the contract, Blue Origin has strongly lobbied to have the decision reversed. It filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office, but in July the watchdog upheld NASA's decision. NASA said in a statement Monday that it was notified of Blue Origin's lawsuit and it is reviewing the case. "With our partners, we will go to the Moon and stay to enable science investigations, develop new technology, and create high paying jobs for the greater good and in preparation to send astronauts to Mars," the statement said. Under the Artemis program, NASA is planning to return humans to the Moon in the middle of this decade and build a lunar orbital station, before a crewed mission is sent to Mars in the 2030s. Musk's company, founded in 2002, is currently NASA's leading private sector partner. (AFP) Description System ID 720813 Category Healthcare Technology Management Relocation Type Yes - According to Grade Employment Status Full-Time Unit Description Relocation Assistance Available The Field Service Imaging Engineer III provides nationwide support to the field service team. This includes installing, maintaining, servicing, troubleshooting, and repairing MR, CT and general diagnostic imaging equipment at various clinical sites both locally and nationally. This position will provide extensive technical support to ISEs, FSEs and our greater sales and business development efforts. The FSE selected will possess: Unquestionable integrity Polished personal presence Outstanding problem solving and troubleshooting skills Understanding of regulatory requirements for medical imaging devices An ability to operate well and manage in high stress, fast paced circumstances Expertise in medical imaging service, repairs and preventative maintenance procedures Proven success developing and sustaining relationships; team, customers, suppliers Project management experience Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specific training and/or extensive experience with Philips, Siemens and GE MR and CT scanners. Multi-modality experience and training a plus Ability to participate in on-call rotation schedule Competency in the use of the Microsoft Office suite of products Learn more about Sodexo's Benefits Not the job for you? At Sodexo, we have CTM positions at numerous client locations across the United States. Continue your search for CTM jobs. Working for Sodexo: How far will your ambition, talent and dedication take you? Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and career growth opportunities. Position Summary Using the highest level of technical expertise, inspect, troubleshoot, repair, maintain, and calibrate the full range of diagnostic imaging and/or therapeutic radiation equipment, devices, system, and instruments. Interact on a routine basis with other clinical health providers in the identification of technology-based problems and solution development. Key Duties -Inspect, maintain, repair and calibrate equipment and systems -Ensures regulatory compliance -Develops staff by teaching and mentoring others -Provides advanced support of equipment for direct patient care -Interacts on a routine basis with clinical health providers in the identification of technology based problems and solutions -Solves organization-level customer service issues and complaints -Preparing required documentation and reports -Demonstrates a safety mindset -Financial responsibility for purchasing parts and service Qualifications & Requirements Basic Education Requirement - Associate's Degree (or equivalent experience) in electronic, biomedical engineering or a discipline geared toward managing maintaining and repairing clinical equipment within a healthcare environment Basic Functional Experience - 7 years of imaging equipment repair and maintenance within a healthcare environment and/or entry level of formalized training and/or equivalent military training. Significant factory-level training of imaging equipment contributing to the effectiveness of the organization. Preferred CRES nationally Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer. Requirements See Job Description Durr Systems Inc. has available positions of Robotic Customer Service Specialist--Paint in Southfield, MI. Although the Robotic Customer Service Specialist--Paint will work in Southfield, MI, the Robotic Customer Service Specialist--Paint will be required to travel 80% of working time to Durr Systems customer sites throughout North America. Position requires 60 months experience as a robotics technician. Position also requires: Exp. must include: 1) 60 mos. of exp. debugging & programming paint finishing robots & paint application equipment. Job duties: Provide technical support to customers for Durr Systems robotic paint finishing & sealing equipment. Provide hands-on technical assistance, spare parts management, & sales lead generation. Test & repair equipment at customer site. Provide emergency service & telephone support. Provide start-up & commissioning at customer site. Supervise & coordinate activities of contractors. Manage all site activities including consignment cabinet, staging, inventory, repair, emergency service, deliveries, & equipment health checks. We are an equal opportunity employer & all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, the presence of a medical condition or disability, height, weight, or any other protected status. We maintain a drug-free work place & perform pre-employment drug & alcohol testing. Qualified applicants should send resume & verification of reqs. to Rachel Bennett, Human Resources, Durr Systems, Inc., 26801 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, MI 48033. recblid hbyltx034pi5u3xdkosh172vk5i24g Posting Details Job Title Temporary Full-Time Instructor of Spanish Requisition Number FE02711 Working Title Department Name 8E690:Hispanic Studies Work Location Lexington, KY Type of Position Temporary Position Time Status Full-Time Tenure Track Status Non-Tenure Track Required Education ABD at time of appointment Required Related Experience Native or near-native fluency in Spanish and English. Experience and commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching. Required License/Registration/Certification n/a Job Summary The Department of Hispanic Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky seeks applications for Full-Time Instructor of Spanish. This is a temporary, non-tenurable appointment for the 2021-2022. The period of assignment is from August 2021 through May 2022. Position involves teaching four courses per semester in Spanish language and/or Hispanic literature and culture. Minimum qualifications are: ABD status at time of appointment (PhD in hand preferred); native or near-native fluency in Spanish and English; experience and commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching. Interested applicants should submit a letter of application, CV, and unofficial transcript of the highest degree earned. Review of applications begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Dr. Monica Diaz, Chair ((see application details)). Skills / Knowledge / Abilities Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? No Preferred Education/Experience PhD preferred Deadline to Apply 08/20/2021 Open Until Filled No University Community of Inclusion The University of Kentucky is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce by ensuring all our students, faculty, and staff work in an environment of openness and acceptance. We strive to foster a community where people of all backgrounds, identities, and perspectives can feel secure and welcome. We also value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we strongly encourage veterans, individuals with disabilities, women, and all minorities to consider our employment opportunities. Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen. Principal Duties Fulfillment Coordinator: Responsible for the management of the Colleges purchasing decisions. This includes but is not limited to: developing and implementing purchasing policies and procedures; researching and identifying prospective suppliers; negotiating vendor terms; monitoring supplier performance; establishing, organizing, and managing the Colleges general supply center; preparing reports; maintaining accurate inventory and procurement records, and working to resolve purchasing issues and concerns. Cashiering and other Business Office duties will be expected in order to utilize a cross-functionality approach to Business Office inter-departmental support. Qualifications include, but are not limited to: Training and experience in purchasing for higher education (contracts and negotiations). Ability to read, write, and develop ideas to effectively plan, organize and implement steps of projects at a level normally acquired by several years of relevant work experience or education. Excellent organizational and time management skills. Strong relationship building, customer service, and communication skills. Ability to do in-depth research and analysis of various processes/issues and present written results. Detail oriented. Ability to work with frequent interruptions. Ability to work and train in a cross-functionality role to provide the best support for the Office of Business and Finance. Must maintain strict confidentiality. An Associate degree or equivalent work experience preferred. Previous experience working in procurement is preferred. The successful candidate will have the ability to work as a team member as well as independently. Application Instructions Please note that in order to be considered, you must submit an online application. Here is the link to apply: http://apply.interfolio.com/92309 Interviews will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Employment will require a criminal background check, which may include, but is not limited to, criminal history, national sex offender search and motor vehicle history. Review of application materials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. recblid yneerblbi20p8eetk2w9ml456znq6z Mahen Seeruttun a prononce un discours lors de la ceremonie dintroduction des actions DAscencia sur le Stock Exchange of Mauritius le 16 aout 2021 au Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel. Good evening We are gathered this evening to mark a very important listing event. Indeed, we are gathered for a double event the graduation of Ascencia from champions league to the premier league of highly capitalized listed companies as well as its entry in the exclusive SEMSI directory. I thank Mr Sunil Benimadhu for inviting me here. He knows that ever since I took the helm of the Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance, I have made it a personal mission not to miss any event linked to the advancement of the sustainability cause. I also had an interesting meeting with Mr Phillipe Espitalier Noel last week and I must say that I feel extremely privileged to be a part of this evenings ceremony. Ladies and Gentlemen In his latest book, Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism, John Elkington, known as the Green Business Guru, writes on a manifesto for system change designed to serve People, Planet, and Prosperity. Drawing on the experience of boardrooms around the world as well as Black Swan events, the book examines the potential to become tomorrows world-saving Green Swans. It is an interesting reading on business models of the future. Ascencia is undoubtedly joining the Green Swan flock and from here, more exciting times lie ahead. Still in its adolescent years, the company is acclaimed as an elite in the local business landscape, and it has admirably maintained its growth tempo and pursued expansion activities amidst a pandemic-stricken environment. Ascencia has, through its lifestyle malls, etched an enduring place in the hearts and lives of our countrymen. The seven malls across the length and breadth of Mauritius with a clever architectural blend of consumption and pleasure are the soul of communities, the foundation of retail businesses and a social sanctuary for all age groups. Anou Alle Bagatelle are among common household cliches which even I often hear at home! Ladies and Gentlemen Our presence here is particularly important in the context of the global pandemic. Scientists agree that the world is in a precarious state, it is in a state of environmental emergency, climate change emergency and global health emergency. It is abundantly clear from many parameters that if we do not move with a strong sense of purpose and urgency, the size and nature of the problems we would face will be of such magnitude never seen or imagined. Against this unpleasant and frightful background, business with a conscience has become centre stage. We do not have the choice anymore but to create value not just financially, but also in relation to ESG concerns Environmental, Social and Governance. Profitability and Sustainability, Ladies and Gentlemen, once-upon-a-time considered as being incompatible are, today, recognised as being positively correlated. There is ample evidence to support the fact that companies with solid ESG have better operational performance. And sustainability, Ladies and Gentlemen, is everyones business. It is only through concerted efforts of Government and the Private Sector that we will be able to make significant progress. In fact, such projects are classified topmost priority for my Ministry. For instance, in March 2020, my Ministry joined hands with Standard Chartered Bank by agreeing on a sustainable finance framework supporting the country in achieving its sustainable development goals by 2030 and meet with the Paris Climate agreements commitments. Sustainability projects have been an integral part and the driving force of our Governments nation-building agenda. As you are aware, some key projects include the Launch of the Mega National Cleaning and Embellishment Campaign Moris Nou Zoli Pei, the implementation of Zero Plastic by 2030, and the coming to life of endemic forests and reforestation programme. Our flagship project is undoubtedly Governments determination to operate a transport system that delivers on our environmental and social promises. In addition to an extended fleet of electric buses, the light rail system will significantly reduce vehicle exhaust emissions. As mentioned by Mr Philippe Espitalier Noel earlier, Cabinet gave its approval for Ascencia to build a Metro terminal at Phoenix mall. This is one excellent example of how Government and private sector are, in tandem, working towards a greener transport system, a lower carbon footprint, and ultimately a more balanced and ecological Mauritius. For this metro project, Ladies and Gentlemen, and for all the initiatives that have made Ascensia eligible to enter SEMSI, I wish to commend the Board of Directors and Management. SEMSI champions only accede to such status after having been put to a stringent test and that assessment, Ladies and Gentlemen, I need to say is purely voluntary. And SEMSI, has a purposeful role to play in the business equation. I would like to take this opportunity to commend Sunil and his team for establishing the SEMSI. There has been increasing interest from corporates for a sustainability variable in the business equation. SEMSI provides a robust Measure of What Really Matters. It serves as a directory of companies that have passed the ESG Impact Test thereby assisting social investors in their search for responsible investment. Natives of this globalised world are more socially aware and anxious about the impact their investments on the environment. They will certainly look to SEMSI for hard data and ESG certainty. They will want reassurances that our markets are safe and secure for them to invest their families economic futures. Sustainable investments should now move out of being mere notions and become mainstream with critical mass. However, there is still a long way to go for such investments to reach the desired scale and speed. In this respect, I have had the opportunity of saying before that the SEM team has much to do in terms of education and changing mindsets. Looking to the future, we should work for Mauritius to be the Sustainability Hub of Africa and spearhead ESG engagements in the region. You can rely on my support in these endeavours. Ladies and Gentlemen Before I end, allow me to heartily wish Ascensia all success as a SEM Official Market listed company and a SEMSIx constituent. The successful listing of Ascensia will no doubt help attract more development opportunities, strengthen the companys competitiveness, and deliver value to shareholders and investors. Indeed, as owners and stewards of capital, you have a great responsibility and an authentic purpose to deliver long term value to your shareholders and the society at large. The economic future of Mauritius depends on the capable leadership of stewards of capital such as yourselves. The countrys continued growth and stability depends on your innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. Our peoples continued prosperity depends on the jobs that you create and your compassionate leadership. I cannot stand before you and not mention the generous contribution of Ascensia and its related Groups to the Covid Solidarity Fund. I picked up from Mr Philippe Espitalier Noels address the importance the company placed on people-focussed leadership in the crucible of the crisis striving to sustain livelihoods and doing what it takes to limit disruptions to tenants businesses and the supply chains. I could feel how genuinely and sincerely empathetic you have led your business walking compassionately in the shoes of your personnel, your tenants, your shoppers, your service providers and their broader ecosystems. So, I wish to commend the Board of Directors under the able stewardship of Mr Philippe Espitalier Noel and the Management led by Mr Frederic Tyack for your caring and visionary leadership. Jai foi en votre engagement. Jai foi en vos efforts conjugues a ceux du Gouvernement dans un but commun de developpement social et la construction dune economie generatrice dune croissance economique forte, durable, et equitablement partagee. Ladies and Gentlemen If we were to bury a time capsule today to be opened by future generations, this listing event will certainly go down in history as a momentous occasion witnessing the rise of Mauritius as a Global Metropolis of Sustainability. I thank you for your attention. A man from Zimre Park in Masvingo recently lost US$14 000 after he allegedly engaged a Uganda nanga to multiply his money. The nanga allegedly bought a BMW and opened an office in Chinhoyi using the proceeds. Sikayuba Abdu (44) appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Patience Madondo on Friday facing a charge of defrauding Jaison Mandivengerei (49) of cash amounting to US$14 000. Abdu who resides at Luciana Flats in Chihoyi allegedly told Mandivengerei that he was losing millions of dollars to evil spirits and he wanted to help him recover it. Rejoice Takuva represented the State and Abdu was remanded to August 26, 2021. The State said that on July 1, 2021 Mandivengerei came across a pamphlet inscribed SEKURU JAMIL ZEN International Registered Healer or Herbalist and he contacted accused for spiritual assistance. The two agreed to meet at the accuseds office near Landmark Bar in the CBD in Masvingo. Abdu told the complainant that his money was being stolen by evil spirits and assured him that he could help him recover the millions he had lost. On July 4, the accused said he wanted to do a spiritual healing process which needed US$11 000. The money was put in a red cash box and locked inside and handed over to complaint with order no to open. At 10pm, the accused called the complainant and told him to return the cash box since he had completed the first stage of the ritual. On July 5, the complainant went to accused persons office and handed back the red cash box. The accused ordered him to face the western direction while he faced the eastern direction in order to complete the cleansing process. It is allegedly at this stage that the accused swapped red boxes and gave Mandivengerei different box which he instructed him not to open for seven days. On July 6, the accused told the complainant to deposit R50 000 into his South African CAPITEC Bank account for ancestors to do the final cleansing at the Limpopo River. Mandivengerei instructed his friend Christopher Hendrick to deposit the Rands into accused South African account. The accused asked the complainant to meet him at his Landmark office the following day but he was nowhere to be seen. He allegedly switched off his mobile and blocked complainant on WhatsApp. Anxious about his fate, Mandivengerei forced open the red box only to find RTGS$2 000 inside. He filed a police report. Investigations led to the arrest of the accused last Wednesday in Chinhoyi town where he had opened a new office. Nothing was recovered. Masvingo Mirror Agricultural News Recently completed Reclamation project is excellent example of Abandoned Mine Land work in Oklahoma Recently completed Reclamation project is excellent example of Abandoned Mine Land work in Oklahoma Some believe you cant go back in time. However, thats exactly what the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program does. In this case, theyve returned nearly 24 acres to productive use that were surface mined for coal over 45 years ago. Construction on the Owen-Cherokee West Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation project in the Muskogee County Conservation District reached completion on July 20 and two days later the Final Inspection of the Project in eastern Oklahoma was held. The concluding phases of the project included: the final grading stage of earth work, the installation of rip rap, rock check dams, and fencing. A dangerous highwall and a hazardous waterbody have been removed from the site. This project is in a highly visible location at an intersection with heavily traveled county roads. The property has been dramatically improved, and the landscape conforms to the natural environment with the elimination of significant health and safety hazards. Approximately 23.5 acres of land have been reshaped and reclaimed. Robert Toole, Oklahoma Conservation Commission Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program Director, said this project is a good example of AML work in various ways. From a technical standpoint, the Oklahoma AML Program secured the right-of-entry for the private property needed for the project. They then designed the plans, coordinated the environmental clearances, contracted the second American Burying Beetle survey, contracted the construction, inspected construction, prepared the vegetative plan, coordinated the vegetative services and inspected the vegetative treatment application. From a partnership standpoint, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) established a cooperative federalism approach to abandoned coal mine reclamation. Toole said, This project is a prime example of how well that approach works to address abandoned mine land reclamation on any land in Oklahoma. The project was a partnership effort involving the Cherokee Nation, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, the Muskogee County Conservation District and private landowners. The work area involved Cherokee Nation abandoned mine land that needed maintenance for which the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) was providing technical assistance. The maintenance treatment necessary to alleviate the problems required the involvement of adjacent private property abandoned mine land for which the Oklahoma AML Program had authority to reclaim, Toole said. Through a Cooperative Agreement, the OSMRE coordinated the involvement of the Cherokee Nation land and the Oklahoma AML Program coordinated the inclusion of the private property land. Funding was jointly provided by OSMRE for the Cherokee Nation land acreage and by the Oklahoma AML Program for the private land acreage. Toole added, In collaboration with OSMRE, the Oklahoma AML Program designed the Cherokee Nation land maintenance treatment in coordination with the abandoned mine land reclamation of the private land to create a contiguous work area that addressed the needs of all interests to the maximum extent possible. The Oklahoma AML Program then performed all project management including contracting, construction inspection and vegetative treatment oversight. The Muskogee County Conservation District served as the vegetative contractor to secure the best vegetative services available. This cooperative project involved the federal government, state government, local government, tribal government and private landowners. It doesnt get much more partnership than that and yet it worked very efficiently and effectively with the Oklahoma AML Program coordinating communications, input and project management, Toole said. Those who participated in the final inspection at the site included: Butch Garner, Muskogee County Conservation District Chair; Pat Gwin, Cherokee Nation; LaChelle Harris, OSMRE Tulsa FO; Lee Owens, landowner; Valerie Rogers, OCC-AML Engineer; Tracy Reeder, OCC-AML Construction Supervisor; Trampas Tripp, OCC-AML Program Assistant/Project Inspector, and Toole, OCC-AML Program Director. Discussions between AML and OSMRE about this project began in 2017, and the Cooperative Agreement was executed the following year (2018). The notice to begin construction was given on January 5, 2021 and was completed in July. This reclamation project was part private landowner and part Cherokee Nation land. Such projects afford many opportunities for producers, sometimes it is business related, sometimes it is more quality of life. Owens, the private landowner, said a neighbor cuts the hay on her land and this will provide more land for that use. Plus, the reclamation opens the door for use by her grandchildren as they make memories. This was a wooded area before, but now this gives us easier access to my other acreage for the grandkids to go fishing, she said, followed by a big smile. The AML mission The mission of Oklahomas Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program is to protect lives, repair scarred land and improve the environment. Twenty-six (26) known deaths have occurred in the state on abandoned coal mines. Oklahoma has over $120 million in reclamation that needs to be addressed and receives only $3 million per year. The authority provided by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 as amended to collect fees to fund AML reclamation expires in September 2021. If the Act is not reauthorized, Oklahoma will have millions of dollars of hazardous abandoned coal mine sites left unreclaimed. AML achievements to date includes: 187 completed projects; 5,520.7 acres reclaimed; 320,048 linear feet of dangerous highwall reclaimed; 258 hazardous water bodies reclaimed; 223 subsidence sites reclaimed; 22 hazardous structures removed; 397 mine openings closed; 16 miles of clean streams restored. Looking back Coal mining started in Oklahoma in 1872, taking place primarily in a 16-county area on the eastern side of the state. Early production came almost entirely from underground mines, but with the development of larger power equipment, surface mining became the preferred approach and continues to be the primary mining method used in the state. Over 32,000 acres of land have been used for surface mining and another 40,000 acres have been used for underground mining, resulting in many abandoned mining sites that threaten the environment as well as Oklahomans health and safety. For years, conservation district directors in eastern Oklahoma voiced their concerns about these unclaimed mined areas and spoke to local lawmakers about legislation to address the issue. This advocacy led to the passage of the Open Cut Land Reclamation Act in 1968, which required leveling only the tops of spoil ridges to a width of 10 feet, a requirement that many deemed inadequate. In 1971 these reclamation guidelines were strengthened to require a rolling topography traversable by machines or equipment commonly used with the land after reclamation. Still dissatisfied by this requirement, conservation district directors and other environmental advocates turned to Congress for assistance in passing more robust mine reclamation legislation. On August 3, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 95-87, known as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. This legislation created a national system for controlling the surface effects of active coal mining and established a trust fund dedicated to reclaiming hazardous orphan coal mine land. The trust is funded by fees on active coal mining that are set to end in 2021. Within months of Public Law 95-87 passing, Governor David Boren designated the Oklahoma Conservation Commission as the state agency responsible for reclaiming abandoned coal mine land in Oklahoma. On May 19, 1981, Governor George Nigh signed Senate Bill 217 implementing the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Program in Oklahoma, which was subsequently approved by Cecil Andrus, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior at the time. Oklahoma is one of the few states where conservation districts are integrally involved with AML reclamation efforts. These efforts are 100 percent federally funded from fees on active coal mine production. Take for example, projects of the past There have been many other successes through the years. Here are a couple of those: The Lindsay AML Project is located near Claremore, Oklahoma, close to the Oologah Reservoir in Rogers County. A 50-foot final-cut highwall and pit paralleled the road to the reservoir. With considerable residential development in the area, there was a strong potential for an accident. The pit was backfilled using the on-site spoil piles, eliminating 2,700 linear feet of highwall. A total of 37 acres was reclaimed at a cost of $227,114. The project was completed August 12, 1992. The Bill Tipple Civil Penalty Project is adjacent to Highway 10 near Welch, Oklahoma, in Craig County. The site was an abandoned coal-processing facility with many dilapidated structures and equipment creating safety hazards. The presence of approximately 15,000 cubic yards of acid-forming surface coal refuse posed a major threat to the underlying groundwater aquifer as well as a public health hazard. The site was eligible for funding under the federally administered civil penalty program. Hazardous structures and equipment were either salvaged or buried. The coal refuse was buried with a minimum 2-foot clay cover. A total of 55 acres was reclaimed at a cost of $201,285.70. It was completed August 26, 1993. Of the Owen-Cherokee West Reclamation project, Toole said, This project is a model for performing abandoned coal mine land reclamation on any land in Oklahoma through the Oklahoma Conservation Commission Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program. WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady NSI Top Agricultural News A look at the major movers on the London market on Tuesday ( ), the restaurant group behind Franco Manca and The Real Greek, has revealed the scars of the COVID-19 lockdowns in its full year figures. But it has seen a strong recovery and "buoyant" trading since restaurants were allowed to re-open, giving it confidence for the outlook. Revenues in the year to March fell 41.3% and it reported a loss before tax of 7.5mln compared to a 0.8mln profit. It opened three new restaurants during the period and two more since the year end, making 74 in all with one more under construction. It sees potential for another 155 across the country, which would take its estate to 230. It is also looking at expanding overseas. Chairman David Page said: "Since the beginning of the current financial year.. the group has continued to trade profitably and ahead of management expectations, driven by strong performances across our suburban restaurants. "From July 2021 all restaurants have been open and operating without restrictions, welcoming increasing numbers of customers as the UK's vaccination programme progresses. Momentum has also been maintained across our take away and delivery channels, which continue to outperform 2019 levels.. "We are confident that this current financial year will be the start of another exciting period of growth for The Fulham Shore." Its shares are up 3.13% to 16.5p. 2.41pm: ( ) upbeat on future performance despite drop in revenues and profits Trading platform ( ) has seen its shares jump as it said its full year revenues were likely to be above current market forecasts. Its half year revenues fell 39% and its profits dropped 48%, as the surge in activity at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic eased off. But it said the performance still compared favourably to trading in the same period in 2019 before the virus hit. AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: Plus500 has helped dispel fears that its lockdown-related success is due to come to a juddering halt by upping revenue guidance for the full year alongside first half results. Profit for the half year fell, which was expected given the comparison with a period in the early stages of the pandemic which, thanks to significant market volatility, created lots of opportunities for traders. COVID-19 restrictions meant there were more people at home with the time to put money to work in the markets and Plus500 seems to have done a decent job of hanging on to a decent portion of these new customers. However, there were some less positive elements of todays update with Plus500 not giving guidance on profit and seeing customer acquisition costs going up a trend it notably expects to continue. For now the market is giving the company the benefit of the doubt but that may change if momentum stalls and the threat of increased regulation remains a pretty constant cloud on the horizon as the authorities look to ensure people are protected from racking up substantial losses. Plus500 is up 5.56% or 79.5p at 1509p. 11.56am: Kanabo Group jumps after German cannabis deal by prospective acquisition ( ), the medical cannabis R&D company, is heading higher after a positive update from a potential acquisition. Kanabo has made a non-binding agreement to buy the European businesses of pharmaceutical group Materia and is currently doing due diligence and working on a definitive deal. Meanwhile its shares have climbed 17.78% to 21.2p following news that Materia's wholly-owned German subsidiary has agreed with manufacturer Eurox Pharma to distribute medical cannabis extracts. Nick Pateras, Managing Director, Europe at Materia, said, "This is a strategic step forward in our preparation for the market's increasing adoption of medical cannabis in the form of extracts. Our sales team is already trained and equipped to win new pharmacy customers with the addition of this new format." 10.43am: CloudCoCo climbs after "transformative" deal CloudCoCo Group PLC has seen its shares head skywards after buying a rival IT group. It is paying 1.58mln in cash and warrants over four million shares fro Systems Assurance Ltd, which comprises a B2B reseller and a cloud based service provider. Last year Systems Assurance had revenues of 6.09mln and adjusted earnings of 209,000. The deal will increase CloudCoCo's operational efficiency, drive up margins and increase the purchasing power of the enlarged group. The company is also raising 2.1mln through a conditional placing at 1p a share, which will fund the acquisition and provide additional working capital. CloudCoCo chief executive Mark Halpin said the move was a tranformative step for the company: "It sees us progress to the next stage in our development .. which will see us focus on scaling the business while winning larger and longer contracts. "[Systems Assurance brings] fantastic technology and an impressive customer base that not only complement the existing CloudCoCo business but will help unlock its potential through driving substantial efficiency gains and introducing new cross-selling opportunities." The news has seen its shares jump 13.04% to 1.3p. 8.55am: ( ) moves ahead after brake disc deal with US car firm ( ) PLC has seen off an existing supplier to a major US automotive company and will be providing its carbon ceramic brake discs for a new version of one of the company's models. The company expects revenues of around 20mln from the deal, beginning in 2024 and lasting until 2028. Chief executive Kevin Johnson said: "This is a very significant win for ( ). The customer is one of the most respected names in the industry and provides a further key reference point for other original equipment manufacturers. The contract win was one of those anticipated in the recent fund raise, and thus remains within our previously stated capacity requirements. We look forward to further extending our relationship with this new customer." "Moreover, it is particularly encouraging to note that this award primarily reflects the advanced technical capabilities of our product and provides further validation of our 15 years of technical development." The company's shares have accelerated 11.29% or 7p to 69p. 8.28am: Exploration jumps after positive update from copper mine in Ireland Exploration Group PLC has seen its shares surge after it began at drilling programme at its West Avoca mine in Ireland. The County Wicklow site was closed in 1982 due to the low price of copper at the time, but significant amounts of ore were left in place. In September reported 20,000 ounces of gold, 2.6k tonnes of copper and 7.8k tonnes of lead from mine spoils and tailings, and the new drilling programme will allow an independent assessment of additional resources. It said: "With the copper price recently at an all-time high, has reassessed historical records along strike to the southwest from the Avoca mine, and interprets there is a 1.2km minimum strike length that has either been only partially tested or else has specific targets remaining to be drill tested." Chairman Eamon OBrien added: This drill programme is designed to validate and extend zones of mineralization encountered in historical exploration which left unmined zones of mineralization... "With copper prices recently reaching an all-time high, climate change initiatives to the fore and copper a vital component to drive the green economy, will be part of this new green future with its copper project in Avoca." The company is also continuing its due diligence on its proposed acquisition of the Karaberd Mine in Lori Mar, Armenia. 's shares are up 23.08% or 0.23p at 1.2p. Still with mining companies, ( ) has issued a positive update after drilling started at the Copperhead project in Australia, almost 50 years after copper was first discovered there. Chief executive David Price said: "Copper carbonates at surface become more abundant closer to the drilling site and it's most encouraging to see copper minerals forming part of the interstitial rock matrix, as well as vein-hosted copper. This implies the potential for two styles of copper mineralisation." Rockfire has risen 5.83% to 1.08p. Since 2007, BVP has successfully raised and managed 14 Green BES and EII Funds, which have invested in some of Ireland's most innovative companies ( , ) ( ), the cash shell, is planning to merge with BVP Investments, an Irish fund management firm, and change its name to Cool Capital. BVP focuses on companies in the green sector that have developed technologies and services addressing the issues of sustainability, resource efficiency and the wider environment. Pineapple Power has entered into non-binding heads of terms with BVP and the principal shareholders of BVP for the acquisition of BVP Investments in an all-share deal. Following the completion of the proposed acquisition, the current directors of BVP will form a majority of the board of the company and the sellers of BVP will become majority shareholders of the enlarged company, making this a reverse takeover. Trading in the shares of Pineapple has been suspended pending completion of the acquisition. Should the reverse takeover happen, Pineapple will move from the main market to AIM, probably in the final quarter of this year. The company also expects it will need to raise fresh capital. "During the past few months, we have reviewed numerous projects and believe the proposed acquisition meets our stated objective of identifying a potentially extremely valuable entity combined with a portfolio of companies involved in renewable energy, the circular economy and clean and green technologies," said Claudio Morandi, the chairman of Pineapple Power. "Ireland is home to some of the most innovative and exciting companies involved in these exciting sectors and the vision shared between ourselves and BVP is the expansion of their very successful investment strategies internationally utilising Pineapple's extensive financial contact network. We believe the successful completion of this merger will position the enlarged company Cool Capital PLC - for rapid expansion and value accretion. The combination of astute financial management and access to the international capital markets is a compelling combination, he added. A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors newswire ( , , ) said it is the first publicly-traded cryptocurrency miner to become climate positive from scope one, two and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the value chain associated with its mining operations. A peer reviewed scientific article has underscored the potential of ( , , , )s monoclonal antibody nasal spray in people with mild-to-moderate Covid. ( , ) chairman Antony Legge highlighted that attention has returned to the core business of developing innovative solutions using the company's patented nano-production capability. ( , , , ) told investors that the acquired Atomic Oil and Gas assets are performing significantly ahead of expectations. ( , ) said in its half-year results that the focus in the second half will be on the roll-out of its Accrufer iron deficiency therapy in the US. ( , ) said it will use PharmaJets needle-free technology to administer Covid vaccine candidates SCOV1 and SCOV2 in its COVIDITY phase I clinical trial. ( , ) reported positive test results from recent commercial concrete pours using natural pozzolan from its CS pozzolan-perlite deposit in Nevada, US. ( ) has agreed to buy strategic graphite projects in Mozambique from ASX-listed Battery Minerals Ltd for A$12.5mln (6.6mln) in a cash and shares deal. ( , ) said drilling results confirmed the opportunity to expand the open-pit at the Arzu South area of the Kiziltepe gold-silver mine in western Turkey. ( ) said Eurox Group, in which it has an 8.85% stake, has launched its own brand of "made in Germany" full-spectrum medical cannabis extracts. Karelian Diamonds said it will be presenting via the Shares and AJ Bell investor evening webinar on 17 August 2021. ( ) announced that board member Dr Stephen Fisher purchased US$200,000 in aggregate nominal value of Avation Capital SA 8.25% senior notes due 2026 issued under the company's global medium term note programme. The notes were purchased through the market at a price of 83% of nominal value. ( , ) announced that chairman Paul Smith and non-executive director Peter Bacchus both bought shares in the company. Smith topped up his holdings in the company with the purchase of 775,000 ordinary shares on market at a price of 34p apiece, worth 263,500 before costs while Bacchus purchased 59,500-worth at the same price. The scale and high grade at the Toliara development are expected to underpin it as one of the most competitive (and profitable) mineral sands operations in the world ( , , ) has been started on a buy recommendation by ( , ) as the broker views it as well-run, high-quality company, with exposure to a suite of underappreciated (but highly attractive) commodities. Noting the miner is focussed on the extraction of minerals sands including ilmenite, rutile and zircon that are typically are used in pigment and ceramic production, analyst Sam Catalano said he expects the highly cash-generative Kwale minerals sands operation has around three years of life remaining, with the key development focus being the world-class Toliara project in Madagascar. With valuable heavy mineral reserves suggesting a 33-year life producing 800-900k tonnes per year, the analyst estimates the low unit costs driven by Toliaras scale and 6.5% grade will underpin it as one of the most competitive (and profitable) mineral sands operations in the world. Catalano said he believes Toliara should drive the companys revenue to cost ratio to 3-3.5x from current levels nearer 2.5x, placing the operation at the very top of the first quartile on an R/C basis. Canaccord believes minerals sand products will be positively exposed to the post-pandemic recovery with pigment and ceramic demand both being linked to property improvement, as well as construction. As the recovery continues, we believe it is likely that supply will fail to keep up with demand growth across both TiO2 and zircon markets and is likely to lead to continued price growth over the coming years, the analyst wrote in the note. Assuming the resolution of the fiscal terms for Toliara comes in the next six months, after the final dividend is paid with respect to the 2021 financial year, the analyst said dividends are likely to be suspended at that point as near-term cash flow is directed towards the development of Toliara. Alibaba and Tencent shares dropped in Hong Kong, with London specialist investment trusts such as Fidelity China Special Situations and Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust also sliding Chinese regulators have published a strict new set of rules for the internet sector in the latest stage of the countrys crackdown on technology firms. On Tuesday, Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued a draft of the new rules, which included provisions that internet operators must not implement or assist unfair competition online or disrupt the order of market competition. The regulator also said that businesses operating online should not use algorithms or data to influence users or web traffic, while the draft rules also ban companies from preventing merchants from listing on rival platforms. Firms will also be barred from spreading misleading information against competitors as well as engaging in certain marketing tactics such as fake reviews and incentives to leave positive user reviews. The new regulations are currently open for public response until September 15, however, the strict guidelines will likely serve to further exert government power over Chinas largest tech companies. Regulators in the country have previously come down hard on the sector as a result of what has been deemed anti-competitive behaviour, having previously issued a record US$2.5bn fine to ecommerce giant Alibaba as well as ordering media conglomerate Tencent to end exclusive music licences deals as well as blocking a company-led merger between two streaming firms. Both Alibaba and Tencent shares dropped during Tuesdays session in Hong Kong in the wake of the draft regulations, while in London, China-focused specialist funds such as ( ) and Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust PLC fell sharply. The company has upgraded its advanced research and testing facility Valens Labs to satisfy various additional international testing requirements Valens' third-party testing services now allows for the testing of over 300 pesticides, making it the only cannabis lab in Canada with the ability to test this magnitude of containments at commercial capacity ( , ) Inc has said it continues to prepare for international industry growth with upgrades to its leading-edge research and testing facility, Valens Labs. The Kelowna, British Columbia-based producer of cannabis products said ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited Valens Labs' testing capabilities have been enhanced to satisfy various additional international testing requirements for finished cannabis goods to support existing and future customers looking to expand their export capabilities. The enhanced validation methods that Valens Labs now offers are in preparation for changes in certain international analytics and testing requirements. These testing methods, which have previously been validated in all five tests required by Health Canada, have been increased and are expected to be compliant for international standards in many emerging markets. Valens Labs is also CALA Certified. READ: Stifel GMP resumes Buy rating, ups target on Valens after it gains US CBD market foothold Valens' third-party testing services now allows for the testing of more than 300 pesticides, making it the only cannabis testing lab in Canada with the capabilities to test this magnitude of containments at commercial capacity, the company said. The lab upgraded in anticipation of attracting more global business as testing standards evolve. The current Health Canada requirement mandates testing for 96 pesticides, however, testing beyond national requirements will further help customers achieve supreme sampling validation to ensure quality and safety. The testing capabilities upgrades will also continue to allow Valens to test and examine for terpenes, cannabinoid profiles, and microbials, and additional heavy metals such as zinc, nickel, and palladium. "Our vision is to become a hub for international cannabis distribution and a launching pad for CPG companies who are ready to enter the market," Valens CEO Tyler Robson said in a statement. "Valens' fully validated ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited lab, one of the first in the Canadian cannabis industry, will expand our international export capabilities and contribute to the adoption of cannabis and cannabis products at an international level." The company expects the regulatory standards for food and natural health products to require stricter and "more demanding" testing standards. As a result, Valens is preparing for the future by enabling worldwide manufacturing, distribution and exportation capabilities of the very best cannabis products," said Robson. The upgraded testing services will be available for Valens' broad customer base, which include licensed producers, individual producers, medicinal cannabis clients, and the natural wellness products industry. Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive For the three months to June 30, the maker of plant-based health and wellness products, reported revenue of $1.4 million, compared to $281,000 in 2Q, 2020 Among other highlights of the quarter, the group noted it had named veteran CPG Leader Laura Pitlik as its chief marketing officer to expand brand awareness of its consumer goods Arcadia Biosciences reported a five-fold increase in revenue in its second quarter, mainly thanks to sales from the newly acquired portfolio of wellness brands, as well as its GoodHemp seed sales. For the three months to June 30, the maker of plant-based health and wellness products reported revenue of $1.4 million, compared to $281,000 in 2Q, 2020. Matt Plavan, CEO of Arcadia, noted that the period had been the "first time" Arcadia recorded sales from its consumer brands, representing a "key milestone in our transformation to a dynamic producer and marketer of innovative, plant-based health and wellness products". "The quarter was also highlighted by significant advancements in our strategic resource and capacity building, and the successful integration of operations following the Lief Brands acquisition. We strongly believe that these initiatives, along with the profitable sale of our Bioceres shares will enable us to accelerate our current momentum and strongly position the company to achieve meaningful top-line growth," he added. Research and development (R&D) spending decreased by $862,000 in the quarter, the firm noted, primarily due to lower employee expenses, while the net loss came in at $5.3 million, down from a loss of $9.7 million in the second quarter of 2020. The second quarter of 2021 included $2.8 million of other income from gains on the sale of Bioceres shares and $498,000 of non-cash expense recognized as a result of the increase in the fair value of common stock warrant liabilities, Arcadia also noted. Among other highlights of the quarter, the group said it had named veteran CPG Leader Laura Pitlik as its chief marketing officer to expand brand awareness of its consumer goods following several key acquisitions. Pitlik has launched the first national line of all-natural breads, Nature's Pride, for Hostess Brands, and has deep expertise in the CPG industry, leading brands such as Dr Pepper, Wonder Bread and On The Border tortilla chips and salsas, the company highlighted. As at June 30 this year, Arcadia held around $43.9 million in cash ($16.9 million as at June 30, 2020). Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com An official announcement is expected as early as this week The US is expected to recommend its population to get a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as a booster eight months after the second shot. The programme could start in mid-late September to provide extra protection against the Delta variant, with an announcement expected as early as this week. The Food and Drug Administration would have to approve this policy, the Independent reported. The first people to be called in would be those who have received the inoculation by ( ) Inc and BioNTech, with priority for healthcare workers and the elderly. On Monday, the pair submitted data on the phase 1 trial on the shots used as a booster. The trial group show that the third dose elicited significantly higher neutralizing antibodies against the initial SARS-CoV-2 virus (wild type) compared to the levels observed after the two-dose primary series, as well as against the Beta variant and the highly infectious Delta variant, the statement read. US authorities have started collecting data on the ( ) vaccine, which only requires one shot, to understand if a booster is required. The US has also been administering the injection developed by Moderna Inc. The White House has been concerned about a study from Israel where preliminary data suggested that people who had been vaccinated in January started getting lower protection. The analysis was only carried out on people who had received the ( ) jab. Israel has already started offering booster shots to people over 60 who had received the second dose five months prior. With booster shots on the horizon, one of the biggest questions for how the world adapts to Covid in the long term will be the extent to which vaccinated individuals maintain their immunity from the first two doses, or whether further shots will be required on an ongoing basis in order to maximise protection and reduce pressure on health services, analysts at ( ) commented. Shares in Pfizer were up 1% to US$49.48 at open. Notably the period to June 30 this year saw the group's annual recurring revenue grow 308% compared to the same quarter of 2020 CEO Vincent Browne said: "Most importantly this quarter started to show the positive income impacts to the business from the recent acquisitions" ( ), the independent power producer, has hailed its second-quarter performance, which saw the company boost revenue and its asset base. For the period ended June 30, 2021, the group's annual recurring revenue grew 308%, compared to the same quarter of 2020, due to the addition of a 20 MWp operational solar park. Also, and as reported in June, the firm acquired a majority 60% interest in Netherlands-based Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) company Unisun Energy Holding, adding over 250 MW of solar projects at various stages of development to the Alternus portfolio. "We have increased the companys annual recurring revenues to 16.3 million euros, up from 3.8 million euros from the same quarter last year and are maintaining an average of 75% project gross margins," highlighted Alternus CFO Joseph Duey in a statement. "Our strengthened balance sheet and proven financing capability is enabling us to accelerate our growth as seen in the increased contract backlog. This continued strong financial performance demonstrates our successful growth and underpins our business plan to secure more than 3.5 GW of operational projects by 2025. Group revenue in the second quarter increased to 5.2 million euros, up from 1.5 million euros in the second quarter of 2020, while the company's owned assets increased by 14 times to 423 MW. Alternus CEO Vincent Browne said: "Most importantly this quarter started to show the positive income impacts to the business from the recent acquisitions. Further to the 110 million euro bond issuance and 27 million euro equity raise in the first quarter, the company raised an additional 6.9 million euro in equity this quarter through our listing on the Euronext Growth Market Oslo at the end of June." "All funding is concentrated on continuing to grow our asset base from the 1.4 gigawatts (GW) of contracted assets we have in hand. I am also very pleased to confirm that we finally look set to acquire the exciting 65MW polish park that is part of the initial bond portfolio in September. On completion, this will make us operational in a new country and add approximately 3.5 million euros to our annual revenues bringing the total to just under 20 million euros annually without further acquisitions." Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com The company noted that Datcher's historic appointment represents the first time a Black CEO will lead a major public US cannabis organization Current CEO Steve Allan will continue with the company and assist with the leadership transition, The Parent Company added TPCO Holding Corp. - ( , ) - has said Troy Datcher will be appointed to serve as the company's new chief executive officer with effect from September 8, 2021. The company noted that Datcher's historic appointment represents the first time a Black CEO will lead a major public US cannabis organization. Current CEO Steve Allan will continue with the company and assist with the leadership transition, it added. Datcher joins The Parent Company from ( ), where he most recently served as senior vice president and chief customer officer responsible for the company's worldwide sales organization. During his tenure, Datcher deployed global sales plans for over $6.7 billion in annual revenue across The Clorox Company's vast portfolio of brands. In a statement, Datcher commented: "I'm truly honored to be at the forefront of shaping the future of the cannabis industry with The Parent Company. This is a tremendously strong company that is poised for continued growth and we have a unique opportunity to disrupt a sector that has disproportionately impacted communities of color including my own for far too long. "This is a chance to partner with cultural powerhouses like JAY-Z and Desiree Perez to rectify the wrongs of prohibition, eradicate antiquated laws and create a new cannabis infrastructure rooted in diversity, equity and justice for our communities. Together, we can shape a legal cannabis industry that is reflective of our entire culture in California and beyond." The Parent Company noted that Datcher first joined The Clorox Company in 1999 as a region sales manager for the Specialty Division before assuming a leadership role for the company's automotive business. In 2006, he joined JTG/Daugherty Racing, where he spent three years as the Director of NASCAR Sponsorship and Marketing for the organization before returning to The Clorox Company in 2009. Prior to his combined 20-year tenure at The Clorox Company, Datcher served as national sales account manager at The Procter & Gamble Company. "On behalf of our Board and employees, I look forward to welcoming Troy to lead our organization into its next chapter of growth," said Michael Auerbach, chairman of The Parent Company. "Troy brings a wealth of invaluable experience driving high-volume sales and implementing growth strategies and a deep-seated knowledge of strategic brand execution. His leadership, expertise and perspective gained at such a prominent and enduring organization will be a significant advantage as we look to build the first 100-year company in cannabis, meet evolving consumer demands, and create meaningful change in our industry." "Troy's business acumen, strategic thinking and leadership skills are invaluable qualities that will be critical to our organization's growth," added The Parent Company chief social equity officer and board member Desiree Perez. "He understands and embraces the unique responsibility we have to redefine the cannabis industry and establish a new precedent for cannabis entrepreneurs to build successful businesses. I look forward to watching him grow into this position and taking The Parent Company to new heights." The Parent Company saidf Datcher brings a passion for elevating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to the forefront of corporate culture to his latest appointment. He is a two-time Ebony Magazine Power 100 honoree (2015 and 2020) and has also been recognized by Savoy Magazine as one of the top 100 Black Executives for three consecutive years. The company noted that Kideckel joins it after nearly 20 years of combined industry and capital markets experience, most recently serving as managing director, senior institutional equity research analyst at ATB Capital Markets His industry experience spans several senior healthcare executive roles including at Johnson & Johnson Inc. and Alexion Pharmaceuticals - acquired by AstraZeneca ( ) said it has appointed Dr David Kideckel as its executive vice president, Head of Strategy, Corporate Development & Capital Markets, a newly created position to lead the companys next phase of growth expansion. The company noted that Kideckel joins it after nearly 20 years of combined industry and capital markets experience, most recently serving as managing director, senior institutional equity research analyst at ATB Capital Markets. His industry experience spans several senior healthcare executive roles including at ( ) Inc. and ( ) (acquired by AstraZeneca). Within Capital Markets, Kideckel was at the forefront of the cannabis industry and was the sole Bay Street analyst to cover GW Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals), and was known for his expert analyses and thought leadership in retail, LPs, US & international strategy & partnerships, as well as cannabinoid-derived pharmaceuticals and biosynthesis. I am extremely pleased to welcome David to our team, propelling our capital markets strategy and reach, through his wealth of experience. David was one of the leading cannabis analysts and has an exceptional network of contacts with an in-depth knowledge of the cannabis industry and its subsectors. Davids appointment reflects our commitment to having best-in-class talent to advance the Companys growth trajectory strategically and expeditiously, said John Arbuthnot, CEO of Delta 9 in a statement. Of all the companies I have evaluated over the last several years, Delta 9 has incredible potential and Im proud to join a seasoned team that is on the verge of steady and continuous growth within an explosive industry, added Kideckel. Delta 9 Cannabis. is a vertically integrated cannabis company focused on bringing the highest quality cannabis products to market. The company sells cannabis products through its wholesale and retail sales channels and sells its cannabis grow pods to other businesses. The company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Delta 9 Bio-Tech Inc., is a licensed producer of medical and recreational cannabis and operates an 80,000 square foot production facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Delta 9 owns and operates a chain of retail stores under the Delta 9 Cannabis Store brand. Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com The 2Q revenue figure increased by 3% from its previous quarter The quarterly sequential increase was due to growth in AppLogiq platform-as-a-service product Logiq Inc saw another quarter of sequential revenue growth with $8.3 million in 2Q 2021, up 3% from its previous quarter. Brett Suen, Logiqs president, told investors that the New York-based ecommerce company is zeroing in on high-margin, high-quality revenue streams. Its AppLogiq platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product contributed $2.8 million or 34% during the quarter ended June 30, while the DataLogiq digital marketing platform made up 66% of consolidated revenue at $5.5 million. Total revenue decreased 11% as compared to $9.3 million in the same year-ago quarter primarily due to a decrease in AppLogiq PaaS revenue as it transitioned to high-margin deployments, which was partially offset by an increase in DataLogiq revenue, Logiq told shareholders, but the quarterly sequential increase was due to growth in AppLogiq revenue. In 2Q, we achieved another quarter of improvement as we continued to transform our business and focus on higher margin, higher quality revenue streams, Suen said. Revenue climbed 3% sequentially to $8.3 million, following a better-than-expected, record 23% jump in the previous quarter. During the quarter, the company hit a major milestone with its initial public offering on the NEO exchange in Canada, which raised nearly C$6.5 million followed by another US$4 million raise. As well, the company launched a new digital audio marketing channel on its Logiq Digital Marketing platform and partnered with Mentalku in Indonesia to offer a mobile payment option for the countrys driving schools. The company also released CreateApp 4.0, its mCommerce platform-as-a-service, that Logiq said included critical features requested by the companys merchants to simplify stocking and inventory management processes. We continue to see strong market trends driving phenomenal growth in the e-commerce markets worldwide, Suen said. So, we believe the combination of DataLogiqs robust digital marketing solutions and AppLogiqs m-commerce fintech technology will help drive increased global market penetration over the coming quarters, along with strong revenue growth and expanding margins. The firms net loss came in at $5 million or $0.27 per share in 2Q compared to net loss of $1.4 million or $0.14 per share in the year-ago quarter. Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas The digital health firm also reported an 184% rise to gross profits for the year, with 66% of that coming from financial 2Q A newly penned agreement will give Cloud DX access to in excess of 100,000 patients ( , ) Inc, a virtual health care provider, has released its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2021. Over the three-month period, subscription revenue increased 90% quarter-over-quarter and 39% year-to-date. The digital health firm also reported an 184% rise in gross profits for the year, with 66% of that coming from financial 2Q. The company's Connected Health remote patient monitoring platform used by healthcare teams across North America to virtually manage patient care facilitated the 38% uptick in subscription revenue year-to-date. Additionally, while total revenue was up 8% for the first half of the year, the second fiscal quarter saw a 40% decline, despite a significant one-time hardware deployment in the previous year". Product and professional services revenue is expected to be 'lumpy' in the early stages of growth, read the company statement. Specifically, in 2020 a large Connected Health Kit deployment for an academic study generated an unusual concentration of hardware revenue that has not occurred in 2021. The growing healthcare services company also reported an 115% increase to operating expenses, as well as an 149% decrease in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Conversely, ( , ) also entered into key new partnerships during the first half of 2021, resulting in the company accessing 27,600 new patients for the year Dagamma Ecommerce Solutions Inc, which is focused on providing health monitoring solutions for growing families. The newly penned agreement will give ( , ) access to in excess of 100,000 patients. Contact the writer at georgia@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter @MissInformd If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Ex-owners of VIM Airlines denied review of $400K wage recovery case flickr.com/ wiltshirespotter 11:56 17/08/2021 MOSCOW, August 17 (RAPSI) The Commercial Court of Russias Republic of Tatarstan has refused to reconsider a ruling on the recovery of nearly 29 million rubles ($400,000) of salary overpaid to ex-president of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and his wife Svetlana, according to court records. The republican commercial court invalidated deals on the wage increase executed in March 2017 upon an application filed by the airlines bankruptcy receiver Alexander Maksimov. Instances of appeals and cassation later upheld the ruling. The Mursekayevs challenged the rulings in the Supreme Court but lost the appeals in November 2020. Then the spouses filed an application seeking to reconsider the matter upon newly discovered evidence. On September 26, 2018, the court declared VIM Airlines bankrupt on the request of the company RNGO. Earlier in August, the court granted an application filed by the company, including a 3 billion-ruble ($44 million) debt into the creditors demands list. On October 17, 2017, a criminal case was launched over premeditated bankruptcy of VIM Airlines. In September of the same year the court returned a bankruptcy claim against the airline back to the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). According to the court, due to the social tensions surrounding the activities of the airline, the applicant decided to recall the motion. Investigators believe that certain top managers and owners of the air carrier intentionally made losing bargains in 2016 and 2017 including those aimed at siphoning of assets abroad. The deals led to enormous financial outlay and undoubtedly resulted in the companys failure to pay debts to creditors in full. According to investigators, employees of VIM Airlines continued to sell tickets to clients despite being aware that the airline was not able to transfer passengers because there were not enough funds to buy fuel. Investigators believe that the employees embezzled more than one million rubles ($17,000). VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva have been arrested as part of the case. Co-owners of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and Svetlana Mursekayeva fled Russia and are currently residing abroad, according to investigators. Allegedly Mursekayev and Kalashnikova fled Russia to hide from investigative authorities. In December, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Mursekayev in absentia. Defense lawyers complain of impossibility to contact convicted foreigner Whelan Moskva city news agency, Sophia Sandurskaya 10:29 17/08/2021 MOSCOW, August 17 (RAPSI) Defense lawyers for former American marine Paul Whelan sentenced to 16 years in high-security prison for espionage against Russia have filed complaints over impossibility to contact their client with the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) and the Prosecutor Generals Office, his attorney Vladimir Zherebenkov has told RAPSI. Whelan is serving sentence in a penal colony in Russias Republic of Mordovia. Recently, the defense visited the convict and discussed preparation of a deportation application for court. However, the attorneys could not even phone and communicate to him, the lawyer said. The convict wants to seek transfer to the U.S. in order to serve the remainder of his sentence there. In June 2020, the Moscow City Court convicted Whelan of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years behind bars. The hearing was held behind closed doors. A prosecutor demanded 18 years in prison for Whelan. Whelan is a citizen of the U.S., Canada, Ireland and Great Britain. He is the chief safety officer of BorgWarner, an American worldwide automotive industry components and parts supplier. The foreigner was arrested in late 2018 during a spying mission, according to the Federal Security Service. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. The Foreign Ministry of Russia reported that papers classified as state secret were seized from Whelan during his arrest on December 28. His lawyer confirmed this information. According to Zherebenkov, his client came to Russia in December 2018 to attend the wedding of his acquaintance. He received a flash drive containing culturological information he was interested in, including photos and videos. However, there was no secret data on it, the attorney said. Whelan was not able to use the USB-drive as he was arrested in December 2018. Alleged leader of Crimean cell of banned Jehovahs Witnesses put in detention flickr.com/ Counselman Collection 12:09 17/08/2021 MOSCOW, August 17 (RAPSI) A court in Simferopol, Crimea, on Tuesday placed alleged organizer of the Yalta cell of Jehovahs Witnesses, a religious organization banned in Russia as extremist, in detention, according to the Investigative Committee. The man was arrested in the Belgorod Region when attempting to cross Russias border with another state and transported to Crimea. He is accused of organizing the activity of an extremist organization. The cell of Jehovahs Witnesses in Yalta was created in 2017, investigators believe. They allegedly held propagating gatherings, collected money for the cells operation. Most of the group participants were arrested earlier and brought to criminal liability, the statement reads. The man, who is believed to be the thought leader of the banned organizations cell personally controlled its activity. Currently, there are 5 defendants in the case, according to investigators. One more defendant is wanted. In April 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia ordered liquidation of the Jehovah's Witnesses managing organization and all its 395 local branches. In August, the Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses was added to the list of banned extremist organizations. Jehovahs Witnesses religious organization has had many legal problems in Russia. Since 2009, 95 materials distributed by the organization in the country have been declared extremist and 8 Jehovah's Witnesses branches have been liquidated, according to the Justice Ministry. Jehovah's Witnesses is an international religious organization based in Brooklyn, New York. Since 2004 several branches and chapters of the organization were banned and shut down in various regions of Russia. Navalny fails to challenge prone to escape status Screenshot 13:28 17/08/2021 MOSCOW, August 17 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal lodged by Alexey Navalny against dismissal of his lawsuit against a penal colony where he is serving sentence over labeling him as a convict prone to escape, the courts press service told RAPSI. The Preobrazhensky District Court dismissed Navalnys suit against the penal colonys decision on June 25. The blogger sought to declare the decision illegal. Earlier, the convict filed a similar lawsuit with a court in the Vladimir Region; but the move was also dismissed. Navalny is serving sentence in a penal colony in Pokrov, a town in the Vladimir Region. In February, a Moscow court ordered Navalny to be jailed for 3.5 years in the Ives Rocher embezzlement case. In early March, the ruling was upheld. The blogger is to serve about 2.5 years behind bars. He is serving sentence in the Vladimir Region. Bid to extend detention of businessman involved in Penza Governors case set for Aug. 19 RAPSI, Natalia Vaneyeva 17:37 17/08/2021 MOSCOW, August 17 (RAPSI) Moscows Basmanny District Court will hear an investigators motion to extend detention of head of BIOTEC Group of Companies Boris Spiegel involved in a bribery case against ex-Penza Region governor Ivan Belozertsev on August 19, the courts press service has told RAPSI. After his arrest and detention the businessman voiced his readiness to cooperate with investigators. According to the investigation, between January and September 2020, Belozertsev accepted through intermedia money and other values worth over 31 million rubles (over $400,000) in bribes from Spiegel, his spouse andDirector of Pharmacia Company Anton Koloskov. In turn, the official allegedly promised to give BIOTEC Group of Companies the competitive gain in execution of state contracts for acceptance, quality and validity period tracking, storing and supplies of medical drugs and goods for the needs of health care institutions of the Penza Region. Jailed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Mukhtar Ansari has told a court that a contract of Rs 5 crore has been given for his killing inside the jail. According to his lawyer, Ansari claimed that unauthorised people entered the prison without making any entry in the register. Ansari, who is lodged in Uttar Pradesh's Banda jail, was produced virtually on Monday before Maushmi Madhesi, a judge in the special court for cases involving MPs and MLAs here in Uttar Pradesh, in a case of forgery and cheating. The forgery and cheating case against Ansari was registered after it was found that a bulletproof ambulance with a Barabanki registration number was used to ferry him from the Ropar jail to a Mohali court in Punjab in an extortion case. His lawyer Randhir Singh Suman, Ansari told the judge that a contract of Rs 5 crore has been given for killing him inside the jail. Ansari also alleged that some suspicious persons entered the jail without making any entry in the register and that the directions of CCTV cameras were changed to facilitate their visits. The MLA requested the court to order a probe into the matter. The court has fixed the next date of the hearing in the case on August 27. After having been brought from the Ropar jail in Punjab in April, Ansari has been lodged in the Banda jail as an undertrial in a slew of criminal cases. An Indian Air Force airplane arrived at the Jamnagar Airforce Base station in Gujarat on Tuesday bringing more than 150 Indians from Afghanistan, including the Indian Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon to Afghanistan. The IAF plane arrived at Jamnagar around 11.30 a.m. after taking a long route flight from the Hamid Karzai Airport Kabul airport, avoiding the skies of Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan. The plane took off from Kabul at around 8 a.m. in the morning. These passengers include the employees of Indian Embassy and other working professionals in many projects in Afghanistan. Passengers were extended warm greetings by Gujarat government's minister of state, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Jamnagar Mayor, the Jamnagar district collector and other officials. All the passengers were taken to an accommodation where they were served lunch. After the refueling of the plane and further check ups, the plane will take off at around 1 p.m. "The plane arrived at 11.30 a.m. at the Jamnagar airport. We welcomed them. Most of the passengers were terrified and they all thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing them back. The state government has arranged for their lunch here at Jamnagar," said the minister of state, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. St. George, UT -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/17/2021 -- IONIX Smart Solutions offers high-performance solar panels, smart commercial, and home systems. They are qualified in solar installation and have the proper licenses to set up solar panels around Utah. The company uses only state-certified staff with long hours of training. This indicates that only workers who have been evaluated for competence in the electrical business are hired from a specified pool. Therefore, customers may be sure that by associating with the company, they get the best in the market. The company also ensures 100% customer satisfaction. Talking about the benefits of shifting to solar, the IONIX Smart Solutions' spokesperson said: "Installing a solar system at your home allows you to immediately save money on electricity expenditures. Solar expenses are lower than the typical electricity rates. Since power rates have traditionally gone up nearly every year for over four decades and different utility companies have zero rate guarantees for the future, solar ensures lower and consistent electricity costs in the next years. In addition, owning a solar system is a great asset for homeowners who want to sell their homes. They have proved that they boost the value of a house and minimize the market time when being resold. Going solar is, therefore, an intelligent investment." Ionix is also proud to provide smart home solutions in Utah, including door sensors and wireless cameras. Their systems link effortlessly with your mobile device so that you can monitor and operate your property wherever you are. They have various resources and videos that assist you in making a choice when you are still on the fence about getting solar. Online estimates can also be provided free of charge and show you how much you can save in the long term once solar panels are placed on your roof. The spokesperson further added, "With power cost rising and plenty of sunshine, solar paneling is a no-brainer for Utah residents. Solar panel systems can reduce or reduce energy expenses and raise the value of a home. Not to mention that with solar panels installed in their homes, they will contribute to the environment and combat climate change. We installed thousands of solar panels at IONIX Smart Solutions and assisted many of Utah's households to save electricity money. At a fair price, we offer our customers the greatest solar panel systems and services. That is why many residents of Utah rely on us to set up our solar systems." If you want to get the same benefits and much more, Ionix Smart Solutions can offer whatever you need to do with solar panels in Utah. They can do anything for you at very affordable prices, from the provision of simple solar panels for the DIY project to the installation of a comprehensive security system that only runs on solar energy. Installation of solar panels for household and commercial buildings is also something the company is specialized in. They have panels of various sizes and wattages. They also have a range of portable solar panel systems for RVs and off-grid houses. About IONIX Smart Solutions If you're looking for the leading solar power company in Utah, look no further. IONIX Smart Solutions provides you with a variety of services, from solar provision to installation. The company also has an experienced team that is mainly concerned with customer satisfaction. The services in the company are also offered at considerable prices. Contact Details IONIX Smart Solutions Address: 558 E Riverside Dr. Suite 106B, St. George, UT 84790 Phone: (435) 272-2410 Website: https://ionixsmart.com/ London, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/18/2021 -- The Intelligence Market Report recently released a new report titled Live Commerce Platform Market Size Report, 2021-2027 growth, and forecast, data categorized by company, key region, type, and application. The report provides an overview of the market, briefly describing the market situation and major market segments. It also mentions the most representative participants in the Live Commerce Platform Market. Download PDF Sample Copy: https://www.intelligencemarketreport.com/report-sample/13851 The report is prepared using primary and secondary research methods, which can accurately and accurately understand the Live Commerce Platform Market. Analyze the major market participants in the market, as well as their business profiles, expansion plans, and strategies. The main participants studied in the report include: market segmentation of Live Commerce Platform Market Taobao Jingdong Suning Pinduoduo Douyin Kuaishou Xiaohongshu Bilibili Weibo WeChat For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.intelligencemarketreport.com/send-an-enquiry/13851 By type E-commerce Self-built Platform Content Community Platform Traditional Social Platform By Application Clothing & Bags Beauty products Food Electrical Device in the following In chapter, the research report reveals the development of the Live Commerce Platform Market segment. Analysts segmented the market based on product, application, end-user, and geographic location. Geographical parts covered in the report: - North America (the United States and Canada) - Europe (UK, Germany, France, and the rest of Europe) - Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region) - Latin America (Brazil, Mexico) And other regions in Latin America) - Middle East and Africa (CCG and other regions in the Middle East and Africa) Procurement consulting: Get Discount on the Report: https://www.intelligencemarketreport.com/check-discount/13851 WikiLeaks released almost a million documents from Russia which allowed Russian citizens to stand up for their rights. It revealed the Australian government had colluded with the U.S. against its own citizen, Assange. by John Pilger I sat in Court 4 in the Royal Courts of Justice in London on August 11 with Stella Moris, Julian Assanges partner. I have known Stella for as long as I have known Julian. She, too, is a voice of freedom, coming from a family that fought the fascism of Apartheid. On August 12, her name was uttered in court by a barrister and a judge, forgettable people were it not for the power of their endowed privilege. The barrister, Clair Dobbin, is in the pay of the regime in Washington, first Trumps then Bidens. She is Americas hired gun, or silk, as she would prefer. Her target is Julian Assange, who has committed no crime and has performed an historic public service by exposing the criminal actions and secrets on which governments, especially those claiming to be democracies, base their authority. For those who may have forgotten, WikiLeaks, of which Assange is founder and publisher, exposed the secrets and lies that led to the invasion of Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the murderous role of the Pentagon in dozens of countries, the blueprint for the 20-year catastrophe in Afghanistan, the attempts by Washington to overthrow elected governments, such as Venezuelas, the collusion between nominal political opponents (Bush and Obama) to stifle a torture investigation and the CIAs Vault 7 campaign that turned your mobile phone, even your TV set, into a spy in your midst. WikiLeaks released almost a million documents from Russia which allowed Russian citizens to stand up for their rights. It revealed the Australian government had colluded with the U.S. against its own citizen, Assange. It named those Australian politicians who have informed for the U.S. It made the connection between the Clinton Foundation and the rise of jihadism in American-armed states in the Gulf. There is more: WikiLeaks disclosed the U.S. campaign to suppress wages in sweatshop countries like Haiti, Indias campaign of torture in Kashmir, the British governments secret agreement to shield U.S. interests in its official Iraq inquiry and the British Foreign Offices plan to create a fake marine protection zone in the Indian Ocean to cheat the Chagos islanders out of their right of return. In other words, WikiLeaks has given us real news about those who govern us and take us to war, not the preordained, repetitive spin that fills newspapers and television screens. This is real journalism; and for the crime of real journalism, Assange has spent most of the past decade in one form of incarceration or another, including Belmarsh prison, a horrific place. Diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, he is a gentle, intellectual visionary driven by his belief that a democracy is not a democracy unless it is transparent, and accountable. On August 11, the United States sought the approval of Britains High Court to extend the terms of its appeal against a decision by a district judge, Vanessa Baraitser, in January to bar Assanges extradition. Baraitser accepted the deeply disturbing evidence of a number of experts that Assange would be at great risk if he were incarcerated in the U.S.s infamous prison system. Professor Michael Kopelman, a world authority on neuropsychiatry, had said Assange would find a way to take his own lifethe direct result of what Professor Nils Melzer, the United Nations Rapporteur on Torture, described as the craven mobbing of Assange by governmentsand their media echoes. Those of us who were in the Old Bailey last September to hear Kopelmans evidence were shocked and moved. I sat with Julians father, John Shipton, whose head was in his hands. The court was also told about the discovery of a razor blade in Julians Belmarsh cell and that he had made desperate calls to the Samaritans and written notes and much else that filled us with more than sadness. Watching the lead barrister acting for Washington, James Lewisa man from a military background who deploys a cringingly theatrical aha! formula with defense witnessesreduce these facts to malingering and smearing witnesses, especially Kopelman, we were heartened by Kopelmans revealing response that Lewiss abuse was a bit rich as Lewis himself had sought to hire Kopelmans expertise in another case. Lewiss sidekick is Clair Dobbin, and August 11 was her day. Completing the smearing of Professor Kopelman was down to her. An American with some authority sat behind her in court. Dobbin said Kopelman had misled Judge Baraitser in September because he had not disclosed that Julian Assange and Stella Moris were partners, and their two young children, Gabriel and Max, were conceived during the period Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London. The implication was that this somehow lessened Kopelmans medical diagnosis: that Julian, locked up in solitary in Belmarsh prison and facing extradition to the U.S. on bogus espionage charges, had suffered severe psychotic depression and had planned, if he had not already attempted, to take his own life. For her part, Judge Baraitser saw no contradiction. The full nature of the relationship between Stella and Julian had been explained to her in March 2020, and Professor Kopelman had made full reference to it in his report in August 2020. So the judge and the court knew all about it before the main extradition hearing last September. In her judgment in January, Baraitser said this: [Professor Kopelman] assessed Mr. Assange during the period May to December 2019 and was best placed to consider at first-hand his symptoms. He has taken great care to provide an informed account of Mr. Assanges background and psychiatric history. He has given close attention to the prison medical notes and provided a detailed summary annexed to his December report. He is an experienced clinician and he was well aware of the possibility of exaggeration and malingering. I had no reason to doubt his clinical opinion. She added that she had not been misled by the exclusion in Kopelmans first report of the Stella-Julian relationship and that she understood that Kopelman was protecting the privacy of Stella and her two young children. In fact, as I know well, the familys safety was under constant threat to the point when an embassy security guard confessed he had been told to steal one of the babys nappies so that a CIA-contracted company could analyze its DNA. There has been a stream of unpublicized threats against Stella and her children. For the U.S. and its legal hirelings in London, damaging the credibility of a renowned expert by suggesting he withheld this information was a way, they no doubt reckoned, to rescue their crumbling case against Assange. In June, the Icelandic newspaper Stundin reported that a key prosecution witness against Assange has admitted fabricating his evidence. The one hacking charge the Americans hoped to bring against Assange if they could get their hands on him depended on this source and witness, Sigurdur Thordarson, an FBI informant. Thordarson had worked as a volunteer for WikiLeaks in Iceland between 2010 and 2011. In 2011, as several criminal charges were brought against him, he contacted the FBI and offered to become an informant in return for immunity from all prosecution. It emerged that he was a convicted fraudster who embezzled $55,000 from WikiLeaks, and served two years in prison. In 2015, he was sentenced to three years for sex offenses against teenage boys. The Washington Post described Thordarsons credibility as the core of the case against Assange. On August 11, Lord Chief Justice Holroyde made no mention of this witness. His concern was that it was arguable that Judge Baraitser had attached too much weight to the evidence of Professor Kopelman, a man revered in his field. He said it was very unusual for an appeal court to have to reconsider evidence from an expert accepted by a lower court, but he agreed with Ms. Dobbin it was misleading even though he accepted Kopelmans understandable human response to protect the privacy of Stella and the children. If you can unravel the arcane logic of this, you have a better grasp than I who have sat through this case from the beginning. It is clear Kopelman misled nobody. Judge Baraitserwhose hostility to Assange personally was a presence in her courtsaid that she was not misled; it was not an issue; it did not matter. So why had Lord Chief Justice Holroyde spun the language with its weasel legalese and sent Julian back to his cell and its nightmares? There, he now waits for the High Courts final decision in Octoberfor Julian Assange, a life or death decision. And why did Holroyde send Stella from the court trembling with anguish? Why is this case unusual? Why did he throw the gang of prosecutor-thugs at the Department of Justice in Washington -who got their big chance under Trump, having been rejected by Obamaa life raft as their rotting, corrupt case against a principled journalist sunk as surely as Titanic? This does not necessarily mean that in October the full bench of the High Court will order Julian to be extradited. In the upper reaches of the masonry that is the British judiciary there are, I understand, still those who believe in real law and real justice from which the term British justice takes its sanctified reputation in the land of the Magna Carta. It now rests on their ermined shoulders whether that history lives on or dies. I sat with Stella in the courts colonnade while she drafted words to say to the crowd of media and well-wishers outside in the sunshine. Clip-clopping along came Clair Dobbin, spruced, ponytail swinging, bearing her carton of files: a figure of certainty: she who said Julian Assange was not so ill that he would consider suicide. How does she know? Has Ms. Dobbin worked her way through the medieval maze at Belmarsh to sit with Julian in his yellow arm band, as Professors Koppelman and Melzer have done, and Stella has done, and I have done? Never mind. The Americans have now promised not to put him in a hellhole, just as they promised not to torture Chelsea Manning, just as they promised. And has she read the WikiLeaks leak of a Pentagon document dated March 15, 2009? This foretold the current war on journalism. U.S. intelligence, it said, intended to destroy WikiLeaks and Julian Assanges center of gravity with threats and criminal prosecution. Read all 32 pages and you are left in no doubt that silencing and criminalizing independent journalism was the aim, smear the method. I tried to catch Ms. Dobbins gaze, but she was on her way: job done. Outside, Stella struggled to contain her emotion. This is one brave woman, as indeed her man is an exemplar of courage. What has not been discussed today, said Stella, is why I feared for my safety and the safety of our children and for Julians life. The constant threats and intimidation we endured for years, which has been terrorizing us and has been terrorizing Julian for 10 years. We have a right to live, we have a right to exist and we have a right for this nightmare to come to an end once and for all. This article was produced by Globetrotter. John Pilger is an award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and author. Read his full biography on his website here, and follow him on Twitter: @JohnPilger. Countries of the region and the west would probably need to prepare for revenge attacks of some form as well - retaliations for the real and perceived ills that the Afghans have had to suffer in the last two decades. by Dr. Nandini Venkataraman While the spectacular fashion with which Afghanistan has descended into chaos in a few short months has shocked many, it has also raised valid questions of what exactly the Afghan war has achieved for the US and the world at the end of the day. In the wake of the World Trade Center twin tower attacks on September 11, 2001, a cowardly act that took 3000 unsuspecting American civilian lives, there was a widespread sense of shock, fear, anger, and grief. Barely a week after the attack, the US Congress authorized forces to go after the perpetrators of the crime. This effectively started what has turned out to be a 20-year long war, whose stated purpose was to bring the perpetrators to justice and topple the then-Taliban regime, which was seen as providing safe-haven for terrorists and non-state actors. The Taliban regime was toppled and an Afghan Government was set up swiftly by the end of 2001. Osama Bin Laden, the alleged key mastermind of the 9/11 attack, was hunted down and killed ten years later in 2011 in neighboring Pakistan. After accomplishing this, the US troops have lingered on for another 10 years. It is estimated that over $2 trillion in American taxpayer money has been spent and over 240,000 lives have been lost in the war. Despite this colossal cost, the events of the past several days suggest that democracy in Afghanistan may be back to square one, exactly where it was when the first US troops rolled in 20 years ago. One wonders if the Americans and their allies ever had a viable exit plan chalked out over the past 20 years. Clearly, the US has failed to equip and train the local Afghan military and police forces sufficiently in preparation for their eventual exit and the inevitable aggression from Taliban. Twenty years has proved insufficient to weaken the Taliban in any way. Twenty years has not been enough to build a strong Afghan leadership that can withstand and navigate a violent assault to democracy. The ultimate result is that Afghanistan has descended into a failed state once again, exactly what it was 20 years ago. A political crisis has emerged once again. A humanitarian crisis will likely emerge soon, this time in a world that is already stretched by the protracted Covid pandemic and with countries generally being wary of opening their borders. There is also going to be significant geopolitical threat to other countries in the region such as India and Pakistan, and Taliban-led Afghanistan could potentially become a free-for-all breeding ground for Jihadists and terrorists of all hues. It is widely feared that the basic freedoms and quality of life for women will slide backwards once again, brutally cutting short the progress of yet another generation of Afghan women. Countries of the region and the west would probably need to prepare for revenge attacks of some form as well - retaliations for the real and perceived ills that the Afghans have had to suffer in the last two decades. China is arguably a much stronger and aggressive world power today than it was two decades ago. Whether it will seek to fill the leadership vacuum in Afghanistan and how that will alter the dynamics in the rest of the world will need to be seen. Many say that the right course of action would have been for the US to continue to stay on, since there was no palpable pressure to exit at this point. The question is that if the US had chosen to stay on, how long would have been enough? What would a less abrupt exit plan look like and could that have prevented the Taliban from taking over the country eventually? There is likely no simple answer. US and NATO, perhaps, find themselves in the same predicament as one who holds a tiger by its tail, wanting to get away, but not knowing how to let go. Damned if they exit, damned if they dont. The BJP has a firm, incontestable record of refusal of parliamentary debate. by AG Noorani The government must have its way and the opposition must have its say. Failure to understand this fundamental truth which lies at the heart of the process of parliamentary democracy is responsible for its overthrow and replacement by an autocratic regime. This truth was well stated by the great authority Ivor Jennings in his classic Cabinet Government. The function of parliament is not to govern but to criticise. Its criticism, too, is directed not so much towards a fundamental modification of the governments policy as towards the education of public opinion ... the government governs and the opposition criticises. Failure to understand this simple principle is one of the causes of the failure of so many of the progeny of mother of parliaments and of the suppression of parliamentary government by dictatorships. People change. In 1974, the BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee strongly disapproved of members of the Lok Sabha entering the well of the speaker and sitting in a dharna. There was provocation, though. On Sept 9, 1974, the union home minister, Mr Uma Shankar Dixit, had solemnly promised the Lok Sabha that he would report to it after the investigation is over. A couple of hours before parliaments winter session began on Nov 11, a charge-sheet was filed in court so that the government could argue in the house that since the licence scandal was now sub judice, parliament could not discuss it. (The sub judice rule has been invoked repeatedly and deserves a closer look.) The BJP has a firm, incontestable record of refusal of parliamentary debate. Interestingly, during the interval, the home portfolio was transferred from Mr Dixit to Mr Brahmananda Reddy in order to save the former from embarrassment. In the case in point, the government proposed, at a fairly early stage, inspection of the relevant files by party leaders, debate in the two Houses, and a decision on the mode of inquiry thereafter. Since the offer was made by Mr V.C. Shukla, minister for parliamentary affairs, the oppositions wariness was understandable. Not so its total rejection, least of all its demand of a prior commitment to the establishment of a joint parliamentary committee or, for that matter, any committee of parliament. At issue now is the Pegasus Project and the likelihood of an MoU between India and the Israeli cybersecurity company the NSO Group. Faced with the governments dogged refusal to reveal the facts to parliament and the nation, Indias leading journalists like N. Ram of The Hindu Group, a hugely respected figure, moved the supreme court. The government took advantage of its own wrong and began to invoke the sub judice rule. Parliament may now dismiss a matter which is before a court of law. As in 1974 in the Tul Mohan Ram case, it would be open to the government to get filed a civil case before a district court to prevent debate in parliament. The government refusal to debate the matter far precedes the filing of the case. The Pegasus Project comprising an international consortium of media groups, reported that phones of a number of individuals, many of them in India, including politicians, journalists, court officials, etc were infected with a spyware that the NSO sells only to governments. As reported in the Indian media, Binoy Viswam, a communist member of the Rajya Sabha, put some questions to the foreign affairs ministry. [T]he number of MoUs the government has entered into with foreign companies, the details sector-wise; (b) whether any of these MoUs with foreign companies has been in order to curb terror activities through cybersecurity, the details of the same; and (c) whether the government has entered into an MoU with NSO Group in order to curb terror activities through cybersecurity across the nation; if so, provide details thereof. He was told the matter was in the supreme court, and his questions were not admitted. The BJP has a firm, incontes-table record of refusal of parliamentary debate. Sample these instances: As recalled by Manoj CG, the deputy associate editor of The Indian Express, when the Iraq oil-for-food scandal broke out, the BJPs offensive, spearheaded by Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, resulted in the disruption of parliament in 2005 and a string of resignations by ministers. The Congress was in power at the time. He also quoted Mr Jaitleys reported remarks in 2011, Parliaments job is to conduct discussions. But many a time, parliament is used to ignore issues and in such situations, obstruction of parliament is in the favour of democracy. Therefore, parliamentary obstruction is not undemocratic. Similarly, in August 2012, Mr Jaitely said in an interview: We are not interested in a debate. What is there to debate? We have had bad experiences in these discussions in the past with the 2G scam. Such an approach undermines democracy itself. For parliament is the general inquest of the nation. The writer is an author and a lawyer based in Mumbai. The real reason why the Taliban has retaken Afghanistan so quickly, which Western liberal media avoids mentioning by Slavoj Zizek The Talibans 80,000 troops have retaken Afghanistan with cities falling like dominos while the 300,000-strong government forces, better equipped and trained, mostly melted and surrendered with no will to fight. Why did it happen? A US soldier point his gun towards an Afghan passenger at the Kabul airport on August 16, 2021 Wakil KOHSAR / AFP The Western media tell us there can be several explanations for that. The first one is blatantly racist: the Afghan people there are simply not mature enough for democracy, they long for religious fundamentalism a ridiculous claim if there ever was one. Half a century ago, Afghanistan was a (moderately) enlightened country with a strong Communist Party known as the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan, which even managed to take power for some years. Afghanistan became religiously fundamentalist only later, as a reaction to the Soviet occupation which aimed to prevent the collapse of communist power. Another explanation the media gives us is terror, as the Taliban ruthlessly executes those who oppose its politics. A further one is faith: the Taliban simply believe their acts fulfill the task imposed on them by God and their victory is guaranteed. So, they can afford to be patient because time is on their side. A more complex and realistic explanation as to why the Taliban managed to retake the country so promptly is chaos caused by the ongoing war and corruption. That could have caused a belief that even if the Taliban regime would bring oppression and impose Sharia Law, it would at least guarantee some safety and order. However, all these explanations seem to avoid a basic fact that is traumatic for the liberal Western view. That is the Talibans disregard for survival and the readiness of its fighters to assume martyrdom, to die not just in a battle but even in suicidal acts. The explanation that Taliban as fundamentalists really believe that they will enter paradise if they die as martyrs is not enough as it fails to capture the difference between belief in the sense of intellectual insight (I know I will go to heaven, its a fact) and belief as an engaged subjective position. In other words, it fails to take into account the material power of an ideology in this case, the power of faith which is not simply grounded in the strength of our conviction but in how we are existentially committed to our belief: we are not subjects choosing this or that belief, but we are our belief in the sense of this belief impregnating our life. It was due to this feature that French philosopher Michel Foucault was so fascinated by the 1978 Islamic Revolution that he twice visited Iran. What fascinated him there was not just the stance of accepting martyrdom and indifference with regard to losing ones own life; he was engaged in a very specific telling of the history of truth, emphasizing a partisan and agonistic form of truth-telling, and transformation through struggle and ordeal, as opposed to the pacifying, neutralizing, and normalizing forms of modern Western power. Crucial for understanding this point is the conception of truth at work in historico-political discourse, a conception of truth as partial, as reserved for partisans. Or, as Foucault himself put it: If this subject who speaks of right (or rather, rights) is speaking the truth, that truth is no longer the universal truth of the philosopher. It is true that this discourse about the general war, this discourse that tries to interpret the war beneath peace, is indeed an attempt to describe the battle as a whole and to reconstruct the general course of the war. But that does not make it a totalizing or neutral discourse; it is always a perspectival discourse. It is interested in the totality only to the extent that it can see it in one-sided terms, distort it and see it from its own point of view. The truth is, in other words, a truth that can be deployed only from its combat position, from the perspective of the sought for victory and ultimately, so to speak, of the survival of the speaking subject himself. Can such an engaged discourse be dismissed as a sign of premodern primitive society which didnt yet enter modern individualism? And is its revival today to be dismissed as a sign of fascist regression? To anyone minimally acquainted with Western Marxism, the answer is clear: Hungarian philosopher Georg Lukacs demonstrated how Marxism is universally true not in spite of its partiality but because it is partial, accessible only from a particular subjective position. We may agree or disagree with this view, but the fact is that what Foucault was looking for in far-away Iran the agonistic (war) form of truth-telling was already forcefully present in the Marxist view that being caught in the class struggle is not an obstacle to objective knowledge of history but its condition. The usual positivist notion of knowledge as an objective (non-partial) approach to reality which is not distorted by a particular subjective engagement what Foucault characterized as the pacifying, neutralizing, and normalizing forms of modern Western power is ideology at its purest the ideology of the end of ideology. On the one hand, we have non-ideological objective expert-knowledge. On the other hand, we have dispersed individuals, each of whom is focused on his/her idiosyncratic care of the self (the term Foucault used when he abandoned his Iranian experience), small things that bring pleasure to his/her life. From this standpoint of liberal individualism, and universal commitment, especially if it includes risk of life, is suspicious and irrational Here we encounter an interesting paradox: while it is doubtful that traditional Marxism can provide a convincing account of the success of Taliban, it provided a perfect European example of what Foucault was looking for in Iran (and of what fascinates us now in Afghanistan), an example which did not involve any religious fundamentalism but just a collective engagement for a better life. After the triumph of global capitalism, this spirit of collective engagement was repressed, and now this repressed stance seems to return in the guise of religious fundamentalism. Can we imagine a return of the repressed in its proper form of collective emancipatory engagement? Indeed. Not only can we imagine it, it is already knocking on our doors with great force. Lets just mention the global warming catastrophe it calls for large-scale collective actions which will demand their own forms of martyrdom, sacrificing many pleasures we have got used to. If we really want to change our entire way of life, the individualist care of the self which focuses on our use of pleasures will have to be superseded. Expert science alone will not do the job it will have to be a science rooted in the deepest collective engagement. THIS should be our answer to the Taliban. Slavoj Zizek is a cultural philosopher. Hes a senior researcher at the Institute for Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Ljubljana, Global Distinguished Professor of German at New York University, and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London. The mini Cabinet reshuffle exemplifies a local saying; it is like changing pillows as a cure for a headache. by Prabath Sahabandu There has been a mini Cabinet reshuffle. One is at a loss to understand the rationale, if any, behind it. People would have been happy if at least one half of the Cabinet had been sacked. What made President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reshuffle only a few members of his ministerial team? Pavithra Wanniarachchi, who held the health portfolio, has been appointed the Transport Minister. The Health Ministry drew heavy flak, on her watch, for its poor response to the pandemic. Wanniarchchi also blotted her copybook by promoting a shamans herbal concoction, which was touted as a cure for Covid-19, and failing to take timely action to contain the pandemic. But the question is whether she was given the freedom to do what needed to be done to manage the health emergency. If she is blamed for the failings of the Health Ministry, shouldnt she be given a part of the credit for the countrys successful vaccination drive? Will the ills of the Health Ministry go away with her exit? What made the government think Keheliya Rambukwella, as the new Health Minister, would succeed where Wanniarchchi did not? Did he succeed as the Media Minister? Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa has got another ministerial portfolioDevelopment Coordination and Supervision, whatever that means. Why has he been entrusted with an additional responsibility? Has he performed exceptionally well in his present capacity? What has been his outstanding contribution to sports? Prof. G. L. Peiris, who held the education portfolio, has been appointed the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dinesh Gunawardena, who was the Foreign Minister, is now the Minister of Education. The Education Ministry has had to solve a teachers salary issue that has remained unsolved for decades. Not even Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has been able to sort it out in spite of having had talks with teachers trade unions. An attempt to rectify teachers salary anomalies will open a Pandoras box with those in other services taking to the streets. So, how is Dinesh going to solve this seemingly intractable problem, and reopen schools and universities? Prof. Peiris served as the External Affairs Minister under the previous Rajapaksa government. But the challenges that the incumbent government faces on the diplomatic front are too difficult for him to overcome. The Western bloc is all out to have a war crimes tribunal set up here, and will do everything in its power to tame or even destabilise the government, which is considered pro-Chinese. Gamini Lokuge, who was the Minister of Transport, has been made the Minister of Power. We thought he would be appointed the Health Minister because he seems to know better than doctors; a few months ago, he had a lockdown in Piliyandala lifted, claiming that the spread of the pandemic could be curbed without the area being closed. His knowledge of public health being superior to that of doctors, doesnt he deserve the Health portfolio? As for electricity, Lokuge may know a power cable from a telephone line but that does not qualify him to be the minister in charge of the power sector, which is a highly specialised field. This does not mean the Minister of Power should necessarily be an engineer, but he or she should be knowledgeable enough to understand what is going on in this vital sector, and what needs to be done to improve it. The Ministry of Power was functioning reasonably well, on Dullas Alahapperumas watch, compared to most other ministries. Why was Dullas removed from there and made the Media Minister? Are the Rajapaksas undermining senior politicians from Matara so that a member of their clan in Parliament, representing the same district, could emerge stronger there? Dullas, a former journalist, is sure to gel well with journalists. But the governments hostility towards the independent media may have a corrosive effect on his relations with the media personnel. Moreover, the task of controlling the state media institutions, which are political minefields, is as dangerous as shaving with a cut-throat razor in darkness. Dullas had better find a gorget to protect his throat. The mini Cabinet reshuffle exemplifies a local saying; it is like changing pillows as a cure for a headache. Prabath Sahabandu, Editor in Chief of The Island, a Colombo based daily, where this piece first appeared. Using the same deceitful tactics they pioneered in Vietnam, U.S. political and military officials repeatedly misled the country about the prospects for success in Afghanistan. by Glenn Greenwald The Taliban regime is coming to an end, announced President George W. Bush at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on December 12, 2001 almost twenty years ago today. Five months later, Bush vowed: In the United States of America, the terrorists have chosen a foe unlike they have faced before. . . . We will stay until the mission is done. Four years after that, in August of 2006, Bush announced: Al Qaeda and the Taliban lost a coveted base in Afghanistan and they know they will never reclaim it when democracy succeeds. . . . The days of the Taliban are over. The future of Afghanistan belongs to the people of Afghanistan. For two decades, the message Americans heard from their political and military leaders about the countrys longest war was the same. America is winning. The Taliban is on the verge of permanent obliteration. The U.S. is fortifying the Afghan security forces, which are close to being able to stand on their own and defend the government and the country. Just five weeks ago, on July 8, President Biden stood in the East Room of the White House and insisted that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was not inevitable because, while their willingness to do so might be in doubt, the Afghan government and leadership . . . clearly have the capacity to sustain the government in place. Biden then vehemently denied the accuracy of a reporters assertion that your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse. Biden snapped: That is not true. They did not they didnt did not reach that conclusion. Biden continued his assurances by insisting that the likelihood theres going to be one unified government in Afghanistan controlling the whole country is highly unlikely. He went further: the likelihood that theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. And then, in an exchange that will likely assume historic importance in terms of its sheer falsity from a presidential podium, Biden issued this decree: Q. Mr. President, some Vietnamese veterans see echoes of their experience in this withdrawal in Afghanistan. Do you see any parallels between this withdrawal and what happened in Vietnam, with some people feeling THE PRESIDENT: None whatsoever. Zero. What you had is you had entire brigades breaking through the gates of our embassy six, if Im not mistaken. The Taliban is not the south the North Vietnamese army. Theyre not theyre not remotely comparable in terms of capability. Theres going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy in the of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable. When asked about the Taliban being stronger than ever after twenty years of U.S. warfare there, Biden claimed: Relative to the training and capacity of the [Afghan National Security Forces} and the training of the federal police, theyre not even close in terms of their capacity. On July 21 just three weeks ago Gen. Mark Milley, Bidens Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, conceded that theres a possibility of a complete Taliban takeover, or the possibility of any number of other scenario, yet insisted: the Afghan Security Forces have the capacity to sufficiently fight and defend their country. Similar assurances have been given by the U.S. Government and military leadership to the American people since the start of the war. Are we losing this war?, Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, asked rhetorically in a news briefing from Afghanistan in 2008, answering it this way: Absolutely no way. Can the enemy win it? Absolutely no way. On September 4, 2013, then-Lt. Gen. Milley now Bidens Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff complained that the media was not giving enough credit to the progress they had made in building up the Afghan national security forces: This army and this police force have been very, very effective in combat against the insurgents every single day, Gen. Milley insisted. None of this was true. It was always a lie, designed first to justify the U.Ss endless occupation of that country and, then, once the U.S. was poised to withdraw, to concoct a pleasing fairy tale about why the prior twenty years were not, at best, an utter waste. That these claims were false cannot be reasonably disputed as the world watches the Taliban take over all of Afghanistan as if the vaunted Afghan national security forces were china dolls using paper weapons. But how do we know that these statements made over the course of two decades were actual lies rather than just wildly wrong claims delivered with sincerity? To begin with, we have seen these tactics from U.S. officials lying to the American public about wars to justify both their initiation and continuation over and over. The Vietnam War, like the Iraq War, was begun with a complete fabrication disseminated by the intelligence community and endorsed by corporate media outlets: that the North Vietnamese had launched an unprovoked attack on U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. In 2011, President Obama, who ultimately ignored a Congressional vote against authorization of his involvement in the war in Libya to topple Muammar Qaddafi, justified the NATO war by denying that regime change was the goal: our military mission is narrowly focused on saving lives . . . broadening our military mission to include regime change would be a mistake. Even as Obama issued those false assurances, The New York Times reported that the American military has been carrying out an expansive and increasingly potent air campaign to compel the Libyan Army to turn against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Just as they did for the war in Afghanistan, U.S. political and military leaders lied for years to the American public about the prospects for winning in Vietnam. On June 13, 1971, The New York Times published reports about thousands of pages of top secret documents from military planners that came to be known as The Pentagon Papers. Provided by former RAND official Daniel Ellsberg, who said he could not in good conscience allow official lies about the Vietnam War to continue, the documents revealed that U.S. officials in secret were far more pessimistic about the prospects for defeating the North Vietnamese than their boastful public statements suggested. In 2021, The New York Times recalled some of the lies that were demonstrated by that archive on the 50th Anniversary of its publication: Brandishing a captured Chinese machine gun, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara appeared at a televised news conference in the spring of 1965. The United States had just sent its first combat troops to South Vietnam, and the new push, he boasted, was further wearing down the beleaguered Vietcong. In the past four and one-half years, the Vietcong, the Communists, have lost 89,000 men, he said. You can see the heavy drain. That was a lie. From confidential reports, McNamara knew the situation was bad and deteriorating in the South. The VC have the initiative, the information said. Defeatism is gaining among the rural population, somewhat in the cities, and even among the soldiers. Lies like McNamaras were the rule, not the exception, throughout Americas involvement in Vietnam. The lies were repeated to the public, to Congress, in closed-door hearings, in speeches and to the press. The real story might have remained unknown if, in 1967, McNamara had not commissioned a secret history based on classified documents which came to be known as the Pentagon Papers. By then, he knew that even with nearly 500,000 U.S. troops in theater, the war was at a stalemate. The pattern of lying was virtually identical throughout several administrations when it came to Afghanistan. In 2019, The Washington Post obviously with a nod to the Pentagon Papers published a report about secret documents it dubbed The Afghanistan Papers: A secret history of the war. Under the headline AT WAR WITH THE TRUTH, The Post summarized its findings: U.S. officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it, an exclusive Post investigation found. They explained: Year after year, U.S. generals have said in public they are making steady progress on the central plank of their strategy: to train a robust Afghan army and national police force that can defend the country without foreign help. In the Lessons Learned interviews, however, U.S. military trainers described the Afghan security forces as incompetent, unmotivated and rife with deserters. They also accused Afghan commanders of pocketing salaries paid by U.S. taxpayers for tens of thousands of ghost soldiers. None expressed confidence that the Afghan army and police could ever fend off, much less defeat, the Taliban on their own. More than 60,000 members of Afghan security forces have been killed, a casualty rate that U.S. commanders have called unsustainable. As the Post explained, the documents contradict a long chorus of public statements from U.S. presidents, military commanders and diplomats who assured Americans year after year that they were making progress in Afghanistan and the war was worth fighting. Those documents dispel any doubt about whether these falsehoods were intentional: Several of those interviewed described explicit and sustained efforts by the U.S. government to deliberately mislead the public. They said it was common at military headquarters in Kabul and at the White House to distort statistics to make it appear the United States was winning the war when that was not the case. Every data point was altered to present the best picture possible, Bob Crowley, an Army colonel who served as a senior counterinsurgency adviser to U.S. military commanders in 2013 and 2014, told government interviewers. Surveys, for instance, were totally unreliable but reinforced that everything we were doing was right and we became a self-licking ice cream cone. John Sopko, the head of the federal agency that conducted the interviews, acknowledged to The Post that the documents show the American people have constantly been lied to. Last month, the independent journalist Michael Tracey, writing at Substack, interviewed a U.S. veteran of the war in Afghanistan. The former soldier, whose job was to work in training programs for the Afghan police and also participated in training briefings for the Afghan military, described in detail why the program to train Afghan security forces was such an obvious failure and even a farce. I dont think I could overstate that this was a system just basically designed for funneling money and wasting or losing equipment, he said. In sum, as far as the US military presence there I just viewed it as a big money funneling operation: an endless money pit for U.S. security contractors and Afghan warlords, all of whom knew that no real progress was being made, just sucking up as much U.S. taxpayer money as they could before the inevitable withdraw and takeover by the Taliban. In light of all this, it is simply inconceivable that Bidens false statements last month about the readiness of the Afghan military and police force were anything but intentional. That is particularly true given how heavily the U.S. had Afghanistan under every conceivable kind of electronic surveillance for more than a decade. A significant portion of the archive provided to me by Edward Snowden detailed the extensive surveillance the NSA had imposed on all of Afghanistan. In accordance with the guidelines he required, we never published most of those documents about U.S. surveillance in Afghanistan on the ground that it could endanger people without adding to the public interest, but some of the reporting gave a glimpse into just how comprehensively monitored the country was by U.S. security services. In 2014, I reported along with Laura Poitras and another journalist that the NSA had developed the capacity, under the codenamed SOMALGET, that empowered them to be secretly intercepting, recording, and archiving the audio of virtually every cell phone conversation in at least five countries. At any time, they could listen to the stored conversations of any calls conducted by cell phone throughout the entire country. Though we published the names of four countries in which the program had been implemented, we withheld, after extensive internal debate at The Intercept, the identity of the fifth Afghanistan because the NSA had convinced some editors that publishing it would enable the Taliban to know where the program was located and it could endanger the lives of the military and private-sector employees working on it (in general, at Snowdens request, we withheld publication of documents about NSA activities in active war zones unless they revealed illegality or other deceit). But WikiLeaks subsequently revealed, accurately, that the one country whose identity we withheld where this program was implemented was Afghanistan. There was virtually nothing that could happen in Afghanistan without the U.S. intelligence communitys knowledge. There is simply no way that they got everything so completely wrong while innocently and sincerely trying to tell Americans the truth about what was happening there. In sum, U.S. political and military leaders have been lying to the American public for two decades about the prospects for success in Afghanistan generally, and the strength and capacity of the Afghan security forces in particular up through five weeks ago when Biden angrily dismissed the notion that U.S. withdrawal would result in a quick and complete Taliban takeover. Numerous documents, largely ignored by the public, proved that U.S. officials knew what they were saying was false just as happened so many times in prior wars and even deliberately doctored information to enable their lies. Any residual doubt about the falsity of those two decades of optimistic claims has been obliterated by the easy and lightning-fast blitzkrieg whereby the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan as if the vaunted Afghan military did not even exist, as if it were August, 2001 all over again. It is vital not just to take note of how easily and frequently U.S. leaders lie to the public about its wars once those lies are revealed at the end of those wars, but also to remember this vital lesson the next time U.S. leaders propose a new war using the same tactics of manipulation, lies, and deceit. Glenn Edward Greenwald is an American journalist, author, and lawyer. Are Bezos and Musk Launching Us Into a New Space Age? We are entering a new space age in which billionaires can leave this world, which they are destroying, hoping to find another world to conquer and destroy. by Prabir Purkayastha The space race was once between two countriesthe Soviet Union and the United States. It is now (at least on the surface) between three billionairesElon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. Two of themBranson, founder of Virgin Galactic, and Bezos, founder of Blue Originrecently rode their respective companies suborbital flights (meaning that they cannot be considered proper spaceflights, as they did not reach a stable orbit around the Earth). Bransons space ambitions seem to be limited to developing a market for the exotica of space tourism. Elon Musk and his company SpaceX have been playing for the long haul, with a series of rockets and launches already to the companys credit, including to the International Space Station. Bezos and Blue Origin also fall into the latter camp. Behind this apparent show of rich kids playing with their expensive space toys, there are bigger forces at playnamely, that big capital is entering spaceflight, hitherto the exclusive domain of nation-states. While it appears that three men with deep pockets are funding their respective space ventures, the reality is that it is the U.S. taxpayers who are funding these space efforts. In this new space age, the U.S. is also proposing to ride roughshod over the space agreements that space is a global commons. The U.S. would like to convert space into its final frontier, under the premise that space belongs to any country that can mine its riches. Many people take for granted that the U.S. was the winner of the space race against the Soviet Union, since they beat the Soviets to the moon. But what is overlooked in this narrative is that the space competition is not simply about who sent the first man to the moon, but also about who built the better rockets. Strangely enough, it was the fall of the Soviet Union that brought forth information that Soviet technology produced rocket engines that had consistently outperformed the American ones. Today, the Russian-produced rocket enginesRD-180 and RD-181still power U.S. rockets. The Atlas rocket line, which is the mainstay of U.S. heavy-lift launch vehicles, uses RD-180 engines. Atlas is owned by United Launch Alliance (ULA), which is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. When Orbital Sciences (now a part of Northrop Grumman) was looking for launch vehicles for its Antares program, they used Soviet-era 40-year-old, mothballed NK-33 rocket engines. After one of them blew up due to cracks in the aging engines, Antares switched their rocket enginesto yet another engine designed and produced by Russians, the RD-181. In 1992, just as Russian rocket engines were becoming the mainstay of the U.S. space program, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Russias Glavkosmos. Glavkosmos was Russias space marketing arm for selling cryogenic rocket engines and technology. These sanctions were only withdrawn after ISRO developed its own cryogenic engine technology. Russias contribution to Indias rocket program was the seven cryogenic engines that it sold to ISRO, a part of the N1 upper stage of the Soviet Unions moon mission. Why did the Soviet-era rockets perform better than the U.S. rockets? It is because the Soviets had mastered what is called the closed-cycle rocket engines well before the Americans. For any rocket capable of spaceflight, it needs both fuele.g., kerosene, hydrogen, or methaneand a burning medium, such as oxygen. Meanwhile, in an open-cycle engineSaturn V of the Apollo program was an open-cycle designa part of the fuel does not reach the main combustion chamber. It is used to power a turbo-compressor pumping fuel and oxygen and exits directly into the atmosphere. This results in a loss of efficiency for the engine, which then has to be compensated by carrying more fuel. In a closed-cycle engine, or what is called staged combustion, the products of the first-stage combustion powering the turbo-compressor are fed to the main combustion chamber, avoiding any loss of fuel. The Soviet engineers had solved the problem of materials that had to withstand the extremely harsh conditions of injecting the products of oxygen-rich combustion into the main combustion chamber. The U.S. engineers thought that this was simply not possible and were shocked when, while visiting Russia in the 90s, they were shown the mothballed engines of the ill-fated N1 project, the Soviet attempt at the moon shot. These were the engines that Orbital Sciences tried to use for their Antares program, christening them as AJ-26, before they switched to the more advanced Russian RD-181 engines. Following the Ukraine crisis of 2014, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on many Russian companies. However, it still uses rocket engines sourced from Russia for its space program, both civilian and military. After the U.S. space shuttle program was shut down in 2011, taking U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station and bringing them back was left to Russian Soyuz rockets. It was only after SpaceX developed its space shuttle that the U.S. again had a spacecraft for carrying its astronauts to the International Space Station. The U.S. Congress has decreed that U.S. companies will have to phase out the Russian engines from their military launches by the end of 2022. This is where Bezos and Musk come in, as both are vying for the future launches that the U.S. military and NASA are planning. Though it appears as if Musk and Bezos are developing the rockets using their own money, it is still NASA that is footing the bill. NASA pays upfront development costs and, later, price per launch. If the rocket engines are the key to any serious space program, where does the U.S. stand in this new space age? ULA has had to switch to the U.S.-made engine as per the new NASA requirement. It has chosen the BE-4 rocket engine from Bezos Blue Origin, though ULA is reportedly unhappy with delays by Blue Origin and the lack of attention and priority the company is putting on the engine. The other rocket engines in the fray are from Musks SpaceX. Orbital Sciences still appears to be tied to Russian engines for its cargo services to the space station. So the U.S. rocket engines seem to be restricted to BE-4 from Blue Origin and SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket/Raptor engines. The American space race is essentially a two-horse race between the two super-rich billionaires. How do Bezos and Musk fund their space ventures? The public believes it is with money that the visionary billionaires have made as a result of their acumen for entrepreneurshipthey represent a version of Ayn Rands heroes from her novels. The brutal truth is that Bezos as a capitalist has squeezed his workers, increasing their workload so much that they are unable to even take bathroom breaks. Amazon pays its workers wages that are close to the poverty line for a family of four and need to be supplemented by social welfare. The company has destroyed the small retail sector, and it competes with its own suppliers with Amazon-branded products and is crushing them with competitive pricing. Musk claims to be the other visionary by developing Tesla, the electric car of the future. While the existing automakers were slow to develop electric cars, Tesla has an edge of being the early mover and cashing in on the environmental regulations in various countries that demanded that automakers earn carbon credits by selling a certain percentage of their output as electric cars. For example, in the first quarter of 2021, almost all of Teslas profits came from carbon credits it sells to other automakers. Since Tesla makes only electric cars, it has surplus carbon credits that it sells for a profit to other automakers. The crucial component of electric cars is the batteries, which Tesla outsources to others. One of the key battery suppliers to Tesla is Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), which is the largest lithium battery manufacturer in the world. Its owner, Zeng Yuqun, has a net worth more than that of Jack Ma of Alibaba. What Musk has is a huge social media presence, which he has leveraged in hyping up his auto, and now space, ventures. The other disturbing aspect of the new space age ushered in by the space billionaires is the U.S. policy of grabbing space for its private companies. This violates the Outer Space Treaty. The U.S. position is that whether or not outer space is a global commons, its commercial exploitation is open to all. This is a position the U.S. had on seabed mining in international waters as well. Such a policy privileges the powerful and technologically advanced states and is another way of blocking the essence of the global commons. Behind this hype of a new space age is the reality of a new space grab. This is what Bezos and Musk represent: a new space age in which the billionaires can leave this world they are destroying in the hope of discovering new lands to conquer and again destroy. This article was produced in partnership by Newsclick and Globetrotter. Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the free software movement. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc0119245c8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc0119c2738)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc0119245c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc0119c2738)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc0117df068)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc0119c2738)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc0119c2738)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc010ffd2d0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fc011950460)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fc011950460)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc011ae0f40)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011c41b58)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc011ae0f40)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011c41b58)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc011adffd8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011c41b58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011c41b58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc010ffd4c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fc0113ef288)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fc0113ef288)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc01191cb58)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011971d58)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc01191cb58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011971d58)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7fc011956470)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011971d58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc011971d58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fc010ffe378)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fc011843238)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fc011843238)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 The most exclusive street in Spain in which to buy a home is on the island of Mallorca. It is Calle Sant, in the town of Calvia, where owners ask an average of 7,043,750 euros for one of their luxurious homes, according to a study by the Idealista real estate website. However, the second-place spot of the exclusive ranking covers an entire residential development located in Benahavis, near Marbella: the Coto Zagaleta. This exclusive area of the Costa del Sol just missed out on the top spot with an average price of 7,042,462 euros. Therefore, it surpasses Calle Mozart, in Marbella, which last year occupied the first place in the Malaga provincial ranking and now moves to second, with an average price of 5,932,489 euros that places it in third position at the national level. Next is the Cascada de Camojan development, also in Marbella, where owners ask an average of 5,444,000 euros for their exclusive homes. It is followed by two streets in Madrid: the Paseo de los Lagos in Pozuelo de Alarcon, better known as La Finca, with an average of 5,248,039 euros, and the Paseo del Conde de los Gaitanes, in La Moraleja residential development, with an average of 4,972,656 euros. The ranking is completed by Calle Canete, in Marbella, where the average is 4,883,602 euros, Calle del Camino Ancho, in La Moraleja (Madrid), where you will need to pay an average of 4,751,654 euros, the Sierra Blanca development, in Marbella, with an average of 4,625,158 euros and, finally, the Via Cornisa de Calvia with an average price of 4,608,732 euros. Methodology For the real estate ranking, Idealista has studied the absolute average price of all types of homes (flats, studios, penthouses, villas etc) advertised on the same street. To avoid distortions in the data, only those streets that had a minimum of ten listings have been taken into account. Therefore, the report only shows average street prices, which does not mean that they are the most expensive homes for sale in each market. Bathers can begin to breathe a sign of relief as the number of jellyfish on the Costa del Sol starts to dwindle. The presence of these invertebrates has started to subside on the coast after a 'complicated' week when lifeguards were forced to raise flags on the beaches warning of the danger. Being carried away by currents, the jellyfish continue on their route towards the Strait of Gibraltar, so that on the eastern strip of the coast only thinly scattered specimens are expected to be found while on the western coast the highest concentrations have already left behind the beaches of Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Mijas, while continuing through those of Marbella, Estepona and Manilva before entering the Cadiz coastal waters. The situation is calmer on the eastern and central coasts, but a bit more complicated still between Marbella and Manilva", explains the Aula del Mar biologist, Jesus Bellido. Although the 'pelagia noctiluca', which are the small reddish-pink specimens that predominate on the Malaga coast, and are the ones that cause the most stinging incidents, the most striking jellyfish in recent days have been the specimens of 'rhizostoma luteum', also known as aguamalas that can reach 90 centimetres in diameter. However, their sting is less severe and, being so large and slow, you can see them coming and avoid them. What to do in case of a sting 1. Do not scratch or rub the affected area, not even with a towel or sand. 2. Wash the affected area with sea water, never with fresh water. 3. Do not apply ammonia, vinegar or urine. 4 . Remove the remains of stinging barbs with a plastic card or something similar. If done by hand, it must be protected. 5. To relieve pain it is recommended to apply cold, for about 15 minutes, without rubbing. If using ice, it is advisable to cover it with a plastic bag or a cloth to avoid direct contact with the skin. 6. Disinfect the wound two or three times a day for 48 or 72 hours. If there is an open wound, protect it with antihistamine ointments until it heals to avoid infection. 7. Children, the elderly or those with any type of allergy may need special attention. 8. In case of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, muscle cramps or general malaise, go to the nearest hospital and inform them, if possible, the species of jellyfish. Not even the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic could prevent Spain, in 2020, from being crowned the world leader in organ donation for the twenty-ninth consecutive year. The countrys National Transplant Organisation (ONT), the successful organ donation model envied and copied by healthcare systems around the world, maintained a donation rate of 38 per million inhabitants despite the 'shock' from the Covid-19 crisis. The figure represents a decline of 22 per cent compared to the normality of 2019, but Ministry of Health officials still consider it a success given the generalised falls around the world. The setback in the donation rate explained was by the pressure on healthcare systems and intensive care units in the second quarter of 2020, that play a key role in the transplant operations. However, the Spanish organ donation rate remained the best in the world and double that of the EU. The second-placed European country was Estonia, some way behind, with 50 per cent fewer donations. The Spanish rate is double those of Canada or Australia and Spain contributes 20 per cent of the organ donations in the EU, despite only having 9 per cent of its population, and 5 per cent of world transplants, from a population that accounts for 0.6 per cent of the world total. The success is attributed to the generosity of the Spaniards and their families and in well-coordinated transplant system, which works with the precision of a Swiss watch and does not waste a single donated organ. In line with its commitment to develop the capabilities and support the localisation of Saudi Arabias military industries sector, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami), has signed a logistics services agreement with Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation. Under the terms of the agreement, Bahri will provide wide-ranging internal and external logistics services, including sea, air, and land transport, as well as freight services to the various business units and affiliated companies of Sami. The agreement was signed at the headquarters of Sami in Riyadh by Eng Walid Abukhaled, the CEO of Sami, and Eng. Abdullah Aldubaikhi, the CEO of Bahri. The contract includes the provision of complete door-to-door logistics and transportation services to facilitate the smooth execution of the projects and programs of Sami and its affiliates, besides supporting the localisation of defence logistics. Commenting on the agreement, Eng Abukhaled said: We are delighted as the national defence champion to enter into an agreement with Bahri, the national shipping carrier, to meet our growing logistics requirements. The agreement demonstrates the kingdoms dynamic efforts to develop its military industries and logistics sectors. The shared objectives of Sami and Bahri in relation to Vision 2030 will have a major impact on the synergies within the kingdoms defence ecosystem. Moreover, this achievement is consistent with PIFs efforts through Sami to build strategic partnerships. Aldubaikhi said: Bahri is proud to be contracted by Sami and pleased to support their defence industry localisation programmes. We are honoured that our contributions are aimed at ensuring Saudi Arabias security, especially in our role as the exclusive logistics provider for the kingdoms Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Interior as well as the Presidency of State Security and all its divisions. Furthermore, this agreement reaffirms our commitment to strengthening leading Saudi entities operating in the public and private sectors by providing them world-class logistics services, in line with the Vision 2030 objectives that aim to transform the kingdom into a global logistics hub and a thriving investment destination. Under the agreement, Samis five business divisions, as well as its affiliates, including the Advanced Electronics Company (AEC), Aircraft Accessories and Components Company (AACC), SamiNavantia, Sami L3Harris, and Sami CMI, will be the beneficiaries of Bahris logistics services. Though the agreement presently covers the Saudi market, the two companies are working to expand its scope to include the global defence and logistics sector in the future. -- TradeArabia News Service The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) has unveiled a new plan to support the local tourism industry by incentivising travel and tour operators to attract inbound tourism. The announcement was made during a virtual meeting between BTEA and a number of local destination management companies. BTEA Deputy CEO Fatima AlSairafi, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the importance of collaborating with the private sector in order to boost the tourism potential of Bahrain. The session included a presentation by BTEA detailing the programmes support, criteria and processes, BNA reported. Alsairafi said: The BTEA Inbound Travel Incentive Programme will surely help the tourism industry recover from the pandemic and is part of a broader effort to help reinvigorate tourism in Bahrain. She further highlighted that the travel and tourism sector plays a vital role in creating jobs in the Kingdom and driving significant economic activity, and that through this initiative local travel and tour establishments can be activated to support inbound tourist travel. Owner and Managing Director of Ibn Firnas Travel and Tourism Fatima Ahmed said: This new initiative launched by the BTEA comes at a critical time for the tourism industry after a halt of activity because of the pandemic. This will definitely help in boosting inbound tourism. Visit Bahrain CEO Ali Amralla added: The new BTEA incentive programme will surely support local tour operators in promoting Bahrain as an ideal destination and will create a positive impact to increase the number of tourists coming to the Kingdom and the length of their stay. 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. SHREVEPORT, La. - Geneva Moore turned 106 Sunday and she celebrated in several ways thanks to her community. Her sisters of a national sorority, Phi Delta Kappa, a sorority of female educators, helped make it happen. The sorority decorated cars and held a parade outside of Moore's home. Moore said the parade was the greatest surprise of her day. A proclamation from Shreveport's Mayor Adrian Perkins declared Sunday as Geneva Moore day. Moore also had part of her street dedicated in her honor. Moore also shared her secret to living a long life. "The main thing is serving the Lord," Moore said. "That's the main thing, and eating proper, not staying out late at night, not drinking, drinks and not eating fast foods. Try to eat a lot of vegetables." Moore is the oldest member of the Beta Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. The organization stated, "We consider it a true blessing to still have Ms. Moore with us; not only as an active chapter member but as a legend in education and our community." Local Groups Need Votes to Win $25,000 Grant By West Kentucky Star Staff WESTERN KENTUCKY, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - The Reidland Middle 21st Century Learners in Paducah and the Eurma C. Hayes Center, Inc in Carbondale have been selected as State Farm Neighborhood Assist Top 200 Finalists.Both organizations are seeking your votes to help them secure a $25,000 grant from State Farm.Reidland Middle 21st Century Learners would use the money to continue providing students with an extra 62 days worth of instruction and support. Historically, a state grant funded the program, but they lost that grant this year due to budget cuts.The Eurma C. Hayes Center will use the funding to assist in restoring the center, so it can continue providing community wellness, literacy, and youth programs, advocacy services, childcare, and a food bank.From August 18 until August 27, residents who are 18 and older with a valid email address can vote for their favorite cause at www.neighborhoodassist.com . Anyone voting is allowed up to ten votes per day.On September 29, the top 40 causes will be announced, and a $25,000 grant will be awarded to each of the nonprofits.On the Net: I-24 Reopens in Trigg County After Crash Clean-up By West Kentucky Star Staff TRIGG COUNTY - Interstate 24 traffic is now moving in both directions near the 62 mile marker in Trigg County.Work to repair the I-24 road surface and barrier wall are complete where it was damaged by Monday's semi crash and fire.Local roads and state highways were being used to get around the crash site until a semi hauling beer overturned on KY 139, causing even more traffic problems.Drivers were being diverted at Eddyville's exit 42 and at Christian County's exit 82 to avoid the multiple closures, with drivers using I-69 and the Pennyrile Parkway, which added at least 30 minutes of drive time.As of 2 pm, the blockages on both I-24 and KY 139 had been removed and traffic is moving again. McConnell Recognizes Calvert City on Senate Floor By West Kentucky Star Staff CALVERT CITY - Celebration of Calvert City's 150th anniversary continued Tuesday with a presentation of a Congressional Record to Mayor Gene Colburn.A resolution honoring Calvert City was read into the Congressional Record on June 23 by Senator Mitch McConnell.Local field representative Morgan Alvey visited Calvert City Tuesday to present the Congressional Record to Mayor Colburn, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the 1871 incorporation of Calvert City.The Congressional Record is the official record of the United States Congress and publishes any meetings, debates, and other official proceedings that take place on the House of Representatives and Senate floors. The gesture is a highlight to Calvert City's sesquicentennial year-long celebration."Calvert City's legacy is now recorded, not only in local history but also now on a national scale," said Colburn.You can learn more about the history of Calvert City by clicking here. Overturned Beer Truck Blocking KY 139 in Trigg By West Kentucky Star Staff TRIGG COUNTY - Trigg County Emergency Management reports that KY 139 is blocked by an overturned tractor-trailer near McCloud Road about a mile north of the KY 124 intersection.This is along the marked detour for I-24 which is still blocked at the 62 mile marker following a truck crash and fire yesterday.The overturned truck on KY 139 is loaded with beer that will have to be off-loaded before the truck can be removed.One lane is open at this time, however, the roadway will likely have to be closed for an extended period later in the day to remove the truck.The estimated duration is until about 2 p.m. Taliban Controls Afghanistan: The Latest By The Associated Press KABUL - The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the U.S. and its allies melted away.Here's a look at the latest developments:The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect women's rights, forgive those who resisted them and ensure a secure Afghanistan as part of a publicity blitz aimed at convincing world powers and a fearful population that they have changed.Following a lightning offensive across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical and thousands raced to the airport on Monday, desperate to flee the country.Older generations remember the Talibans ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women as well as public stonings and amputations before they were ousted by the U.S-led invasion following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.As others have in recent days, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addressed these concerns head on in his first news conference Tuesday.Mujahid, who had been a shadowy figure for years, promised the Taliban would honor womens rights, but within the norms of Islamic law, though he gave few details. He said the group wanted private media to remain independent, but stressed journalists should not work against national values.And he promised the insurgents would secure Afghanistan but seek no revenge against those who worked with the former government or with foreign governments or forces.We assure you that nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped, he said.Earlier, Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Talibans cultural commission, made similar promises, saying the Taliban would extend an amnesty without giving details and encouraging women to join the government.The capital of Kabul remained quiet for another day as the Taliban patrolled its streets and many residents stayed home, fearful after the insurgents takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Many women have expressed dread that the two-decade Western experiment to expand their rights and remake Afghanistan would not survive the resurgent Taliban.Germany, meanwhile, halted development aid to Afghanistan over the Taliban takeover. Such aid is a crucial source of funding for the country and the Taliban's efforts to project a milder version of themselves may be aimed at ensuring that money continues to flow.While the Taliban pledged not to go after their enemies, some in Kabul allege the fighters have lists of people who cooperated with the government and are seeking them out. A broadcaster in Afghanistan said she was hiding at a relatives house, too frightened to return home much less return to work following reports that the insurgents are also looking for journalists. She said she and other women didn't believe the Taliban had changed their ways. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared for her safety.Samangani addressed the concerns of women, saying a Taliban were ready to "provide women with environment to work and study, and the presence of women in different (government) structures according to Islamic law and in accordance with our cultural values.That would be a marked departure from the last time the Taliban were in power, when women were largely confined to their homes.In another sign of the Taliban's efforts to portray a new image, a female television anchor on the private broadcaster Tolo interviewed a Taliban official on camera Tuesday in a studio an interaction that once would have been unthinkable. Meanwhile, women in hijabs demonstrated briefly in Kabul, holding signs demanding the Taliban not eliminate women from public life.Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, noted both the Talibans vows and the fears of everyday Afghans.Such promises will need to be honored, and for the time being again understandably, given past history these declarations have been greeted with some skepticism, he said in a statement. There have been many hard-won advances in human rights over the past two decades. The rights of all Afghans must be defended.On Tuesday, the European Union suspended payments of development assistance to the country, but is weighing whether to boost humanitarian aid. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says there can be no payments of development assistance until we clarify the situation with Taliban leaders. The 27-nation bloc has pledged about $1.4 billion for Afghanistan for the period 2021-2024.Germany has also suspended an estimated $294 million in 2021 developmental aid to Afghanistan. Other funding separately goes to security services and humanitarian aid. Sweden indicated it would slow aid to the country, but Britain committed to as much as 10 percent increase in humanitarian aid, but none for security.Meanwhile, Kabul's international airport, the only way out for many, reopened to military evacuation flights under the watch of American troops.All flights were suspended on Monday when thousands of people rushed the airport. In shocking scenes captured on video, some clung to a plane as it took off and then fell to their deaths. At least seven people died in chaos at the airport, U.S. officials said.By late Tuesday, the Taliban entered the civilian half of the airport, firing into the air to drive out around 500 people there, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to brief journalists.Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said U.S. commanders at the airport are communicating with Taliban leaders to keep the airlift going, adding that there have been no hostile actions by the Taliban.Still, there were indications that the situation remained tenuous. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, now operating from the airport, urged Americans to register online for evacuations but not come to the airport before being contacted.Kirby said up to 22,000 Afghans and their families could be housed at the installations. Kirby did not identify more specific locations. On ABCs Good Morning America, Kirby said that the U.S. Defense and State departments are working together to evacuate as many Americans and Afghans as quickly as possible.He added that several thousand U.S. service members now arriving in Afghanistan will there for the next couple of weeks to help with the evacuation.The German Foreign Ministry said a first German military transport plane landed in Kabul, but it took off with only seven people on board due to continued chaos. Another left later with 125 people.Across Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands had been wounded in fighting as the Taliban swept across the country in recent days, ahead of the planned withdrawal of the last American troops at the end of the month.As U.S. President Joe Biden did, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg blamed the swift collapse of the country on a failure of Afghan leadership. But he added that the alliance must also uncover flaws in its effort to train the Afghan military.Talks continued Tuesday between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the countrys negotiating council.Discussions focused on how a Taliban-dominated government would operate given the changes in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, rather than just dividing up who controlled what ministries, officials with knowledge of the negotiations said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details of the talks.A top Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Kandahar on Tuesday night from Qatar. His arrival may signal a deal is close at hand.But in a possible complication, the vice president of the ousted government claimed on Twitter Tuesday that he was the country's legitimate caretaker president. Amrullah Saleh said, under the constitution, he should be in charge because President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. Bertrand, Daniel Daniel Alexander Bertrand, 44, of Paducah, passed away Saturday August 14. 2021 at Baptist Health in Paducah. Daniel was a hard worker who loved his job as a biomedical technician for the VA Hospital in Marion. He was a devoted, loving family man and spent his free time with his family when he wasnt working. Daniel was selfless, he would always make sure others were cared for and had a generous heart. He spent time working charity events for Back to School, Thanksgiving, and other holidays. Daniel served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was a proud United States disabled veteran. Daniel enjoyed the outdoors and could fix anything he was able to put his hands on. He also enjoyed concerts with his wife, Stacy. Daniel is an irreplaceable man whose acts of kindness and generosity will always be remembered by those whose lives he touched. Daniel is survived by his wife, Stacy Bertrand; parents, Dennis and Christine Bertrand; three children, Alexander Bertrand, Matthew Bertrand, and Cidney Bertrand; two siblings, Charles Bertrand and Heather Brasfield; paternal grandma, Martha Bertrand; father-in-law, James Cozart; special cousins, Darren and Christy Crim; special friends, James and Kim Eddington, and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and other loving family and friends. Preceding Daniel in death are his paternal grandpa, Frank Charles Bertrand; his maternal grandparents, Clarence Mac and Blanche A. McDaniel; mother-in-law, Mildred E. Cozart; and brother-in-law, Willie E. LaGore. A memorial service for Daniel will be held Saturday, August 21, 2021 at Lindsey Funeral Home from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The family will then receive friends from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm at their family home in Paducah. Memorial contribution can be made in Daniels honor to Project Pomona, a local organization that focuses on feeding those in need in Paducah. Donations can be made by PayPal and sent to Bryanthileman@yahoo.com, this account is directly linked to the Project Pomona account. Lindsey Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 03:25:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Yaregal Bante, director general of the National Blood Bank Service, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 16, 2021. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Asegash Gossa, 56, is one of the few regular voluntary blood donors in Ethiopia, where the practice of blood donation has demonstrated steady progress. Gossa has donated blood a staggering number of 81 times, each time she donated 450 ml and is regarded as a "hero" at the Ethiopian National Blood Bank Service where she works as a nurse and communication officer. Gossa's regular voluntary blood donation started in 1992 when she was approached by a disheartened man who wanted to donate blood to his wife who suffered from postpartum hemorrhage. "It was a heartbreaking moment when the man said his wife was nearing to die due to bleeding after giving a birth at Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa," said Gossa, who donated blood on the man's behalf and has since then become a regular donor. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that 1 percent of a country's population should donate blood to meet the national demand. Accordingly, about 1.1 million Ethiopians are expected to be regular blood donors, said Yaregal Bante, director general of the National Blood Bank Service in a recent interview with Xinhua. In Ethiopia, blood donation service began in 1969 by an Israeli doctor along with members of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society. Prior to 2011, the blood bank had used a 'replacement donor' system whereby a family member of a recipient donates blood in exchange of the same volume of blood in the bank. After 2011, the bank has been collecting blood on a voluntary basis and managed to get 288,000 donors on average every year, each donating 350 ml to 450 ml of blood, Bante said. According to Bante, the bank distributes the collected blood to 80 state-run and 17 privately-run hospitals through its 43 branches across the country. Matias Tesfaye, 11, is one of the thousands of regular blood recipients in the Black Lion Hospital, Ethiopia's main referral hospital, where up to 80 percent of the national blood transfusion exercise takes place. Tesfaye, who suffers from Aplastic anemia, a rare disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells, receives blood every three days. "My son would have not been saved, had it not been for the blood transfusion treatment in the hospital," said Meseret Fituma, Tesfaye's mother who spoke to Xinhua recently. "Tesfaye needs to undergo bone marrow transplantation every three days to help him stay alive," said Beweketu Getnet, a coordinator in the Hospital's Specialized Cancer Center Laboratory. According to the coordinator, Tesfaye has received a total of 60 units of red blood cells and 1,000 units of platelets; each unit has a volume of 50 ml since he was admitted in June 2018. "It is like an expensive medicine," said Fituma, who wished long and healthy lives to all voluntary blood donors. The donated blood is saving lives of thousands of patients who suffer from different types of cancers and car accidents among others, said Getnet, the coordinator. Contrary to WHO's estimation, the majority of the donated blood in Ethiopia is used by mothers who suffer from postpartum hemorrhage, according to Yaregal Bante, the director general of the National Blood Bank Service. "In a country like ours, 54 percent of the donated blood is used by recipients ranging from 15 to 44 years old. 71 percent of them are women," Bante said. "We supply blood to patients who are in critical condition, to victims who are bleeding due to accidents; to mothers suffering from bleeding after giving birth and newborn babies requiring blood transfusion." Even if the bank falls short of meeting WHO's recommendation, it has managed to achieve the country's demand for blood transfusion purposes, Bante said. Women seem more willing to donate blood than men despite the limitations that affect their donation rate due to delivery and breastfeeding. Things are changing. Nurselam Shiferaw is another volunteer who spoke to Xinhua as a beginner blood donor in the National Blood Bank Service in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. He said he was donating blood to help those patients who suffered from injury amid ongoing conflict in the northern part of the country. "If you go to hospitals, you see many people dying from lack of blood. The number of people who are victims of traffic, manmade and natural accidents is increasing. Hence, I consider donating blood to the needy is not a big deal," Shiferaw said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 04:34:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry accused on Monday the U.S. government of trying to prevent Iranian expatriates from having a "constructive relationship" with their country, urging Washington to take "basic steps" to facilitate the freedom of movement of Iranian residents in the United States. "If they want to sympathize with Iranians, it is better for them to stop threatening, intimidating, and trapping Iranians," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying by the ministry's website, in response to questions from the press. Khatibzadeh was reacting to a "travel advisory" note published on Aug. 9 by the U.S. special envoy for Iran Robert Malley, recommending not to travel to Iran "due to the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest, detention of U.S. citizens, and COVID-19." The spokesman said the Biden administration initially sought to distance itself from the Trump administration, but has since "adopted the same outdated approaches with the promotion of Iranophobia." He added that the U.S. approach concerning talks about Iranian prisoners being "held hostage" in the United States shows that the Biden administration is trying "even more" than the Trump administration to "politicize and turn humanitarian issues to security issues." On July 13, Ali Rabiei, spokesman for Iran's government, confirmed ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington for a prisoner swap, and voiced Iran's readiness for an all-for-all prisoner exchange. At the end of that same week, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi tweeted that the United States and Britain had to stop linking a prisoner swap to the talks aiming to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iranian officials stated that the United States had agreed with a swap deal, while Washington denied such an agreement had been reached. The Iranian spokesman also commented on the U.S. press reports, saying Washington officials are reviewing their options, in case talks to revive JCPOA fail to yield results. "All countries, including Iran, should have their own alternatives," he said. Talks in Vienna, Khatibzadeh said, have been based so far on the need for the United States to fulfill its commitments within the framework of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and a "complete and effective" lifting of Washington's unilateral sanctions against Iran. If that happens, he added, Washington can return to the JCPOA. Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed old and new sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019. After six rounds of talks in Vienna since April, the parties said serious differences remain between Iran and the United States for the revitalization of the deal. The sixth round of talks ended on June 20, currently on hiatus. Meanwhile, Khatibzadeh criticized the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions on an Omani national and businesses allegedly getting involved in an oil-smuggling network linked to Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. "It is clear that the U.S. sanction policy against Iran is failed and ineffective and only indicates Washington's addiction to sanctions," the spokesman said. Khatibzadeh additionally discussed statements of Western officials concerning an alleged "increasingly aggressive and malign behavior" from the part of Iran. "Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this unjustified attack," the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Aug. 9 in a meeting of the UNSC, regarding alleged attacks on the Mercer Street, an Israeli-managed oil tanker, in the gulf of Oman. "It is strange that an official of a country that is the root and cause of many troubles in our region, open and covert ... accuses Iran," Khatibzadeh said. The spokesman insisted on Tehran's dismissal of any Iranian role in the incident, and accused Israel and "some of its supporters" of having "a long history of deception and forgery of documents, intending to advance their political agenda." Moreover, Khatibzadeh said it is Iran's "principled policy" to maintain peace and stability in the region, and stressed the need for cooperation within the region in this regard. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 11:57:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People line up at a COVID-19 vaccination centre in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 16, 2021. Gladys Berejiklian, premier of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), conceded on Tuesday that some restrictions would continue for citizens of the state even when vaccination targets are reached, amid the worsening COVID-19 crisis. (Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua) SYDNEY, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The premier of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) conceded on Tuesday that some restrictions would continue for citizens of the state even when vaccination targets are reached, amid the worsening COVID-19 crisis. NSW reported 452 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. local time Monday, and the source of infection for 323 is under investigation. The death toll from the latest outbreak, which began on June 16, also rose to 113 following the death of a Sydney woman in her 70s. At her daily news conference, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people aged in their 70s to get vaccinated, saying they needed to "go and get a jab, no matter the circumstances." Overall, in the past 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, 36,817 doses of vaccine were administered throughout NSW. As for the vaccination strategy, Berejiklian said September and October would be the "most difficult months," adding that even after then there would be major challenges. She promised that "life will be freer" once 70 percent of the population are vaccinated but added "it doesn't mean we'll be completely free; it doesn't mean we will let the virus be rampant in the community." Meanwhile, the southern state of Victoria recorded 24 new local cases on Tuesday after the state's Premier Daniel Andrews imposed a curfew on the capital city of Melbourne and extended the lockdown for another two weeks. Andrews was also critical of the "selfish choices" of people who reportedly breached restrictions, saying he was "angry and disappointed" to see the video of an engagement party which about 70 people attended, including several doctors. The state of Queensland, north of NSW, recorded only one new local case on Tuesday, in what state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk described as "excellent news." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 14:53:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A nurse examines a young man who was exposed to fire in the Akkar explosion, at a hospital in Tripoli, Lebanon, Aug. 16, 2021. At least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured in a fuel tank explosion in the town of Tleil in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar Sunday morning, the National News Agency reported. (Photo by Khaled /Xinhua) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 15:24:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has brushed aside a request of the U.S. government to provide temporary relocation shelter to some Afghan people who worked for the U.S.-led entities in trouble-ridden Afghanistan, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said Monday night. "We're already in trouble hosting 1.1 million refugees from Myanmar," he said. Bangladesh urged all stakeholders in Afghanistan to maintain peace and calm and ensure the safety and security of all including foreign nationals, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday in a statement. Bangladesh is carefully observing the fast evolving situation in Afghanistan, which, Dhaka believes, may have an impact on the region and beyond, the ministry added. Bangladesh would be happy to continue to work with the people of Afghanistan and the international community for Afghanistan's socio-economic development, said the statement. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 15:29:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Taliban fighters are seen on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021. Normality has returned to Kabul, capital of Afghanistan as the Taliban on Tuesday urged the government employees to return to work, two days after the group took control of the capital. Declaring a general amnesty, the Taliban urged all to start routine life with confidence. It also urged women to join its government. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the situation in Kabul was completely under control and law and order returned to the city. (Str/Xinhua) KABUL, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Normality has returned to Kabul, capital of Afghanistan as the Taliban on Tuesday urged the government employees to return to work, two days after the group took control of the capital. Declaring a general amnesty, the Taliban urged all to start routine life with confidence. It also urged women to join its government. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the situation in Kabul was completely under control and law and order returned to the city. Mujahid reiterated that life and properties of people were safe as there are reports that the Taliban has arrested about 200 people involved in looting of government properties and vehicles. The Taliban leadership has ordered its members and "once again instructs them that no one is allowed to enter anyone's house without permission. Life, property and honor of none shall be harmed but must be protected," Mujahid said. Late on Monday, flight of military transport planes was resumed and dozens of flights were conducted all the night, according to residents living around the airport. The planes were evacuating foreigners and some of their Afghan workers. The flight suspended on Monday morning after a big rush of people at the airport. Taliban members on Monday took control of the outside of Kabul airport while thousands of U.S. forces were inside the airport helping evacuating the crowds. At least 10 Afghans were reportedly killed in the stampede and a shooting inside the airport within the past two days. Also On Monday, the offices of the Afghan Public Health Ministry and the Kabul municipality were reopened. Wahid Majrooh, acting minister of public health, appeared together with Taliban public health representatives in a televised footage, urging medical workers to return to their jobs, including female medical employees. Small shops were also reopened around the city while banks and business centers mostly remained closed as of Tuesday morning. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 15:40:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a message of condolence to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune over the recent forest fires that caused heavy casualties in the country. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi expressed deep condolences to the victims and extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 16:09:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said it would be "prepared to act" should Australia's current COVID-19 crisis deepen. Though RBA Governor Philip Lowe has maintained his optimism for Australia's economic recovery, the expanding and non-abating Delta variant crisis has sparked new worries for the nation's economic outlook. "The board would be prepared to act in response to further bad news on the health front should that lead to a more significant setback for the economic recovery," said a statement from the RBA board on Tuesday. The Australian Financial Review noted that the economic cost of nationwide lockdowns, which have already dragged on for over 50 days in Greater Sydney, is likely to cost the national economy over 20 billion Australian dollars (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) should they continue into September. With daily local transmissions in the state of New South Wales steadily increasing and approaching 500, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has hinted that the current restrictions could drag on to late November when the state is expected to reach a vaccination rate of 80 percent. Despite this foreshadowing, the RBA has not changed its timeline for the tapering of government stimulus, which will reduce the weekly purchasing of government bonds from 5 billion Australian dollars (about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars) in September to 4 billion Australian dollars (about 2.9 billion U.S. dollars) by mid-November. The minutes hinged Australia's eventual recovery on fiscal support to households and businesses until higher vaccination rates were reached. "In the meantime, health outcomes would continue to present the main source of uncertainty for the economic outlook." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 16:11:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Some Republican politicians are reviving the old history of blaming outsiders for pandemics, but the evidence never backed it up before, and it does not support such claims today either, a U.S. historian wrote in an article published on The Washington Post recently. Americans have always linked pandemics to those deemed outsiders, said Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, noting that "they provide a convenient scapegoat, absolving the rest of us from responsibility for the disease and death in our midst." In 1862, California physician Arthur B. Stout published a scathing report, asserting that newcomers from China were spreading tuberculosis, syphilis and other diseases that could "insidiously poison the well-springs of life" and "corrode the vitals of our strength and prosperity" in the United States, said Zimmerman. Zimmerman said that is exactly what Republican politicians have been saying since the coronavirus pandemic began: the virus is being brought here by foreigners and immigrants. "It speaks to an old theme in American history: When an epidemic arrives, we blame non-Americans," said Zimmerman. The coronavirus is spreading most rapidly in places with low vaccination rates, not high immigration, the article noted. But in the states with the most cases and deaths like Florida, politicians are pointing fingers at Latin American immigrants instead of working to change behaviors, said the article. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 16:18:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on July 28, 2021 shows the China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. Construction work on a China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, had been completed despite the impact of COVID-19, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said on Tuesday. Khon, who is also the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said the 60,000-seat stadium will serve as the main venue for tournaments when Cambodia hosts the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2023. (China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Handout via Xinhua) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 17:41:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY -- The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said it would be "prepared to act" should Australia's current COVID-19 crisis deepen. Though RBA Governor Philip Lowe has maintained his optimism for Australia's economic recovery, the expanding and non-abating Delta variant crisis has sparked new worries for the nation's economic outlook. "The board would be prepared to act in response to further bad news on the health front should that lead to a more significant setback for the economic recovery," said a statement from the RBA board on Tuesday. (Australia-Economy-COVID-19) ---- WELLINGTON -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region posted a 6.1-percent increase in economic growth in the first quarter of 2021, bouncing back strongly from a 2-percent decline in the first quarter of 2020, according to an updated report by the APEC Policy Support Unit on Tuesday. The number comfortably put the region on track to achieve growth expectations for the year, which is now estimated at 6.4 percent, or slightly higher than the earlier prediction. (NZ-APEC-Growth) ---- SINGAPORE -- Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) grew by 12.7 percent year on year in July, compared to the 15.9-percent increase in May, Enterprise Singapore, a government agency, announced on Tuesday. The growth was mainly due to exports of non-electronics, especially specialized machinery, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, which grew by 56.8 percent, 48.3 percent, and 49.4 percent year on year respectively. (Singapore-Exports) ---- LIMA -- Peru's GDP grew by 20.4 percent in the first half of 2021, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Monday. The expansion reflects the rise in economic activity in the Andean nation, which in June rose 23.5 percent year-on-year, said the ministry in a statement. (Peru-GDP) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 17:50:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TASHKENT, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has maintained close contacts with representatives of the Taliban Movement in Afghanistan on border security issues, said the Uzbek Foreign Ministry in a statement on Tuesday. "We support the statements of the intra-Afghan forces about their readiness to form an inclusive government," the statement said. Uzbekistan is closely following the development of the situation in Afghanistan and hopes a comprehensive peace will be achieved in the framework of the inter-Afghan talks in Doha, read the statement. "We are confident that the development of the situation in this direction will lead to the achievement of national accord and create conditions for the formation of a strong and capable state," the statement said. It added that Uzbekistan firmly declares its commitment to maintaining traditional friendly and good-neighborly relations with Afghanistan and abiding by the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of the neighboring country. Uzbekistan's diplomatic missions in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, a major Afghan economic centre lying close to the borders with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, are working as usual, the ministry said, adding that any attempts to violate Uzbekistan's country border will be strictly suppressed in accordance with the legislation of Uzbekistan. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 17:57:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Amid a new cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Chinese city of Zhangjiajie, the willingness of local authorities, medical workers, and volunteers to readily assist is highlighting China's approach to tackling the virus. Local authorities in Zhangjiajie, a popular tourist spot in central China's Hunan Province, are providing free accommodation and food for stranded tourists under quarantine at hotels. Medical teams have been assembled to conduct nucleic acid tests at hotels, with volunteers on hand to ferry samples from visitors' rooms to mobile testing sites. Volunteers are helping out by collecting and delivering nucleic acid test samples, late into the night. The local government sent a psychological medical team to Zhangjiajie to provide mental health counseling to residents, tourists and medical staff. The Chinese mainland reported six new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Monday, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Tuesday. The recent COVID-19 resurgence first emerged in Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu, where several airport cleaners were found to be infected on July 20 during a routine test. Chinese authorities have quickly clamped down on local flare-ups with measures like mass nucleic acid testing, targeted lockdowns, and travel restrictions, which has led to a distinct downward trend in new infections. China has also implemented nationwide travel restrictions. All 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland have urged citizens not to travel to medium- and high-risk areas or leave the provinces where they live unless absolutely necessary. But such strict measures have had only a limited impact on the lives of most Chinese people. "China has always been seeking a balance and trying its best to control the epidemic locally to mitigate the impact on society and the economy, leaving extreme measures like city lockdowns as the last resort," said Yu Xin'an, vice president of the China Association of Regional Economy. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 18:53:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, including one local case, taking the total tally to 12,039. The local case involved a 47-year-old woman working at a VIP lounge in the Hong Kong International Airport, and was found to carry the L452R mutant strain. The last time Hong Kong saw a local case of COVID-19 was on Aug. 5. The two imported cases involved patients arriving in Hong Kong from Britain and Oman. Both were also found to carry the L452R mutant strain. Hong Kong's vaccination drive is making steady progress. Since the launch of the inoculation program on Feb. 26, around 6.7 million doses have been administered so far. Around 3.76 million people, or 55.3 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccine, while around 2.94 million are fully vaccinated. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:01:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA -- Thirty-five Filipinos evacuated from Afghanistan arrived in the Philippine capital Manila on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. "The 35 Filipinos from Afghanistan, (whose) respective companies evacuated to Doha, Qatar, joined the DFA chartered plane from Doha to Manila," the DFA said in a brief statement, adding that 132 more Filipinos were awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan. (Philippines-Afghanistan-Evacuation) - - - - VIENTIANE -- China remains the largest foreign investor in Laos, undertaking a total of 813 projects worth over 16 billion U.S. dollars, Lao official has said. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment Sonexay Siphandone said during the fifth Workshop between Lao and Chinese entrepreneurs last Friday that China remains the largest foreign investor in Laos, according to a report by Lao National Radio on Tuesday. (Laos-China-Investment) - - - - WELLINGTON -- New Zealand will move from current level 1 alert directly to the top level 4 lockdown from midnight after a positive COVID-19 case was identified in the Auckland community, which is likely to be the Delta variant, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a press conference Tuesday. The alert level will be reviewed after three days for all areas except Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula which are likely to remain at Level 4 for an initial period of seven days. (New Zealand-Lockdown) - - - - PHNOM PENH -- Construction work on a China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, had been completed despite the impact of COVID-19, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said on Tuesday. Khon, who is also the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said the 60,000-seat stadium will serve as the main venue for tournaments when Cambodia hosts the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2023. (Cambodia-China-funded stadium) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:11:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's civil aviation regulator has announced the suspension of a Philippine Airlines flight and a Cambodia Airways flight after passengers tested positive for COVID-19. The suspension of flight PR314 from Manila to Tianjin and flight KR961 from Phnom Penh to Chengdu will last for two weeks, starting from Aug. 23, after five passengers tested positive on each flight on Aug. 4, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Tuesday on its website. The CAAC said that neither airline is allowed to transfer the original quota of the flights to other routes. According to the CAAC policy, flight suspensions will last two weeks if the number of passengers testing positive for COVID-19 reaches five. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:16:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A draft law in China has stipulated measures to strengthen the ranks of doctors at the primary level by increasing medical personnel and enhancing training support. The draft physicians law was submitted to the National People's Congress Standing Committee Tuesday for the third reading. Doctors will be encouraged to offer medical and healthcare services regularly at medical institutions below the county level, including township and village clinics and community health service centers, and the main institutions where they practice should support them, according to the draft. It also stipulates that health authorities and institutions at or above the county level should organize training courses for medical staff working at village clinics, community health service centers and other primary-level institutions. Medical universities and schools will also train more students for the primary level and remote regions, according to the draft. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:21:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A student gets inoculated against the COVID-19 at a middle school in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, Aug. 14, 2021. Hunan recently started vaccinating teenagers aged between 12 and 14 against the novel coronavirus. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge) CHANGSHA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hunan Province has downgraded all its medium- or high-risk areas for COVID-19 except those in the city of Zhangjiajie after the province reported no new confirmed cases on Monday, the provincial health authorities said Tuesday. Currently, three areas remain under high risk and 11 others under medium risk in Zhangjiajie, a renowned tourist city in Hunan, which had recently reported a cluster of local infections. Several scenic spots in the province have opened to the public with strict anti-epidemic measures including limiting visitor number and adopting advance reservations. The tourist spots have been asked not to exceed 50 to 75 percent of their maximum visitor capacity, according to the provincial health commission. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:23:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday called for expansion of ties between Tehran and Jakarta. In a message for his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, Raisi congratulated Indonesia on its Independence Day, highlighting the bilateral cooperation which could have constructive influences on the international peace and stability. He expressed optimism that the relations between the two nations would further grow considering existing great capacities. A new chapter will hopefully open in the bilateral ties, said Raisi, wishing Indonesia and its people prosperity, health and success, according to Tasnim news agency. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:59:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday exchanged views with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken over phone on the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral ties. The Taliban should announce a clean break with extremism, opt for an orderly transfer of power and establish an inclusive government, the top U.S. diplomat said, expressing hope that China will also play an important role to this end. For his part, Wang expounded China's stance on the situation in Afghanistan, saying that facts have once again proved that mechanically copying an imported foreign model cannot readily be fitted to the use in a country with completely different history, culture and national conditions, and ultimately, is unlikely to establish itself. - - - - TEHRAN -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday called for expansion of ties between Tehran and Jakarta. In a message for his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, Raisi congratulated Indonesia on its Independence Day, highlighting the bilateral cooperation which could have constructive influences on the international peace and stability. - - - - VIENTIANE -- China remains the largest foreign investor in Laos, undertaking a total of 813 projects worth over 16 billion U.S. dollars, Lao official has said. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment Sonexay Siphandone said during the fifth Workshop between Lao and Chinese entrepreneurs last Friday that China remains the largest foreign investor in Laos, according to a report by Lao National Radio on Tuesday. "China also plays a significant role in special economic zone investments, with the Lao government having authorized 89 projects worth over 215 million U.S. dollars," Sonexay added. - - - - UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for efforts to uphold human rights in Afghanistan and to prevent the country from again becoming a safe haven for terrorist organizations. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Afghanistan as the Taliban are retaking the capital city of Kabul, Guterres called on the international community to be united and to use all available means to ensure the two principles. "First, we must speak with one voice to uphold human rights in Afghanistan. I call upon the Taliban and all parties to respect and protect international humanitarian law and the rights and freedoms of all persons," he said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 20:52:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson urged the United States to abide by the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, sever military links with Taiwan and stop arms sales to the island. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, said spokesperson Hua Chunying at a daily press briefing on Tuesday, which marks the 39th anniversary of the issuance of the August 17 Communique. Citing relevant U.S. commitments made in the August 17 Communique concerning arms sales to Taiwan, Hua said the three China-U.S. joint communiques constitute the political foundation of bilateral relations, the essential core of which is the one-China principle, which the U.S. side should strictly follow. Hua said that, in fact, the United States has conducted "official" exchanges with Taiwan and sold various kinds of weapons to the island in constant breach of its own promises, to help Taiwan expand the so-called international space. She cited multiple batches of arms sales to Taiwan by U.S. administrations, including a plan recently announced by the Biden administration to sell weaponry to Taiwan worth around 750 million U.S. dollars. "We'd like to try our best to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity, and at the same time, will reserve the option of taking all necessary countermeasures against foreign intervention, as well as a few 'Taiwan independence' secessionists and their activities," said Hua. No one should underestimate the firm determination, strong will and powerful capabilities of the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, she said. No matter how many weapons the United States provides to Taiwan, there is no possibility it will change the general trend of cross-Strait relations, and still less that it will impede China's reunification process, added Hua. The spokesperson urged the United States to clearly recognize the highly sensitive and harmful nature of the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques with concrete actions, stop official exchanges and military links with the island, cease arms sales to Taiwan, to avoid doing further damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:15:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Beijing authorities have released a plan for the development of hydrogen energy industry from 2021 to 2025. According to the plan released by the municipal bureau of economy and information technology, by 2025, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will achieve a cumulative scale of hydrogen energy industry chain valued at more than 100 billion yuan (15.4 billion U.S. dollars) and reduce carbon emissions by 2 million tonnes. Before 2023, five to eight leading enterprises with international influence in the hydrogen energy industry chain will be nurtured, and the scale of the industrial chain in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will exceed 50 billion yuan and reduce carbon emissions by 1 million tonnes. Ahead of 2025, ten to 15 leading industrial chain enterprises with international influence will be nurtured and three to four world-class industrial R&D and innovation platforms built. In transportation, as of 2025, the region will strive to complete the construction of 74 hydrogen refueling stations and will have more than 10,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In terms of distributed energy supply, commercial models of power supply and heat supply with more applications will be explored in the region by 2025, and the installed capacity of distributed power generation system will be increased to more than 10MW. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:23:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- "China is an excellent market for us and one of the most important markets in the world. We place high hopes and efforts on this market as Chinese people favor our handmade organic products," Amir Hassoun, a Lebanese family business owner, told Xinhua on the occasion of the upcoming fifth China-Arab States Expo on Aug. 19-22. Hassoun, owner of Khan El Saboun, a 600-year-old Lebanese family business trading organic soaps, said this is his third consecutive participation in the expo. Hassoun has a main distributor in Beijing, assisting him in distributing products to some cities in China. However, he still hopes to participate in more expos and events in different Chinese cities to further promote his products in addition to opening flagship shops there. With the aim of promoting products in China, a dozen of Lebanese companies like Khan El Saboun will take part in the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which will be held in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Rose Bechara Perini, founder of Darmmess, an extra virgin olive oil maker, told Xinhua that she seeks to enter the Chinese market given Chinese people's interest in natural products. "China has great purchasing power where a premium product can find its own place," Perini said. Elie Maamari, enologist and export director at Chateau Ksara, Lebanon's wine producer, has viewed China as one of his most important markets, since the wine consumption in China has been growing over the years. "I am sure that we can further expand exports in the country as the Chinese people appreciate Lebanon's wine for its special flavor, which matches well with their food," Maamari said, adding his company will take part in more exhibitions in China. The upcoming four-day event is projected as a great opportunity for foreign exhibitors to enter the Chinese market, provided that more than 5,000 enterprises from over 110 countries and regions attended the previous four editions of the expo, with a total of 936 cooperation projects signed. Habib Karam, owner of Karam Wines, a winery located in southern Lebanon, told Xinhua that he plans to introduce his products to China, raise his annual production capacity from 150,000 to 500,000 bottles, as well as offer his Chinese clients the chance to visit Lebanon and make their own mix of wine. Karam said he exports around 25 percent of his products to Europe and the United States but also expects a success in gaining good demand on his products in China. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:24:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai saw its soybean imports from the United States soar to 2.53 million tonnes, up 92.5 percent year on year, accounting for 40.7 percent of its total imported soybeans from January to June, customs authorities said Tuesday. The city imported about 6.22 million tonnes of soybeans in the first half of this year, an increase of 1.1 percent from the same period last year. During the period, the megacity imported about 3.68 million tonnes of soybeans from Brazil, down 22.1 percent year on year. However, Brazil remains the city's largest source of imported soybeans. The total value of soybean imports in Shanghai from January to June reached 19.87 billion yuan (about 3.1 billion U.S. dollars), up 17.3 percent year on year, showed data. The rise is mainly attributable to the increase in the price of imports. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:29:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - TOKYO -- The Japanese government on Tuesday decided to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency covering Tokyo and other areas and originally ending on Aug. 31, to Sept. 12, while expanding the measure to seven more prefectures. The decision was made amid a resurgence of infections showing no signs of subsiding. - - - - WELLINGTON -- New Zealand will move from current level 1 alert directly to the top level 4 lockdown from midnight after a positive COVID-19 case was identified in the Auckland community, which is likely to be the Delta variant, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a press conference Tuesday. The alert level will be reviewed after three days for all areas except Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula which are likely to remain at Level 4 for an initial period of seven days. - - - - PHNOM PENH -- Cambodians nationwide have been required to wear face masks as the Southeast Asian nation reported 556 new COVID-19 cases and 14 more deaths on Tuesday. In a statement released late on Monday, Health Minister Mam Bunheng imposed a mandatory mask-wearing rule in additional 15 provinces, bringing all of the kingdom's 25 cities and provinces under the rule. - - - - VIENTIANE -- The Ministry of Health of Laos announced on Tuesday that the ministry had detected two cases of the Delta plus variant of COVID-19 in Laos. Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control under the Lao Ministry of Health, Sisavath Soutthaniraxay, told a press conference in Lao capital Vientiane on Tuesday that the two cases of Delta plus variant of COVID-19 were detected among returning workers from neighboring countries. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:34:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XINING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Twenty two drilling rigs will be set up to rescue the workers trapped in a coal mine flooded by mud in northwest China's Qinghai Province on Saturday. The accident happened around noon on Aug. 14 when 21 people were working in the mine in Gangca County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, said the provincial emergency management department. Two miners had been lifted to the ground, including one confirmed dead, while the rest remained trapped, the department said. Currently, the location of the trapped is about 90 meters down the mine. Starting from early Tuesday morning, two rigs have been drilling on-site to clear the mud and rescue the trapped. Another 20 drilling machines will go into operation, each spaced 5 meters apart. It is now the major flood season for Qinghai, and the province has seen frequent rainfall recently. Therefore, drainage facilities have been set up on-site to avoid further damage from waterlogging and infiltration, said Lyu Qiang, chief engineer from the provincial water resources department. The coal mine structure and composition and the high altitude of around 3,800 meters on-site multiply the difficulties for rescue work. According to a preliminary investigation, the provincial mine safety administration ordered the coal mine to suspend production and rectify irregularities on Aug. 2. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:50:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has signed a State Council decree to publish an administrative regulation on major IT infrastructure security. The regulation was issued as the country's major IT infrastructure faces severe security challenges, including frequent cyberattacks, according to a State Council statement on Tuesday. The regulation, which will take effect on Sept. 1, defines what can be identified as major IT infrastructure projects, and clarifies the liabilities of operators concerning the security of these projects and the penalties for offenders. Major IT infrastructure projects are IT network facilities and information systems of major industries and in key areas, according to the regulation. The state cyberspace administration will take charge of coordination, the public security department will provide supervision, and the state telecom regulator and other relevant departments will be responsible for the security control of major IT infrastructure projects under their watch. Operators of major IT infrastructure and the relevant regulatory agencies will face administrative and criminal punishment if they fail in their duties, according to the regulation. Organizations and individuals that compromise the security of such infrastructure will also receive legal penalties, per the regulation. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:02:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Brunei reported 65 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 61 local infections and four imported cases, bringing the national tally to 852. According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, while the source of infection of 18 new cases is still under investigation, 30 cases are related to nine active clusters already identified and the remaining 13 local cases are related to two new clusters confirmed on Tuesday. Meanwhile, three of the four imported cases arrived from Manila, the Philippines, on Aug. 4 and the other one imported case is a one-year-old child from a family arriving from Africa via Kuala Lumpur on July 30. Four other members of the family also tested positive on Aug. 9. All new cases in the active clusters are individuals who are currently being quarantined and were found to be in contact with several confirmed cases. The health ministry said contact tracing for all new cases is still actively running, with a total of 12,755 people identified as close contacts of the recently confirmed cases, an increase of 1,518 individuals from the previous day. There are currently 516 active cases being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Center, with two of them in critical condition requiring respiratory assistance and seven other patients under close monitoring. Before the detection of the local cases on Aug. 7, Brunei had kept a record of 457 days without community infections. There have been a total of 333 recovered patients and three deaths reported from COVID-19 so far in the country. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:27:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam responds to questions during a regular press conference, in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HONG KONG, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the dissolution of Civil Human Rights Front has nothing do to with freedom, and crimes committed by the anti-China group will not be exonerated by its dissolution. Lam told a regular press conference that freedom of speech, association, assembly and procession are guaranteed by the Basic Law of the HKSAR. She refuted foreign countries' accusations, saying the recent disbandment of some civic groups is unrelated to the freedoms enshrined in the Basic Law. Foreign politicians or foreign media claimed that these incidents happened because somebody suppressed their freedoms. "These are very biased comments," she said. Lam noted that since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, its effectiveness is not only to deal with "black violence," stop violence and control chaos, but also lay an important foundation for the implementation of "one country, two systems" in the HKSAR. "Today with the national security law as a foundation, (law enforcement) may take action against these individuals and groups who touched these red lines and violated the national security law," she said. "In the past, we have seen organizations and individuals crossing these red lines. In my opinion, the only choice at this time is disbandment," she said. "So it has nothing to do with exercising your right or your freedom." Lam noted that even if organizations disband of their own volition, it does not absolve them of criminal liability if they are found to break the law. Law enforcement agencies will continue to collect evidence and investigate, and any breaches of the law will be prosecuted accordingly, she added. Lam said every professional body should operate in accordance with their principles and laws, adding that the HKSAR government will cut off ties with professional groups who deviate from their original purpose and turn political. The government last month severed ties with the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union, a group that has long engaged in anti-China and trouble-making activities. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:34:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Unable to secure Kenyan citizenship for years, the Shona community who reside mainly in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and neighboring Kiambu County had long resigned to a fate of statelessness. This unwanted status had confined the community of fewer than 2,000 people to a world of untold limitations and impossibilities. But in a welcomed change of circumstance in recent years, some 1,670 members of the Shona community can now afford to brag about their newly conferred Kenyan citizenship 58 years on. "I no longer feel like a squatter in my own country. For me and other Shona members this was long overdue," Senzana Dube told Xinhua in a recent interview. The Shona tribe traces their lineage to Zimbabwe, where their forefathers were born and later migrated to Kenya in 1960 for evangelical work. After Kenya expelled its colonizers and attained self-rule in 1963, the Shona were unable to prove citizenship as required by the new government and at the same time could not return to their countries of origin. Faced with a constitution that lacked a provision for allocating citizenship, the Shona community was inevitably rendered stateless. Since then, there has been an unrelenting call to offer citizenship to the community to lift barriers associated with statelessness. To their pleasant surprise, the group received formal recognition by the president last year, officially concluding their statelessness and counting them as the 45th tribe in the country. Members recognized now hold identification cards while their children bear birth certificates. Both documents hold significance in access to services such as healthcare, education, banking, and housing. "I can now go out and look for casual work because I have an identification card. Previously, it would have been impossible to have anyone employ an undocumented person. That explains why so many of us have ventured into basket weaving while our husbands embark on small menial jobs," said Dube. Nearly all Shona people are deficient in literacy levels, having only attended lower elementary classes as a consequence of financial constraints and the absence of vital legal documentation required to advance their academic endeavors. "I am just happy my children will have better opportunities than myself. They do not have to worry about not furthering their education as we are now eligible for educational assistance provided by the government," Dube told Xinhua. Kenya hosts about 18,500 persons who lack legal association to any country. In 2016, Kenya recognized the Makonde community originally from Mozambique as Kenyan citizens. Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), a pioneering human rights body, played a leading role in regularizing the citizenship of both the Makonde and Shona. The process of lobbying and advocacy for the Shona took them five years of working with different stakeholders towards realizing a common goal. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a stateless person is not considered a national by any state under the operation of its law. Ruth Levichiweza, 60, who had long assumed citizenship was an unattainable dream, now finds herself living it and nothing could make her happier. "With citizenship, I can open a shop and sell my baskets from there as opposed to using middlemen who would dupe and treat me with such contempt due to my unfortunate circumstance," said Levichiweza. Meanwhile, the Sagaf community in the coastal county of Tana River will be the last of the marked stateless communities to be granted citizenship in December this year, according to the Ministry of Interior. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:56:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of five soldiers and paramilitary tribal fighters were killed on Tuesday in two attacks by militants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group in the eastern province of Diyala, a provincial police source said. IS militants opened fire at soldiers in an army base near the town of Maqdadiyah, some 100 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, leaving three soldiers killed and another one wounded, the police source Alaa al-Saadi told Xinhua. The troops exchanged fire with the attackers who fled the scene after the attack, al-Saadi said. Earlier in the day, al-Saadi reportedly said that two tribal fighters, who are part of the government-backed Hashd Shaabi brigades, were killed and four wounded in a roadside bomb explosion near their vehicle in northeast of the provincial capital Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad. The paramilitary fighters were on an operation when Iraqi security forces in the morning advanced into rural areas in the northern and eastern parts of the province to hunt down IS militants, according to al-Saadi. During the past months, IS militants have intensified their attacks on the Iraqi security forces in the province the militants had previously controlled, leaving dozens dead and wounded. The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces defeated the IS militants in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 23:15:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- The daily increase of China's locally confirmed COVID-19 infections fell to single digits on Monday, with only six cases reported following the resurgence from the highly contagious Delta variant. -- During the resurgence, the daily increase of locally transmitted confirmed cases jumped to 108 on Aug. 9. -- Since July, strict, scientific, and swift measures have been implemented in affected areas, highlighting the country's principle of putting people's lives first. BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The daily increase of China's locally confirmed COVID-19 infections fell to single digits on Monday, with only six cases reported, showing the efficacy of the country's targeted and intensive control measures following the resurgence from the highly contagious Delta variant. Three locally confirmed cases were each reported Monday in east China's Jiangsu Province, where the recent Delta outbreak first emerged in mid-July, and the central province of Hubei, hit hard by COVID-19 last year. Washington tries everything to buoy up the economy but does little to contain the virus and save lives. (Xinhua/Pan Hongyu) During the resurgence, the daily increase of locally transmitted confirmed cases jumped to 108 on Aug. 9. A total of 18 provincial-level regions had reported local infections as of Aug. 12, and no deaths were reported, said figures released by the National Health Commission. Strict, scientific, and swift measures have been implemented in affected areas since July, highlighting the country's principle of putting people's lives first. With massive nucleic acid testing, accelerated vaccination, closed-loop management, and travel restrictions in place, China has seen an apparent downward trend in new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. FRONTLINE WORKERS Medics, disease control and prevention workers, police officers, community workers, and volunteers countrywide went all out in the frontlines to battle the virus. Jiangsu mobilized more than 4,000 medical workers and thousands of volunteers and community workers to deter the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, Yangzhou City, the latest hotspot for the new infections in Jiangsu, launched multiple rounds of massive nucleic acid testings. As of Sunday, Jiangsu reported 802 locally confirmed cases, including 235 cases in Nanjing, the provincial capital, and 552 cases in Yangzhou. According to statistics, patients aged under 14 accounted for 10.1 percent, with the youngest four months old. Elderly patients accounted for 32.7 percent, with the eldest patient aged 91. A medical worker is seen at a "Falcon" air-inflated testing lab for nucleic acid testing at Yangzhou International Exhibition Center in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Aug. 14, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Bo) Yangzhou reported six and three locally confirmed cases on Sunday and Monday, respectively, according to the provincial health commission. "The new cases are mostly concentrated in the group under control measures, indicating that the spread of the virus is under control to some extent," said Zhang Jinhong, deputy head of the Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission. The province mobilized more than 3,000 medical workers to help with massive nucleic acid testings in Yangzhou, with a permanent population of 4.55 million. "We spared no effort to treat every patient," said Yang Yi, an intensive care expert with Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University in Nanjing. Yang added that some critically ill patients were getting better with the introduction of ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines. A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident for nucleic acid testing at a residential community in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Aug. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, also reported new local infections among several migrant workers. Within five days, over 11.28 million residents in the megacity had been tested thanks to the efforts of over 28,000 medical workers in more than 2,800 sampling sites, the municipal government said. "We worked in the laboratory around the clock to ensure reliable and timely test results," said Shao Lihua, director of the PCR laboratory of the KingMed Diagnostics in Wuhan. His department tested up to 28,000 nucleic acid samples in a single day. Having experienced the epidemic outbreak last year, Shao said what impressed him most was that the country regards protecting people and their lives as its top priority. Wuhan organized 21 medical experts covering respiratory, critical medicine, infection, iconography, and other disciplines, to provide tailored treatment for all COVID-19 patients, said Huang Chaolin, director of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. In Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, community workers provided door-to-door nucleic acid testing and disinfection services in neighborhoods under closed-off management. Volunteers delivered living necessities and medicine for residents every day. On Aug. 13, the city cleared its medium and high-risk areas. PEOPLE-CENTERED APPROACHES Zhangjiajie, a popular tourist destination in Hunan Province, recently registered a new cluster of infections. Local authorities provided free accommodation and food for stranded visitors and arranged medical staff to conduct nucleic acid tests for tourists at hotels. Tourist Zhang Maodi from Shanghai exercises in his room at a quarantine hotel in Wulingyuan District of Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, Aug. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) A psychological medical team provided mental health consulting to residents, tourists, and medical workers. The province also organized experts in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to develop customized treatment programs for severe cases, moderate cases, mild ones, and asymptomatic carriers, respectively. Since the outbreak, Yangzhou has established a rapid response mechanism and introduced relief measures for socially disadvantaged groups. The city had given living allowances totaling 3.7 million yuan (about 572,000 U.S. dollars) to 5,013 households as of Aug. 10. The city also provided daily necessities and living subsidies to people in difficulties, especially persons with disabilities and children. On Sunday, the first five patients were discharged from Yangzhou No.3 People's Hospital. They were transferred to another hospital for 14 days of recovery observation before returning to their communities. "I am happy to see patients who are better and discharged from the hospital. It has greatly improved our confidence in the fight against the epidemic," said Shu Yusheng, president of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital in Yangzhou. "The nutrition recipe, mental health counseling, and rehabilitation training make us feel relieved. We have confidence in full recovery soon," said an asymptomatic patient who received rehabilitation treatment in Changde City, Hunan. (Written by Zhang Dan, Ma Xiaoran, Zhang Yujie, Zhang Ge, Yue Wenwan, Chen Shengyi. Video Reporters: Cheng Ji'an, Ding Chunyu; Video editor: Peng Ying.) Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 23:34:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JUBA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 27 civilians have been killed and 29 others injured in the past two days due to inter-communal violence in South Sudan's Warrap state, a local government official confirmed on Tuesday. Riing Deng Ading, Warrap State Minister of Information said the clashes started on Sunday between Luany-Jang community, and Lou Paher community and Thiik community. He told Xinhua on the phone that local authorities in the state are making efforts to reinforce the security situation in the areas affected to contain the situation which is rapidly deteriorating. Deng called on youth from the rival communities of Warrap state to cease fighting and embrace dialogue as the only solution to peace and tranquility in the region. Since 2019, South Sudan has been experiencing a surge in communal violence in Jonglei, Warrap and Lakes states mainly due to cattle rustling, child abduction and revenge killings. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 23:40:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping Tuesday stressed efforts to promote common prosperity in the pursuit of high-quality development and coordinate work on forestalling major financial risks. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at the tenth meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs. He is also head of the committee. Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization, Xi said, calling for adhering to the people-centered development philosophy and promoting common prosperity while pursuing high-quality development. Noting that finance is the core of the modern economy, the president stressed that efforts to fend off major financial risks should be coordinated in line with market principles and the rule of law. Other Chinese leaders including Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng attended the meeting. The meeting heard reports from relevant departments on advancing common prosperity as well as forestalling major financial risks and stabilizing financial development. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 23:40:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL -- Taliban urged people in Afghanistan to live their routine lives on Tuesday, while Asian countries including Japan, Nepal, India and the Philippines have evacuated diplomats and citizens from the country, two days after the group took control of the Afghan capital. The Taliban declared a general amnesty and called on people to live their normal lives with confidence. It urged government employees to return to work and women to join its government. (Afghanistan-Taliban-Kabul) - - - - BISHKEK -- Seven people were killed and over 10 others were injured in a collision involving a minibus and a truck in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul Oblast, the country's Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry's press office said that the accident took place on a highway at the Kubaki mountain pass. A traffic division of the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a preliminary report that the accident occurred at a turning as the truck's braking system failed. (Kyrgyzstan-Road Accident) - - - - MOSCOW -- The only flight prototype of Russia's new Il-112V light military transport aircraft crashed in the Moscow region on Tuesday, killing all three crew members. The turboprop plane hit the ground when landing at the Kubinka airfield near Moscow, its producer the United Aircraft Corporation confirmed. (Russia-Plane crash) - - - - TOKYO -- The Japanese government decided on Tuesday to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency covering Tokyo and other areas to Sept. 12, while expanding the measure to seven more prefectures. The decision was made amid a resurgence of infections that shows no signs of subsiding. (Japan-COVID-19 Emergency) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 00:04:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close URUMQI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Foreign politicians and scholars have spoken highly of anti-terrorism and de-radicalization measures in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and called for deepening cooperation in the area to tackle future challenges. They expressed their views via video link at an international symposium held on Monday by the Xinjiang Development Research Center. More than 30 officials, politicians and scholars from 16 countries participated in the symposium. John Ross, a British scholar and senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, blasted some Western media outlets for spreading political lies about Xinjiang that lack sufficient evidence. Citing Chinese census data that show a growing Uygur population, Ross dismissed the allegation of the so-called genocide in Xinjiang and suggested everyone go there to see the real situation with their own eyes. Jean Pegouret, president of Saphir Eurasia Promotion agency, accused some Western countries of hyping up the so-called Xinjiang-related issues in an attempt to stir up chaos and hinder China's development. China has accumulated a lot of experience in combating terrorism and further improved the well-being of people in Xinjiang, said Pegouret. Uwe Behrens, a German expert on China and a well-known writer, hailed China's effective measures to combat terrorism while improving people's living standards and strengthening ethnic unity. Behrens, who lived in China for 27 years and once worked in Xinjiang, said China should continue to play its role in maintaining regional peace and stability and unite with other countries to fight terrorism. His view was echoed by other experts, who expressed high expectations for greater international anti-terrorism cooperation. "Egypt and China are both victims of terrorism. I hope we can strengthen contacts in the field of anti-terrorism and jointly safeguard peace and stability," said former Egyptian Ambassador to China Ali Hefny. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 00:24:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Tuesday that Serbia stands by the Lebanese population amid the current difficult circumstances in the country, the National News Agency reported. The minister said that his country will offer 40,000 Sputnik COVID-19 vaccines to the Lebanese and his country is ready to help Lebanon in modernizing its COVID-19 vaccination platform. Selakovic added that his country will send 45 tons of food to Lebanon by next month. The minister's remarks came during his visit to Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab. Selakovic also met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun to whom he conveyed the greetings of the Serbian president. Aoun told Selakovic that Lebanon is keen to bolster bilateral relations with Serbia. He also briefed the Serbian minister about the crises prevailing in Lebanon. Aoun thanked Serbia for its assistance and support following the explosions that rocked the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 00:29:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TIRANA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Albania's Defense Minister Niko Peleshi said on Tuesday that the severe wildfires that have affected several parts of the country since mid-July have burned around 3,000 hectares of land. Peleshi made the statement during a meeting held at Tirana International Airport on the situation of forest fires in Albania. "We estimate around 3,000 hectares of damage in our forestland so far. It is a considerable number, but the good news is that 2,300 hectares are bushes, while the rest are pine trees and other plants," Peleshi said. During the meeting, Peleshi introduced the areas where authorities are currently working to extinguish the active fires. According to him, the largest wildfires are in Puka and Lezha regions. Last week, according to the EU Delegation to Tirana, around 50 specialized personnel arrived from the EU Member States to assist Albania in fighting wildfires. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 01:09:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LILONGWE, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera, who is the new chairperson for the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), has bemoaned inequalities and disparities in accessing COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. Chakwera voiced the concern Tuesday when he accepted the Chair of the regional body at the 41st Ordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State held in Malawi capital, Lilongwe. The new SADC Chair said the inequalities and disparities must be tackled head on as they are seriously hindering efforts to save the lives of millions in the SADC. "I want to make a larger point to the rest of the global community: The inequalities and disparities we are seeing in the distribution and production of COVID-19 vaccines are symptomatic of an old geopolitical framework that is no longer working, no longer sustainable, and no longer acceptable," said Chakwera. "I am referring to a framework that regards the world as an animal farm in which some nations are more equal than others; I am referring to a framework that regards some nationalities as more special than others; I am referring to a framework that regards some human lives as more worthy of saving than others," he continued. The SADC Chair said African countries are full members of the global community and that, as such, Africans have a moral duty to refuse to be treated as second class citizens, for the sake of the dignity of all human beings everywhere. He further said time has come for Africans to insist that a vaccine that preserves and sustains a person's basic right to life belongs to all nations, no matter who discovered it. "I repeat," added Chakwera, "treating African nations and nationals as second-class members of the global community is no longer acceptable. We do not accept it. We will not accept it. We cannot accept it." "At a regional level like SADC, this means recognizing that our truest friends in this world are not those who are satisfied to see us continue in our poverty so that they can sustain their messianic complex as our benefactors and liberators," said him. Most African countries, including SADC member states, have been accessing COVID-19 vaccine doses through the AU-COVAX Facility and donations leading to frequent stock-outs amid high demand of the vaccine across the continent. The 41st Ordinary SADC Summit is being held under the theme Bolstering Productive capacities in the face of COVID-19 Pandemic for Inclusive, Sustainable, Economic and Industrial Transformation. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 01:27:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the government-controlled Yemeni provinces reached 7,347 on Tuesday with 39 new cases, as the country's health authorities declared a third wave of the coronavirus. According to a brief statement released by the country's Ministry of Health, two new deaths and 17 recoveries were also officially recorded by the medical teams. It said that the total confirmed deaths reached 1,407 and recoveries rose to 4,543 in the government-controlled provinces. Meanwhile, Yemen's health minister Qassem Buhaibah declared that his country began battling a third wave of COVID-19, calling on the people for adherence to the precautionary measures. He said that that "during the past week, a sharp rise of confirmed COVID-19 cases were officially detected and some medical centers began to be crowded with patients as the third wave of the infection is spreading." The Yemeni minister urged the citizens in the war-ravaged Arab country to abide by the precautionary procedures approved by the health authorities in their regions. Last month, the United Nations warned that COVID-19 cases have increased in Yemen, triggering fears that the country is facing the third wave of the pandemic amid the worsening humanitarian crisis. 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 Yemenis are being pushed to the brink, it said. The 3.85-billion-U.S.-dollar humanitarian response plan for Yemen is currently only 47 percent funded, and most of the money available will run out in September, said the OCHA. "Additional and predictable funding is urgently needed so that people can continue receiving the lifesaving assistance." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 02:06:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharibabadi, and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Ulyanov, discussed the restart of the talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, state TV reported on Tuesday. The two sides discussed the resumption of the Vienna talks about the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as well as the issues on the agenda of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concerning Iran's nuclear program. The report did not reveal further details about the meeting. Former U.S. president Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed old and new sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019. After six rounds of talks in Vienna since April, the parties said serious differences remain between Iran and the United States for the revitalization of the deal. The sixth round of talks ended on June 20, with the talks currently on hiatus. On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the United States need to fulfill its nuke commitments and "complete and effective" lifting of unilateral sanctions against Iran. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 02:16:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Forces loyal to Yemen's government declared killing 15 members of the Houthi rebel group in an ambush in the country's oil-rich province of Marib on Tuesday. According to a brief statement released by the country's Ministry of Defence, the army soldiers backed by local tribal fighters set up a well-planned ambush and attacked the Houthi rebels in Al-Mashjah area in Marib's western part. It clarified that the government forces ambushed the Houthi rebels while they were attempting to infiltrate into key military positions controlled by the army. The Yemeni ministry pointed out that the operation resulted in the killing of nearly 15 Houthi rebels and injuring several others. No information, however, was given about casualties among the soldiers of the government during the exchange of fire with the Houthi rebels in Marib. 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. Yemen's civil war flared up in late 2014 when the 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| 2021-08-18 03:08:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday said the relationship between Iran and Iraq are beyond merely neighborly relations, official IRNA news agency reported. "The nations of Iran and Iraq have common aspirations," said Raisi in a telephone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. "A strong, independent, united, secure and prosperous Iraq is not only our dream, but also an agenda of the two countries by developing bilateral and regional cooperation," he was quoted as saying. Iran supports any initiative that stabilizes the situation in Iraq and promotes its role in the region, he said, alluding to an imminent regional summit to be held in Baghdad. "The interference of foreigners in the affairs of the region is neither helpful for the security and stability, nor a ground for development and progress of the region," he stressed. With reference to the war in Yemen, he noted that everyone should seek to stop the war in Yemen and respect the right of its people "to determine their own destiny." For his part, al-Kadhimi said that "Tehran is a real partner for Baghdad and has always been by the side of the Iraqi government and people in difficult circumstances." "The region is witnessing great challenges and solving these issues requires wisdom, patience and cooperation of the countries of the region," he added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 17:14:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUANDA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Since April last year, Angola has granted a total of 578.19 billion kwanzas (894 million U.S. dollars) in credit to the real economy, the National Bank of Angola (BNA) announced Monday. The amount disbursed by commercial banks until July totaled 326.82 billion kwanzas (505 million U.S. dollars), up 30.83 billion kwanzas (48 million U.S. dollars), or 10.4 percent compared to that of June, the BNA said in a statement. Since the national bank issued a notice in April last year, a total of 284 credits were disbursed to the real sector of the Angolan economy, with 205 of them being "effective disbursements", reads the statement. Of the amount disbursed, large companies received 59.2 percent, or 193.4 billion kwanzas (299 million U.S. dollars), followed by medium-sized companies with 38.5 percent, or 125.9 billion kwanzas (195 million U.S. dollars). According to the statement, in general terms, the amount approved by the banking sector until July corresponded to 324.7 percent of the minimum amount to be granted until the end of 2021, with the amount actually disbursed representing 183.5 percent. The BNA issued Notice No. 10/20 on April 3, 2020, which defined conditions for the granting of credit to the real economy amid COVID-19. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 17:35:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The cholera epidemic has killed 1,178 people in 23 states and Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, since it broke out in January, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control(NCDC) said Tuesday. In an update of the cholera outbreak in Nigeria, the health agency said 37,819 suspected cases of cholera were reported from 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as of Saturday. "Out of the reported cases, 26 percent were aged 5-14 years, 51 percent were males and 49 percent were females," the NCDC said. There had been a decrease in the number of new cases in the last two weeks, the statement said, noting that the national multi-sectoral emergency system continues to coordinate the national response. Cholera is a highly virulent disease characterized in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhea that can lead to death by severe dehydration. The outbreak is frequently reported in Nigeria due to the lack of potable water supply, especially in densely populated areas. Enditem | 2021-08-17 18:25:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A nurse gives a man a jab of the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Accra, Ghana, on Aug. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Seth) Ghana on Monday began a new round of COVID-19 vaccination with 177,700 single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to be administered, said local health authorities. ACCRA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ghana on Monday began a new round of COVID-19 vaccination with 177,700 single-dose Johnson &Johnson vaccines to be administered, said health authorities. The vaccines that Ghana received under the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust initiative will target persons aged 18 years and above, excluding pregnant women, at selected health points, said the authorities. Elizabeth Acheampong, a teacher of the Ayalolo Cluster of Schools in Accra, the capital of Ghana, told Xinhua after receiving a jab that vaccination at this time was critical to protect everyone against the pandemic in the face of the third wave of infections biting hard at its victims. A woman shows her vaccination card after getting a jab of the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Accra, Ghana, on Aug. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Seth) "Because of the way the pandemic is spreading fast in our communities, it is necessary to come and have the injection for protection," she said. "I encourage all Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians who have not had their COVID-19 jabs yet to take advantage of this period and come for it." Accra, and the Ashanti region are the two hotspots for the pandemic since the outbreak in March 2020. Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 20:19:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 500 refugees fleeing Afghanistan are scheduled to arrive here Tuesday, a government official said. Esther Anyakun, minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, told Xinhua by telephone that more refugees are expected into the east African country. "Most likely a total of 2,000 but tonight 500 are coming," she said without disclosing details. Hundreds of Afghans are fleeing the country after the Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, and took control of the presidential palace Sunday. This will not be the first time Uganda is hosting refugees from outside Africa. According the UN Refugee Agency, Uganda received 7,000 Polish refugees during World War II. Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa, more than 1.45 million, mostly from South Sudan, but also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, according to figures by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:16:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TUNIS, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Since the start of the national vaccination campaign on March 13, a total of 1,842,302 Tunisians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Tunisian health ministry announced on Tuesday. The total number of people registered on the electronic vaccination platform Evax amounted to 5,195,043. According to the latest figures released by the health ministry, 1,062 new COVID-19 cases were reported, raising the total tally in the North African country to 626,750. The death toll from the virus rose by 21 to 22,025 in Tunisia, while the total number of recoveries reached 573,975, the ministry said. A total of 2,409,634 lab tests have been carried out in Tunisia so far, according to the ministry. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:45:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Tuesday voiced full support for any steps that promote security and stability in Somalia. In a statement, Aboul-Gheit hailed the positive results that have been recently accomplished for achieving national consensus as very important for running the delayed legislative elections. He stressed that the AL supports all efforts for continuing the process until holding the presidential elections scheduled in October, and helping the Somali people to meet their aspirations for economic reform. Aboul-Gheit's remarks came during his meeting with the visiting Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble. The two sides highlighted that the constructive dialogue among the Somali parties is the basis for enhancing the national unity in the country. For his part, Roble said the Somali government seeks to push the economic reform," confirming the AL's role in this regard. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 23:22:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NIAMEY, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-seven civilians were killed and four others wounded on Monday afternoon in an attack by unidentified armed men in Niger's village of Darey Dey, located in Banibangou department, Tillabery region, security source said Tuesday morning. The attack was carried out by several heavily armed individuals riding motorcycles against civilians working in their fields, the same source said. The region has in recent years seen a growing number of deadly attacks against the country's armed forces and civilians. Since the beginning of 2021, about 300 civilians have been killed in this area, according to official statistics. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 23:39:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ABUJA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- One policeman and six civilians were killed in a gunmen attack on a construction site of an oil and gas plant project in Nigeria's southern state of Imo, the police said on Tuesday. The deceased were on their way to the oil plant project under construction when they were ambushed by gunmen in Assa, a community in the Ohaji-Egbema local government area of Imo on Monday, said Michael Abattam, a spokesman for the police in that state. The motive of the attack was unclear, Abbatam told Xinhua on the phone. "We (the police) have now put the necessary measures in place to guard all workers in that area because it is prone to attacks," the police officer said. The gunmen fled after unleashing mayhem on the construction workers but the police have launched a search for them, he added. There have been a series of gunmen attacks in Nigeria in recent months, leading to deaths and kidnappings. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-05 08:56:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WELLINGTON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of marriages, civil unions, and divorces fell sharply in 2020, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Thursday. "Last year, 16,779 New Zealand residents celebrated a marriage or civil union," population estimates and projections manager Hamish Slack said in a statement. "Marriages and civil unions have decreased over the last couple of years, down from 19,071 in 2019 and 20,949 in 2018, but with a sharper drop in 2020 than in previous years, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic," Slack said. There was a noticeable drop in marriages coinciding with COVID-19 alert level 4 when people are required to stay at home or move within 2 km from home to prevent community transmission of the virus, he said. During the second quarter (April-June 2020) there were only 1,278 marriages and civil unions, compared with 3,957 in 2019. However, during the other three quarters there were slightly more marriages per quarter in 2020 compared with 2019, he added. The rate of marriages per 1,000 people eligible to marry has dropped to its lowest rate of 8.3 in 2020. This is likely the result of the drop in number of marriages and the continuing population increase, Slack said. The peak marriage rate was in 1971 with 45.5 couples tying the knot per 1,000 eligible people, and it has been trending downwards since, he said. Married couples in New Zealand are required to be separated for at least two years prior to applying for a divorce, which means the effect of COVID-19 on divorces cannot be determined yet, Slack said. After a rise in the number of couples granted a divorce in 2019, which was 8,388 divorces, compared with 7,455 in 2018, the number dropped to 7,707 in 2020. This continues the general downward trend in divorces since the peak in 1982, statistics showed. In 2020 the divorce rate was 7.6 per 1,000 married couples, compared with an average of 8.4 over the previous five years, Stats NZ said. The impact of COVID-19 border closures was reflected in the sharp drop in marriages and civil unions for overseas residents in New Zealand. In 2020, only 1,248 marriages and civil unions were registered to overseas residents, down from 2,889 in 2019 and 3,120 in 2018, it said. For the overseas residents who did marry in New Zealand in 2020, 90 percent of these marriages took place in the months of January, February, and March, before the COVID-19 alert level 4 restrictions came into place in late March, Slack said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 16:24:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodians nationwide have been required to wear face masks as the Southeast Asian nation reported 556 new COVID-19 cases and 14 more deaths on Tuesday. In a statement released late on Monday, Health Minister Mam Bunheng imposed a mandatory mask-wearing rule in additional 15 provinces, bringing all of the kingdom's 25 cities and provinces under the rule. "Requirements for wearing face masks and maintaining a physical distancing (of 1.5 meters from each other) must be implemented from now on until further notice," he said. The minister also instructed local authorities to take action to ensure the effective implementation of the requirements. Under its law, first-time violators will receive a warning, as repeat offenders will be fined between 50 to 250 U.S. dollars. Cambodia has been enduring the third wave of COVID-19 community transmission since Feb. 20. To date, the kingdom registered a total of 86,597 COVID-19 cases, with 81,918 recoveries and 1,718 fatalities, the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The country began a COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 10, aiming to inoculate 12 million people, or 75 percent, of its 16 million population by November. As of Aug. 16, some 9.04 million people, or 56.5 percent of the total population, have received at least one vaccine dose, while 7.36 million of them, or 46 percent, have completed the two-dose inoculation, the ministry said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 16:46:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Nepalis who worked in Afghanistan arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal on Aug. 17, 2021. As many as 118 Nepalis arrived in the capital Kathmandu from Afghanistan via Kuwait on Tuesday, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. (Xinhua/Sulav Shrestha) KATHMANDU, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- As many as 118 Nepalis arrived in the capital Kathmandu from Afghanistan via Kuwait on Tuesday, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "Arrival of Nepali nationals from Afghanistan has started," the ministry stated in a social media post. "As many as 118 of them have arrived at Kathmandu airport by a chartered aircraft via Kuwait this morning." Sewa Lamal, spokesperson of the Nepali Foreign Ministry, said that the Nepali government had made a request to various foreign governments having presence in Afghanistan for help in bringing out Nepalis. "We are expecting the arrival of more Nepalis today in the country," she told Xinhua. As many as 164 Nepalis and two Afghan nationals had been back in Nepal between Aug. 5 and 15, according to Nepal's Department of Immigration. It is unclear how many Nepalis are in Afghanistan, and the Nepali government once barred Nepali citizens from working in Afghanistan in July 2016 after 13 Nepalis working in the Canadian Embassy in Kabul as security guards were killed in an attack. The ban was lifted four months later as a large number of Nepalis went to Afghanistan through informal channels for relatively high pay. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 18:02:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-five Filipinos evacuated from Afghanistan arrived in the Philippine capital Manila on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. "The 35 Filipinos from Afghanistan, (whose) respective companies evacuated to Doha, Qatar, joined the DFA chartered plane from Doha to Manila," the DFA said in a brief statement, adding that 132 more Filipinos were awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan. The Philippines started moving out its citizens from Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban gained control of the country. On Sunday, the DFA issued an alert level 4 for Afghanistan "due to the uncertain security situation in the country." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:53:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian police on Tuesday seized 37 dead marmots, which could have spread the bubonic plague, according to the country's ecological police department. The dead marmots were seized from a citizen who was attempting to sell them in the Bayangol district of the country's capital Ulan Bator, the police department said. While hunting marmots is illegal in Mongolia, many Mongolians ignore the law and regard rodents as a delicacy. The bubonic plague is a bacterial disease spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots and can kill an adult within 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organization. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:55:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BISHKEK, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed and over 10 others were injured in a collision involving a minibus and a truck in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul Oblast, the country's Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry's press office said that the accident took place on a highway at the Kubaki mountain pass. A traffic division of the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a preliminary report that the accident occurred at a turning as the truck's braking system failed. A total of 23 people were involved in the accident. Five people, namely two men and three women were killed at the scene. Two others including a child died in a hospital later. At least 10 people with various injuries were taken to hospitals, the Emergencies Ministry report said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 19:56:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming speaks at a Chinese vaccine co-production signing ceremony in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 16, 2021. Bangladesh is all set to start locally manufacturing China's Sinopharm COVID-19 inactivated vaccine as an agreement on co-production of the Chinese jab was signed via video with relevant authorities. (Xinhua) DHAKA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh is all set to start locally manufacturing China's Sinopharm COVID-19 inactivated vaccine as an agreement on co-production of the Chinese jab was signed via video with relevant authorities. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between China's Sinopharm Group, Bangladesh's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Incepta Vaccine Ltd., a leading local vaccine manufacturing company, on Monday afternoon. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said that the successful signing of the MoU will be a successful model for cooperation between China and South Asian countries. He emphasized that vaccine cooperation requires full mobilization and joint efforts from the government and enterprises. Bangladeshi Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said the signing of the agreement is a new milestone in China-Bangladesh's relationship. The minister expressed the hope that the local production of the Chinese vaccine will be started as soon as possible. For his part, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said it is a historic day for Bangladesh and China-Bangladesh friendship. Liu Jingzhen, chairman of Sinopharm Group, said after the agreement is implemented, the Bangladeshi company will be able to distribute at least 5 million doses of COVID-19 inactivated vaccine every month in the country for local pandemic prevention and control. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:34:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Taliban urged people in Afghanistan to live their routine lives on Tuesday, while Asian countries including Japan, Nepal, India and the Philippines have evacuated diplomats and citizens from the country, two days after the group took control of the Afghan capital. The Taliban declared a general amnesty and called on people to live their normal lives with confidence. It urged government employees to return to work and women to join its government. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the situation in Kabul was completely under control, and law and order had returned to the city. Media reported that senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi had held several rounds of talks with the Afghan leadership, and talks were going on on how the Taliban-led government could absorb new members beyond the Taliban and how the current rights could be preserved. Evacuation flights carrying diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan's capital continued as of Tuesday afternoon, a witness confirmed. "Military flights are continuing in Kabul airport. Roughly at 3:28 p.m. (local time), a huge cargo plane took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport," witness Farhad Mohammdi who lives near the Kabul airport told Xinhua. "All Monday night, huge planes were taking off or landing in the airport. The sound of four-engine military cargo planes could be heard from Monday night to early hours of the day (Tuesday)," he said. The United States is taking charge of air traffic control at the airport for military and commercial flights as around 2,500 U.S. soldiers are in Kabul to assist the evacuation of U.S. personnel and others, according to reports. Earlier on Tuesday, unconfirmed reports said Taliban officials suspended all flights in the airport. On Monday morning, all commercial flights from Kabul's airport were suspended amid a big rush of people at the airport. A government official said an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 plane evacuated over 120 Indians, including diplomats, from Kabul and landed in the western state of Gujarat on Tuesday. During the day, Japan has evacuated all personnel from its embassy in Kabul due to the possible deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and established a temporary office in Istanbul for resuming the embassy's operations. As many as 118 Nepalis arrived in the capital Kathmandu from Afghanistan via Kuwait on Tuesday, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Sewa Lamal, the spokesperson of the Nepali Foreign Ministry, said the Nepali government had made a request to various foreign governments having presence in Afghanistan for help in bringing out Nepalis. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines said 35 Filipinos had been evacuated from Afghanistan after it issued an alert level 4 "due to the uncertain security situation in the country" on Sunday. Taliban spokesman Mujahid reiterated that the lives and properties of people were safe as there are reports that the Taliban has arrested about 200 people involved in the looting of government properties and vehicles. The Taliban leadership has ordered its members that "no one is allowed to enter anyone's house without permission. Life, property and honor of none shall be harmed but must be protected," Mujahid said. Taliban members on Monday took control of the outside of Kabul airport while thousands of U.S. forces were inside the airport helping to evacuate the crowds. At least 10 Afghans were reportedly killed in the stampede and shooting inside the airport within the past two days. The offices of the Afghan Public Health Ministry and the Kabul municipality were reopened on Monday. Wahid Majrooh, acting minister of public health, appeared together with Taliban public health representatives in televised footage, urging medical workers including female medical employees to return to their jobs. Small shops were also reopened around the city while banks and business centers mostly remained closed as of Tuesday morning. Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday night, while the Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul and took control of the presidential palace. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:22:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen believed to be militants Tuesday shot dead a local level leader of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The slain leader identified as Javid Ahmad Dar was attacked outside his residence at village Brazloo Jagir of Kulgam district, about 56 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. Police blame militants for the killing. "Militants today fired upon Javid Ahmad Dar outside his residence from a point-blank range here," a police official posted in Kulgam told Xinhua. "Though he was immediately removed to the nearest hospital, however, the health officials posted there declared him brought dead." Reports said Dar was a BJP member in charge of a local constituency segment for the last three years. Following the killing, police teams rushed to the spot to nab the assailants. Last week gunmen barged into the rented accommodation of a BJP leader in adjacent Anantnag district and shot him dead along with his wife. The husband was a rural body head, while his wife was a rural body member. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 17:19:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A prototype of Russia's new Il-112V military transport aircraft crashed in the Moscow region and its crew members were killed in the incident, local media reported on Tuesday. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 21:58:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SKOPJE, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani confirmed on Tuesday that a diplomat from the Russian embassy in Skopje has been declared persona non grata and expelled. "As such information is usually confidential, I cannot go into details, but whenever the Ministry of Foreign Affairs receives confirmed and documented information on the conduct of accredited foreign diplomats, which is contrary to the principles of the Vienna Convention, it takes measures to protect its national security, but also the security of the allies in the alliance to which we belong," Osmani told a press conference. Some local media have reported that the diplomat is a deputy military attache at the embassy, who committed "inappropriate diplomatic actions." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 22:19:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Tuesday that Britain is looking at "bespoke" resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Raab told the BBC that details of the new resettlement scheme would be set out by the British home secretary and prime minister "in due course". Britain had already admitted more than 3,300 Afghan interpreters, staff and their families for resettlement, according to the British Home Office. The Taliban said on Sunday that the war in Afghanistan has ended, and they will soon declare the establishment of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" while taking responsible actions to ensure the safety of Afghan citizens. Raab admitted on Monday that the speed of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan came as a surprise to the British government. "Everyone, I think, has been surprised by the scale and the pace at which the Taliban have taken over in Afghanistan," he said. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the U.S. decision to pull out of Afghanistan has "accelerated things". The British parliament will be recalled on Wednesday from their summer recess to debate the British government's response to the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan. British defense secretary Ben Wallace on Friday said the U.S. decision to pull its military forces out of Afghanistan was a "mistake," which has handed the Taliban "momentum" in the country. "Of course I am worried, it is why I said I felt this was not the right time or decision to make because, of course, al-Qaida will probably come back, certainly would like that type of breeding ground," he told Sky News. Enditem Khartoum According to the Epidemics Control General Administration of the federal Ministry of Health, the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant in Sudan has not been confirmed yet. Red Sea state is vaccinating people at a rate of 6,000 people per day. Doctor Mohamed El Hafes Khidir, Director of the Epidemics Control Administration, presented his ministry's report on the spread of COVID-19 between January 25-July 25 at the premises of the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) on Tuesday. Though the COVID-19 Delta variant is rapidly spreading in the world, it's existence in Sudan has not been confirmed yet, he said. The states of Khartoum, El Gezira, Red Sea and River Nile are mostly affected. Khidir attributed the recent, rapid spread of COVID-19 in Port Sudan and some other places in Red Sea state to "the trade activities and continuous traffic" in the region. The health official called on all Sudanese to stay committed to the health precautionary measures in order to curb the renewed corona virus outbreak. The Director of the federal Health Ministry's Immunisation Department, Doctor Ismail Suleiman El Sheikh, announced on Tuesday that the Red Sea state has received 30,000 COVID-19 vaccination doses. The vaccination campaign there continues at a rate of 6,000 people per day. Earlier this week, Radio Dabanga reported a surge of coronavirus cases in the east Sudanese state, where the main sea ports are located. The increase was noted since mid-June with 289 cases recorded in Red Sea state in three weeks. Doctors in the area have called for a closure of Red Sea state's national and international borders, and a three-week lockdown. Africa & Us: Lack Of Transparency In Us Military Footprint Expansion In Africa. PANGEA-RISK https://www.pangea-risk.com/ published a special report on Africa & Us: Lack Of Transparency In Us Military Footprint Expansion In Africa. While the US is pledging to reinvigorate economic and commercial engagements with Africa, a planned drawdown of US troops on the continent is unlikely to proceed. Biden administration policy advisers are advocating to maintain the US military footprint in Africa, as well as to ramp up its presence on the continent to protect US commercial and other interests. Instead, the US military is spending extensively on operational bases and formulating longer-term strategic plans to maintain its footprint in Africa. These plans include often controversial deals signed with small and economically dependent states such as Djibouti and Cape Verde. The expansion of US military interests has attracted growing criticism from activist groups and Africa's political opposition, particularly over a lack of accountability and transparency in such deployments. While US military operations in East Africa are well-publicised, its growing activities in West Africa are under-reported, while some West African governments have not been transparent in their agreements with the US. The Cape Verdean government has attempted to amend the constitution to allow for the full implementation of the US Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). US military personnel are already deployed in Cape Verde and are often spotted concealing arms while dressed in civilian outfits. The ongoing controversy over the presence of US military personnel in Cape Verde and the ongoing debate surrounding the SOFA relate to Cape Verde's broader erosion of judicial institutions. The family expresses wide-ranging concerns about the handling of the prosecution of suspects linked to the murder of the Super TV boss. The family of Michael Ataga, the Super TV boss, who was brutally killed on June 15, has hired a popular senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, to ensure the culprits involved in the murder are brought to book. Chidinma Ojukwu, an undergraduate at the University of Lagos, had confessed to the police how she murdered Mr Ataga in a service apartment at Lekki area of Lagos State. Ms Ojukwu, 21, a 300-level Mass Communication student, while being paraded by the police at the state command in Ikeja, said she began a romantic relationship with Mr Ataga four months earlier. The police, in a statement, said Ms Ojukwu, on June 15 at about 5 p.m., allegedly murdered Mr Ataga, 50, by stabbing him several times with a sharp object. According to the police, the suspect had booked the apartment two days earlier and left the scene of the alleged murder around 5.30 p.m. In a statement on Sunday, Mr Ozekhome said the bereaved family hired him "to protect and defend the interests of the Ataga family and his teeming friends, admirers, kinsmen, and business associates, to ensure that justice is duly served in the matter." The Ataga family, in its instruction letter to Mr Ozekhome, decried alleged low level of professionalism exhibited so far by the police in bringing to book and prosecuting the alleged perpetrators of the crime, involving "Ataga's unprovoked and cold blooded murder". Family's concerns 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. Only a few days ago, Mr Ataga's family had accused the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, of being complicit in an alleged attempt to protect the killers of Ataga. The family said that they were shocked that the prosecution of the 21-year old prime suspect in Ataga's murder, Ms Ojukwu was arraigned at a Chief Magistrate Court, Yaba, without even being informed about the arraignment coming up. The family had also said that one Babalola Disu, who was arraigned for allegedly preventing the police from performing their duties and failing to report a crime to the police, is "highly suspected to have carried out the murder". Mr Ataga's family premised its suspicion on information they received to the effect that Mr Disu's short rental apartment was directly opposite the apartment where Mr Ataga was killed. The Ataga's family had also decried the alleged comfortable movement to the court and from the court back to the prison of Ms Ojukwu, in an Uber ride. They queried why this was done without even handcuffs and without being informed of the intending arraignment. The family also alleged that the man who had claimed to be Ms Ojukwu's father and who was also charged at the magistrate's court for obstructing police investigation, was actually not Ms Ojukwu's biological father after all, but her "sugar daddy". analysis Tighter gun control would bolster the governments commitment to fighting gender-based violence. Fifty-eight percent of South Africa's domestic violence murder victims from April to June 2020 were women, according to national police statistics. Sixty-seven percent of these women were killed by a current or ex-intimate partner. In such cases, femicide is the final act in a pattern of chronic and escalating abuse. South Africa's rate of femicide has been estimated at six times higher than the global average. Research has consistently shown that having access to a firearm is a major risk factor in intimate femicide. In her book Femicide in South Africa, Nechama Brodie indicates that more than 80% of femicide victims attacked by their partner were 'killed by a firearm injury, mostly from a single gunshot to the head or face ... In three-quarters of these cases, the perpetrator is a legal firearm owner using a licensed weapon.' This is not unique to South Africa - World Health Organization recommendations on how to tackle femicide emphasise strengthening gun laws and reducing gun ownership. This is based on research that has consistently shown that increased ownership of firearms is generally associated with an increase in homicide. Research has consistently shown that access to a firearm is a major risk factor in intimate femicide Results from a study assessing the impact of the Firearms Control Act on firearm homicide in five of South Africa's largest cites indicate that the implementation of the law saved the lives of 4 585 people between 2001 and 2005. This is why the government's current review of the act is important, as it seeks to further restrict public ownership of guns. Such a step can add to the ongoing measures to address gender-based violence in the country. Last year the government adopted the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide National Strategic Plan and created a Femicide Watch website. This shows a renewed commitment to addressing what has been dubbed an 'epidemic' and a 'national crisis.' But while the plan is essential and the website provides useful resources to the public, it isn't enough to stop femicide and gender-based violence - or even reduce it significantly. Femicide is predictable because it usually follows prior incidents of abuse, the WHO research shows. Moreover, it indicates that most perpetrators are or were intimate male partners. A lot is known about patterns of violence in intimate relationships and their associated predictive factors. We know that if not tackled early, violence and abuse tend to escalate over time, and with that, the risks of femicide. Examples of escalating abuse include stalking, controlling behaviour, and threatening to harm a child or pet. Although not all abusive relationships end in the murder of a woman, many do. Stricter gun control is a critical preventive strategy for intimate femicide and violence against women more generally. Fewer guns mean fewer femicides. Government's national plan against gender-based violence isn't enough to significantly reduce femicide However, not everyone supports more gun control in South Africa. Since the act was gazetted for comments in May, over 100 000 submissions have been received, and debates between the pro- and anti-gun lobbies have been reignited. This shows that gun control is a contentious issue in the country. One of the unsupported assertions from the pro-firearm lobby has been that removing firearms for self-defence would place women at risk of gender-based violence. However, the facts show a very different picture. First, of all registered firearm owners in South Africa, only 19% are women. This makes it essential to hear whether the majority of the country's women (who don't own guns) support firearm ownership. Second, there is no evidence that having a firearm increases the owner's safety. In fact, when it comes to femicide, there is plenty of evidence that the presence of a gun is a real risk factor. A common counter-argument can be anticipated: that stricter gun control alone isn't enough to eliminate femicide since it could still be committed with other weapons. That is true. However, as Brodie reminds us, fewer guns in the hands of potential perpetrators would prevent a great number of deaths. And other kinds of weapons are not as lethal as guns. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Women Legal Affairs South Africa 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 must hear from the majority of women (who don't own guns) whether they support firearm ownership It is also vital that police take reports of domestic and intimate partner violence seriously. They need to be trained to recognise and intervene in cases of potential femicide by identifying risk factors for perpetration or when women make multiple reports of being re-victimised Reducing gender-based violence and femicide requires the attention of all South Africans, including government, civil society and the business sector. Any approaches should however be linked to controlling firearm access by amending the Firearms Control Act. This will save lives. Jody van der Heyde, Research Intern, Justice and Violence Prevention, ISS Pretoria This article is funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe briefs the media on the gazetting of the Mining Charter in 2018. analysis South Africa's mining industry faces decline without international investment, but political uncertainty and civil unrest only impedes hopes to rejuvenate it. Mining unquestionably remains one of South Africa's most important economic sectors, contributing 8-10 per cent of national GDP and, on average, each of its almost half a million strong labour force providing income for nine dependents. But South Africa's share of the global mining exploration expenditure dropped a staggering 20.5 per cent in 2020 to rank only sixth in Africa and represent less than one per cent of the global exploration spend - its lowest place in decades and a devastating position for a country whose geological attractiveness should protect its status as a top global player. Despite still being valued at $77.4 million, this huge reduction in exploration has adverse knock-on effects for the pipeline of planned investment in brownfield, mid-stream and downstream mineral value chain projects, and the supply chain, all of which will shrink the industry at least for the foreseeable future. Anxieties around policy and regulatory uncertainty are compounded by the longstanding concerns about the ANC leadership's handling of its factional divisions South African mining is proving vulnerable to global competition for finance and skills, with restricted foreign direct investment into greenfield projects and marginal deposits - and it faces political risks such as an unpredictable regulatory landscape, fears of resource nationalism, and difficult community relations driving declining investment. On 12 August, Exxaro Resources CEO Mxolisi Mgojo, although announcing positive results, singled out recent unrest and poor performance of state-run infrastructure as 'clearly negative' to immediate operational stability and long-term investment efficiency and attractiveness. The overall effect is to significantly tarnish South Africa's reputation as a top tier mining nation and leave President Cyril Ramaphosa's investment ambitions facing a considerable battle to succeed when the industrial centrepiece of his country's economy is now under threat and the worrying figures show rejuvenation is badly needed. But this rejuvenation could prove hard to achieve, as AngloGold Ashanti's sale of the Mponeng gold mine in 2020 was just the latest example of companies divesting to focus on more profitable geographies. And Anglo American's move away from thermal coal operations highlights the global pressure the industry faces to reduce carbon emissions - an area in which South Africa has significant room for improvement. Long-term political risks Anxieties around policy and regulatory uncertainty are compounded by the longstanding concerns about the ANC leadership's handling of its factional divisions. The ongoing failure of the national political leadership to prevent party-political infighting escalating into large-scale civil unrest has shocked international investors, reinforced by widespread media coverage of looting, vandalism, and the failure of law enforcement to intervene. This fragile environment has been created by years of worsening socio-economic conditions and a culture of impunity emanating from the political class. The apparent absence of police and security forces, the slowness by national leadership to respond, and the reliance on vigilantes in communities, are all signs of just how ill-prepared public institutions are for civil strife. Ramaphosa can no longer hide behind blaming 'bad apples' within the ANC as the narrative of 'virtuous reformers' struggling against corrupt factions has worn thin. Corruption allegations against Gwede Mantashe - Ramaphosa's ally and minister of mineral resources and energy - simply demonstrates how far the rot has spread and casts doubt on the prospect of mining sector reform being conducted with openness and integrity. The industry also anticipates government pressure to increase rents and revenues from mining. Although there is widespread agreement that the government must do more to tackle the socio-economic grievances underpinning aspects of the recent unrest, South Africa already has a comparatively high marginal corporate tax rate and three iterations of the Black Economic Empowerment regulations have left firms frustrated by moving goalposts and fearful of future changes. The long-awaited Mining Charter III in 2019 retained controversial provisions such as the open-ended power of the minister to make discretionary amendments. There is also widespread suspicion increased revenue is not sufficient to heal South Africa's deeper social wounds. Successive ANC administrations have talked of the 'social compact' between government, business, and labour. But this has become dominated by organized labour leaving many marginalized, and cyclical labour unrest, corporate anxiety, and the recent violence witnessed in the Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu-Natal provinces underline how strained these relationships remain. The elusive social licence Such dynamics create a troublesome context for what the mining industry calls its 'social license to operate', which is an acceptance by stakeholders, especially at community level, based on the perception of mutual benefit. Although the recent unrest had little direct impact on mining operations - MC Mining's Uitkomst mine was the only one to shut its gates - social challenges are a continual headache for the industry. Rio-Tinto's RMB closed in June having faced repeated bouts of local violence and tension over recent years despite significant efforts to improve community relations. Companies are fearful of being caught between the state and its citizens, or as being cast as a scapegoat for government inability to provide for its people Community support is difficult to gauge, particularly when large operations border multiple communities, and it is increasingly hard to identify key stakeholders or develop strategies to engage them. National and local power structures are in flux, and stakeholder engagement requires maintaining relationships with multiple ministries, local administrative bodies, and traditional authorities, as well as civil society groups, unions, faith leaders, community leaders, and many others. Echoing throughout all this remains the ANC party and its factional allegiances which brought Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu-Natal close to the brink of chaos. Companies are fearful of being caught between the state and its citizens, or as being cast as a scapegoat for government inability to provide for its people. Securing a social licence to operate in South Africa is becoming increasingly difficult anyway, regardless of investments in community well-being. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Mining Business 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. Pressure is high for Ramaphosa's administration to reassert the global competitiveness of the nation's mining sector. In 2020, South Africa came 60th out of 77 jurisdictions in the Fraser Institute's Annual Survey of Mining and Exploration Companies report, fourth bottom out of 13 African countries while Botswana topped Africa's list and placed 11th globally. But this assertiveness must be balanced against the risk of delivering policies which further erode profits, alienate investors, and fall short of global best practice in mining regulation. Rebuilding trust between the government and its citizens and taking forward the promise of a more inclusive social compact is vitally important, but so too is policy clarity and certainty. Striking this balance still remains in the gift of the government if it can move beyond political infighting and rebuild the national brand as a mining destination. South Africa's geological potential, skills, and capacity for technological innovation remain substantial, but now they must be matched by its leadership. Christopher Vandome, Research Fellow, Africa Programme Sheila Khama, Independent Consultant; Former Practice Manager, Energy & Extractives, World Bank; Former Director, Africa Natural Resources Center, African Development Bank After two failed campaigns, Zambian politician Hakainde Hichilema has finally won the presidency. But he has to deal with a devastated economy. Experts believe that Hichilema's business background could prove pivotal. There was dancing in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, when it emerged that Hakainde Hichilema had won the presidential election. Hichilema beat incumbent President Edgar Lungu by a landslide of almost a million votes. Still, there was an anxious wait until midday on Monday, when Lungu conceded defeat. It marks redemption for the 59-year-old Hichilema, popularly known as HH by his supporters. Hichilema lost both of his previous bids for the Zambian presidency to Lungu. In his opening address to the nation, Hichilema promised democratic reforms, investor-friendly economic policies, better debt management and "zero-tolerance" for corruption, which had allegedly characterized Lungu's administration. Zambia, Africa's second-biggest copper producer, saw its economy stagnate when copper prices collapsed around 2011. Depressed commodity prices and the coronavirus pandemic have further slowed any economic rebound. In November last year, Zambia became Africa's first pandemic-era country to default on international debts after failing to keep up with with payments. "It is in no doubt what the instruction is to all of us," he told supporters in Lusaka. "We will not let you down," he said. Hichilema's journey to the top Born into a low-income family in southern Zambia, Hichilema has cast himself as a self-made businessman who worked hard at school to win a government bursary to attend the University of Zambia. He graduated with a degree in economics and business administration. Hichilema continued his studies abroad at the University of Birmingham, earning an MBA. He returned to Zambia and led the Zambian operations of Coopers and Lybrand - later part of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Grant Thornton. His business portfolio diversified and now includes property management, financial consultancy, and tourism. Additionally, Hichilema owns one of Zambia's biggest cattle herds and cattle ranching. About the latter, Hichilema said in May that "I'm just a cattle boy. ... It's a childhood love." He said he was "an ordinary citizen, an ordinary African." But, for analysts, Hichilema's rise to Zambia's business elite and considerable wealth made him an outsider in the election. He has contested six elections in total. His five previous presidential campaigns ended in defeat. He first ran for the presidency in 2006 as a member of the United Party for National Development (UPND), an organization he also partly bankrolled. But this year, buoyed by the endorsement of Zambia's other opposition parties against incumbent Lungu and an ailing Zambian economy, Hichilema won the election convincingly. Zambian analyst Neo Simutanyi said Hichilema's 15-year career as an opposition politician prepared him for the presidency. "We're looking at someone who has grown into the role of political office by being able to engage to opposing politicians for long and accumulated serious political experience," Simutanyi, who is also executive director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue in Lusaka, told DW. Languishing economy propels Hichilema's victory "The number one focus of the people who voted for him is economic recovery," Nic Cheeseman, professor of democracy at the University of Birmingham, told DW from Lusaka. According to Cheeseman, the long-term economic decline and Zambia's critical debt situation led to the downfall of Lungu's government. "A lot of Zambians blame the Patriotic Front government for the economic difficulties they're facing," Cheeseman said. "They connect it to corruption. They connect it to the rising debt." Moreover, many Zambians felt that the economy was not going to get better under the Patriotic Front. So they are now banking on Hichilema's reputation as a business figure who could perhaps be better at managing the economy and dealing with the international community, Cheeseman explained. Simutanyi said the election results could be seen as a "protest vote" against Lungu's rule. "It's a referendum, really. The constituencies that voted for Hichilema never voted for him before. So the election was much more a rejection of the Patriotic Front," he told DW. The youth vote "The youth played a critical role in voting out the previous regime and voting in a new UPND leadership," Joseph Kalimbwe, of the UPND, told DW, referring to a high turnout of first-time voters in the 18-24 age category. He points to Hichilema's business successes as a motivating factor in getting the vote of young people. International election observers have commended the polls' transparent and peaceful organization, with a turnout of 70.9% -- a huge jump from the 57.7% recorded in the 2016 polls. "Hichilema has to ensure that now he fulfills the promises that we've been advocating for. We want young people to have access to resources for them to start up their own businesses, which did not happen in the previous regime," Kalimbwe added. Cheeseman said that, though the youth vote certainly played a role in delivering the presidency to Hichilema, there has been a "swing towards the opposition in almost all segments" of Zambian society. "Hichilema expanded his support base into urban areas, the populous Lusaka and Copperbelt areas," he said. "He has done a better job of campaigning in other areas and building his heartlands." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zambia 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. Lungu's tarnished legacy Though Zambia's Electoral Commission conducted the elections fairly peacefully, observers noted a worrying trend toward authoritarianism toward the end of Lungu's rule. The outgoing Patriotic Front administration was accused of targeting critical media houses and journalists who reported alleged corruption, and opposition politicians were arrested for questioning government decisions. During the campaignperiod, the military was deployed, and Hichilema readily mentions that he has been arrested 15 times, most notably in 2016, for failing to give way to Lungu's motorcade. Simutanyi says there is now an expectation that Hichilema will move away from a culture of patronage and do things very differently to the outgoing regime. But he expresses optimism in Hichilema's ability to handle the extra pressure, especially in revitalizing Zambia's copper industry due to his experience in international business. "I think he will be in a better position to negotiate terms with international creditors and investors in mining operations and the economy," he said. "Until now, there has been a lack of confidence in the economy." Cheeseman believes a peaceful transfer would help in "resetting trust" for Zambians and reforming the police to protect citizens better, be less corrupt and predatory toward citizens. General Daniel Sidiki Troare, Burkina Faso-born force commander of MINUSCA, says rebel attacks and human rights violations on C.A.R. civilians and institutions are frequent. Yaounde, Cameroon The commander of U.N. peacekeeping forces in the Central African Republic says rebels there continue to challenge authorities and threaten neighboring countries like Cameroon. General Daniel Sidiki Troare made the comments during a weekend visit to Cameroon for talks with defense officials. The U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, MINUSCA, says the situation in the Central African Republic remains fragile. General Daniel Sidiki Troare is the Burkina Faso-born force commander of MINUSCA. He said rebel attacks and human rights violations on C.A.R. civilians and institutions are frequent. He said the fundamental objective of the U.N. peacekeeping mission is to protect civilians, U.N. Mission staff and offices, the country's state institutions and restore definitive peace is facing lots of challenges. He says he is visiting Cameroon because more cooperation is needed between U.N. troops and Cameroon's military to stop rebel advances and bring back order to the C.A.R. Troare spoke in Cameroon where he was visiting as the head of a MINUSCA delegation. MINUSCA reports that since August 1, it documented 18 incidents of abuse and cases of human rights violations perpetrated by rebels. Thirty victims of the abuses are receiving psychosocial care in Bangui. In July, another 20 people reported abuses in the C.A.R. capital Bangui. More than 25 C.A.R. communities suffered bloody attacks from rebels. MINUSCA reports that in July, 5,500 wounded civilians received health assistance in its hospitals. Troare said C.A.R. rebels facing reprisals from U.N. peacekeepers hide on both sides of the Cameroon border. Joseph Beti Assomo is Cameroon's defense minister. Assomo said Cameroon will be sending 800 troops to the C.A.R. in September because Cameroon faces insecurity when attacks occur in C.A.R. He said when rebels block the road linking Cameroon's coastal commercial city Douala and Bangui, economic activity declines and thousands of transporters are deprived of their source of livelihoods. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Central African Republic International Organisations Peacekeeping 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. Assomo said since December when post-election violence erupted in the Central African Republic, rebels have blocked the road linking Douala to Bangui at least six times. He said the number of people displaced within the C.A.R. rose from 300,000 in December to 500,000 in July. Assomo however said that many of the displaced have returned to safe localities. Assomo and Troare did not say where in the C.A.R. that Cameroon's troops will be deployed. But Assomo said they will be expected to secure the border. He said Cameroon has deployed several hundred additional troops to its eastern border to stop rebels from entering Cameroon. Violence in the C.A.R. degenerated into an armed conflict in 2014 when a coalition of armed groups known as the Seleka overthrew then-President Francoise Bozize. Cameroon shares a 900-kilometer boundary with the Central African Republic and hosts 300,000 refugees from the neighboring country. Kaya, Burkina Faso A recent report found that community leaders in Burkina Faso are exploiting internally displaced women, demanding sex or money in return for food aid. One local official said these reported incidents could be the "tip of the iceberg" in a displacement crisis of 1.3 million people. At an unofficial camp in the Centre North region, IDPs say they do not receive food aid from the state or nonprofits. One woman, who is not being named for her safety, said she has been forced to take desperate measures in order to eat. She said she stayed in the shelters for six months without having enough to eat unless she had sex with people distributing food. Many women in the area, she said, were contracting sexual diseases as a result. She survived in these conditions until her husband came back and they were able to rent a small house. A report last month by The New Humanitarian, a media outlet focusing on humanitarian issues, found that eight IDPs had been forced into sex in exchange for food aid in the Centre North region. "From the reporting that I did and the women that I spoke to, it seemed like everyone knew that this was happening," said Sam Mednick, a reporter with The New Humanitarian. "Few people were really willing to talk about it. The women I spoke to said they knew other women who had also registered for food and were having a hard time finding food assistance and thought they were being propositioned in the same way that they had been -- either for sex or for money in order to add their names to the registration lists." The report also said an inter-nonprofit system to prevent and address sexual exploitation and abuse is not fully set up. A local official from a town with a large IDP population, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told VOA the size of the sex-for-food scandal is likely much bigger than has been reported so far. He said that there are so many women who approach them to express their concerns, but he does not have the exact number. He estimates between 20 to 30 displaced women have reached out so far. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which provides much of the aid, refused to give an on-camera interview, but did respond to questions via email. Asked why the system for preventing cases of sex-for-food aid had not been properly set up, the response was: "The Government of Burkina Faso, supported by the U.N., has a toll-free number for filing complaints in all cases of sexual or gender-based abuse. ... Focal points are in place to detect any sign of sexual abuse or exploitation and humanitarian and other workers are trained on their responsibilities and accountability." Burkina Faso's ministry for humanitarian affairs did not respond to VOA's request for comment. Kampala, Uganda Ugandan human rights activists have welcomed President Yoweri Museveni's condemnation of torture allegedly committed by police and the armed forces. However, rights activists say they are skeptical whether Museveni will back up his words by prosecuting security forces accused of abuse. Describing his security officers as lazy, Museveni said in a televised address Saturday night that he wanted to discuss human rights concerns. Museveni warned security forces against barking at or beating suspects, detaining suspects for long periods in jail and deporting foreigners without trial, saying it disadvantages the country. He asked for videos to be played of suspects arrested in the trial of the attempted assassination of former Chief of Defense Forces General Edward Katumba Wamala. One video showed a suspect sobbing in court, saying he was beaten with various canes, which made him say things he shouldn't be saying. Other videos showed graphic images of people allegedly tortured by security forces, including a man with raw wounds on his back and another man limping out of court, as well as a police officer running after a woman and beating her repeatedly. Museveni blamed the torture on acts by individual officers and the failure of senior commanders to instruct junior officers on what should and shouldn't be done. According to Museveni, the abuses damage the legitimacy, history and achievements of the National Resistance Army that brought him to power and the ruling National Resistance Movement Party. "Beating captives is wrong. Why? You undermine your case in court -- when the court discovered that you got information through torture. Secondly, on account of beating, somebody may admit what is not true. Torture, assassination, et cetera, are used by lazy people that are not ready to do more work using gaps in the stories of the criminals if they are telling lies," he said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Uganda Governance 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. Museveni promised to eliminate such torture and use the law to uproot the culture of reactionary behavior in the armed forces. However, Livingston Sewanyana, executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, expressed doubt that Museveni's words will be followed up with real change. He said Museveni often changes the rules to suit his goals, leaving questions as to his sincerity and commitment. "There's still a class of people who are increasingly being untouchable, and the president needs them for his political survival," Sewanyana said. "So, much as he comes out as strong, with warnings, he definitely does not live (up) to his words. And the way politics is played here, it is all about who has the president's ear." Samuel Herbert Nsubuga, CEO of the non-government organization the African Center for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, told VOA that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have not had access to any prison facilities. But he said the situation of torture in the country is prevalent, and the president needs to act. "But the issue is those images he showed. I would like those people who did that to the suspects to be prosecuted in the courts of law. There's that gap which we really want the justice institutions to fill," Nsubuga said. Sewanyana insisted that Museveni's pronouncement was triggered by the need to restore the country's image and the realization that torture has a negative impact on the economy. Addis Abeba The Amhara Regional Communication Bureau released a press briefing on current affairs mainly focusing on TPLF and the ongoing conflict in the Amhara region. Gizachew Muluneh the head of Amhara regional communication bureau briefed local reporters that the regional government was currently engaged in fighting with forces loyal to Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) who he described as aggressors. In the briefing Gizachew accused TPLF for collaborating with what he described as internal enemies like the Oromo Liberation Army (Often referred by government officials as OLF/ Shane), Benishangul Liberation Front and 'external enemies' to wreak havoc in the Amhara region. Gizachew argued that TPLF and its allies were killing, displacing, and looting for so long. He said, "They have made pseudo marriage/alliance and are invading us," he said. He explained that the invasion was not limited to Amhara and Afar. He accused TPLF and its allies for invading and creating mayhem in Benishangul, Oromia , and around Sudan border areas. Gizachew explained that currently the war in Amhara region is ongoing in South Gondar zone Gayint, Farta ,Guna and South Gayint, most parts of North Wollo zone from Korem Alamata, Kobo to Mekit Gashena, and Guba Lafto areas. Gizachew detailed that there were engagements against TPLF at a strategic place called Gas Gibna in Wag Hemra zone as well as unnamed insurgents attempting to invade Abergele woreda at the same time. He explained that there were military engagements in the Maytebri, Adirkay, and Zarima areas of the North Gondar zone. In the briefing, Gizachew again accused the TPLF of organizing to wipe out Amhara people and destroy the entire Ethiopia. He argued that the main target must be TPLF which, according to him, is the mastermind that plans the strategies in creating such turmoil and havoc. "Controlling and dismantling the TPLF is tantamount to winning the battle and we can handle the other forces easily," he underscored. He underlined, "We will not have rest only because we will fight off TPLF from some invaded areas. The only time we will have rest is when we can destroy TPLF once for all. Our main focus must be destroying and abolishing TPLF ," he stated. The bureau head explained that in the past two days, the defense force, the Special Forces, militias, organized youth, and the community brought significant victories. He said, "Our major objective is to encircle this force and destroy it at every battle fronts that it opens fighting against us. We encountered minor casualties while our enemy almost died. Many TPLF armed forces left the areas they controlled and are retreating back but we will encircle and ambush them in Amhara soil." " I really want to underline that our victory won't be evaluated just to control some areas. We will fight until we destroy the TPLF which has been working so hard to wipe the people of Amhara and Ethiopia," Gizachew underscored his ideas. He accused TPLF leaders saying, "TPLF leaders were preaching to the Tigray children and youth about the lack of food in Tigray for which they gave them an option to invade the Amhara region and kill and loot the people in Amhara region. They are forcing the Tigray people to rise up against the Amhara people and change the situation into civil war." Gizachew addressed the atrocities he said the TPLF had committed in the areas it invaded. "TPLF has been killing civilians in all areas it invaded, displaced more than three hundred thousand people." He argued that the TPLF dispersed and became many small groups which would demand prolonged war to destroy. He said, "We should not give time to TPLF to reunite itself and fight against us. We must annihilate it at this critical time and wage our freedom." "Some incidents detected that TPLF insurgents were not confined at those battlefronts. Some were caught while attempting to enter Bahir Dar city and other towns too. The insurgents pretended to be civilians and were underway to kill, loot and rob for which stringent action should be taken. There are some messengers who have lived with us for long but are working for TPLF in providing information now. We will distinguish who they are by collecting necessary evidence and we will take actions against them too," Gizachew explained. The bureau head warned what he called "propagandists" to stop themselves from amplifying unfounded news and creating havoc in the community. "We won't be destabilized with such information nor be proud of some war victories we won. We have to come together to destroy the TPLF and be remembered as heroes in history," he said in the briefing. Gizachew described,"We are currently in a crisis and we will follow the communication flow channel directed from central command in which everybody from top regional leaders to the bottom kebele officials should understand the flow of command. The Amhara regional government established an official Media and Communication group that will disseminate appropriate information to the public. We will coordinate with the federal government and the defense force to let this group cover the war at various battle fronts with care and address the domestic and international community. Unauthorized media personnel aren't allowed to attend any press release." He accused some social media users for their 'irresponsible actions' in regard to disseminating information related to the military operation on social media. He called those individuals who are engaged in such activities to stop their actions. He explained that designated expertise in military science will provide tangible and credible information when necessary. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ethiopia Conflict 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 communication director explained that the youth were mobilized in many towns and cities of Amhara region and underscored that the mobilization should be organized in proper structure. He detailed that the community, Diasporas, and public servant employees were providing necessary logistics including food and money. "We have not encountered any logistic shortages so far. In fact, there are challenges in transporting them to their destination. We understand that our heroes are confronting those challenges for which we give them recognition ," he said. It is important to remember that the federal government announced a unilateral ceasefire declaration on June 28, for which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addressed the House of People's Representative (HoPR) on the 4th special meeting stating the decision of withdrawing the military from Tigray was pre planned and properly arranged. But not long after the announcement inflammatory statements by both the Amhara regional government and TPLF led to mobilization by both sides on the border between Amhara and Tigray regions. AS Ministro @pedrofrancke se reunio con la presidenta del Congreso, Maria del Carmen Alva, para coordinar acerca del proyecto de Ley de Presupuesto Publico 2022, que se enviara a fines de agosto al Legislativo; ademas, conversaron sobre la estabilidad monetaria y economica del pais. pic.twitter.com/evUdspuU7y STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh slammed Azerbaijan for once again distorting reality over the issue of the status of Artsakh, as Baku again generated fake news. In an interview with ARMENPRESS, Artsakhs Minister of Foreign Affairs Davit Babayan called on Baku to stop distorting the reality. Certainly this isnt Azerbaijani territory, Babayan said. Thats what they want to make Artsakh their territory, but this doesnt mean theyll succeed. FM Babayan dismissed Bakus accusations that Armenia is deploying its armed forces into Artsakh. There is no movement or deployment of troops from the side of Armenia, he said. Babayan further noted that both the Azeri military actions, as well as the similar statements coming out of Baku seek to achieve the same goal to exert psychological pressure and intimidate Artsakhis. Besides, the Azeri authorities also try to undermine the Armenian-Russian relations and prepare grounds for cutting Artsakhs communication with Armenia. And tomorrow theyll say we have to check and see whos coming from Armenia and so on. Thats how they planned it to suffocate Artsakh from social-economic perspective and to obstruct investments, Babayan said, adding that anyhow such statements should be treated seriously and countered appropriately. Highly appreciating the role of the Russian peacekeeping forces, FM Babayan stressed that when they mention Armenian forces or Armenian formations once should remember that this includes the Defense Army of Artsakh the guarantee of security of the Artsakh population. We will always have our army, our military, because this too is our populations security guarantee. While generally, Armenia certainly is still one of the guarantors of security of Artsakh. And overall, if we want the future of both Armenia and Artsakh to be predictable and safe, then Artsakhs role and place should be high in Armenias social-political life. Without this things will really go bad. And the instigators, the enemies who generate the so called Karabakhi-Armenian [division], starting from their everyday life up to official statements, must already face criminal responsibility, Babayan said. On August 11, the Azeri defense ministry falsely accused Armenia for violating the armistice terms and deploying troops into Azeri territory. In response, the Armenian foreign ministry slammed the statement as outright falsification and reminded that the armistice stipulates the sides shall remain at their current positions. Interview by Aram Sargsyan Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. A senior analyst of regional affairs is warning on the potential consequences and impacts the developments in Afghanistan could have on Armenia. It is possible that the ongoing processes in Afghanistan also impact Armenia in some sense, analyst Armen Petrosyan told ARMENPRESS. Specifically, he mentioned that if the situation were to escalate at the Afghan-Tajik border (Tajikistan being a member of the CSTO), then the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) might have to initiate some actions. And Armenia, being a CSTO member, would simply not be able to stay out of those actions, Petrosyan said. Another concerning scenario mentioned by Petrosyan is in case of the Taliban failing to establish a complete authority in the country, leading to a chaotic situation and subsequent civil war, which would then create serious threats and humanitarian issues for Afghanistans neighbors, including Armenias neighbor Iran, with all its consequences. In addition, Petrosyan reminded that Turkey is displaying aspirations to have some role in Afghanistan. He reminded that if before the fall of Kabul Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had succeeded in making a deal with the United States and the then-government of Afghanistan around controlling the Kabul airport, now these aspirations of Erdogan are jeopardized because the Taliban has already ruled out Turkeys involvement at the Kabul airport for several times. Petrosyan didnt rule out neither a conflict nor a cooperation between Turkey and the Taliban at this moment. And next to Turkey, given the increased dependency of Azerbaijan from Ankara after the 2020 Artsakh War, definitely Erdogan will try to ensure also Azeri support for any of its initiatives in Afghanistan. Therefore, this would mean that two hostile countries of Armenia are getting involved in a new adventurism, with very suspicious consequences and results, Petrosyan said. This is the very context in which the analyst sees the greatest threat for Armenia whenthe international community would divert attention on Afghanistan, it could become an occasion for Azerbaijan who regularly instigates military tensions to take advantage of the situation in the Artsakh zone. This is certainly dangerous for us, because simultaneously both Iran and especially Russia would be more focused on another region, where developments are more unpredictable. And in this scenario naturally attention would be diverted from our region to some extent. And given the Azerbaijani governments unpredictable behavior and indiscriminate conduct when it comes to achieving their own goals, we cant rule out that Azerbaijan would try to take advantage of the situation by increasing the volume of provocations and even launching more substantial and large scale actions, Petrosyan warned. At the same time, as of this moment Petrosyan believes that the situation in Afghanistan doesnt pose any primary or direct concerns for Armenia, because according to official data there are no Armenian nationals in Afghanistan, and the Armenian peacekeeping contingent completed its mission there back in March. Interview by Aram Sargsyan Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Parliament is in session to debate a government-backed bill seeking to allow authorities to use more water from Lake Sevan, specifically by increasing the maximum annual allowed volume to 245 million cubic meters. The current law allows to use up to 170 million cubic meters from the lake which is an important source for irrigation water. Government officials earlier cited high temperatures and the drought as the cause of water shortages stored in reservoirs, and proposed to amend the law by increasing the volume by 75 million cubic meters. The maximum volume of water the 12 reservoirs had in 2021 stood at 526,7 million cubic meters, with the deficit compared to the previous year being 140,8 million cubic meters. As of August 1, 2021 the reservoirs had 226,6 million cubic meters of water, whereas in the same period of 2020 the number was 351,9 million cubic meters, the water deficit comprises 125,7 million cubic meters, Water Committee Chairman Karen Sargsyan said. He added that decreased waters of Hrazdan River led to an unplanned water use from the Aparan, Azat and Marmarik reservoirs (which feed the Sevan-Hrazdan irrigation system), which in turn led to a 21,43 million cubic meter deficit in these reservoirs. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The opposition Hayastan alliance is proposing parliament to hold discussions over the latest tensions at the border, where two Armenian servicemembers were recently shot dead by Azeri forces. Hayastan faction leader Seyran Ohanyan proposed either closed or open discussions in between the two hearings of August 17, because what he described as contradicting information coming from the border. Speaker Simonyan said that the proposal will be discussed during the break. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Head of the Civil Contract Partys parliamentary faction Hayk Konjoryan agreed with the head of parliamentary faction of Armenia bloc Seyran Ohanyan to hold a parliamentary discussion on the border situation, ARMENPRESS reports Konjoryan announced at the National Assembly. I had a conversation with Mr. Ohanyan, and we agreed that its more convenient to organize the discussion on August 18. We are working in that direction, Konjoryan said, adding that details about the discussion will be provided tomorrow morning. Earlier, Armenia bloc had suggested that the recent developments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border should be discussed at the National Assembly. The works of the participants of the painting symposium of the Koghb Art School of Tavush are exhibited in the Stepanakert City Gallery. August 17, 2021, 15:10 The works of the students of Koghb Art School exhibited in Stepanakert Gallery STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 17, ARTSAKHPRESS: The director of the Stepanakert Gallery Yelena Dadayan told "Artsakhpress", noting: At our invitation, about 70 works by 11 artists of the Art School of Koghb are exhibited in the Stepanakert Gallery. Every summer, Koghb Art School organizes a symposium, which is attended by the school's teachers and students, as well as artists from different communities of Armenia and this year from Artsakh,as well. The aim of the symposium is to unite art-loving people, she said, in particular. The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) announced on Tuesday that it was temporarily suspending departure of all flights from Kabul International Airport, Tass reported. August 17, 2021, 16:35 Taliban suspends all flights from Kabul airport STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 17, ARTSAKHPRESS: Qatars Al Jazeera TV channel says Taliban units have come in direct proximity to the airport and fired several warning shots to disperse the people that have flocked there. Earlier, all commercial flights from the Kabul airport were cancelled, while all transiting planes were recommended to reroute and not fly over Afghanistan. On Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that the situation in the airport was claiming down. On August 15, the Taliban moved into Kabul and imposed full control over the city in a matter of hours. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down, as he said, to avoid bloodshed and fled the country. Western countries are evacuating their nationals and embassy staffers. Telstra CEO Andy Penn has announced $200 incentives for employees who get vaccinated. (Source: Getty) Telstra has announced it is offering a $200 incentive to its 25,000-strong workforce who get fully vaccinated from COVID-19. In an email circulated to staff on Monday, Telstra chief Andy Penn said the telecommunications giant had an important nation-building role to play. The quicker we are vaccinated, the quicker we are safer and stronger economically, Penn wrote. That is why we have decided to reward our employees, starting in Australia, who get fully vaccinated with 200 Appreciate points (the equivalent of A$200), so you in turn can reward yourself for taking this step. Read more: The reward is voluntary, he added, and will also be backpaid so people who have already been vaccinated can also receive the incentive. Appreciate points are part of Telstras internal reward and recognition system, where accumulated points can go towards purchasing items or redeeming gift cards. The incentive will also eventually be rolled out to Telstras international teams where we are able to do so, Penn added. Taking into account that some have not yet been able to secure an appointment for their preferred vaccine, the incentive program will last until the end of the year (31 December). Never has it been a more important time for us to come together, to take action and show care for the country, each other and communities in which we live and work, said Penn. Telstra chief executive officer Andrew Penn. (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images) What are other Aussie companies doing? The move from the telco giant makes it one of the first to offer an incentive, rather than a punishment, for getting vaccinated. Automotive parts company Bapcor is offering workers $100 gift cards, while Virgin staff will be able to claim free tickets, frequent flyer points and business class flights. Meanwhile, major bank NAB has promised to match the vaccination of each employee by donating a vaccine to someone in Fiji or Papua New Guinea through UNICEFs Give the World a Shot platform. Story continues Fruit and vegetable processor SPC was criticised for its no jab, no job policy, announcing that staff who had not been vaccinated or scheduled their COVID-19 vaccine would be barred from entering the workplace. Many Australian companies are offering workers paid leave to get vaccinated, including Fujitsu and Qantas, though the airline was slammed by the transport union for not covering its contracted staff, something Fujitsu is doing. Banking giants Commonwealth Bank and Westpac have joined the vaccine rollout, starting with employees working in COVID-19 hotspots, while Woolworths and Coles have secured priority access to the Pfizer vaccine for its frontline workers. Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to the free Fully Briefed daily newsletter. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon is requiring employees at Onondaga County schools, including teachers, to either show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly. McMahon signed the order on Tuesday. In addition to educators, it applies to aides, bus drivers, custodians, food service personnel and groundskeepers. He told reporters at his COVID-19 briefing that third-party vendors who enter schools must be vaccinated or get tested on a weekly basis. For employees who aren't already vaccinated but decide to get the shots, they must be tested every week until 14 days after their final dose. The order is in response to the presence of the Delta variant and the uptick in cases. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers Onondaga as a county with high community transmission. The county's case rate is 128.33 per 100,000 people. Onondaga County reported that 44 people are hospitalized with COVID-19. With schools beginning classes in three weeks, McMahon wants to ensure that in-person learning isn't interrupted. He believes that public health has to focus on more than just COVID-19 and should factor in the mental health impacts of isolation and how that affects residents, especially young people. GAC Honda to build NEV assembly lines with 120,000-unit annual capacity Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GAC Honda plans to expand its new energy vehicle (NEV) capacity by 120,000 units per year, according to a bidding announcement posted on the website of Guangzhou Public Resources Trading Center on August 13. Construction of the project is scheduled to commence in October this year and be completed in 2024, according to the document. The automaker intends to pour around 2.99 billion yuan ($431.456 million) into this project. The newly built facilities will include a car test track, a battery workshop, workshops for stamping, welding, painting and assembly, as well as other supporting equipment. The vehicle models to be manufactured at the yet-to-be-built plant have not been announced yet. Breeze SPORT HYBRID e+; photo credit: GAC Honda GAC Honda currently has two all-electric vehicle models for sale, namely, the VE-1 and the EA6. Its first plug-in hybrid model, the Breeze SPORT HYBRID e+, made its world's debut at the Auto Shanghai 2021 and will hit the market in the second half of this year. Japanese automaker Honda Motor exhibited the world premiere of the Honda SUV e:prototype, a prototype model of the first Honda-brand full-electric vehicle model for Chinese market. The mass-produced version is scheduled to go on sale in spring 2022 and will be produced by both GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda. GAC Honda said it delivered 428,122 vehicles (+11.4% YoY) for the first seven months of 2021, 64,695 units (+6.9% YoY) of which were hybrid electric vehicles. Xiaomis auto business said to be headquartered in Beijing Beijing (Gasgoo)- Xiaomis auto business will be headquartered in Beijing where it will set up its first factory, according to local media outlet Auto Business Review. Photo credit: Xiaomi At the end of March this year, the smart phone maker announced it will set up a subsidiary for smart electric vehicle business. The initial investment of the new company will be RMB10 billion while the total investment in the next 10 years will be around $10 billion. Lei Jun, CEO of the group, will serve as the CEO of the electric vehicle business. Since the announcement of its foray into the electric vehicle industry, Xiaomis headquarters and factory location have attracted much attention. It is said that Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Hefei and Xian all are wooing Xiaos auto business. And in the past four months, Lei Jun also visited numerous automakers and suppliers, such as Changan, GAC Group, SAIC GM Wuling, Great Wall Motor, CATL and Bosch. Xiaomis headquarters are located in Beijing. The Xiaomi Technology Campus, in Haidian District of Beijing, covers an area of 220,000 square meters with an investment of about RMB2 billion. In addition, Xiaomi also has a smart factory in Yizhuang of Beijing. In June and July, Xiaomi posted more than 20 new positions which are related to autonomous driving, and all the staff for the above positions are expected to work in Haidian District. FAW-Toyotas first Crown Kluger flagship SUV comes off line Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The first Crown Kluger SUV rolled off the assembly line on August 16 at FAW-Toyota's Tianjin-based manufacturing plant, marking that the joint venture between FAW Group and Toyota Motor has filled in the gap in market deployment of premium cars. Crown Kluger; photo credit: FAW-Toyota The Kluger is the first model under Crown, which was just claimed by FAW-Toyota as a premium car brand in mid-July. Last month, the company started taking orders for the Kluger and announced the presale price range of 280,000 yuan ($43,230) to 370,000 ($57,120). Unveiled at the Auto Shanghai 2021, the Crown Kluger is the sister model of the fourth-generation Toyota Highlander, which is currently made by GAC Toyota. It features a revamped mesh grille at the front with a Crown's signature logo instead of a Toyota badge. A restyled front bumper with a large air intake in the center offers an unmistakable look to the SUV. The Kluger rides on the TNGA-K platform, on which the Toyota Camry and RAVA are also based. It measures 5,015mm long, 50mm more than that of the all-new Highlander. Both models feature a width and height of 1,930mm and 1,750mm, and have a 2,850-mm wheelbase. According to a document from China's MIIT, the new SUV will be equipped with a hybrid 2.5-litre petrol engine churning out up to 141kW, mated to an e-CVT. Chinese self-driving solution provider QCraft raises $100 million in series A+ funding Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese autonomous driving startup Qcraft announced on Monday it closed the series A+ financing round with $100 million raised. The latest funding was led by Yunfeng Capital and Genesis Capital, and also attracted such financing institutes as Longzhu Capital, the venture capital arm of Chinese online-to-offline giant Meituan, and IDG Capital, one of Qcraft's existing investors. QCraft's robobus fleet, photo credit: QCraft Since the foundation in 2019, QCraft has made headways in building a Super Factory for autonomous driving. According to the startup, it has formed an automation close-loop focusing to simulation technologies to efficiently utilize enormous volume of data. In addition, leveraging its full-stack technical capability, the company has launched the self-driving solution Driven-by-QCraft dedicated to handling complex urban transport scenarios and available for diverse car models. To commercialize its self-driving technologies, the company has deployed minibuses in nearly 10 cities to provide mobility services for tens of thousands residents. Under the Super Factory strategy, QCraft has rolled out the Longzhou (meaning Dragon Boat) series autonomous cars applicable to a number of scenarios like ride-hailing service, bus, and shuttle. Car numbers of the fleet are expected to exceed 100 units by 2021. The Longzhou autonomous cars are capable of 360-degree perception and carry the display system armed with 5G and V2X (vehicle-to-everything) technologies, said QCraft. The startup has so far put around 70 mini robobuses into road tests and operations in Suzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Beijing, and Wuxi. In the first half of this year, QCraft launched in Jiaxing and Xi'an the mid-/large-sized smart buses equipped with level 3 driver assistance system. The situation in Afghanistan is difficult and there are no easy and ready-made solutions. In the face of despair and tragedy, truth is our only way forward. [] The situation in Afghanistan deteriorated even further over the weekend, as the Taliban, driven from power twenty years ago, overtook the capital city of Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has now fled to Uzbekistan, claiming he wishes to avoid more bloodshed. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace acknowledged that the Taliban are in control of the country, and that a British and NATO return to Afghanistan is not in the cards. On Sunday, the Pentagon authorized another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans. This is in addition to the 6,000 soldiers who are already there to deal with the increasingly chaotic evacuation at the airport in Kabul, where five were killed on Monday. Americas longest war is coming to an ignominious end. A little more than a month ago, President Biden sought to reassure Americans about the situation in Afghanistan, stating, I trust the capacity of the Afghan military. In a recent press conference, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed this sentiment. The Afghan Security Forces have the capacity to sufficiently fight and defend their county, he said. This is starkly different from President Bidens recent assessment. One more year, or five more years, of U.S. military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country, Biden said. And an endless American presence in the middle of another countrys civil conflict was not acceptable to me. Such incongruity also signals the end of our war with the truth. Throughout the conflict, our nations political and military elites have waged a propaganda war against the American public, which has been extensively documented in the Washington Posts landmark investigation, The Afghanistan Papers. The documents uncovered in this investigation revealed that high ranking officials believed the war was unwinnable, and estimates that 40% of U.S. aid to Afghanistan wound up in the hands of corrupt officials, warlords, criminals, and insurgents. That sustained effort to mislead the public is finally over. For that, we should be thankful to the God who reveals. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known come to light (Luke 8:17). For those who perpetrated such deception, we should pray and hope that justice will be rendered, knowing that a false witness will not go unpunished, for he who breathes out lies will perish (Proverbs 19:9). One explanation for the shameful failures of this past week is that those in authority began to believe some of their own lies. The other explanation is almost unthinkable a gross negligence or indifference to the horrible human cost to American citizens, soldiers, and allies of this chaotic withdrawal. The situation in Afghanistan is difficult and there are no easy and ready-made solutions, but we can be confident that a truthful witness saves lives. (Proverbs 14:25). In the face of despair and tragedy, truth is our only way forward. Representative Peter Meijer offered us some sage council on Twitter today: If you are frustrated at not being able to do anything as the situation in Afghanistan implodes, consider supporting nonprofits and efforts to help Afghan refugees like the below https://t.co/KTFDL46uJD Peter Meijer (@VoteMeijer) August 16, 2021 There is a desperate need now to help those whose lives are or will be under threat in Afghanistan to get out as soon as possible. We are all, in our own small ways, able to help in this effort. Even if difficult times, Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angles unawares (Hebrews 13:1-2). Under the ever-restrictive Beijing-imposed NSL, acts the Chinese Communist Party deems to qualify as collusion with foreign forces, secession, subversion, or terrorist attacks are punishable by up to a life imprisonment. [] Former Chief Editor of Apple Daily, Ryan Law Wai-kwong was denied bail Aug. 13 for a second time by a Hong Kong court under Chinas National Security Law, or NSL, according to the Hong Kong Free Press. Its the latest move by the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, as leadership pursues of absolute control. Ryan Law has been held in custody since June 19, the day that he was first denied bail, and made a second attempt at freedom when he returned to West Kowloon Court this past Friday. Under the ever-restrictive Beijing-imposed NSL, acts the CCP deems to qualify as collusion with foreign forces, secession, subversion, or terrorist attacks are punishable by up to a life imprisonment. Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, handpicked by Hong Kongs city leader Carrie Lam, said he found no material change of circumstances since Ryan Laws first hearing in June, and that there is no reason to change his bail status. The ex-editor in chief appeared in court next to Cheung Kim-hung, ex-CEO of Apple Dailys parent company, Next Digital. The pair are accused of conspiring with the newspaper and media company founder and longtime Acton friend Jimmy Lai in seeking international sanctions from foreign governments against Hong Kong or mainland China. Cheung Kim-hung also requested and was denied bail back in June. However, unlike Ryan Law, Cheung did not renew his application for bail this time. Cheungs lawyers reported he may do so at the Citys High Court at a later time. Law and Cheung were two of the five Apple Daily executives arrested during the Hong Kong authorities raid on Apple Daily headquarters on June 17. Over 100 police officers forcibly entered and seized computers, files, and personal records of Apple Daily employees, and froze HK $18 million in assets. On June 24, the 26-year-old business was forced to close and printed its last edition. On the day of the raid, the Committee to Protect Journalism commented on the arrests of the five Apple Daily senior employees, saying , Hong Kongs Orwellian National Security Law destroys any remaining fiction that Hong Kong supports freedom of the press. Held in high contention by the CCP, the pro-democracy news service has been publicly opposed by Chinese elites and state media since its launch. Since its implementation in June 2020, the NSL has enabled the CCP to censor anything and anyone in relation to Apple Daily and Jimmy Lai under the guise of protecting Chinese national security. The pair of defendants will return to court on Sept. 30, along with four other senior employees of Next Digital, who were charged with the same offenses under the NSL. Hong Kong police will continue their examination of Apple Daily computers and investigation of their files. ADPList aims to democratise mentorship for anyone in the world, making learning through mentors instantly accessible. Platform has over 2,500 mentors and 20,500 mentees in just 6 months. New York, US --News Direct-- ADPList Global mentorship platform ADPList today announced US$1.3 million in funding from Surge, a rapid scale-up program by Sequoia Capital India for startups in India and Southeast Asia. ADPList is a platform for people to find, book and meet mentors around the world, providing anyone with access to some of the best minds - starting with the design and product management community. At present, there is no shared platform that makes cross-border mentoring easy, or offers a global network of mentors with different skill sets and at different levels. In the current creator economy, where people are keen to share, support and teach others, ADPLists instant, one-click access to a global network has made it one of the industrys most prominent platforms. What initially began as a means for designers to provide peer support, share career opportunities and offer mentorship to others impacted by the pandemic, has since organically grown to over 20,500 mentees, 2,500 mentors, and over 5,000 booked sessions per month. ADPList founders: Felix Lee and James Baduor We started ADPList during the height of the pandemic, and the success of the platform has since shown us that there is a global network of people ready to connect and provide support for others in their communities. The evolution of ADPList today continues to build on the belief that every mentors voice can transform peoples career anxiety to agency, and our platform provides them with an entirely new, accessible and engaging way to do so, said Felix Lee, co-founder of ADPList. From the first moment I started mentoring with ADPList, I knew it was more than an act of passing on knowledge. After clocking 6000+ minutes across ten time zones with 100+ mentees from more than 15 different counties, I can tell you one thing for sure: Every session is a unique exchange of our lives, our stories and our dreams. There is no better feeling when Amazing Design People find each other! said Michael Tam, Global Design Director at IBM iX. Story continues Meeting of minds: ADPList platform connects mentors and mentees around the world On ADPList, mentors can indicate their availability on a shared calendar for mentees to select and schedule virtual sessions. Video calls are conducted within the platform along with feedback and ratings after each session. Beyond one-on-one mentoring, the platform also offers small group mentoring, townhall-style talks and other formats. ADPList started in 2020 as a list of names, sprouted by the founders desire to help the many designers who found themselves out of a job as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. One tab in the open-source spreadsheet focused on mentoring, which received the most clicks. This eventually inspired the founder to build this into a platform, and thats how Amazing Design People List - ADPList - was born. ADPList mentors work at companies like Spotify, Apple, Twitter, LinkedIn, Nike, Netflix, Twitch, Coinbase and many more. The company was incorporated in 2021 in Singapore by Felix Lee and James Baduor. Felix is a product designer turned tech entrepreneur. He was the Design Lead at Gotrade and Co-Founder at Packdat, which was acquired in 2018. He completed his studies at Singapore Polytechnic but decided not to go on to university, and instead pursue his entrepreneurial pursuits. Based in Ghana, James is passionate about community and design education, and taught himself Webflow and other NoCode tools. He has helped numerous students build design careers and worked with startups to validate their MVPs and launch their products. He is one of Webflows top creators in the world, with the number one most viewed project on the platform. The funding is supported by prominent angel investors Crystal Widjaja (ex-Gojek executive), JJ Chai (CEO of Rainforest), Quek Siu Rui (Co-Founder & CEO, Carousell), Ting Feng Toh (Co-Founder of GetGo), and Zopim Founders (Royston Tay, Wen Xiang Wu, and Yang Bin Kwok). ADPList is part of Surges fifth cohort of 23 companies that have developed new digital solutions to help companies and individuals live, work and learn better in a rapidly evolving Southeast Asian landscape. About ADPList Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Singapore, ADPList is a platform for people to find, book and meet mentors around the world, providing anyone with access to some of the best minds in the design and product management community. The company is on a mission to democratise mentorship and make it accessible for everyone through a community platform where people can find, book, and meet mentors around the world. Contact Details ADPList Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://adplist.org/ View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/adplist-raises-1-3-million-to-help-professionals-and-students-get-instant-access-to-mentorship-232432397 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) Listed conglomerate GT Capital Holdings saw earning surge in the first half of 2021 as most of its core businesses raked higher incomes during the period. The Ty family-led company disclosed to the local stock exchange on Tuesday a consolidated net income of 6.7 billion from January to June, shooting past the 2.7 billion logged in the same period last year. GT Capital reported earnings of 3.5 billion for Toyota Motor Philippines way up from 1 billion in the first semester of 2020 with retail vehicle sales climbing by 79% year-on-year and automotive sales growing by 51%. "TMP has remained the country's number one automotive brand with a record 45.6% overall market share in the first half of 2021, continuing its strong leadership position in the market," said GT Capital. Meanwhile, Metrobank logged 11.7 billion in net income for the period, increasing by 28%. One of the country's largest banks saw fee-based income grow by 16%, reaching 6.4 billion buoyed by the revival of transaction volumes. Trust income also expanded by 21%, with assets under management also going up by 17%, GT Capital noted. "With non-performing loans stable at 2.3%, the Bank's proactive provisioning has proven to be sufficient to cover its credit risks, allowing a significant reduction in provisions this year, while maintaining a high NPL cover of 179%," it further explained. Infrastructure conglomerate Metro Pacific Investment Corp. posted 6 billion in earnings for the period, rising from 5.3 billion recorded from January to June 2020 due to improvements in toll road traffic and more electricity volume sold. "This acceleration of growth reflects an improvement in performance notwithstanding the continued imposition of varying levels of quarantine across the country, and was partially augmented by the impact of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Law," GT Capital explained. Property arm Federal Land also performed stronger during the period, posting 587 million in earnings, higher than last year's 171 million with sustained construction activity and higher project bookings. While AXA Philippines saw consolidated life and general insurance gross premiums go up to 22.1 billion in the first semester of 2021 a 33% improvement its consolidated net income dwindled from 1.5 billion last year to 1.4 billion. GT Capital president Carmelo Bautista welcomed the results for the period, noting these are "approximately 80% of 2021 pre-COVID levels." "Amidst challenging conditions, the Group's first half performance demonstrates our inherent capacity to bounce back from the historic low levels of the past year, and in certain sectors, even optimize competitive strengths by gaining market share," said Bautista. The GT Capital big boss assured they are focusing on ramping up vaccination of the group's employees, agency force and their dependents, complementing shots from local governments. GT Capital shares closed at 530 apiece on Tuesday, unchanged from Monday's close. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) With social media influencers being the subject of a much-talked about memorandum recently released by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, tax experts say the notice really isn't something new. "The RMC is really just to emphasize that social media influencers, like any person earning income, is subject to income tax and VAT," Lea Roque, principal at the Tax Advisory and Compliance Division of Grant Thornton Philippines, told CNN Philippines on Tuesday. The BIR issued Revenue Memorandum Circular 97-2021, seeking to clarify the taxation of any income received by social media influencers. These include all taxpayers receiving income in cash or in kind from any social media site or platform "in exchange for services performed as bloggers, video bloggers (vloggers), or as an influencer, in general, and from any other activities." RMC 97-2021 states social media influencers must pay income tax and business tax, which may either be percentage or value added tax, and are classified for tax purposes as self-employed individuals. For Asian Consulting Group chairman and chief executive officer Mon Abrea, the notice is "practically the same" as RMC 60-2020, which reiterated the tax obligations of online sellers and basically anyone earning income from all sources. "General rule is if it's not exempted or excluded, it's included. Therefore, it's taxable! So anybody earning income from all sources will be subject to income tax even if BIR doesn't mention it," the Philippine Tax Whiz told CNN Philippines. The BIR noted in its memorandum that it had received reports about certain social media influencers not paying their income taxes despite raking in huge earnings from various platforms. Other reports also said they aren't registered, or are registered but under different tax types or line of business, and aren't declaring their earnings. Should small-time influencers be worried? Perhaps one of the questions on everyone's mind, especially those planning to start vlogging or just got into it, is whether the new memorandum will affect them. Both tax experts said perhaps not just yet, especially if you're just making 250,000 a year or below. "Maybe not since it's still exempted from income tax under the TRAIN law. But for those who are earning millions and even uploading house tours on their (Youtube) channel, I guess you've just earned the attention of BIR," Abrea said. Roque, also former president of the Tax Management Association of the Philippines, also reminded content creators to check if they qualify for exemption under the Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) Law for income tax, on top of the TRAIN exemption which the RMC mentioned. "It is possible to be exempt from income tax but still be subject to percentage tax," said Roque, who emphasized the importance of knowing the rules and checking if they're applicable. What about social media influencers receiving income from overseas? For influencers raking in income from foreign entities including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok both Abrea and Roque stressed the importance of filing a tax residency certificate (TRC). The TRC, according to the BIR memo, avoids the risk of double taxation - their foreign income won't be taxed twice: in the foreign country, and again in the Philippines. "The exemption is based on the provisions of the tax treaty with the country where the payor is a resident," Roque said. The RMC also provides an illustration of a Filipino social media influencer living in the country who received $200,000 or 10 million from American enterprise resident Google LLC in advertising revenues. Google LLC owns social media giant Youtube. What could still be improved? As with all new government issuances, the taxation experts also raised concerns over the recent memorandum and with it, their proposed solutions. "The problem for most social media influencers is also the problem of most of our small businesses," Roque said, noting some requirements may be too complex for someone who has no basic knowledge in bookkeeping or tax compliance. Abrea, for his part, flagged the additional load it could cause. "It's not a new law so it's still burdensome for some," he said, emphasizing non-compliance is subject to a fine of up to 10 million, along with prison time of 10 years. "That's why I'm proposing 10% flat tax for small businesses including online sellers, influencers, and live streamers so they won't be afraid and run away from BIR," Abrea added. Meanwhile, Roque suggested the further simplification of compliance requirements for both self-employed individuals and small enterprises - like designing a simpler record-keeping process that even those with up to a high school background could understand and fill up. "We should calibrate the compliance requirements to make it easy for taxpayers to comply on their own without the need for them to hire external service providers," she said. Abrea also proposed aligning the country's tax system with its E-Commerce Roadmap to encourage new forms of revenue generating activities across digital platforms. This includes "digital tax that is not merely importing 12% VAT as being proposed in Congress, a higher tax exemption or 1-2 years tax holiday from registration to capture or encourage everyone earning income from various digital platforms," he said. Abrea also hopes a huge fund could be allocated for the BIR's digital transformation so they can catch up with the advanced technology being utilized by digital firms. The BIR eyes raking in 2.08 trillion in collections this year up 6.7% from 1.95 in 2020 as the government seeks more revenues to help usher in economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) The Bureau of Quarantine will open several pop-up clinics in malls to accommodate travelers who need an international certificate of vaccine (ICV), also known as a yellow card. "Ang bureau, kasi dito sa Metro Manila po, yung main office at saka yung sa MOA - yung satellite office lang ang available. Pero by Thursday, magbubukas na rin sa North EDSA. May pop-up clinic tayo doon...madadagdagan na rin yung mapapagschedulean. By next week, sa Eastwood...at saka yung McKinley magbubukas na rin tayo," BOQ Senior Medical Officer Neptali Labasan told CNN Philippines on Tuesday. [Translation: Here in Metro Manila, only the main office and the satellite office in MOA are available. But a pop-up clinic will be opened in North EDSA on Thursday. By next week one in Eastwood and McKinley will be opened as well.] Labasan said registration will still be online, where additional slots will be made available. He emphasized that individuals who have no immediate travel plans should not take slots which could be used by those who need their ICVs urgently. READ: 'Yellow card' not yet advisable for non-travelers This was also the sentiment of BOQ Director Roberto Salvador at a briefing last Saturday. The ICVs are recognized by member states of the World Health Organization. Labasan advised individuals to check whether their countries of destination will require them to have a yellow card when they travel. READ: Hong Kong won't honor PH vaccination cards, but govt agency fixing documents Last week, the Hong Kong government refused to recognize the vaccination certificates of individuals fully inoculated against COVID-19 in the Philippines. Labasan said he has not received any reports of Filipinos traveling to Hong Kong who were turned away after presenting their BOQ-issued ICV. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday asked for more COVID-19 vaccines from the United States, adding that the government is ready to pay for fresh supply. I am just asking America to give us more, kung mayroon lang sila (only if they have) If there is an excess of supply, pakitulong naman dito sa bayan ko (please help my country), he said during his late-night address on Monday. We have the money," the President added. "We buy, we do not ask. We have saved money for this event. So far, the Philippines has received over 42 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including more than three million doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by the U.S. through the COVAX facility. China has also donated coronavirus doses to the country, including one million shots of Sinovac vaccine. The Asian superpower has committed to donate more to the Philippines, which it has done with no strings attached, according to Duterte. Meanwhile, the chief executive reiterated his appeal to all Filipinos to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the virus as the country records more cases of the more transmissible variants. Itong virus na ito (This virus) will just circulate in the air for years, so itong (this) mask, limited social contacts natin nandiyan na iyan (will be always there), Duterte said. The virus is here to stay and it will change your life at least forever until mawala ito (it disappears)," he also said. "And it will continue to claim lives. The Department of Health has recorded more cases of the dreaded Delta variant and the countrys first case of the Lambda variant. READ: DOH: Pregnant woman from Western Visayas first Lambda variant case Amid new fears on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines against these variants, infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana presented data on the matter, noting that all vaccines remain to be highly effective against contracting severe case of COVID-19 regardless of the variant. However, efficacy decreases in preventing clinical disease -- specifically when one gets infected by the Delta variant, Salvana explained. Meanwhile, there is only a slight decrease on the vaccines efficacy against the Lambda variant based on preliminary data, he added. Currently, the government has fully vaccinated over 12.5 million Filipinos, still far from the target of immunizing at least 70 million individuals to achieve herd immunity. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) President Rodrigo Duterte cannot tell the Commission on Audit what to do being an independent constitutional body, several lawmakers and a lawyer argued on Tuesday. Duterte chastised COA after it released an audit report that flagged the Department of Health's "deficiencies" in managing over P67 billion pandemic response funds. He said COA should continue to audit the accounts of government agencies, but refrain from publishing its findings as it would taint agencies with "corruption by perception." House Deputy Minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate defended COA, saying it should neither be stopped in pointing out "apparent irregularities" on the use of public funds nor threatened for merely doing its constitutional duties. "Dati ang sabi nya maski 'a whiff of corruption' sibak, pero bakit ngayon ang ahensya mismo ng pamahalaan na nagbabantay laban sa korupsyon pa ang pinatatahimik at pinoprotektahan naman ang mga may iregularidad sa paggamit sa pondo ng bayan?" Zarate said in a statement in reaction to Duterte's remarks. [Translation: Before, he said even those with "a whiff of corruption" will be removed from office. But now, why is it the agency, which guards against corruption, is being silenced while those with irregular transactions are being protected?] Sen. Kiko Pangilinan shared the same view. "Bakit yung nagsiwalat ng kapalpakan at hindi yung pumapalpak ang sinasabon?" he said in a statement. [Translation: Why was the agency that revealed the irregularities scolded and not the one that messed up?] COA 'does not take orders from the president' Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, for his part, said "Duterte conveniently forgot that COA is an independent constitutional commission which is not accountable to the president." "Instead of immobilizing COA, Duterte must order the prosecution of the responsible officials of the agencies flagged by COA and accord them due process," Lagman said. In the same vein, former Supreme Court spokesman Atty. Ted Te tweeted that COA is an independent body that "does not take orders from the president." Duterte 'out of line' Meanwhile, Sen. Ping Lacson said in a statement the President is "out of line in publicly castigating the COA which is just performing its mandate and responsibility to the people and the Constitution." COA should not be "cowed by intimidating statements even coming from the Chief Executive" and must continue doing its job "with more vigor, courage, and independence." Labor group Defend Jobs Philippines joined the chorus urging state auditors to continue performing their mandate despite Duterte's tirades. The Palace, however, defended on Tuesday the chief executive's statements. "Ang sinasabi lang po siguro, it's not necessarily just for government pero huwag muna natin bigyan nang mabigat na halaga 'yung initial observations dahil 'yan naman po ay sasagutin," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. [Translation: What he's just saying is, it's not necessarily just for government but let's not put much weight first on initial observations since those will be addressed anyway.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) The country can expect millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to arrive this week. In a report during President Rodrigo Duterte's address on Monday, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said 4 million doses of Sinovac, 1 million doses of Sinopharm, and from 400,000 to 500,000 doses of Moderna vaccines will be delivered to the Philippines. He added that around 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would also be arriving on Friday. "These vaccines will be equitably distributed to different regions," Galvez's report read. During the briefing, Galvez said there were ongoing negotiations with vaccine suppliers on whether advance shipments of their products could be made. "Ito po ang nilalakad natin sa American Embassy, dahil meron tayong...nabili po sa Pfizer, sa Johnson and Johnson at saka sa Moderna. Kinausap ko sila kahapon at sinabi ko na humihingi kami ng tulong na kung pwedeng ma-advance delivery yung mga produktong ito dahil kung ma-advance yan, malaking tulong sa atin para ma-accelerate ang ating bakunahan," he said. [Translation: We are working with the American Embassy, because we ordered vaccines from Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson and Moderna. I spoke with them yesterday and I said we were asking for help if these could be delivered in advance, because it would be a big help in accelerating our vaccination program.] Galvez also noted that vaccination efforts have slowed down in the past days, but this was mainly due to quarantine restrictions imposed in different areas. According to Galvez, the country has received over 42 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, with over 27 million administered and over 12 million Filipinos now fully vaccinated. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) A number of lawmakers came to the defense of the Commission on Audit following verbal attacks from President Rodrigo Duterte over its report on the mismanagement of pandemic funds. On separate occasions on Tuesday, senators stressed that COA is an independent constitutional body and no one, not even the President, can stop it from doing its mandate. They were responding to Duterte's public criticisms of COA days after it reported "deficiencies" in the Health Department's handling of more than P67 billion meant for COVID-19 response. In a late-night public address on Monday, Duterte asked COA to stop publishing audit reports because these will "condemn the agency or the person that you are flagging." Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said Duterte "is out of line in publicly castigating the COA, which is just performing its mandate and responsibility to the people and the Constitution." "No one can dictate on them (state auditors)," Lacson said in a statement. "COA findings and recommendations are public documents. Transparency dictates that the public must be informed of how public monies are spent." Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan in a text message said COA did not deserve the dressing down. "Bakit yung nagsiwalat ng kapalpakan at hindi yung pumapalpak ang sinasabon?" Pangilinan said. "Hindi COA ang may problema kundi ang kapabayaan, katiwalian at palpak na pamumuno sa DOH na kinukunsinti ng Malacanang." [Translation: Why berate the one who exposed the failure, and not the one who failed? It's not COA that has a problem, but the neglect, corruption, and failed leadership of DOH which Malacanang tolerates.] In an online media briefing, Senator Risa Hontiveros said lawyers like Duterte should recognize COA's independence. "Imbes na pigilan ang COA na napaka-improper na ngang gawain o panawagandapat pa nga ay pasalamatan ang Commission on Audit dahil sa kabila ng lahat ng paghihirap na dinadaanan ng ating bansa sa ngayon ay nagpapatuloy ang COA sa pagsagawa ng kanilang constitutional duty at iyan ay hindi dapat masamain ng Executive," Hontiveros said. [Translation: Instead of asking COA to stop, which is a very improper call, the Commission on Audit should be thanked for doing its constitutional duty despite the crisis and that is something the Executive should not take negatively.] Even Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, a Duterte ally, reminded the President of the importance of COA's mandate. "With due respect to our beloved President, 'yan po talaga ang trabaho ng Commission on Audit," Zubiri said. "Nilalabas ang COA reports na ito [These COA reports are released] to guide us para pagdating sa budget hearing matatanong namin ang mga deficiencies na ito [so when the budget hearing comes we can ask about these deficiencies]." 'Nothing short of criminal' Health Secretary Francisco Duque III faced the House committee on public accounts Tuesday and claimed that the agency was not given enough time to respond to the audit findings. It's the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's turn to investigate the Health Department on Wednesday. Hontiveros expects that the hearing will dispute Duterte's statement that Duque "did nothing wrong." She said it may show the health chief's "gross negligence," among others. "Given the COA findings DOH seems to be depriving thousands of Filipinos of healthcare services in the face of this national emergency and that would be nothing short of criminal," Hontiveros said. Fourteen senators have been calling on Duque to resign as early as April 2020 for what they call an inefficient response to the COVID-19 crisis. Duterte said he has rejected Duque's resignation twice. For Zubiri, all that's left to do is for Duque to double down on his work. "Ang hamon natin kay Sec. Duque, ayaw kayong palitan ni Presidente, malaki ang tiwala ng ating Pangulo sa inyo (We challenge Sec. Duque, if the President does not want to replace you because he trusts you), then correct the deficiencies. Then work the whole time to correct the deficiencies," Zubiri said. "Kung mananatili siya sa pwesto, e di double time ang trabaho (If he will stay in his post, he has to work double time)." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) A number of cadavers were found stored inside an abandoned building in Basak-San Nicolas, Cebu City, officials said Tuesday. Cebu City councilor Dave Tumulak told reporters that authorities visited the establishment on Sunday where they discovered at least 16 bodies. Some cadavers were on the floor while others were found inside freezers at the former funeral home. Tumulak said only caretakers were around when they inspected the building, which did not have any signage. "Ngano'ng ilaha man gi stock ang mga patayng lawas nga naa man ta direct burial (Why did they store the cadavers when we can immediately bury them)," he said. Tumulak added that according to the caretakers, three of the cadavers died from COVID-19. Officials are now verifying the information, together with their death certificates. The councilor said the Cebu City Emergency Operations Center will meet with officials of the local health department, as well as owners of funeral parlors to find ways to address the issue amid the increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the city. Earlier this month, funeral parlors in the area announced that their cremation facilities are fully booked until the end of the month. For the past 16 days, the entire Cebu province has recorded 588 deaths, according to data from the Department of Health in Central Visayas. (CNN) Blue Origin filed a federal lawsuit Friday to challenge a NASA moon landing contract awarded solely to rival company SpaceX, upping the ante in an already tense standoff over the multibillion-dollar lunar lander program. The protective order was first publicly posted Monday. Details of the lawsuit are not publicly available because the documents are under seal, but Blue Origin claims it is an "attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA's Human Landing System," the company said in a statement. Human Landing System, or HLS, is the formal name of the program that's at the heart of this legal battle, and it seeks to use private-sector contracting to develop, build and test the vehicle that will put astronauts on the moon for the first time in a half-century. After initially pledging to offer multiple contracts to spur the development of at least two lunar landers that could compete against each other, NASA announced in April that it was giving only a single award to SpaceX for $2.9 billion, citing costs as a primary reason for the decision. Congress did not award NASA all the money it had requested for the HLS program. Blue Origin previously attempted to fight the contracting decision with the US Government Accountability Office, but the GAO sided with NASA and denied the request. "We firmly believe that the issues identified in this procurement and its outcomes must be addressed to restore fairness, create competition, and ensure a safe return to the Moon for America," Blue Origin said in a statement. A judge granted Blue Origin's request to keep the court complaint under seal, which argued that making the information public could expose "proprietary information, trade secrets, and confidential financial information," and cause "severe competitive harm," according to court documents file with the US Court of Federal Claims. The warring between SpaceX and Blue Origin which are owned by two of the world's richest men, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, respectively has also included a public PR battle. Blue Origin has called SpaceX's plans to use its Starship vehicle, a massive experimental rocket being tested in South Texas, for the HLS program "immensely complex and high risk." SpaceX CEO Musk, meanwhile, has disparaged Blue Origin's claims on Twitter for weeks, at one point saying that "If lobbying & lawyers could get u to orbit, [Blue Origin CEO Jeff] Bezos would be on Pluto [right now.]" Blue Origin had submitted a $5.9 billion bid and proposed working as a "National Team" alongside aerospace industry giants such as Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Blue Origin sues US government over NASA's decision to award SpaceX lunar lander contract." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life, August 17) This week, we recommend ruminating on nature, textile, social satire, and pastries. Watch The White Lotus The White Lotus is a show thats designed to upset you. The premise itself, in the context of the pandemic, is a little infuriating. Who wants to watch a bunch of white people enjoy a vacation on this lush island in Hawaii? Well, it turns out that rest and relaxation are two things that will not be had at all in this luxurious getaway. The show acts as an upstairs-downstairs anxiety comedy following the lives of rich, white people and the resort workers that serve them. The White Lotus feels like its primed as a show for the times: there are plenty of discussions about woke culture, how white, privileged boys are the underdogs now, and how colonization and capitalism has ravaged seemingly pristine places like Hawaii. The ensemble of performers including Jennifer Coolidge in a deranged yet beautiful performance as a broken woman who just wants to be happy is a marvel to behold and watching the events unfold in just six episodes is one of the most uncomfortable experiences Ive had in a while. Its a whodunnit, a social satire, and a parade of beautiful creatures. All episodes are now on HBO GO. Don Jaucian View Nature is Never Spent Artist and catholic priest Jason Dy (who we profiled here) ruminates on the effects of human consumption and production to nature and how the pandemic is a manifestation of it. Nature is Never Spent, whose title is lifted from a line in Victorian priest and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins poem Gods Grandeur, is made up of natures carcasses like branches and dried leaves, paintings, and documentations of flora from his research. You can view the exhibit through the Facebook page of the UP Vargas Museum. DJ Start an hour of Silent Reading Session with your book club It sounds like how it is for an hour (or more), you and your friends or (or your book club) get together online to read. It doesnt have to be the same book. You get to choose any book of your choice and you get to read it uninterrupted. No one has to talk or provide commentary. Its a helpful way to decompress and while yourself away in a book. It can be hard to get a few minutes of reading time when were all tired from the uncertainty of the pandemic and lately Ive realized that an hour or so of reading can help clear my head. DJ Sarong / Lungi / Izar / Dhoti / Lavalava / Malong / Pareo. Photo from TROPICAL FUTURES INSTITUTE Look into the sarong Artist Zeus Bascons attraction to costuming is constant, from contemplating outfit changes for the opening of his show A Butterfly Is Patient (which included previous photos from a shoot of friends by the sea in rental gowns) to making necklaces for friends and family, and working on costume design for the film "Balangiga: Howling Wilderness." And now, this: a sarong, or malong produced by Tropical Futures Institute that lifts patterns Zeus made in Cebu originally using silver metal cutouts. That lift is key to TFIs past work, and the text that accompanies this drop is itself a prompt to think about the symbolism, as well as just the enjoyment of dress. APC Order a tub of The Daily Kneads Truffle Mushroom Bisque For many Manila-based freelancers, Caffeined by Artesania Furniture on Arnaiz St. Makati was their coffice, a now outdated portmanteau of coffee shop and office. Meant to be a showroom, Artesania also had a coffee shop inside called Caffeined that served beverages and dishes that made long work hours in front of our laptops more bearable. While Artesania has closed their doors for now, they live on through the owners Francesca Gacrama-Herring and Francine Gacramas The Daily Knead. Their online bakery has now made their Truffle Mushroom Bisque, an Artesania favorite, available for delivery and pickups. For 950, you get a generous tub of this viscous almost porridge-like stew, a container of truffle oil, and a small sourdough baguette. Its a meal on its own, and for some (including myself), a nostalgic taste of our past lives. Order extra pastries from The Daily Knead while youre at it. Its what you deserve. Marga Buenaventura Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) State auditors questioned the Philippine Ports Authority over what they called the unnecessary and wasteful construction of an infinity pool in one of its training centers. In its 2020 report, the Commission on Audit said the PPA spent around 10.8 million on the project for its training compound in La Union. Aside from an infinity pool, the project cost also covered a jacuzzi, a guest room, a pergola and a decorative rock wall. "Despite the adequacy of the facilities and amenities, management still pursued the construction of new structures without any supporting feasibility study, and seemingly, without regard for money," the report reads. The compound is rented out for team-building activities, conferences, weddings and birthday parties, among others. PPA management justified the construction as a measure to increase customer influx for higher income. However, the audit team noted that the PPA was incurring losses in the training compound's operations. They added that no separate reports were done to monitor the financial performance or operations of the center. "These reports could have served as basis to pursue other programs, projects, and activities, and/or adjust rates in order to minimize incurring further losses or at least to break even," the auditors explained. The COA recommended that PPA management hold the officers that approved the project liable for the unnecessary expenditures. In a separate statement on Tuesday, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago said the rehabilitated facility in La Union was built to reduce expenses for seminars and meetings for PPA employees. "With this improved training facility, it will provide the agency further financial flexibility as most trainings, events, conferences, and the like requiring offsite venues can now be held in the agency-owned training facility," Santiago explained. Santiago added that fees collected from renting the facility out to local government units, other government agencies, and private entities would become a source of income for the PPA. The PPA also said the facility's improvement was "accelerated" after their Manila Gender and Development facility was turned into a Molecular Testing Laboratory. "The Authority is also equipping all its Port Management Offices with similar facilities, like training rooms and conference halls, by incorporating the same in their Port Operations Building specifically to reduce costs in the training of employees," the statement read. CNN Philippines' Pia Garcia contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has tested positive for COVID-19, his office disclosed on Tuesday. In a statement, the Labor Department said Bello is asymptomatic and currently under quarantine in his hometown in Ilagan City, Isabela. The Cabinet official who is fully vaccinated underwent the test on Saturday. Even while in isolation, the secretary continues to discharge his functions, DOLE said. Bello reminded the public to abide by health protocols amid the continued threat of COVID-19, which has infected over 1.7 million people in the country. Congress Senators push DHS to focus intel activities on foreign threats The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is worried that the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) at the Department of Homeland Security is focusing its intelligence-gathering authorities on U.S. persons and groups, according to an unclassified legislative report that accompanies the 2022 Intelligence Authorization Act. The report warns of the "misuse" of Title 50 authorities that permit intelligence collection against foreign targets. The report notes that "the failure of I&A to break down its budget request by mission center or function, such as open source collection, makes it difficult for the Committee to assess the extent to which I&A is using intelligence funding to gather information about the domestic activities of U.S. persons." The committee directed I&A, in conjunction with the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to explore the possibility of pushing any I&A programs focused on domestic intelligence collection to the FBI and provide an analysis of I&A's legal authorities. The report also hones in on efforts by DHS to send agency personnel to police protests that targeted federal facilities in 2020, complaining of the "use of I&A resources to protect monuments, memorials, and statues, appear to be focused on individuals or groups that have no link to foreign governments, foreign organizations, foreign persons, or international terrorist activities." The report notes that "despite documented problems related to I&A's collection and dissemination of open source information collected on United States persons during protests in Portland, Oregon, I&A continues to issue open source collection requirements that are both overly broad in scope and disconnected from national intelligence missions and priorities." Workforce provisions The report also outlines some of the intelligence community workforce measures included in the legislation. Lawmakers are asking the National Background Investigation Bureau for a report on their cybersecurity protocols to protect personality identifiable information, and information on "how these protocols compare to leading industry and government best practice" as well as the ability of NBIS to recover from attacks. The legislation tasks ODNI with issuing policy on sharing derogatory information uncovered in background investigations on contract employees with the chief security officers of their employers, as an addition to federal insider threat policy. According to the report, "the policy must comport with privacy rights, allow individuals to verify the information, and stipulate that such sharing is only for purposes of security risk mitigation." Another measure mandates the appointment of a diversity, equity and inclusion officer by the director of national intelligence. The DEI officer is required under the legislation to submit an annual progress report to the House and Senate intelligence committees. The bill also requires the president to submit a report to Congress detailing a national technology strategy a new measure that has been backed by some in the defense and intelligence communities who are concerned about advances by China in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced weaponry. Relatedly, the bill tasks the director of national intelligence to create a plan for "developing and resourcing a modern digital ecosystem to enable continuous updates of artificial intelligence-powered applications." This article first appeared on FCW, a Defense Systems partner site. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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 Coronavirus_outbreak featured Five Denton ISD parents' views on a fledgling school year without a mask rule Jeff Woo/DRC file photo Principal Matt Preston welcomes back students and doles out hand sanitizer at Dentons Nette Shultz Elementary School on Thursday, the first day of school. Jeff Woo/DRC file photo Nette Shultz Elementary School students run in a physical education class on the first day of school Thursday. Masks are encouraged at Denton ISD schools. Facing inconsistent compliance with mask-wearing recommendations, five Denton ISD parents spoke Monday with the Denton Record-Chronicle to share their thoughts on an unpredictable school year. Denton ISD schools opened Thursday with a recommendation that everybody on campuses, regardless of vaccination status, wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the pandemic-causing coronavirus. Kelly Caster kept her four kids home from school Monday in protest of Denton ISDs refusal to defy Gov. Greg Abbotts prohibition on local mask mandates. Caster said her family had a meeting Sunday night to decide what theyd do. She said the decision was to keep the kids home even though they want to be back in face-to-face classes. All four of her children are under the age of 12, so they arent yet eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Denton Schools Sit-Out a parent group of uncertain size, which Caster is aligned with formed on Facebook over the past week to protest Denton ISDs refusal to require universal mask usage even after the Denton City Councils ordinance mandating masks in schools and other group settings. The Denton Schools Sit-Out group had originally planned to have their children stay home from school on Monday to signal to Denton ISD how strongly they want universal masking on campuses, but Caster said the plan is to now have students stay home on Friday in hopes of garnering more support. Asked Monday if she would keep her children at home after Monday, Caster said she honestly wasnt sure yet. Her initial desire to keep her kids home grew after seeing Denton County Public Health statistics that show a worsening of pandemic conditions in the county. Knowing that and seeing pictures of kids interacting in the class and not being able to socially distance I just felt really torn, Caster said. She felt torn between getting her children back into face-to-face classes with the accompanying social interaction that brings and the route that she feels is safest for her kids, which is to keep them home if more people wont be masked on campuses. Julie Zwahr, a Denton ISD spokesperson, said the district actually saw more students in classes over the past three school days than it did during the 2019-20 school year, which was the most recent year with even close to full in-person attendance. She said Day 3 in 2019 had 571 students absent, but Monday had only 459 students absent. Denton ISDs enrollment has grown since 2019. The districts position is that it isnt able to defy Abbotts orders, and the city of Dentons order covers only the 20 Denton ISD campuses within city limits. Another 23 schools are spread across neighboring parts of Denton County. The bottom line for us is we want whats best for our kids, Zwahr said. We are strongly encouraging everybody to wear a mask at school. She said the district is still urging people on campuses to socially distance whenever possible, but that is less feasible with more people attending classes in person compared with this past school year. Clare Brock and her husband decided to send their 6-year-old back to in-person classes despite the lack of a mask mandate, but she said she was happy with how many teachers and students she saw masked up on the first day of classes Thursday. Despite that, she said there arent a lot of options for her family even if masks are less prevalent. My husband and I both work, so we didnt feel like we really had a choice but to send their child back to campus. They have a toddler to care for and two careers to manage, so they didnt feel another year of virtual learning was in their familys best interest. Besides, Brock said, a 6-year-old isnt really meant to sit in front of a computer for as many hours in a day as are required with virtual instruction. The options seemed to be hiring a nanny, which is expensive and difficult; have her quit her job, which she fears would derail her career; or send their son back to school, so youre kind of taking a gamble that nothing devastating will happen, Brock said Monday. She recalled literally trying to sit down and do the math about what risks were worth taking. At this point, the thing she wants most from Denton ISD is more communication on contact tracing efforts. On Aug. 10, the district reaffirmed its commitment to do contact tracing on COVID-19 cases, but Brock said she hasnt gotten any direct communication. Despite that, she acknowledged the district was only on Day 3 of the school year, so shes willing to wait and see what comes along as the year progresses. Candice Jackson found herself in a slightly different side of the same equation Brock had to sort through. Both of Jacksons sons, who are 13 and 15, are fully vaccinated, but theyre still worried about the lack of a universal masking policy in Denton ISD. Both she and her older son addressed the Denton school board last week to urge board members to adopt a mandatory masking policy. She said shes supportive of future sit-out protests, or perhaps other tactics, to send a message to Denton ISD administrators. Jackson emailed Superintendent Jamie Wilson and the entire school board, but she said Wilsons response was the only substantial one. She recalled Wilsons advice was that she try to get her eligible child into the districts new K-8 Virtual Academy. She said she has since secured a spot for her 13-year-old, but they havent arrived at a final decision yet. She and Evelyn Tarin-Moreno, another parent who spoke during Tuesdays board meeting, both said they have elderly family members living with them, which means they have an extra reason to request universal masking on school campuses. Tarin-Morenos 13-year-old son stayed home from school Monday as part of the planned protest. This is the position that we have unfortunately been put in, she said. She primarily blamed Abbott for tying the hands of local elected officials, but she also pointed a finger at Denton ISD for not stepping up to defy him. Like the other parents, Tarin-Moreno wants her child to be able to physically attend classes, but she doesnt feel its safe enough. She said she can feel the issue of masking dividing parents in the district. It hasnt been talked about, but everyone now knows who wears a mask and who doesnt, she said. She said Wilson was the only person to respond to her email to the district, which was also sent to each school board member. Emily Meisner said she was one of the lucky few who got her child into the K-8 Virtual Academy before spots filled up ahead of the first day of school. She said the academy is great for her 7-year-old, but she doesnt buy Denton ISDs argument that the virtual campus is a catch-all solution for anybody who wants to see masks worn by everybody in schools. I agree that the virtual academy is wonderful but that cant be the answer to this dilemma, she said. Not every parent can afford to have their children at home during the school day, and the academy simply doesnt have enough space for all the students who want a spot. Too many people have bought into the politicized nature of masking and vaccines, Meisner said, and she thinks Denton ISD is now afraid to follow the recommendations of public health officials, which includes the wearing of masks in schools by the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. She first decided to try enrolling her child in the virtual academy early in the year after she emailed Superintendent Wilson. Looking back on that exchange Monday, Meisner remembered asking him before last school year ended if masking would be required at the start of the 2021-22 school year. His answer was just to tell me that they would continue to [mandate mask-wearing] through the end of last year and I took that non-answer to mean no, they would not be requiring masks, Meisner said. A fascinating initiative announced recently involves what will probably be one of the first government-backed digital currencies in Africa if it happens. The Bank of Ghana has got together with global security technology group Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) to pilot what is described as a general-purpose central bank digital currency (CBDC) in effect a digital version of the cedi. G+D is providing the technology and developing the solution adapted to Ghanas requirements; it will be tested in a trial phase with banks, payment service providers, merchants, consumers and other relevant stakeholders. The project is part of the Digital Ghana Agenda, which involves the digitisation of the country and its government services. The digital cedi, or e-cedi, is intended to complement and serve as a digital alternative to physical cash. It will play a part in facilitating payments without a bank account, contract, or smartphone; thus, it is hoped, it will boost financial inclusion. In the design phase, all framework parameters for the CBDC pilot will be specified and defined. These include the countrys economic, regulatory and technical requirements as well as the definition of the parameters for the test phase. In the pilot phase, a user group of diverse demographic and socio-economic backgrounds will test the solution in the field using different channels and form factors such as mobile apps and smart cards. Over the course of the pilot project, a study will be conducted on the acceptance of the e-cedi from the end users' perspective. The IT security of the infrastructure, the impact of the project on monetary policy and payment system, and the legal implications will all be evaluated. A nationwide rollout of the e-cedi will eventually follow but, so far, there appears to be no precise timescale for this process. Latvian telecommunications company Tet, previously Lattelecom, has opened its sixth data centre in capital Riga, as it plans to grow its data centre business by 15% per year. The company has spent EUR1.4 million on its construction and installing another 60 racks to support increasing business demand. "Latvia is currently experiencing rapid growth in both data centres and the cloud, the country is also a cloud exporter. The company exports 75% of its data centre services to customers outside the country. Inside the country, 20% of Latvian businesses that do not use data centre services yet are planning to start doing so," it said in a press release. Tet plans to grow its overall data centre business turnover by an average of 15% per year in the coming years, it added. As the Latvian incumbent telecoms provider, Tet is majority-owned by the Latvian government. Tets data center market share in Latvia is 30%, and we are the most recognizable data center service provider, moreover, two-thirds of data center services are exported. The Tet Groups export turnover in the first half of 2021 increased by 46% compared to the same period last year, reaching one-fifth of the total turnover. Integrated IT solutions, including data hosting services in data centers and the cloud, are one of Tets most important export directions," said Uldis Tatarcuks, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Tet. Tets market share in the Ukrainian data center market reached 8% in 2020. One of the reasons why Latvia has established productive and successful cooperation with Ukraine is also the support from the Latvian Embassy in Ukraine, he added. Tet began its data center operations in 2000, with a 20 rack facility on Keldisa Street in Riga, and now has 400 racks in six data centers, the release noted. Broadband network and digital services offered in Seychelles will soon get a boost from a new cable system that will be leased by Seychelles-based telecommunications provider Intelvision Limited with support from global development institution IFC. IFCs support to Intelvision, which provides data, internet, and internet-based voice services as well as pay TV, includes an up to $10 million loan from its own account and an additional loan of $10 million mobilized from partners under the Managed Co-Lending Portfolio Programme (MCPP). The funding will enable Intelvision to lease a new cable being built by Vodafone Carrier Services as a branch of the2Africa cable network, one of the largest subsea projects in the world, whose latest branches were in the news yesterday. The new cable will complement the existing Seychelles East Africa System and is expected to lower the cost of connectivity for telecom operators on the islands and increase competition for fixed broadband and mobile data services. The new cable system will deliver over 600Gbps of international bandwidth to Intelvision, improving connectivity and increasing the speed and capacity of Intelvisions existing fibre optic and hybrid fibre coaxial networks. Through the 15-year lease agreement with Vodafone, Intelvision plans to launch mobile telephony services in Seychelles, a country where most consumers access the internet through a mobile phone. The new cable system will also allow Intelvision to eventually expand its terrestrial network by providing 4G and 5G mobile networks to the whole of Mahe and the inner islands. Seychelles economy relies heavily on tourism, which has suffered due to Covid-19-related travel disruption. Seychelles government is focused on strengthening the digital economy to support recovery and the next phase of the countrys economic growth. Safaricom, UNICEF, the Kenyan Ministries of Education and ICT and Nokia have come together to connect close to 90 schools to the internet in Kenya. Nokia says that both rural and disadvantaged urban settlements have benefitted from the initiative, which also supports digitisation and digital literacy. The initiative aims to connect the unconnected, with the ultimate goal of supporting the Kenyan governments plans to scale broadband connection to all schools by 2030. The connected schools are spread across rural and informal urban settlements in Kenya, serving an estimated 32,670 students. Schools are using Nokias FastMile 4G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband solution to provide reliable, high-speed connectivity delivered over Safaricoms 4G/LTE network. Nokias meshed WiFi Beacon technology is used to boost the internet signal in selected classrooms and computer labs. As Nokia points out, the importance of good connectivity has been highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic. School closures in Kenya in 2020 meant that children had to stay at home for six to nine months, leaving them reliant on remote learning. The digital divide meant that students who could access the internet were better placed to continue with their learning. Schools equipped with a broadband connection, digital devices and teacher training will now be able to make better use of video communication, digital curricula and online content, thereby improving digital literacy and skills among schoolchildren. China shuts down one border gate with Vietnam over Covid-19 fear Container trucks seen at Tan Thanh Border Gate in Lang Son Province. Photo by the Industry and Trade Magazine China has temporarily shut down one of its border gates with Vietnam in Guangxi due to possible Covid-19 linkage in transportation. Custom officials of Chinas Guanxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has temporary shut down the border gate with Vietnams Lang Son Province to review their Covid-19 safety measures, according to Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade. They have found Covid-19 cases to be linked with drivers passing through the gate, the ministry added. Lang Son authorities are working with Chinese officials to resume trade with safety measures imposed. Last week, leaders of China-bordering provinces like Lang Son, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh and Cao Bang reported China had increased the frequency of examining and disinfecting products and vehicles due to fear of them carrying the novel coronavirus from Vietnam. This has increased the time it takes for goods to be transported and caused occasional jams, they said. Vietnam has recorded over 279,600 Covid-19 cases since the end of April. China was Vietnam's second largest export market in the first seven months with a value of $28.7 billion, up 24 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office. Stranded and unable to return home due to Covid-19, many foreign tourists have run out of money but manage to get along due to the kindness of locals. For over two months now since HCMC imposed more stringent social distancing measures, a 29-year-old Australian woman, who asked only to be identified as Wendy, has been receiving bread, vegetables and other items from her landlady and neighbors. When the English teaching center where she worked as a part-timer closed in June, she was out of a job and has been staying inside her room in District 10 to avoid contact with outsiders. Every three days her landlady puts food in front of her room and knocks on the door to inform her. Sometimes some neighbors, mostly students with whom she had barely spoken earlier, give her bread, milk, medical masks, and hand sanitizers. She says: "I am deeply touched by their acts of kindness. All I can say to them is thank you. I love Vietnam and hope everyone would be safe and the outbreak would quickly be contained so that everything could return to normal." She came to Vietnam on a tourist visa in February last year and was stranded after Vietnam closed its borders and suspended international flights a month later. She has been extending her visa and managed to survive by teaching English, earning VND15 million ($660) a month, but the resurgence of the coronavirus left her jobless. A group of stranded Indian tourists who were unable to return home since repatriation tickets were too expensive cannot hide their gratitude to a Vietnamese man, Tran Thien Phuong, who employed them as parking attendants in HCMCs District 1. They too came to Vietnam on tourist visas and were stranded. When they ran out of money and could not afford to pay their rents, they were thrown out of their rented places. Luckily they met Phuong, manager of a parking service company, who decided to employ them after knowing their financial situation despite language barriers. "The pandemic put everyone in a difficult situation, but these men are far from home, so they face more challenges," Phuong told VnExpress International. He also wanted foreigners to have a good impression of Vietnamese people. Now the Indians have been unemployed for nearly two months after HCMC shut down bars and coffees shops, but Phuong gives them free food and other necessities to help them survive the dark days of lockdown. Anthony, a German tourist, who too refused to reveal his full name, has been offered free stay at a homestay in Hoi An for more than a year now. After being stranded in March last year he managed to survive by teaching online English courses though his income was only enough to buy food and cover basic expenses. Luckily his homestay owner has waived free rent and only collects electricity and water bills. He says: "Sometimes my landlady invites me to have dinner with her family. I am totally moved by her act of kindness and hospitality. I consider Hoi An as my second home and I will tell my family and friends everything about [it] after returning home." According to Quang Nam Province authorities, over 900 foreign tourists are still stranded in Hoi An. Landlords have offered most of them free stay or reduced rents. For Wendy and Anthony, the biggest desire now is that countries reopen their borders and restart commercial flights so that they can return home after a long time. But their dreams remain distant since Vietnam is currently grappling with its most challenging Covid outbreak so far, and no one knows when a semblance of normalcy will return. Fundamentally, the struggle to tackle the global climate crisis is about protecting and preserving the fragile world that we share, said U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. Its about understanding that it costs more not to respond to the climate crisis than it does to respond. And it is, without exaggeration, about survival. Speaking in London, Mr. Kerry said that the climate crisis is the test of our time, and time is running out. In 2015, 196 countries signed the Paris Agreement, with the intent of limiting the total increase in the Earths temperature to below two degrees Celsius, and to pursue efforts towards 1.5. Under the Agreement, each country committed to do what it determined by itself it was willing to do, collectively, to put the world on the right path, said Mr. Kerry. But even if everyone did as they promised in Paris, the temperature of this planet would still rise by 2.5 or 3 degrees centigrade. Were already seeing dramatic consequences. Were living in a world where crops no longer grow where they always did before; the chemistry of the oceans changes more and faster than ever before where millions of people are forced to leave increasingly uninhabitable homelands maybe 20 million a year migrating around the world. We all know that the political impact of migration was a few years ago, and still, imagine what happens when places become uninhabitable and people are knocking on the door of places where they know people can live. This is what we are seeing now that the temperature has risen by just 1.2 degrees. To contemplate doubling that is to invite catastrophe, said Mr. Kerry. We can still avoid it. But we have to begin to act with genuine urgency, bringing countries all across this planet together. The world needs to cut emissions greenhouse gas CO2 emissions particularly by at least 45 percent by 2030 in order to be on a credible scientific path by midcentury to net zero. 45 percent not just in some countries or some regions, but the world over. That makes this the decisive decade. And it makes 2021 a decisive year. We can and must achieve this together, especially knowing the triumph or tragedy of the two alternative worlds that await our choices, said Mr. Kerry. Its what weve always done when we know that the world needs it most. We can come together. The United States is pausing certain programmatic cooperation with Guatemalas Attorney Generals Office in response to the firing of its top anti-corruption prosecutor. Guatemalan Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porrass decision to remove Special Prosecutor Against Impunity, or FECI, Chief Juan Francisco Sandoval indicates a lack of commitment to the rule of law and independent judicial and prosecutorial processes, said Deputy State Department Spokesperson Jalina Porter. As a result, we have lost confidence in the attorney general and their decision and intention to cooperate with the U.S. Government and fight corruption in good faith. Deputy Spokesperson Porter explainwd that the U.S. "concern is with the implications of this decision for the rule of law and regional stability. Chief Sandoval, who was dismissed on July 23, fled Guatemala the same day. Protests in Guatemala have called for Attorney General Porras resignation. The United States has made clear to the highest levels of the Government of Guatemala its view that the fight against corruption is essential to the goals of strengthening the rule of law, increasing economic opportunity, and addressing the root causes of irregular migration. Deputy Spokesperson Porter stressed that the message has been delivered consistently, without equivocation, by our ambassador in Guatemala and during recent visits of high-level U.S. Government officials that reaffirmed the partnership of our two nations, including the visits of Vice President Kamala Harris, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle Ricardo Zuniga. As a result of the attorney generals actions, the U.S. government is temporarily pausing certain programmatic cooperation with the Public Ministry while it conducts a review of U.S. assistance. The United States is watching closely for additional actions that would undermine the rule of law or judicial independence in Guatemala. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The United States, along with many human rights monitors, has decried the use of excessive force by authorities against peaceful protesters in Irans Khuzestan province. Images from the US withdrawal from Afghanistan trigger an emotional response in the United States -- and around the world -- as they tell a similar story to the United States' exit from Vietnam in the 1970s. While the troop drawdown has been happening quietly for months, the situation took a turn for the worse when the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, in a matter of hours on Sunday. The Taliban takeover drove thousands of desperate Afghans to the city's airport in an attempt to make it on one of the last flights out of the country. Shortly after the videos from the Kabul airport began to surface, media outlets, lawmakers, and activists began to criticize Biden for the withdrawal. In repose, Biden took to the airwaves from the East Room on Monday afternoon to discuss his decision and the next steps for those who still need to be evacuated. US officials watched in shock as the Taliban took Kabul While not a surprise to many in the US military and intelligence community that the Taliban have taken Kabul, many are shocked by the speed at which it fell. During his candid speech on Monday, Biden said, I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. Since taking office a little over seven months ago, the Biden administration has worked to comply with an agreement decided between the Taliban and President Trump. Under the agreement, the US had promised to draw down all US troop presence by May 2021. However, with the Taliban taking Kabul in a matter of hours on Sunday 14 August, images from the Kabul airport have sent a chill down the spine of people around the world. Images of people holding on to airplanes as they take off and subsequently falling to their death incapsulate the lengths many in the country are willing to take to escape Taliban rule. While unable to meet the May deadline, all US military personal were expected to be sent home by the end of this month. However, with recent events causing unrest and chaos, more troops have been sent to keep those in need of evacuation safe from the Taliban. In addition to US military and government personal, the US has committed to evacuating Afghani nationals who supported the United States, including translators and other experts. These individuals and their families are seen as enemies by the Taliban, and their lives are at risk should they not be able to leave as the Taliban takes control of the entire country. What did President Biden say in his speech? In describing why Kabul was able to fall to the extremist group so quickly, Biden said that the Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. For the President, these two factors are evidence the US decision to leave the country was the right one. The President also spoke to the original mission of the war, to get those who attacked us on September 11th, 2001, and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us again. After the tragic events of 9/11, many officials and leaders, including then-Senator Joseph Biden, argued that the invasion was necessary to prevent another attack on the homeland. And while the US did successfully capture and kill Osama bin Landen, the mastermind behind the attack, with the Taliban back in control, the country could quickly become a haven for extremists. In 2001, one member of Congress, Baraba Lee of California, was able to predict the further stabilization and bloodshed the invasion could cause. Con. Lee was the only member of the House to vote against the invasion, and in a recent interview, she said that "I knew then, like I know now, that there's no military solution in Afghanistan." During the speech, Biden also articulated his views on what was not the responsibility of the US military. With conviction, the President stated that Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation-building. It was never supposed to be creating a unified, centralized democracy. For the most part, the President and Lee agree the US mission should not have been centered around "nation-building." However, Con. Lee was able to see in the days after 9/11 that further military presence in Afghanistan could not make the United States any safer, and in reality, could have the opposite effect. Today, more than two decades later, many national security experts now share her fears, and worry that the country could quickly become a haven for extremism and place the United States and its allies at a greater risk. Biden keeps his promise to the American people and service members Then-Senator from Delaware, Biden supported the invasion in 2001. He is the fourth President to oversee the military operation and has been clear that he will not pass the responsibility to a fifth. Biden was a young Senator when the Vietnam war came to an end. During his remarks, he made it clear that he could not ask our troops to fight on endlessly in another in another countrys civil war, taking casualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken by grief and loss. Activists may agree that the United States has no place in the civil conflict of another country. However, many believe that the failure of the US to take responsibility for fueling the civil conflict in Afghanistan is morally irrepressible. The United States funded and trained the Taliban, turning them into a weapon of the Cold War, and later the organization turned its arms against its early backer. Additionally, the United States funded various initiatives and operations to create a culture of fighting and extremism among Afghan youth. This included the development violent educational curriculum which aimed to create a warrior culture that would stand ready to fight the Soviets. One of these books, called "The Alphabet for Jihad Literacy," included passages that used guns and other weapons to teach the ABCs. For example, the Washington Post reported that "the book used the word "T" is for "topak," or gun. How do you use the word? "My uncle has a gun," the entry reads. "He does jihad with the gun." While the United States and the United Nations have tried to find and destroy all copies, the Post reported that some are still in circulation, and some have even been reprinted. These books are only one example of how the United States has been a part of Afghan civil unrest and violence for decades. While President Biden can state his opinion that the Afghan people must solve their own problems, it is misleading to avoid taking responsibility for the active role the US has played in the county for more than three decades. US officials argue that the US public was misled over Afghanistan. For many in the United States who have never heard much about the chaos and confusion US service members have encountered in Afghanistan, the images from the Kabul airport may seem shocking. However, for years, outlets have reported on interviews with US officials who have stated plainly that the public has been misled on the actual goings-on in the country. The Washington Post has published various stories on interviews conducted by organizations aiming to understand what went wrong in Afghanistan. These interviews were not initially going to be made public, but the media organizations fought in court to ensure their release. The papers include testimony, interviews, and more causal conversations with over 600 government officials from across agencies and branches. In 2015, three-star Army general Douglas Lute, who served as the White Houses Afghan war czar under both Presidents Bush and Obama, stated in an interview that We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan we didnt know what we were doing. Other military officials like Army colonel and senior counterinsurgency adviser to U.S. military commanders in 2013 and 2014, Bob Crowley, stated that Every data point was altered to present the best picture possible, and that surveys especially were totally unreliable but reinforced that everything we were doing was right and we became a self-licking ice cream cone. Thousands of US and coalition service members have lost their lives. An even greater number, nearly 100,000 Afghanis, have died as a result of the conflict, and millions have been forced to flee their homes and their country to escape the violence. While the threat the Taliban poses to the people of Afghanistan cannot and should not be underplayed, the US invasion has brought bloodshed and conflicts that could take generations to overcome. The CDC recommends that schools should reopen with in person learning regardless if covid-19 measures could be implemented. In the organization's view, the benefits of in-person teaching outweigh the risks of covid-19. The CDC cited data that has shown reopening schools did not increase covid-19 transmission rates when measures to prevent the spread were taken. The reopening comes as the US's two largest teachers unions dropped their opposition to covid-19 vaccine mandates. What measures are in schools currently? Schools don't have enforced measures, but there are still guidelines set out by the CDC. The organization recommends that individuals should wear masks and keep a 3ft (1 meter) distance when indoors and have regular testing. If pupils have symptoms, they should stay home. I recommend making sure their student has high-quality masks and knows how to wear them correctly, says Tara C. Smith, a professor of epidemiology at Kent State Universitys College of Public Health. They should either be cloth with a tight weave, or one of the KF94 or KN95 masks that are increasingly available. If they use the latter, they should be sure to buy them from reputable retailers and that they have a tight seal to the face. Working with young children will make many of these measures near impossible to enforce. However, Furthermore, guidelines are only guidelines and it is up to individual states to decide what measures they will take. Indeed, eight US states (Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah) have barred school districts from requiring masks, while 32 others are leaving the matter up to individual school districts. What are the risks to children from the Delta variant? The risk of serious complications in children remains rare, but health experts warn that the more transmissible variants, such as Delta, increase the risk to young people while they remain unvaccinated. Currently children udner 12 cannot be vaccinated and few between 12 and 17 are double jabbed. Only 3.7% of 12-15 year-olds have had one jab while just 2.2% of 16-17 year-olds have received their first vaccination. Dr Carlos Oliveira, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine, told NBC News: Last year, for example, you would have to give a child a really high infectious dose to make them sick, but with the virus that's more contagious, even what would be an insignificant exposure could get them sick. Will children be vaccinated? President Biden has affirmed his belief that children under 12 should be vaccinated. But there are still no provisions for it to happen. An FDA official told NBC News that Covid-19 vaccine approval for younger children could come by midwinter. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech both launched trials of their Covid-19 vaccines for children under 12 in March, with results expected in the fall. As of July 15, 400 children in the US have died of the disease. Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 16, 2021 shows a screen displaying U.S. President Joe Biden delivering remarks on Afghanistan at the White House in Washington, D.C. Biden said Monday that the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan "did unfold more quickly" than the United States had anticipated, adding, however, that he stands by the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the war-torn country. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday stood by his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan while acknowledging Kabul's collapse to the Taliban came much sooner than Washington had anticipated. "I stand squarely behind my decision," said Biden in a televised speech from the White House. "The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated." The speech came one day after the Taliban completed a stunningly swift takeover of the war-torn country's capital of Kabul on Sunday after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country. "If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, now, was the right decision," said Biden who returned to the White House from Camp David ahead of schedule. "American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves," he said. In just over a week, the Taliban, which the U.S. overthrew in 2001, went from winning control of its first provincial capital to taking over Kabul. Saying he was willing to take criticism over the decision on troops withdrawal, Biden also cast blame on top Afghan leaders, Afghan forces and his predecessor Donald Trump for the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. "We have to be honest, our mission in Afghanistan is taking many missteps - made many missteps over the past two decades... I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another president... yet another one, a fifth one," he said. Trump, who inked a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. forces by this past May, also bears part of the responsibility for the current situation, said Biden. "The choice I had to make as your president was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season," Biden said. "There would be no ceasefire after May 1." Biden said the U.S. mission in Afghanistan to defeat the Sept. 11 attackers and ensure al-Qaida could not use Afghanistan as a base to hit the United States had been completed. "I made a commitment to the American people when I ran for president that I would bring America's military involvement in Afghanistan to an end. While it's been hard and messy and, yes, far from perfect," he said. Biden said the United States will evacuate from Afghanistan thousands of American citizens who have been living and working in the country, warning the Taliban of "swift and forceful" response if these efforts come under attack. The United States would expand refugee access to include other vulnerable Afghans not already covered by special immigrant visas, volunteers for nongovernmental organizations and personnel from U.S. news agencies, he said. Defense Department press secretary John Kirby said Monday that 1,000 more troops would be deployed to Kabul, eventually bringing the total force there to more than 6,000. About 2,500 U.S. troops are currently on the ground. Kirby confirmed two incidents in which U.S. troops fired on armed people at the airport, resulting in the death of two of them. The situation in Afghanistan will continue to "remain fluid in the coming hours and likely in the coming days," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in a press briefing on Monday. "There has not been a formal transfer of power," Price said while being asked whom the United States recognizes as a leader of Afghanistan, adding that the U.S. administration is still pushing for a political settlement. "This is something that we are working again with the international community. You saw in the statement from the UN, a clear consensus emerge that a political settlement will be in everyone's interests," said Price. U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and his team remained in the Taliban's diplomatic base of Qatar where U.S. officials have been in talks with the group, Price said. "They still continue to engage with the Taliban... The focus of course changed. It shifted from supporting peace negotiations along with the international community to working assiduously and urgently to do all we can with the international community on an urgent basis to avert violence, to attempt to maintain order in Kabul," said Price. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has discussed the current situation in Afghanistan with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and other senior officials. A majority of Americans disapproved of Biden's handling of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by the Trafalgar Group, found that 69 percent of polled Americans disapproved of Biden's handling of U.S. military presence in the war-torn country, with only 23 percent approving. 2 1 Editor: WXL Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows fishermen loading fresh swimming crabs at the Liandao Fishing Port, Lianyungang District, Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province. At present, fishermen are enjoying a bumper harvest of wimming crabs as autumn comes. The daily output reaches more than 300,000 kilograms. The local fishermen stepped up the sorting and loading process to satisfy the local market supply. Most of them will be sold to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places. (Wang Chun/Guangming Picture) By Dafina Gercheva, UNDP Ukraine Resident Representative to Ukraine Access to medicines is essential for achieving access to health as a fundamental human right. As such, it is included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and is recognised as key-element for scaling-up access to health services towards universal health coverage. Medicinal procurement is not restricted to the logistical component of treatments or testing systems availability. It also includes management and quality of services, and promotion of adequate use of medicines. The availability of medicines, however, is the crucial component without which other health care interventions are very likely to fail. In this regard, the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a multifaceted crisis that altered the morbidity and mortality patterns globally, lead to questioning the existing healthcare systems and their effectiveness and preparedness for adequate response to stochastic challenges and economic burden. People recognised that medical institutions need upgrading, there is a need for additional training of medical staff, and, above all, we all need timely supply of necessary treatments, tests and vaccines. Ukraine was not spared these processes and COVID-19 has understandably shifted the focus of the debate to current risks and immediate needs, and away from the long-term impact of the healthcare reform, which was launched few years ago by the Ministry of Health and is supported by development partners, civil society and international experts. Yet had it not been for these pre-pandemic reforms, the situation in 2020/21 could have been way worse. As a key actor in the healthcare developments in Ukraine, UNDP is looking back and assessing the results of the reform and identifying key achievements, lessons learned, and areas that might need further work. Some history In 2013-2014, public health procurement in Ukraine was plagued by the inefficient use of state funds, constant delays in procuring medicines and medical devices, and widespread corruption. This undermined the credibility of governmental institutions, caused pharmaceutical shortages, and raised costs that citizens had to pay for healthcare to levels beyond the means of the average person. This ultimately took a high toll on human lives. After the protests of 20132014, a group of civil society activists with the support of patients, anti-corruption NGOs, lawyers, economists, MPs and government agency representatives developed a strategy and a legislative package to temporarily transfer the procurement of vital medical products to international organisations. After the respective laws were adopted in March 2015, UNDP became one of the international organisations that began procuring medicines that meet the highest international standards for quality. UNDP also started providing vital support to government institutions and civil society to develop their capacity in effective and efficient medical procurement. Procuring life-saving medicines: the results Looking at UNDPs emergency support to the Ministry of Health in the cost-effective and timely procurement of medicines and medical devices over the last six years, the results speak for themselves. Since 2015, UNDP has procured and delivered medicines and medical products worth more than UAH 16 billion (U.S. $618 million). This allowed the government to provide equal and unhindered access to vital treatments for two million Ukrainians, especially those from the most vulnerable groups. The key factors that have contributed to the success of this programme include: 1) ensuring transparency throughout the procurement process; 2) procuring generics/biosimilars; 3) helping producers register products on the Ukrainian market; and 4) procuring from producers directly. In addition, UNDP established several long-term agreements (LTAs) for various health programmes, attracting new manufacturers, thereby increasing competition and driving down prices, and as a result, saving taxpayers money. For example, UNDP established LTAs to procure tuberculosis medicines at a discount across a portfolio of over 22 different medicines. This has allowed the government to achieve savings of $5.8 million. Furthermore, UNDP established LTAs to buy cancer medicines at a reduced price across a portfolio of over 96 medicines. UNDP has also made pooled orders and provided support to producers with the registration of medicines and medical devices, thus increasing competition and driving down prices as a consequence. The organisation significantly changed the procurement paradigm by cutting out intermediary suppliers and purchasing directly from producers. UNDP also introduced novel treatments that aligned Ukrainian practices of clinical management of patients with those of the countries with the best healthcare systems. Even more important than the public money that has been saved, the reforms have made it possible to provide more patients with lifesaving medications and therapies. This is particularly crucial, given that many patients, such as those with rare diseases, need expensive, continuous treatment to maintain their life. One of them is 10-year-old Yegor, who is among 2,500 Ukrainians living with haemophilia. He would like to become an IT specialist one day and travel all around the world. However, he needs to have injections 2-3 times a week to live a fulfilling and happy life and make his dreams come true. I want future funding for people with haemophilia to be stable and transparent, as it has been in recent years, thanks to public procurement and UNDP, says Yegors mom. Another to benefit is 23-year-old Olya, who for most of her life has had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic joint disease. In the past, she used to experience problems getting medicines and at times had to stay at home. As a consequence, her right leg shortened by 4 centimetres, and she now walks on her tiptoes. Im extremely happy that thanks to UNDP the delivery of medicines to Ukraine has improved, Olya said. Thanks to this, Im living a fulfilling and active life. I dream of having a family and children. I want to have three children, and adopt twins from an orphanage, because neither I nor my boyfriend had twins in our families. For Yegor, Olya, and thousands of other Ukrainian patients, the timely procurement and delivery of medicines provides the opportunity to live an active life, not to be afraid to dream and, more importantly, to actually be able to fulfil their dreams. Developing capacities of government organisations Our job at UNDP, in this sector and in all others, is ultimately to work ourselves out of a job by developing the capacity of our local partners so we can step back when the time is right. The procurement of vital medical products was always considered a temporary measure to gain the time needed to implement the required reforms in public health procurement. Our objective is to aid the Ministry of Health in developing enough capacity to ensure transparency, accountability and effectiveness in the medicines supply system. To achieve this goal, since 2015 UNDP has organized numerous training workshops for staff at the Health Ministry and the state-owned enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine. The training has centred on sharing world best practices in effective procurement, along with measures to address corruption. As part of our effort to develop the capacity of the relevant government institutions, we have involved analytical centres, such as KPMG Ukraine, to monitor health reform implementation and provide reports and recommendations. We have sought and shared expert opinions on strengthening the national health system, and sent our own advisors to participate in government working groups. Through this programme, from 2015 to 2017 dozens of specialists from the Ministry of Health and other institutions have gained new knowledge and improved their capacities to attain the highest standards of transparency, accountability, cost-efficiency and sustainability in public procurement and supply chain management in the healthcare sector. In 2019, UNDP helped secure CIPS (Chartered Institute on Procurement and Supply) procurement certification for employees of the state-owned enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine. This Medical Procurement of Ukraine learning exercise also trained participants in medicines market intelligence. UNDP recently finalized regional health procurement capacity assessments in 31 medical establishments in Donetsk, Luhansk, Poltava, Rivne and Volyn oblasts. This regional research project provided an overview of the health procurement structure at the regional level, and identified gaps and opportunities faced by regional authorities. Another UNDP capacity-development initiative is to strengthen the technical capacity of the E-Liky online platform , which operates in all regions of Ukraine and allows patients to check the availability of medicines in health facilities. Strengthening cooperation with civil society Another essential component of UNDPs comprehensive approach to creating a fair and transparent national health procurement process is cooperation with civil society organizations. We strongly believe that the community of patients should be one of the driving forces behind health sector reform. Their voices need to be heard. Over the past six years, UNDP has actively involved community and patient organisations in discussions and consultations on all initiatives in health procurement reform in Ukraine. Moreover, UNDP has been working with patient groups and other civil society actors to build a system of checks and balances to help ensure public control over the national procurement agencys future activities. Since 2017, UNDP has provided small grants to patient organisations to monitor the availability and use of medicines procured. This has made it possible for patients to monitor procurement process, and thus contribute to their improvement. During the last four years of monitoring, the number of participants, types of diseases and the number of regions covered has increased. The programme started with just two diseases and four regions in 2017 (see Public Monitoring Guidelines Delivery, Availability and Use of Medicines at the Local Level). By 2019 the monitoring of medicines covered 13 diseases in 11 regions. In 2020, six NGOs analysed the availability of medicines in 17 regions of Ukraine and in the city of Kyiv. We believe that the direct participation of patient groups not only makes them more visible and lets their voices be heard, but that it also helps to protect patients rights, prevents discrimination and allows patients to be active, informed and meaningful participants in their own healthcare. Responding to COVID-19 Throughout most of history, necessity has always been the mother of invention and innovation. New health challenges and the risks they pose to society require organisations to look for new approaches and tools. This is especially true in the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the world, challenged by a voracious virus, has sometimes had to take draconian measures to reduce the spread of infection. Moreover, the virus brought with it the added ills of social isolation, misinformation and a rapid drop in most social and economic indicators. To address the most pressing issues, UNDP cooperated with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and is using a repurposed loan from the World Bank to develop contact tracing systems that could monitor (and thus contain) the spread of the novel coronavisrus. UNDP is also supporting the government of Ukraine with its operational and policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The four main areas of activities included: Involving patients organisations in disseminating information on the prevention of COVID-19 and counselling communities with limited access to information and/or vulnerable groups; Developing an IT solution for COVID-19 contact tracing; Creating an information and analytical module for monitoring, forecasting and responding to the spread of COVID-19; Developing a learning module for medical professionals to manage contaminated waste, and conducting training sessions for personnel who handle this waste. Focusing forward Although we have come a long way with our support for Ukraines public health procurement systems, there remain several areas where we must stay engaged. First and foremost among these is ensuring that the countrys vulnerable and marginalized populations have dependable access to COVID-19-related services. UNDP will also continue to ensure equal and uninterrupted access to high-quality and cost-efficient medicines and medical devices until the national institutions are fully armed with all necessary skills and have the necessary capabilities. We will continue to closely cooperate with health and procurement stakeholders, strengthening their capacities to promote sustainable public procurement. For instance, by the end of 2021, UNDP will finalize an environmental impact assessment and legal review of Ukraines healthcare waste management systems. We believe this initiative will support Ukraines transition to the sustainable manufacture, consumption and disposal of medicines and medical materials. UNDP believes that a comprehensive human rights-based approach, combined with the joint efforts of international organizations, government institutions and civil society, will help overcome Ukraines current health challenges. In this way, we will undoubtedly succeed in building an effective, efficient and equitable healthcare system centred on patients and their needs. The process of choosing the director of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) worries business with its length and scandalousness, EBA Executive Director Anna Derevyanko told Interfax-Ukraine in a comment. "From the very beginning, the business emphasized that the work of the new body should be based on such principles as political and operational independence, a focus on analytical function, demilitarization, transparent selection of management and personnel, control by the public and supervisory authorities, increasing accountability for illegal actions," noted Derevyanko. "At the same time, the process of selecting a leader, which we are now observing in the country, worries by its duration and scandalousness," she stressed. According to the executive director of the EBA, the business was expecting the election of the head of the EBA in July. "Frankly speaking, at least a month ago, the business community expected to get an effective and progressive leader. Therefore, now, while market players continue to closely monitor the process," Derevyanko said. As reported, following the results of the hearing of 12 candidates selected out of 59, head of the State Fiscal Service (SFS) Vadym Melnyk, member of the NBU Council Vasyl Horbal and prosecutor of the PGO Attila Kovci passed to the final stage of the competition for the head of the new body. Over the past day, Russian-occupation forces violated the ceasefire five times in Donbas, one soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine died, the press center of the Joint Force Operation (JFO) headquarters said on Tuesday morning. "As a result of enemy shelling, one soldier received a gunshot wound incompatible with life," the JFO said. In particular, at Zolote-4, Russian-occupation forces opened fire from grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Near Shyrokyne, the enemy fired at Ukrainian positions from heavy anti-tank and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, as well as small arms. In the Vodiane area, the occupation forces fired from hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms. In the direction of Novomykhailivka, the Russian armed formations fired at the positions of the Ukrainian defenders from large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Near Prychepylivka, Russian-occupation forces fired from heavy machine guns and small arms. "As of 07:00 on August 17, two ceasefire violations were recorded by the Russian-occupation forces," the JFO said. It is noted that near Prychepylivka, the enemy fired at Ukrainian positions with small arms. In the direction of the settlement Vodiane, which is near Donetsk, the Russian armed formations used 120 caliber mortars. In the occupied Crimea, Russian special services are conducting searches in five houses of Tatar activists, Verkhovna Rada human rights commissioner Liudmyla Denisova said. "From 04:00 in five houses of the Crimean Tatars, searches are taking place in Simferopol, Bakhchisarai, Balaklava and Nakhimov regions in the temporarily occupied Crimea," Denisova said on her Telegram channel on Tuesday morning. In particular, in the village of Strohanivka in Simferopol district, officers from the Russian services: the center for countering extremism, the FSB and OMON are conducting investigative actions in the house of the local imam Raif Fevziev. Searches are also taking place in the homes of local activists Jabbar Bekirov, Zaur Abdullayev, Rustem Tairov, Rustem Murasov. Denisova said the occupying country is once again resorting to persecution and intimidation of the Crimean Tatars. The searches carried out are a gross violation of international norms, in particular, Article 5 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, according to which everyone is guaranteed the right to security of person, and Article 8 of the Convention, the right to respect for private and family life. The commissioner called on the international community to respond to the illegal actions of the occupation authorities and to increase pressure on Russia in order to stop human rights violations in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Systematic searches in the Kyiv City Hall and utilities in the Ukrainian capital are aimed at creating a negative image of the capital's authorities and creating obstacles to the implementation of important projects for the city and Kyiv residents, according to a statement posted on the Kyiv City State Administration website. According to the Kyiv City State Administration, on August 16, regular searches are conducted in the Department of Transport Infrastructure and at the utility company Directorate for Construction of Road Construction Facilities of Kyiv. Searches are also carried out in the contractors involved in the construction of the Podilsky bridge over the Dnieper River. "All this is aimed at creating a negative image of the capital's authorities and creating obstacles for the implementation of important projects for the city and the people of Kyiv," the statement said. According to the KSCA, documents on the object "Construction of the Podilsky bridge over the Dnieper River in Kyiv" have been repeatedly seized and checked by law enforcement officials, and the Department of Transport Infrastructure of the KSCA and utility company "Directorate of Road Construction Facilities in Kyiv" assist law enforcement agencies and provide all necessary documents. However, numerous searches paralyze the work of utilities and structural units of the city government, the Kyiv authorities said. The mayor's office considers what is happening to be a political action and systemic pressure. According to the KSCA website, the searches were conducted by officers of the Podilsky District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv together with the Strategic Investigations Department in Kyiv of the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police of Ukraine. Former acting Minister of Finance of Ukraine Ihor Umansky announced the transition to big politics and the creation of his own political force National Economic Policy (NEP). "Only a radical change in the economic paradigm will allow Ukraine to jump a few steps and be among the countries capable of providing their citizens with a decent standard of living," he was quoted as saying in a National Economic Policy press release on Monday, August 16. Umansky was appointed head of the Ministry of Finance on March 4, 2020, but on March 30 of the same year the Verkhovna Rada fired him and appointed former Deputy Minister of Finance and former Deputy Head of the President's Administration Serhiy Marchenko, who remains in office until now. In his biography, Umansky twice held the position of First Deputy Minister of Finance: in 2008-2010, in the team of Viktor Pynzenyk, after whose dismissal he served as Minister, and in 2014-2015, in the team of Minister Natalia Yaresko. From May to November 2020, he was adviser to head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) Oleh Nikolenko said that as of Tuesday morning 120 citizens of Ukraine and their family members state their willingness to evacuate from Afghanistan. "We are talking about Ukrainians of Afghan origin and individuals working under private contracts. We are in contact with everyone," Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday. According to him, there is a plane at Kabul airport, which is supposed to take out Ukrainian citizens. "At the same time, a ban on flights for civil aircraft started to operate on the territory of Afghanistan. Now permits are issued only to military aircraft. The situation at the airport itself also remains uncontrolled," Nikolenko said. The spokesperson said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassies and the involved departments are now making every effort to resolve the issue of the departure of the plane with the Ukrainians in the near future. "Priority number one is safety. The evacuation will start only when safe conditions are created for this," he said. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said other options for the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens are being worked out in parallel. "I want to assure that Ukraine will not leave its citizens in Afghanistan to fend for themselves. Those Ukrainians who are in the country and want to return should immediately inform the embassy in Tajikistan or Pakistan about themselves. Relatives can call the Foreign Ministry's hotline. Then diplomats will be able to plan a safe option for assistance," Nikolenko said. The fire that broke out last week at the metallurgical plant of the Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky in Ohio (the United States), as investigators suspect, could be the result of arson, according to U.S. journalist Michael Salla, editor of the investigative journalism department of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on referred to by Radio Liberty. "We really think it was deliberate arson," he said, citing fire investigation spokesperson Brian Bonert. According to the journalist, a source familiar with the investigation said that at the time of the start of the fire in the factory building, the electricity was cut off, the fire hydrants were turned off, there was no lighting, so imagine what happened there. According to Salla, the fire broke out only two days after the Ohio prosecutor general's office filed a large case against the plant for gross violations of environmental requirements after revealing mountains of toxic waste on its territory that ended up in a nearby river. The journalist said that in the United States, Kolomoisky is under investigation for money laundering, namely the theft of millions of dollars from a Ukrainian bank and secretly investing them in metallurgical plants throughout the United States. He was left with empty, destroyed buildings, hazardous industrial conditions and unemployed workers, writes Salla, the author of an investigation into Kolomoisky's methods of activity in the United States, published in April. In March, the United States added Kolomoisky to its sanctions list, accusing him of involvement in acts of corruption. These sanctions so far only provide for a ban on the entry of the oligarch himself and his family members into the United States. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also investigating the Ukrainian oligarch in connection with the withdrawal of funds from PrivatBank (Kyiv), once the largest creditor in Ukraine, in the amount of $5.5 billion. Kolomoisky and his partner Hennadiy Boholiubov are accused of embezzling billions of dollars from the bank, which they then owned, through fraudulent loans, and used some of the proceeds to buy assets in the United States, including real estate and steel mills. The newly appointed head of Spanish diplomacy will visit Ukraine on August 23 to participate in the inaugural summit of the international platform for the de-occupation of the Crimean Peninsula (Crimea Platform). The corresponding message was published by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine following the first telephone conversation between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba with new Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain Jose Manuel Albares Bueno. "The head of Spanish diplomacy confirmed that he will represent the Kingdom of Spain at the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform. Dmytro Kuleba expressed gratitude for this important decision and noted that he is looking forward to his Spanish counterpart on August 23 in Kyiv," the message says. It notes that Kuleba congratulated his colleague on the appointment and expressed confidence in close cooperation for the further development of relations between Ukraine and Spain. The Spanish diplomat assured of Spain's strong support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "The ministers also agreed to begin preparations for the first, in the history of Ukrainian-Spanish relations, visit of Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez to Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry said. It said that the parties also discussed preparations for celebrating in 2022 the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Spain. In addition, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno accepted Dmytro Kuleba's invitation to visit Ukraine on a separate bilateral visit at a convenient time for him. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest in connection with the next raid of illegal searches and detentions of residents of various regions of the occupied Crimea on August 17. The corresponding statement by Ukrainian diplomats was made public on Tuesday. "According to the available information, after searches at 4:00, at the houses of the Crimean Tatars in Simferopol and Bakhchisarai regions of the temporarily occupied Republic of Crimea and in Balaklava and Nakhimov districts of the city of Sevastopol, five citizens of Ukraine were illegally detained, all Crimean Tatars: Imam Raif Fevziev and activists Rustem Murasov, Rustem Tairov, Dzhabbar Bekirov, Zaur Abdullayev," the statement reads. It notes that the Russian Federation is once again "using its repressive apparatus to persecute and intimidate representatives of the disloyal Crimean Tatar people, suppress freedom of religion, and oust the indigenous people, the Crimean Tatars, from the occupied peninsula." Ukrainian diplomats clarify that in accordance with international law, the Russian Federation, as an occupying state, is obliged to immediately stop political repressions against the local population of the Crimean peninsula temporarily occupied by it. "The Russian Federation must also fully comply with the provisions of UN General Assembly Resolutions 68/262 of March 27, 2014 'Territorial Integrity of Ukraine' and 'Situation of Human Rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol [Ukraine]' 2016-2020. And a ruling of the International Court of Justice on the imposition of measures under the claim of Ukraine against the Russian Federation on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. We demand from Russia to immediately release the five people detained today, as well as all the Ukrainian citizens illegally detained by it," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. It also calls on the international community to continue active protection of the rights and freedoms of the inhabitants of the Crimean peninsula and to increase pressure on the Russian Federation to stop its gross violations of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, in particular within the framework of the new international format initiated by Ukraine the Crimea Platform. "We regard the indicated illegal searches and detentions as a provocation on the eve of the Crimea Platform summit," Ukrainian diplomats said. Court extends Antonenko's house arrest, Duhar's obligations for another two months Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv has extended the preventive measure for those accused of the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet: Andriy Antonenko remains under house arrest until October 17, Yana Duhar under personal obligations. The court made the relevant decision on Tuesday, thus upholding the prosecutor's motion. "To extend round-the-clock house arrest with the use of electronic means of control until October 17, 2021 [...] To extend the personal obligations of accused Duhar [...] until October 17, 2021," the court ruling announced on Tuesday reads. The hearing on the merits of the charge was postponed until 11:00 on August 31. The hearing was broadcast on the Sudova Vlada YouTube channel. This is the second part of an exclusive interview with Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation (EEF) to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency Let's take a closer look at funding. While I was looking for information about the Foundation, I found how much the Eurasia Foundation had invested in total about $44 million. But I could not find information about you over the 13 years of the Foundation's existence. Are these amounts in the public record? Yes. This is $30 million. It is more difficult to say in hryvnia, because the exchange rate varied all these years. All this information is public. We publish it on our website and indicate the amounts in our public annual reports. I am interested in the distribution of grants of the Foundation by programs. For example, what portion of the Foundation's portfolio was for improving energy efficiency, improving digital networks, etc. That is an interesting question. We have never broken down [the Foundation's portfolio] into such categories. But surely, we will need to ask the finance department to do this analysis. What is the Foundation's annual endowment? What is your budget for 2020 and what is its breakdown by line item? We try to indicate this in our reports: in 2020 $6.5 million. As for costs, more than 60% is spent on programs and about $1.6 million on grants. We also publish all recipients in our sources, with amounts. Administrative expenses are somewhere around 6-7%. It is important to note here that according to the law, no more than 20% should go to the administration of a charitable foundation. Our percentage, as you can see, is much less. Unlike American foundations, which take for the development of the organization, conditionally, from one dollar 25-27%. That is, everything that we administer, every second of our time, every hryvnia, is spent on supporting programs. Who are your donors? Half of the funding comes from the U.S. government. The other half comes from governments of other countries, the European Union, and charitable foundations of other countries. We did not receive funds from private foundations and businesses last year, but we had earlier contributions from the business. Does the private sector support the Foundation? Yes, especially in the context of community development. There were interesting projects for economic development, to support certain target social groups, for example, the elderly. We had different experiences: DTEK, Telenor, Monsanto ... Until we made changes to the partnership policy JTI, Carlsberg Ukraine, Philip Morris ... We did a lot of interesting things. You mainly mention international companies, except for one. What about Ukrainian businesses? Ukrainian businesses also. For example, Juscutum, the law firm that helped the Foundation with a blockchain-based solution. Why aren't Ukrainian businesses more supportive of your work? I think that it is not easy for Ukrainian business now, especially in light of the pandemic. On the agenda is the issue of resource optimization, and in some cases, survival. But indirectly, our small projects launched by us are, of course, to some extent financed and co-financed by businesses. Are you interested in further business financing and looking for partners? Yes, we are. The format of participation can be mutually beneficial. For example, one of our projects is the 'DIIA.Digital Education ' ('DIIA.Cyfrova osvita' Ukrainian, IF ). The platform itself, the idea was developed by us with the Ministry of Digital Transformation. We supported its creation and then different organizations came up with their ideas on how to introduce their educational courses there. The first who responded was Kyivstar with the 'Smartphone for Parents' program. The idea is to attract people who work only with mobile communications of the usual third generation, to make them consumers of content. That is, to open up opportunities for them to receive public services, to stimulate them to be active citizens and the like. Here our interests with Kyivstar coincided. They have a new service and traffic monetization, we have new opportunities. They prepared a whole block of content on how to involve third-generation people in this process and passed this content to 'DIIA.Digital Education'. In fact, this is always a win-win (the case when all participants remain in the black IF): it is useful for society and the company is profitable. Another example of cutting-edge cooperation with business is within the framework of the e-Baby (eMalyatko Ukrainian, IF) project with the Ukrainian IT Association. As a pilot, we launched this e-service in maternity hospitals with the assistance of administrators special people who helped young parents fill out online applications. This required more than 600 computers. In the shortest possible time, the state would not have had time to carry out the necessary purchase. We got together and found 200 PCs together with the business, which handed over the equipment to us. We completed the project, installed the software, and handed it over to the state. Let's talk about the challenges. What is holding back the work and development of the Foundation? I understand that this is a general question. Are there barriers that inhibit the Foundation's work? Now, thank God, there are opportunities, so it is definitely not the funding. There are a lot of international assistance programs in operation. At the same time, there is a large shortage of people with expertise at the intersection of IT technologies, state, and the public sector. We have never trained such specialists in universities. And, of course, there is the level of capacities of civil society organizations, which has improved over the years but still needs to get better. I heard from a colleague the following figure: 60-70% of grant assistance that donors provide to Ukraine remains unclaimed. Ukrainian public organizations cannot use it because there are not enough project competencies. As a result, there are few effective projects in the portfolio. I'm talking about the sector as a whole although there are areas where the situation is better. There are not enough strong teams, organizations do not have development strategies, there is no good project practices, etc. These are the areas where the public sector in Ukraine still needs to develop. After all, a strong public sector means, among other things, a strong country, both in a political, social, and economic sense. How do you feel about the fact that organizations like yours are called grant-feeders? If we take the entire volume of international technical assistance allocated to Ukraine and see what share goes to public organizations in the form of competitions, then this is 10%. The rest is distributed through the state: certain Foundation programs, direct assistance to the budget. This is where hundreds of millions of dollars go, not to the public sector. Under grant-feeders, we usually understand the organizations which receive funding that demonstrate no results and provide no reporting to the public. I think that EEF is not the case. If we are talking about large grant Foundations, their recipients often work with individual entrepreneurs (FOPs). Do you cooperate in this format? All of our key employees are staff members. We use the services of private entrepreneurs (FOPs) for project-specific tasks within the framework of program activities (so called project implementation team). But such involvement is limited in time and has a clear technical assignment a set of services that this specialist must provide. The Foundation's policy is not to use FOPs as a way to minimize taxation. Tell us about your plans, if you talk about them at all. Especially medium and long-term plans. All our plans are subordinated to the strategic goals of the organization, the so-called smart goals. They are determined for the period from 2019 to 2024. We have three of them: a strong and active civil society, effective governance at all levels and institutional development. Every program, every project that we implement or financially support, contributes to the achievement of these goals. We use ten indicators to measure our performance. For example, we count the number of users who were able to join the decision-making process using all electronic platforms implemented with the participation of the Foundation: the e-democracy platform E-DEM, the portals of electronic petitions of the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers, and others. From this graph, it can be seen (the graph shows IF) that today we have moved towards the goal by 41%. That is, speaking of plans, there is still a lot of work to be done? Yes, now we are working with the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the development of the platform 'Interaction' ('VzaimoDiia' Ukrainian, IF). It will be a national e-democracy platform with the help of which Ukrainians will be able to influence the decision-making process of the authorities online. There will be electronic voting, and electronic applications, and the opportunity to submit proposals to draft laws and regulations, and much more. One of the platform's super-tools is an electronic application to funding from the state budget, where civil society organizations will be able to apply and receive support from the budget of all levels. We want to make this process transparent, easy, electronic, and accessible. So, that in 3 years a system will work that would allow any public organization to apply for state support electronically. Further, we want to consolidate it by law, and we are working with the Ministry of Digital Transformation to transfer all public services to the online format. Any interaction with the authorities, which we have now, should have an online opportunity: receiving, filing complaints, filing applications, etc. The ministry is one of your serious partners. But you also work a lot with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. What is planned in this regard? Yes, together with the Ukrainian Parliament, we have implemented a large-scale project for more than seven years the USAID RADA Program. Its program activities ended on June 30th. But we do not lose hope for continued cooperation. For example, there is one initiative that I would very much like to implement to organize an analytical and research service is the Verkhovna Rada. Such structures exist in the parliaments of all advanced countries. Our idea is to take the best international experience, bring it to Ukraine, connect those people who work here, with those who work in the British Parliament, U.S. Congress, and European Parliament. We want to show them how to write templates for documents, how to do research, etc. And this service is planned for Verkhovna Rada or will it be an independent one? We want this service to be independent, but to be used by the Verkhovna Rada, namely MPs and their aides. I very much hope that within six months a decision will be made to create such a service in the Parliament. As part of the USAID RADA Program, we created a prototype of the service European Research Center which provided access to the international experience and quality analytics for MPs. Thus, in 2020 by request of MPs, our experts prepared about 120 policy briefs, about 50% of these materials were used while lawmaking. Everything that I mentioned is just a part of a larger mosaic. Now the Foundation has a dozen programs that relate to the development of civil society, e-government, economic and social development. A recent initiative is our expert support for the Crimean Platform. Perhaps, the key idea that unites all our programs is the desire to transform Ukraine into a state that serves the people through our work, a state that will be efficient, open, and, most importantly, comfortable to live and work in. PART 1 Over 15 years, NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy has invested about $580 million in the production of concessional oil and gas fields of hydrocarbons in Egypt, said First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the company Serhiy Pereloma. "We plan to develop this area in the future and, accordingly, to increase the volume of hydrocarbon production," he wrote on his Facebook page following a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic Ayman Elgammal. According to him, the joint company of the NJSC and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) - Petrosannan Company - were able to significantly increase the production of hydrocarbons in the Alam El Shawish East Western Desert this year. In particular, work has begun to increase hydrocarbon recovery by flooding an oil reservoir of one of the main fields, an intensive well workover campaign has been carried out, and significant results have been achieved during hydraulic fracturing operations. "We plan to expand this successful experience. We are looking for ways not only to increase oil and gas production, but also new opportunities for their further transportation," Pereloma said. He also said that the Petrosannan Company has provided the Egyptian Coptic Church in Asyut governorate with geological data that will help drill new wells to supply the farms with fresh water. KYIV. Aug 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) The Armed Forces of Ukraine (34.6%), ATO veterans (34.2%), volunteers (36.2%), doctors (23%), public organizations (8.1%) enjoy the highest level of trust among Ukrainians), according to the results of the monitoring survey of the population of Ukraine "Dynamics of socio-political attitudes and assessments of the population of Ukraine" by the Social Monitoring Center. There is a positive balance of trust among city/village heads (9.8%), city/town/village councils (1.2%), Internet publications (10.5%), according to a study presented in Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday. Negative balance of the level of trust, among political parties (-62.2%), the Verkhovna Rada (-61.8%), the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (-58%), the Prosecutor's Office (-51.3%), the National Bank of Ukraine (-42.1%), the State Security Service of Ukraine (-39.6%), trade unions (-35.1%), President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (-31%), Ministry of Health of Ukraine (-27.7%), National Police of Ukraine (-26.3%), regional councils (-24.8%), religious organizations (-6.6%). The Ukrainian media (television (-21.2%), radio (-30.3%), newspapers (-30.3%) have a negative balance of the level of trust. Some 69% of respondents agreed that life in Ukraine is getting worse with every next president (37.7% said that "definitely agree," 31.3% "rather agree"). Some 25.3% disagree with this statement (19.3% said "rather, do not agree," 6% said "definitely do not agree"). Some 5.7% found it difficult to answer. Some 65.2% agree that regardless of who exactly becomes the next president of Ukraine, this person will represent the interests of only his party and only those voters who live in a certain territory of the country, and not the entire people of Ukraine (28.3% said "definitely agree," 36.9% "rather agree"). Some 26.8% of those who took part in the survey do not agree with this opinion (19% said "rather, do not agree," 7.8% said "definitely do not agree"). Some 8% of respondents found it difficult to answer. Some 68.7% said they agree that the political split in Ukraine after each presidential election is the main reason why the necessary attention is not paid to reforms in Ukraine, and there are processes of confrontation between supporters and opponents of the elected president (29.4% said "definitely agree," 39.3% "rather agree"). Some 23.3% of the respondents disagree with this (18.7% said "rather, do not agree," 4.6% "definitely do not agree"). Some 8% found it difficult to answer the question. Some 37.4% answered that the current government can ensure the safety of citizens of Ukraine, 51.3% cannot, and 11% found it difficult to answer. Some 10.7% of respondents indicated that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is completely independent in his decisions and actions, 40.6% "in some issues independent, in others dependent", 42% "completely dependent on the influence of other countries and international organizations." Some 6.7% found it difficult to answer. Some 7.8% of respondents noted that the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is completely independent in its decisions and actions, some 40.9% "in some issues some independent, in others dependent," 42.3% "completely dependent on the influence of other countries and international organizations." Some 9% did not answer the question. The survey was conducted from August 2 to August 11, 2021. Some 3,012 respondents took part in it. The method of collecting information is a personal interview at the place of residence of the respondent, the standard deviation is from 1.1% to 1.9%. Some 69% of Ukrainians in 2021 would support Ukraine's independence in referendum, 13% would vote against poll KYIV. Aug 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) Some 69.4% of Ukrainians would support the proclamation of state independence of Ukraine in a referendum if it were held today, according to the results of the monitoring survey of the population of Ukraine "Dynamics of socio-political attitudes and assessments of the population of Ukraine" by the Social Monitoring Center. According to the survey presented at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday, 12.7% of respondents would not support Ukraine's independence. Some 10.7% of respondents indicated that it is difficult for them to answer this question, and 7.2% would not take part in the referendum. Most of those who would support Ukraine's independence are in the west of the country (88.6%), and least in Donbas (44.9%). The largest number of those who would not support Ukraine's independence is in the south (25%), and the least in the west (4.1%). Most of those who would support Ukraine's independence are in the 18-29 age group (79.2%), and least in the 70 and over age group (58.6%). The largest number of those who would not support Ukraine's independence is among respondents aged 70 and over (21.6%), and the smallest among respondents aged 18-29 (some 5.9%). Some 55% of respondents noted that they consider Ukraine a truly independent state now, 30 years after the proclamation of independence. Some 34% indicated that they do not consider Ukraine to be truly independent, and 11% found it difficult to answer. Some 42.6% of those surveyed indicated that they and their family benefited more from Ukraine's independence, 32% that they lost more, and 25.4% that it is difficult for them to answer the question. The survey was conducted from August 2 to August 11, 2021. Some 3,012 respondents took part in it. The method of collecting information is a personal interview at the place of residence of the respondent, the standard deviation is from 1.1% to 1.9%. As it is recalled, on December 1, 1991, a nationwide referendum was held, in which 90.32% of citizens who took part in it voted for the independence of Ukraine. KYIV. Aug 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) Provisions in bill No. 5655 on reforming urban planning activities adopted at first reading run counter to international rules of architectural activity, which will lead to the impossibility of attracting international architects to work in Ukraine, the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine has said. The Chamber sent an open letter to Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov, urging parliament to take into account the proposals of the architectural community in the bill. "The bill cannot be adopted in its current form, because, firstly, it is impossible to reform urban planning and architectural activities without architects. Secondly, without architects, no one can guarantee the safety, aesthetics of the spaces and buildings that you enter. The proposed scheme deprives not only architects have rights, but the whole society deprives the right to beautiful and comfortable cities, high-quality and aesthetic space in Ukraine," Deputy Chairperson of the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects Anna Kyrii said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday. According to her, the document states that the architect is automatically deprived of copyright for all objects built using budgetary funds at the stage of signing the contract. "This is in sharp contrast to the norms of international law," Kyrii said. The bill on the reform of the sphere of urban planning discriminates against the profession of an architect and endangers its existence in Ukraine, , Head of the Chernihiv regional branch of the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects Tetiana Mazur said. "The key theses of the bill neutralize the role of the architect in the process of creating an object and carrying out professional architectural supervision. At the same time, property rights to the project as intellectual property have been transferred to the customer, but responsibility for violation of design decisions remains with the architect," she said. According to the open letter, the Architectural Chamber proposes that the text of the bill is harmonized, not only the interests of developers, but also the interests of the public, local government and the architectural community are taken into account, and they are involved in editing the provisions of the bill. The experts proposed that international standards of urban planning and the principles of self-government of professional associations are taken into account. In addition, it is proposed that the rights and obligations of the chief architect of the project, including in local governments and self-regulatory organizations, are restored. It is also proposed that the public is provided with more rights when discussing construction projects and development of territories. Kyrii said that the Chamber has developed amendments to the bill, taking into account the interests of architects and the public, but the profile committee of the parliament does not discuss them. KYIV. Aug 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) Some 66.9% of Ukrainians believe that in order to restore peace in Ukraine, return Donbas and establish good-neighborly relations with the Russian Federation, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky must hold a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the results of the monitoring survey of the population of Ukraine "Dynamics of socio-political attitudes and assessments of the population of Ukraine" by the Social Monitoring Center. According to the survey presented at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday, 33.2% of respondents gave the answer "definitely yes," 33.7% "rather, yes," 14.6% "rather, not," and 15.1% "definitely not." When asked whether President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky should hold a personal meeting with the leaders of the self-proclaimed so-called Donetsk and Luhansk "republics," 51.1% answered that yes (25.6% "definitely yes," 25.5% "rather, yes"), 39.3% of respondents do not agree with this (14.7% "rather, not," 24.6% "definitely not"). Some 9.6% found it difficult to answer. Some 52.8% believe that it is in the interests of Ukraine to fulfill the Minsk Agreements on the settlement of the conflict in Donbas, and 38.1% are in favor of abandoning them. Some 9.1% found it difficult to answer. Some 33.4% of respondents indicated that the Ukrainian authorities did the right thing by abandoning the option of unilateral release of the detained citizens of Ukraine, when the leadership of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics offered to release four detained Ukrainian women and hand them over on the contact line to a representative of the Opposition Platform - For Life (14.9% "definitely correct," 18.5% "rather, correct"). Some 53.1% answered that it was wrong (28% "rather, wrong," 25.1% "definitely wrong"). Some 13.5% did not answer the question. Some 31.5% support the granting of a special status to the uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which provides for autonomy within Ukraine. Some 25.8% support the official recognition that these territories cannot be returned to Ukraine in the coming years, and their isolation from Ukraine. Some 21.7% support the continuation of hostilities aimed at resuming full control of Ukraine over these territories by military means. Some 21% of respondents found it difficult to answer. Some 44.9% said they would support the decision to grant autonomy within Ukraine to the uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to end hostilities and peacefully resolve the conflict in Donbas. Some 37.5% indicated that they would not support it. Some 17.6% did not answer this question. The survey was conducted from August 2 to August 11, 2021. Some 3,012 respondents took part in it. The method of collecting information is a personal interview at the place of residence of the respondent, the standard deviation is from 1.1% to 1.9%. Continuous professional development of medical specialists is a crucial aspect in ensuring the quality of health care. Only constant updates of knowledge and skills will result in high-end specialized training. You will be able to improve abilities, enhance the level of professional competence and obtain a certificate adding 25 scores to your professional portfolio (according to the Order of Ukraine No. 446 dd. 2019) in September 2021 at International European University. International EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY implements the state concept of continuous professional growth of specialists. Thematic advanced training implies skills upgrading in certain sections of a corresponding specialty. Doctors undergo thematic advanced training between attestation cycles. The availability of the certificate of thematic advanced training is taken into account by assessment committees while considering qualification grade issues. COURSE TITLES: Patch testing, September 6-10 How to promptly and easily define the skin reaction to chemical substances and metals contained in surrounding items (cloths, care products, accessories, etc.) using a new patch testing technique? International European University will teach you to diagnose allergic and contact dermatitis. You will obtain the following skills: carrying out of patch testing; detection of chronic dermatoses, sensitive skin syndrome; production of patch tests. The course will be led by Tetiana Boichuk, a dermatovenerologist, childrens dermatologist, allergologist, dermato-oncologist, trichologist of MyDerm partner clinic. Target audience: dermatologists, beauty specialists, allergologists, oncologists, family doctors; interns, resident doctors, postgraduate and medical students. Dermatoscopy, September 13-17 A possibility to learn to diagnose skin diseases using a dermatoscope, see and analyze healthy skin and pathology, detect cell changes that can lead to tragic consequences: all of this and even more can be discovered at the course of thematic advanced training for health professionals by International European University. You will obtain the following skills: dermatoscopic ABC; detection of determatoscopic signs of melanocytic and non-melanocytic formations; melanoma detection algorithm. The course will be led by Yulian Krul, a surgeon, phlebologist, plastic surgeon, oncologist, and Denys Sylenko, a dermatovenerologist, dermatologist, dermato-oncologist, trichologist of MyDerm partner clinic. Target audience: dermatologists, beauty specialists, family doctors; interns and medical students. Punch biopsy, September 20-24 An excellent opportunity to find out how to diagnose skin diseases: to detect and diagnose healthy skin and its pathology, determine skin changes at early stages, which can result in tragic consequences. You will obtain the following skills: carrying out of punch biopsy; possibilities for interaction between practicing dermatologists and technologists; adoption of efficient methods for treatment and diagnostics of skin diseases based on achievements of local and foreign specialists. The course will be led by Yulian Krul, a surgeon, phlebologist, plastic surgeon of MyDerm partner clinic. Target audience: surgeons, clinical oncologists, dermatologists, beauty specialists, family doctors; interns, resident doctors, postgraduate and medical students. Trichology, September 27 October 1 How to recognize healthy hair and diagnose its pathologies, detect hair bulb changes that can lead to tragic consequences? To take a course by International European University and learn to diagnose hair diseases. You will obtain the following skills: diagnostics of damaged hair; practical working out of hair rehabilitation procedures; solution of various problems related to hair and scalp. The course will be led by Kuzma Khobzei, a dermatologist at the Kuzma Khobzei Clinic, trichologist, surgical hair restoration specialist. Target audience: trichologists, beauty specialists, family doctors, interns and medical students. ENT-organ diseases in the context of the interdisciplinary approach, October 4-8 It is easy to see and analyze diseases and pathologies, detect changes in sensory organ functions, which can result in tragic consequences, using diagnostics of reflector diseases. It can be learnt at the course by International European University. You will obtain the following skills: otorhinolaryngologic ABC; pathology detection algorithm; technique for ENT-organ endoscopic examination. The course will be led by Viktor Zaichenko, an otorhinolaryngologist of superior expert category, childrens otorhinolaryngologist, and Yaroslav Shkoba, an otorhinolaryngologist of superior expert category, childrens otorhinolaryngologist at Smart partner clinic. Target audience: otorhinolaryngologists, general practitioners, family doctors, pediatricians, interns, resident doctors, laboratory doctors of primary care setting institutions, postgraduate and medical students. Diseases of male organs in the practice of family doctors, October 11-15 You will be able to explore contemporary recommendations for diagnostics, treatment and preventive measures of male organ diseases based on evidentiary medicine, namely, clinical recommendations by such reputed world organizations as the American Urological Association (AUA) and the European Association of Urology (EAU), in October at the advanced training course by International European University. You will obtain the following skills: diagnostics of male organ diseases; treatment schemes, conservative and surgical treatment; preventive measures and elimination of complications; The course will be led by Vadym Kozlov, a urologist at Health Harmony medical center, andrologist, sexual health specialist, honored doctor of Ukraine. Target audience: urologists, obstetrician-gynecologists, general practitioners, family doctors, postgraduate and medical students. Mode of study of all thematic advanced training courses for doctors: mixed (offline and online), duration: 5 days. OUR ADVANTAGES: we develop educational programs at the postgraduate level at the request of specialists in a real-time mode (current moment); we involve the best international and leading professionals of private, public, municipal institutions of Ukraine in educational services; we comply with evidence-based medicine principles in the organization of continuous professional growth of doctors; Not only find but also can. We understand the importance of developing practical skills and abilities using the potential of the associate clinic and cutting-edge simulation center. Details and electronic submission of documents: https://bit.ly/kursi_tematichnogo_udoskonalennya_ieu The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) remains unable to agree on a constitutional basis for holding legislative and presidential elections slated for 24 December, according to the roadmap the forum agreed on in Tunisia in November 2020. The ongoing impasse was supposed to have been resolved by July. Its persistence has raised concerns over a possible backslide to a political stalemate or, worse, conflict. To avert such spectres, many local and international stakeholders are studying alternatives to this and similar challenges, according to sources speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly. The High National Elections Commission (HNEC), which is responsible for making arrangements for the elections, which are only four months away, has had to amend its plans. In early July, HNEC Chairman Imad Al-Sayeh said the commission would wait till August for the approval of the constitutional basis so as to proceed with arrangements. Yet the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) are still unable to see eye to eye while trading accusations and blaming each other for obstructing the political path. Both are trying to operate unilaterally and on select issues of the roadmap, such as the appointments to key sovereign posts. In view of the urgency of the matter, the Proposals Bridging Committee, which had been formed by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to facilitate agreements, developed four proposals that it forwarded to the LPDF. It was initially hoped that the committee members would agree on a single, unified proposal, but that proved impossible. They did, however, agree on a decision-making mechanism for the LPDF to take its final decision on the constitutional basis. The plenary dedicated to reviewing the committees proposals was held last week, online, on 11 August. As UN Special Envoy for Libya Jan Kubis explained in his introductory remarks to that meeting, its purpose was to give attendees the opportunity to hear out proposals, then share their ideas and views in a constructive manner, exploring how they could be improved and adapted to reach a higher level of consensus within this forum. The plan was then to refine the ideas in further meetings. After holding consultations with key stakeholders in Libya and abroad, he would convene another meeting of the forum, provided you signal readiness to work for a compromise. He added that meeting would most likely be in person, and stressed, We cannot afford another inconclusive outcome. He urged LPDF members to summon the political will to move past their differences, to live up to their responsibilities to the Libyan people and focus on the most important objective which is to develop a constitutional framework for free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections. Other parties, meanwhile, went on to study other available options to end the current stalemate. Two new options were under discussion with local, regional and international parties, Libyan sources told Al-Ahram Weekly. They suggested that those options were being advocated by players whose aims had not been achieved through the LPDF. The first was premised on expectations that the elections could not be held on time. The other was somewhat more optimistic and called for just presidential elections at the date stipulated in the roadmap. As for the four main proposals for a constitutional basis for elections which the bridging committee forwarded to the LPDF, one calls for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously without restrictions on nominations for president. The second calls for simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections with certain restrictions. The third is to hold elections for a bicameral legislature, with one house based in Benghazi and the other in Tripoli while postponing presidential elections until after the referendum on the constitution or agreement on the constitutional basis. The fourth proposal is to hold elections for a bicameral legislature, which would then elect the president. The decision-making mechanism that LPDF members would use to determine which of the four proposals to adopt would apply a two round voting process, one to narrow down the options to two and run-off to be determined by a simple majority. According to the aforementioned Libyan sources, the first proposal is based on a plan to wait until election day on 24 December, at which point the House of Representatives would withdraw confidence from the current Government of National Unity (GNU) headed by Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah and HoR Speaker Aguila Saleh would designate Fathy Bashagha, the former interior minister, to form a new government. Bashagha and Saleh joined forces before when they fielded themselves for the new executive authority that was formed by the LPDF. When the votes were cast, however, the majority fell to the list in which Mohammed Al-Manfi ran as chairman of the Presidency Council and Dbeibah as prime minister of the GNU. Bashagha has already stated that he plans to run for president. However, with the constitutional basis still up in the air, the former interior minister is now trying to persuade his ally Aguila Saleh to designate him prime minister to replace Dbeibah at the end of the year. Bashagha has intensified his political tours at home and abroad to promote his political aspirations, according to the sources, who add that LPDF figures close to Bashagha have begun to float a fifth proposal on top of the four proposed by the bridging committee, which calls for presidential elections alone. Needless to say, that proposal would run up against stiff opposition, not least UNSMILs insistence on sticking with the existing roadmap and its determination to limit the number of proposals for the constitutional basis in order to resolve this issue as soon as possible. The HoR speaker, for his part, has threatened to form a parallel government in the east to rival the GNU headed by Al-Dbeibah. Saleh accuses the GNU, which he calls the government of Tripoli, of being over-centralised, incompetent, unwilling to unify institutions and unable to remedy the economic crisis to improve peoples living standards. That course, too, would encounter numerous obstacles against the backdrop of complex patterns of local power balance, and it would be unlikely to gain traction, let alone a minimum degree of political legitimacy. The sources told the Weekly that yet another idea has been aired that involves forming a new, three-member military council to become the general command of the Libyan National Army (LNA) for western and southern Libya (Cyrenaica and Fezzan). This proposal would come into play in the event that the LNA commander, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, runs for president. The US is one of the strongest backers of the LPDF roadmap and the plan to hold parliamentary and presidential elections according to schedule and, thus, it is one of the most active parties pushing against attempts to derail it. In this context, the US Special Envoy and Ambassador the Libya Richard Norman has been holding intensive rounds of talks with all concerned parties to encourage them to adhere to their commitments. On a visit to Cairo last week, he met with HoR Speaker Aguila Saleh, MP Ziyad Dedham and LNA commander Khalifa Haftar. After Cairo, Nor land headed to Ankara on 12 August where he held what the US embassy in Libya described as productive consultations with senior Turkish officials that focused on the urgency of establishing the constitutional basis and legal framework needed for the elections to take place on December 24. The embassy stressed the need to support the right of the Libyan people to select their leaders through an open democratic process free of outside pressure, and urged key figures to use their influence at this critical stage to do what is best for all Libyans. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Fewer than two weeks after the first anniversary of the horrific explosions in the Beirut Port last year, the explosion of a fuel tank in Lebanons northern Akkra region this week led to the deaths of at least 20 people and 79 injured. The Lebanese Red Cross shared an infographic on Twitter on Sunday that said that 109 blood units had been delivered and a further 50 collected to treat the injured in the blast. It said that 24 ambulances and 75 emergency medical technicians were present at the scene. This was the second major explosion that Lebanon has seen over the last year, the first being the blasts in Beirut last August, now described as the largest non-nuclear blast in history. They caused about $15 billion in damage, left 300,000 people homeless, led to the deaths of 200 people, and injured some 6,000 others. Describing this weeks fuel-tank blast, Reuters said the Lebanese military had discovered a hidden fuel-storage tank and was trying to distribute its contents to people living in the area against a background of nationwide fuel shortages. The Lebanese Al-Jadeed TV Channel quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the blast had been set off by the use of a lighter, though other reports said gunfire had led to the explosion. Lebanon is witnessing the worst social and economic conditions it has seen in almost a century, and shortages of fuel, with the government recently reducing subsidies, and medicine and the collapse of the local currency have caused the almost total paralysis of day-to-day life. Pictures of electricity blackouts in Beirut and lines of people waiting to buy petrol have been shared worldwide. As a result, the Lebanese army has been stepping up the search for black marketeers building up stocks of fuel in attempts to manipulate the market. The army announced on Saturday that it had captured thousands of litres of gasoline and diesel fuel, adding that multiple tankers has also been hijacked last week. Sarah El-Richani, a professor of mass communications at the American University in Cairo (AUC), said that the fuel crisis could be eased after recent moves by the Lebanese army. Herself from Lebanon, she explained that fuel could be hidden with a view to selling it either on the Lebanese black market or smuggling it to Syria. The business would be less lucrative after the subsidies were reduced, she said. Lebanon is seeing dark days in more ways than one, she said, describing the explosion in the marginalised and impoverished Akkar region as heart-wrenching. Although she said that it could expedite the formation of a new government by Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, she described the system in Lebanon as being rotten to the core. The financial and economic implosion, the Port explosions, and the explosion in Akkar are all the result of years of corruption, negligence, and mismanagement. Mikati, who has faced corruption charges himself in the past, is certainly not a saviour, she said. Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who has called for a judicial investigation into the explosion, tweeted that the tragedy that has befallen our dear Akkar has made the hearts of all Lebanese bleed. Mikati responded to protesters who clashed with security forces in front of his Beirut residence by saying that he understands the cries of the people. Sunni leader Saad Al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister who resigned due to disagreements with Aoun, called for Aoun and other officials to resign. The Akkar massacre is no different from the port massacre, he said. Al-Hariri and Gebran Bassil, leader of the Christian Free Patriotic Movement and Aouns son-in-law, exchanged accusations over the incident, accusing each other of being connected to the owner of the Akkar fuel tank. The Free Patriotic Movement said the tanks owner was close to Al-Hariris Future Movement, was personally in contact with its MPs Walid Al-Baarini and Mohamed Soliman, and had voted for its MP Tarek Al-Moreabi in previous electoral races. Future Movement MPs from Akkar said these were false accusations and held Aoun accountable for the continuing collapse of Lebanon. The Sunni MPs said they had the courage to take responsibility before the people, calling on the security, judicial, and military authorities to expedite investigations into this crime. Residents of Akkar told Sky News Arabia on Sunday that owner of the tank George Rasheed was politically backed by Asaad Durgham, a MP from the Free Patriotic Movement. They said that he possessed more than one fuel-storage site in the region, probably explaining why local people stormed and destroyed Rasheeds residence. This situation carries negative implications for the Mikati-led coalition talks, Imad Salamey, a professor of political science at the Lebanese American University, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Any government formation would require the approval and support of Al-Hariri and Sunni support. But Al-Hariri is now calling for Aouns resignation, blaming him for the economic collapse and political paralysis. This will drive Al-Hariri into opposition and complicate Mikatis efforts to form a government, Salamey said. The Lebanese political establishment is now more interested in expediting the economic and security collapse of the country. The crisis is serving the different sectarian leaderships, mobilising behind them their desperate communities, he concluded. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Readers may have heard the Egyptian folkloric songs that goes, "Girls, I am thirsty; can you take me to the drinking fountain?" In medieval Cairo, the well-off sponsored the construction of a drinking fountain (sabil) or an elementary Quranic school (kottab), usually in one space, as one of the highest forms of charity. There are dozens of these fountains/complexes in the older parts of Cairo, characterised by large windows covered with a metal grill with a sabil on the ground floor, and the kottab, usually sporting lovely mashrabias, on the first floor. The complex is usually small in size, but often highly decorative as it is meant to commemorate the benefactor who established it. The Sabil of Mohamed Ali Pasha, which you encounter on your right about one hundred metres after you enter Fatimid Cairo through Bab Zuweila, is one such fountain that commemorates the legacy of the 'founder of modern Egypt.' The street may be dusty and muddy, as endless construction, or renovation, seems to overwhelm the vicinity. However, if you take a moment to admire the elaborate marble work of the early nineteenth century, you may experience that unique elation that one normally associates not with architecture but with elaborate forms of art. The building was clearly designed not only to impress but to delight. There is a palatial exuberance in the marble detail, a titillating seduction in the curvature of the facade and a definite master in the refinement of workmanship. Mohamed Ali Pasha built the complex as a tribute to the memory of his son, Ismail, who died in Sudan in 1822, says antiquity professor Raafat El-Nabarawi. Historian Khaled Fahmi says that Mohamed Ali broke with Mamluk traditions in erecting this fountain. The Pasha, who chose a prominent location for the building on the then main thoroughfare of Cairo, imported wood and white marble - and perhaps even artisans - from Turkey, to make it. On the facade of the building, you will see lines of Turkish poetry written in the Arabic script. You will also notice the name of Sultan Mahmoud II, who was Ottoman sultan at the time. According to Fahmi, the sabil introduced a new style of decorative art to Egypt, the elaborate and undulating bas relief which was the Ottoman Empire's answer to European baroque. In departure from Mamluk tradition, Mohamed Alaid didn't built a kottab on top of the sabil, but adorned it with a lead-covered cupola, also in imitation of Istanbul's most elegant buildings. Emphasising the Ottoman traits of the building, were the paintings of Turkish-style scenery that adorned the inside of the dome. Mohammad al-Khatib, professor of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, says that the sabil stands on top of a 9-metre deep cistern, built in the Roman style, and large enough to store 0.5 million litre of water. People who drank from the sabil often threw coins inside it by way of gratitude, and some of these coins were excavated during the renovation. A passerby in the mid-nineteenth century who decided to stop for a drink at this sabil would have had to climb a few steps to the metal grill (the street level would have been a lot lower than it is now), to drink. From there, you would be able to look inside the sabil and enjoy the beautiful paintings of a fantasy city and lovely plants on the ceiling that were inspired by Ottoman art. Around 1830, almost a decade after the sabil was created, a second floor was added. The newer storey was rather plain in style and devoid of ornamentation suggesting a utilitarian objective. While it is not clear if this floor was ever used as a kottab in keeping with tradition, the entire building was used as a girl school in the twentieth century. Mohamed Ali's sabil suffered structural damage in the 1992 earthquake, and has undergone a facelift since then. Short link: Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is keen on fostering mutual cooperation with Somalia and providing the sisterly African nation with all forms of support, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told his Somali counterpart Mohamed Hussein Roble on Monday. Madbouly made the remarks during an expanded session of talks he co-chaired earlier today with the Somali PM at the Cabinets premises in Cairo, in the presence of the ministers of foreign affairs, education, and higher education and scientific research. The Egyptian PM said he looks forward to working with Somali officials to push forward bilateral ties in various areas, especially at the economic and commercial levels. Madbouly also commended the positive steps recently taken by Somalia to support these ties, topped by the appointment of a Somali ambassador in Cairo, resuming an Egyptian education mission to Somalia, and allocating a piece of land to establish an Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu, which now hosts a branch of Banque Misr one of the largest and most prominent Egyptian banks. He also emphasised Egypt's commitment to preserving stability in Somalia, hailing the Somali premier's efforts to achieve national conciliation and welcoming a recent agreement between political leaders in Somalia on a framework for the long-delayed parliamentary and presidential elections. Meanwhile, the Somali prime minister praised the deeply rooted ties between both countries, voicing hope for increasing exchanged visits at the economic and political levels, and operating EgyptAir flights to the Somali capital to facilitate the movement of people and goods between both nations. Towards the end of the session, Madbouly said that Egypt is now considering a step to increase the number of scholarships offered to Somali students to 400 scholarships on an annual basis. A host of senior officials from both countries were also present at the session. The Somali premier's accompanying delegation included the Somali ministers of foreign affairs, education, higher education, and culture. Short link: Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed on Tuesday ways to boost relations with Somalia during a meeting with Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble, the Egyptian foreign ministry said. In their meeting in Cairo, the two top officials also discussed the latest developments in the region, the ministry said in a statement. Egypt was keen to back Somalia and offer different forms of support to it, it added. Somalias premier Mohamed Roble arrived in Cairo on Monday on several days official visit. He held on Monday talks with his Egyptian counterparts Mostafa Madbouly on ways to push forward bilateral ties in various areas, especially at the economic and commercial levels. The Somali premier's accompanying delegation comprised the Somali ministers of foreign affairs, education, higher education, and culture. Short link: Egypts Minister of Education Tarek Shawki said on Tuesday that the success rate among Egypt's Thanaweya Amma students in the academic year 2020/21 is 74 percent. "This is much lower than in the previous academic year, which stood at 81.5 percent," Shawki announced. In a press conference that aired on state TV, Shawki announced the names of the top-ranking students in the final exams for Thanaweya Amma, which is Egypts national high school diploma. Students in all the three branches of Thanaweya Amma can view their grades online at 6pm today by visiting the link https://g12.emis.gov.eg, Shawki said. The success rate for students is 76 percent in the science branch, 74 percent in the mathematics branch and 70 percent in the literature branch, Shawki said. The grades of students this year are significantly lower than previous years, the minister said, which also lowers the minimum GPA requirement for university admission. No student obtained the perfect 100 percent score this year in all subjects, Shawki said, noting that 16,000 students scored a GPA of more than 90 percent. Last year, 39 students received a score of 100 percent. Shawki affirmed that this years low grades would not affect students chances to join their desired universities. The minister said that this years exams were the first real tests to measure the levels of understanding, application and analysis, following a shift away from the culture of memorising for exams. All students who have cheated in the exams were punished and 582 students were referred to the public prosecution in this regard, Shawki added. Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said at the conference that the minimum grades required for admission to first stage faculties are 88.4 percent for the science branch, 80 percent for the mathematics branch and 65 percent for the literature branch. However, he has not yet announced the grades required for each faculty. Student registration for universities will start on 21 August and will be open for five days, Abdel-Ghaffar said, noting that Egypt has constructed numerous universities over the past decade to secure seats for more students. According to Abdel-Ghaffar, the country has established 80 educational institutions during the past seven years, which is equivalent to what had been established during the previous 50 years. Egyptian universities that are prepared to receive students for 2021/2022 include 27 public universities, 30 private and non-profit universities, three technological universities and four educational institutions hosting branches of international universities, Abdel-Ghaffar said. Roughly 650,000 high school students took the Thanaweya Amma exams this year. Before the start of the school year, each Thanaweya student chooses one of the three branches of science, mathematics and literature. Scores in the competitive nationwide exams determine which university and faculty students can attend, if any. Admission to public universities is divided into four stages, the first of which is reserved for top scoring students seeking admission into what are known as top faculties. These faculties include medicine, dentistry and pharmacy for the science branch, economics and political science, Alsun (languages) and media for the literature branch, and engineering for the mathematics section. Thanaweya Amma exams have been taking place under extraordinary conditions ever since the coronavirus hit the country early last year. This includes requiring students, exam supervisors and all school staff to follow precautionary measures including wearing facemasks, having their own sanitisers and maintaining social distancing. Short link: The Egyptian and US naval forces carried out a joint naval drill in the Southern Fleet Red Sea operations zone, Egypts military spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez said in a statement on Tuesday. Egyptian frigate Taba and the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) took part in the drill, according to the spokesman. This comes after the US cruiser successfully finished its visit to the Berenice Military Base, located on the Red Sea coast near the country's southern frontier. The USS Montereys visit is considered the first of its kind by a US warship to the largest military base in the Red Sea, Berenice. The drill comes as part of the Armed Forces plan to hold joint drills with friendly countries, the spokesman said. A number of experts from both the Egyptian and US sides attended a press conference at the Berenice base before the exercise, the spokesman said. The conference was followed by a group of professional combat activities, especially in the field of enhancing maritime security procedures, Abdel-Hafez said. These procedures aim at securing the maritime transportation lines and global trade and confronting non-stereotypical threats, the spokesperson added. The Egyptian-American relations have recently witnessed a remarkable development, the spokesperson said. He added that the recent joint exercises conducted between the two countries reflect the convergence of [their] visions and goals to maintain maritime security and stability in the region. Short link: Thirty-seven civilians were killed in a western Niger region that has been battered by jihadist incursions from neighbouring Mali, local sources said Tuesday. "Armed men who arrived on motorbikes" attacked the village of Darey-Daye in the Tillaberi region on Monday afternoon as people were working in the fields, a local official said, adding: "The toll is very high -- there were 37 dead, including four women and 13 children." Short link: Four presidents share responsibility for the missteps in Afghanistan that accumulated over two decades. But only President Joe Biden will be the face of the wars chaotic, violent conclusion. The president fought that reality Monday as he spread blame for the Talibans swift and complete recapture of Afghanistan. He pointed to a previous agreement brokered by then-President Donald Trump, expressed frustration with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and lamented the performance of Afghan national security forces. Republicans overwhelmingly criticized Biden and he found few vocal backers among fellow Democrats. The collapse of the Afghan government is the biggest foreign policy crisis of Bidens young presidency, recalling setbacks for past presidents such as the withdrawal from Vietnam and the botched Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. The reverberations of the Talibans success were startling, endangering Afghan women and girls, posing new security threats and threatening to undercut global views of Americas reliability. In the face of such stark consequences, Biden admitted no fault for the chaotic drawdown and instead forcefully defended his move to leave a nation the U.S. has tried to safeguard since it toppled the Taliban regime after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when smoke still rose from the rubble of the World Trade Center. Heres what I believe to my core: It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistans own armed forces would not, said Biden. How many more generations of Americas daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistans civil war? I will not repeat the mistakes we made in the past. When Biden took responsibility, it was more for ending the war than for the manner in which it happened. I know my decision will be criticized. But I would rather take that criticism than pass this on to a fifth president, said Biden. I am the president of the United States, the buck stops with me. His firm tone differed little from just five weeks ago, when he bullishly predicted what would happen as his August 31 deadline for withdrawal neared. He declared there was going to be no repeat of the humiliating U.S. evacuation from Vietnam nearly a half century ago and no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan. But Monday yielded devastating images from Kabul that rivaled anything witnessed in Saigon. Thousands of Afghan citizens, many of whom worked as translators and other aides to American troops, thronged the Kabul airport, desperate to escape the Taliban. In heartbreaking footage, some tried to desperately board a U.S. military plane flying to safety, attempting to dash alongside as it raced down the runway. A few managed to cling to the plane before it took off and video showed several falling through the air as the airplane rapidly gained altitude over the city. The evacuation received condemnation at home and abroad, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel calling the latest developments bitter, dramatic and awful. And security officials warned that Afghanistan would soon provide safe harbor for terrorist groups again. The Taliban seemed poised to have total of control of Afghanistan on Sept. 11, just as they did on the date two decades earlier when al-Qaida terror attacks plotted from its soil toppled the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. The fallout from 2001 attacks reshaped Americas relationship with the Middle East, and more than 3,000 American and NATO forces died in the resulting combat in Afghanistan during the manhunt for Osama bin Laden and beyond. Under the command of President George W. Bush, American forces stormed into Afghanistan soon after the terror attacks on a hunt for bin Laden while trying to disrupt al-Qaidas ability to conduct further assaults on the West. There was immediate success: The Taliban were routed, the terror group disrupted. But after that came the grinding second phase of the war and a surge of troops from President Barack Obama in 2009. Though Obama later moved to reduce the number of troops, the volume of insurgent attacks and civilian causalities prevented a full drawdown. Trump mulled meeting the Taliban at Camp David on an earlier Sept. 11 anniversary, only to back away from the idea amid an uproar. But he announced that the U.S. would pull all its forces out by May 2021, an agreement Biden honored and delayed only slightly. Efforts were made, at great expense, across all the administrations to train and arm the Afghan forces once the U.S. departed. But that investment of American blood, time and treasure proved useless as the Taliban conquered much of the nation without a fight and Afghanistans president fled the country as soon as the invading forces reached Kabul. In the upper ranks of Bidens staff, the rapid collapse in Afghanistan only confirmed the decision to leave: If the meltdown of the Afghan forces would come so quickly after nearly two decades of American presence, another six months or a year or two or more would not have changed anything. His move to withdraw troops this summer, though polarizing in the national security community, had been praised by some on both sides of the aisle as timely and appropriate. But on Monday, Republicans were eager to slam Bidens decision and blame him for the chaos, though many of them had supported a withdrawal when it had been proposed by Trump a year ago. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, however, had consistently advocated keeping troops in Afghanistan, and he said the military briefings he attended suggested the Taliban would be able to quickly regain power. I think the president felt strongly about this, obviously, McConnell said. He overruled his own military leaders to do it and he owns it. Biden has argued for more than a decade that Afghanistan was a kind of purgatory for the United States. He found it to be corrupt, addicted to Americas largesse and an unreliable partner that should be made to fend for itself. His goal was to protect Americans from terrorist attacks, not building a country, and his aides have pointed to polling taken before the chaos of the last week that shows that a majority of Americans favor bringing troops home. But that political gamble could prove risky as the scenes of fear and violence from Afghanistan are broadcast around the globe, especially if the chaos in Kabul makes Saigon look like Disney World, warned Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a veteran who served in Afghanistan. The bottom line is that theres going to be a lot of people that are very let down by the United States of America, Kinzinger said in an interview. We will inevitably, inevitably be in conflict again somewhere. How are we going to convince those locals that were going to follow through when weve abandoned those in Afghanistan? Short link: Related Biden says he stands 'squarely behind' Afghanistan decision French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday faced accusations from the left and activists that he was letting down ordinary Afghans after he pledged a robust European approach against illegal migration in the wake of the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. His stance however gladdened the right in France in what is due to be one of the most contentious battlegrounds as Macron prepares for 2022 presidential elections that may come down to a duel with the far-fight. Macron promised in a televised address on Monday that France would "protect those who are most under threat in Afghanistan" while also vowing Europe would put together a "robust" initiative to thwart illegal migration and in particular people-smuggling networks. "We must anticipate and protect ourselves against significant irregular migratory flows that would endanger the migrants and risk encouraging trafficking of all kinds," he said. Macron also said France was ready to help Afghan activists, artists and journalists who risk being targeted because of their work but it is not immediately clear what numbers this will entail. Green MP Matthieu Orphelin, a former member of Macron's ruling party, accused Macron "of mixing up asylum and irregular migration" while fellow Green Yannick Jadot, a possible contender in 2022 said he was "astonished to hear that people fleeing the "hell of the Taliban could be considered a threat". Prominent Socialist senator Laurence Rossignol called the comments "cynical" and shameful" while centrist MP Aurelien Tache, another former member of Macron's party, said he hoped the "president would not be so tough when it comes to acts". "People who flee war, oppression and death are not irregular migratory flows," said Dominique Sopo, head of the NGO SOS Racisme. The League for Human Rights (LDH) said with his comments Europe was "sub-contracting asylum for Afghans to neighbouring countries". France, like several other European countries, has suspended the expulsion of Afghan asylum seekers. More Afghans applied for asylum in France in 2020 than from any other nation. "France is very attentive to the situation of the Afghans," said a French presidential official, asking not to be named. "But that does not prevent us being very firm in the face of trafficking and networks who profit from misery and fear. This would be proof of naivety and lack of responsibility." Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, potentially Macron's main challenger in the elections, warned that "for our country this situation will mean an increased risk of attacks and the possibility of new waves of immigration". Heavyweight right-wing former minister Xavier Bertrand, who is also standing in the elections, warned: "The Afghan crisis will continue in the form of a migration wave in Europe". Short link: The International Criminal Court expressed concern Tuesday about crimes in Afghanistan that may amount to violations of "international humanitarian law", including allegations of extrajudicial executions and persecution of women and girls. The ICC prosecutor referred to "reported incidents on the territory of Afghanistan that may amount to violations of international humanitarian law." "These reports include allegations of extrajudicial executions in the form of revenge killings of detainees and individuals who surrendered, persecution of women and girls, crimes against children and other crimes" against civilians. Short link: The Taliban's co-founder returned to Afghanistan Tuesday following the group's stunning takeover of the country, as a top spokesman declared a general amnesty and insisted the insurgents would not seek "revenge". Earlier in the day, the insurgents told government staff to return to work -- though residents reacted cautiously and few women took to the streets. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar's arrival from Qatar -- where he has spent months leading talks with the United States and then Afghan peace negotiators -- crowns a stunning comeback for the Taliban after being ousted 20 years ago. Tens of thousands of people have tried to flee the country to escape the hardline Islamist rule expected under the Taliban, or fearing direct retribution for siding with the US-backed government that ruled for the past two decades. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters the new government would be "positively different" from their 1996-2001 regime, infamous for deaths by stoning and barring women from working in contact with men. "If the question is based on ideology, and beliefs, there is no difference... but if we calculate it based on experience, maturity, and insight, no doubt there are many differences," Mujahid told reporters. "All those in the opposite side are pardoned from A to Z," he said. "We will not seek revenge." Mujahid said a government would soon be formed but offered few details other than to say the Taliban would "connect with all sides". He also said they were "committed to letting women work in accordance with the principles of Islam", without offering specifics. A spokesman for the group's political office in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, told Britain's Sky News that women would not be required to wear the all-covering burqa, but did not say what attire would be deemed acceptable. Triumphant return Baradar, now deputy leader of the Taliban, chose to touch down in Afghanistan's second biggest city Kandahar -- the Taliban's spiritual birthplace and capital during their first time in power. He landed hours after evacuation flights from Kabul's airport resumed Tuesday. On Monday, chaos erupted when huge crowds mobbed the tarmac, with some people so desperate they clung to the fuselage of a US military plane as it rolled down the runway for take-off. The United States has authorised the deployment of 6,000 troops to ensure the safe evacuation of embassy staff, as well as Afghans who worked as interpreters or in other support roles. More than half of that number were already in place, a White House official said Tuesday. Other governments, including France, Germany and Australia, have also organised charter flights. But Washington has come under sharp criticism for its handling of the evacuations. "The images of desperation at Kabul airport are shameful for the political West," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. 'The fear is there' The Taliban took effective control of the country on Sunday when president Ashraf Ghani fled and the insurgents walked into Kabul with no opposition. It capped a staggeringly fast rout of Afghanistan's major cities in just 10 days, achieved with relatively little bloodshed, following two decades of war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. The collapse came after US President Joe Biden withdrew American troops, under the false belief that the Afghan army -- with billions of dollars in US funding and training -- was strong enough to withstand the Taliban. US-led forces had invaded the country following the September 11 attacks in 2001, in response to the Taliban giving sanctuary to Al-Qaeda, and toppled them. Now that the Taliban are back in power, they have sought to project an air of restraint and moderation, including by announcing a "general amnesty" for government workers on Tuesday. "Those working in any part or department of the government should resume their duties with full satisfaction and continue their duties without any fear," a Taliban statement said. A Taliban official gave an interview to a female journalist on an Afghan news channel, and a girls' school reopened in the western city of Herat. In Kabul, some shops reopened as traffic police were back on the streets, but schools and universities remained closed, few women openly took to the streets and men had shed their Western clothes for traditional garb. "The fear is there," said a shopkeeper who asked not to be named after opening his small neighbourhood provisions store. Biden defends exit In his first comments since the Taliban victory, Biden admitted Monday their advance had unfolded more quickly than expected. But he heaped criticism on Ghani's government, insisted he had no regrets, and emphasised US troops could not defend a nation whose leaders "gave up and fled". "American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves," Biden said at the White House. On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also blamed Afghan leaders for the "tragedy", saying they had "failed to stand up to the Taliban and to achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted". Russia hails 'positive' meeting Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov met with the Taliban in Kabul, hailing on state television a "positive and constructive" meeting. "They are currently engaged in restoring order in the city and have succeeded in this," Zhirnov said in an interview from Kabul with Rossiya 24. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Tuesday the bloc would "have to talk" to the Taliban. But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa would not recognise a Taliban government. Short link: The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday the bloc will have to talk to the Taliban after the group seized control of Afghanistan. "The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them," he said, while stressing this does not mean moving quickly to officially recognise their rule. Borrell was speaking after an urgent meeting of EU foreign ministers, called after the rebels overthrew the Afghan government. The Taliban, who were driven from power two decades ago by a US-led coalition only to make a stunning comeback, have promised to pardon Afghans they consider foes for having worked with the West. But the EU, many of whose members are also NATO allies which fought the group, are concerned about the fate of their citizens in Afghanistan as well as local Afghan employees. They are also worried that the Taliban's brutal reputation and imposition of Islamist rule could hurt women's rights and trigger a new wave of migration towards Europe. Borrell said Brussels would "engage in a dialogue as soon as necessary to prevent a humanitarian and a potential migratory disaster". "This dialogue will also have to focus on the means to prevent the return of a foreign terrorist presence in Afghanistan," he added. The Taliban are allies of the al-Qaeda global network and, despite their promises, Western capitals fear Afghanistan could again become a haven for extremists bent on attacking them. Borrell said that, for these reasons, Europe would need to talk to Kabul's new masters. "It is not a matter of official recognition, it is a matter of dealing with them," he said. "If I want 400 people, Afghans and their families, that have been working for us today in the European Union delegations, to reach the airport, you can understand that I will need to talk with the Taliban authorities. "If not, it's going to be quite difficult for them to reach the airport... It's going to be a quite complicated logistical operation. "So we have to engage with them. And at the same time, remain very vigilant on the respect of their international obligations," he said. Suspending Payments The European Union is suspending payments of development assistance to Afghanistan now that it has fallen to the Taliban but is weighing whether to boost humanitarian aid to the conflict-ravaged country. Borrell says there can be ``no payments of development assistance until we clarify the situation'' with Taliban leaders. Borrell said the Taliban must respect U.N. Security Council resolutions and human rights to earn access to the funds. Borrell says that ``humanitarian help will continue, and maybe we will have an increase,'' given the number of displaced Afghans, the ongoing drought, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The 27-nation bloc has pledged about 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in development assistance for Afghanistan for the period 2021-2024. Short link: In an attempt to appreciate how the Mamluk, Ottoman, Sharkasi, and Fatimid eras influenced the architecture of Al-Moezs Cairo, we ventured out on a walk led by Zizo Abdou, the founder of Cairo Biography, on Sunday. Cairo Biography is a project that collects volunteers to clean up and preserve unpopular heritage sites within historic Cairo. It also creates informative and entertaining content discussing these heritage sites in detail in videos and podcasts that are posted on Cairo Biographys Facebook page. The reason Abdou usually picks Sundays to go on his walks is the fact that it is the only time one can actually marvel at the ancient district uninterrupted, for it is the official day off for most of the workshops in historic Cairo. We started off on Al-Moez street, one of the oldest streets in Fatimid Cairo a seat of power for the Shiaa-led Fatimid Caliphate which lasted from 909 to 1171 AD. Standing in the shade of Al-Goury Dome which was built during the rule of Mamluk (The Mamluks were a sultanate of multinational former Ottoman warrior slaves that ruled over Egypt and the Levant from 1250 to 1517 AD) king Al-Ashraf Abu Al-Nasr Qonsowa Al-Goury (1501-1516 AD) we headed off to the Daylam Alleyway. Al-Daylam were an ethnic group of soldiers originally from Iran, and in those days, each sect would live in an area that was named after them, like Darb Al-Atrak (The Turkish Path/Trail), explained Abdou to Ahram Online. He then explained that to be able to put into perspective the intangible history of the city, one needs to look into the meanings behind the names of the signs of each district. The Hara (Quarter) until the 19th century represented a complete neighbourhood with all its alleys and streets. However, as times changed and bigger paved roads and new districts were established, the Hara became more of an alley, added Abdou When the sign reads Zoqaq, it means a narrow corridor or side path. As for Atfa, it means that it is located in a slight turn or at the end of an off ramp. We strolled into Al-Sharea Al-Aazam (The Greatest Street), where most of the markets lie. Passing across the Sharabish (Tarabishi) Hara and Al-Tawaqgia, we came to a very narrow path which is called Haloum Al-Gamal (The Camels Throat). The name is a metaphor that indicates how narrow the path is. This is also where the silk and textile market known as the Sweiaa of Gahrks (A small market with a ceiling) lies. We then came upon Al-Fahameen (Charcoal sellers) Street, which used to be inhabited mostly by Moroccan merchants. On the intersection of the street, where the blue sign reads Al-Fahameen Street, we came across the Sabil and Saqifa of Ottoman (The Ottoman Empire was a dynasty that controlled parts of North Africa and Eurasia from 1299 to 1922 AD) Prince Mostapha Gorbagy Mostahfezan Al-Qobrosly that were built in 1682. The term Sabil means a public drinking water dispenser; it was quite popular in Egypt back in the day. Saqifa, on the other hand, means a standalone one-story building that is mainly used as a storage area for the owner. A few metres away, we stumbled upon Al-Fakahani Mosque, which was built during the Fatimid era by khalifa Al-Zafer. It was referred to as The Opulent Mosque due to its lavish architecture and interior designs. The mosque was designed to have small shops to cater for it. It was restored twice, once by the Mamluk prince Yashbak Ben Mahdi, then mostly rebuilt by Ahmed Beik Al-Kharboutly, who built a Sabil as well as a wekala (market) for selling fruits, explained Abdou. There is a folk legend affiliated with this mosque that says that a Sufi traveller came and purchased some fruits from the vendors around the mosque to distribute it to the underprivileged. After distributing for one whole day, the fruits in his possession did not decrease one bit, supposedly. So, the Sufi told the fruit seller to look after the mosque if he seeks prosperity; and from that day onwards, the mosque was called the Fakahani Mosque. We then marvelled at the beauty of the nearby 18th and 19th century houses that are still inhabited to this day, standing tall in the face of time. Next up, we went to Haret Kshqdam, where we saw Madraset Al-Zimammeya. This is another architectural beauty built during the Mamluk/Sharkasi era by Kafour Al-Sargatmshi Al-Roumy Al-Tawash between 1416-1426 AD, explained Abdou to Ahram Online. We then came across the house of Sheikh Al-Mahrouqi, who was the Chief of Merchants during the era of the French expedition in Egypt, and the Arabesque Mashrabia a wooden Arabesque facade that usually adorns windows. It is also derived from the Arabic verb Yashrab, meaning to drink; for this was the place where people used to put their drinking pottery water urns to cool off. Taking a short break, we sipped tea while enjoying the view of the mosque and the school of prince Al-Khayat Beibars, which was built in the 921st year of the Hijri calendar. We resumed our walk at Bab Zewila, one of Cairos oldest gates. The sign on the gateway explains that Bab Zewila also known as Bawabet Al-Metwaly during the Ottoman Era was built by the Fatimid commander Badr Al-Gamaly in 1092 AD. We ended our walk a few metres away from Bab Zewila at Nafisa Al-Baydas wekala, which was built in 1796 AD. Al-Bayda was married to Murad Beih, who co-ruled Egypt at the time with Ibrahim Beih. After the death of her husband, she inherited the entire marketplace, a Sabil, and a Kuttab (A place where children are taught how to read and memorise the Quran). She is among the very few women in history to own such a complex. Short link: The Egyptian Authority for Maritime Safety (EAMS) reported revenues of LE1.475 billion this year, becoming one of the states leading revenue-making authorities together with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC). The statement was made by Hussein Al-Gezeiri, head of the EAMS, who said the figure had come despite a 35 per cent drop in global cargo due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said Egypt had decided to reduce toll fees at Egyptian ports by 10 per cent to encourage global maritime companies to navigate through Egypts waters, and that this had contributed to the increase in revenues. The EAMS dates back to 1830 when an authority was set up to supervise the docking of large vessels in the port of Alexandria under the name of the Egyptian Ports and Lighthouses Administration. Today, the EAMS is a state agency affiliated to the ministry of transportation. Egypt has been focusing on this sector, seeing it as a pillar for reviving the economy through a host of large-scale national projects. The EAMS regulates navigation and attracts maritime companies to Egypt while ensuring that all appropriate safety regulations are observed. Maritime safety and crew training are two of its main responsibilities, and it also represents Egypt in various international maritime organisations, Al-Gezeiri told Al-Ahram Weekly. It provides various services for seafarers, including licences and certificates for sailors and captains, the registration of ships, technical assistance for navigation, and monitoring and inspecting ships. The EAMS licenses sailors and marine engineers, as well as fishermen, Mustafa Abdel-Kader of the EAMS Examination Department, explained. Professional licences are issued after those applying complete course at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport and undergo appropriate medical examinations. Abdel-Kader said that recent upgrades at the authority had led to reductions in waiting times and increased the flexibility and speed with which services are provided to Egyptians and others. Every four months EAMS missions are dispatched to Arab countries such as Syria, Jordan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to issue licences for workers in the maritime trade who may not be able to travel to the authoritys headquarters in Alexandria to finalise their papers. Other upgrades had led to improvements in maritime beacons at Nelson, Alam Al-Roum, Barrani, and Salloum in the Mediterranean. The beacons are marine buoys made of copper, silicon, and manganese alloys and are used to increase navigational safety, Abdel-Kader said. EAMS buildings had been upgraded to accommodate the new information technology network, he said. The Abu-Kizan and Ras Shaqiq lighthouses in Alexandria have been upgraded, and two tugboats the Al-Safa and Al-Marwa that operate search and rescue missions and inspections of Sharm El-Sheikh, Port Said, and Hurghada, have also been refurbished. The Shaker Island lighthouse, one of the most important in the Red Sea, has been refurbished, in addition to the Al-Ashrafi and Al-Akhwain lighthouses. The development work has included installing seven flexible marine beacons in the Gulf of Suez to ensure the safety and security of navigation in the area, as well as the development of navigational aids in the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea. New fire control systems have been installed in warehouses and buildings allocated for maritime inspections, Al-Gezeiri said. All this has raised the quality of services provided by the EAMS, especially those pertaining to vessel movements, search and rescue systems, navigational aids, and service stations. Work flow had been improved, speeding up the registration of Egyptian and foreign vessels, the issuing of licences for vessel inspection, and the obtaining and renewal of marine passports and maritime certificates, he added. Other upgrades include interactive electronic services to receive and investigate complaints submitted by or against seafarers, as well as the collection of fees electronically through point-of-sale machines that accept Egyptian pounds as well as other currencies. The EAMS has consolidated billing with the SCA, and captains, officers and engineers can inquire about the validity of eligibility certificates, ship licences, medical examinations, and other documents through a dedicated website. The EAMS is issuing new digital marine passports that include all the data of the passport holder. These are more difficult to damage or falsify, Al-Gezeiri said, and are recognised the world over. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and social-distancing measures, vessels and companies can also apply for remote inspections to gain certificates and ensure their continued validity. The validity of certificates has in some cases been extended for three months in accordance with international agreements to ensure social distancing. The EAMS has branches in Port Said, Arish, Damietta, Hurghada, Safaga, Tor, Sharm El-Sheikh, and Nuweiba, in addition to offices to collect revenues at maritime inspection branches that collect invoices and fees for ship docking and accommodation in accordance with Law 24/1983. Egypt is signatory to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention of 2006, and the EAMS is bringing national legislation into line with it, Al-Gezeiri said. It was looking at ways in which the convention could benefit Egypts maritime industry, protect the rights of seafarers, open new labour markets for Egyptians on foreign ships, and speed up procedures affecting the mutual recognition of certificates issued to Egyptian sailors abroad. Violations monitored by the EAMS during the inspection of ships are those identified by international agreements, especially with regard to navigation, distress procedures, machinery, and safety, he said. They are dealt with in accordance with international treaties, and ships in violation of the rules can be impounded under the 1997 Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Mediterranean Region, to which Egypt is signatory. In cases where an Egypt-flagged vessel is impounded abroad, the Maritime Accidents Investigation Department of the EAMS determines the legal responsibility of the crew and holds any violators accountable, Al-Gezeiri said. Foreign ships in violation of maritime codes are impounded until they meet international regulations or are issued a warning. They can be held at the next port if they do not correct violations within 14 days, and their country, consulate, and supervising authorities are notified. Maritime accidents that the EAMS investigates are those that take place in territorial waters in coordination with the concerned authorities. If an accident results in deaths, the Marine Investigations and Analysis Department and Seafarers Complaints Department of the EAMS, in coordination with the prosecution-general, investigate the accident under the latters supervision. If an accident results in pollution of the marine environment, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) is notified, Al-Gezeiri stated. He added that the EAMS regulates traffic throughout the maritime transport sector and monitors vessels through an integrated technical control and inspection process. It repairs navigational aids such as beacons and buoys to improve maritime safety, operates lighthouses, and trains operating crews at technical and administrative maritime institutes. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: On Sunday, US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns visited Egypt and met with President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. It was Burns first working visit since taking office last March. His trip also included Israel and the Occupied Territories, where he met with senior Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials. During his meeting with the US official, President Al-Sisi stressed Cairos interest in reinforcing cooperation with Washington, particularly over security, said Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi. Al-Sisi and Burns exchanged views on tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, developments in Afghanistan and Palestine, over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and Libya. The US has always been keen to continue coordination with Egypt, especially in light of developments in the Middle East, the East Mediterranean, and Africa, Burns was quoted as saying. Radi said Burns appreciated President Al-Sisis efforts to strengthen regional security and stability, and Egypts role as a balancing axis for regional security. Burns is the second senior US official to visit Egypt since Joe Biden became US president in January. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Egypt in May to discuss relations between Cairo and Washington and consolidate the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire in Gaza which ended 11 days of Israeli hostilities against the Strip. Blinkens visit followed two phone calls from Biden to Egypts president, raising hopes of a thaw in relations between Cairo and Washington. Burns visit came days after USS Monterey, an American guided-missile cruiser warship, stopped at Egypts Bernice Naval Base. Jonathan Cohen, the US ambassador to Egypt, said the Montereys visit to Egypts largest military base in the Red Sea was the first for a US warship. The visit reflects the strong maritime cooperation between Egypt and the US, said Cohen. Together we are combating smuggling, trafficking, and piracy, and ensuring safety at sea. Egyptian commentators view the visits of senior US officials to Cairo as evidence that Egyptian-US relations now stand on solid ground. When Biden took office, many expected relations to turn frosty given the negative views towards political developments in Egypt since 2013 attributed to the incoming president, says former Egyptian foreign minister Mohamed Al-Orabi. Things began to change following the war in Gaza and the important role Egypt played in brokering a ceasefire between the Israelis and Palestinians, and with the recognition of Egyptian efforts to help Libyan factions reach a political solution. US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland visited Cairo on 10-11 August. He met with Egyptian officials and the Commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar to discuss the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled in Libya in December. Hazem Al-Guindi, a member of the Egyptian Senates Foreign Relations Committee, said despite the Biden administrations frosty attitude towards Egypt during its first months in office, it now recognises the strategic importance of relations with Cairo. I think the recent visit of the CIA chief has highlighted how Cairo and Washington share mutual interests, not least on vital issues such as terrorism and the situation in Gaza, said Al-Guindi. Al-Guindi concedes, however, that many in the US administration, Congress and media, continue to view Egypts political leadership in a negative light. They continually raise human rights issues and urge Biden to exert pressure on Egypt by cutting military assistance, said Al-Guindi. In American political circles US-Egyptian relations have been subject to intensive debate in recent weeks as the US Senate prepares to discuss foreign policy spending, including the $1.3 billion in military aid that Washington provides to Egypt. The Biden administration must soon decide whether or not it will cut $300 million the amount linked by Congress to Egypts human rights record from the $1.3 billion in annual military aid designated for Egypt. While federal law requires that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken certify the Egyptian government is taking sustained and effective steps to strengthen the rule of law, democratic institutions and respect for human rights, before releasing the military aid, Blinken can bypass the certification by issuing a waiver on the grounds that it is in the national security interests of the US to fully fund military assistance. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo issued such a waiver in July 2020, The US House of Representatives last month passed the annual foreign policy appropriations package, fully funding the $1.3 billion in military and security assistance to Egypt until 2023 despite calls from House members Tom Malinowski and Adam Schiff to withhold $300 million due to Egypts poor human rights record. Senator Chris Murphy, chairman of the US Senate panel on the Middle East and a member of the Senate Appropriations sub-Committee on State and Foreign Operations, also called on the Biden administration to withhold the $300 million over concerns about human rights. According to US press reports, Biden administration officials remain opposed to any cuts in aid to Egypt. A report in The Hill newspaper, published on 10 August, cited senior officials from the US Department of Defense and the State Department arguing that continued US security assistance to Egypt should remain unchanged even as the Biden administration raises concerns over Cairos record on human rights. In a Senate Foreign Relations sub-Committee meeting on the Middle East on 10 August, Dana Stroul, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the bottom line for President Biden is that he values the relationship with Egypt, and that he believes the Egyptians are an important security partner. We also believe and support that Egypt has legitimate security concerns and believe that security assistance to Egypt is a critical tool in supporting those needs. The current view of the administration is that Egypt is playing a constructive role when it comes to border security, Libya, GERD, obviously the conflict in Gaza, et cetera, said Stroul. She went on to praise Cairo for agreeing to use its own funds, rather than annual US security aid, to upgrade its Apache helicopters. Mira Resnick, US deputy assistant secretary of state for regional security in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, told US senators that while US officials have raised concerns over human rights in Egypt at the highest level of government, Egypt remained a critical security partner. The president himself has underscored the importance of a constructive dialogue on human rights with the government of Egypt and we will continue to pursue this, even as we pursue shared security goals on maritime security, on border security, and on counter-terrorism, she said. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: The Turkish governments condemnation of a spate of attacks on our brothers and sons, the Syrian refugees in Turkey, and its vow to hand down the harshest penalties against the thugs and inciters to violence have elicited diverse reactions. Some see them as genuine and heartfelt, others read as hollow and insincere an exercise in dutiful but carefully worded rhetoric by a ruling party fearful of alienating a segment of its voting base. Regardless of how one interprets official statements, it is impossible to deny that Turks, as a whole, are fed up with the burden of supporting millions of refugees; perhaps with the support of opposition parties, many have begun to protest. According to sources familiar with government circles in Ankara, it is not true that a gathering of conspiratorial hooligans who are the exception, not the rule is to blame for the violence committed against refugees. Security agencies have been mysteriously mute in response to individual and mob attacks against Syrian homes, cars, stores and other property. According to eyewitness accounts supported by videos, the police have been slow to intervene, overtly sympathetic with protestors and reluctant to block their angry march against neighbourhoods with significant concentrations of refugees. Officers were even filmed advising members of a mob on how to behave and to avoid moving in large numbers. Such indulgence and solicitousness in a country where there is little tolerance for protest is not hard to explain. The police suffer from the same economic straits as the bulk of Turkish citizens, many of whom are now venting their anger and frustration against immigrants and refugees whom Turks feel are keeping them out of jobs, business and other activities. There are currently around 3.57 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. According to a recent survey conducted by Metropoll, a leading Turkish polling company, 66.5 per cent of Turks want their countrys borders closed to all refugees regardless of provenance and the occupiers deported back to their homelands. Anti-immigrant violence, such as the massive attack that took place last week in a neighbourhood in Ankara with a large Syrian population, is not new. It is the latest episode in a long tale of mounting anger and resentment, fuelled by rising unemployment and declining living standards and increasingly directed against the people the government hosts and who are putting us out of jobs and taking away our livelihoods, as one protester put it. The expression of such sentiments is becoming increasingly fierce and brutal. In July a 17-year-old Syrian was beaten to death in Bursa after he tried to defend a Syrian woman being harassed by a gang of young Turks. Another young man would meet the same fate several weeks later. International reports have documented the rise in the severity and frequency of physical attacks not just against Syrian refugees but also against Kurdish citizens of Turkey. In fact, this is not surprising given the Turkish regimes swerve to the far right since the coup attempt five years ago. Observers have no doubt that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans desire to court the ultra-nationalist right and his polarising ethnocentric rhetoric that vilifies opposition movements and, above all, the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) has stoked racism, hatred, extremist violence and fanaticism. As observers from the opposition see it, xenophobic, ethnicity-related violence is the domestic face of the foreign policies of an aggressive, authoritarian regime that uses refugees as a means to blackmail the West and humanitarian relief as a means to gain financial support and emotional leverage. It is part of the backfire from a Syrian policy that is at once belligerent and cynical. If Ankara offered Turkish nationality to merchants from Aleppo, it was so they could move their businesses and assets into Turkey. In Syria, it used Syrian oil and antiquities to pay for the weapons to arm and train its allied militias which it used, firstly, to fight Syrian Kurds in areas near the border with Turkey and, secondly, as mercenaries to send to Libya and elsewhere. The foregoing are among the chief reasons the opposition believes that the Turkish government is fully responsible for the bloodshed and destruction of property suffered by Syrian refugees, Kurds and other minorities. The opposition also believes that recent arrests of suspected attackers have been largely for show. They point to the intensive television coverage of the arrests, after which suspects are quickly released or, in the rare event that charges are brought against them, acquitted. Lax law enforcement here has further encouraged violence against refugees and minorities. To Erdogan, both the attacks and the criticisms are the work of conspirators bent on bringing down the rising Turkish power and sowing discord among brethren of the same faith. There is no difference between the Turk, the Syrian or Afghani, so goes the official rhetoric. Turkey will not slacken in its defence and protection of those who seek refuge in Turkey, which opens its arms to them until they are able to peacefully return to their homes. Meanwhile, according to reports in the Turkish press, over 37,000 irregular migrants have been deported in the past seven months, a third from war-torn Afghanistan. The ruling Justice and Development Partys (AKPs) internet trolls have been as zealous as ever in their defence of the regime and its Syrian policy. There will be no comprising on Syria and the Syrian people, they proclaim nearly a decade after Erdogan launched his campaign against the Bashar Al-Assad regime, vowing to pray in the Umayyad Mosque in just a few months. The trolls also threaten revenge against opposition forces and critics, whom they call crypto-Jews and Freemasons who will never attain their aims now that the wise rule of Erdogan has exposed their cunning and deception. A platform has been created for Turkeys guests to express their unbounded gratitude. The formulas are quite similar, and go: We thank the Turkish government for all the sacrifices it made for us. We pray the day will come when we are able to repay this eternal debt to Erdogan who, with every passing day, proves that he is the strongest Muslim leader of our times. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Iraqs problems reflect broader issues within the countrys dysfunctional governance, but its Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, believes that with some tactical twists he can use foreign diplomacy to overcome Iraqs formidable troubles. In order to prove his point, Al-Kadhimi plans to bring together the leaders of several of Iraqs neighbouring countries at a summit meeting he will host later this month in Baghdad in order to address the problems facing the wider region. Neither Al-Kadhimi nor his office have disclosed details about the summit, dubbed by local media the Iraqs Neighbouring Countries Conference and intended to tackle regional cooperation and stability. Invitations have already been delivered to the leaders of Jordan, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. While leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also on the list of invitees, Iraqs Ministry of Foreign Affairs said no invitation was sent to Syrias Bashar Al-Assad. Al-Kadhimis office said French President Emmanuel Macron had also been invited and had confirmed plans to attend during a phone conversation with the Iraqi premier. But the list of participants does not seem to be final, and much of the success of the conference will depend on which countries appear to be receptive and their level of participation. A few details about the summit were given by Iraqs Minister of Culture Hassan Nadhim, who said the gathering was part of the Al-Kadhimi governments diplomatic strategy to restore Iraqs stability. When the region is stable and tensions ease, this will reflect positively on Iraqs stability, Nadhim, who doubles as the governments spokesman, told a local television channel on Friday. If convened, the event will be the second in two months after the June conference that brought the leaders of Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan together and rebranded Baghdad as a summit destination. It also comes nearly three months after a historic visit by Pope Francis to Iraq, when he became the first leader of the Roman Catholic Church to visit the battered country. Al-Kadhimi took credit for bringing these and other foreign leaders to Baghdad and for visits he has made to some key world capitals, trumpeted by friendly media as bringing Iraq back on the path of important events. But until Baghdad turns out in full strength to catch a glimpse of the visiting kings, emirs, and presidents, some of them long-time adversaries, many Iraqis will remain sceptical about Al-Kadhimis strategy to seek solutions for their countrys colossal challenges abroad. Iraq faces multiple political, economic, and security crises and governance challenges, and confronting them is crucial to ending the countrys stalemate. Since he took office in May 2020, Al-Kadhimi has been engaged in diplomatic forays to try to boost his image in the eyes of foreign leaders, taking advantage of the worlds willingness to help stabilise Iraq. On the surface, his proactive foreign policy seems to be directed at creating a new landscape for diplomacy with neighbouring and other countries and enhancing regional cooperation. But it has also been evident that Al-Kadhimi is facing a suite of challenges on the domestic stage, from a dysfunctional government to rampant corruption, incompetent bureaucracy, and a crumbling healthcare system overwhelmed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. His greatest challenge, however, is to restore state sovereignty through measures that include restructuring Iraqs security forces and reining in rogue militias in order to prevent the country from becoming a battleground for clashes between the US and Iran. A key task for Al-Kadhimi is to hold early elections, one of the main demands of the anti-establishment protests that have taken place in Iraq. The vote is scheduled for 10 October but is threatened by a boycott and disruption. Iraq is also plagued by foreign interference, such as Irans increasing bid for influence, Turkeys military incursions, and other forms of outside intervention. External influence continues to pose deep challenges for the intervention-prone country, and Al-Kadhimi may try to make the summit meeting a way of asking for help to stem foreign interference. Indeed, Al-Kadhimi has been getting positive messages from many world and regional powers for what pundits in the western media and think-tanks call his determination to alter Iraqs political and economic fortunes. This increasingly vocal band of promoters say that Al-Kadhimi may have developed some assets to work with in this regard, mostly in the form of the relationships he has fostered with foreign leaders since he came to power in 2020 and his enhancing frayed Iraqi relationships with the countrys neighbours. Taking such assessments at face value, these advocates seem to be building on growing efforts by leading Arab countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to enhance their cooperation with Iraq and bids by some European nations, especially France, to woo Baghdad. Yet, while these efforts may aim at helping Iraq to distance itself from neighbouring Iran in order to support its stability, still the declared objective of the upcoming Baghdad summit, there is little chance that Al-Kadhimi will be able to unplug his country from Iran. Since he came to power, Al-Kadhimi has showed ineptitude in carrying out the reform programme he had promised and facing up to powerful ruling oligarchs and Iran-backed militias that have been eroding the Iraqi states power and resisting change. Combating corruption and government inefficiency and taking on the influence of entrenched ruling factions and pro-Iran militias are widely seen as being Iraqs last chance to change the status quo and save it from crumbling. One of the most pressing questions is what Al-Kadhimi can do to end Iraqs perpetual crisis in the few weeks left for his government before Iraqis go to the polls to elect a new government. Al-Kadhimi, who is not affiliated to any group, will not run in the elections, and he is counting on the failure of the political blocs to form a government following an inconclusive outcome to keep him in office. In addition to scepticism about the ability of Al-Kadhimi to strengthen his position in a second term in office, there are also doubts about whether the forthcoming summit will achieve much, given the poor state of relations between the attendees. Almost all the leaders who have been invited to the summit are entangled in geopolitical disputes, soaring regional conflicts, historical suspicions, or personal grudges, and their encounters at the summit meeting are not expected to turn into a rapprochement. Not every participant is happy about the summit even going ahead, particularly because it will not be an appropriate venue to discuss the full range of pressing issues that have marred their countries relationships. Whatever the summits guest list or goals may be, the event is likely to be framed in large part as a photo opportunity to buy Al-Kadhimi time for a second term, and its possible outcome will remain clouded in doubt, caution, and speculation. With competing agendas and bilateral relations plunging to some of the lowest recorded, it is hard to imagine that the leaders at the summit will achieve any breakthrough on the substantial issues of stability in Iraq. Finding solutions to Iraqs multiple problems should start with Iraqs leadership. Since the current political class came to power after the US-led invasion in 2003, Iraq has consistently experienced serious political, security, and development challenges. While instability in Iraqs neighbourhood contributes to the countrys conflicts, the tragic events impacting the country bear witness to a deep-seated leadership crisis. Over the last two decades, several attempts have been made by world and regional powers to help Iraq solve its challenges, but its structural leadership deficiencies have remained flagrant. This time round, the outcome will not be different, and the only guarantee is that Iraqi civilians will continue to suffer until a new generation of Iraqi leaders is on the frontline demonstrating commitment, vision, and strategy as they build efficiency, trust, and ethical behaviour in government. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: The late Palestinian-American writer and academic Edward Said will be familiar to all readers of the Weekly, not least because of the regular columns he wrote for the paper between 1993 and 2003. These were later collected in books such as Peace and its Discontents, The End of the Peace Process, and From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map, essay collections on the Arab-Israeli struggle. However, as many Weekly readers will also know, Saids journalism was only part of a distinguished career that also took in academic literary and cultural criticism he was a professor at Columbia University in New York City for some 40 years works on music, and a life-long involvement in Palestinian affairs that saw him elected to the Palestinian National Council, an independent parliament in exile, in 1977. He became one of the most prominent Palestinian voices internationally and particularly in the United States. In the last decade of his life before his early death in 2003, Said turned to memoir writing, perhaps using the commission he received to deliver the BBCs Reith Lectures in 1993 to reflect on his career as an intellectual much involved in public affairs (published as Representations of the Intellectual in 1994) and then writing a memoir of particularly his early years, Out of Place published in 1999, that had much to say about his childhood in Cairo. A last, unfinished book on late style published posthumously in 2006 saw him in similarly reflective mood in his meditations on the works of writers and others no longer anything like in the first flush of youth. The late style of Beethoven, Said suggested, craggy, difficult, apparently even incompetent, could suggest a way of avoiding any temptation towards reconciliation with age and death. Anyone setting out to write a biography of Edward Said will need to enter into dialogue with Saids own autobiographical writing, arguably including much of his literary criticism along with the works mentioned above, as well as with the large amount of academic and public discussion that his work attracted throughout his lifetime, perhaps particularly his 1978 book Orientalism that criticised western views of the Middle East. Different writers have produced criticisms and appreciations of different parts of Saids career, but perhaps no one had attempted to see it whole until the publication of US academic Timothy Brennans full-length biography, Places of Mind, earlier this year. Brennan is a former student of Saids, and he is well-placed to decode the ins-and-outs particularly of Saids academic career by explaining what was at stake in debates on US university campuses from the 1970s to 1990s. He is probably less effective in explaining Saids interventions in Palestinian affairs and in the Arab world, and some might feel that Brennan skips over Saids writings on Palestine, which filled more and more of his time in later years. But the book is undoubtedly valuable for the light it sheds on all aspects of Saids career and for its attempts to connect the public figure who became familiar to so many to the private man who probably was only really familiar to a few. Particularly in the wake of the publication of Orientalism, it became easy to turn Said into a series of placards without depth or nuance, Brennan writes, explaining that part of his aim in writing the biography was to restore such shading. While dozens of books have now been written about Said, he says, none of them paints a full picture of his Arab and American selves as they come together or accounts for the ways that Saids writings on Palestine, music, public intellectuals, literature, and the media intertwine. He begins by reconstructing Saids early life in Cairo, a subject Said himself wrote extensively about, notably in Out of Place. Born in Jerusalem in 1935, the family moved to Cairo in 1947 shortly before the declaration of the state of Israel, driven into exile like so many other Palestinians at the time. His father was a prosperous businessman and a US citizen by virtue of his having joined the US military during the First World War. Said attended the prestigious Victoria College, Cairo branch, a British colonial foundation where the language was English, but the student body could include Palestinians, Egyptians, Armenians, Greeks, and others, reflecting the cosmopolitan character of upper middle-class society in Egypt. Writing about this period in Saids life, Brennan captures something of the leisured, but precarious, world of the family in Cairo, swept away in the years following the 1952 Revolution. Said himself left Egypt for the United States when still a schoolboy in 1951, eventually going on to undergraduate education at Princeton University followed by a PhD at Harvard completed in 1963. The overall impression of these years is one of gilded youth, frequent travel in Europe and well-connected friends. There was a string of academic prizes and awards, culminating in a first appointment at Columbia in the year he submitted his dissertation, an institution that he never left. If there were strains or tensions between Saids Arab and American selves, it was difficult to detect them behind his faultless CV. Even so, he was drawn to individuals struggling with two natures, such as the Anglo-Polish novelist Joseph Conrad, the subject of Saids PhD dissertation, a man good at hiding himself and an exile writing in a language and living in a country not his own. He also showed an early interest in the new ways of thinking being pioneered in Europe in the 1960s, introducing them into his reading as a way of making up for the intellectual thinness of the United States. Brennan may be right in saying that Said kept his Palestinian identity to himself during these years, but there were clearly subterranean pressures on him, perhaps at this stage manifested most clearly in his reading. This would probably have indicated, as Said later put it, an individual struggling with the idea of being out of place. WRITING IN THE WEEKLY: In his book The Politics of Dispossession, a collection of writing on the struggle for Palestinian self-determination between 1969 and 1994, Said says that until the 1967 War he had not felt the need directly to intervene in Palestinian affairs or the ways in which these were represented in the United States. Until the June 1967 War, I was completely caught up in the life of a young professor All that changed forever in mid-1967. For the first time since I had left [the Middle East] to come to the United States, I was emotionally reclaimed by the Arab world generally and by Palestine in particular, he writes. His family had left Egypt for Lebanon in 1963, and he had grown accustomed as the years wore on to spending the academic year in New York and the summer holidays in Lebanon. He did not return to Egypt until the mid-1970s, discovering a country almost changed out of all recognition from the last time he had seen it as a schoolboy, or to Palestine until the early 1990s. Meanwhile, the Palestinian cause had also changed following the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula in the 1967 War. The appearance of an organised Palestinian movement of resistance against the Israeli occupation began as a critique of traditional Arab nationalism whose ruins were strewn about the battlefields of 1967, Said writes. There was a new openness, honesty, and realism After 1967, it became possible not only to become Palestinian again, but also to choose Fatah, or the Popular Front, or the Democratic Front, as ones movement of choice, he adds, referring to the emergence of different Palestinian factions and resistance groups. This new spirit also affected Palestinian activism in the United States, with Said putting himself at the forefront of efforts to make the Palestinian cause more widely known. The 1967 War and the emergence of the Palestinian Resistance Movement eclipsed the traditional role for Arabs in America, Said wrote in 1981, previously always politically conservative, interested in seeing themselves in a sort of harmless, folkloric light. Within a year after the June War, the first Middle East teach-in took place on American university campuses, and for the first time Palestinian rights and activists played a leading role. Said was determined, as he put it in an article in the London Review of Books in February 1984, to claim permission to narrate and to combat what he called a seemingly absolute refusal on the part of policy-makers, the media, the liberal intelligentsia [in the United States] to make connections, draw conclusions, state the simple facts on the struggle for Palestinian self-determination and the situation in the Middle East. Said started writing his regular column in the Weekly in summer 1993, and it appeared on a twice monthly basis over the next ten years until his death in September 2003. Sometimes the columns were also syndicated in other publications, with translated versions appearing in the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, or, in a different form, in the London Review of Books. Taken together, the columns form a record of Saids thinking on Palestinian and Arab affairs in the crucial decade bookended by the Oslo Accords in 1993 and the US-led invasion of Iraq ten years later. As the late Anglo-American historian Tony Judt writes in his introduction to the last of the collections in book form, From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map, covering Saids writing in the Weekly from December 2000 to July 2003, the columns provide a kind of running commentary on the end of the Oslo decade, the onset of the second intifada and the final breakdown of the peace process, through the Israeli re-occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the massacres of September 11, 2001, the American retaliation in Afghanistan and the long run-up to the US attack on Iraq a distinctly turbulent and murderous 32 months. Anyone wanting to understand the development of Saids thinking over the decade from 1993 to 2003, crammed into chapter 11 of Brennans book, would do well to look up the three volumes of Weekly articles referred to above. Attending Saids classes at Columbia in the 1990s, one remembers him cutting a somewhat remote and glamorous figure. Major manifesto pieces on the future of university literary studies had appeared some ten years earlier in the essay collection The World, the Text, and the Critic, new polemics were starting around his latest critical book Culture and Imperialism, and his thinking was running in new directions, as signaled in Representations of the Intellectual and published after his death in Humanism and Democratic Criticism. There were also the writings on music, stimulated by a friendship with conductor Daniel Barenboim that led both to Parallels and Paradoxes, a joint book on music, and to the foundation of the East-West Divan Orchestra, a classical ensemble bringing together young Palestinian and Israeli musicians. While Said could stick rigorously to academic protocols in his classes, one remembers him as being more approachable in other settings, and it was perhaps there that the full range of his interests was most evident. The present writer has memories of stimulating gatherings around some of the outside speakers Said brought to Columbia at this time, among them the late Al-Ahram commentator Mohamed Sid Ahmed, also a columnist in the Weekly, the Israeli rights activist Israel Shahak, and Ranajit Guha of the Indian Subaltern Studies collective dedicated to writing Indian colonial history from below. As Brennan deftly puts it in his well-written and useful biography, throughout his extraordinary life Said kept the critical spirit alive against difficult odds and gave it its warmest, kindest, angriest, and most honest shape. Timothy Brennan, Places of Mind. A Life of Edward Said. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2021, pp437. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: If I hear your voice, I will hit you again. You choose how you want to get beaten, with a stick or with a hose. These words are how Amina, a victim of domestic violence, recalls the time she used to live with her family before she got married. When she was a child, her father used to beat her for the grades she failed at school, sometimes with a piece of hose that would disintegrate as it hit her. Although my hands were sore and swollen and my fingers were broken, my father would force me to hold a pen and continue studying, Amina said. Eventually, marriage was her way out of domestic violence. But Omneya, another victim of domestic violence, lives with her abuser in the same house. She has had to find ways of avoiding violence. I work more than 14 hours a day without a day off. Im not at home most of the day, which is my way to avoid abuse, Omneya said. My sister is forbidden to work as she is still in high school, although I started working when I was in preparatory school. The violence she experiences is worse. Omneya explained that her sister has no solution to escape from domestic violence. She has to stay at home most of the day, making the violence towards her stronger and taking different forms, including threats and verbal and physical abuse. While some victims may find in long working hours a means to avoid domestic violence, many women worldwide have been more like Omneyas sister over the past year during the Covid-19 pandemic that has in many cases forced them to remain at home. UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, says that working from home increased the levels of stress and anxiety among many family members. Isolation and confinement may trigger tensions leading to domestic violence. As a result, the perpetrators of abuse extended their power. The disturbances that accompanied the pandemic also limited access to services, and the need to stay at home in order to avoid Covid-19 together with the weak socioeconomic status of many women negatively impacted women and children who are most prone to domestic violence. Activities coordinator at the Coptic Evangelical Organisation for Social Services (CEOSS) in Cairo Tony Alfred told Al-Ahram Weekly about his experience of helping women and children facing domestic violence over recent months. The coronavirus pandemic caused a noticeable increase in the percentage of women coming for help. In addition, the state of fear of the virus produced by the media also negatively impacted their condition, he said. According to the UN, during the coronavirus outbreak calls to helplines by those facing violence reached five times their usual level in some countries. It was for this reason that domestic violence was dubbed the shadow pandemic by many. Vulnerable groups like women with disabilities were at greater risk of violence as the curfews and other related restrictions associated with Covid-19 made them more likely to face violence at home. Unfortunately, very often the health services were busy containing the pandemic itself, and services such as counseling, legal advice, and sexual health and other medical assistance were relatively unavailable to victims isolated from their social-support networks. Consequently, both the health and well-being of domestic-violence survivors hugely deteriorated. DURING THE PANDEMIC: Many commentators have highlighted explosive episodes of domestic violence during the pandemic that may have been more dangerous than the pandemic itself. But even before the pandemic started, the victims of domestic violence were very often isolated from friends, family, and any sources of support. Whereas the pandemic provided a chance for the perpetrators of violence to exercise their power, domestic violence has always been there. Yasmine, a victim of domestic violence, describes her experience with domestic violence as a lifestyle. She said that it wasnt just a single incident that she encountered, but happened on a regular basis. Domestic violence or domestic abuse occurs when a family member exercises physical, emotional, sexual, economic or psychological abuse or threats against another. Any behaviour that frightens, intimidates, manipulates, humiliates, blames, or injures another family member is considered to be domestic violence. In general, I was subjected to domestic violence in the form of beating and harassment. During the lockdown, it was normal, but it always happens, said Heba, another victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence is usually a pattern of related incidents that escalate in frequency and severity over time. In extreme cases, it can lead to physical injuries or even death. Domestic violence can affect both sexes and individuals from all social classes and backgrounds. Nevertheless, women experience it more than men. The victims are primarily wives and daughters, but they may also include extended family members and relatives, usually from the same household as the perpetrator. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Eastern Mediterranean region is in second place worldwide for cases of domestic violence against women, reaching 37 per cent of total global cases. The statistics also show an increase in violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Calls to helplines increased by 53 per cent in Mexico during the first quarter of 2020. Eighteen US and international studies have compared the number of incidents before the pandemic started in March 2020 and right afterwards, according to the US TV channel CNN. According to a US National Commission on Covid-19 and Criminal Justice (NCCCJ) report, there was an increase of 8.1 per cent in domestic violence incidents in the US over this period. Between March and April 2020, the National Network of Refuges in the US also reported an increase of 77 per cent in domestic violence, compared to the same time in 2019. IN EGYPT: Based on National Council for Women (NCW) statistics, around eight million Egyptian women are at risk of domestic violence each year, and up to 86 per cent of wives may face spousal abuse. Four out of every five married men have directed a form of psychological violence against their wives. Additionally, almost half of young women have reported physical violence against them by either their brothers or fathers. As a result, plenty of activists and womens rights advocates are working towards eliminating such violence against women. Civil-society efforts to stop [domestic violence] need to be accompanied by deterrence laws and helplines, Alfred said. Groups supporting womens rights point to the complexity of litigation procedures that may be in favour of the perpetrator of violence. In August last year, after a video went viral on social media showing an abused woman facing detention, the Egyptian Centre for Womens Rights (ECWR), a NGO, illustrated such situations. It said that should a husband enter a counter-plea against his wife in cases of suspected domestic violence, this could result in the womans detention as part of the litigation procedures. Many women thus decide not to complain of their exposure to violence in the first place, it said. Even if women attempt to gain legal rights from their abusive husbands, they may end up not continuing with the procedures and then living in a worse environment with increased risks of violence. Nihad Abul-Qumsan, the head of the ECWR, has called for the procedures to be amended in order to help women seek help from the police. She said that the detention of the wife should be cancelled, and the complaint made by her should be presented directly to the prosecution. Investigations should be done in hospital in cases of physical injuries. She also wants to see the speedy investigation of women who withdraw their reports under pressure. The courts should not hesitate to imprison the abuser, she said. The two parties should be aware of all the litigation procedures to help achieve legal and social justice. Abul-Qumsan wants to see the ministry of the interior review its procedures, set up units for violence against women, and circulate data, all of which will have a vital role to play in dealing with violence against women in Egypt. In January this year, member of parliaments Media and Culture Committee Amal Salama declared that she had prepared amendments to toughen penalties against those found guilty of domestic violence, as the penal code currently lacks proper penalties, she said. Article 242 of the relevant law states that if the beating or wounding does not reach the degree mentioned in the two previous articles, the perpetrator shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or a fine. Salamas amendments to articles 242 and 243 of the penal code states that abusive husbands will face three to five years in prison. She said that she had received the signatures of many MPs in support of them. Egypt was committed to preventing all forms of violence against women, especially domestic violence, she added. She explained to the daily Al-Ahram that a child who sees his mother insulted or beaten will very likely grow up unable to contribute to his country. She also described the laws of other countries regarding domestic violence. Before 1993, the UK and US were the only two countries that had passed special legislation to combat domestic violence. Following their example, in 2000 Bangladesh issued a law combating violence against women and children. In 2004, the Philippines issued a similar law, and in 2008 Guatemala issued a law to combat femicide and other forms of violence against women. The Arab countries have followed the same path and issued domestic violence laws. Saudi Arabia has introduced penalties of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 riyals ($13,000) to protect women against violence. Article 9 of the relevant law of the UAE says that without prejudice to any more severe penalty stipulated in any other law, whoever commits any act of domestic violence is punishable by imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months and a fine of not more than 5,000 dirhams [$1,300]. In Bahrain, the provisions of Article 351 of the countrys penal code state that an individual shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months, or by a fine not exceeding 20 dinars ($50), for harassing a female in a way that offends her modesty by word or deed in public. In Kuwait, the law punishes domestic violence with imprisonment for six months and a fine ranging from 100 ($300) to 1,000 dinars. In Tunisia, the countrys parliament approved a law criminalising all forms of violence against women in 2017. The penalties include imprisonment for up to 20 years for some cases of physical violence. In Algeria, the parliament has approved an amendment that toughens the penalty against men who engage in physical violence against women, saying that anyone who intentionally causes a wound to or hits the wife shall be punished with imprisonment for up to 20 years, depending on the severity of the injury. In the event of death, the penalty is life imprisonment. Overall, 127 countries around the world have issued laws criminalising violence against women over the past 25 years. SURVIVOR SUPPORT: Salama said that she had received many complaints from women exposed to domestic violence, showing that it has become a widespread issue that will result in problems for generations to come if not dealt with. This is the dark side of my father. On the other side, he is all tenderness, affection, and support. Im confused. If he really loves me, why does he beat me so violently, Amina asked. I couldnt complain, so I told no one. The kind of confusion victims of domestic violence often face can require medical attention and social support. The WHO advises healthcare facilities to make their services available to survivors of domestic violence, including psychosocial support, counselling services, protection services, hotlines, and shelters. Moreover, humanitarian response organisations have to find ways to offer help to vulnerable and isolated women. Yasmine added that her sister had encountered physical violence multiple times. They had tried to find professional help, but they had found no answer, she said. Likewise, Omneya tried to contact an outside institution, but was shocked by the complicated procedures she would need to go through before receiving help, which eventually led her to give up, stay silent, and try to survive with minimal losses. While mental and psychological treatment is still not accessible for many, including victims of domestic violence, several organisations have made their services available to Egyptian women subjected to violence. The Egyptian Red Crescent Psychosocial Support Unit (PSSU) is available through its website (www.egyptianrc.org) or telephone number (02 23492106), so women can receive proper psychological treatment. The Centre for Egyptian Womens Legal Assistance is contactable (02-02373 165 85/ 371 545 62), so women can seek legal advice related to their specific situation. The Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women is contactable (0114 061 7926), so women can receive economic, educational, and social support. The WHO recommends victims of domestic violence to reach out to a family member or trusted friend who can be a safe resort in times of distress or the unavailability of outside help. A particular relative, neighbour, or colleague should stay updated on all new circumstances in case a shelter is needed. Similarly, when deciding to file a legal case, it is essential to bring identification documents, money, a telephone, clothes and medicines. Finding a safe shelter and coming up with an emergency contact list is the first step to consider. Alfred said that there was evidence that the numbers of women seeking help are much lower than they were as a result of the efforts made. We carry out seminars and workshops for women, men, and children with the participation of clergymen and human-rights trainers to support families to address this phenomenon, he said. One of the unexpected impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it shed light on social issues like domestic violence. Its frequency increased due to the global restrictions associated with the pandemic, but domestic violence is deeply rooted and requires more attention than it gets. For anyone looking for ways to help, Alfred gave a straightforward guide to essential steps to prevent domestic violence. Acknowledge the problem, confront it, replace stubbornness with love, take the initiative, give attention, and report it to the authorities, he said. The women preferred not to use their real names. *A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Egypt keen to provide all forms of support to Somalia: Egyptian PM MENA, , Tuesday 17 Aug 2021 The Egyptian PM said he looks forward to working with Somali officials to push forward bilateral ties in various areas, especially at the economic and commercial levels Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is keen on fostering mutual cooperation with Somalia and providing the sisterly African nation with all forms of support, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told his Somali counterpart Mohamed Hussein Roble on Monday. Madbouly made the remarks during an expanded session of talks he co-chaired earlier today with the Somali PM at the Cabinets premises in Cairo, in the presence of the ministers of foreign affairs, education, and higher education and scientific research. The Egyptian PM said he looks forward to working with Somali officials to push forward bilateral ties in various areas, especially at the economic and commercial levels. Madbouly also commended the positive steps recently taken by Somalia to support these ties, topped by the appointment of a Somali ambassador in Cairo, resuming an Egyptian education mission to Somalia, and allocating a piece of land to establish an Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu, which now hosts a branch of Banque Misr one of the largest and most prominent Egyptian banks. He also emphasised Egypt's commitment to preserving stability in Somalia, hailing the Somali premier's efforts to achieve national conciliation and welcoming a recent agreement between political leaders in Somalia on a framework for the long-delayed parliamentary and presidential elections. Meanwhile, the Somali prime minister praised the deeply rooted ties between both countries, voicing hope for increasing exchanged visits at the economic and political levels, and operating EgyptAir flights to the Somali capital to facilitate the movement of people and goods between both nations. Towards the end of the session, Madbouly said that Egypt is now considering a step to increase the number of scholarships offered to Somali students to 400 scholarships on an annual basis. A host of senior officials from both countries were also present at the session. The Somali premier's accompanying delegation included the Somali ministers of foreign affairs, education, higher education, and culture. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/419219.aspx 37 civilians killed in attack in western Niger: Local sources AFP, , Tuesday 17 Aug 2021 Thirty-seven civilians were killed in a western Niger region that has been battered by jihadist incursions from neighbouring Mali Thirty-seven civilians were killed in a western Niger region that has been battered by jihadist incursions from neighbouring Mali, local sources said Tuesday. "Armed men who arrived on motorbikes" attacked the village of Darey-Daye in the Tillaberi region on Monday afternoon as people were working in the fields, a local official said, adding: "The toll is very high -- there were 37 dead, including four women and 13 children." https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/419230.aspx KYODO NEWS - Aug 17, 2021 - 14:41 | World China and Russia have criticized recent visits by some Japanese Cabinet members to the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, pledging that the two countries will jointly defend the truth of history, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. During their phone talks on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Beijing and Moscow should join hands to "oppose any attempt to whitewash or glorify militarism" and "stem any scheme to falsify history." Wang's remarks came after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent an offering and three members of his Cabinet paid visits to the Shinto shrine on Sunday as the Asian nation marked the 76th anniversary of the end of World War II. Established in 1869 to commemorate those who died in wars for Japan, Yasukuni in 1978 added wartime Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo and other convicted war criminals to the more than 2.4 million war dead enshrined there. Since the 1980s, the shrine has been a source of diplomatic friction with Japan's neighbors, particularly China and South Korea. Japan had invaded a huge swath of China by the end of the war, while Japan ruled the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. The latest Yasukuni visits are a "challenge to human conscience and international justice" and "all peace-loving countries and people cannot tolerate and should denounce Japan's act," Wang was quoted by his ministry as telling Lavrov. Lavrov echoed the view, saying Russia and China should "oppose any attempt to smear history," according to the ministry. China has urged Japanese political leaders to change what it calls their wrong attitude toward Yasukuni, saying it enshrines "Class-A war criminals who were directly responsible" for Japan's war of aggression. Related coverage: 3 Cabinet members visit Yasukuni shrine, PM Suga sends offering Japan ministers Kishi, Nishimura visit war-linked Yasukuni shrine KYODO NEWS - Aug 18, 2021 - 00:03 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is unlikely to dissolve the House of Representatives in early September for a general election as previously expected as it would coincide with the extended COVID-19 state of emergency, ruling coalition sources said Tuesday. Suga's earlier strategy had been to vaccinate the population against COVID-19 as quickly as possible, stage a successful Olympic Games to get a boost in public sentiment, and dissolve the more powerful chamber of the bicameral parliament for a general election after the Tokyo Paralympics close on Sept. 5. But with a resurgence of infections showing no signs of abating, the government on Tuesday decided to add seven prefectures to the emergency declaration, and extend the deadline for Tokyo and other areas already under the declaration to Sept. 12. Some within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have floated the idea of holding the election after the party's presidential vote around Sept. 30 when Suga's term as LDP leader ends, the sources said. It is also possible that Suga will choose not to dissolve the lower house and instead let the four-year term of its members end on Oct. 21, they said. Suga said in a press conference Tuesday announcing the expanded COVID-19 emergency, "Options for the timing of the general election are narrowing." Several senior administration officials said that Suga will not dissolve the lower house while a state of emergency is still in place. The LDP's main scenario now is for campaigning for the general election to begin on Sept. 17, with voting on Sept. 29. Suga had envisioned dissolving the lower house, securing victory for the LDP in the general election and winning the LDP leadership race unchallenged. But Sanae Takaichi, a former internal affairs minister running in the LDP presidential race, and LDP policy chief Hakubun Shimomura are among those arguing that the party leadership race should be held first. Another veteran lawmaker said that Suga would not dare dissolve the lower house amid a record low approval rating. When a prime minister has no plan to dissolve the lower house before its members' term expires, an election needs to be held within 30 days before the expiry date under the public election law. If the expiration of the term comes during or soon after a parliament session, an election must be held in 24 to 30 days after the session closes. Given that an election is typically held on Sunday, a possible polling date would be Sept. 26 at the earliest and Nov. 14 at the latest. If the lower house is dissolved, an election must be held within 40 days of the dissolution. The chamber's dissolution on the last day of the current four-year term on Oct. 21 could push back the election to Nov. 28 at the latest. KYODO NEWS - Aug 17, 2021 - 21:41 | All, World, Japan Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday pledged additional humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip following Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave during a tit-for-tat conflict earlier in the year. Meeting separately with Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Malki and President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank, Motegi also called on the Palestinians to maintain a cease-fire with Israel and resume peace talks. In 2006, Japan proposed a "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" as an initiative toward the peaceful coexistence of Israel and a future Palestinian state through economic development projects in the region. "We urged both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to refrain from taking unilateral actions that raise tensions and to take measures to foster confidence" between them, Motegi told reporters. Malki, thanking Japan for its involvement in regional issues, said the Palestinian government is "ready" to engage with Israel when there is a chance "to move forward the peace process." The cease-fire came into effect after the military confrontation between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement, which controls Gaza, continued for about 10 days in May. Japan has sent humanitarian assistance worth $23 million to the Palestinians since the May bombing, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Motegi plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday. KYODO NEWS - Aug 16, 2021 - 15:21 | Sports, News, All, Japan Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura said Monday he is ready to forfeit three months' pay totaling 1.5 million yen ($13,000) after drawing flak for biting an Olympic softball player's gold medal earlier this month during a ceremony. Kawamura again apologized for the medal-biting incident, which occurred when Miu Goto, 20, a member of the women's softball team at the Tokyo Olympics who hails from the central Japan city, visited the mayor on Aug. 4. "I feel morally responsible," Kawamura said at a press conference. He is expected to present an ordinance to cut his pay at an assembly session starting in September. When the pair posed for photos during Goto's visit to city hall to celebrate her part in the team's victory, Kawamura gestured for her to place the medal around his neck and, taking off his mask, bit it -- copying a gesture often made by medal-winning Olympians. He has also been accused of sexual harassment by making remarks at the time such as, "Are you prohibited from having romantic relationships?" "I disgraced the occasion and offended Goto and the Japanese people," he said, bowing in apology at the press conference. The mayor also said he has received training on harassment following the incident. Kawamura, however, ruled out resigning, saying he "wants to continue serving the citizens of Nagoya." Goto's gold medal will be exchanged for a new one, with costs to be shouldered by the International Olympic Committee, according to the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games. The city has received more than 7,000 complaints over Kawamura's behavior toward Goto. The incident went viral on social media, with Toyota Motor Corp., the Japanese auto giant which owns the softball team that Goto plays for, also calling his acts "inappropriate" and "extremely regrettable." KYODO NEWS - Aug 18, 2021 - 00:31 | All, Japan The Japanese government lodged a protest Tuesday with South Korea over a visit by a South Korean lawmaker to Takeshima, a group of islets in the Sea of Japan controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo. The visit Sunday to the islets called Dokdo in South Korea by the opposition lawmaker was timed for the 76th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II in 1945, which ended Tokyo's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910. The lawmaker made the visit despite Tokyo's request in advance not to do so, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, protested to Kim Yong Gil, a minister at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo, saying the islets are an "inherent part" of Japanese territory. In Seoul, a senior official at the Japanese Embassy conveyed a similar message to a South Korean Foreign Ministry official. The rocky outcrops have long been a source of tension between the two Asian neighbors. South Korea has been in effective control of them since the 1950s. Earlier this month, Tokyo made a protest against Seoul for starting to stream images from the islets. South Korea said the service is aimed at increasing its people's interest in and affinity for the territory. Mumbai: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) will forge an alliance for the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2019, party leaders announced on Saturday. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi told PTI that preliminary talks held between both parties have yielded positive results. (BBM chief) Prakash Ambedkar ji will be holding a public rally in Aurangabad on October 2 in which I too will be present. The formal structure of the alliance will be announced later, Owaisi said. Also Read | Kerala Nun Rape Case: Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal hands over charge before joining police probe Imtiyaz Jaleel, AIMIM MLA from Aurangabad, said the idea behind the alliance was that Dalits, Muslims and OBCs have been ignored for 70 years, have no proper representation in politics and were being treated as vote-banks. It is a shame on all so-called secular parties that there is no representation from the Muslim community in Parliament from Maharashtra. Everybody wants their votes but does not want to give them representation. Similar is the case for Dalits, he said. He added that once both parties come together, they would be a force to reckon with. Read More | Sonam Kapoor called Kangana Ranaut a troublemaker; Here is why Jaleel, who called on Ambedkar at the latters home in Pune to hold preliminary talks, added that Owaisi and Ambedkar will meet before the public rally on October 2 and will decide on the structure of the alliance. Haribhau Bhale, former MLA and BBM leader, said Dalits, Muslims and OBCs are upset with mainstream parties. There is a growing pressure to form an alternative. Thus, all groups that have been ignored will come together. What shape the alliance will take will be decided by party leaders, Bhale said. New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday alleged some people are trying to derail the AAP government's scheme for doorstep delivery of services launched earlier this week. The chief minister's allegation comes after some reports about mischievous elements trying to disrupt the scheme by giving fake addresses. Also Read | Amit Shah sounds poll bugle in Telangana; criticises KCR for ensuing early Assembly polls Kejriwal, however, did not take the name of anyone. "I am very sad. Due to dirty politics, some people are trying to derail such a good scheme. They should not work against people. This is wrong. Also Read | 'Manto' is not only for intellectuals: Nandita Das "All should support for public-welfare works regardless of any political party running the government," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. On Monday, the chief minister had launched the scheme under which Delhiites can avail 40 services, including driving license, ration card, caste and marriage registration certificates, at their doorstep. Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday likened Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam to Alauddin Khilji, 13th century Sultan of Delhi, for telling youngsters he would kidnap a girl they like, and also questioned his partys silence over his remarks. The Sena said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen on giving justice to Muslim women in triple talaq, in Maharashtra the MLAs of his party were creating panic among the women of the state. Queen Padmini committed jauhar along with thousands of other Rajput women to protect their honour, prestige and religion. Their jauhar against Alauddin Khilji and his tyranny is still inspiring women in India. But it seems time has come for the women in Maharashtra to commit jauhar against the BJPs Khilji, the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana. Also Read | Global Mobility Summit MOVE: PM Modi pitches for clean kilometres to fight climate change According to the legend, queen of Mewar Rani Padmavati had committed jauhar (self-immolation) along with thousands of other women in Chittorgarh to protect their honour when Alauddin Khilji attacked the fort in 1303. BJP MLA Ram Kadam, who is the chief ministers favourite, uttered derogatory words against women that showed his arrogance. He said Just let me know the girl you like and I will kidnap her and hand her over to you. What kind of hedonistic culture has landed in Maharashtra? it asked. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party alleged that the BJP was nurturing such kind of people, who speak ill of women, farmers and wives of soldiers. Such people have no right to take Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs name and rule the state, it added. What kind of message is the BJP sending out to the youth in the state? Is this what the partys Hindutva and its culture is all about...This is bound to happen if you rub dirt on yourself in the greed to win elections. What was sown in the last five years is being reaped now, the Sena said. Read More | Rahul Gandhi on Kailash Mansarovar high: 'Gentle, tranquil and calm' photos silence critics It further said that Lord Krishna was a protector of women, but ironically the BJP MLA passed anti-women remarks on the birthday of Lord Krishna. The Sena sought to know why the ruling BJP, which is generally quick to label the opposition as anti-nationals if they raise its voice on issues concerning the country, was silent over Kadams remarks. On the one hand Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to give relief to Muslim women on Triple Talaq, on the other hand a sense of fear is prevailing in the minds of women due to the BJP legislators remarks. The only woman cabinet minister in the state government, Pankaja Munde, should speak on it, it said. It said why Union minister Smriti Irani, who usually talks about the rights of women, was keeping mum over the issue. The Sena added that had a Congress legislator made such remarks, the BJP would have created a din and even spoken against president Rahul Gandhi. Read More | Mass grave with 166 bodies unearth in Mexico Kadam, while speaking at an event during Dahi Handi celebrations in the city had said he would kidnap a girl a boy likes even if she says no to the proposal. You (youngsters) can meet me for any work, he is seen in the video clip, telling the crowd, mainly comprising youth. He was heard further saying that he got requests from youngsters to help them after girls rejected their proposals. I will help, 100 per cent. Come (to me) with your parents. What will I do if parents approve (the girl a boy has liked)? I will kidnap the girl concerned and hand her over to you (for marriage), he was heard telling the crowd. New Delhi: Counting of votes for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls was suspended Saturday morning after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) protested, saying they were not informed about it. The JNU Election Committee said in a statement it suspended the counting temporarily. While it declined to name the party which protested, the ABVP said their counting agent was not informed about the beginning of counting of votes polled in science schools. Meanwhile, Left student union members alleged that the ABVP created a ruckus, but the ABVP denied the allegation. "The counting process, which began on September 14 at 10 pm has been suspended due to forcible entry into the counting venue and attempts to snatch away the sealed ballot boxes as well as ballot papers from our counting centres," according to the Left Bloc. They also claimed that their members, including women, faced intimidation. Read | DUSU elections 2018: ABVP's win victory for nationalist ideology idea, says Amit Shah "Around 4:00am, ABVP broke the glasses of the School of International Studies building. EC stopped the counting indefinitely," the Left members said, adding that the ABVP counting agent was called but he did not turn up on time. Vijay Kumar, ABVP president of JNU, said their counting agent was not called and the counting process was initiated in front of the members of the Left outfit. "We protested peacefully as the EC is biased towards the Left. We did not create any ruckus," Kumar was quoted as saying in PTI. Read | JNUSU Polls: Purported ABVP posters promising ban on short dresses, non-veg food sparks row The JNUSU election on Friday recorded 67.8 per cent voter turnout, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes, according to reports. On Thursday, Technical glitches in EVMs stalled the counting process for the Delhi University Students' Union polls for nearly three hours. The counting resumed after parties reached a consensus. Mexico City: Gunmen dressed as mariachi musicians killed three people and wounded seven others in a square in downtown Mexico City popular with foreign tourists, police said. The three assailants carried out the shootings shortly before 10 pm on Friday in the busy Plaza Garibaldi, police said. Neither the motive for the attack nor the identities of the gunmen were known, but the area is located near the Tepito neighbourhood, where a cartel operates that is considered the largest criminal organization in the capital. Also Read | Inside Sumeet Vyas and Ekta Kaul's fairytale wedding; See pictures Mexico has been hit by a wave of violence since deploying the army to fight the countrys powerful drug cartels in 2006. Since then, more than 200,000 people have been murdered, including a record 28,702 last year. Another 37,000 people are reported as missing. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: The board of the cash strapped Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) met on Saturday to approve a resolution plan and discuss strategies for the company to raise funds to tide over the cash crunch. At the emergency meeting, IL&FSs largest shareholder, LIC, which holds 25.34 per cent, is believed to have agreed to subscribe to the forthcoming rights issue and extend some immediate working capital loan. Meanwhile, sources said LIC managing director Hemant Bhargava who was the non-executive chairman of ILFS has stepped down from the position with immediate effect but will continue to be on the board as a director. Also Read | Nikki Reed shuns plastic surgery rumours, credits change of appearance to Healthy living The company has also learnt to have appointed SB Mathur, a past chairman of LIC as the new non-executive chairman. The company needs an immediate capital infusion of around Rs 3,000 crore from its shareholders. In a meeting held earlier this week, key shareholders of the debt-ridden company including LIC, SBI and HDFC had kept a pre-condition for it to raise funds through its assets or non-core businesses, before any additional money could be pumped in. All the shareholders expressed their concerns as things at IL&FS are not fine now. Some solutions have been decided at todays meeting, said one of the sources. Since the company has got some real estate assets, shareholders have asked it to liquidate them to generate cash. There has been reports that it has even put on block its headquarters here for around Rs 1300 crore. IL&FS is also looking to raise Rs 4,500 crore through a rights issue. Read More | Don't miss these bedtime snacks for a good night sleep The company expects to reduce its overall debt by Rs 30,000 crore by divestment of its assets. It is sitting on a debt pile of over Rs 91,000 crore as of March 2018. Out of a portfolio of 25 projects identified for sale, firm offers have already been received for 14 projects. We expect to complete the divestment plan over the next 12 to 18 months, the company said in a release issued on August 29. The release said the current situation of over-leverage and illiquidity had risen as a significant percentage of the groups liquidity, aggregating to over Rs 16,000 crore, was stuck in claims and termination payments. On September 4, it came to light that IL&FS defaulted on a short-term loan of Rs 1,000 crore from Sidbi, while a subsidiary has also defaulted Rs 500 crore dues to the development finance institution. Read More | US Open: Novak Djokovic defeats del Potro by straight sets, wins 14th Grand Slam title The company is sitting on a debt pile of around Rs 91,000 crore and had been downgraded to junk status by rating agencies following the default. Of this, Rs 57,000 crore are bank loans alone, most of which are from state-run lenders. While IL&FS has nearly Rs 35,000 crore consolidated debt, IL&FS Financial Services has Rs 17,000 crore of debt, which sits as standard asset for most of the lenders, according to a Nomura India report. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Ahead of his appearance before the police on September 19, Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who is accused of raping a Kerala nun, has asked his deputy Monsignor Mathew Kokkandum to administer the Diocese in his absence even as a group of Catholic priests extended support to the protest by various Catholic reformation organisations seeking justice for the nun. As you have probably come to know from the media the investigation into the allegations raised against me as there are several contradictions in the evidence collected against me as per the report of the police and it is reported that I am likely to be called for further clarifications by the investigating officer in Kerala. In my absence Msgr. Mathew Kokkandam will administer the diocese as in the normal practice when I am away from the diocese, a circular from the accused Bishop read. Also Read | Kerala church flays NCW proposal to ban confession Sources, however, asserted that he has neither stepped down from his post nor he appointed anyone the officiating Bishop. Mulakkal is currently the head of St Francis Church in Amritsar district. On Friday, Jalandhar Police Commissionerate had delivered a summon to the accused Bishop on behalf of the Kerala police. He was asked to appear before the Kerala police on September 19. What is the Kerala Nun Rape Case? A Kerala nun had accused the clergyman of repeated sexual assault between 2014 and 2016. She had recently urged the Vatican to intervene in the matter and demanded Mulakkal's removal as the head of the Jalandhar dioces. She also questioned the "silence" of the church, accusing it of "closing its eyes to the truth". Mulakkal, however, rebutted the alleagtions, saying the charges levelled by the nun were motivated. He also said that there were several contradictions in the evidence collected against him. Also Read | Amit Shah sounds poll bugle in Telangana; criticises KCR for ensuing early Assembly polls Meanwhile, a group of Catholic priests, defying the stand taken by a powerful Bishop body, vowed their support for agitation seeking justice in the case. The Kerala Catholic Bishop Council (KCBC) had slammed the nuns' protest, saying that it has "crossed all limits". The KCBC had also alleged attempts by vested interests and a section of the media to tarnish the image of the church and the bishop community as a whole under the cover of the protesting nuns and said it was "not acceptable." Defying the KCBC, the group of priests belonging to the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church visited the protest venue and assured their moral support to the nuns seeking justice in the case. Catholic nuns in Keralas Kochi city have been protesting against the Bishop for the last eight days. They are demanding immediate arrest of the accused Bishop. The protesting nuns also accused church officials of using a combination of promises and intimidation to scuttle their agitation. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Doctor and engineer aspirants in Bihar will no more have to give written test or interview as Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Saturday said that the appointment of doctors and engineers in the state will be done on marks basis alone. Around 7,000 posts of engineers are lying vacant in different departments of road construction, rural works, water resources, minor irrigation in the state, Modi said. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi reveals name of PM Modis 'blue-eyed-boy who planned Vijay Mallyas escape The appointment of doctors and engineers will be done on marks basis through Bihar Technical Service Commission in the state. No written test or interview will be conducted for carrying out appointment of doctors and engineers in the state, the DCM said. Modi was addressing Engineers Day function on 157th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna M Vishveshwaraiya organised by the Bihar Engineering Service Association (BESA) in Patna. Those appointed on contracts do not have to get their renewal done every year, till the regular appointments are completed, the deputy CM said. Out of the 7,000 posts of engineers, around 2000 posts have been filled through contractual appointments as regular recruitments are taking time, he said. Contractual employees will also get facilities on par with regular employees like - earned leave, casual leave and maternity leave and other facilities. They will get the benefit of work experience and age relaxation in regular appointment, Modi said. Also, students passing from engineering and medical colleges of Bihar will get 50 per cent reservation in the appointments. The recruitment process is getting delayed by Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) due to heavy requisition to it, the Dy CM said. The state government has set up the Bihar Technical Service Commission to expedite the appointment process like it did in case of appointment of university teachers and police by setting up separate commissions, he added. Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said on Saturday that the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) has no future as it has neither leadership nor intention. He said neither the people nor the parties of the grand alliance are accepting the leadership of the Congress party, said a party press release. Also Read | #EngineersDay: Netizens broke the internet with their side-splitting memes! Das said that the BJP has a "world-level" and charismatic leadership, whose acceptance is growing among the people. "The BJP, along with its allies, is in governments in 70 percent of the country and it was due to the leadership acumen of founder president Atal Bihari Vajpayee," Das said. Also Read | Kerala Nun Rape Case: Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal hands over charge; Catholic priests join protest He called upon the party workers to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shahs call of Ajay BharatAtal Bhajpa and mera booth sabse majbood (my booth is the strongest) which is not just a slogan but a mantra for winning Lok Sabha seats. The Jharkhand unit of the BJP claimed it would win more than 350 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and over 60 seats in the state Assembly polls. The BJP will serve the country by winning more than 350 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and with the blessings of the people, we will win over 60 seats in the Jharkhand Assembly elections, BJPs state unit president and MP Laxman Gilua said here at the inaugural session of the partys Executive Committee meeting. Also Read | From architectural beauty to salivating food, Gujarat has it all, says team Mitron For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Moscow: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived here Thursday on a two-day visit to co-chair a key bilateral meeting and talks with the Russian leadership to boost the special privileged strategic partnership. Swaraj, who visiting Russia for the third time in 11 months, had a brief stopover in Ashgabat en route to Moscow during which she held discussions with her Turkmenistan counterpart Rashid Meredov on issues of bilateral interest. The minister will attend the 23rd India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Technical and Economic Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) which is co-chaired by her and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov. The IRIGC-TEC is a standing body which annually meets and reviews ongoing activities of bilateral cooperation in the fields of bilateral trade and investment, science and technology, culture and other issues of mutual interest. Also Read | Ranjan Gogoi appointed 46th Chief Justice of India, to take charge on October 3 The Commission, after taking stock of bilateral cooperation in various fields, will provide policy recommendations and directions in the concerned fields, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Maintaining the momentum of high-level exchanges, Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted on the ministers third visit to Russia in 11 months. The last meeting of the Commission was held in New Delhi in December 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for an informal summit in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi in May during which the two leaders upgraded the traditionally close India-Russia relationship to a special privileged strategic partnership. The two leaders also met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in June. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Urdu version of Prime Minister Narendra Modis book Exam Warriors was released in the presence of several Union ministers on Saturday. The book, which focusses on 25 mantras for parents and students to cope with the stress of exams, has earlier been published in 14 languages. This book could not have been written by anyone else other than the prime minister and its aim would have remained incomplete if it had not been published in Urdu. This is also because while the natural language of India in many ways is Hindustani, it is in Urdu language that Hindustani finds the influence of Ganga Yamuna tehzeeb. It cannot be found in any other language, said Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office in chaste Urdu. Also Read | Action plan to check fuel price rise, rupee fall coming soon, says Amit Shah Organised by the India Islamic Cultural Centre, the launch was held at Dr Ambedkar International Centre here. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, actors Rishi Kapoor and Annu Kapoor and producer-director-writer Muzaffar Ali were among those present. Naqvi said that the book is a message that children should be brought along in the path of development of the nation. There are people in this audience who love Urdu both as a language and as a courtesy. This book that Modiji has written in Hindi and in Urdu and now that it will be printed in Arabic, I welcome the move, he said. Read More | Fans dragged out from Dua Lipa' concert for waving 'LGBT flags' Actor Annu Kapoor said that Urdu should not be associated with any community, instead it should be seen as an Indian language. He told students to study for themselves, not for a degree or for a job. Javadekar said that PM Modi is the only leader of the world who has written a book for school children at a time when most politicians would be only concerned with vote and constituencies. There is a hidden teacher in him...he has ensured that the education of poor children do not suffer. Today the subsidy for them is Rs 2,200 crore. This book is not a deal for votes. It is his way of telling students to not take stress during exams, his way of telling parents not to pressure their children. He is a hands on PM, said the HRD Minister. In the book, the prime minister has also talked about some yoga exercises and the importance of the quality of sleep required for students to beat the examination stress. Read More | Rainfall forecast for next 24 hours in several states across India All the ministers also asked the publishers to keep the price of the book nominal so that everyone can afford to buy it. The book at present costs anywhere between Rs 63-Rs 100 depending on where one buys it from. Actor Rishi Kapoor, who was the only one among those present who conceded his unfamiliarity with the language, said that while growing up, learning Urdu was not a priority. We speak in English at home and I was convent educated. In fact, when I saw Mughal-e-Azam as a little boy I could hardly understand most of the dialogues spoken in it, said the actor hailing the class of the language which he says he learnt in bits and pieces through his films. In our family, we were all exam worriers, worrying about the results of our exams. You all are lucky that you have a PM who has written a book like this for all of you and you have a guide to follow. There is a reason why this book was needed, he said addressing the students present. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: As Tropical Storm Florence inundated the Carolinas on Friday, President Donald Trump circled back to his claim that the official death toll from a devastating storm a year earlier in Puerto Rico was inflated and said the number of dead seemed to rise from double digits to 3,000 like magic. Public health experts have estimated that nearly 3,000 perished because of the effects of Hurricane Maria. But Trump, whose efforts to help the island territory recover have been persistently criticised, has repeatedly questioned that number over the last couple of days. Also Read | Amit Shah sounds poll bugle in Telangana; criticises KCR for ensuing early Assembly polls FIFTY TIMES LAST ORIGINAL NUMBER - NO WAY! he tweeted late on Friday. Trump falsely accused Democrats on Thursday of inflating the Puerto Rican toll to make him look as bad as possible. He said just six to 18 people had been reported dead when he visited two weeks after the October 2017 storm and suggested that many had been added later if a person died for any reason, like old age. When Trump visited Puerto Rico, the death toll at the time was indeed 16 people. The number was later raised to 64, but the government then commissioned an independent study to determine how many died because of post-storm conditions. That studyconducted by the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington Universityestimated 2,975 deaths. Read More | PM Modi's car en-route to Swachhata Shramdan gets stuck in Delhi traffic jam The deaths fell in two categories: direct and indirect. Direct deaths include such fatalities as drownings in a storm surge or being crushed in a wind-toppled building. Indirect deaths are harder to count because they can include such things as heart attacks, electrocutions from downed power lines and failure to receive dialysis because the power is out and those kinds of fatalities can happen after a storm has ended but while an area is struggling to restore electricity, clean water and other health and safety services. Dr Carlos Santos-Burgoathe lead researcher on the study and a well-known expert in global health, particularly Latin Americatold The Associated Press that the initial figure of 64 deaths reflected only people whose death certificates cited the storm. He said the latest figure was more accurate and stressed that every death in the six months following the storm was not attributed to the hurricane. Read More | The Spell of Coconut Water: This is what will happen when you drink 'nariyal pani' for a week! We are scientists. We are public health people. We are committed to the health of the population. We try to reach the truth, and we try to understand what is damaging the people in order to prevent disease, he said. But Trump suggested Friday that it was questionable that the Puerto Rican government commissioned the study from an outside group. They hired GWU Research to tell them how many people had died in Puerto Rico (how would they not know this?), Trump wrote. This method was never done with previous hurricanes because other jurisdictions know how many people were killed. FIFTY TIMES LAST ORIGINAL NUMBER - NO WAY! Puerto Rico Gov Ricardo Rossello told CBS New York on Thursday that the government had sought the study and tried to make this process a completely independent process. Trumps anger over the death toll drew swift rebukes from elected officials and residents of the island, where blackouts remain common, 60,000 homes still have makeshift roofs and 13 per cent of municipalities lack stable phone or internet service. Even some Republicans suggested the president had gone too far Thursday. Casualties dont make a person look bad, House Speaker Paul Ryan said. So I have no reason to dispute those numbers. Throughout his presidency, Trump has struggled to publicly express empathy at times of national crises, sparking outrage during his post-Maria visit when he feuded with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and tossed out paper towels to victims like he was shooting baskets. In recent days, Trump publicly lauded his own administrations response to Maria and privately groused over storm-related news coverage that he saw as overly focused on Puerto Rico, according to two Republican advisers close to the White House who werent authorised to speak publicly and talked to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity. Read More | Life on Mars: Hazards of manned mission to the red planet The White House defended the president on Thursday. As the President said, every death from Hurricane Maria is a horror. Before, during, and after the two massive hurricanes, the President directed the entire Administration to provide unprecedented support to Puerto Rico, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said. President Trump was responding to the liberal media and the San Juan Mayor who sadly, have tried to exploit the devastation by pushing out a constant stream of misinformation and false accusations. Gidley cited studies that attributed fewer than 3,000 deaths on the island to Maria. Rep Elijah E Cummings, ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to the GOP majority Thursday calling for the panel to request documents from the White House relating to the Puerto Rico response. Trump maintained as recently as Tuesday that his response to the storm was an incredible unsung success. Trumps latest grumbling on the Maria death toll comes as Tropical Storm Florence inundates the Carolinas, killing at least four people. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Blowing the poll bugle for the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah headed for a public meeting at Mahabubnagar on Saturday. Addressing a press conference in the capital city of Hyderabad, Shah said, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao earlier pitched PM Narendra Modis idea of One Nation One Election but now has changed his mind, forcing unnecessary expenses for two polls. I want to ask Telangana CM, why have you put such an expense on the people of Telangana, the BJP president asked. Being confident of the BJPs win in Telangana Assembly Elections Shah further said, BJP will fight on all seats in Telangana and emerge as a strong and decisive force in the state: BJP President Amit Shah in Hyderabad. Training his gun on the Telangana government over its reservation process, Shah asked KCR, Is it not appeasement politics to propose 12% reservation for the minority? They know that our constitution does not allow reservation based on religion. Read | Swachhata Hi Seva LIVE: PM Modi sweeps Delhi school premises; interacts with students If the same govt comes back to power, vote bank politics will continue in the state, the BJP president went on to claim further. Referring to the Centres contribution to the welfare of the state, Shah said, Under the 13th Finance Commission, Telangana got Rs 16,597 crore which was increased to Rs. 1,15,605 crore under the Modi government. BJP is committed for the development of Telangana. Earlier in the day, Shah paid a visit to the temple of Goddess Mahankali in the old city of Hyderabad before proceeding to Mahabubnagar. Read | Jammu and Kashmir LIVE: Five LeT, HM militants gunned down in Kulgam encounter; search operation on Soon after the public meeting will come to an end at Mahabubnagar, Shah would meet the BJPs state office-bearers and district unit presidents at Kothur to formulate strategies for the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana. On September 6, KCR announced a premature dissolution of Telangana assembly, taking a step towards holding early elections in the Telangana along with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram in December 2018. He sought fresh elections in Telangana six months ahead of the scheduled date - April 2019. Earlier, Making fun of Rao's decision, the BJP said, Is KCR afraid BJP will snatch victory from him if polls are held after eight months?. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Pune: The principal of a convent school here was booked for allegedly showing a pornographic video to a 14-year-old boy, Pune police said on Sunday. A woman counsellor, who was aware of the incident but asked the victim to remain silent, has also been booked, an official said. Both the accused are at large and efforts were on to nab them, the Wanwadi police station official informed. Also Read | Throw away Guitar, buy a Harmonium Twitter goes hysterical at Anup Jalotas Bigg Boss entry The incident took place in March this year. The principal had sexually harassed the boy by showing him a porn video. The boy had complained about the incident to the lady school counsellor, the official said. The counsellor, however, asked the student to keep mum on the issue, possibly out of fear that she would lose her job if she spoke against the principal, the official said. The family of the victim also chose to remain silent fearing that his education will be hampered. Police got hint of the incident through its sources and approached the school, the official said. Read More | Rewari gang-rape: Haryana CM assured me of taking appropriate action, says Rajnath Singh He said that a case had been registered against the school principal and counsellor under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Scarlett Johansson announces her new project after the recent Marvel release Black Widow. Actress Johansson is all set to star in Wes Anderson's upcoming untitled film. He will work with stars Margot Robbie and Tom Hanks in lead. The film has started its shooting in Spain and also stars Anderson's usuals Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton. This film marks Scarlett's second collaboration with director Wes Anderson after she starred as a voice actor in his 2018 film, Isle of Dogs. The news was recently confirmed that actress Margot Robbie has been added to the cast of the film. Johansson is set to take on the Wes Anderson amid her recently erupted legal battle with Disney. She sued the studio over Black Widow's streaming release claiming breach of contract. Marvel's star's lawsuit is awaited after Disney denied the actress' claims in a statement. The filmmaker recently premiered his upcoming release, The French Dispatch at the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival. The film is slated for a theatrical release in October and stars Timothee Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Lea Seydoux in lead roles. Uttar Pradesh jail inmates can now meet visitors with Covid protocol Central Government pledges 1.10 crore vaccine doses to Kerala Maharashtra: Children below 18 years of age to get entry in shopping malls under this rule Nepal has always been called an agricultural or agrarian country. This means agricultural crops are a very large part of the economy of the nation. In fact, agriculture contributes around 27.1 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP). Agricultural crops provide the country with important staples of the peoples daily lives and also rank top among the major exports made by the country. Because of this, 15 agricultural products have been listed as national priority agricultural crops by the government. On the list prepared by the Prime Ministers Agriculture Modernisation Project (PMAMP), there are livestock and animal products also along with other major agricultural crops. Today, we will give you the list below. The data here refer to the areas of cultivable land for the agricultural crops along with the countrys production capacity for the products as per the figures maintained by the project. The figures here were last updated in the fiscal year 2019/20. 1. Rice Rice is a staple of almost every Nepali family; it is an everyday meal. Rice is also the primary source of livelihood and income for more than two-thirds of farming households, hence, rice is the most important among all of the agricultural crops in Nepal. In a total of 1,491,744 hectares of cultivation, Nepal produces 561,011 metric tonnes of rice. The district which produces the most rice in Nepal is Kanchanpur with 40,323 metric tonnes. Chitwan ranks second with 34,809 metric tonnes. Rice contributes about 20 per cent to the agriculture gross domestic product (AGDP) of the country that equals more than 7 per cent of the total GDP of Nepal. 2. Maize Maize is also one of the major traditional and agricultural crops of Nepal that is widely used for food, feed, and fodder purposes. This crop has always been in high demand and is growing by 5 per cent annually in the last decade because of its versatility. Maize as a crop is very essential for hill farmers as their cattle also depend on it for nourishment. The total cultivated land area for maize production in Nepal is 956,441 hectares, in which 2,713,635 metric tonnes of maize is produced. Maize is the second most important crop in Nepal. The Dhading district is the highest contributor in maize production with 17,973 metric tonnes and Gulmi is second with 8,468 metric tonnes of produce. 3. Wheat Wheat has been one of the oldest and important agricultural crops in Nepal. This crop is widely used to make staples like bread, biscuits, noodles, pasta and cereals. The total cultivable area for wheat production is 703,992 hectares, from which Nepal produces 2,005,665 metric tonnes of wheat. The highest production district is Kailali with 5,390 metric tonnes and followed by Nawalparasi with 2,289 metric tonnes. 4. Vegetables Vegetables are very important to Nepali households not only because they provide most of the nourishment people need, but also because they provide an alternative source of income. Vegetable production has been on a sharp rise in recent years because many people found its importance as consumables as well as alternative or main sources of income. There are many kinds of vegetables produced in Nepal, but in terms of data, they have all been categorised under one common band, except potatoes. The total cultivable land for vegetable production is 297,195 hectares that yield 4,271,270 metric tonnes of produce. The highest contributors of vegetables in Nepal are Dhading with 51,645 metric tonnes and Chitwan with 18,409 metric tonnes. 5. Potatoes Photo: Pexels/ Polina Tankilevitch Potatoes are considered to be a staple food in hilly and mountainous regions of Nepal because of their ability to grow all year round and even on infertile soils. It is high in demand due to versatility in household dishes and also appropriately has a high yield. Potatoes contribute about 6.57 per cent to the agricultural GDP and 2.17per cent to the GDP of Nepal. It is cultivated in 193,997 hectares of land from where 3,112,947 metric tonnes are produced. Bara produces a high amount of potatoes (1,26,810 metric tonnes) annually. This high-yielding factor makes potatoes a viable food crop for even poor families. And, because of its high demand, it has been emerging as one of the major commercial agricultural crops among vegetables grown in Nepal. 6. Apples Apple is the most important fruit crop in terms of production, area, and household economy in the mountainous region of Nepal. There is a high demand for the fruit and is taken as one of the most prominent and prioritised cash crops in the country. Apple is also one of the most extensively produced deciduous fruit crops worldwide. Apple farming and produce also contribute about 14 per cent to the total GDP of Nepal and also covers 4.2 per cent and 5.08 per cent of total fruit production and total fruit area of Nepal, respectively. The total cultivable land of apples is 11,186 hectares giving total produce of 31,386 metric tonnes. With an annual output of 6,799 metric tonnes, Jumla is the largest apple-producing district, followed by Mustang with 5,727 metric tonnes. 7. Citrus fruits Citrus fruits are one of the most important commercial fruit crops in the hills of Nepal. Among the many citrus fruits, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits are highly produced in Nepal. Citrus fruits are cultivated in 46,412 hectares of land that yield 271,908 metric tonnes of fruits. This fruit crop takes 26.3 per cent of the total area covered by fruits in the country. The highest producing district is Solukhumbu with 1,449 metric tonnes and the second is Gulmi with 408 metric tonnes. Furthermore, oranges are highly produced in Syangja, where the total cultivable land is spread over 1,270 hectares and produces oranges worth Rs 356.6 million. The highest grapefruit-producing district of Nepal is Sindhuli with 4,900 metric tonnes, which are grown in an area of 400 hectares. 8. Bananas Bananas are a high-value food crop and one of the major fruit crops of Nepal in terms of potential growing area, demand, and production. The demand is so high that it currently exceeds total national produce. Banana farming is highly profitable and in demand regardless of high risk. The total area of production for this fruit crop is 18,329 hectares which produce 278,890 metric tonnes. The highest banana-producing district of Nepal is Chitwan with 182,005 metric tonnes. 9. Mangoes Mango is a summer staple that is very popular in Nepal. This fruit is also very nutritious because of its low calorie and richness in vitamin A and C. They are also sweet and very high in demand during summer, so farming them is very beneficial and they can serve as an excellent snack. The total production area of mangoes is 49,588 hectares with a yield of 366,144 metric tonnes. The highest mango-yielding district in Nepal is Surkhet with 400 metric tonnes. 10. Export promotion crops Export promotion crops are the set of agricultural crops that are produced in the country with the aim to export them. It largely includes coffee and cardamom. The demand for coffee in Nepal is growing steadily in recent years. The highest coffee-producing district in Nepal is Kavre with 221 metric tonnes from a total cultivation area of 973 hectares. It has been estimated that coffee can be grown in about 1 million hectares of land in Nepal, pulling the farmers more to its cultivation. Similarly, for cardamom, Nepal produces 7,954 metric tonnes of cardamom out of the annual global production of 12,000 metric tonnes. Taplejung is the highest cardamom-producing district of Nepal with 2,490 metric tonnes of produce in an area of 4,150 hectares. 11. Seeds and oilseeds Seeds or oilseeds are a key production and among the major annual agricultural crops around the world and in Nepal. Popular seeds cultivated and produced in Nepal are mustard, string beans, and soybeans. Collectively, the oilseeds are cultivated in an area of 592,047 hectares and produce a total of 662,517 metric tonnes. Mustard is the most popular oilseed in Nepal. Nepal is one of the biggest mustard producers in the world, maintaining the charm of its farming in the country. Nepal produces nearly 143,000 metric tonnes of mustard. The highest mustard-producing district of Nepal is Kailali with 107 metric tonnes of mustard from 100 hectares of land. 12. Milk Almost 80 per cent of milk in the market is produced by small farmers. Nepal is a country with a special focus on dairy. As cattle farming goes hand in hand with crop farming, it is safe to say that milk is one of the major productions of local farmers in Nepal. Almost 80 per cent of milk in the market is produced by small farmers. Because of this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has given special importance to milk production and has made efforts to make animal husbandry more efficient in terms of feed and foraging programmes for farmers, teaching them about crossbreeding to improve the genetics of local cattle. The total milk production of the nation settles at 1,800,000 metric tonnes. The top producers of milk in Nepal are Kavre with 83,509 metric tonnes and Morang with 73,267 metric tonnes. 13. Fish Fish are one of the best sources of nutrients; low in calories and cholesterol but rich in protein. Fisheries play a very important role in improving Nepals economy as they are a source of livelihood for many ethnic groups in the country. They are high in demand because of their taste, versatility as a dish, and for their nutritional value. In Nepal, fish farming covers 12,349 hectares of land and gives produce of 62,725 metric tonnes. Dhanusa is the highest fish-producing district of Nepal with 7,312 metric tonnes whereas the second is Bara with 5,276 metric tonnes. Because of this massive demand, fish farming or pisciculture is steadily rising as one of the more profitable businesses in Nepal. 14. Meat Meat has been another constantly increasing production in the last decade in Nepal and is still likely to continue to grow. Meat is a very good source of protein, vitamins, and iron. The cattle rearing for meat production covers about 13,082,641 hectares of land in Nepal giving a result of 357,082 metric tonnes as produce. The livestock sector contributes about 11.5 per cent to the total GDP and 25.7 per cent to the total agricultural GDP. Goat meat is one of the most popular meat types consumed in Nepal. Goats are highly profitable and sell massively in festival seasons. A total of 65,583 metric tonnes of goat meat is produced annually in Nepal which is 20 per cent of all meat produced. The goat meat is mainly farmed in Surkhet and Dailekh. Pork is another more profitable meat consumed in Nepal; it is 6.7 per cent of the meat produced. The demand for pork is steadily increasing in the nation. A total of 18,709 metric tonnes of meat is produced in Nepal. Morang and Jhapa are some of the best places for pork farming. 15. Honey Honey is always high in demand because of its health benefits. Not only that but bees are a huge helping hand for farmers in fields because they help in cross-pollination in many agricultural crops like oilseeds, buckwheat, and fruit crops increasing the yield. The demand has skyrocketed in both international and national markets. Beekeeping or apiculture is practised in 242,500 hectares of land with a resulting 3,990 metric tonnes of produce. Morang is the highest producer of honey with 15,000 hives and Lamjung with 35,000 hives. Kathmandu, August 17 The Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) and the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD) have reached upon an agreement for a 15-year partnership between them. NASO Chair Suresh Bhattarai and PABD President Haji Mahadi bin Haji Tahir signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two astronomy communities, virtually, on Monday. As per the agreement, the organisations will jointly implement data-driven science projects such as the Asteroid Search programme and will establish coordinated communication networks in both countries, said Bhattarai. The MoU also states that there will also be fundraising activities to support the implementation of the projects. The two bodies, of Nepal and Brunei, have agreed to publicise and collaboratively implement key areas of work including new scientific results and discoveries, capacity building through increased scientific interaction, training and joint projects. The two bodies will support astronomy development in either of the countries in areas of mutual interest. The collective efforts to be carried out under this MoU is expected to lead to a strong scientific community in the two countries. John Upreti was in his final teenage years when he first met Samir Maharjan. They hit it off immediately as they had common interests and values. After a few years of friendship, they developed a unique bond (miteri) that they did not have with anyone else. So in order to make things even better and become more like a family, they decided to become each others mit. We both wanted to become each others family. At times of need, friends might forget you, but a family member wont, says Upreti. Thats how things have moved forward since then. Around 15 years ago, Upreti and Maharjan along with their families went to the Dakshinkali temple in Kathmandu to become mits. They went through a small formal ritual, exchanged Dhaka topi and since have been through thick and thin together. Becoming mits (mit laune) is a ritual that has been going on for centuries in Nepal, in which two people of the same gender enter into a special form of friendship (miteri) that also connects two families. But, in recent times, this ritual is being forgotten with newer forms of friendship. With the advent of social media and other forms of socialising, the trend has all but disappeared from Nepals urban society. While some rural areas still do it, the numbers are far less than what was over two decades ago. Fading bonds Representational image. Photo: Pexels/ Bahaa A. Shawqi Rabina Sharmas family after seeing her bond with Astima Magar decided to make them minitis (the feminine equivalent of mits) in 2002 when both of them were just seven. For the first few years, things were quite good between them as they helped each other with homework and played together. But, gradually, they started to drift apart. Their ideologies changed as did their view on things and since 2010 have not met even once. I think that was bound to happen at one point because we all change. We become different personalities from what we were when we were children. Asmita and I were good friends, we still are friends but arent as close as others, says Sharma. With time, Sharma found people that she could connect to. She made friends in school, on Facebook and on Twitter with whom she had a better connection. Moving out from Ilam also did not help as the two lived in different parts of the country. Slowly, they drifted apart and now meet once every few years. It is what it is, to be honest. Things change, she says. The centuries-old miteri tradition Representational image. Photo: Pexels/ Sudip Paul Even though there is no evidence, historians argue this mit-mitini culture has been going since ancient times. It has been mentioned in the Swasthani Brata Katha which was supposedly written in the 15th century while there have also been hints of such a culture in the Mahabharata too. This thing is quite old, says veteran historian Dinesh Raj Panta. We know about Prithvi Narayan Shah having a mit and we know about Swasthani too. But, there have been subtle hints in the various other holy books too. He says Nepals culture has given a lot of importance to mits as it is more than just a friendship. He says that this miteri culture gave people an escape to talk about things that they could not share with their family and friends. It also gave people from different communities a chance to become friends. The discrimination in Nepal wasnt as much in the 15th century as it was in the 18th century and beyond. That is why this became a nice way to bond with people and learn about another culture. Tribhuvan University academics Nabin Rawal and Suresh Dahak, in their report Mit Relation in Far West: Ritual, Reciprocity and Reproduction of Social Relationship, have written that there is the prestige attached to a man who has a mit in a lower caste or who is poorer than himself. He gets known in this life as a doer of good deeds and as a man whose position and wealth has not made him haughty, thereby improving his chances for a better afterlife. Rawal argues that people from the supposed upper caste had mits from the supposed lower caste as they could help each other out. There were examples of people high in the mountains being mits with people from the plains as they needed them when they were travelling. An interesting pattern observed in the study area was the Dalits had acquired land from their mits under the maate tenure, and even some mits were taking care of the households of their Thakuri mits who were staying outside the district, Rawal writes in his report. Friends turned families But, there have also been times when it was used for an advantage during war or politics. Take Prithvi Narayan Shah for example. He used his bond with the king of Bhaktapur to later take over the city along with others in the valley. Through his bond, he learnt about the citys weaknesses along with other cities in the valley. There are vested interests at times, says historian Panta. However, for the most part, this miteri culture is quite pure. The family of mits also become family. A mit should not call his or her mit or mitini by his or her name since it is considered to be disrespectful. The family members of the mit/mitini are respected as their own family members. In addition, since the mits-mitinis are also considered blood relatives, marriage between the members of these families are prohibited and in case of death of a mother or a father of a mit, mourning rituals are also observed. But, now things are changing. The current generation hardly has time for all these. Panta argues this has been an eroding trend for a few centuries. With people busy with their own life, things like these are not a priority, he says. This was observed in places where people had ample time. Major cities in Nepal didnt follow it as much, says Panta. Rawal also seconds him. In the research, he says he found the changed lifestyle, internal and external migration and mobility, and, to some extent, the political factors played a role in the disappearance of this miteri culture from Nepali society. Things took a hit after the introduction of the multiparty system, after which individuals were divided into different political groups. They started treating each other as enemies, Rawal writes. But, those who had maintained their miteri relations, have also gained political benefits, as well. Kathmandu, August 17 The Ministry of Health and Population has informed that the countrys Covid-19 tally has reached 814,127 as of Tuesday afternoon. The ministry said 3,274 new cases were confirmed in the country in the past 24 hours. In this period, 11,565 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 2,456 returned positive. Likewise, 6,124 people underwent antigen tests for the virus, of which an additional 818 tested positive. Of total tests, 21.23 per cent of the PCR and 13.35 per cent of antigen samples returned positive, keeping the overall per-day positivity rate at 18.51 per cent. As of today, there are 39,871 active cases across the country. Of them, 3,296 are hospitalised, 790 in intensive care units and 191 on ventilators. In the past 24 hours, 1,929 people have achieved recovery whereas 27 deaths have been reported. Of the total cases so far, 687,069 people have achieved recovery. Likewise, 10,354 died, according to the ministry. The countrys recovery rate is 93.2 per cent and the death rate 1.5 per cent. Likewise, 3,586,673 people have received their full dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while 4,764,856 have received their first dose. Today, 144,528 people were vaccinated throughout the country. (Writes through with comments on Taliban recognition) MOSCOW, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Russia is in no hurry to recognise the Taliban as legitimate authorities in Afghanistan, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, calling for an inclusive government to be set up involving all Afghan ethnic groups. "... We see encouraging signs from the Taliban who say they would like to have a government that includes other political forces," Lavrov told reporters. "But it would be premature to say that we are going to start making some political steps unilaterally." Lavrov urged all ethnic groups in Afghanistan to convene for talks on the country's future after the withdrawal of U.S. States-led forces led to the fall of its previous government. Citing the Russian Embassy in Kabul, Russia's RIA news agency reported on Tuesday that talks were under way between ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov and a Taliban representative. (Reporting by Polina Devitt Writing by Olzhas Auyezov Editing by Catherine Evans and Alison Williams) (Adds comments from official, details) ANKARA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Turkey is in talks with all parties in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, and views positively the messages the Islamist militants have sent since taking control of the country, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. Cavusoglu was speaking a day after Turkish security sources said Ankara had dropped plans to guard and operate Kabul airport following the withdrawal of other NATO forces from Afghanistan because of the chaos which accompanied the Taliban victory nL1N2PO06L. The sources told Reuters that Turkey, a Muslim country which has one of NATO's largest military forces, was instead ready to provide technical and security assistance nL8N2PN5F9 if the Taliban requested it. "We are keeping up dialogue with all sides, including the Taliban," Cavusoglu told a news conference in Jordan. "We view positively the messages that the Taliban has given so far, whether to foreigners, to diplomatic individuals or its own people. We hope to see these in action as well." Turkey, with some 600 troops in Afghanistan, will also discuss airport security and the transition in Afghanistan with the United States and others, Cavusoglu said. "(Afghan parties) will negotiate all these issues amongst themselves - who will be in the transition government, what kind of government will there be... We will discuss all of these but the country needs to calm down now," he said. TALKS WITH THE TALIBAN A senior Turkish official said talks with the Taliban, which started before the group's fighters swept through Afghanistan, were continuing and Turkey could maintain its presence at the airport if the Taliban requested help. "We don't know if the Taliban have enough personnel (to run the airport). They may ask us for technical support. Our presence at the airport may continue in that framework," the official said. Story continues The Taliban had previously warned Turkey against keeping troops in Kabul to guard the airport but the official said they had not asked Turkish forces to leave Afghanistan, hoping positive ties with Muslim nations would help them gain international recognition. Turkey was meeting "the Taliban's military officials through Pakistan, and we are in contact with the political wing through Qatar," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Turkey's intelligence agency was involved in the contacts, the official said, adding: "The plan to take control of Kabul airport following the U.S. withdrawal was dropped, but there is no approach for us to leave immediately. No such message was received from the Taliban for now." (Reporting by Orhan Coskun, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Dominic Evans, Jane Merriman and Timothy Heritage) NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The corrugated box market in Europe is poised to grow by USD 18.65 billion during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of about 5% during the forecast period. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Corrugated Box Market in Europe by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 Here is an Exclusive report talking about Market scenarios, Estimates, the impact of lockdown, and Customer Behaviour. Download FREE Sample Report Now! The report on the corrugated box market in Europe provides a holistic update, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis. The report identifies growing demand from the e-commerce industry as one of the major factors driving the growth of the market. The report also provides information on other latest trends and drivers impacting the overall market environment. The corrugated box market in Europe analysis includes the end-user segment and geographic landscape. This study identifies the increase in demand for premium packaging as one of the prime reasons driving the corrugated box market growth during the next few years. This report presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. The corrugated box market in Europe covers the following areas: Corrugated Box Market Sizing in Europe Corrugated Box Market Forecast in Europe Corrugated Box Market Analysis in Europe Download the free sample report here: www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR70745 Companies Mentioned Buckeye Corrugated Inc. DS Smith Plc Georgia-Pacific LLC International Paper Co. MODEL HOLDING AG Mondi Group Mosburger GmbH Smurfit Kappa Group Plc Sonoco Products Co. WestRock Co. Related Reports on Materials Include: Global Bag-in-box Packaging Market - Global bag-in-box packaging market is segmented by application (beverages, industrial liquids, and household liquids) and geography (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Global Retail-ready Packaging Market - Global retail-ready packaging market is segmented by end-users (food, beverages, household products, and other end-users) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Story continues Key Topics Covered: 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 End-user Market segments Comparison by End-user Food and beverages - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Electronic goods - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Personal and household care goods - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by End-user Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Western Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Eastern Europe - 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 Buckeye Corrugated Inc. DS Smith Plc Georgia-Pacific LLC International Paper Co. MODEL HOLDING AG Mondi Group Mosburger GmbH Smurfit Kappa Group Plc Sonoco Products Co. WestRock Co. Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations 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 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: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Report: www.technavio.com/report/corrugated-box-market-in-europe-industry-analysis Newsroom: newsroom.technavio.com/news/corrugated-boxmarket Technavio (PRNewsfoto/Technavio) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/-18-65-bn-growth-expected-in-corrugated-box-market-in-europe-during-2021-2025--technavio-301356365.html SOURCE Technavio Virginia Firm Once Again Recognized As One Of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies VIENNA, Va., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Omega Integration a leading provider of information technology solutions to the US Government, today announced that it has been listed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies for the 4th consecutive year. The company achieved this milestone after almost tripling in size over three years. Alpha Omega Integration Celebrates 4th straight year on the Inc. 5000. "Eight years in busines and four of them on the Inc. 5000. What a team!" Gautam Ijoor, President & CEO. "Making the Inc. 5000 list four consecutive years is a true testament to the dedication of the Alpha Omega leadership team and our employees' commitment to delivering unparalleled value to the agencies we serve," said Gautam Ijoor, Alpha Omega Integration's President & CEO. "Our company celebrated our eighth anniversary this month, and our fourth Inc. 5000 award. It is truly humbling to see what our team has accomplished in this short time." Founded in 2014, Alpha Omega Integration is a mission-focused, client-centric, results-driven organization that provides high-quality, collaborative IT and business consulting services. One of only a handful of 8(a) firms with CMMI ML5 in both service and development, Alpha Omega helps agencies rethink, innovate and optimize business processes to help them do more, faster, while reducing costs and improving outcomes. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." Alpha Omega Integration is an 8(a) SB created in 2014 that provides high quality, collaborative IT and business consulting services, with the expertise and capabilities to serve customers in the commercial and public sectors. At Alpha Omega, we are committed to quality and continuous process improvement, demonstrated by our CMMI-DEV ML 5 appraisal, as well as ISO/IEC registration for 20000-1:2018, 27001:2013, and 9001:2015. Our clients include HHS, DoD, USDA, Department of Homeland Security, HUD, Department of State, NASA, Department of Commerce to include NOAA and Census Bureau, and the Small Business Administration. Alpha Omega is a mission-focused, client-centric, results-driven organization. For more information, visit www.alphaomegaintegration.com Story continues www.alphaomegaintegration.com 8(a) | CMMI ML5 | ISO 9001:2015 | ISO 20000-1:2018 | ISO 27001:2013 CIO-SP3 | 8(a) STARS II | SPARC | GSA IT Schedule 70 Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alpha-omega-integration-named-to-the-inc-5000-list-for-the-4th-consecutive-time-301356297.html SOURCE Alpha Omega Integration Like most consumer tech companies, Apple has seen its retail and workplace setup severely disrupted by the pandemic. (Its bottom line, on the other hand, has emerged unscathed.) The iPhone maker has previously been forced to temporarily close stores and recently delayed its return to the office as the virus has surged. In the latest sign that things are returning to normal for the company, Apple is planning to bring back its educational classes to retail locations in the US and Europe, according to Bloomberg. The sessions, known as Today at Apple, are expected to kick off on August 30th, though that roadmap could be delayed in areas where the virus is on the rise. Scouring its site, we found scheduled in-person classes at Apple stores in New York, California, Massachusetts, Washington and even states where COVID-19 cases are at all-time highs including Florida, Oregon and Hawaii. Apple moved the events online last year. The last time it held an in-person class was in March, 2020, right before governments began imposing coronavirus-induced lockdowns. However, it reportedly opened its reservation portal on Monday to allow people to sign-up for the courses in advance. The classes range from iPhone photography tutorials to augmented reality workshops to music sessions to beginner coding guides. A new anti-sanctions law planned for Hong Kong could put some of the city's biggest financial institutions squarely in the middle of a rapidly escalating rivalry between Beijing and Washington - one that threatens a potentially lucrative windfall for firms betting big on China's growth, according to legal and sanctions experts. The law, first adopted for mainland China in June, forms part of Beijing's answer to the US government's use of the American financial system - and the US dollar as the world's dominant trade currency - to achieve political goals internationally through financial sanctions. It gives the Chinese government, as well as private citizens and businesses, the legal basis to take countermeasures against foreign individuals and entities involved in "discriminatory restrictive measures" that Beijing says "violate international laws and basic norms". Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The question for banks and other financial institutions in Hong Kong is: can they still split the difference and not short circuit their access to the world's two biggest economies? "It's meant as a deterrent to prevent both the US and the European Union going after more Chinese state actors and Chinese companies with, for example, sanctions on Xinjiang and Hong Kong," said Katja Drinhausen, a senior analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a European think tank. "The biggest risk is that once such a system is in place there is a high likelihood it is going to be used, especially if the relations don't fundamentally change, which is kind of hard to imagine in light of current political relations." Story continues The standing committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, is expected to adopt the law into the mini constitutions of Hong Kong and Macau at its next four-day meeting beginning on Tuesday, bringing them in line with mainland law. Last month, the US State Department cited the anti-foreign sanctions law, as it is known in China, as one of several recent developments that present "clear operational, financial, legal and reputational risks" to American companies operating in the city. "The policies which the PRC government and the government of Hong Kong have implemented undermine the legal and regulatory environment that is critical for individuals and businesses to operate freely and with legal certainty in Hong Kong," the State Department said in its July 16 advisory. Those risks are overblown and the anti-sanctions law will provide more clarity for businesses in the city, a Hong Kong government official said. "After the introduction of the anti-sanctions law in Hong Kong, individuals and companies will have certainty on how to respond to the US sanction regulation. For example, banks can no longer use US sanctions as a reason not to provide banking services to individuals under the sanction lists," the official, who asked not to be identified, told the Post. The US enacted sanctions against 11 Hong Kong and mainland officials, including Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, last August in response to Beijing's adoption of a controversial national security law for the city. The new law comes at a time when banks, insurers and asset managers in Hong Kong are wagering on rising incomes in the Greater Bay Area and ploughing billions of dollars into the mainland to bolster their capabilities, as Beijing further opens up the country's financial sector. For example, JPMorgan Chase won permission to take full control of its mainland securities joint venture on August 6, just days after Citibank won approval to open a securities investment fund custody services business onshore. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse are among several big Wall Street banks seeking to take full control of their onshore securities operations. Banks, insurers and asset managers were reluctant to publicly discuss what preparations they were making ahead of the anti-sanctions mandate being added to the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini constitution. Most financial institutions contacted for this story declined to comment. However, top executives at HSBC and Standard Chartered, two of the city's three currency-issuing lenders, said they were prepared to overcome any obstacles presented by the potential conflicts in US actions and the Chinese law. Bank of China (Hong Kong) is the third of the city's lenders authorised to print banknotes. "As a global international bank - in fact, any global international bank, not just HSBC - you have to navigate the laws and regulations of all of the countries you operate in. At times, those laws are complicated and complex to deal with," Noel Quinn, the HSBC CEO, said during the bank's half-year results this month. "I'm not pretending it's easy. We've navigated that in the past and we'll continue to do so going forward." Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters. Photo: Xiaomei Chen alt=Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters. Photo: Xiaomei Chen Both HSBC and Standard Chartered have spent billions of dollars to bolster their compliance functions after paying multibillion-dollar penalties to American authorities related to failures in their anti-money-laundering controls and compliance functions. "We comply with local law everywhere we go," Bill Winters, the Standard Chartered CEO, said in an interview last week. "If we have to respond by divesting an entity, the macro fundamentals of that particular country involved would deteriorate," said Law. "But we could also argue that a lot of these risks are already priced in. For example, during the Trump administration sanctions and verbal conflicts were part of our lives, so [sanctions or anti-sanctions laws are] nothing new." One solution for international companies may be setting up a local entity to serve just their Hong Kong and mainland businesses, allowing them to comply with the new anti-sanctions rules, the government official said. However, it might not be such a straightforward decision for multinational companies, particularly financial firms that need to regularly access the US financial system, legal experts said. "If I'm a company that has significant ties to both spheres, I'm trying to decide if it's possible for me as a company to say that the US sanctions don't apply to some of the business that I'm doing in Asia and, therefore, I don't have to implement or be required to implement the US sanctions when I'm dealing in Hong Kong," said Scott Flicker, the chair of Paul Hastings's Washington office and leader of the law firm's global trade controls practice. "I don't see how a business can slice things that finely." One example of the dilemma facing international financial companies operating in Hong Kong is State Street Global Advisors, the manager of the city's Tracker Fund, which mirrors the benchmark Hang Seng Index. Hong Kong is reviewing the process for selecting a manager for the Tracker Fund. Photo: AFP alt=Hong Kong is reviewing the process for selecting a manager for the Tracker Fund. Photo: AFP In January, the Hong Kong arm of Boston-based State Street initially said it would exclude the stocks of three Hang Seng companies blacklisted by the US only to back down, as it faced criticism from Hong Kong heavyweights such as former Hong Kong Monetary Authority CEO Joseph Yam Chi-kwong. State Street's Hong Kong arm relented and warned that the fund, with HK$90 billion (US$11.6 billion) in assets under management, was not an appropriate investment for US persons. It later barred Americans from buying the Tracker Fund as of August 2 to comply with a US executive order. Hong Kong officials are now reviewing the process for choosing a manager for the fund, including potentially switching to a manager without US ties. It would be unrealistic to expect banks and businesses in Hong Kong to simply ignore US sanctions, said Tamer Soliman, global head of export control and sanctions practice at Mayer Brown's Washington office. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments are likely to factor in what kind of signals they are sending to the broader financial markets when it comes to how the anti-sanctions law would be implemented, he said. "The reality is that we have not seen any Hong Kong financial institutions being sanctioned by the US or penalised under Chinese anti-foreign sanctions measures to date, and this likely reflects recognition by both governments of the broader implications for their financial systems," said Soliman. "There are reasons we have seen both governments take a measured approached so far." As tensions between the US and China increased last year over the adoption of the national security law, many lenders quietly reviewed their client lists and distanced themselves from so-called politically exposed persons in the city and their families, closing accounts or cancelling credit cards. After the US enacted sanctions in August 2020, Lam said she was having trouble using her credit cards and was being paid in cash. Another challenge for international businesses: the anti-sanctions law opens up the possibility for private litigation against companies that comply with US measures, such as Western firms that have cut ties with mainland companies over allegations of forced labour in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and other city officials have tried to reassure international businesses about the anti-sanctions law. Photo: Jonathan Wong alt=Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and other city officials have tried to reassure international businesses about the anti-sanctions law. Photo: Jonathan Wong "Whereas, before foreign businesses could be solely focused on ensuring that they do not have raw cotton sourced from Xinjiang in their exports to the US, they must now also assess whether they could be subject to lawsuits in Chinese courts - if their decision to end a supplier's contract to comply with foreign sanctions could be considered 'discriminatory restrictive measures'," said Ben Kostrzewa, a foreign legal consultant at the law firm Hogan Lovells. One party that may benefit from the introduction of the law is local brokers and asset managers. It may make it easier for them to invest freely in mainland companies without worrying about US sanctions, according to Tom Chan Pak-lam, chairman of the Institute of Securities Dealers of Hong Kong, an industry body. For instance, many local brokers stopped serving US customers in 2014 after the introduction of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act in 2014, which instituted greater reporting requirements for overseas holdings by American citizens. They also do not have many US clients, as a result. "After the anti-sanctions law is introduced, financial firms will need to choose how to comply with the new regime. For the local firms that do not have US exposure, they will simply follow the Hong Kong law and regulation," he said. For their part, Hong Kong officials have tried to reassure the international business community in recent weeks, with Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah saying that the anti-sanctions law will be used sparingly and only in retaliation for punitive actions taken by foreign governments. "We are sensitive to preserving Hong Kong's IFC [international financial centre] status," Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said. In his blog on Sunday, Chan said the city had a "constitutional obligation" to implement the law. On August 10, Lam said the law would not be immediately implemented, but go through the local legislative process to allow it to be adapted to suit the city's circumstances, confirming an earlier Post report. "It would be better for Hong Kong to introduce the anti-sanctions legislation locally, as the local version of the legislation can add in provisions that can address the Hong Kong-based US or other international financial firms' concerns and special needs," said lawmaker Christopher Cheung Wah-fung, who represents the financial services sector and is also CEO of Christfund Securities. Without local legislation, Hong Kong has to follow the mainland Chinese version of the anti-sanctions law and that may not be suitable for Hong Kong. "Hong Kong is an international financial centre with many US companies. They will face difficulties on how to follow both the US and mainland sanctions laws. We need to take care of their needs and concerns," Cheung said. Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said the anti-sanctions law would be used sparingly and only in retaliation to punitive actions by foreign governments. Photo: May Tse alt=Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said the anti-sanctions law would be used sparingly and only in retaliation to punitive actions by foreign governments. Photo: May Tse "I am very certain that there will be foreign forces, such as governments and media outlets, that will hype the issue up and use it as an excuse to weaken the city's status as a financial centre, or others' confidence in the city," Lam said. The big question lingering for executives at global financial institutions and other international companies operating in Hong Kong is how much of the law is a signal to the US to back off, and how much of it is a signal that Beijing intends to crack down hard on companies that comply with American sanctions. "The risk-reward, if you move too fast on multinational corporations or international financial services, is you could have blowback on China," said Julia Friedlander, deputy director of the Atlantic Council and a former senior policy adviser in the US Treasury Department's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. (Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk was acting as a proper chief executive officer as Tesla Inc. weighed the purchase of power provider SolarCity in 2016, his longtime ally and fellow Tesla director Antonio Gracias told a judge. A two-week trial over the billionaire CEOs role in the $2 billion transaction wrapped up on Monday, and now Judge Joseph Slights III must decide whether Musk -- who was the solar companys chairman and largest shareholder at the time -- properly removed himself from the deal to avoid conflicts of interest. Gracias, the last witness, was questioned by Musks attorney about the 50-year-old chiefs role in the acquisition. He emphasized that Musk removed himself from the deals pricing and from voting on the acquisition but had a legitimate part to play. Hes recused from the deal, but not from doing his job, Gracias testified under questioning by Daniel Slifkin. He said he and Musk made themselves available to Teslas board for any questions on the purchase. The shareholders who sued Musk say the purchase was tainted by his influence with his board and his ties to the solar company. In addition to his own role there, its CEO was Lyndon Rive, his cousin. Gracias, head of tech investment firm Valor Equity Partners, was one of the early investors in Tesla and also owned SolarCity stock and served on the solar companys board. Under questioning by Christine Mackintosh, a lawyer for pension funds suing over the deal, he said he had to decide which side of the deal to work on and chose Tesla over SolarCity. At one point Mackintosh said board minutes showed both Musk and Gracias were present when other directors were discussing how much to pay for SolarCity. If thats what the minutes say, thats correct, said Gracias, who is set to leave Teslas board in October. He said he didnt pay attention to the pricing discussion since, like Musk, he was recused from considering the issue. The judge, who heard the complex case in Delaware Chancery Court without a jury, may take months to decide whether to make Musk dig into his pocket and return the money Tesla paid for SolarCity. So far Slights has homed in on Musks recusal, questioning Teslas chair, Robyn Denholm, at length last month about her knowledge of Musks activities as board members gathered information on the deal. Story continues It appears from the evidence there were some discussions occurring between Mr. Elon Musk and Mr. Rive outside the board process, Slights said, according to a transcript of the trial. Im not surprised, to be honest, Denholm replied, but I know it didnt affect what the negotiation was, because Elon never spoke to me about what he thought we should -- you know, whether we should take something into account or not take something into account. Denholm testified that Musk and Gracias were excused from the votes, in terms of the board but added that actually we welcomed them, in terms of input, into some deliberations. Read More: Musk Wraps Up Trial Testimony Defending Role in SolarCity Deal Musk, who was on the stand for two days and was the first witness, denied playing a substantial role in the SolarCity buyout and noted that Denholm, as the lead Tesla director on the deal, set the price and the terms. I was active in providing materials to the board necessary to make a decision, he told the court. I believed that would be my duty. As the worlds richest person, with a net worth of roughly $195 billion, Musk will still be in pretty good shape if he loses the case and must hand back hundreds of millions, or even the full $2 billion, to the electric vehicle maker. And an adverse ruling isnt likely to transform the way he operates, said Larry Hamermesh, a University of Pennsylvania law professor and expert on Delaware corporate law.I dont think a loss in this case is going to immediately change Elon Musks personality or his approach to corporate governance issues, Hamermesh said. People break fiduciary duties all the time and have to pay for it. For some people, its just a cost of doing business. Still, $2 billion is $2 billion. Musk on the Stand: Cool, Combative and Holding Firm on SolarCity Slights has already said Musk, despite holding far less than a majority stake in Tesla, currently at 17%, used his visionary persona and ties to other Tesla directors to smooth the deals path. One central question the judge must resolve is whether, as Teslas largest shareholder, Musk so dominated the board that final approval was a foregone conclusion. In a colorful and sometimes irreverent stint on the witness stand, Musk testified that he tried to be helpful to the board as it weighed the deal but never sought to steamroll it. To be honest, I dont want to be the boss of anything, he told Slights. I dont want to be CEO. I tried not to be CEO of Tesla, but I had to or it would die. I rather hate being a boss. Im an engineer. Perception of Influence Musk acknowledged helping hire lawyers to shepherd the acquisition through board confirmation and holding weekly meetings to light a fire under the due-diligence process. In addition, he said the solar company was on solid financial footing but wrote internally that it needed to solve its liquidity crisis. It turned out SolarCity was hemorrhaging cash and in danger of defaulting on its debt. But he dismissed claims of impropriety, having recused himself from deliberations over the deal and been barred from the Tesla directors final approval vote. That may not have been enough, said Charles Elson, a University of Delaware professor who studies board behavior and is former director of the schools John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance. Conflicted directors need to step all the way out of a deal to free it from even a hint of influence, he said.When you have a controller like Mr. Musk involved in organizing an acquisition, and putting together the information the board will use to approve it, you raise very serious questions about the independence of the whole process, Elson said. Nature of Recusal Its those questions the plaintiffs raised, pointing to a 2020 Chancery Court ruling criticizing recused directors for not removing themselves completely from the acquisition process. Among the judges questions for Denholm was whether she had a clear sense of how the recusal was to work in the SolarCity deal. The former Australian telecom executive said she had barred Musk and Gracias from any vote in terms of the transaction happening or not happening, and also the price.Many of the meetings were by phone, Denholm testified, but when we would get to the point where we had discussed the matters we needed input from Elon or Antonio on the technical side or anything like that, then we would ask them to leave. The case is In Re Tesla Motors Inc. Stockholders Litigation, No. 12711, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington). Read More Musk Says He Turned Down Wall Street Jobs to Focus on TechTeslas Solar Roof Rollout Is a Bust And a Fixation for MuskTesla Is Plugging a Secret Mega-Battery Into the Texas Grid (Corrects title of University of Delaware professor Charles Elson in second-to-last section.) 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. SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EVOTEK (www.evotek.com), the premier enabler of secure digital business, announced today that marketing and branding executive Mike Mayo has joined the company as the Vice President of Marketing. Mayo brings vast experience in developing brands and enabling businesses to scale. EVOTEK has a strong commitment to driving world-class customer experiences and all aspects of Marketing. Mike Mayo "Mike brings a unique strength in binding teams together while creating a cohesive experience for employees, customers, and partners," said Jeff Klenner, President of EVOTEK. "We are excited to have Mike lead our Marketing efforts to deliver on our brand promise of being the premier secure digital business enabler." Based in Southern California, Mayo has led marketing and branding teams at both client-side enterprises as well as agencies; both heavily focused on technology-driven digital marketing efforts. In addition, he was responsible for leading Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX) initiatives while developing unified messaging across several areas of the business. "EVOTEK has the foundation of a remarkable brand. Creating a more human-to-human interaction is top of mind for our leadership team," said Chris Hemming, Brand Ambassador at EVOTEK. "I am the megaphone for the unified message, and we now have Mike to amplify the communication on our company's initiatives." Founded in 2014, EVOTEK is purpose-built to assist enterprise customers with the changing IT landscape helping businesses find innovative ways to thrive in a digital world. Over the years, the company has distinguished itself as a market leader, earning many awards for culture, innovation, and growth. During the pandemic, the company experienced 76% YOY growth based on its ability to support customers with their work from home initiatives, secure access to applications and overall cybersecurity program posture. With Mayo's appointment, EVOTEK will continue expanding its position in the market and elevate its brand. Story continues "I look forward to working with the amazing team at EVOTEK," said Mike Mayo. "By driving a consistent and simplified experience, our customers and employees will truly connect with our brand, placing EVOTEK is in a unique position to bring that connection to new heights." About EVOTEK EVOTEK is North America's premier enabler of digital business with a focus on innovation. With technology offerings in data center and cloud, EVOTEK is uniquely equipped to enable customers with the industry shift from traditional IT computing to secure multi-cloud. With services practices in cybersecurity, mobility, platform engineering, and AIOps, EVOTEK is moving up the value chain closer to the part of digital business that matters most. EVOTEK was named to Inc. Magazine's "Best Places to Work" in 2018 and 2020. For five consecutive years, from 2016-2020, EVOTEK was listed in The San Diego Business Journal's "Best Places to Work" and recognized in CRN's "Solution Provider 500" list, CRN's "Next-Generation 250" list, CRN's "Triple Crown" and highlighted as CRN's "Top 150 Growth Companies", holding the #1 spot in 2017 as the fastest-growing system integrator in the country. To learn more about how EVOTEK can enable your digital business, visit http://www.EVOTEK.com/. Follow EVOTEK: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook Media contact: EVOTEK Marketing 316777@email4pr.com 858-362-5083 Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evotek-to-double-down-on-customer-experience-adds-mike-mayo-as-vice-president-of-marketing-301356941.html SOURCE EVOTEK FRISCO, Texas, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. Magazine has ranked Federos number 3327 on its 2021 Inc. 5000 listthe most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. Federos, a leading provider of cloud-enabled, AI-optimized assurance, analytics, and automation software, has achieved a rapid three-year revenue growth of 107%. The companys success has been driven by its flagship solution, Assure1, that monitors and manages the performance of critical networks and services for many of the worlds largest 5G service providers and enterprises. The Inc. 5000 list provides a unique perspective on the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Intuit, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, Under Armour, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000. Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. Were honored to be acknowledged by Inc. Magazine for what the Federos team has accomplished, particularly considering the challenges that our employees and customers around the world have faced with the pandemic, said Keith Buckley, CEO of Federos. We continue to define the next generation of service assurance software to ensure the reliability and performance of critical networks and services shown to be so critical over the past 18 months. Were extremely proud of our employees for making us one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people. Story continues About Federos Federos is a leading provider of cloud-enabled, AI-optimized assurance, analytics, and automation software that monitors and manages the performance of critical networks and services. Our solutions ensure the delivery of digital services that businesses rely on by observing, analyzing, and acting on incidents that can cause widespread outages, SLA violations, and customer churn. Our customers are global Communications Service Providers (CSPs), Managed Service Providers (MSPs), and other enterprises with complex and large-scale networks. We help them simplify, automate, and transform their operations to reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and deliver exceptional customer service. For more information on Federos, visit https://www.federos.com Methodology Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. About Inc. Media The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. The 2021 Inc. 5000 list can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 CONTACT: Press Contacts: Donna Bastien, Public Relations 303-880-4904 dbastien@federos.com Unparalleled customer success and exponential enterprise demand for digital experience intelligence (DXI) drive company's list debut ATLANTA, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FullStory , the leader in digital experience intelligence, today announced its inclusion in Inc. magazine's Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. FullStory ranked in the top 25% of the prestigious list, with triple-digit revenue growth over the past three years. More than 3,100 customers in 60 countries currently use FullStory's DXI platform to access real-time analytics and insights into what customers are doingand whyon web and mobile channels. FullStory ranks 1,048th overall and 41st of companies based in Georgia. FullStory has grown its annual recurring revenue by 70%+ year-on-year and has landed key enterprise deals against competitors at industry-leading brands, including Chipotle, FTD, Fidelity, Financial Times, Ocado Group, and Peloton. As enterprises prioritize digital transformation and digital-first initiatives, the company has accelerated its momentum by securing over $100 million in growth capital financing at a $1.8 billion valuation earlier this month. "As people increasingly run their lives online, companies are making it a priority to understand, measure, and improve the digital experience they provide their customers," said Scott Voigt, founder and CEO of FullStory. "Our growth reflects the huge opportunity for all types of organizations to perfect digital products and experiences. Together with our world-class clients, we will continue to pioneer new ways to use data and machine learning to make improvements that empathize with customer needs, desires, and struggles." FullStory serves more customers than its top three nearest competitors combined and has been named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for the past two years running. The company was also recently honored by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the fastest growing companies in the region. Story continues About the Inc. 5000 The Inc. 500 represents a unique look at the most successful independent companies in America. Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . About FullStory FullStory's digital experience intelligence platform enables businesses to continuously improve their digital customer experience across sites and apps. The platform proactively surfaces actionable insights from billions of data points, helping thousands of companies, including Fortune 100 companies and the world's most innovative consumer brands, make evidence-based digital improvements that reduce costs and reclaim revenue. The company is headquartered in Atlanta and privately held with backing from Permira, Kleiner Perkins, GV, Stripes, Dell Technologies Capital, Salesforce Ventures, and Glynn Capital. For more information, visit fullstory.com. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fullstory-recognized-on-inc-5000-list-of-americas-fastest-growing-private-companies-301356951.html SOURCE FullStory GrubMarket continues to grow its nationwide food supply chain presence with the acquisition of L&J Produce, its 4th acquisition in New York. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GrubMarket today announced it has completed the acquisition of L&J Produce, a well-regarded and reputable produce wholesaler in New York. L&J Produce is a key sourcing channel for fruits and vegetables in the New York Metro Area, and has deep relationships with domestic farms in New England, Florida and California. L&J Produce works with many customers in New York ranging from supermarkets to restaurants and e-Grocer companies. GrubMarket Logo (PRNewsfoto/GrubMarket) L&J Produce was founded in 2010 and supplies a wide range of products including local seasonal fruits, tropical fruits and Asian vegetables. After the acquisition, L&J Produce will continue to be managed by its current leadership team. "We are excited to join the GrubMarket family and embrace the new growth opportunities that GrubMarket's software technology and business network can offer. We look forward to joining GrubMarket's technology-enabled eCommerce platform and supplier network. Together, we aim to take L&J Produce to the next level of success." said Joanne Chu, General Managers of L&J Produce. According to Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket: "This acquisition enables GrubMarket to reach a hundred million dollars of annual run rate revenue in New York, and further strengthen its producer relationships in the New York Metro Area in many categories. We are excited to welcome the L&J Produce team to the GrubMarket family. Together, we will build a greater customer base and a stronger digital producer network in the food ecosystem of New York and nationwide. We also look forward to working with L&J Produce team to digitally transform their business and operations via our best-in-class software solutions (WholesaleWare)." L&J Produce will now be able to utilize GrubMarket's innovative proprietary WholesaleWare software suite, the company's Software-as-a-Service platform providing food industry suppliers and vendors with seamless financial management, easy-to-use online ordering and sales, precise inventory management, and engaging CRM tools. Story continues About GrubMarket Founded in 2014, GrubMarket is a San Francisco-based food technology company operating in the space of food ecommerce both to business and to consumer as well as providing related software-as-a-service solutions to solve inefficiencies in the American food supply chain. Currently, GrubMarket operates in California, Washington, Texas, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Arizona, with plans to expand to other parts of the country. For Media Inquiries: GrubMarket Media Team media@grubmarket.com (510) 556-4786 GrubMarket 1925 Jerrold Ave. San Francisco, CA. 94124 Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grubmarket-makes-its-fourth-acquisition-in-new-york-301356346.html SOURCE GrubMarket New Contract with Potential Value of $1.5 Million Expands the Companys Market Penetration in New Jersey Timing improvements will be made for key corridors to improve safety and mobility throughout the four-county region in New Jersey including Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties. Deal accelerates the geographic expansion of Iteris specialized consulting services in New Jersey, a critical East Coast sub-corridor that serves as a key link in the nations transportation system. SANTA ANA, Calif., August 17, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI), the global leader in smart mobility infrastructure management, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) with a potential value of $1.5 million, representing continued demand for Iteris specialized consulting services in a key geographic market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005168/en/ Iteris Continues Eastern U.S. Expansion with Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Contract for Traffic Signal Timing Program (Photo: Business Wire) The traffic signal timing program, which includes the option to renew for up to five years, includes signal timing improvements for key corridors throughout the four counties of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer in New Jersey, with the goal of improving safety and mobility for the regions traveling public and freight operators. New Jerseys transportation system is a critical East Coast sub-corridor that serves as a key link for moving both people and freight throughout the country. According to TRIP, a national transportation research group, the states motorists travel 78.2 billion miles annually. In support of the DVRPCs Transportation Improvement Program, and its wider goal of ensuring the efficient transportation of people and goods, Iteris will identify innovative approaches and cost-effective traffic signal retiming techniques to: pre-evaluate corridors throughout the four counties, analyze signal timings, recommend improvements, implement timing revisions, refine timing adjustments, analyze equity and report on performance throughout the program. By reducing delays and stops on key corridors for passenger vehicles and heavy vehicles, the DVRPCs regional signal timing program will help to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, which in turn will contribute to environmental and air quality improvements. Story continues "We are proud to be selected by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to support this important smart mobility infrastructure project in the state of New Jersey, which is a critical link in the nations transportation system," said Jeff Gerken, regional vice president, Consulting Solutions at Iteris. "This traffic signal timing program represents the continued expansion of Iteris specialized consulting services in the Eastern U.S., and will ultimately help to increase safety and mobility for the regions traveling public and freight operators, while also improving air quality and reducing fuel consumption." In April 2021, Iteris was awarded a sub-contract agreement by Rutgers Universitys Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) University for a multi-year, multi-phase program to support the design and implementation of the Middlesex County Smart Mobility Testing Ground (MC-SMTG) in the northern New Jersey region, as part of a collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Iteris has designed, deployed or equipped over one third of all signalized intersections in the United States, supporting local and state transportation agencies with advanced detection sensors, and traffic signal design, timing and synchronization services. About Iteris, Inc. Iteris is the global leader in smart mobility infrastructure management the foundation for a new era of mobility. We apply cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, advisory services and managed services to achieve safe, efficient and sustainable mobility. Our end-to-end solutions monitor, visualize and optimize mobility infrastructure around the world to help ensure that roads are safe, travel is efficient, and communities thrive. Visit www.iteris.com for more information, and join the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Iteris Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and are based upon our current expectations and the information available to us at this time. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "should," "will," "can," and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our consulting solutions services and statements about the impacts and value of the awarded contract. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Important factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, our ability to successfully perform the services cost effectively; agency budgetary constraints; utilization needs of the agency for the services subject to the contract (e.g., seasonality); performance timing and cancellation of task orders; and the potential impact of product and service offerings from competitors. Further information on Iteris, Inc., including additional risk factors that may affect our forward-looking statements, is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and our other SEC filings that are available through the SECs website (www.sec.gov). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005168/en/ Contacts Iteris Contact David Sadeghi Tel: (949) 270-9523 Email: dsadeghi@iteris.com Investor Relations MKR Investor Relations, Inc. Todd Kehrli Tel: (213) 277-5550 Email: iti@mkr-group.com VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Nevada King Gold Corp. (TSXV: NKG) ("Nevada King" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update for the Company's 100% owned Iron Point Gold Project ("Project") located in Humboldt County, Nevada. Figure 1: Location of Iron Point Gold Project (red) at the intersection of the Battle Mountain Trend and the Getchell Trend, highlighting existing gold mines (yellow). (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.) Highlights The Company recently staked 303 lode claims (6,060 acres), bringing the total land package to 1,188 lode claims and four patented claims or approximately 84 km 2 . The additional claims extend the project area along trends to the southwest. A soil sampling program is currently underway on a 200m x 100m grid to infill gaps in historic data across the existing claim block. Results will be analyzed to determine mineralized trends across the project area and used to guide future exploration efforts. Reconnaissance mapping is being conducted to gain a better understanding of the district-scale geology and structures present around the current gold targets. Nevada King anticipates launching a 5,000m diamond drill program at Iron Point this fall to test deep gold mineralization hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks beneath the Roberts Mountain Thrust. This drilling will follow up on the drilling completed by Ethos Gold in 2019, which intercepted lower plate rock and bottomed in anomalous gold. Geoff Sterling, Iron Point Gold Project Manager for Nevada King stated, "The 2021 deep drilling program at Iron Point is designed to follow-up on the results of the 2019 program and at the same time test additional targets developed during the past year's systematic data review with step-out holes. Multiple geophysical surveys conducted in 2020 including gravity, CSAMT, and aeromagnetics, together with soil anomalies and historical drill results, have identified a NNW-trending structural corridor of alteration and gold mineralization centered on the Iron Point intrusive complex. Scout drillhole VM-008C intersected significant intervals of lower grade gold mineralization up to 0.22 g/t Au and bottomed in six meters averaging 0.17 g/t Au, indicating potential for higher grade gold mineralization at depth. Hole VM-008C confirmed the existence of Lower Plate carbonate-hosted gold mineralization at Iron Point, and significant historical gold drill intercepts in Upper Plate rocks elsewhere across the the entire district now need to be tested with deeper drilling." Story continues Project Background The Iron Point Gold Project is located 35km east of Winnemucca, Nevada, at the intersection of the Battle Mountain and Getchell gold belts, and on trend from several world-class gold mines including Twin Creeks (12M oz Au), Turquoise Ridge (16M oz Au), and Marigold (4M oz Au). Since the mid-1960s, the Iron Point district and surrounding area have been explored by numerous companies for different commodities, including gold and vanadium, beginning with Newmont in 1966 and continuing to Miranda Gold in 2008. Exploration efforts had mainly focused on shallow gold targets (<300m depths) and the potential for a deeper Carlin-type gold deposit in Lower Plate rocks remains virtually untested. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Calvin R. Herron, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). About Nevada King Gold Corp. Nevada King is the third largest mineral claim holder in the State of Nevada, behind Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) and Kinross Gold. Starting in 2016 the Company has staked large project areas hosting significant historical exploration work along the Battle Mountain trend that are close to current or former producing gold mines. These project areas were initially selected based on their potential for hosting multi-million ounce gold deposits and were subsequently staked following a detailed geological evaluation. District-scale projects in Nevada King's portfolio include (1) the 100% owned Atlanta Mine, located 100km southeast of Ely, (2) the Lewis and Horse Mountain-Mill Creek projects, both located between Nevada Gold Mines' large Phoenix and Pipeline mines, and (3) the Iron Point vanadium and gold project, located 35km east of Winnemucca, Nevada. The Atlanta Mine is a historical gold-silver producer with an NI 43-101 compliant pit-constrained resource of 460,000 oz Au in the measured and indicated category (11.0M tonnes at 1.3 g/t) plus an inferred resource of 142,000 oz Au (5.3M tonnes at 0.83 g/t). See the NI 43-101 Technical Report on Resources titled "Atlanta Property, Lincoln County, NV" with an effective date of October 6, 2020, and a report date of December 22, 2020, as prepared by Gustavson Associates and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). A drill program is currently underway at Atlanta aimed at expanding the existing resource as well as testing multiple targets elsewhere within the large Atlanta property package. The Lewis project exhibits significant gold mineralization at surface and in historic drilling and is adjacent to and on trend with Nevada Gold Mine's Hilltop gold deposit (reported approximately 2M oz at 0.875 g/t Au). The Horse Mountain Mill Creek Project is a lower plate target adjoining an active Nevada Gold Mines exploration project. Historical drilling by Barrick encountered long lengths (20-100m) of low grade gold mineralization in carbonates beneath the Roberts Mountain Thrust running from 20m @ 0.98 g/t to 119m @ 0.15 g/t in two widely spaced holes. Higher grade intercepts on 1.5m intervals range from 1.0 to 3.1 g/t. The Iron Point gold and vanadium project is located within a few kilometers of Interstate 80, 35km east of Winemucca, has high voltage electric power lines running through the project area and a railroad line passing across the northern property boundary. With $20M in working capital, Nevada King is well financed to advance further exploration of its gold projects as well as to advance the Iron Point Vanadium Project through resource estimation and initial feasibility study work. Nevada King has a proven capital market and mining team led by Executive Chairman Paul Matysek and CEO Collin Kettell. Please see the Company's website at www.nevadaking.ca. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operations, including the launch of a diamond drill program and other activities of Nevada King, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or" should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, the Company's exploration plans and the Company's ability to potentially expand mineral resources and the impact thereon. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Nevada King, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to complete proposed exploration work given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Nevada King does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Figure 2: Iron Point Gold Project claim map, with locations of 2019 gold program drill holes highlighted in blue and the 303 recently staked claims in red. (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.) Nevada King Gold Corp. logo (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.) SOURCE Nevada King Gold Corp. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2021/17/c6473.html NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that Rokt, the leading ecommerce marketing platform that helps personalize the transaction moment to increase engagement and sales, was named to its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. Rokt logo (PRNewsfoto/Rokt) "Rokt is honored to be named to this prestigious list of companies that are shaping the future of business," said Bruce Buchanan, CEO of Rokt. "We're committed to delivering the best, most engaging ecommerce experiences possible for our partners and their customers and this award is a strong validation of our business model, execution, and team." Rokt has transformed ecommerce in 16 countries by using machine learning to serve up personalized and relevant experiences when consumers are buying online, unlocking the hidden potential in every Transaction Moment. Companies across retail, travel and leisure, entertainment, food and beverage, subscription services, and other verticals are using the company's tools to drive incremental revenues and offer a better online experience to their customers. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 19 to 20, 2021. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation. Story continues About Rokt Rokt is the global leader in ecommerce technology, powering the Transaction Moment of best-in-class companies including Live Nation, Groupon, Staples, Lands' End, Fanatics, GoDaddy, Vistaprint, and HelloFresh. Rokt's mission: To make ecommerce smarter, faster, and better. Through its proprietary technology, Rokt enables its ecommerce clients to increase brand engagement and unlock new revenues in the Transaction Moment, allowing them to stay ahead of their competition while delivering a superior and individualized experience for each customer. Founded in Australia, the company now operates in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan. Learn more at rokt.com . More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Methodology Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year's Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 . About Inc. Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com . For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/ . Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rokt-named-to-inc-magazines-annual-list-of-americas-fastest-growing-private-companiesthe-inc-5000-301356510.html SOURCE Rokt Hamburg's state government has been formally warned against using Zoom over data protection concerns. The German state's data protection agency (DPA) took the step of issuing a public warning yesterday, writing in a press release that the Senate Chancellory's use of the popular videoconferencing tool violates the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) since user data is transferred to the U.S. for processing. The DPA's concern follows a landmark ruling (Schrems II) by Europe's top court last summer which invalidated a flagship data transfer arrangement between the EU and the U.S. (Privacy Shield), finding U.S. surveillance law to be incompatible with EU privacy rights. The fallout from Schrems II has been slow to manifest -- beyond an instant blanket of legal uncertainty. However, a number of European DPAs are now investigating the use of U.S.-based digital services because of the data transfer issue, in some instances publicly warning against the use of mainstream U.S. tools like Facebook and Zoom because user data cannot be adequately safeguarded when it's taken over the pond. German agencies are among the most proactive in this respect. But the EU's data protection supervisor is also investigating the bloc's use of cloud services from U.S. giants Amazon and Microsoft over the same data transfer concern. At the same time, negotiations between the European Commission and the Biden administration to seek a replacement data transfer deal remain ongoing. However, EU lawmakers have repeatedly warned against any quick fix -- saying reform of U.S. surveillance law is likely required before there can be a revived Privacy Shield. And as the legal limbo continues, a growing number of public bodies in Europe are facing pressure to ditch U.S.-based services in favor of compliant local alternatives. In the Hamburg case, the DPA says it took the step of issuing the Senate Chancellory with a public warning after the body did not provide an adequate response to concerns raised earlier. Story continues The agency asserts that use of Zoom by the public body does not comply with the GDPR's requirement for a valid legal basis for processing personal data, writing: "The documents submitted by the Senate Chancellery on the use of Zoom show that [GDPR] standards are not being adhered to." The DPA initiated a formal procedure earlier, via a hearing, on June 17, 2021, but says the Senate Chancellory failed to stop using the videoconferencing tool. Nor did it provide any additional documents or arguments to demonstrate compliance usage. Hence, the DPA taking the step of a formal warning, under Article 58 (2) (a) of the GDPR. In a statement, Ulrich Kuhn, the acting Hamburg commissioner for data protection and freedom of information, dubbed it "incomprehensible" that the regional body was continuing to flout EU law in order to use Zoom -- pointing out that a local alternative, provided by the German company Dataport (which supplies software to a number of state, regional and local government bodies) is readily available. In the statement [translated with Google Translate], Kuhn said: Public bodies are particularly bound to comply with the law. It is therefore more than regrettable that such a formal step had to be taken. At the [Senate Chancellery of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg], all employees have access to a tried and tested video conference tool that is unproblematic with regard to third-country transmission. As the central service provider, Dataport also provides additional video conference systems in its own data centers. These are used successfully in other regions such as Schleswig-Holstein. It is therefore incomprehensible why the Senate Chancellery insists on an additional and legally highly problematic system." We've reached out to the Hamburg DPA and Senate Chancellory with questions. Update: A spokesman for the Hamburg DPA told us: "Currently, there are no plans for further formal steps. We expect the addressed administration to assess our legal reasoning and draw the necessary consequences. Of course, we are always open to further talks, looking for possible ways forward. That is what a formal warning is for in the first place: to make a controller aware of problems he will eventually run into if he stays course." Zoom has also been contacted for comment. Update: A Zoom spokesperson said: Invisibobble brings the magic of Disney to their hair loving accessories NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- invisibobble, the hair loving accessories brand providing an all-day traceless hold with superior comfort and stylish design, announces their collaboration with the iconic international family entertainment and media enterprise, Disney. invisibobble's notable product technology and design marries the magical styling of Disney's beloved Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, and Frozen's Elsa and Anna characters in the latest collaboration. invisibobble and Disney Drawing on the inspirational, creative, and playful spirit of Disney, the invisibobble team worked to create a product assortment that brings out the princess in everyone. The invisibobble and Disney collection features 4 new unique designs including the invisibobble Bowtique, HairHalo, 2 piece Sprunchie multipack, and 5 piece Original Traceless Hair Ring multipack, each one speaking to the artistic style of the character they represent. "We feel everyone deserves to look and feel like a Disney heroine everyday, so why wouldn't that apply to hair accessories," states invisibobble founder, Sophie Trelles-Tvede. "The collection brings the nostalgic magic of Disney Princess characters and Frozen queens to modern designed accessories that are fun and playful for all Disney fans. invisibobble is beyond excited to team up with Disney and we look forward to helping create those enchanting moments that last a lifetime." Marking the brands' first collaboration with Disney, the collection helps to address white space within invisibobble's retailer assortment and the Disney portfolio. The invisibobble and Disney collection will be available at Kohl's, Amazon, Ulta, Publix, Bed Bath & Beyond and invisibobbleus.com, retailing for $10.00 - $15.00. About invisibobble invisibobble is changing the hair accessories game, putting an end to uncomfortable hair ties with its innovative, functional, fun and most importantly stylish design. In 2012 Founder, Sophie Trelles-Tvede, discovered that a phone cord could be used to tie her hair without causing breakage or headaches and decided to share her spontaneous invention with the world, making invisibobble the original traceless hair ring. The unique product design, material and technology that makes up the invisibobble DNA is found throughout all of their product innovations and is suitable for all hair types. Invisibobble prides itself on offering hair loving accessories that empower all women to look and feel their best, recognizing that individuality and hair texture are unique to every person. Today, invisibobble has sold over 100 million hair ties around the world. Whether you're team messy bun or love to rock a sleek pony, invisibobble provides an all-day traceless hold with superior comfort! Fabulous in your hair and even more eye-catching on your wrist, invisibobble is your new "never leave the house without it" accessory. Less Damage, Less Marks, and Less Pain - invisibobble is SIMPLY HAIR LOVING. For more information visit invisibobbleus.com. Story continues Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transform-into-disney-princess-characters-with-this-collaboration-from-invisibobble-and-disney-301356338.html SOURCE invisibobble $75 billion. Thats how big Walmart Inc. said on Tuesday it thinks its e-commerce business can get this year, a digital sales forecast it had never given so clearly before. Walmart has long been cagey about the size of its digital business given how small it is compared with that of Amazon, which is 5.5 times greater in the U.S., according to eMarketer. But Walmart has made enormous strides in recent years on the e-commerce front, thanks to how it integrates stores and e-commerce, and it is now the second biggest online retailer in the United States. Still, there are signs the Walmart juggernaut is slowing. In its most recent quarter, Walmarts U.S. e-commerce sales rose a modest 6% compared with the year prior. Whats more, the online growth in the fiscal second quarter was barely higher than in-store sales growth. The single-digit growth figure comes after online sales more than doubled last year as the pandemic sent more customers online to place orders they would typically go pick up either by curbside or via a quick trip into the Walmart store. And on that front, Walmart did well. Store visits to its U.S. locations rose 6%. Wall Street shrugged off the slowing e-commerce growth, and shares barely budged. In addition, Walmart, which gets more than half of its U.S. sales from groceries, won market share there despite bruising competition from the likes of Kroger, [hotlink]Albertsons,[/hotlink] and of course Amazon, an increase ascribed to Walmarts efforts to beautify stores, compete harder on price, and improve supply chains. Stores continued to validate Walmarts ongoing investments as they were the key driver of the $1 billion increase in U.S. operating income on $5 billion in increased revenue, which is particularly impressive given the strength in its lower margin grocery-equivalent business that continues to grow share despite its massive scale, Moodys vice president Charlie OShea wrote in a research note. Despite concerns about the Delta variant, Walmart raised its full-year sales and profit growth forecasts, saying it expects a strong back-to-school period to lift results. In the second quarter, revenue for Walmart Inc., which includes its international unit and Sams Club, rose 2.2% to $141 billion, above Wall Street forecasts. Its adjusted profit was also better than analysts had forecast. Story continues Still, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon reiterated his wish to see vaccination rates rise, something that would help business enormously. The company has required home office workers to get vaccinated but not store workers nor customers. Walmart is offering a cash bonus to store workers who do get the jab. (Walmarts home state of Arkansas has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.) Its important that many people in the U.S. get vaccinated as soon as possible and vaccines be made widely available around the world, he said. More must-read retail coverage from Fortune: This story was originally featured on Fortune.com As part of a public relations offensive meant to prove to the world and its own fearful population that the fundamentalist group has changed, the Taliban has pledged to observe women's rights, to provide an amnesty to those who fought them, and to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a launchpad for terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, a huge international airlift of foreigners and Afghans who worked with them continued on August 17 after evacuation flights were interrupted at Kabul airport a day earlier when thousands of scared Afghans swarmed the airfield in a desperate attempt to flee the country. In Kabul, the streets remained quiet for another day as the Taliban patrolled and many residents stayed home and shops closed. In the first official news conference in Kabul since the group's shock seizure of the capital on August 15, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militants wanted peaceful relations with other countries and said women would be allowed to work and study and "will be very active in society but within the framework of Islam." "We don't want any internal or external enemies," said Mujahid, who had been a shadowy figure for years. Not using Afghanistan as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against the United States and other countries is a key demand in a deal the militants struck with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump last year that led to the ultimate U.S. withdrawal under current President Joe Biden. With the Taliban firmly in power, Western powers face the decision whether to deal with the Islamist insurgents they had fought for nearly two decades. "It will be up to the Taliban to show the rest of the world who they are and how they intend to proceed," Jake Sullivan, the White House national-security adviser, told reporters. "Their track record has not been good but it's premature to address that question," Sullivan said of recognition. In Brussels, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the bloc will have to talk to the Taliban after the group seized control of Afghanistan. "The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them," Borrell said after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers, while stressing this does not mean moving quickly to officially recognize their rule. But Borrell said the EU was suspending payments of development assistance to Afghanistan, while weighing whether to boost humanitarian aid to the conflict-ravaged country. Borrell said there can be "no payments of development assistance until we clarify the situation" with Taliban leaders, warning that the Taliban must respect UN Security Council resolutions and human rights to earn access to the funds. In Britain, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that "ordinarily" London would not deal with the Taliban due to its human rights standards. But with talks still under way in Qatar on a more inclusive government, "we want to test whether there is scope to moderate the kind of regime that we will now see in place." "They are now in power, and we now need to deal with that reality and we now have to be optimistic about it," Raab told Sky News. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned the Taliban that it cannot allow Afghanistan to once again become a breeding ground for terrorism. "Those now taking power have the responsibility to ensure that international terrorists do not regain a foothold," Stoltenberg told a news conference. Stoltenberg said that although NATO had withdrawn its forces from Afghanistan, the alliance will remain on alert for signs that terrorist groups are regrouping there and could strike from a distance. The Taliban has announced a general "amnesty" for all in Afghanistan, saying the country needs the talents of its people to rebuild and function. Mujahid promised Afghans the amnesty would also apply to those who opposed the Taliban. He said that those who worked as interpreters and translators for the U.S.-led forces will not be targeted and can return or stay in Afghanistan, including those who are currently at the Kabul airport waiting to leave the country. Answering a question about negotiations to form a new government, Mujahid said the Taliban has been in touch with negotiators Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, and former President Hamid Karzai; as well as Gulbudin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hizb-e Islami political and paramilitary group. The Taliban wants an inclusive government, but within the values of Islam, he said. Meanwhile, the United States sent military reinforcements to protect the evacuation of foreigners and vulnerable Afghan civilians, with troop numbers swelling to 4,000 on August 17. In Washington, Sullivan said the Taliban had told the United States it will provide safe passage for civilians to reach the airport. Sullivan told a White House news briefing the United States believes the Kabul evacuation can go until August 31 and it is talking to the Taliban about the exact timeline and how it will play out. Major General Hank Taylor, a top military official, said Washington aimed to increase its airlift to one aircraft an hour so that between 5,000 and 9,000 passengers could be carried out per day. European countries are also evacuating their citizens and Afghans who worked alongside them, in addition to others such as journalists and human rights activists deemed at risk. Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to hold out against a Taliban offensive that accelerated in the space of days as they rapidly gained control of territory across the country. The Taliban's co-founder, meanwhile, returned to Afghanistan on August 17. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kandahar -- the group's birthplace -- from Qatar, where he has spent months leading talks with the United States and then Afghan peace negotiators. The UN Security Council on August 16 called for talks to create a new government in Afghanistan after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of "chilling" curbs on human rights and violations against women and girls. Karzai and Abdullah were set to travel to Qatar on August 17 to meet with Taliban representatives and discuss the future of Afghanistan. However, a source in the Supreme National Reconciliation Council of Afghanistan who did not want to be named told RFE/RL that the visit had been delayed. The source did not give any reason for the delay. With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and the BBC This story also includes reporting by Radio Azadi correspondents on the ground in Afghanistan. Their names are being withheld for their protection. More protection: US likely to authorize COVID booster shots After struggling for months to persuade Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, U.S. health officials could soon face a fresh challenge: talking vaccinated people into getting booster shots Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. FILE - In this April 8, 2021, file photo, registered nurse fills a syringe with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccination site in the Staten Island borough of New York. Researchers and health officials have been monitoring the real-world performance of the COVID-19 vaccines to see how long protection lasts among vaccinated people. 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. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High near 85F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 54F. NE winds shifting to SE at 10 to 15 mph. Ali Kazemis family moved to Colorado Springs when he was a baby after his father was killed by the Taliban. Now, his mother and sister are stuck in the country as the terrorist group gains control. The women left the U.S. on Aug. 6 to visit family in Afghanistan and planned to return Sept. 6. I dont want them to feel like they messed up going ... Nobody wouldve seen this coming, seeing how bad and fast it came, Kazemi said. Ali Kazemi, a graduate of Coronado High School, now works and is going to college in Grand Junction. He planned to see his mom and sister for the first time in five months after they returned from travel, but now hes just hoping they come home safe. Read more at KKTV. A man from Woodland Park accused of attacking police officers while armed with chemical spray and a baseball bat during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol plans to ask an appellate court for bail after his pretrial release was denied by a judge. Joe Barrera, Ph.D., is the former director of the Ethnic Studies Program at UCCS. He teaches U.S. Southwest History, Mexico/U.S. Border Studies, and U.S. Military History. A Taliban fighter sits on the back of a vehicle with a machine gun in front of the main gate leading to the Afghan presidential palace Monday in Kabul, Afghanistan. Colorado Springs Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn on Monday called the situation in Afghanistan "far worse than the fall of Saigon," while slamming the Pentagon, intelligence agencies and President Joe Biden. A leading Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Lamborn said the Pentagon and intelligence agencies downplayed the possibility of a Taliban takeover while boosting Biden's planned withdrawal of American troops, concluding the 20-year war effort. "Just weeks ago, the chairman of the joint chiefs assured me that a total takeover by the Taliban was unlikely," Lamborn said in an email. The congressman warned that American equipment now in Taliban hands including armored vehicles, tactical aircraft and weapons from M-4 rifles to howitzers could destabilize the region and threaten U.S. security. "When Saigon fell, the North Vietnamese never posed a threat to the homeland of the United States," Lamborn said. "However, in this case, we know that Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups will attempt to take advantage of the failed state in Afghanistan." The Biden administration faced criticism from all corners Monday as televised images showed people clinging to American planes in a bid to flee Kabul. "We are witnessing a historic failure of intelligence and planning by the administration, Pentagon and intelligence community," Lamborn said. The U.S. pull-out from Afghanistan has been in the works for years. The Obama administration floated a plan that would leave a small U.S. force in Afghanistan while withdrawing most ground troops. President Donald Trump, in a deal forged with the Taliban and the Afghanistan government, ordered a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces by May 1. That plan was initially put on hold when Biden took office in January. Biden later ordered American troops out by Sept. 11. Lamborn has consistently supported leaving some U.S. troops in Afghanistan to bolster and train that nation's fledgling military. "The administrations precipitous withdrawal has been a complete failure and has thrown the country into disarray," Lamborn said. Lamborn isn't buying a Taliban pledge to root out terrorist groups. "This debacle will reverberate across time and space, damaging our image and sowing terrorism and chaos throughout an already volatile region," he warned. Two seats open for election on the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education Washington DC (US), Aug 17 (ANI): While addressing a press conference on Afghanistan crisis, US President Joe Biden defended the decision of withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control over the capital city Kabul. President Biden said that American troops cannot and should not fight in a war or dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, Ive learned the hard way that it was never a good time to withdraw US forces. That is why we were still there. But the truth is that it was done more quickly than anticipated. So what has happened? Afghanistans political leader gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed. American troops cannot and should not fight in a war or dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. We spent over trillion dollars, we trained and equipped Afghan military forces. We gave then every tool they could need, we paid their salaries, provided maintenance for their Air Force, something that Taliban doesnt have but what we could not provide them was the will to fight for their future, said President Biden. 1. Yes. It already exists for Fort Hood campuses. The mask policy should be uniform. 2. Yes. Other districts are defying the ban. KISD should put kids first and follow suit. 3. No. Whether a mask mandate is a good idea doesnt matter. Dont break the law. 4. No. Students shouldnt be forced to wear a mask. The governors order is correct. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say. There could be serious consequences either way. Vote View Results Was It Intelligence Failure or a Policy Decision That Disregarded the Intelligence? Aug. 16, 2021 (EIRNS)President Joe Biden is being slammed from all sides for the chaos in Kabul and the decisions leading to it. In a comment that is being widely quoted, Biden himself said on July 8 that the likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. One of the questions, therefore, being argued is whether or not his administrations decisions leading to the U.S. military withdrawal were based on faulty intelligence or on policy decisions to ignore accurate intelligence assessments as to what was happening in Afghanistan. If the intelligence was accurate, that doesnt mean that there werent also fakes and lies about what the assessments said that were being spread around. In a report posted yesterday, ABC News stated that just days ago a U.S. military analysis predicted that Kabul could fall within 90 days but not by the weekend. This is a crisis of untold proportions, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) told NBC News Sunday, Aug. 15, as Taliban militants swept into Kabul. This is an intelligence failure. We underestimated the Taliban and overestimated the resolve of the Afghan Army. But unnamed U.S. officials are saying that in fact key intelligence assessments had consistently informed policymakers that the Taliban could overwhelm the country and take the capital within weeksessentially repeating the 1975 fall of Saigon. [U.S.] leaders were told by the military it would take no time at all for the Taliban to take everything, an anonymous U.S. intelligence official told ABC News. No one listened. Other intelligence sources said that Biden and his team of advisers had reached their decision about the U.S. militarys withdrawalwhich was all but completed on July 4based on a variety of factors that went beyond Kabuls fate. In addition, a senior congressional official, who asked not to be named in order to discuss sensitive briefings, told ABC News that intelligence officers had warned U.S. leaders about a swift and total victory by the fundamentalist militants who had held power in Kabul during the late 1990s until after the Sept. 11 attacks. The intelligence community assessment has always been accurate; they just disregarded it, the official told ABC News, speaking about the Biden administration. Blinken reportedly foundered when asked about the collapse on ABCs Sunday program This Week with George Stephanopoulos. He insisted that this is manifestly not Saigoneven as live video from Kabul showed helicopters ferrying American officials out of the U.S. embassy compound to the military side of Kabuls airport. But Blinken also let the cat out of the bag when he said that it was not in American interests to devote more time, money and, potentially, casualties, to Afghanistan at a time when the United States was also facing long-term strategic challenges from China and Russia. Blinken said American forces will remain in the region only to confront any terrorist threat against the United States at home that might arise from Afghanistan. What is happening in Afghanistan is not the result of an intelligence failure, former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell tweeted on Aug. 15. It is the result of numerous policy failures by multiple administrations. Of all the players over the years, the Intelligence Community by far has seen the situation in Afghanistan most accurately. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021 Afghanistan Is a Big Opportunity for Peace Through Development Aug. 16, 2021 (EIRNS)Contrary to President Joe Bidens self-justification todayOur mission has never been nation-building in Afghanistanthere is no conceivable reason for the military and military engineering forces of a major nation to stay in an underdeveloped country for such a long period of time unless they are on a mission to help build that nation, help it industrialize with the infrastructure for sustained economic development. What did the United States military forces under General MacArthur do for a decade and a half in Japan after World War II, if not to at least assist in relaunching the modern industrialization of that country after the disaster of war? What about assistance in South Koreas building itself as an industrial power after war? Those times are long past when the United States was almost unique in being capable of providing such assistance. Now it must be done in cooperation with the other major economic and technological powers; and an Eurasian effort is already underway, Chinas Belt and Road Initiative with projects in scores of countries. And the United States, until now, clearly has not been in Afghanistan to help build up a nation. The U.S. withdrawal is not the defeat of a campaign for democracy, which the NATO occupation never was. No, it is an opportunity which must be taken, with whatever government has popular backing, to foster the building of power, modern healthcare, water systems, transportation corridorsTVA-type developmentin a country whose collapsed economy holds back the connectivity and development of an entire region. The Schiller Institute, led by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, organized a day-long conference just two weeks ago on exactly this subject, Afghanistan: A Turning Point in History after the Failed Regime-Change Era, with panels of real experts and representatives of other Asian nations who knew the country. The best of it was previewed in a special offprint report from Executive Intelligence Review, Will Afghanistan Trigger a Paradigm Change? which incorporated the transcript of The LaRouche Organizations July 10 Saturday webinar, Will Afghanistan, the Graveyard of Empires, Become the Cradle of Peace through Development? The Schiller Institute will now be bringing many of the same experts and representatives back together to update their discussion of economic development in light of the new circumstances. One of them, Hussein Askary, today said on his Twitter feed, It is fully possible to reach peace and stability in Afghanistan by integrating it into the Belt and Road Initiative. The regional and global context today is different from 1994 when the Taliban had previously taken power. This is already very much the approach that China and the Central Asian nations around Afghanistan are taking, and the approach Russia will take. The British may wax hysterical, as some of their Tory Parliament leaders did today, about sending Her Majestys very colonialist forces back into Afghanistan on their own to put things back in order! The British UN Ambassador may lament, as he did in todays UN Security Council special session, that what is happening in Afghanistan is a tragedy. Shaken European ambassadors from the Irish to the Dane may have echoed him, but they are all clinging, sadly, to the beaten remains of a geopolitical policy of British origin which has been a disaster to the United States and the world. It is a good thing that the policy of regime-change wars is ending. It is that policy only which has failed, and it was never in the interest of the United States. As Helga Zepp-LaRouche stressed today, what is in American interest is to join hands and go for reconstruction. The NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan is a situation full of opportunity to do just that. The Schiller Institutes July 31 conference on peace through development in the Central Asian region is now the vehicle for a drive to organize that development through joint offers by nations capable of exporting high-technology capital goods and substituting Afghanistans opium traffic. And the Institute will now update that vehicle for the greater opportunity which now exists. Tuesday, August 17, 2021 My heart breaks over the devastation in Haiti following the deadly earthquake this weekend. I pray for the safety, recovery, and health of all those affected and remain committed to doing all we can to support Haiti's full economic and political recovery. Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) August 16, 2021 Congresswoman Cori Bush is getting national attention (and here). She took a courageous stand on evictions and changed the entire course of things for the nation. Now she is taking a stand with Haitians devastated by political turmoil and natural disaster. It is a tough time for refugees. Many Americans worry about numbers. We can expect a flow of refugees from Afghanistan. Will we be willing, for example, to accept more Haitians? President Trump worried about too many noncitizens from "s---hole countries," including Haiti. We will see how the Biden administration responds. KJ https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2021/08/haiti-devastated-by-earthquake-will-the-us-step-up-to-help-the-haitian-people.html Rising political tensions between China and Taiwan have made it difficult for Taiwanese authors to get their books published in China. One of those authors is Iris Chiang. Her book does not deal with political or sensitive subjects that in the past would get writers banned from China. Chiang sold her book about teaching children how to enjoy art to a Chinese publisher four years ago. But the book has yet to be published. Chiang told The Associated Press she wanted to market the book, called Play with Art, to financially successful Chinese parents. She thought it would be well received because the Chinese government had begun urging citizens to have more children. At first, Chiang said the process went well with the Chinese publisher. At their request, she agreed to change one part of the book that used examples from art museums in Taiwan. A Chinese writer was chosen to replace that part with information about museums in China. But then the other side went silent, Chiang said. When she reached out more than a year later, she was told the process was slower than normal. She told the AP she thinks the Chinese publishers were affected by the changing relationship between China and Taiwan. Mainland China considers Taiwan a rebel province and has threatened to reclaim the territory by force if necessary. After the election of independent-minded President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, relations between China and Taiwan began to worsen. China has reacted to Tsais policies by taking measures to pressure Taiwan militarily and isolate it diplomatically. Chinas ruling Communist Party has long banned books on sensitive subjects. Such issues can go from religion to the lives of Chinese political leaders. Taiwanese publishers in the past sold many kinds of books to the mainland. During the 1980s and 1990s, Chinese readers enjoyed Taiwanese writers such as Lung Ying-tai. Her works added to debates about the process of Taiwan moving from one-party rule to democracy. Sanmao, a Taiwanese writer who wrote stories about her life in the Sahara desert, captured the hearts of a generation of Chinese women. There was also curiosity on both sides about the most basic things after the sides were cut off following their split in 1949 after the Chinese Civil War. Back then, relations were good and it seemed like there was a mood in China that they really wanted to understand Taiwan, Chiang said. What kind of fruit do you guys eat? Whats your art like? Whats your life like? How do you celebrate New Years? These small things in life. Linden Lin is the head of Taiwans Linking Publishing Company. He told the AP that exchanges in publishing (are) really the exchange of ideas. He added: Its only through publishing that you can have this type of exchange. Now, editors, publishers and authors say any Taiwanese book has become harder to publish in China. It is not a blanket ban. But publishers blame self-censorship by mainland companies rather than any official order. There are many examples of works that have been frozen out of the Chinese market. They include a Taiwanese-Japanese cookbook, a self-help book and a book about a Taiwanese artists travels in Beijing that deals with cats living in the citys traditional neighborhoods. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________ Words in This Story author n. someone who writes a book, article, etc. isolate v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others curiosity n. a desire to learn or know more about something or someone mood n. the way someone feels at a particular time type n. a particular kind of thing blanket adj. including or affecting everything censorship n. the system or practice of censoring books, movies, letters, etc. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The first large-scale population-based study on the association between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and Bell's palsy confirms that the beneficial and protective effects of the vaccines far outweigh the risk of this rare adverse event. The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, finds that for every 100,000 people vaccinated with inactivated vaccine, CoronaVac, an additional 4.8 people may develop the condition. Bell's palsy is the sudden onset of one-sided facial paralysis. In the majority of cases (70%), the condition resolves itself within six months without treatment and the chance of recovery is even higher (90%) if patients receive early treatment with corticosteroids. A small number of cases of Bell's palsy have been reported in clinical trials of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, but so far, analyses of the association have come to conflicting conclusions. In the U.S., the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) did not consider there to be a clear causal association for the two mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines but recommends ongoing surveillance. Acute partial facial paralysis is reported as a rare side effect of both vaccines by the European Medicines Agency. Current prescribing information for CoronaVac (an inactivated vaccine) does not list Bell's palsy as a rare adverse event, but based on the findings from the study, approval has been obtained to include information on the potential association. Ongoing safety surveillance for any new treatment or vaccines is always recommended to understand the prevalence of rare adverse events. This is only possible with very large population studies after the initial randomised controlled trials. In this study, researchers analysed cases of Bell's palsy related to the two approved vaccines in Hong KongCoronaVac and BNT162b2. The study uses data from the Hong Kong drug regulatory authority pharmacovigilance system, which includes reports of adverse events logged by health professionals throughout the territory. Cases of Bell's palsy were included in the analysis if they occurred within 42 days of the first or second vaccine dose, within the timeframe of the study. They also conducted a nested case-control study using territory wide electronic health record database including 298 Bell's palsy cases and 1181 matched controls. Between February 23rd, 2021 and May 4th, 2021, 28 clinically confirmed cases of Bell's palsy were identified among the 451,939 individuals who received at least a first dose of CoronaVac (equivalent to 3.61 cases per 100,000 doses administered) and 16 cases were identified among the 537,205 individuals who received at least a first dose of BNT162b2 (equivalent to 2.04 cases per 100,000 doses administered). By analysing data from 2010-2020, the researchers estimated the background risk of Bell's palsy in Hong Kongaround 27 cases per 100,000 people, per year. Global estimates range from 15-30 cases per 100,000 people, per year. The nested case-control study found that receiving CoronaVac was associated with 2.4 times increased risk of Bell's palsy (odds ratio (OR): 2.4; 95% CI 1.4 to 4.0) whereas receiving BNT162b2 was not associated with a significantly increased risk (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 0.9 to 3.5). They conclude that for every 100,000 people vaccinated with CoronaVac, an additional 4.8 people may develop Bell's palsy. For BNT162b2, the increased risk was equivalent to an additional 2 cases per 100,000 people vaccinatedthis finding may be attributed to underpower in the current study. Further studies with a sufficient sample size are needed to evaluate the association between Bell's palsy and BNT162b2. "Our study suggests a small increased risk of Bell's palsy associated with CoronaVac vaccination. Nevertheless, Bell's palsy remains a rare, mostly temporary, adverse event. All evidence to date, from multiple studies, shows that the beneficial and protective effects of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine far outweigh any risks. Ongoing surveillance, through pharmacovigilance studies such as ours are important to calculate with increasing levels of confidence the risks of rare adverse events," says lead author Professor Ian Chi Kei Wong, The University of Hong Kong. The authors note that they cannot conclude a causal relationship between Bell's palsy and vaccination in any individual cases from this study, and that the mechanism by which vaccination canin very rare instanceslead to Bell's palsy remains unclear. Other studies have identified rare cases of Bell's palsy after other inactivated vaccines, such as influenza. A previous study, using the WHO Pharmacovigilance Database reported no higher risk of facial paralysis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination than with other viral vaccines, including influenza. The authors note that the study is limited to patients with a new diagnosis of Bell's palsy in Hong Kong, so further studies including patients with a history of Bell's palsy and patients in other regions should be done to confirm their findings. Further analyses are also needed to understand whether the risk varies by sex or age. In a linked Comment, Professor Nicola Cirillo, University of Melbourne, Australia and Dr. Richard Doan, University of Toronto, Canada, (who were not involved in the study) write: "From a clinical, patient-oriented perspective, none of the studies published so far provide definitive evidence to inform the choice of a specific vaccine in individuals worldwide with a history of Bell's palsy. However, the data published by Wan and colleagues do offer valuable information for a rational and informed choice of COVID-19 vaccines for patients in Hong Kong, and for those in countries where both BNT162b2 and CoronaVac are available. While waiting for conclusive evidence on vaccine-associated facial paralysis, one certainty remains: the benefit of getting vaccinated outweighs any possible risk." More information: Eric Yuk Fai Wan et al, Bell's palsy following vaccination with mRNA (BNT162b2) and inactivated (CoronaVac) SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: a case series and nested case-control study, The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2021). Journal information: Lancet Infectious Diseases Eric Yuk Fai Wan et al, Bell's palsy following vaccination with mRNA (BNT162b2) and inactivated (CoronaVac) SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: a case series and nested case-control study,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00451-5 In this April 8, 2021, file photo, registered nurse fills a syringe with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccination site in the Staten Island borough of New York. Researchers and health officials have been monitoring the real-world performance of the COVID-19 vaccines to see how long protection lasts among vaccinated people. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File U.S. health officials plan to offer COVID-19 booster shots to vaccinated Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines' effectiveness is declining. A look at what we know about boosters and how they could help fight the coronavirus pandemic: WHY MIGHT WE NEED BOOSTERS? It's common for protection from vaccines to decrease over time. A tetanus booster, for example, is recommended every 10 years. Researchers and health officials have been monitoring the real-world performance of the COVID-19 vaccines to see how long protection lasts among vaccinated people. The vaccines authorized in the U.S. continue to offer very strong protection against severe disease and death. But their ability to prevent infection is dropping markedly during the delta surge among nursing home patients and others, according to studies the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in making the announcement Wednesday. International data, particularly from Israel where delta hit earlier, also persuaded U.S. health officials to plan for rolling out boosters. The effort could start Sept. 20, pending an evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration and advisers to the CDC. Already, Israel is offering a booster to people over 50 who were vaccinated more than five months ago. France and Germany plan to offer boosters to some people in the fall. The European Medicines Agency said it too is reviewing data to see if booster shots are needed. WHEN WOULD THEY BE GIVEN? It depends on when you got your initial shots. The plan announced Wednesday is for people to get a booster eight months after getting their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Officials are continuing to collect information about the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was authorized for use in the U.S. in late February, to determine when to recommend boosters. WHY EIGHT MONTHS? "There's nothing magical about this number," said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Rather, eight months is a judgment call about when vaccine protection against severe illness might fall based on the direction of current data. "We put the best minds together in the administration, we looked at the best data that we had. We saw a signal," Murthy said. "And now we are sharing our assessment with the public." WHO WOULD GET BOOSTERS? The first people vaccinated in the United States would be first in line for boosters too. That means health care workers, nursing home residents and other older Americans, who were the first to be vaccinated once the shots were authorized last December. WHAT DOES THE NEW DATA SHOW? Bottom line: The vaccines still work well to prevent severe illness, but have been losing some ground recently against infection. It's unclear the exact role that changes in behavior or the more contagious delta variant may be playing. But as delta rose and mask-wearing fell, vaccine effectiveness has fallen. A study in U.S. nursing homes found the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against infection fell from about 74% in the spring to 53% in June and July. Another study didn't see a big change in how well the vaccines protected against hospitalization. It found that the vaccines were 86% effective at two to 12 weeks after the second dose and 85% at 13 to 24 weeks after. New York state data showed steady vaccine protection against hospitalizations at about 95% over the nearly three months examined. But vaccine effectiveness against new lab-confirmed infections fell from about 92% in early May to about 80% in late July. And Mayo Clinic patient data from Minnesota showed that in July, when the delta variant was prevalent, Moderna's vaccine was 76% effective against infection and Pfizer's 42%. BOOSTER? THIRD SHOT? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Transplant recipients and other people with weakened immune systems may not have gotten enough protection from vaccines to begin with. They can now receive a third dose at least 28 days after their second shot as part of their initial series of shots needed for them to be fully vaccinated. For those with normal immune systems, boosters are given much later after full vaccinationnot to establish protection, but to rev it up again. WHAT QUESTIONS REMAIN? Still unknown is whether people should get the same type of shot they got when first vaccinated. And the nation's top health advisers will be looking for evidence about the safety of boosters and how well they protect against infection and severe disease. Global access to vaccines is also important to stem the pandemic and prevent the emergence of new variants. Booster shots could crimp already tight global vaccine supplies, but White House officials say the U.S. has enough doses for both American boosters and global donations. WHAT ABOUT THE UNVACCINATED? Dr. Melanie Swift, who has been leading the vaccination program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says getting more shots into people who haven't yet been vaccinated at all is "our best tool, not only to prevent hospitalization and mortality from the delta variant, but to stop transmission." Every infection, she says, "gives the virus more chances to mutate into who knows what the next variant could be." "People who took the vaccine the first time are likely to line up and get their booster," Swift says. "But it's not going to achieve our goals overall if all their unvaccinated neighbors are not vaccinated." Explore further More protection: US likely to authorize COVID booster shots 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Should doctors take particular care to talk to patients about the potential dangers of COVID-19 if those patients have a problematic relationship with pot? New research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests perhaps they should. Diabetes, obesity and a history of smoking cigarettes are all considered risk factors for poorer COVID-19 outcomes. Warnings and tailored information are targeted to people with these conditions, and doctors are acutely aware of the elevated risks they pose. Findings from the lab of Ryan Bogdan, associate professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences, suggests cannabis use disorder (CUD) should be added to the list because the genetic predisposition to CUD is overrepresented in people with poor COVID-19 outcomes. More work is needed to determine if there is direct causation. The research is in press in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Access. "As sociocultural attitudes and laws surrounding cannabis use become increasingly permissive, and COVID-19 continues to spread, we need to better understand how cannabis use as well as heavy and problematic forms of use are associated with COVID outcomes," Bogdan said. First author Alexander S. Hatoum, a postdoctoral researcher in the Washington University School of Medicine, used genetic epidemiological models to determine that genetic predisposition to CUD is related to risk for a severe reaction to COVID-19 (i.e., being hospitalized with COVID-19). Hatoum combined existing datasets to test whether being at higher genetic risk for cannabis use disorder was correlated to the risk of COVID hospitalization. One set of data involved 357,806 people, including 14,080 with CUD; the other involved 1,206,629 people, including 9,373 who were hospitalized with COVID. He also looked at 7 million genetic variants to assess the association between CUD and severe COVID. Having genetic variants does not mean a person has CUD or that the person has used cannabis. In comparing people with the variants to their COVID outcomes, the researchers found genetic liability for CUD accounted for up to 40% of genetically influenced risk factors, such as body mass index (BMI) and diabetes, for a severe COVID-19 presentation. This association suggested that heavy and problematic cannabis use may represent a modifiable pathway to minimize severe COVID-19 presentations. The results of this study point to two possible outcomes: That a predisposition to CUD and severe COVID-19 are due to a common biological mechanism, like inflammatory conditions causing individuals to develop worse symptoms of COVID-19 and/or dependence on cannabis; or that they are associated because of a causal process. "If we know the genes that predispose individuals to cannabis use disorder, and if cannabis use disorder is a risk factor for COVID-19 hospitalization, you will see the genes influencing cannabis use disorder as predictors of severe COVID-19 cases," Hatoum said. "We found that a person's genetic risk for cannabis use disorder is correlated with their risk for COVID-19, without having to ask directly about illegal substance use." The genetic association between CUD and COVID-19 severity was similar in size to genetic correlations between COVID-19 severity and BMI, a well-known risk factor for severe COVID-19 presentations. Moreover, it was present even when accounting for genetic liability to BMI as well as other risk factors for a severe reaction to COVID-19, including metabolic traits (e.g., fasting glucose, hypertension); respiration traits (e.g., forced expiratory volume, COPD); socioeconomic status; alcohol and tobacco use; and indices of impulsivity. "That the genetic relationship between CUD and COVID-19 is independent of these factors raises the intriguing possibility that heavy and problematic cannabis use may contribute to severe COVID-19 presentations. As such, it is possible that combating heavy and problematic cannabis use may help mitigate the impact of COVID-19," Hatoum said. "This information needs to be incorporated into any strategy to defeat this disease," Hatoum said. These data suggest that heavy cannabis users may have a more adverse reaction to COVID-19 and that, much like quitting tobacco smoking or reducing BMI, reducing and/or stopping heavy cannabis use may protect against severe COVID-19 reactions. Explore further COVID-19: Patients with malnutrition may be more likely to have severe outcomes More information: Alexander S. Hatoum et al, Genetic Liability to Cannabis Use Disorder and COVID-19 Hospitalization, Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science (2021). Alexander S. Hatoum et al, Genetic Liability to Cannabis Use Disorder and COVID-19 Hospitalization,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.06.005 Credit: CC0 Public Domain The UN health agency said Tuesday that a second suspected case of infection by the deadly Ebola virus had been detected in Ivory Coast. World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said that as of Monday, there had been one confirmed and one suspected case, with nine contacts identified so far. No deaths have been reported. He said the WHO was "very concerned" about the ability of the virus to spread in the West African country's economic hub Abidjan, with a population of more than four million. Ebola, which is transmitted through close contact with bodily fluids, causes severe fever and, in the worst cases, unstoppable bleeding. The confirmed case has been identified as an 18-year-old from Guinea who travelled overland, arriving in Abidjan last Wednesday aboard a bus. When she left Guinea, she was already exhibiting symptoms that continued to intensify. She was admitted to a hospital on Thursday with a fever and is currently receiving treatment. "Preliminary investigations and genomic sequencing to identify the strain show that it is likely the Zaire strain of the virus," Jasarevic told AFP. "Further investigations are required to confirm these early results." That strain was behind a four-month-long Ebola outbreak that claimed 12 lives in Guinea earlier this year, which was declared over on June 19. The same strain killed more than 11,300 people mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2013 and 2016. Bid to 'identify contacts' Jasarevic said there was "no indication" that the case in Ivory Coast was linked to the cases in Guinea. Ivory Coast began vaccinating high-risk populations within 48 hours of the report of the confirmed case. Residents in the Deux Plateaux neighbourhood of her neighbourhood of Abidjan were among those vaccinated. "We know that the patient stayed here (at Deux Plateaux) before going to the hospital, so all the people around who are the contact cases had to be vaccinated," said Ivorian Health Minister Pierre Demba. "We expect to reach 2,000 people in the next few days", he added, including those who travelled with the infected young woman and those who were in contact with those travellers. WHO vaccine doses positioned in Guinea have now been moved to Ivory Coast. There are now 5,000 doses in the country3,000 doses of a Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 2,000 doses of a Merck jab. Experts are using the so-called ring vaccination strategy, administering doses to people who have come into contact with a confirmed Ebola patient, as well as first responders and health workers. The Ebola case in Ivory Coast is the third this year after the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea. It is the first known case of Ebola in Ivory Coast since 1994. Regional health officials said they were working to track down people who may have been in contact with her in her home region in the north of Guinea. She travelled more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) by bus to reach Abidjan. "Currently all members of her family are with us at the isolation centre," local health director Mamadou Hady Diallo told AFP. "We are continuing investigations to identify the contacts," he said. Explore further Ivory Coast starts Ebola jabs after first case in decades 2021 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Cases of COVID-19 are surging around the world, but the course of the pandemic varies widely country to country. To provide you with a global view as we approach a year and a half since the official declaration of the pandemic, The Conversation editors from around the world commissioned articles looking at specific countries and where they are now in combating the pandemic. Here, Mike Toole, Professor of International Health at the Burnet Institute, writes about how China went from pandemic epicenter with a dark history of silencing those who spoke out about the risks of the virus, to rapidly containing the virus in its latest outbreak. You can see the whole collection of articles here. On January 5, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement that five days earlier, it was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. By January 3, 2020, a total of 44 cases had been detected. According to Chinese authorities, some patients were vendors and customers in the Huanan Seafood market. And so it began The outbreak was not widely reported at the time, although the BBC posted a piece two days before the WHO statement. I first learnt of it on January 8 from the New York Times. Having been involved in many epidemic responses and knowing that several viral pandemicssuch as SARS and avian influenzahad originated in China, the story piqued my interest. By then, the causative agent had been identifieda novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. Investigators had not yet found evidence of person-to-person transmission. And where did this virus come from? Well, we don't really know. The WHO investigative team came to the following conclusion: "At this stage, it is not possible to determine precisely how humans in China were initially infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, all available evidence suggests that it has a natural animal origin and is not a manipulated or constructed virus. SARS-CoV-2 virus most probably has its ecological reservoir in bats." China's response to the Wuhan outbreak During early January 2020, a group of doctors in Wuhan who had been trying to alert colleagues to the risks of the outbreak were apprehended by security police and forced to sign statements denouncing their warnings. One of them, Dr. Li Wenliang, later died of coronavirus infection. On January 23, authorities sealed off Wuhan, a city of 11 million. However, the mayor estimated up to five million people were able to leave beforehand during Spring Festival and the virus spread to every province and region in the country. By then, person-to-person transmission had been confirmed. On January 30, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern. By this time, China had reported 9,692 cases and 213 deaths. Among patients, about 20% had become seriously ill and the rest had a mild illness, the WHO said. On February 11, the WHO announced the official name of the novel disease: COVID-19. While the virus had been detected in more than 20 countries, the majority of cases were in China. By mid-February, the country had reported more than 66,000 cases and 1,600 deaths. The health system was quickly overwhelmed and measures were taken like building two large new hospitals in Wuhan with a combined 2,500 bed capacity in the space of two weeks. And then it was over The seven day rolling average of new daily cases reached a peak of 4,670 on February 13. Just 30 days later it was down to 19. However, it should be noted that China only reports cases that are symptomatic, which may underestimate total SARS-CoV-2 infections. This remains one of the most rapidly contained outbreaks of COVID-19 in the world during the entire pandemic. Since that first wave, China has been determined to maintain zero COVID with just an occasional cluster disturbing the peace. By almost every metric, China ranks highly in containing the coronavirus. Since April 1, 2020, the country has reported just over 12,800 new cases in a population of 1.4 billion. That's about the same number recorded in Timor-Leste with a population one thousandth the size of China. Overall, China has reported 66 cases per million population compared to 112,362 per million in the United States. This low number has been due to a combination of quick, early lockdowns, widespread testing and sometimes harsh limitations on people's movements. The latter have been criticized by human rights advocates. The vaccine rollout has picked up pace and 1.8 billion doses of CoronaVac and Sinopharm, both manufactured in China, have been administered, enough to vaccinate 66% of the population. While there have been concerns about these vaccines, real world data in Chile indicate CoronaVac is 67% effective against infection and 85% effective against hospitalization. A study in Bahrain found Sinopharm is 90% effective against infection and higher against hospitalization. Since late July, China has faced its biggest challenge since the first wave in Wuhan. An outbreak of the Delta strain, which began at Nanjing airport, led to 526 cases in Jiangsu province in the first two weeks of August and has spread to 12 cities, including Wuhan. This prompted the activation of epidemic containment protocols including mass testing, demarcating neighborhoods deemed risky and restricting movement in affected cities. The strategy seems to be workingby August 15, new daily cases declined for the fifth consecutive day. What lessons can China offer the world? It's hard to compare China with any other country. Its mass urban testing strategy, for example, is not feasible in most countries. But, what China has clearly demonstrated is that zero tolerance of COVID-19 reaps enormous health and economic benefits. While China's economy shrank by 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020, it grew by a record 18.3% in the first quarter of 2021. By contrast, the Eurozone economy shrunk by 0.6% and the UK economy shrunk by 1.5% in the same quarter. That should be food for thought for those who agitate for "living with COVID-19." Explore further China orders mass testing in Wuhan as COVID outbreak spreads This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new paper in Sleep indicates that different teaching strategies schools imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in dramatic differences in when and how much students slept. Notably students receiving online instruction without live classes or scheduled teacher interactions woke up the latest and slept the most. Students receiving in-person instruction in schools woke up the earliest and slept the least. Beginning in March 2020, as states and cities imposed lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19, schools and school districts began to teach children very differently. Some schools retained in-person instruction in school buildings. Others moved to hybrid instruction. Some went entirely online. There were dramatic differences in scheduling requirements (e.g., specific start time, day-to-day variability in scheduled instruction). Online options also differed. Some schools required students to sign on to online classes at specific times and interact with teachers directly. Other schools did not offer scheduled classes and student work was entirely self-directed. From October 14 to November 26, 2020 researchers recruited U.S. adolescent in grades 6-12 through social media (Facebook and Instagram) to examine associations among instructional approaches, school start times, and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescents selected one of three instructional approaches for each weekday (MondayFriday) during the previous week: in-person; online/synchronous (live online classes or interactions with teachers); or online/asynchronous (online, but without live classes or scheduled teacher interactions). Researchers received complete sleep outcome data from 5,245 adolescents from across the United States. For in-person instructional days, 20.4% of middle school and 37.2% of high school students reported getting sufficient sleep (at least 9 hours for middle school and at least 8 hours for high school). For students taking live online classes 38.7% of middle school and 56.9% of high school students reported getting sufficient sleep. But over 62% of middle school and more than 81% of high school students taking courses online without live classes reported getting sufficient sleep. Students, in both middle and high school, got more sleep if they had later school start times. However, even when students had the same early start times, more students with online courses requiring them to sign in at specific times got sufficient sleep than students receiving in-person instruction. "Without the required transportation time or time required to get ready for school in the morning, online students were able to wake later, and thus get more sleep," said Lisa Meltzer, the lead author of the study. For middle school students, a start time of 8:30- 9:00 (in-person or online with live classes) resulted in the greatest proportion of students getting enough sleep. For high school students, only when the online school day started at 8:00-8:29 am or later, did the percentage of students getting enough sleep exceed 50%. For in-person instruction 50% of high school students got enough sleep only when the start time was 9:00 am. Hybrid schedules, that included at least one day of in person instruction, were associated with the greatest night-to-night variability in bedtimes, wake times, and amount of sleep. "Both inconsistent sleep patterns and not getting enough sleep have negative downstream effects on adolescent health," said Meltzer. "Thus, it is important for education and health policy makers to consider the consequences of early and variable school start times on sleep for secondary school students." Explore further Later school start times let students get adequate sleep More information: Lisa J Meltzer et al, COVID-19 instructional approaches (in-person, online, hybrid), school start times, and sleep in over 5,000 U.S. adolescents, Sleep (2021). Journal information: Sleep Lisa J Meltzer et al, COVID-19 instructional approaches (in-person, online, hybrid), school start times, and sleep in over 5,000 U.S. adolescents,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsab180 "Clubbing" of the fingers is a classic features of Cystic Fibrosis, although not present in many patients. Credit: Jerry Nick, M.D./ Wikipedia Researchers at the Children's Hospital Colorado Breathing Institute, the largest pediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) clinical care center in the U.S., participated in the pivotal international multi-center Phase 3 clinical trial, sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, leading to FDA approval of TRIKAFTA (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor), a highly effective CF treatment, for patients ages 6 through 11 who have at least one copy of the F508del mutation. Alongside the TRIKAFTA trial for patients 12 and older, the team led by Edith Zemanick, MD, pediatric pulmonologist, a principal investigator of the study and associate professor of pediatrics at University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus, aimed to prove that TRIKAFTA is safe and efficacious in even younger patients, as early treatment initiation is likely to prevent disease progression. The international study was conducted across 21 sites in five different countries. Children's Hospital Colorado, in partnership with the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, enrolled participants who were monitored over 24 weeks of treatment. The study led by Zemanick demonstrated the safety and efficacy of TRIKAFTA in children 6 through 11 years of age, consistent with those reported in adults and adolescents, supporting the use of TRIKAFTA in this age population. "When TRIKAFTA was approved in 2019, it became the most effective CF treatment to date, substantially helping approximately 90% of people living with CF," said Zemanick. "Because of the immediate, robust improvements observed in patients 12 years and older, we wanted to quickly evaluate whether this treatment would be safe and efficacious for younger patients. Until now, there was an unmet need in getting the most effective treatment for CF to younger children in order to prevent complications related to CF that are known to start early in childhood." TRIKAFTA, a combination of three molecule therapies, targets the underlying causes of the diseasea defective protein called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Most people with CF have minimal CFTR protein function. This treatment can improve the CFTR protein function substantially, which may lessen many of the symptoms and complications of CF. In clinical trials, TRIKAFTA treatment led to remarkable improvements in several key measures of disease including: Improved lung function by 10% Reduced frequency of pulmonary exacerbations (respiratory illnesses which require hospitalizations and antibiotic therapy) Improved weight and body-mass-index (markers of nutrition) over 24 weeks Decrease in sweat chloride by an average of 61 mmol/L resulting in chloride values below the diagnostic level for CF for over 80% of children. (Sweat chloride test results generally confirm the diagnosis of CF based on a chloride value 60 mmol/L) "When we're able to start TRIKAFTA at an even younger age, the results are dramatic," said Zemanick. "Many parents have commented they didn't realize their child with CF wasn't feeling well or didn't have as much energy as other kids because their lungs weren't letting them live up to their potential. Now they're able to see what their child can do with better lung and nutritional health." Zemanick's team is helping to lead a nationwide CF Foundation-sponsored study called PROMISE and The PROMISE Pediatric Study. Both studies will examine the long-term effects of TRIKAFTA therapy on airway infection and inflammation, digestion and pancreatic disease, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes and liver disease in the age groups of patients 12 and older and children 6 through 11 years of age. In addition to long-term effectiveness studies, Children's Hospital Colorado is participating in the BEGIN Study to look at the effectiveness of TRIKAFTA in infants and children under 6 years old once medication is available for that age group and the RARE Study to identify treatments for people with CF who don't qualify for TRIKAFTA based on their underlying genetic mutations. "Approving TRIKAFTA for younger kids is a tremendous step but our work is not done until we have a cure for CF," said Zemanick. "We are leading local efforts in the RARE study to collect cells and biospecimens from the almost 10% of the cystic fibrosis population with rare mutations. This is to find a highly-effective disease-modifying therapy such as TRIKAFTA for the population of patients TRIKAFTA does not work for." "I am so proud of the role that Children's Hospital Colorado is playing in the development and approval of these highly effective treatments for our younger children with CF," said Scott Sagel, MD, pediatric pulmonologist and director of the University of Colorado Cystic Fibrosis Center. "Our successful enrollment in these clinical trials is a testament to the commitment of our CF research team and children with CF and their families to find better treatments for CF. Investigators at Children's Colorado are helping to lead nationwide studies to better understand the biology of CFTR modulator treatment and to determine changes in important biomarkers of lung disease and CFTR restoration." Explore further Children's Hospital Colorado breakthrough therapy approved for people with cystic fibrosis Provided by Children's Hospital Colorado Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain New Zealanders are back in their bubbles after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a three day alert level 4 lockdown for the entire country, and a seven day period for Auckland, following the confirmation of a community casemost likely infected with the Delta variant. This is the first community case since February and it's more than a year since the last country-wide lockdown. The infected man was unvaccinated and is thought to have been infectious since Thursday. He traveled to the Coromandel for the weekend, and tracing is now underway to establish all close and casual contacts and the Ministry of Health has published locations of interest. During the lockdown, schools and businesses will remain closed, people will have to stay at home, except for supermarket shopping, exercise in the neighborhood and necessary medical treatment or testing. We have a single case of COVID-19 in Auckland, New Zealand, with unknown chain of transmission. Response is a 3 day Level 4 lockdown. Go hard, go early. Crush it. Financial supports coming. If we crush it, we'll be showing what a gold standard elimination response looks like. Jin Russell (@DrJinRussell) August 17, 2021 We won't know for sure it is the Delta variant until genome sequencing results come back, but 100% of COVID-19 cases in MIQ facilities over the past few weeks have been Delta infections, and it's a safe bet this community case is too. The government warned last week New Zealanders should expect a swift and sharp response if a case of the Delta variant was detected in the community, because it's so infectious and can spread much more quickly. It may also cause more severe illness. Moving the whole country to Alert Level 4 is definitely the right move and will give us the best chance of nipping this outbreak in the bud before it can get too large. Delta is a game changer We measure the spread of COVID-19 using the reproduction number (R number), which is the average number of people someone with the virus infects. If the R number is bigger than 1, the outbreak is growing and case numbers will climb. If it's less than 1, the number of cases is on the way down. After New Zealand went into alert level 4 in March 2020, our best estimate of the reproduction number was between 0.3 and 0.55. During Auckland's alert level 3 lockdown last August, we estimated R was between 0.55 and 0.75. At the time this was great newsit meant that alert level 3 was enough to control outbreaks without the need for more restrictive rules. Delta changed all that. We know from data overseas that this variant is about twice as transmissible as the strain of COVID-19 we were dealing with in 2020. This doesn't necessarily mean Delta doubles the R numberit depends on the types of contact and the restrictions that are in place. But doubling the R number is a reasonable first approximation. Unfortunately, this means it's likely an alert level 3 lockdown would not be enough to contain a Delta outbreak. Luck will play its part Currently, about 18% of New Zealanders are fully vaccinated and another 14% have had their first dose. This will reduce the R number by perhaps 15-20% nationally. But that's not enough to bring it below 1 at level 3. These are all ballpark numbers and there are lots of assumptions and approximations involved. But altogether, it means alert level 3 would likely not be enough to control an outbreak once it has become established. Alert level 4 should be enough if we all play our part. But if the R number is close to 1, case numbers could be slow to come down. There is a lot of luck involved in the early stages of an outbreak. What happens next will depend partly on whether we've had a superspreading event and whether the virus has been spreading in groups with high contact rates or low vaccine coverage. We'll get a lot more information from the contact tracing, genome sequencing and testing results over the next few days. If we are lucky, there will be a close link to the border with minimal exposure to the community. If this is the case, we could get away with just a handful of cases. But if the virus has been spreading undetected for a significant period of time, there could easily be more than 100 people infected by now and a strict lockdown is our only available option. New South Wales is a warning Although the case lives in Auckland, the virus could be anywhere in the country. We know the infected man has traveled to the Coromandel region, and it's likely he will have come into contact with people from other parts of New Zealand. The national alert level change buys us some time to see results of testing and contact tracing to assess how widely the outbreak has spread. One thing we've learned from watching Sydney over the past two months is that half-measures can quickly lead to disaster. While we wait for more information, our best option is to go hard now and then relax later if it turns out we have avoided the worst. If we wait until we know how many cases are out there are, there's a risk things could get a whole lot worse. With Delta there are no second chances. If we all play our part, there's every reason to think this outbreak can eventually be crushed. How long that takes will depend on how many other people have been infected. In the meantime, it's time for the team of five million to come together once again to stay home and save livesand tune in once again for Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield's afternoon press conferences for the latest updates. Explore further New Zealand to enter lockdown after single virus case found This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain They're cancer patients. Transplant recipients. People with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell disease, kidney failure and Crohn's disease. Plus millions of others who have conditions or take medications that weaken their immune systems. That makes themmillions of teens and adultswhat doctors call immunocompromised. And that puts them at much higher risk of serious illness if they get COVID-19, which is why many states prioritized them for vaccination early this year. Now, most of them are now eligible for even more protection. The FDA and CDC have just approved and recommended an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as part of a primary series for moderately and severely immunocompromised people. The additional dose should be the same mRNA COVID-19 vaccine as the first two shots the person received before, and should be administered at least 28 days after completion of the initial primary series of two shots. Specifically, those who have had two doses of the Pfizer vaccine can get a third dose of that vaccine, and those who have had two doses of the Moderna vaccine can get a third dose of that vaccine. This is not considered a "booster shot," but rather an additional dose to the recommended use of COVID-19 vaccines in these individuals. It's being recommended because they have likely not produced an adequate immune response after getting the first two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Currently there is not data to support giving a dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised people whose previously received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine. A recommendation for immunocompromised people who got that vaccine is still being developed. Immunocompromised people are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19, are at higher risk for prolonged viral infection and shedding of the virus, are more likely to transmit the infection to people they live with, and show a lower immune response to vaccination compared to non-immunocompromised people, says Pamela Rockwell, D.O., a Michigan Medicine family physician and associate professor at the University of Michigan Medical School. She represents the American Academy of Family Physicians on the CDC advisory panel that just approved the new recommendation. "As COVID-19 surges across the country, vaccinated people who are immunocompromised and have completed a two-dose series of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series should obtain a third dose of the same mRNA vaccine that they have already received, at least 28 days from their second vaccine dose. This includes children and adolescents 12 and older who are immunocompromised," said Rockwell. "If you aren't sure if you or your child falls into this group, talk with a trusted health care provider," she added. "And if you fall into the third-dose group, but you haven't gotten vaccinated at all yet, or haven't finished your two-dose series, now's the time to do it." Other steps immunocompromised people should take Vaccination is not all people in this group should do, she adds. "It's important for immunocompromised people to wear masks in public, maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from people they do not live with, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider, and to encourage everyone over the age of 12 who interacts with them closely to get vaccinated if they aren't already," she said. "They may not realize how much they are putting you at risk, or that your immunocompromised state puts you at high risk of severe COVID-19," she added. "Ask them to help protect you." Rockwell also encourages people who get a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to sign up for the CDC's V-safe system, which will text them occasionally to ask them to report any reactions to the vaccine. This will help collect data that will guide the vaccination process and look for any rare effects. Surging spread poses risk to immunocompromised people The new approval couldn't have come at a better time, given the fact that nearly the entire country is now experiencing high levels of spread of the coronavirus because of the highly contagious Delta variant. It's also a reminder of the fact that immunocompromised people remain vulnerable to severe cases of COVID-19 even after they've gotten vaccinated. And some of them may not have gotten vaccinated yet, because their doctors are following recommendations that advise them to wait a certain amount of time after they finish a cancer therapy or get a transplant. While the overwhelming majority of people hospitalized for COVID-19 right now are unvaccinated adults and children, many of the rest of those in hospitals for COVID-19 care have a condition or take a medication that affects their immune system. Advanced age can also affect immune response, but the new recommendation is not age-based. And a recent study by a U-M team found that nearly 3% of insured United States adults under the age of 65 take medications that weaken their immune systems. The findings, made using data from over 3 million patients, focused on people taking chemotherapy medications and steroids such as prednisone. Who's eligible for a third dose? Here's a partial list of the conditions and treatments that could qualify someone for a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine. If you have one of these conditions or are on one of these treatments, or have another condition or take another medication that affects your immune system, contact your health provider or your child's provider to see what they recommend. Primary immune deficiency diseases Cancers (solid tumors or blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma) currently being treated with any treatment that reduces immune response, or treated in the past two years with a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant or CAR-T therapy Organ transplant for any condition (liver, heart, kidney, lung, pancreas) now taking anti-rejection medications HIV infection or AIDS Chronic use of corticosteroids such as prednisone, especially high doses equivalent or larger than 20 milligrams of prednisone per day TNF blockers such as Remicade, Enbrel, Humira, Cimzia, and Simponi, and other biologic agents that suppress or modify the immune response in order to treat an autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis or other condition People with end-stage kidney disease and people on dialysis Anyone who has had their spleen removed for any reason Other options for all at-risk teens and adults Rockwell said that individuals whose health providers do not yet recommend a third dose for them should refrain from seeking a third dose at this time. But, she adds, recommendations could change in future to include them as well. The CDC committee she serves on will also examine the issue of booster shots for other individuals. She also noted another new FDA approval that could help immunocompromised people, and others over the age of 12 who aren't fully vaccinated and have risk factors for severe COVID-19. The FDA just approved the use of monoclonal antibody therapy as a preventive therapy, for high risk people who know they've been exposed to an infected person or live in a facility where someone has gotten COVID-19. Explore further CDC advisers to discuss third COVID-19 vaccine dose for immunocompromised (HealthDay)From 2011 to 2019, the rates of gestational diabetes increased across all racial and ethnic subgroups and across all ages, according to a study published in the Aug. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Nilay S. Shah, M.D., M.P.H., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues used data from the National Center for Health Statistics for 12,610,235 individuals aged 15 to 44 years with singleton first live births from 2011 to 2019 in the United States to examine whether the rates of gestational diabetes have changed. The researchers found that from 2011 to 2019, the overall age-standardized gestational diabetes rate increased significantly from 47.6 to 63.5 per 1,000 live births, a mean annual change of 3.7 percent. Of those with gestational diabetes in 2019, 21, 8, 14, and 56 percent were Hispanic/Latina, non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White, respectively (rate ratios, 1.15, 1.78, 0.97 compared with referent group of non-Hispanic Whites). The highest gestational diabetes rates were seen in Asian/Indian participants (rate ratio, 2.24). Puerto Rican individuals had the highest rates of gestational diabetes among Hispanic/Latina participants (rate ratio, 1.31). Among all race and ethnicity subgroups and across all ages, gestational diabetes rates increased. "Addressing modifiable prenatal risk factors and implementing strategies to prevent gestational diabetes and postnatal diabetes in all individuals, with particular focus on groups with disproportionately high gestational diabetes rates, may help to reduce disparities in long-term cardiovascular and metabolic disease outcomes," the authors write. One author has a patent pending for Metabolite signature to predict progression to type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes; the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute has rights to the patent. Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Few of us get through life without experiencing grief, but, as a culture, we don't do a great job of talking about it. The United States is what Annapolis, Maryland, psychologist Sherry Cormier calls "grief illiterate." As a result, you might be surprised the first time you lose someone dear to you by how intense and unruly the emotions are, by how they ebb and flow, by how long they can leave you feeling heavy, scattered, edgy or vulnerable to untimely tears, by how sorrow and happiness can co-exist. What is grief like? This varies with the griever and the nature of the relationship. The intensity of grief usually reflects how close the griever was to the deceased person. It can also be affected by whether the death was sudden or violent. Dina Goldstein Silverman, a psychologist at Cooper University Hospital, said bereaved people can have a long list of powerful symptoms: sadness, anger, irritability, tearfulness, reduced concentration, lack of appetite and poor sleep. Casey Bien-Aime, spiritual care coordinator at Lankenau Medical Center, said many describe a heaviness, a dull pain. "It's like love that doesn't know where to go," she said. Contrary to popular belief, grief is not a linear process, Cormier said. The stages you've heard about were meant to describe the experiences of dying people, not their survivors. Grief comes in waves, some big and stormy, others much calmer. It may worsen at holidays or important family milestones. A favorite food or perfume can trigger it. "Grief moves and changes in a person over many years," said Carmela McDowell, bereavement coordinator for the Jefferson Home Care Hospice Program. The bereaved are both grieving their loss and moving toward a new future, said Ashley Herr, education and community outreach director for the Center for Loss and Bereavement in Skippack. She thinks of a Venn diagram where people oscillate between the "loss-oriented side and the restoration side." What makes loss so hard? Obviously, it hurts to lose people we love and who loved us, but we may also have lost an important role, such as being a wife, husband or parent. A death may force the grieving person to take on new, unfamiliar responsibilities, and it can have serious financial consequences. "We do need to remember that grief is not just about a death," said Cormier, who wrote Sweet Sorrow: Finding Enduring Wholeness After Loss and Grief. For many, the death of an important person in their life shakes their world view, the future they imagined for themselves. Herr calls it the loss of the "assumptive world." Many struggle with the "year of firsts," the first Thanksgiving without grandma, the first Father's Day without Dad. They assume things will then be fine. "The day after the anniversary of that first year, the feelings are still there," Herr said. Grief often makes people feel off-balance and helpless. Loneliness is common. "I've never talked with a grief survivor that hasn't said to me, 'I feel so alone,'" Cormier said. COVID-19 isolation has only made that worse. The intensity of emotion is frightening. "I think we all feel competent when we feel in control," McDowell said, "and grief takes away that sense of competence and control." Am I doing this right? "There's no right way to do this stuff," Herr said. People grieve in different ways and at different speeds, and that's OK. Herr described two grieving styles. For intuitive grievers, there's a "feeling to be felt." They want to connect with their emotions and talk about them. Instrumental grievers see a "problem to be solved." They may want to create a memorial fund or throw themselves into work. "Most people are a kind of a mixture of the two," she said. You will set yourself back if you try to fight the uncomfortable emotions. "We have all these emotions for a reason," Bien-Aime said. "They have a purpose, and they are meant to be experienced instead of pushing them down until they grow and become uncontrollable." She recommends the book Healing Through Dark Emotions. "Grief expressed," she said, "can help us connect and heal." Kathy Shear, an expert on prolonged or complicated grief at Columbia University, said people tend to want grief to move fast, to control it. "They don't know what to expect, and it's hard to let it just be what it is," she said. "The more you try to control it, the more it controls you." Cormier agrees that you can't shove grief under the rug. "The way to work with grief is through it, not around it," she said. How can I feel closure? You can't. You don't get over the death of a loved one, experts said. If you're healthy, you integrate the loss and the good and bad memories into who you are now. What can I do to grieve in a healthy way? Be kind to yourself. Get enough sleep. Meditate or do yoga. Light a candle. Write in a journal. Talk to a friend. Exercise is healing. Cormier recommends movement that helps you feel connected to the earth such as walking or tai chi. "It helps you reestablish your sense of equilibrium," she said. Participate in rituals that are important to you. Therapists said many families are now having delayed memorial services. Think about how you can honor your loved one. You can also join a support group. People usually aren't ready for groups until three or four months after the death. You may prefer individual counseling. "It gets to be all about you, your story, 100% of the time at your convenience," McDowell said. Give your friends a break if they don't do exactly what you'd like. McDowell said she knows a woman who realized she hadn't been enough support for a friend after she lost someone herself. "I've called her and apologized," the woman said. "I had no idea." Don't expect everyone to be good at everything, Cormier said. One friend may be a good listener, another a good doer and a third a good distractor. Also, you don't have to grieve all the time. Watch something funny. Go out. Work. After her husband died, Cormier said a friend who had lost a child told her, "Remember grief is so powerful you must take breaks from it." How can I help my grieving friend? The pandemic has made this harder, but you can still drop off food and call or text. People need support for months, not just the week after the death. If you're not sure what would help your friend, ask. If you're uncomfortable, say so. Sometimes it's helpful just to hang out. Sherman Lee, a psychologist who studies negative emotions at Christopher Newport University, said all you need to do is care, listen and be present for your grieving friend. "It's not a time to talk about your problems," he said. Cormier offers a list of common sayings that don't help: Everything happens for a reason. This is God's will. You're strong, you'll be able to get over this. What people want, she said, is acknowledgement and validation. For example: "I see that your mother died of COVID. I'm really sorry. I would like to bring over dinner. Tell me when it's convenient." How do I know if my friend or I need more help? "We never stop grieving, but grief should look different generally after six months," Bien-Aime said. By then, most grieving people are returning to normal work and social routines. If someone is still really struggling, experts begin to think about complicated grief, or what is now called prolonged grief disorder. Trouble signs, which could call for more family support or counseling, are increased alcohol or drug use, suicidal thoughts, a lot of anger, isolating on purpose, feeling overwhelmed, either avoiding reminders of their loved one or obsessing about them, numbness, intense sorrow or failure to accept the death. "It's almost like grief inhabits them and becomes their whole identity," Cormier said. There's a popular belief that people struggle more after someone with whom they've had a troubled relationship dies. But Shear has found that many with prolonged grief have "lost someone who is kind of their soulmate, someone really important and rewarding in their life." She developed a 16-session treatment program for prolonged grief, that focuses on adapting to loss. It does not directly address grief itself, because Shear believes that "grief is a natural response. ... We don't expect it to go away. We just expect it to stop interfering with the person's life." The program uses a variety of psychological techniques to help patients see promise in the future, strengthen relationships, narrate the story of the death, live with reminders, connect with memories, and develop an ongoing sense of connection with the deceased. "People we love really do exist within ourselves," Shear said. Explore further Survivors of trauma struggle to move on from the loss of loved ones 2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Barely clinging to life, patients in an intensive care unit in Hammond, Louisiana, lie in their beds, gray and emaciated, their faces marked by the tight grip of respirators and the ravages of COVID-19. As cases soar due to the more contagious Delta variant, medical units like the North Oaks Hospital are overwhelmed. Half of the COVID patients there are critical. The southern United States is finding it especially hard to cope, having been quick to lift COVID restrictions this spring and with a politically conservative population that is resisting a national vaccination drive. Louisiana has been hit the hardest by the new wave of the virus, with a daily average of 5,800 new cases, a 50 percent increase since the mid-January peak. "This surge, we've seen not only more patients, but more critically ill patients," Justin Fowlkes, a pulmonologist at North Oaks, told AFP. "And unfortunately, with this surge, we are seeing more patients die." In the intensive care unit, one of the 18 beds has just been vacated, but it is already being prepared for a new patient in need of a respirator. All the ICU patients are under sedation, and most have been chemically paralyzed to keep their bodies at rest. Reinforcements "We don't want their body to do any work," said critical care coordinator Charles Abrams, a softly spoken man with closely cropped hair and a small crucifix hanging from his neck. "We want the ventilator to do everything for them." The 53-year-old surveyed the nurses at the ICU, looking tense. "I worry about them," he said. As he spoke, his eyes filled and his face turned red behind his surgical mask. After a pause Abrams composed himself, cleared his throat and continued: "But given the situation, I think they're holding up well." Stefanie Gras, an ICU nurse, said that working with COVID patients has taken a toll on her family life. "It's almost hard sometimes to be at home, around your family, because they really don't, they kind of don't know what we're dealing with," she says. "And it's kind of hard to tell them." The nurses have been so traumatized by their work during the pandemic that the hospital has started offering psychological support. Abrams said he noticed a change in the nurses' demeanor and facial expressions, although, he added, they may not realize the severity of their trauma. As virus cases surged earlier this month, Louisiana reinstated an indoor mask requirement and has asked for federal help. About 150 nurses and doctors have been sent by the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, 15 of them to North Oaks. Unfazed Despite a small recent uptick in demand, just 38 percent of Louisiana residents are fully vaccinated, compared with 51 percent nationwide. In Hammond, a city of some 20,000, 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans, 72 of the 81 COVID patients are unvaccinated. Fowlkes says some regret their decision and try to talk family and friends into getting their shots, but an equal number are unfazed. One very ill patient told doctors he had no regrets. "If he had to do all over again, even if he knew he'd get infected... he would not get vaccinated," Fowlkes said. In one ward, a 28-year-old woman stared listlessly through a glass wall, barely conscious. Outside her room, a bouquet of flowers lay on a gurney, a gift from loved ones. Next to the flowers, a small balloon wished her: "Get well soon!" Abrams, the critical care coordinator, sighed. "Hopefully (she) will be well but we just don't know." Two weeks earlier, some 10 North Oaks patients died over the course of just three days, something that Abrams says has never happened during his 31-year career. "And I hope it will never happen again," he added. Explore further Virus surge overwhelms Barcelona hospital staff 2021 AFP Lyme disease can exact a significant mental toll as well as a physical one on its sufferers, a new study confirms. Patients hospitalized for Lyme disease had a 28% higher incidence of mental disorders and were twice as likely to attempt suicide than people without Lyme, researchers report. "These findings highlight the need for greater awareness in the medical community that patients after a serious case of Lyme disease are at increased risk of mental disorders and suicidal behaviors, particularly during the first year after diagnosis," said study author Dr. Brian Fallon. He is a psychiatrist with the New York State Psychiatric Institute and director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University, in New York City. "While most people with Lyme disease do not develop subsequent psychiatric problems, some do. Clinicians need to ask about suicidal thoughts and depression in particular, if symptoms persist," Fallon said. Joseph Trunzo, chair of the department of psychology at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., said it isn't clear if the disease causes mental disorders or if they result from battling the other symptoms of Lyme infection. "Lyme disease can have devastating medical and psychological effects, wreaking havoc on relationships, finances, cognition, emotions, quality of life and all aspects of daily functioning," he explained. It is almost certain that people can develop psychiatric symptoms as a result of the problems Lyme disease may cause in their lives, but the idea that infection itself may be driving psychiatric symptoms should not be dismissed, Trunzo said. There is a long history of infectious diseases causing significant mental and behavioral health issues. "Lyme causes an inflammatory response in the host and that association of inflammation and psychiatric problems and suicidal behavior are well-documented," Trunzo said. For the study, Fallon and his colleagues analyzed the medical records of nearly 7 million patients in Denmark over 22 years. The researchers compared mental health data on people with Lyme disease with those who never had Lyme disease. Patients with a history of mental problems or suicide attempts before having Lyme disease were excluded from the study. The investigators found that people with Lyme disease had a greater risk of mental problems and suicide attempts. They also had a 42% higher incidence of depression and bipolar disorder, and a 75% higher rate of death by suicide, compared with people without Lyme disease. Also, suffering more than one bout of Lyme disease was tied with an even higher rate of mental problems and suicide attempts, the findings showed. Nearly half a million people in the United States are treated for Lyme disease each year. The condition is caused by a bacterium carried by deer ticks that bite people. Most cases can be cured with two to four weeks of antibiotic treatment. But 10% to 20% of patients suffer symptoms such as pain, fatigue or difficulty thinking that can last for months or years, the researchers noted. In severe cases, people with late-stage Lyme disease may experience poor concentration, irritability, memory and sleep disorders, and painful nerve dysfunction. Most patients, however, don't develop severe mental health issues. During the study, only 7% of the nearly 13,000 people with Lyme disease had symptoms of mental disorders, the study authors reported. "Lyme disease is not a simple illness," Fallon said. "It can cause serious neurologic, psychiatric, cardiac and rheumatologic problems, as well. Patients experiencing psychiatric problems related to Lyme disease should seek professional help, as this infection can be challenging, leading to serious mental health consequences." The report was published online July 28 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Lorraine Johnson is CEO of LymeDisease.org. She said, "We know that there's a psychiatric component to what is going on, but I think that what is really driving the increased suicide rates among patients with Lyme disease is that they are disbelieved, they are stigmatized, and they are gaslighted by physicians, by insurers, often by society and, sometimes, unfortunately, by their families." Many patients are not able to work and don't have many treatment options, she explained. "If they go to a health care provider and they're gaslighted, and they're not believed or told it's all in their head, and then their family doesn't strongly support them, then it's really easy to become hopeless, to feel despair, and I think that is the sort of thing that increases the risk of suicide," Johnson added. Explore further Clinician suspicion minimally accurate for Lyme disease More information: Brian A. Fallon et al, Lyme Borreliosis and Associations With Mental Disorders and Suicidal Behavior: A Nationwide Danish Cohort Study, American Journal of Psychiatry (2021). Journal information: American Journal of Psychiatry Brian A. Fallon et al, Lyme Borreliosis and Associations With Mental Disorders and Suicidal Behavior: A Nationwide Danish Cohort Study,(2021). DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20091347 Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. In a new epidemiology-based study, researchers unveil important trends of prevalence, incidence, and mortality associated with HIV-epidemic in China. Credit: Chinese Medical Journal For decades, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been a serious health concern globally. Despite various global initiatives to control the spread and clinical advances, including the development of anti-retroviral drugs, the epidemic remains a major public health issue. In China, as a result of extensive efforts by the national government, HIV cases have declined; however, data have shown that an estimated 1.25 million people were still living with HIV in 2018. Moreover, in 2019, the number of people dying annually from AIDS was five times higher than from all other infectious diseases combined. Thus, to control the burden of HIV/AIDS, it is imperative to revisit the epidemiology of the disease, in order to find trends that can drive effective curbing strategies. To this end, researchers from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China, and the University of California, USA, have come together to study the trends of HIV/AIDS progression in the country for the past 28 years. The team conducted a detailed analysis on Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 data, focusing on the prevalence, incidence, and mortality-related trends from 1990 to 2017. Briefly, these parameters are calculated by dividing the estimated number of cases, new infections, and deaths, respectively, by the total population and presented as per 100,000, as part of a study published recently in Chinese Medical Journal. Senior author Prof. Zun-You Wu, corresponding author of the study, explains the common hurdles while working with such epidemiological data: "For a country like China, the data included in GBD often included only the vital registration details. To retrieve other essential information necessary for analysis and take care of the biases that are integral to such data, we applied various epidemiological models and statistical methods. The result was a comprehensive picture of China's HIV/AIDS scenario that spanned over various demographic groups and subgroups." These findings give us a broad picture of HIV/AIDS trends in China. From 1990 to 2017, the total number of HIV/AIDS-related deaths in China increased from 3337 to 34,800. From 1990 to 2009, the country saw a significant increase in HIV/AIDS prevalence, which then remained stable until 2017. The period from 1990 to 2005 was also marked by a similar increase in HIV incidence, which then showed a decline by 2017. However, AIDS-related death rate increased from 1990 to 2004 and, after stabilizing until 2013, rose significantly from 2013 to 2017. During the entire study period, HIV/AIDS prevalence was higher in men than in women. The reduction of prevalence and incidence of the disease in recent years has highlighted the positive impact of various intervention strategies employed by the Chinese government. However, Prof. Wu shares his concern that "despite its achievement in battling the epidemic, China is falling short in reducing the HIV-related deaths, especially among men. This points out the need of launching effective strategies to combat the high mortality rates." New epidemiology-based study looked at data from the past three decades to understand HIV epidemic trends in China. Credit: Chinese Medical Journal In this study, Prof. Wu and his colleagues shared important insights that can help policymakers to come up with better strategies, such as early identification and diagnosis of people living with HIV and improved treatment that includes high-quality services, monitoring, and support. Additionally, retaining patients throughout the entire treatment period and avoiding treatment drop-off can decrease the mortality rate considerably. The study also highlights need of designing strategies focused on demographically vulnerable and marginalized subgroups. Overall, Prof. Wu is hopeful about the implications of their findings. He concludes that "by intensifying the targeted efforts, in coming years China will be able to reduce AIDS-related mortality and control HIV/AIDS epidemic." Explore further 1990 to 2017 saw increase in global incidence of mesothelioma More information: Xue-Jiao Liu et al, Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome prevalence, incidence, and mortality in China, 1990 to 2017: a secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 data, Chinese Medical Journal (2021). Xue-Jiao Liu et al, Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome prevalence, incidence, and mortality in China, 1990 to 2017: a secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 data,(2021). DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000001447 Provided by Chinese Medical Journal COVID-19 stressors are negatively impacting resettled refugees' mental health, a new study by UNSW Sydney psychologists in partnership with Australian Red Cross, Settlement Services International (SSI) and Phoenix Australia at the University of Melbourne has shown. COVID-related worriesincluding the pandemic reminding refugees of traumatic events in the pastwere linked to higher levels of PTSD, depression, health anxiety symptoms, and poorer daily functioning. The findingspublished today in the European Journal of Psychotraumatologysuggest refugees may be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. "To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies anywhere in the world that documents the mental health impact of COVID-19 on refugee communities," says lead author Dr. Belinda Liddell from UNSW Science's School of Psychology. The researchers say refugees' past experiences may heighten the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Refugees are in a really unique situation. We hypothesized refugee communities were particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health due to traumatic events they have experienced in the past and the challenges of the postmigration environmentbut no one has studied this in the Australian context," says Dr. Liddell. "That's why we set out to look at how common COVID-19 related events and stressors were in refugee communities, and how they related to key mental health and functioning outcomesunderstanding these dynamics could help practitioners and service providers who are responding to the specific needs of refugees during the pandemic," Dr. Liddell says. COVID-19 stress and mental health consequences In June 2020right when Australia was emerging from its first COVID-19 lockdownthe scientists ran a COVID-19 survey for refugees and asylum seekers who are participating in the Refugee Adjustment Study, a large online study of refugee mental health and adjustment. 656 participants completed the survey, providing information about their mental health (posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, health anxiety and disability) and COVID-19 experiences. The researchers then explored the relationships between particular COVID-19 stressors and mental health outcomes. "For instance, worry about being infected by COVID-19reported by 66.5 percent of participantswas related to more severe PTSD symptoms and health anxiety symptoms. That's not surprising, given these concerns reflect fear of being harmed or harming others with COVID-19," says Dr. Liddell. Social-related difficulties such as lockdown and isolating at home were linked to increased depression, and fears relating to the futuresuch as concerns about visa application processeswere associated with increased disability and health anxiety. "This is something resettled refugees may be particularly vulnerable tothey already often experience significant isolation and loneliness, which diminishes mental wellbeing," Dr. Liddell says. Crucially, the strongest predictor of all mental health outcomes was COVID-19, serving as a trauma reminder: refugees that were reminded by the pandemic of difficult or stressful events in their past reported increased depression, PTSD, health anxiety and disability symptoms. "We found the experience of COVID-19 really reminded people of their past difficulties41.1 percent reported this stressor," Dr. Liddell says. The researchers say this could be because COVID-19 public health restrictions may share characteristics with refugees' traumatic experiences. "For example, a heightened role of government-mandated restrictions, social isolation strategies and quarantine measures that are common during COVID-19 might trigger memories of living in situations of political terror or in immigration detentionand problems sourcing basic supplies or accessing services during the COVID-19 lockdown could remind refugees of previous difficulties accessing essential goods during situations of conflict or civil unrest," Dr. Liddell says. The researchers reached these findings after accounting for other factors that could affect mental health, e.g. degree of past trauma exposure and visa insecurity. "This means our findings of adverse mental health outcomes were strongly associated with COVID-19 experiences," Dr. Liddell says. The researchers also found some surprising findings in this study. "For example, we found that difficulties accessing everyday items or emergency support, and difficulties trusting authorities, were reported less frequently, and were also not related to mental health symptoms," says Dr. Liddell. "This is a welcome finding, as it suggests a good public health engagement in Australia for refugees, and is supported by other reports that indicate high levels of trust in authorities amongst refugee communities in Australia." Increased resilience The researchers say the flipside of vulnerability is increased resilienceprevious studies reported how refugees' past experience had made them more resilient and able to use coping strategies they'd developed over the years. "Many resettled refugees are experiencing COVID-related stressors, and like most of us, these are related to worries of being infected by COVID-19 or the risk it poses to others," says SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis. "At SSI, we witness the resilience of refugees who have fled war-torn countries, with some reporting these past experiences as preparation for the uncertainties of the pandemic." Twenty-three-year-old refugee Sarah Salam Mezban says that while her family has been concerned about COVID-19, they are not strangers to lockdowns due to experience living through war. "For my family, we are worried about getting infected or transferring the disease to others, but at the same time, we are trying our best to adjust our day-to-day life with the situation and follow government advice. "As refugees, it's not too hard for us to isolate ourselves. We are used to practicing similar lockdowns during the war back home." Vicki Mau, Head of Migration Programs, Australian Red Cross, says it has been an extremely difficult time for people who arrived in Australia as refugees. "Many have faced additional barriers and stressors during COVID-19 seeking support, information and help in a largely English digital environment. They are also often separated from family, and, as so many Australians, are worrying about loved ones overseas in vulnerable situations. "Despite this, communities have shown extraordinary resilience, including working as first responders at the front lines, and by helping to address COVID-19 vaccine concerns across Australia. "In Tasmania, for example, refugee communities and Australia Red Cross Bicultural Health Programme are supporting the health sector to improve their knowledge of barriers experienced by migrants and refugees in getting vaccinated for COVID-19. " Strong support networks and specific messaging The researchers say COVID-19 responses need to accommodate the specific needs of refugees. "What this study really shows is that it is important refugees are well-supported during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a time where resources are stretched, it is important to make sure that information and support are available to those who are vulnerable to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," says senior study author, UNSW Professor Angela Nickerson. "A lot of the people who participated in the survey have lived through war, poverty, hunger and persecutiona situation like the one we're currently in can really push those buttons again, so we need to make sure there's adequate support available." The researchers say the findings underscore the importance of practitioners and service providers being aware of the significance of COVID-19 for refugees, and its impact on mental health. "Access to mental health services is critical to ensure these effects are mitigated and that refugees are psychologically supported to cope with the current pandemic," Prof. Nickerson says. "Like other Australians, refugees also need access to a wide spectrum of support, including income support when they lose employment, connection to local services and opportunities to maintain social and community connections during COVID-19." These findings also highlight the importance of public health messages that specifically target culturally and linguistically diverse members of the community, as well as those with limited literacy, to strengthen participation in COVID-19 public health responses, including vaccination. Future research Given the relatively low rates of exposure to COVID-19 health events in Australia at the time of data collection, the findings may not generalize to refugees in other settings outside Australia. The researchers say they'll soon be able to analyze the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. "We are currently collecting the 12-month follow-up survey data and will soon explore how the pandemic has impacted health-related behavior in these communities," Dr. Liddell says. The study was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage project with Phoenix Australia at the University of Melbourne, Settlement Services International and The Australian Red Cross, as well as funding from UNSW Sydney. More information: Belinda Liddell et al, European Journal of Psychotraumatology (2021). Belinda Liddell et al,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2021.1947564 (HealthDay)While the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the United States has been dominating the news, an old viral enemy has been making a quieter comeback. In late spring, U.S. pediatric hospitals began reporting an unexpected rise in serious infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Unlike COVID-19, RSV is a long-established foe that normally emerges in late fall, peaks in the winter, and nearly disappears by summer. In most people, RSV causes nothing more than cold-like misery, such as a runny nose and cough. But it can trigger serious lung infections in babies, especially preemies, and young children with certain medical conditions. RSV is the most common cause of pneumonia in babies younger than 1, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's also behind most cases of bronchiolitis, where the small airways of the lungs become inflamed. When RSV gets deep into the lungs, youngsters can struggle to breathe and may need to be hospitalized to receive oxygen and fluids. In June, the CDC warned that pediatric hospitals in the South were seeing an unusual rise in children sickened with RSV. Now, the pattern is showing up in other parts of the United States. At Salt Lake City's Primary Children's Hospital, there has been an uptick in positive tests for RSV in the past few weeks, according to Dr. Per Gesteland, who is based at the Utah hospital. During a recent hospital media briefing about RSV, he said that the hospital's current RSV numbers are similar to where they would normally be in early January. "We're watching this very closely because we're concerned those trends are going to really start to pick up, and we're going to start to see a lot more disease," Gesteland said. One reason for the concern, he said, is that the unseasonal RSV spike is happening in tandem with a rise in pediatric COVID-19 cases, due to the more contagious Delta variant. At some other hospitals, experts have warned that the combined trends are stretching resources thin. Last week, Texas Children's Hospital in Houston said it will now require its whole workforce to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It said that "bold action" was needed in the face of the dual surges in COVID and RSV. The hospital has also reportedly seen over two dozen children infected with both COVID-19 and RSV. However, it's generally different groups of kids who are at risk from the two viruses, said Dr. Larry Kociolek, of Lurie Children's Hospital and Northwestern University, in Chicago. RSV is ubiquitous, he explained, and for older kids whose immune systems have been exposed to it, it's simply a cause of colds. So the virus is mainly a threat to babiesespecially preemies and infants younger than 6 months. According to the CDC, over 2 million American children visit the doctor for an RSV infection during a normal year. About 58,000 end up in the hospital. There is no vaccine against RSV. But, Kociolek said, there is a way to help prevent severe infections in certain high-risk youngsters: an injection medication called palivizumab. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the drug be given to some preemies in the first year of life, and to toddlers with conditions that severely dampen the immune system. The injections are given monthly, for up to five months, typically starting in November. But last week, the AAP advised pediatricians to consider starting palivizumab now. "With the level of RSV activity we're seeing now, we're trying to roll that out in summer," Gesteland said. What's going on? It's fairly simple, according to Kociolek and Gesteland: At the start of the pandemic, with widespread social distancing and mask-wearing, RSV cases all but vanished, and remained low during the normal 2020-2021 season. Then as restrictions loosened and large gatherings became the norm again, people came into contact with pathogens, including RSV, that have been lying in wait, Gesteland said. Besides medication for high-risk babies, Kociolek said parents can also help shield infants from RSV by limiting their exposure to large gatherings or people with cold symptoms. Early symptoms of RSVfever, cough and congestioncan look a lot like other respiratory ills, including COVID-19. Generally, Gesteland said, testing is the only way to know for sure which virus is the culprit. According to the AAP, almost all youngsters recover from RSV on their own. But if a baby is wheezing or showing other signs of labored breathing, parents should call their pediatrician, Kociolek said. Explore further Troubling rise seen in both COVID, RSV cases among children More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on respiratory syncytial virus. Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Just when schools were getting ready to reopen for the new school year, cases of COVID-19 started surging in the United States, driven in large part by the more contagious delta variant. School administrators around the country are working to bring students back into the classroom safely, while still providing kids an enriching learning environment. As an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Washington, I have spent the past year and a half working with a group of epidemiologists and health professionals to collect, review and evaluate the scientific evidence about COVID-19 for state and local public health agencies. Our group concluded that vaccines and masking work well for preventing COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, but other strategies like plexiglass barriers and temperature checks are probably not worth the effort. What works A COVID-19 vaccine is the single most important tool for preventing COVID-19 in schools, as well as nearly everywhere else. All the vaccines currently authorized for use in the U.S. have been shown to help prevent infections and protect against moderate and severe disease. Some variants, such as delta, may be more likely to cause breakthrough infections, but vaccinations have shown protection against symptomatic disease caused by delta. The more people in a school who are vaccinated, the lower the risk of an outbreak in the school and the lower the likelihood that someone will develop severe disease if infections occur. COVID-19 vaccines are currently available to anyone age 12 or older, and it is possible that at least one of the vaccines will be authorized for younger school-age children in the later months of 2021 or early in 2022. Masks are important, too. Not everyone in a school can be or will choose to be vaccinated, and there is also a risk of breakthrough infections, especially from the delta variant. Masks reduce the risk of an infected person's spreading the virus and provide some protection for the wearer against becoming infected. During the past academic year, mask-wearing was shown to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Masks also don't disrupt the school day in the way that other measures might, such as keeping students in fixed cohorts or shortening the school day for split shifts. What probably isn't worth the effort Other prevention measures have had limited effectiveness in some settings but likely are not worth the cost and effort to implement in most schools. Plexiglass barriers, common in businesses and other venues, can be expensive and do little to prevent airborne transmission in school environments. In some situations, barriers like desk shields may actually increase the risk of transmission by reducing air circulation. Daily temperature checks and symptom screening have also not proved to be an efficient way to prevent COVID-19 in public settings. This approach misses asymptomatic cases, which are especially common among children and younger adults. Still, students, teachers and staff should stay home until they have a negative test if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Other policies can reduce transmission but can be disruptive to students, like physical distancing of at least 6 feet or separating students into cohorts that are not permitted to mix. If students are wearing masks, and especially if most are vaccinated, these measures are unlikely to add much more protection. The CDC currently recommends 3-foot spacing in schools when possible and multilayered prevention measures when not possible. It's also probably not worth testing everyone on a regular basis. Frequent testing is expensive, and real-world examples and mathematical models indicate that routine asymptomatic testing for COVID-19 in schools provides little additional benefit beyond widespread vaccination and masking. However, the CDC does include some asymptomatic testing in schools as one of the potential components of a layered prevention strategy. What to do about lunch When I talk to school administrators about reopening safely, one of the most common questions they ask me is how to run lunchtime, when students are gathered together and cannot always wear masks. Many schools included lunch during the past year without causing COVID-19 outbreaks, which suggests that lunch can be done safely. There is little direct evidence on the risk of transmission when comparing different approaches to the lunch problem, but there are some basic guiding principles. Students should wear masks whenever they are not actively eating. As challenging as it is to manage a rambunctious lunchroom, shouting, singing and loud talking spread more virus and should be discouraged, especially without masks. And good ventilation, particularly in spaces where people are eating, is important. Students also need to keep their distance from one another while they eat. Schools may consider having more lunch periods, having children eat in their classrooms, or using other spaces in the school to reduce crowding. Risks outside of school The strongest driver of COVID-19 in children, teachers and families is not schoolit's the level of community transmission. Given what we currently know, schools can continue to operate in person without widespread transmission linked to schools. When community transmission is high, schools should take extra care to stick to their prevention strategies. But the main way to protect students is to stop the spread of COVID-19 outside of school. What we still don't know It's not clear how the rise of the delta variant will affect the return to school. People infected with delta tend to spread the virus more than those infected with other strains, and breakthrough infections from this variant can cause large outbreaks when other prevention measures are not in place. Relying on vaccinations alone to control COVID-19 does not seem to be a winning strategy. More children are becoming infected during the delta variant surge. There have been sharp increases in July and August 2021 in the total number of children identified with infections and hospitalized for COVID-19. But the number of cases in the general population has increased, too. There has only been a modest increase in the proportion of COVID-19 cases in children relative to other age groups, and that could be due to the fact that children are an increasing share of the unvaccinated. COVID-19 never fails to provide new surprises. Many aspects of the next school year remain unknown, but by learning from what worked and didn't work over the past school year, we have evidence that in most situations students can safely return to school in person as long as these layered prevention measures are put in place and adhered to. Explore further American College of Physicians says masks should be required in schools This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Sri Lankan health workers carry the dead body of a person to test for COVID-19 before handing over them to families in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena Manjula Wijesuriya had COVID-19, but his friends and family say that's not what killed him. When the 51-year-old tutor suffered a heart attack in late July, his loved ones rushed him to a nearby hospital in a suburb of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. But as his condition deteriorated over the next few hours, they found it impossible to get him a bed in an intensive care unit. That's because a test confirmed Wijesuriya also had the coronavirus, and virus patients must be admitted to separate ICUs. All of them were occupied. The father to three died on Aug. 1a day after stepping foot inside the hospital. "It was a tragic death," said his friend Tissa Jananayake. "Even though he had COVID, he did not die because of it. He died because he did not receive treatment for the heart attack; he died because he could not get an ICU bed." Wijesuriya's death is a worrying sign of how the latest coronavirus surge, driven by the highly contagious delta variant, is swamping the Indian Ocean island nation. "The delta variant is like a bomb," said Channa Jayasmana, state minister of pharmaceutical production, supply and regulation. "It exploded in ... London and India. Now it has exploded in Sri Lanka," he added. A Sri Lankan Heath worker takes swab sample from a man to test for COVID-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena In the last two weeks, Sri Lanka has seen an unprecedented rise in coronavirus patients and deaths. The country's latest wave of infections, which began in April, has been the most severe of the pandemic. Around 80% of the country's total deaths occurred during this current wave, which also accounts for the majority of confirmed cases since the pandemic began. While the Health Ministry doesn't release data on how many COVID-19 beds are occupied, doctors and medical associations warn that ICU beds for coronavirus patients and morgues across Sri Lanka are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. In recent weeks, television channels and social media have been inundated with dramatic visuals of overrun and overburdened government hospitals, with patients forced to sleep on floors while waiting for treatment. Sri Lankans await their turn to be inoculated against the coronavirus in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena Daily confirmed cases have doubled to 3,000, while deaths have shot past 100 a day. Sri Lanka has confirmed over 358,000 cases since the pandemic began and more than 6,000 deaths. Doctors and health officials say the delta variant has swept across the country with dizzying speed, and is quickly moving from cities and into the suburbs. The government has appealed to the public to stay at home except in an emergency. The rise in infections has pushed oxygen demand to "unacceptably high levels" that are increasing by the day, said Dr. Padma Gunaratne, president of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. The latest barrage of cases comes as restrictions were slowly being eased following a monthlong lockdown in May and June. New restrictions have followed. A ban on all public gatherings began on Sunday while weddings receptions will be banned from Tuesday. And a nighttime curfew began Monday that exempts only essential services. Sri Lankans queue up to get tested for COVID-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena The Health Ministry is also adding more hospital beds. Last week, the World Health Organization said it provided emergency medical equipment to 78 hospitals in Sri Lanka, including beds, oximeters, oxygen cylinders and concentrators. President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa also changed his health minister on Monday. Keheliya Rambukwella, the media minister and government spokesman, takes over the Health Ministry, while predecessor Pavithra Wanniarachchi was appointed as transport minister. Starting Sept. 15, no one will be allowed to enter public places without a vaccination card. But the government has held off on imposing a new lockdown, fearing the damage to the already ailing economy. Instead, Sri Lanka's leaders are banking on the vaccination drive to see them through the surge. It used more than 1 million AstraZeneca shots to begin its vaccination drive before supplies from neighboring India dried up. Sri Lanka then looked to China, whose Sinopharm vaccine has been the most widely used in the drive so far. Sri Lanka has also received doses from Japan, Russia, the U.S. and through the U.N.-backed COVAX program. Elderly Sri Lankan women chat after getting inoculated against the coronavirus in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena An elderly Sri Lankan man is assisted by a man to walk after he got inoculated against the coronavirus in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena Sri Lankan health workers transport the dead body of a person to test for COVID-19 before handing over them to families in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena Sri Lankan health workers transport the dead body of a person to test for COVID-19 before handing over them to families in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena Dead bodied are stored in a freezer cargo container outside a medical facility before they are tested for COVID-19 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The Indian Ocean island nation is facing its most severe spike of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Doctors and medical associations now warn that ICU beds for virus patients and morgues are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. Credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena Officials are confident they will receive enough doses to fully immunize 70% or 15 million people out of the 22 million population by the end of September. So far, 4 million have received both doses while 11.6 million got the first shot. But "this is not enough to stop the current wave or the large number of deaths," said Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya, executive director of the Institute for Health Policyespecially since Sinopharm and other vaccines are not fully effective in blocking the delta variant's transmission. Authorities will need to test more rapidly and make plans to vaccinate the remaining 30% of the population, who are mostly children, he added. "This target of inoculating 70% of the population that they (the government) are chasing is no longer enough." Experts say the next few weeks are of immediate concern, with cases likely to escalate quickly, especially with no lockdown in place. "We need to pay attention, we need to do something," said Gunaratne of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. "We are at a very critical point." Explore further Sinovac-dosed Thai health workers to get AstraZeneca booster 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain More than 50 percent of the Swiss population has now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, statistics showed Tuesday, although immunisation rates are slowing even as cases and hospitalisations rise. Switzerland is using the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, administering the doses four weeks apart. Government statistics showed that 50.1 percent of the population4,311,432 peoplehad received both injections. A further 5.63 percent are partially vaccinated, having received their first dose. People who have recovered from the virus within the last six months and have had one dose are also certified as fully vaccinated, but they are not yet counted as such in official statistics. Switzerland, which is not a member of the European Union, was the first country in continental Europe to start using the Pfizer-BioNTech jab. Half the EU population had been fully vaccinated by August 3, according to an AFP tally. The Swiss vaccination rate has peaked and slowed off. Some 2.14 million doses were administered in May; 2.42 million in June; 1.39 million in July, and 772,000 in the calendar month to Monday. The vaccines are available to people aged 12 and over. Though the death rate is now very low, the number of daily new cases is rising towards the level seen in the third wave of the pandemic in April. At the end of June, Switzerland lifted many of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions. However, given the rapid spread of the more transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19, the government last week decided to maintain the remaining measures such as wearing masks on public transport. The Swiss COVID scientific task force's president Tanja Stadler told a press conference in Bern that the number of new daily hospitalisations had doubled three times in a month. "If three more doublings take place, we will be at the same level as the peak of the second wave," in late 2020, she said. "The Delta variant is so contagious that we have to count on the fact that each unvaccinated person will come into contact with SARS-CoV-2 and will be infected." Nearly 741,000 positive tests have been registered in Switzerland, while the pandemic has claimed 10,372 lives in the wealthy Alpine country. Explore further Swiss approve second COVID jab for young people 2021 AFP Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Britain's medicines watchdog on Tuesday said it had approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, after previously giving the green light to Pfizer. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said in a statement that the jab was "safe and effective in this age group". But it added it would now be up to government advisory body the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to recommend whether to start giving the jab. Britain began its mass vaccination programme in December last year and has to date seen nearly 90 percent of all adults receive a first dose. More than three-quarters (77 percent) have had two dosesa factor in the government lifting all remaining legal coronavirus restrictions in England on Monday. Health officials say vaccination has contributed to a fall in hospital admissions with more serious cases of COVID, even though infection rates have risen. Earlier this month, the government said it would offer jabs to all 16 and 17 year olds but unlike other countries, held off rolling out the programme to younger children. The JCVI said only 12 to 15 year olds deemed vulnerable should receive a vaccinea more cautious approach than in the United States and the European Union. They, as with older teens that are eligible, are being given the Pfizer/BioNTech shot. The government has set a target of giving a first dose to 16 and 17 year olds by August 23, to give them some protection before the start of school in England and Wales in September. 2021 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In the long run, it might make more sense to vaccinate people under 60 against COVID-19 firstfor example, in countries that have just started vaccination or in future vaccination campaigns in places where large parts of the population have already been immunized against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. As scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Magdeburg and the Technical University of Ilmenau have calculated, contact restrictions that prevent overloading intensive care units are more likely to be lifted if younger people are vaccinated first given an observation period of more than eight weeks. In many countries, especially in the Southern hemisphere, only a few people have been immunized against COVID-19 so far. And in Israel, people are already being vaccinated for the third time. At the same time, the Israeli government is again imposing contact restrictions. A similar interplay of vaccination and restrictions in social and economic life could become necessary in many places if viral variants that can undermine the protection of previous vaccinations develop. However, in order to prevent the intensive care units (ICU) from becoming overloaded and still be able to lift contact restrictions as quickly as possible, a vaccination strategy different from the one currently being pursued in most countries may make more sense. "Our calculations show that you should not base a vaccination strategy on short-term goals," says Sara Grundel, Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Magdeburg. As she and a team, which also included researchers from the Technical University of Ilmenau, demonstrated in simulations, the need for intensive care beds decreases rapidly if people over 60 are vaccinated first. However, even with a consideration period of more than eight weeks, the calculations suggest that it would be more sensible to immunize people under 60 first. Because the younger generation has more social contacts, this will help to prevent overloading of the ICU and if social contact is reduced by at least 30%, the fewest people will die of COVID-19 with the same strategy. At the same time, restrictions in social and professional life could be lifted six months earlier than if people over 60 were prioritized for vaccination. "Because the restrictions in social life, in schools, and in the economy have many negative consequences, they should be limited as much as possible," says Grundel. "That's why it's important to take a long-term view of how vaccination and contact restrictions can be optimally coordinated." A model with various adjusting screws The model can be used to determine the number of people infected with coronavirus and the associated number of patients who need intensive care treatment under various conditions. The number of people in the ICU is, in turn, linked to the number of deaths. The transmission of the virus depends on the number of contacts between people; this can vary considerably between different age groups. Transmission can be reduced by contact restrictions; these can vary in duration and severity. The model also takes into account the vaccination progress in different age groups. The researchers assumed that the vaccination was 90% effective. They did not take into account the influence of tests on the incidence of infection. "Tests probably have the same effect on both strategiesbut we have not investigated that," says Grundel. With the help of the various mathematical adjusting screws, the group investigated how different approaches to vaccination affect the number of people to be treated in intensive care and how long relaxed or severe contact restrictions have to be maintained in order not to exceed a predefined capacity limit of the ICU. They also carried out these calculations for different planning horizons. "We can thus answer different questions with the model," says Grundel. "For example, which age group should be vaccinated first, how contact restrictions can be relaxed continuously as vaccinations progress, and what period of consideration is needed to optimally coordinate vaccinations and contact restrictions in the long term." The researchers are aware that vaccination campaigns are quite far alongat least in many industrialized countriesand that vaccination strategies are unlikely to change during ongoing campaigns. "But the coronavirus will not disappear. And we will still need vaccinations in the future, especially if there are mutations against which currently available vaccines are not effective," says Grundel. "Our calculations show that a long-term trade-off between vaccinations and contact limits as well as prioritizing younger people for vaccinations could help minimize the psychological, social, cultural, and economic impact of the restrictions." Explore further Germany to end free COVID tests to boost jab take-up More information: Sara M. Grundel et al, How to Coordinate Vaccination and Social Distancing to Mitigate SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks, SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems (2021). Journal information: SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems Sara M. Grundel et al, How to Coordinate Vaccination and Social Distancing to Mitigate SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks,(2021). DOI: 10.1137/20M1387687 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain White adults in South Africa are more hesitant towards coronavirus vaccination than their black compatriots, a new study has revealed. The surveydue to be published on Wednesday showed that while vaccine acceptance has generally improved in the country, Africa's hardest hit by the pandemicjust around half of white adults are willing to take vaccine shots, compared to 75 percent of black adults. An earlier survey conducted by the same organisations six months ago revealed that attitudes towards vaccines varied by race, with white adults being the least accepting of jabs. The attitude has even worsened in recent months. "Vaccine acceptance declined amongst white adults from 56 percent to 52 percent, while it increased from 69 percent to 75 percent for black African adults," found the study jointly conducted by the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Social Change and the Human Sciences Research Council. Overall, vaccine acceptance improved from 67 percent to 72 percent respectively, from the time the earlier study was conducted early January, and June 25 and July 12, when the latest study was conducted. More than 7,600 participants took part in the study. Those vaccine sceptics cited concerns around side effects for their resistance to get vaccinated. "Concerns about side-effects and effectiveness of the vaccine are particularly pronounced amongst White adults, the most vaccine hesitant group". South Africawhich has recorded more than 2.6 million COVID-19 cases, including 77,440 fatalitieswas late in rolling out mass vaccination campaigns, starting in earnest in May and 10.4 percent of the adults are now fully vaccinated. Health Minister Joe Phaahla has recently expressed concern a low vaccine uptake among men in the country, women account for 60 percent of the people vaccinated against 40 percent men. 2021 AFP IKEA won't just sell you smart lights it'll soon sell you the electricity to power those lights, provided you live in the right country. Electrek notes that IKEA has revealed plans to sell clean energy to Swedish homes through a Stromma subscription service. Pay the (as yet unmentioned) fee and you'll get certified solar- or wind-generated electricity with usage you can track through a mobile app. The home furnishings giant didn't say whether it would expand the clean energy sales to other countries, although it hoped to let people "use and generate" renewable energy in "all our Ingka Group markets" by 2025. The company already sells solar panels. The retailer is no stranger to eco-friendly efforts. It stopped selling non-LED lights and will soon drop non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. It's even planning to turn a Swedish city into a sustainable community. And there's little doubt this will help burnish IKEA's public image. It can address concerns about the chain's environmental impact by serving as a clean energy source. It's still a significant move, though, and we wouldn't be surprised if other larger stores followed suit. It's not just a feel-good effort that could reduce emissions sales of excess clean energy could recoup costs and boost profits. Share this: This page provides an overview of the powers of the legislative and executive branches of cities and counties in Washington State, along with practical tips for avoiding conflicts. Overview "Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things." - Warren Bennis Constitutions, charters, statutes, and ordinances are the sources of authority for elected officials and staff in the policymaking process, and a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities can increase the effectiveness of all participants. Legislative Bodies City, town, and county councilmembers and county commissioners are legislators. Together they constitute a legislative body that is given authority by the state constitution and state law to make local law. Local legislative authority is generally limited to what the state specifically grants to counties, cities and towns. However, code cities, charter cities, and charter counties have "home rule" powers that permit them to exercise authority not specifically granted, provided that the state has not specifically prohibited that local authority. Our political system is a representative democracy. We elect legislators to make policy decisions and enact laws on our behalf. Except through the exercise of the initiative and referendum, we do not practice direct democracy. The essence of the legislative process is the give and take of different interests and the search for a compromise that is acceptable to the majority. Often there are elaborate mechanisms to involve citizens and interest groups in the policymaking process. But in the end, legislative bodies make the decisions and voters must abide by these decisions. Those who are not satisfied with the outcome can always seek to change their representative by voting him/her out of office. Executives While mayors and city managers often develop and propose policies, their basic responsibility is to carry out the council's directives and to implement the policies adopted by the council. Commissioners serve both legislative and executive roles. The relationship of the executive to the legislative body varies by form of local government: mayor-council, council-mayor, or commission. Mayor-Council Form of Government: Policy and administration are separate. All legislative and policymaking powers are vested in the city council. This is also true for most charter counties that have county councils, including King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Whatcom counties. Administrative authority is vested in a directly elected mayor (sometimes called a "strong mayor") or county executive. Mayors in second class mayor-council cities and code mayor-council cities may veto ordinances but the mayor's veto can be overruled by two-thirds vote of the council. Policy and administration are separate. All legislative and policymaking powers are vested in the city council. This is also true for most charter counties that have county councils, including King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Whatcom counties. Administrative authority is vested in a directly elected mayor (sometimes called a "strong mayor") or county executive. Mayors in second class mayor-council cities and code mayor-council cities may veto ordinances but the mayor's veto can be overruled by two-thirds vote of the council. Council-Manager Form of Government: All legislative and policy powers are vested in the city council. The council hires a professional city manager, who heads the administrative branch of government, to carry out the policies the council develops. The mayor is usually selected by the city council from among its members, although in a few larger cities (such as Tacoma, Vancouver, and Olympia), the voters directly elect the mayor through provisions of a charter or through RCW 35A.13.033 for optional municipal code cities. The mayor's responsibilities are primarily to preside at council meetings and to act as head of the city for ceremonial purposes and for purposes of military law. The mayor votes as a councilmember and does not have any veto power. Political skills possessed by the mayor can be helpful in bringing parties together in the policy development process. Currently, the only county that has adopted this organizational model is Clark County, which is in the process of transition. San Juan County has adopted a hybrid form that includes a county manager position but retains much of the commission form as well. All legislative and policy powers are vested in the city council. The council hires a professional city manager, who heads the administrative branch of government, to carry out the policies the council develops. The mayor is usually selected by the city council from among its members, although in a few larger cities (such as Tacoma, Vancouver, and Olympia), the voters directly elect the mayor through provisions of a charter or through RCW 35A.13.033 for optional municipal code cities. The mayor's responsibilities are primarily to preside at council meetings and to act as head of the city for ceremonial purposes and for purposes of military law. The mayor votes as a councilmember and does not have any veto power. Political skills possessed by the mayor can be helpful in bringing parties together in the policy development process. Currently, the only county that has adopted this organizational model is Clark County, which is in the process of transition. San Juan County has adopted a hybrid form that includes a county manager position but retains much of the commission form as well. Commission Form of Government: In the commission form of government, one elective body includes the executive, legislative, and administrative functions of government. No cities in Washington operate under a commission form of government any more, but 32 of the 39 counties in Washington use a commission form of government. The board of commissioners sits as a body, passes laws, and makes policy. Clallam County's home rule charter established a county administrator to assist the commissioners, but both the executive and legislative functions are retained by the commissioners. While much of this information is relevant to both cities and counties, there are some factors that make the policymaking process of counties different from cities. Elected county offices are partisan in a majority of the counties; candidates must declare party affiliation when they run for office. In comparison, all elected city offices are nonpartisan. County commissioners share power with other elected county officials such as the assessor, auditor, prosecuting attorney, sheriff, county clerk, and treasurer. There are only a handful of Washington cities that elect anyone other than mayors or council members. The separation of authority between the legislative body and the chief executive in the mayor-council, county executive, and council-manager forms of government is very similar. In the mayor-council form of government, the mayor is the chief administrative officer who is responsible for all administrative functions. When separately elected, the county executive serves as chief administrative officer in those counties that have a council (such as King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties). In the council-manager form, the appointed manager is the chief administrative officer. The council creates county departments, authorizes positions, and fixes compensation. The council may not direct the hiring of any employee by the chief administrative officer, although local ordinances may call for council confirmation of appointments in the mayor-council form of government. The mayor has the power to appoint and remove all appointive officers and employees, consistent with the laws of the city. This authority to hire and fire may be delegated to department heads. In the council-manager form, the manager supervises city business, appoints and removes department heads and employees, executes laws, recommends activities to the council, submits reports, submits a proposed budget, and performs other duties directed by ordinance. Mayors, county executives, city managers, and staff do not make policy decisions. However, they have strong influence on the policymaking process and its resultant decisions. For example, they propose budgets, oversee staff-led studies and analyses related to proposed policies, and make policy recommendations to councils. Through their ongoing contacts with key interest groups, elected and appointed chief administrative officers and department heads influence (and are influenced by) other participants in the policy development process. What Staff Needs to Know about Elected Officials Policy development processes are most effective and productive when key players work well together. Each party has a role to play, along with clearly defined responsibilities. Conflicts often develop when the legitimate needs and roles of one party are not understood by another. Here are some suggestions that might make the policy development process more effective. Elected officials have different needs than staff . To be effective, elected officials must be responsive to the needs of their constituents. Concerns for "fairness" and "minority views" may outweigh issues of effectiveness or efficiency. . To be effective, elected officials must be responsive to the needs of their constituents. Concerns for "fairness" and "minority views" may outweigh issues of effectiveness or efficiency. Elected officials want to know where various groups stand on an issue . This information is important in attempting to balance the conflicting values that often come into play during the policymaking process. . This information is important in attempting to balance the conflicting values that often come into play during the policymaking process. Elected officials do not like surprises. This is particularly true at the end of a long and arduous process. A staffmember's credibility can be seriously undermined if key interests introduce relevant, new information at a final public hearing before action is to be taken. Councilmembers depend on staff to provide pertinent, timely, and complete information on issues the council must take under consideration. This is particularly true at the end of a long and arduous process. A staffmember's credibility can be seriously undermined if key interests introduce relevant, new information at a final public hearing before action is to be taken. Councilmembers depend on staff to provide pertinent, timely, and complete information on issues the council must take under consideration. Elected officials like to have choices . No one likes to feel backed into a corner with only one solution. Even a brilliant staff proposal may not carry the day if other choices were not seriously considered. . No one likes to feel backed into a corner with only one solution. Even a brilliant staff proposal may not carry the day if other choices were not seriously considered. Staff can be an enormous help. Staff can set an example by showing how compromise can be reached on thorny issues. They can also make everyone on the policy/administrative team look good by sharing credit. What Elected Officials Need to Know about Staff Some key staff belong to national and state associations that hold members to professional and ethical standards. For example, many city managers and administrators belong to the Washington City/County Management Association and are bound by the International City/County Management Association code of ethics. Asking staff to help on certain political matters, such as election and ballot campaigns, puts them in a difficult position. State laws also significantly limit the use of public resources for campaign issues. For example, many city managers and administrators belong to the Washington City/County Management Association and are bound by the International City/County Management Association code of ethics. Asking staff to help on certain political matters, such as election and ballot campaigns, puts them in a difficult position. State laws also significantly limit the use of public resources for campaign issues. Explore challenging issues with staff and encourage their creativity. Staff will sometimes assert that "we can't do this because it violates technical standards." While these standards are legitimate attempts to address important public goals, they often do not fully recognize other community values. For example, street design standards favor the movement of traffic. If the street is not critical for the movement of large traffic volumes, there may be ways to design the street to achieve other community goals by providing wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and space for recreational and social activities. (However, access may be lost to certain categories of state or federal funds if standards are not met.) Staff will sometimes assert that "we can't do this because it violates technical standards." While these standards are legitimate attempts to address important public goals, they often do not fully recognize other community values. For example, street design standards favor the movement of traffic. If the street is not critical for the movement of large traffic volumes, there may be ways to design the street to achieve other community goals by providing wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and space for recreational and social activities. (However, access may be lost to certain categories of state or federal funds if standards are not met.) Get to know and trust key staff. Competent staff can be a tremendous help in developing ideas, structuring good processes, and generally keeping you out of trouble. Competent staff can be a tremendous help in developing ideas, structuring good processes, and generally keeping you out of trouble. Treat each other respectfully. Otherwise, you may not get that extra effort that can make a difference in effectiveness. Otherwise, you may not get that extra effort that can make a difference in effectiveness. Avoid public criticism of each other; it only makes for martyrs. If there is a legitimate concern, discuss the matter privately. If you are a councilmember, remember that you do not have the authority to direct employees. Discuss your concerns with the executive, mayor, or city manager. If you are on staff, ask for policy clarification if you are not sure what was intended. If there is a legitimate concern, discuss the matter privately. If you are a councilmember, remember that you do not have the authority to direct employees. Discuss your concerns with the executive, mayor, or city manager. If you are on staff, ask for policy clarification if you are not sure what was intended. Show appreciation for good work. Say "thanks." Share credit. Understanding and appreciating the differing roles of your team members will improve the policymaking and decision-making process. Recommended Resources A health worker vaccinates a public transport driver with Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in a shopping mall's parking lot turned into a drive-thru vaccination site, in Quezon City, Metro Manila on Aug. 13, 2021. Payments processing network Mastercard announced that it will begin phasing out magnetic stripes on its cards within the next three years. The company said the decision was motivated by a decline in magstripe payments. Newly-issued Mastercard credit and debit cards will not be required to have a stripe starting in 2024 in most markets, Mastercard said. By 2033, no Mastercard credit and debit cards will have magnetic stripes, which leaves a long runway for the remaining partners who still rely on the technology to phase in chip card processing. Mastercard said that newer and more secure technologies like embedded chips and NFC contactless antennas mean that most people are now either inserting their cards or tapping to pay. It added that biometric cards, which combine fingerprints with chips to verify a cardholders identity, offered another layer of security. The company said it would be the first payments network to drop magnetic stripes. Mastercards view of consumer habits correlates with the experience of major banks in South Africa, which recently told MyBroadband they dont anticipate a lack of magnetic stripe support as a problem for shoppers. Most banks point-of-sale (POS) devices can read chips, and the vast majority of their payment terminals are enabled for contactless payments. Absas head of commercial payments and relationship banking Enoch Malisa said that magnetic stripe transactions in South Africa were rare. While all POS devices in the industry still cater for magnetic strip and chip payments, magnetic strip transactions are not that common anymore, Malisa stated. The introduction of NFC on POS devices over the past seven to ten years has been driven by the introduction of contactless cards that are NFC-enabled, he added. As South Africans, we all have our own stories to tell that are filled with highs and lows. There are days where we laugh, feel motivated, and are full of passion while on other days we are frustrated and run out of steam. Various factors shape which type of day we have, and many of these are outside of our control. We should therefore focus on surrounding ourselves with things that help us live life to the fullest, as this gives us more power to write our own stories. Hisense Your partner in South Africa It is for this reason that Hisense continues to be the brand that sees you and relates to your daily life a key driving force behind the company since it arrived in South Africa in 1996. The company is particularly focused on innovation as a driving force behind improving South African lives. This, combined with affordable pricing and superior customer service, aligns with Hisenses goal of forging a better future alongside all South Africans. Hisense products for less Hisenses desire to connect with all South Africans is evident in its upcoming promotion, which aligns with the companys commitment to improve your day-to-day life. You can expect great deals on a range of awesome Hisense products from many popular South African retailers and these deals are designed to give more South Africans access to Hisense products that help them make the most of each day. Follow Hisense on its social media platforms so that you dont miss out on any of these exciting upcoming deals. We see you. We get you. We got you. Hisense Life reimagined. St. Helenas population declined by 6.6% in the last decade, according to 2020 Census data released last week. The citys population dropped from 5,814 in the 2010 Census to 5,430 in 2020. The census counts people at their usual residence, defined as the place where they live and sleep most of the time. The rise in second-home ownership is probably a significant factor in St. Helenas population decline. St. Helenas owner-occupied housing unit rate is estimated at 58.8%, roughly the same as Napa. The median value of owner-occupied housing units is $1.1 million, by far the highest in Napa County. The next closest municipality is Napa at $616,700. St. Helenas median gross rent of $1,664 is lower than Napas ($1,700) but higher than Calistogas ($1,392). St. Helenas median household income is $90,031, the second highest in the county next to American Canyon. According to estimates released last year, 26.8% of St. Helenans are 65 and over the highest percentage in the county and 17.2% are under the age of 18. We can take these masks off once and for all, he said. That way we can keep our kids back in-person without any stress or anxiety for the rest of the year. Newsom also expressed doubt that the state could compel vaccinations for teachers because it would be a working condition that would have to be negotiated, district by district, with their unions. However, just six days later, with much hoopla, he announced that teachers and other school workers would be required to be vaccinated, bragging that California would be the first state to do so. We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keep schools open, Newsom said at a press conference at Carl B. Munck Elementary School in Oakland. We think this will do exactly what its intended to do and thats encourage people to get vaccinated. So what triggered the 180-degree change of policy? Armenia Security Council Secretary on term of military service and border protection Armenia Security Council Secretary fails to answer question whether Turkey is enemy or not Armenia Security Council Secretary: We suspended trilateral talks since there was a need, now we see opportunity Aravot.am: Son of ex-mayor of Armenia's Gyumri released Armenia Security Council Secretary states condition for conclusion of peace treaty with Azerbaijan Armenia President sends Catholicos of All Armenians message a day before his birthday Armenia's defense and high-tech industry ministers meet with representatives of military industrial enterprises Armenia health minister: COVID-19 has rejuvenated Armenia Police disciplinary committee decides to dismiss two officers Armenian police-border guards leave for military posts Israel PM receives third vaccination against COVID-19 Afghanistan's militia recaptures a part of Baghlan Province from Taliban Putin: It is necessary to put an end to irresponsible policy of imposing foreign values Armenia FM holds phone talks with Georgian counterpart Merkel asks Putin to focus on humanitarian issues during negotiations with Taliban Armenia MOD strictly criticizes companies catering the army, orders to fix the shortcomings quickly Karabakh emergency situations service: Searches for remains of servicemen in Fizuli region were fruitless Nearly 5,800 US soldiers deployed at Kabul International Airport Armenia police enhance service in Kapan and Goris 9,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan by US since Aug. 15 Armenia PM returns to Yerevan after visit to Kyrgyzstan, greeted by Security Council members at airport Health minister: Monitoring requirement to wear face masks indoors will help curb spread of COVID-19 in Armenia Putin gives Merkel flower bouquet, her mobile phone's ringtone heard at that moment Taliban to not announce members of future government until Aug. 31 Armenia legislature to convene session on August 24 Dollar still dropping in Armenia Armenia parliament speaker, China ambassador discuss cooperation Russias Lavrov to Armenias Mirzoyan: I invite you to Moscow at convenient timeframes for you Yerevan citizen goes into company's building with grenades, demands meeting with director Ardshinbank and Russian Fora-Bank offer instant money transfers by phone number Remarkable item discovered during excavations in Van Province Armenia, Karabakh FMs discuss situation due to Azerbaijan-Turkey aggression Two people apprehended during scuffle between local residents, police in Yerevan neighborhood Putin, Merkel begin talks at Kremlin 16 prominent politicians join Australian Friends of Artsakh group NATO: More than 18,000 people evacuated from Kabul since Taliban takeover Local residents, police clash in Yerevan neighborhood Armenia MOD announces start of 3-month training for reservists Pristina asks Azerbaijan to recognize Kosovo independence Yerevan judge wears T-shirt with Artsakh flag during international competition ArmLur.am: Internal investigation underway at Armenia MOD on finding of 3 soldiers dead in Syunik Province Yerevan hospital provides clarification on babys death 508 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh begin demining 20 hectares of Kolkhozashen village Armenia premier: We support establishment of Eurasian Association Armenia ombudsman: New income sources needed for residents of Syunik Province villages that are now border communities The Wall Street Journal: Diplomats had warned Blinken of quick fall of Kabul Russia PM: Eurasian Economic Union countries economy gradually recovering PM: Armenia considers necessary creating base for natural gas, oil, oil products single markets for EEU development White House does not have clear information on exactly how many Americans are still in Afghanistan Newspaper: Armenia Chamber of Advocates is at authorities target Oman spends $175m to build botanical garden Nigerias Lagos state bans street begging Men in Pakistan sexually assault, grope woman who was shooting TikTok video S.Korea plans to grant legal status to animals Armenia Ambassador to Ukraine presents credentials to Volodymyr Zelenskyy Armenia Investigative Committee: Fellow soldier detained on suspicion of murders of 3 servicemen US Department of State: There are 6,000 people at Kabul airport France, Germany, UK concerned about Iran's up to 20% uranium enrichment France's Macron discusses settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Putin Turkish FM: Turkey maintains ties with Taliban's representatives through different channels Terrorist blows himself up near national intelligence headquarters in Somalia G7: Taliban must ensure that Afghanistan does not become host to terrorist threat to international security Few people killed during Independence Day rally in Afghanistan's Asadabad Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of 3 more Armenian servicemen found in Jrakan region Son of ex-mayor of Armenia's Gyumri detained Armenian soldier who was found dead last night was a veteran of 44-day Karabakh war (PHOTO) Armenia Labor and Social Affairs Ministry: No data on number of Artsakh-Armenians who temporarily settled after war Karabakh State Minister receives Union of Banks of Armenia delegation Armenia finance minister has new deputy Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker receives China Ambassador Zakharova: Russia is ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan with demarcation of border Russian MFA: Russia calls on Baku and Yerevan to exchange POWs via "all for all" formula and for mine maps Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister introduces acting head of town hall of Talin Zakharova comments on Aliyev's statement, says supplying weapons is Russia's sovereign right 8-month-old girl dies at medical center in Yerevan, forensic medicine expert examination designated Lavrov: Russia supports pan-national dialogue in Afghanistan amid battles in Panjshir Azerbaijan troops withdrew from area they occupied on border with Artsakhs Yeghtsahogh village, mayor says Desperate Afghans are trying to invade airport and seize empty buildings of embassies Turkey evacuates top officials of defeated government of Afghanistan Zakharova: Russia, Hungary FMs will discuss situation in Karabakh Opposition vice-speaker of Armenia parliament: Issue of enclaves, Meghri corridor being discussed? Dollar continues losing value in Armenia Armenia government transfers about $1,163,600 to National Security Service Armenia PM attends Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting in narrow format (PHOTOS) Missing soldiers families on meeting with Armenia Security Service chief: We cant be satisfied until there are results Armenia defense minister briefs ombudsman on situation related to finding 3 soldiers dead 14 million people in Afghanistan face severe hunger Karabakh FM: Azerbaijan is attempting to rewrite history of Shushi Armenia, Kyrgyzstan to intensify economic ties (PHOTOS) Relative of Armenian missing soldier: Ask relatives which official has asked about their condition Armenia PM paying working visit to Kyrgyzstan (PHOTOS) Missing soldiers relatives meeting with Armenia National Security Service director Armenia MOD asks not to disseminate false information about causes of incident of killed soldiers 559 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia 12 killed at Kabul airport since Sunday Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh provide drinking water to more than 200 families Missing servicemens families protesting outside Armenia National Security Service building Armenia MOD on reports about sabotage at military outpost: What happened has nothing to do with adversary Shots fired in Yerevan, one injured (PHOTOS) The Talibans coming to power in Afghanistan can indirectly lead to negative developments for Armenia. Political scientist Beniamin Poghosyan told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am, when asked how the Islamist Taliban movements coming to power in Afghanistan can affect Armenia. According to Poghosyan, the increase in Turkey's role as a result of these developments may be problematic, and Pakistan can be useful to Turkey in this matter. "If Pakistan is still continuing to maintain its former influence over the Taliban that came to power in Afghanistan, and if we take into account the strengthening of Turkey-Pakistan relations in the politico-military and technico-military dimensions, then Turkey may indirectly be able to establish some relations with the Taliban through Pakistan, which means that Turkey's geopolitical weight will increase, it will become a player, and some countries may perhaps also start discussing matters with Turkey related to the Taliban and Afghanistan. Therefore, any process that can lead to an increase in Turkey's geopolitical potential can be a negative development for Armenia in a mediated way," the political scientist explained. A delegation of US diplomats led by Zalmay Khalilzad, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation at the State Department, continues contacts in Doha with representatives of the Taliban. Well, let me take the opportunity to offer a bit of context on our diplomatic efforts over the past 72 or so hours. Ambassador Khalilzad and his team remained in Doha. They still remain in Doha following consultations that we talked about last week with a number of countries from the region the UN and countries much farther afield. They continued and they still continue to engage with the Taliban. They continue to engage with the Islamic Republic, that is to say, the Government of Afghanistan representatives. When it became clear that the Government of Afghanistan was on the verge of collapse, that President Ghani had fled, and that the Taliban were encroaching on Kabul, the focus, of course, changed. It shifted from supporting peace negotiations along with the international community to working assiduously and urgently to do all we can with the international community on an urgent basis to avert violence, to attempt to maintain order in Kabul, and very, very importantly, to guarantee that the Taliban would not seek to threaten our people or our operations, Ned Price, the spokesperson for the US Department of State, noted this at Mondays press briefing. When it comes to the Taliban, we are going to look for their actions rather than listen to their words, he stressed when asked whether they have reached an agreement with the Taliban on the management of Afghanistan's airspace. Any effort, any attempt to target, to threaten, to intimidate our personnel or our operations would be met with a swift and decisive response, US State Department spokesperson warned. YEREVAN. Defense attorney Erik Aleksanyan has motioned the court to discuss the impossibility of continuing the criminal prosecution against Armen Gevorgyan, former Deputy Prime Minister and currently an MP of the opposition "Armenia" Faction. The respective verbal motion was submitted by the lawyer at Tuesdays court hearing on the criminal case of second Presidentand opposition Armenia Faction leaderRobert Kocharyan, and Armen Gevorgyan. The aforesaid motion came to be spontaneously. The presiding judge noted that since the lawyer had earlier mentioned the consistency of the criminal prosecution in connection with the "Armenia" Faction applying to the Constitutional Court (CC) in the case of parliamentary immunity, she will wait for the respective decision of the Constitutional Court and will not consider this issue. Robert Kocharyan clarified the issue of applying to the Constitutional Court. "It was about something else. When the prosecutor's office claimed that the CEC [(Central Electoral Commission)] overcome the [parliamentary] immunity of the two MPs of the [Armenia] Faction. Maybe the lawyer meant that. Two mayors, elected MPs from the faction, have been arrested, and it is claimed that the CEC has overcome the immunity and there is no need to go to the NA [(National Assembly)]. It is about its constitutionality. There was no other discussion at the Armenia Faction," he said. After obtaining the court's consent, the aforementioned lawyer submitted a motion, the content of which concluded that the criminal prosecution could not be carried out during the period of parliamentary immunity without overcoming it. As the Armenian law does not separate the criminal prosecution that started before or after being nominated as an MP, the lawyer motioned to apply to the Constitutional Court to determine this matter. Under Armenian law, the parliamentary immunity of an MP can be terminated only by the parliamentand upon the respective petition by the prosecutor's office. Robert Kocharyan clarified again that the issue of Armen Gevorgyan's parliamentary immunity was not discussed during the meetings of the Armenia Faction. The Taliban forecast good ties with Turkey since they seek to adapt to the world order after the military victory in Afghanistan, said Talibans official representative Suhail Shahin. In an interview with Ahaber, Shahin said Turkey is a large and fraternal Islamic country. He also made it clear that the Taliban are ready to work with international specialists for consolidation of power. According to Ahval, Turkish sources refuted news that Ankara intends to renounce its plans to ensure security at the airport and declares that it is ready to provide technical assistance to the Taliban. Highlighting the similarities with Muslim Turkey, the Taliban have declared several times that Turkey must pull out its troops from Afghanistan along with other international forces. Montgomery Clift is known for his remarkable diversity onset and great looks. Sadly the star got involved in a car crash that ruined his face and impacted his life and career. Hollywood's Montgomery Clift, who was highly wanted for his diverse acting skill in the industry, kept the public entertained during his time. However, this changed after Clift's car accident that left his face in a terrible condition. In a past interview, the star's friend, Kevin McCarthy, explained that Clift drove very high before the accident. After leaving a party organized by co-star Elizabeth Taylor in May 1956, Clift raced along a steep road before crashing. A studio portrait of Montgomery Clift before his accident on 01 January, 1940 | Photo: Getty Images DETAILS OF CLIFT'S TRAGIC ACCIDENT Clift was driving a Chevrolet Bel Air sedan when the accident occurred. The crash caused severe damage to his face, and McCarthy noted in a 2018 interview that he thought Clift was dead when he saw the scene. He owed his life to his close friend Taylor, who immediately went to help him when she learned of the incident. According to McCarthy, Clift told Taylor in a rather unregistered voice that his two front teeth were in his throat, suffocating him. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in the 1951 film "A Place in the Sun" on 01 January, 1951 | Photo: Getty Images He pleaded with her to get them out, and gently, she managed to relieve him of the teeth. Clift's "Raintree Country" co-star Taylor remained with him at the accident scene and cradled his badly injured head till an ambulance arrived. Clift died at age 45 of a heart attack in his East Side townhouse. A portrait of Montgomery Clift leaning on a fence with an intent expression before his accident on 01 January, 1950 | Photo: Getty Images In 1963, when the "Red River" star recalled the traumatic incident, he mentioned a long day's shoot as the reason he was asleep during the crash. He was filming "Raintree County," which also starred Taylor and Lee Marvin. Clift, presumably an introvert, would have been super frustrated to know his physical look would be a topic for national speculation. He spent months in the hospital and had major plastic surgeries. A portrait of Montgomery Clift after his accident on 01 January, 1958 | Photo: Getty Images CLIFT LIFE AFTER THE CAR CRASH After Clift's terrible car accident, the star faced some challenging moments in the movie industry. In 1959, Clift was slammed by film director Joseph Mankiewicz after Taylor noted that the star was still "vulnerable." The "Suddenly, Last Summer" star reportedly had the worse of experience with John Huston. Actress Marilyn Monroe even warned him never to work with Hutson, whom she described as a "sadist." Montgomery Clift at London Airport from New York to make the new film "Suddenly, Last Summer" on 13 May, 1959 | Photo: Getty Images However, in 1962, Cliff had to sign up to play Sigmund Feud in Huston's biopic "Freud: The Secret Passion." It was reported that Hutson was homophobic towards Clift after news of him being with a male reporter broke. Clift also took to drinking, and his addiction was well known amongst his colleagues. The crew of Raintree Country even had code words about his state of intoxication. "Georgia" meant bad, "Florida" very bad, and "Zanzibar" unworkable. A portrait of actor Montgomery Clift on 01 January, 1960 | Photo: Getty Images CLIFT SAD DEATH Clift died at age 45 of a heart attack in his East Side townhouse. According to the actor's lawyer, Jack Clareman, Clift was found by his secretary Lorenzo James, who claimed the actor went to bed "in good spirits." Before the terrible incident, the star made a significant impact in the entertainment industry. He had terrific roles in "The Misfits," "Confess," and he was last seen on screen in "Freud," which earned him his highest fee ever. Story Highlights 49% have tried marijuana, up from 45% in 2017 and 2019 12% of U.S. adults say they smoke marijuana Smoking most common among young adults WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The percentage of U.S. adults who say they have tried marijuana has ticked up to 49%, the highest Gallup has measured to date. More than 50 years ago, just 4% said they had tried the drug, but that percentage surpassed 20% in 1977, 30% in 1985 and 40% in 2015. A much smaller proportion of U.S. adults, 12%, say they "smoke marijuana." The percentage of current marijuana smokers has been steady in recent years, varying between 11% and 13% after increasing from the 7% Gallup initially measured in 2013. Line graph. Trends in marijuana usage among U.S. adults. In 1969, 4% of U.S. adults told Gallup they had ever tried marijuana. The percentage increased to 11% in 1972, 24% in 1977, 33% in 1985, and has been 44% or higher since 2015, including 49% this year. Gallup first asked Americans whether they smoke marijuana in 2013. 7% said they did. The percentage has been between 11% and 13% since then. The results are based on Gallup's annual Consumption Habits poll, conducted July 6-21. Generational patterns explain the increase in marijuana experimentation over the last five decades. The oldest Americans living today, those born before 1945 whom Gallup calls "traditionalists," are much less likely than those in other birth cohorts to have tried marijuana, with just 19% saying they have done so. That compares with about half of millennials (51%), Generation Xers (49%) and baby boomers (50%). These generational figures are based on combined data from the 2015-2021 Consumption Habits surveys. Gallup does not yet have sufficient data to provide reliable estimates for Generation Z, the oldest of whom are 24 years old now. Comparing the most recent generational figures with data from the 1980s and 1990s finds little change in the rate of marijuana experimentation among baby boomers and Gen X. Combined data from the 1985 and 1999 Gallup polls shows that 44% of members of Gen X and 50% of baby boomers had tried marijuana as of then. During those years, a lower proportion of traditionalists than today had tried marijuana (10%). The increase in that group today compared with the 1980s and 1990s probably reflects the dying off of many of the oldest members of that generation, who were much less likely than younger traditionalists to have tried marijuana. Percentages of Americans in Each Generation Who Have Tried Marijuana, Over Time Keeping in mind that all of your answers in this survey are confidential, have you, yourself, ever happened to try marijuana? 1985-1999 2015-2021 % % All U.S. adults 34 45 Millennials (born 1981-1996) n/a 51 Gen X (born 1965-1990) 44 49 Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) 50 50 Traditionalists (born before 1946) 10 19 Gallup did not have sufficient data on millennials in 1985-1999 as the oldest members of that generation did not turn 18 until 1998. Gallup does not have sufficient data to provide reliable estimates for the portion of Generation Z (born after 1996) that has reached adulthood. Gallup Thus, with little change in generational rates of marijuana experimentation over time, the increase in the proportion of U.S. adults who have tried marijuana mainly reflects millennials replacing older traditionalists in the U.S. adult population. Younger Americans Most Likely to Smoke Marijuana While Americans born during the Baby Boom era or later differ little in whether they have tried marijuana, younger Americans are more likely than older Americans to say they currently smoke marijuana. The combined 2015-2021 data shows that 20% of millennials smoke marijuana, compared with 11% of Gen Xers, 9% of baby boomers and 1% of traditionalists. These age differences, which have been consistent in Gallup's polling, indicate that, at least historically, people tend to try marijuana at a younger age but as they get older, most no longer continue smoking it. In addition to the age differences in current marijuana smoking, Gallup has also found differences by gender, religiosity, political orientation and education: Sixteen percent of men, versus 9% of women, smoke marijuana. Just 3% of Americans who attend religious services weekly, and 6% who attend monthly, say they smoke marijuana. In contrast, 19% who seldom or never attend religious services do. Twenty-two percent of political liberals and 15% of Democrats regularly use marijuana, compared with 6% of conservatives and 7% of Republicans. The rate of marijuana consumption is 5% among those with a postgraduate education, compared with 14% of those with a four-year college degree or less. Bottom Line The percentage of Americans who have tried marijuana has steadily climbed in recent decades. Soon it should reach 50%, but it may not get much higher than that given the rates of experimentation have been steady around 50% in Gen Xers and among baby boomers. Half of millennials have also tried marijuana, and with many in that group approaching middle age, that proportion seems unlikely to increase in future years. As such, Gen Z's incidence of trying marijuana will likely determine the trajectory of the trendline. If Gen Z experimentation rates are similar to their predecessors', the percentage may soon level off. It could, however, continue to grow if Gen Z and succeeding generations try marijuana at rates above 50%. Gallup has a shorter trend line on current marijuana smoking. That percentage has been steady near 12% in recent years. Still, nearly as many Americans today say they smoke marijuana as say they smoke cigarettes , given the long-term decline in cigarette smoking. To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter. Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. View complete question responses and trends (PDF download). Yue Coco Dong, Cristobal Padilla Fortunatti, and Giselle Garcia-Rivero represented the University of Miamis Beta Tau Chapter of Sigma, the international honor society of nursing, during Sigmas 32nd International Nursing Research Congress, July 21 to 23. They were invited to contribute to the annual conferences Rising Stars of Research and Scholarship Invited Student Posters with presenters from over two dozen universities around North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Convened virtually due to continued COVID-19 restrictions, the Sigma Congress drew hundreds of nurse researchers, students, clinicians, and other leaders of the profession from around the world. Dong, an international student who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from the School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) this past May, presented the poster Health Promotion and Prevention of Alzheimers Disease. Dong has previous experience as a research assistant on projects related to dementia and epigenetics. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree. Sigma Rising Star Padilla Fortunatti recently defended his dissertation as a PhD in Nursing Science student at SONHS. He coauthored his Sigma conference posterExploring the Association of Psychological Distress, Social Support, and Family Satisfaction Among ICU Family Memberswith his mentor, SONHS Dean and Professor Cindy L. Munro. To gather evidence of the experience of family members during a patients intensive care unit (ICU) stay, the research team collected questionnaires from 63 family members of non-COVID-19 ICU patients. Main findings suggest that family members of ICU patients with higher levels of stress and low social support have lower satisfaction with the ICU care for both the patient and the family members. An early screening of psychosocial variables among ICU family members, as well as throughout the ICU stay, may contribute to identifying and supporting those family members at risk of a poor ICU experience. Dr. Padilla Fortunattis focus on these important issues stems from his time as an ICU nurse in his native Santiago, Chile, where he is currently an assistant clinical professor at Pontificia Universidad Catolicas school of nursing. He has been interested in the construct of family satisfaction as a measure of the ICU experience of family members and psychosocial outcomes for family members of critically ill patients. His research interests include family-centered care, Post-intensive Care Syndrome in family members of ICU survivors, nursing workload, and hospital-acquired infections in the ICU. Giselle Garcia-Riveros Rising Star poster addressed an issue close to her heart, Improving Access to Breastfeeding Support Among Minority Women. Increasing breastfeeding support for postpartum mothers is an area I am passionate about, both as a health care professional and as a mother, said Garcia-Rivero, who recently gave birth to her third child. Breastfeeding provides health benefits that can be appreciated immediately, such as reduced incidence of digestive issues, respiratory infections, and complications from these infections in infants, just to name a few. There is also evidence, she noted, that quality lactation support is one way to significantly improve a mothers confidence and long-term breastfeeding success. But while the Affordable Care Act ensures coverage for lactation consultants, the law stipulates that only licensed health care professionals may be reimbursed as in-network providers. That creates a coverage loophole in Florida, which has no state licensing mechanism for lactation consultants, even those who are internationally board certified. Minority women enrolled in Medicaid have lower income and experience greater health care and health disparities. Breastfeeding support is essential, but for these mothers in particular, not easily available or accessible, explained Garcia-Rivero, a Doctor of Nursing Practice student at SONHS who is implementing a breastfeeding support quality improvement project with The Womens Hospital at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Anticipated results of this project include passage of legislation for state professional licensure of certified lactation consultants. The expectation is that this would contribute to significantly improved breastfeeding statistics due to improved access to essential lactation support. This was the first Sigma Congress Rising Star presentation for all three SONHS participants. They were invited after being nominated by the associate deans of their respective programs and passing Sigmas Rising Star presenter qualifications. The nomination from Associate Dean Mary Hooshmand and Dean Munro to be a Rising Star has been an honor, to say the least, commented Garcia-Rivero. I am honored to represent our school and raise awareness of this issue on an international level. Event registration for the three Rising Stars was made possible by the schools Karen S. Muth Memorial Nursing Leaders Endowed Program Fund. We are grateful to the family of Karen Muth, B.S.N. 85, for supporting these future nurse leaders, said Dean Munro. I am so proud of the way in which our nominees and their high-caliber research represented our school at this prestigious international conference. To support future nurse leaders through the Karen S. Muth Memorial Nursing Leaders Endowed Program Fund, call 305-284-1785 or email pmetcalf@miami.edu. As the University of Miami School of Law welcomed first-year students for orientation on Monday, President Julio Frenk announced the selection of the schools interim dean. Nell Jessup Newton, a former Notre Dame Law School dean, will join the University as interim dean and visiting professor beginning this September. Newton, whose impressive academic and administrative accomplishments have made her a national leader in legal education for more than 20 years, will steer the law school through the next year during the search for a new dean. A tenured member of the faculty at Notre Dame Law School, Newton served as its 10th dean from 2009 to 2019, Frenk stated in his message to trustees, faculty and staff members, and law school students and alumni. Newton began her academic career at the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., where she was the first woman to earn tenure and promotion to full professor. As more women entered the legal academy, the D.C. Women Law Professors Group, which she helped organize, grew to include female law professors from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania. Newton would later become the first female dean of the law school at the University of Denver, where she got her start in law school administration. Prior to Notre Dame, Newton also served as the dean at UC Hastingsher alma materand the law school at the University of Connecticut. Her impressive body of legal scholarship has focused on American Indian Law, and she is the editor-in-chief of the only treatise on the subject, Cohens Handbook of Federal Indian Law. Jeffrey Duerk, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, noted that Nells leadership, experience, and national networknot to mention her impeccable academic credentials and ability to build coalitionsmake her the ideal candidate to serve in this role. Reached in South Bend, Indiana, where she is preparing for the move to Miami, Newton said, As we look to the future, I am excited to work with the law school faculty, staff, students, and alumniand the broader university communityto build on Miami Laws rich history, its academic strengths, and the unique opportunities of this moment. Frenk thanked professor Stephen Schnably, who served as acting dean this summer, for his steady hand and selfless service while we identified the best candidate to lead Miami Law through this important transition. In a message to the law schools Academic Review Committee, Deans Council, and Fundraising Committee, Schnably pointed out that at Notre Dame, Newton strengthened the schools focus on innovation and technology in legal education and practice; enhanced its experiential, interdisciplinary, and international programs; and expanded its career development office. Under Newtons leadership, Notre Dame built curricular strengths in business and international law as well as intellectual property. The school launched new clinical programs to assist the underserved, new specialized courses of study in law and policy, a J.D./MBA dual degree program, as well as exchange programs with half a dozen universities across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Newton has held numerous national positions in the legal education community. She served as a member (and chair from 2014-2016) of the board of trustees of the NALP (National Association for Law Placement) Foundation for Law Career Research and Education, and on several committees examining legal education issues for the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and the Law School Admission Council. Newton was among a list of potential candidates recommended and forwarded by a delegation of law faculty to Frenk, who thanked faculty members, alumni, students, and trustees for their perspectives and advice. The breadth of [Newtons] experience and expertise will allow her to seamlessly engage with students, faculty, staff, and alumni as we build on a legacy of scholarship, service, and social justice to strengthen our law school for the future, Frenk said. As students head back to in-person school, many parents and guardians across South Florida are nervously awaiting the potential for outbreaks of COVID-19 cases that could arise once millions of children come together again. Their fears are not unwarranted, University of Miami pediatricians say. In July, as the highly contagious Delta variant drove up the number of cases of COVID-19, childrenpreviously seen as a tiny subset of patients with this evolving diseasestarted being afflicted by the illness more often. Local childrens hospitals are now reporting more cases and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, last week 18 percent of the nations COVID-19 cases were children. University of Miami pediatricians say that number may rise as children head back to school. However, they added that there are ways that parents, guardians, and school personnel can help safeguard students from being infected. And these pediatricians all remain hopeful that COVID-19 vaccines will be approved for children younger than 12 years old this winter. The following pediatricians answered some questions about how the Delta variant is impacting children and about how adults can help curb the spread. Charles Mitchell is an infectious disease specialist and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine, where he has been teaching and treating patients at Holtz Childrens Hospital for three decades. Lisa Gwynn is an associate professor of pediatrics and public health and serves as interim division chief of child and adolescent health in the Department of Pediatrics. She is also director of the Pediatric Mobile Clinic, which offers free COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, along with all routine school vaccinations, to children across Miami-Dade County. Gwynn also serves on the superintendents school health task force for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Michael Nares is an intensive care specialist and associate professor of clinical pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the Miller School. Melvin Almodovar is chief of pediatric cardiology and director of the Childrens Heart Center in the Department of Pediatrics at the Miller School. As a result of the Delta surge, are you seeing more children with COVID-19 in the hospitals and at the clinics? Dr. Charles Mitchell Mitchell: We are definitely seeing an upswing in the number of hospitalized children now. During the early stages of the pandemic, we were treating mostly adults in higher risk groups, and we were seeing some multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children (which typically occurs after an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection), but we arent seeing that as much now. Most kids admitted to the hospital at this point have more symptomatic, acute COVID-19, meaning pneumonia symptoms. Thats different from last year. Also, lots of these patients do have risk factors like obesity, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary disorders, which are all conditions that have been recognized among adults as factors that increase the chance of hospitalization for COVID-19. Nares: Yes, we are seeing more COVID-19 pneumonia in patients at Holtz Childrens Hospital. And yes, they are still a small percentage of the total amount of COVID-19 hospitalized patients. About 2 percent of the hospitalized patients in the Jackson Memorial System are pediatric, but only 0.5-1 percent of all the COVID-19 positive patients are in our Intensive Care Unit. What sort of symptoms should parents and guardians look for if they suspect their child may have COVID-19? Dr. Michael Nares Mitchell: There are the usual symptoms we learned of earlier in the pandemic in adultslike shortness of breath, fever, and loss of taste or smell for a short time. But now we are also seeing more runny noses, coughing, and sneezing, too. If the coughing gets worse as the virus progresses, if a child is struggling to breathe or cant sleep or lay down, and if they are excessively tired during the day, or if they have a persistent fever, these are all things to look for and may indicate they need to get checked at a hospital. Gwynn: If kids get a cold, they need to get checked for COVID-19. Almodovar: As we are learning more about the Delta variant, we are noticing that the illness can evolve very rapidly. A child can start out with symptoms that seem like a cold, but it can quickly involve the lungs, heart, and other systems in the body and the transition can be very rapid. Symptoms like a runny nose, cough, low-grade fever, or muscle aches should prompt a parent to reach out to their pediatrician to make sure its not COVID-19. But if they are mentioning a fluttering in the chest or their heart racing, any difficulty breathing or an inability to lie flat, those demand a prompt response from the parent and evaluation by a pediatrician or hospital. How can children be protected from catching COVID-19 at school and elsewhere during the current surge? Dr. Lisa Gwynn Gwynn: Unfortunately, we are in the same position we were a year ago, and nothing has changed for those who arent vaccinated. Therefore, wearing a mask is the only way to protect kids younger than 12 years old. And now that weve learned that even vaccinated children and adults can still transmit the virus with the Delta variant, they need to wear a mask, too. If everyone wears a mask, hopefully, that should minimize the spread of the virus. Children should also sanitize their hands as often as possible and keep their distance from other kids at school as much as possible. In addition, the adults who are around children need to get vaccinated, too. Because the more this virus lives in humans, the more virulent it can become. That means the more humans who harbor COVID-19, the more the virus can mutate, and the stronger and more deadly it can get. We know how to get out of this pandemicwith masks, vaccines, and distancing and thats all we can do. Mitchell: The CDC has encouraged the use of masks in schools among children and staff. I think this will be critically important, but even more important is ensuring that all the teachers, the school staff, and the families of students are all vaccinatedto establish a ring of protection around the children. Nares: Another good public health measure is that children should not be sent to school if they have a fever or symptoms of a cold. Dr. Melvin Almodovar Almodovar: One of the things we can do to help protect our kids is to get vaccinated, because that will reduce their exposure to COVID-19. And when the FDA approves emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 12, parents should seriously consider it. Many parents with children older than the age of 12 are fearful about vaccinating them because of the possible side effectssuch as myocarditis among teenage boysso they choose not to. What do you think about this decision? Almodovar: Myocarditis is an inflammatory condition of the heart muscle where the hearts pumping ability can weaken, possibly with the development of extra heartbeats or arrhythmias. If the heart muscle is significantly weakened, heart failure symptoms can develop. These include excessive tiredness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, and even anxiety. In addition, extra heart beats (or arrhythmias) can lead to a feeling that the heart is racing or fluttering. Myocarditis is readily diagnosed by a cardiologist and, fortunately, myocarditis in childrenthat results in hospitalization or the need for intensive careis extremely rare, even in the era of COVID-19. At Holtz Childrens Hospital, we have not seen an increased rate of myocarditis that we attribute to active COVID-19 infection or COVID-19 vaccinations. We had two teenage patients this spring and early summer who presented with myocarditis a few days after being vaccinated, andlike many of the small number of patients reported to the CDCs vaccine reporting registryboth were treated and recovered with a short hospital stay. We have also seen kids with myocarditis who were not vaccinated, but coincidentally had evidence of a previous asymptomatic COVID-19 infection based on antibody testing. This raises the question of whether there are any delayed effects of a primary COVID-19 infection. Still, in my view, the risk of significant illness, including myocarditis, from COVID-19 vaccines appears to be low. I have 12- and 14-year-old children who are vaccinated because the risk of any significant vaccine-related side effects is very low, and it is lower than the risks of becoming sick and possibly dying from a COVID-19 infection, or its related condition, MIS-C. Gwynn: We look at the risks and benefits with every single vaccine that comes out; and without a vaccine, your child is more likely to get COVID-19 and can get very sick with complicationsincluding myocarditisas opposed to the very small chance of having side effects from the vaccine. Those teens and young adults who got myocarditis following the vaccine had very mild cases and all had a complete recovery. We dont know how COVID-19 affects everyone and your child may be the one who has severe complications from it, such as long haul COVID-19 syndrome, or others. Nares: The risks of side effects or complications from the vaccine are much, much, much less than the possible consequences of an infection with COVID-19. For the record, I have 15-year-old twins, and both were vaccinated as soon as the vaccine was available for their age group. If you would like to get your child tested or vaccinated for COVID-19 free of charge, the Pediatric Mobile Clinic and its Shotz-2-Go van is visiting schools and other locations in Miami-Dade County each week. Check their schedule; or call 305-243-6407 to get more information. HSI falls again as tech plays take battering The Hang Seng Index was in the red for the fourth straight day. Photo: Shutterstock Hong Kong and most regional shares extended their losses on Tuesday, rattled by concerns over regulatory tightening of the mainland internet sector and a worldwide spike in Covid-19 infections driven by the Delta variant. Tech shares dragged down the Hang Seng Index, which lost more than 550 points before ending the day down 435 points, or nearly 1.7 percent, at 25,745 for its fourth day of losses. Market turnover was HK$166.1 billion. Tencent lost 4.1 percent, Alibaba fell 4.8 percent and Meituan shed 3.5 percent. This came after mainland regulators issued new draft rules banning unfair competition and restricting the use of user data, the latest move by the central government to tighten control of the technology sector. The Shanghai Composite Index was down 2 percent, while the blue-chip CSI300 index shed 2.1 percent. The Shenzhen Composite fell 2.3 percent. Shares in Taiwan hit a fresh two-and-a-half-month low after retreating 1.2 percent. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei was in the red for a fourth straight day, giving up nearly 0.4 percent as concerns about the Delta coronavirus variant overshadowed optimism towards upbeat earnings. The Kospi in Seoul lost 0.9 percent. Singapore and Australian stocks were down by similar margins. Afghan applicants crowd into the Herat Kabul Internet cafe to apply for the Special Immigrant Visa program on August 8, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images Insider asked Americans about the number of special visas given to Afghans that helped the US. 41% supported increasing the number of visas from 19,000, the number allotted in a recent House bill. Just 15% said the number of visas should be decreased. See more stories on Insider's business page. Forty-one percent of Americans say the United States should increase the number of special visas issued to Afghans who aided US forces as now laid out in a House bill. That's according to a new Insider poll conducted through SurveyMonkey Audience, which reached 1,105 respondents on August 16-17. A plurality of respondents -- about 44% -- said they either wanted the number of visas to stay the same or did not have a position. But just 15% said the US should decrease the number of visas issued. While the US is currently issuing 11,000 so-called "Special Immigrant Visas," a bill still awaiting a vote in the Senate would set that number to 19,000. Ahead of that bill's vote, respondents were asked "Do you think the number of special visas for Afghans who aided US forces should be changed from the current level of 19,000?" Significantly increased: 23% Somewhat increased: 18% Stay about the same: 20% Somewhat decrease: 7% Significantly decrease: 8% I don't know: 24% A majority of those who had an opinion about the number of available visas backed increasing it above the current level in the legislation. SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weight its sample based on race or income. Polling data collected 1,105 respondents August 16-17, 2021 with a 3 percentage point margin of error. Read the original article on Business Insider I wanted to tell the story in a way that showed Aaliyah was dynamic outside of anyone she had worked with, outside of anything that we chose to define her by, writer Kathy Iandoli says. Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah by music journalist and author Kathy Iandoli is officially out. With this biography, Iandoli (also the author of God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop and co-author of rapper Lil Kims upcoming memoir, The Queen Bee) wanted to give a panoramic view of Aaliyahs life and tell the story of a dynamic woman we lost too soon. Aaliyah Dana Haughton was 14-years-old when she began working on her first album in 1993. In 1994, she released Age Aint Nothing But a Number. She followed it up with One in a Million in 1996 and her final self-titled album, Aaliyah, in 2001. She was also featured on soundtracks such as Dr. Dolittle, Romeo Must Die, Next Friday, and the 1997 animated film Anastasia. She was also a model for Tommy Hilfiger and she graced the big screens for films, starring as Trish O Day in Romeo Must Die and Queen Akasha in Queen of the Damned. Aaliyah Dana Haughton died in a plane crash after filming a video in the Bahamas. (Photo: Getty Images). Aaliyah, 22, Anthony Dodd, Eric Foreman, Scott Gallin, Keeth Wallace, Gina Smith, Douglas Kratz, Christopher Maldonado, and Luis Morales lost their lives in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001. During an interview with theGrio, Iandoli shares how she didnt want the biography to focus on the events, which included an annulled marriage between former R&B superstar R. Kelly and the then-underage teen, that took place in 94-95. It was time to tell a story that honored the entertainer in a way that showed that those years didnt define her. I dont like seeing Aaliyahs name and R. Kelly always happening side by side, says Iandoli. I wanted to tell the story in a way that showed that this woman was dynamic outside of anyone she had worked with, outside of anything that we chose to define her by. There [have] been other books about her in the past, Iandoli continues. Theyre great books, but I thought they sanitized an artist who was a human. Thats one thing that I think tends to happen with musicians, particularly Black female musicians. Black women are superheroes in general. But when you take away from the human aspect, youre not allowing them to feel. We werent allowing Aaliyah to have feelings, we werent allowing Aaliyah to exist beyond this bubble of what weve created around her. Story continues Aaliyah was known for her angelic spirit. In this biography, we get to see another side of the entertainer through interviews Iandoli conducted with artists, such as Lil Kim and Jim Jones. Aaliyah arrives, August 6, 2000, at the 2000 Teen Choice Awards in Santa Monica, CA. (Photo by Chris Weeks/Liaison) She was just a down a** chick, like she was just so dope, Iandoli expresses. Coming to find out that she was related to [Tek] of Boot Camp Clik and thats how she got on the [Night Riders] remix Oh, my gosh. These are things that, like the fan in me, was like all just ghast about. Those kinds of stories I learned a lot. The author also reflects on an excerpt from the biography that had the internet going off before the release of the book, the chapter that discusses the story behind the hit song Are You That Somebody. I didnt know the story behind Are You That Somebody, says Iandoli. It kind of blew up in my face because of a headline that I most definitely didnt write. I love the idea that Static Major used that song as a way to kind of express himself to her. I really hated how it was turned around in the media, but I still think that story is adorable and I stand by that story. When asked what it was like emotionally writing the book, Iandoli revealed that it was difficult but also probably one of the most rewarding writing processes that shes ever done. I wrote those chapters first, the ones that I knew were going to be the most emotionally distressful, says Iandoli. I think I cried for about two weeks. That process was hard. Most fans of Aaliyah, you love her dearly, and hearing about her through people who knew her and loved her as well, you got the sense that she was someone who was actually universally loved by the people who actually knew her. Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah has received early praises from the likes of Questlove, Robert Glasper, and Nelson George. Aaliyah fans who keep her legacy alive via social media also praised the book. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. But theres also some backlash, which Iandoli acknowledges. Some fans voiced concerns that the Haughton family isnt a part of the book. Iandoli did reach out to the estate to inform them about the book and ask for the Haughtons participation, but they declined. Other Twitter accounts have brought up Iandolis race. I understand the apprehension, says Iandoli. I understand why it would be jarring to see an Italian girl from New Jersey putting this book together. But I can assure anyone who reads the book that this was done lovingly, this was done fairly, this was done with heavy, heavy research and in part [with a] heavy, heavy heart. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. As a woman, as a feminist, I had to show her superpower as a woman, Iandoli adds. I cant connect as Im not Black. I cant connect in that way, but I can connect as a woman. To those who are skeptical about reading the book, Iandoli says I hope that they give me a chance. After all this time in the music industry, I hope I built a reputation on being fair, balanced, and 150% ally. In 2021, people still rave about how Aaliyah was ahead of her time. The futuristic sound of Aaliyahs artistry still has a lasting imprint and can be found throughout artists in the industry. Drake, Teyana Taylor, Sevyn Streeter, Usher, Normani, Chris Brown, Victoria Monet, KeKe Palmer, Rapsody (featured in the book), Kash Doll (featured in the book), have either paid homage in their own way, spoke highly of the entertainer or acknowledged how influential she was. In the dance community, her music is still sought after for classes and choreographers have made tributes dedicated to her. Aaliyahs contribution to the fashion world is still lingering today as well. Her tomboy chic style has transcended fashion for the last two decades. This month will mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Baby Girl. Well get to celebrate her legacy with this biography along with her music finally coming to streaming platforms: One in a Million (Aug. 20), Aaliyah (Sept. 20), and I Care 4 U + Ultimate Aaliyah compilation albums (Oct. 8). Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah by Kathy Iandoli can be purchased here. 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 Aaliyah biography Baby Girl tells story of dynamic human being appeared first on TheGrio. , (Reuters) - Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet that he will hold a news conference on Tuesday at a media centre in Kabul that was previously used by the Afghan government. Mujahid said media representatives and journalists could come to the media centre. (Reporting by Rupam Jain, Writing by Jane Merriman, Editing by Catherine Evans) Haris Tarin, a 42-year old Afghan-American, feels as if he is reliving the past as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. Marching into Kabul on Sunday, Taliban fighters sought the unconditional surrender of the country's central government. Chaos ensued as President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and families rushed to the airport, trying to flee. Meanwhile, in the United States, Afghan-Americans like Tarin are living in fear over what may happen to their loved ones back home. Tarin said he has cousins, close friends and family living in Afghanistan who believe in democracy, a better life, education for women and freedom of expression. But, now, he says, that hope is gone. "My mother spoke to my cousin yesterday, and my cousin just wouldn't stop crying. So we're shattered on a very personal level because of what's happening in our country of origin," Tarin said. "My extended family and cousins are staying inside the house, fearful as to what will happen." Tarin immigrated to the U.S. with his immediate family as refugees in 1986 during the Soviet war. When the Taliban took over in 1996, Tarin said, he would hear stories of what his family in Afghanistan had to go through. "My uncle, who was living at that time in Kabul, was beaten by the Taliban for not having a long enough beard. My aunt was killed by a rocket that fell into the house that they were living in," Tarin said. "Now as an adult, I'm reliving all of this again. "I am heartbroken and shattered, to see this really slow-motion horror movie playing out in front of your eyes. That trauma is just it feels like you are being retraumatized again." Timeline: US withdrawal and Taliban recapture of Afghanistan Taliban takeover: Afghanistan in chaos as thousands try to flee Kabul Ahmad Tariq Bahij, 35, says he has taken the week off from work to focus on his family in Afghanistan. "I'm not able to concentrate at all, and I am just all over the place. I'm really concerned about my family members, because my sister, my stepmother, and my brother, they all were working for U.S. government projects," Bahij said. "And we had their essential immigrant applications pending for more than four years." Story continues Bahij advised his family not to go to the airport, so they are in lockdown mode in the city, scared that anything could happen. His stepmother and father were confronted by the Taliban in 1996. "On two occasions she was beaten by the Taliban, very badly, because she had gone out from the house without a man accompanying her," Bahij said. "My father was out from a mosque, and he was asked to go to the next one. And when he had argued with them that he already completed his prayers, he was beaten. "Everything went back to zero, I would say even to minus, with the Taliban taking over the government. It's a terrible situation." What we know: How did the Taliban retake Afghanistan so quickly? For Afghan-Americans, time is ticking as they are lost in the thought of when they will see their loved ones again. Abdullah Habibzai, 36, hasn't slept an hour for the past three days. He worked with the U.S. government and was appointed the acting mayor of Kabul in 2016 but left his position in 2018 and came to the U.S. in 2020. "I'm totally devastated right now because I left family behind. They are in the process to immigrate to Canada because they worked faithfully for the U.S. government. Now they are left behind," Habibzai said. "Now I'm counting seconds, not minutes, seconds that they might be heard, they might be held." He said billions of dollars were spent by the U.S. government on Afghanistan, and he is devastated by what has been lost. Safi Stanikzai, 32, has kept in contact with his cousins and extended family in Afghanistan, and he said they are doing fine but the shops are all closed. He also has friends in a few other districts and has created a group chat with everyone living in the area. "From the past week, I didn't sleep well like everyone is thinking about. If you have family and in such a situation, everyone is concerned about it," Stanikzai said. Stanikzai lived in Kabul during the Taliban regime as a student and remembers that the security was high and that the people had no freedom. "I remember everyone was trying to leave the country. My two brothers, at that time, left Afghanistan and went to Iran, just to support us," Stanikzai said. He says his friends have been notifying him that some members of the Taliban have entered the homes of Afghan officials to retrieve any weapons out of their houses. "No one has come or knocked the doors or asked my family to get out the door. Till now. We don't know about tomorrow." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Afghan Americans fear what may happen to family in Afghanistan By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK (Reuters) - Traders in U.S. equity options do not expect the Federal Reserves symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming later this month to spark big moves in stocks, even as a focus on the Fed's taper timeline amplifies the buzz around the annual event, data and interviews with market participants showed. Investors typically place bets, or hedges, that would protect their portfolios around events that could generate market volatility. While there has been some hedging demand ahead of Jackson Hole, it pales in comparison with what was seen in the run-up to potentially consequential events in the recent past, such as last years presidential election, the Georgia Senate runoffs earlier this year and the Feds last monetary policy meeting, a Reuters analysis showed. GRAPHIC: Little fear https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-MARKETS/znpneebbnvl/chart.png Strategists gave several reasons why investors have gone lighter on protection against market swings that could occur around the Aug. 26-28 symposium, where some believe Fed Chair Jerome Powell may give insight on plans for tapering the $120 billion-a-month government bond buying-program that has helped fuel the S&P 500s double from its March 2020 lows. One possibility is timing. Some investors believe the Fed will want to see more data before announcing taper plans, making the central bank's September meeting a more likely date for outlining a possible unwind. Around 65% of economists polled by Reuters expect the Fed to announce a plan to taper its asset purchases only in September. For his part, Powell has said the central bank is "a ways off" from meeting the threshold for tapering, even as other Fed officials have given competing timelines for unwinding bond purchases. History also suggests the Fed chair's speech at Jackson Hole has not sparked big market moves in the short term. The S&P 500 Index logged an average move of 0.6% in either direction on the day of the Fed chairs speech over the last 10 years, a Reuters analysis showed. Story continues S&P 500 options are currently pricing a 1-day move of about 1%, according to Matt Amberson of analytics firm ORATS. Ilya Feygin, senior strategist at WallachBeth Capital, is among those who believe the event will yield little to spark market turbulence. He points to recent speakers such as Fed Governor Lael Brainard, who said the central bank needs to see more improvement in the labor market before pulling back on support for the economy. "It's most likely that the outcome will be a lot of nothing from Jackson Hole," he said. HEDGING FATIGUE Investors hesitance to pay up for hedges ahead of Jackson Hole may also be part of a broader trend that has seen options players forego protection as markets have quickly snapped back from declines on a flurry of dip buying. The S&P 500 has gone 276 calendar days without a pullback of 5% or more, its ninth-longest such streak, and the longest one since January 2018, according to Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA. "Outright hedges have not been overly rewarding even though we have seen some chop here and there," said Jon Cherry, global head of options at Northern Trust Capital Markets. To be sure, hedging might pick up closer to the symposium. And while traders may be displaying little appetite for hedges against modest pullbacks, demand for protection against an outsized drop in stocks remains historically high despite weeks of relatively placid trading. For instance, Nations TailDex, which measures the cost of hedging against a 3-standard deviation move in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, is higher than it has been about 85% of the time over the last five years, suggesting investors believe the market can quickly recover from a modest pullback but may have a long way to fall if hit with a more serious shock. Analysts at BoFA Global Research cautioned that past instances when the S&P has gone long without a 5% pullback ended with upsurges of volatility in August 2015 and February 2018. "History suggests to tread carefully from here, as some of the largest fragility shocks have been preceded by similar episodes of extreme market steadiness," the bank's analysts wrote. (Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; Editing by Andrea Ricci) Autoblog The California Chevrolet dealer whose technician was caught street racing a Dodge Charger in a customer's C8 Corvette has made good by allowing the owner to trade in his car on a replacement at the dealer's expense taxes and all. Earlier this summer, the customer brought his 2021 Corvette in to Freemont Chevrolet to diagnose an engine tick, which turned out to be nothing more than a loose spark plug. NIAMEY (Reuters) -Unidentified armed men have killed 37 civilians, including 14 children, in an attack on a village in southwest Niger, according to internal security service memos and a local official. The attack occurred on Monday in the commune of Banibangou, in the Tillabery region near the Malian border, where Islamist militants have massacred hundreds of civilians this year. The government did not respond to requests for comment on the information shared by two security sources and confirmed by a local official who attended a mass funeral in the village. Armed groups in the Tillabery and Tahoua regions have killed over 420 civilians and driven tens of thousands of others from their homes in 2021, New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said in an Aug. 11 report. The attacks are part of a wider conflict spanning the borderlands of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in Africa's Sahel region where jihadists linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are seeking to take control. Niger alone has seen a sharp rise in attacks on civilians this year, including some of the worst routs in living memory. In March, attackers killed 137 in coordinated raids in the Tahoua region and in January over 100 people were killed in the same region as Monday's attack. (Reporting by Moussa Aksar, Boureima Balima and Amadou Gare;Writing by Alessandra Prentice and Hereward Holland; Editing by Edward McAllister and Alison Williams) Aug. 17BERLIN Berlin leaders still have time to decide how they'll spend the town's share of one-time funds from the American Rescue Plan Act passed earlier this year by Congress. So far, though, the problem has been finding a use for the money that fits the act's stringent requirements. Starting this year and continuing in 2022, Berlin is set to receive twin payments totaling $109,000 under the act, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 response measure that will send out $350 billion in direct funding to state and local governments nationwide. And though it's still early in the decision-making process, Berlin mayor Patrick Bates has found at least one local improvement where the money could be used so long as the town council agrees. At Berlin's regular council meeting Monday, Bates pitched the idea of using $100,000 in Rescue Act funds to pay the Cullman Electric Cooperative to extend its Sprout rural internet service infrastructure to the Walker Heights subdivision. While Sprout has been built out to serve the majority of Berlin residents, its network doesn't currently reach Walker Heights residents. Bates said using Rescue Act funds to make the upgrade is, at least to date, the only qualifying use for the money he's been able to identify. "I'm ready to hear another idea to use it on, and we've got time to spend the money a few years, even, if we want to just sit on it and see," he said. "But when I looked at the list of what we can spend it on and what we qualify for, it's a very, very small list. This is the only thing I've come up with that we could actually spend it on. "It doesn't directly affect our town, but one side effect of doing this would be that they've got to run [the Sprout network] through a portion of the county to get the service out to us," he added. "In the process, they'd also go ahead and extend their network to everybody who lives along that path. So it would help us, but incidentally, it would also help some county people who don't live in Berlin." If the town does decide to pay for the expansion, it would apply only to compensating the Co-op for building out its network infrastructure not, Bates noted, for subsidizing residential internet bills. "It would only be used to pay the Co-op to expand the network," he said. The council will discuss the proposal again at its September meeting. Bates shared a draft resolution codifying the measure with council members on Monday, giving them time ahead of that meeting to weigh its merits, as well as come up with other potential uses for the town's Rescue Act funds. At 18, Danielle Bregoli, AKA Bhad Bhabie, is already well-versed in real estate. Five years after an appearance on Dr. Phil her mother pleaded for his help controlling her car-stealing, knife-wielding, twerking 13-year-old daughter which yielded the meme-worthy saying Cash me ousside, howbow dah? the would-be rapper is considering paying cash for a $4 million, fully furnished home in Boca Raton, Fla., with space for her two dogs, three cars (a Bentley, a BMW and a souped-up Jeep) and a walk-in closet big enough to put a bed in, she says resolutely while seated alongside her manager, Dan Roof, at a San Fernando Valley steakhouse on a mid-July afternoon. The waterfront manse shes eyeing is a 20-minute drive from Boynton Beach, where Bregoli grew up, but a world away. Bocas median personal income is $67,531; in Boynton Beach, 10% of residents live below the poverty line. And while Bregoli spends part of her time in Los Angeles, where she rents a 6,000-square-foot contemporary in Woodland Hills, she sees Florida for what it is: a tax haven. Says the incredulous self-made multimillionaire: All my cars and stuff are registered in Florida. Im not about to pay these taxes! Bregoli in a hot pink unitard with bright pink hair holds a microphone close to her face in front of a black background (Cooper Neill / Getty Images) Bregoli is the first to assert her financial success was achieved with little support from the music industry. Signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 at 14, based on the strength of the viral These Heaux, which landed her the honor of becoming the youngest female rapper to debut on the Billboard Hot 100, Bhad Bhabie was able to land features by hip-hop heavies like Lil Baby, Ty Dolla $ign, YG, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black and City Girls on her 2018 debut album, 15. (Currently topping her collaboration wish list: Young Thug.) But placement on popular playlists like Spotifys Rap Caviar eluded her, despite having accrued hundreds of millions of streams on the platform. (Representatives from Spotify were not available for comment.) Bregoli and her team suggest the label didnt properly promote her music, but company sources counter that claim, pointing to the DSPs reticence when it came to playlisting Bhad Bhabie, which extended beyond Spotify. Story continues To hear music business insiders tell it, Bhad Bhabie has a credibility problem among hip-hop gatekeepers. Its hard to take her seriously, says one such tastemaker. Shes promoting acting irresponsibly, offers another, pointing to her racy lyrics and real-life dustups captured on social media and later dissected on Instagram Live by Bregoli in meticulous play-by-play detail. Bregoli in a floor length sparkling gown and ponytail deadpans to the camera (Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images for dcp) Antics aside, Bregoli is no dummy when it comes to money. Although she wasnt allowed by law to access her bank account as a minor, she amassed a small fortune from branding deals, including upwards of $2 million for product placements in Bhad Bhabie videos and online endorsements for apparel brand Fashion Nova. Elsewhere on social media, Bregoli racks up $40,000 a post to her 9 million Snapchat devotees, not to mention promotions to her 17 million Instagram followers, YouTube views (she boasts 7.6 million subscribers) and royalties from her platinum-certified singles and 1 billion-plus streams. On deck: beauty, hair and nail products bearing the Bhad Bhabie name (at last count, Bregoli tallied 70 tattoos on every part of her body, though so far shes left her face untouched). My main business manager, whos been with me since I was like 15, when my mom had control of everything, tells me, Everyone thinks that youre going to blow it, but I think youre going to do great, she says of her finances. And when I turned 18, I started making so much money when I started doing OnlyFans. And when I say making money, I mean, I could retire right now if I wanted to. Bregoli looks over her tattooed shoulder at the camera in a tight shot on the red carpet (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic) Launched in 2016, subscription platform OnlyFans has gained notoriety as a favorite of sex workers, who are able to charge subscribers, or fans, for exclusive content deemed too provocative for Instagram. Six days after turning 18 in April, Bregoli made $1 million in her first six hours on the platform, breaking the OnlyFans record and sparking a fair share of criticism (although scantily clad, Bregoli assures shes showing only what shes comfortable with) to which she responded by giving the world the proverbial middle finger, as she has countless times before. Since her debut, that number has ballooned exponentially, though she and Roof decline to get into specifics. Imagine where its at now, months later, Bregoli says. Bhad Bhabie found a way to turn a negative situation into a life-changing moment, catapulting herself to social media fame, but whats next? says marketer and cultural curator Karen Civil, who notes that her arguments and fights seem to play front and center. Civil adds: With her (music) career being stagnant, it makes me question, is rapping really her endgame? To that end, Bhad Bhabie having parted ways with Atlantic is looking to release music on her own. I dont do music cause I need money from it, she says, reveling in a co-sign of sorts from Cardi B. Her former labelmate recently said on Instagram: Im so proud of Bhad Bhabie, her growth is beautiful. Im hearing (shes) making a lot of money. Im talking about millions. When people are making big money, I respect it. I dont give a f--- how they make it. The sentiment falls in line with the theme of her new song Role Model, which Bregoli says was inspired by a real-life Joseph County, Michigan judge who reprimanded a teenager in his courtroom (virtually), cautioning her, Is the Cash me outside girl your role model? (The teen replied, sheepishly, No, sir, its not.) The songs forthcoming video, in which Bregoli plays school teacher in black stilettos and leather, features a send-up of the exchange. a young Bregoli in jeans and a tank clasps her hands and phone together in front of a large green background of a bush of some sort (gotpap/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images) Bregoli doesnt purport to be anything other than what she is and says its up to parents to properly raise their kids, including monitoring their exposure to explicit lyrics. Even Cardi B, she turns that shit off when her kid comes around, she says, referring to the song WAP with Megan Thee Stallion. You are the one who should put restrictions on your childs youth. Coming from the uber-rebel herself, whose stunts got her national recognition, thats a rich statement, but Bregoli takes no responsibility and makes no apologies. I never wanted to be famous, she says matter-of-factly. I wasnt working my a-- off all night trying to make a name for myself. I was handed it. And instead of being an embarrassment and a joke for the rest of my life, I became something successful and something that people can choose to look up to for the right reasons or choose not to. I dont give a f---. This story first appeared on Variety.com. Mining giant BHP is set to leave the FTSE 100 index after unveiling plans to scrap the dual listing of its shares in London and Sydney. The company, part of the UK's blue chip index since 2001, will move its main listing to Australia as part of a huge shake up announcement on Tuesday. BHP regularly tops the list of the FTSE 100's biggest companies, depending on fluctuations in market values. The move will see some investor funds that track the FTSE sell BHP shares. "Now is the right time to unify BHP's corporate structure," said Ken MacKenzie, chairman of the world's biggest listed mining comany. "BHP will be simpler and more efficient, with greater flexibility to shape our portfolio for the future. "Our plans announced today will better enable BHP to pursue opportunities in new and existing markets and create value and returns over generations." The move comes as BHP announced it was combining its oil and gas assets with Australia's Woodside, creating one of the world's 10 biggest producers of liquified natural gas. BHP's chief executive, Mike Henry, is trying the shift the company's focus towards metals such as copper and nickel, and away from fossil fuels. BHP has also put its last thermal coal mine up for sale. Pressure for change Abandoning the dual listing unwinds a structure that has been in place since 2001, when Australia's BHP merged with the UK's Billiton. The company was known as BHP Billiton until 2017. Consumer goods giant Unilever also abandoned its dual structure more than three years ago when it chose London above Amsterdam. BHP told shareholders that its pre-tax profit had risen to 17.8bn in the last financial year, up from 9.8bn. It was the best annual profit in almost a decade, fuelled by soaring iron ore prices. Under the merger of the oil and gas assets with Woodside, BHP shareholders will have a 48% stake in the new company. BHP had come under pressure from some shareholders, notably activist investor Elliott Advisors, to simplify its structure. Story continues Supporters of simplification argued it would make it easier for BHP to raise money, do deals, and return money to shareholders. But BHP had said any gains would be less than the cost of change. On Tuesday, BHP's market value was about 128bn, second in size in the FTSE 100 only to drugs firm AstraZeneca, which is worth about 131bn. BHP is the biggest company on the Australian stock exchange. Jamie Maddock, equity research analyst at Quilter Cheviot, said BHP's departure was bad news for UK-focused investors as some asset managers and index tracking funds would be forced to sell their shares. However, the move will also reduce significantly the FTSE 100's exposure to the mining sector. Big news and developments in the mining sector can affect shares across the wider index. WASHINGTON President Biden rushed back from Camp David on Monday to address the rapidly deteriorating situation in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, now under effective control of a resurgent Taliban. But even as he did so, in a televised afternoon address, Biden firmly rejected calls for continued military engagement. Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation building. It was never supposed to be creating a unified, centralized democracy, he said. The president argued that the goal was to eliminate the threat of al-Qaida, the terrorist organization that had set up base there in the 1990s before launching a series of attacks against Western interests that culminated in the destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. He noted that U.S. forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden when Biden was President Barack Obamas vice president. That was a decade ago, he emphasized. It was a striking departure from the kind of aspirational approach promised by President George W. Bush, who launched Operation Enduring Freedom after the 9/11 attacks, which quickly dislodged the Taliban from power. He routinely promised that after al-Qaida was vanquished, a stable and democratic Afghanistan would emerge. A democratic Afghanistan will serve the interests and just aspirations of all of the Afghan people and help ensure that terror finds no further refuge in that proud land, Bush said in 2004. Obama in 2009 sent an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, a move Biden opposed at the time. President Biden delivers remarks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on Monday. (Brendan SmialowskiI/AFP via Getty Images) As Biden noted in his remarks on Monday, he was the fourth president to oversee a conflict whose length and intractability few policymakers seemed to anticipate. He vowed not to have a fifth confront the same conundrum. I know my decision will be criticized, he said. But I would rather take all that criticism than pass this responsibility on to yet another president. Criticism has indeed been intense, with accusations that Biden badly mismanaged the withdrawal of U.S. forces and failed to anticipate how quickly the Taliban would storm back across Afghanistan, which they now control once again, effacing 20 years of American military and diplomatic efforts. Story continues Scenes of Afghan civilians trying to scramble onto American aircraft recalled images of the fall of Saigon 46 years ago, as the Vietnam War came to an ignominious end. Republicans seized on the disorder in Kabul to criticize Biden, who has largely proven immune to their attacks when it comes to domestic affairs. Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport on Monday after the Taliban takeover. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images) President Biden needs to man up, come out of hiding, and take charge of the mess he created. Secure the airfields and get as many souls out as possible, said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., in a statement. Time is short. A withdrawal of U.S. forces had been negotiated by Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump, signaling that a conflict that began after the Sept. 11 attacks would finally end around the 20th anniversary of those attacks. On Sunday, Trump called on Biden to resign in disgrace. Biden conceded on Monday that the collapse of Afghanistans government did unfold more quickly than we anticipated. Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, fled on Sunday as Taliban fighters entered Kabul. Those fighters easily overwhelmed the Afghan National Army, which the U.S. spent $88 billion to train and equip. American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight, Biden said, a conviction that has guided his approach to Afghanistan for years. At the same time, he warned that any Taliban targeting of Americans would not be tolerated. We will defend our people with devastating force, if necessary, the president warned. ____ Read more from Yahoo News: President Biden, in remarks at the White House Monday, defended his administrations much-maligned handling of the evacuation of Afghan allies. I know there are concerns about why we didnt begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner, Biden said. Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier, still hopeful for their country. Part of it is because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid us from triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence. President Biden speaking about Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House on Monday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Afghans who are in danger from Taliban forces because of their work providing interpretation, security, cultural advice, intelligence or other services to the U.S.-led military coalition are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas, or SIVs. On Monday, Biden noted that last month, under a program called Operation Allies Refuge, the U.S. began transporting around 2,000 Afghans who were in the final stages of applying for an SIV to Fort Lee in Virginia, where they could complete the process before being resettled elsewhere in the U.S. In the coming days, the U.S. military will provide assistance to move [Special Immigrant Visa]-eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan, Biden said. He added that the State Department is expanding refugee access to include other categories of eligible Afghans, including current and former employees of U.S.-based news organizations and nongovernmental organizations in Afghanistan and U.S.-government-funded programs, along with their spouses and children. State Department spokesman Ned Price also highlighted the work of Operation Allies Refuge during a press conference Monday afternoon, calling it a a gargantuan U.S. effort not only to process, adjudicate and to grant visas to these so-called special immigrants, but to actually bring them to the United States with a massive airlift operation. It's been through that operation that 2,000 Afghans have been able to reach the United States, said Price. Most of those Afghans have been able to start their new lives through resettlement agencies. Story continues State Department spokesman Ned Price holds a press briefing about Afghanistan on Monday. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) Since 2008, more than 70,000 Afghan allies and their families have been able to move to the United States through the Special Immigrant Visa program. But the program has long been plagued by delays, and earlier this year it was estimated that 18,000 Afghan allies and 53,000 family members remained in the processing backlog. A bipartisan group of 21 lawmakers wrote to Biden in April and again on June 4 highlighting the potential problem, saying, We are increasingly concerned that you have not yet directed the Department of Defense [to] be mobilized as part of a concrete and workable whole of government plan to protect our Afghan partners. The current SIV process will not work, wrote the Honoring Our Promises Working Group co-leads, Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Jason Crow, D-Colo. It takes an average of 800+ days, and we plan to withdraw in less than 100 days. While our working group is investigating various process efficiencies and options for expanding the number of SIVs available, it is clear that the process will not be rectified in time to help the 18,000+ applicants who need visas before our withdrawal. In April, the Biden administration was also blasted by fellow Democrats and resettlement groups for its decision to keep a historically low cap on refugee admissions put in place by former President Donald Trump. After the pushback, the White House reversed the decision and raised the number. It was not until late July that Biden approved up to $100 million in emergency funding to assist Afghan refugees before expanding eligibility in early August. Last week, the administration was asking other countries if they would consider taking in Afghan refugees. We are grateful that there are assurances of relocation of Afghan allies alongside American civilians, though it is unfortunate this urgency has only been spurred months later by a dire security situation, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, late last week about the efforts. Anything less than a full evacuation of all allies and their family members in danger would be an abdication of our moral responsibility. Vignarajah disputed Bidens explanation for the delayed evacuation, saying in another statement Monday afternoon, The administration's claim that many Afghans did not want to leave the country earlier is inconsistent with our experience working with Afghan allies. As the conditions in Kabul deteriorated, highlighted by images of chaos from the airport, congressional pressure continued to mount on the Biden administration. Dire conditions on the ground persist today and without swift, decisive action from the administration, Afghan civilians will suffer or die at the hands of the Taliban, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said in a statement Monday. Shaheen, a member of both the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, called on the Biden administration to evacuate the SIV applicants and waive parts of the SIV process that can no longer be feasibly conducted in Afghanistan due to the Taliban takeover. The same should be done for Afghans who assisted the U.S. mission through non-governmental organizations and aid agencies, and other vulnerable populations such as journalists, human rights defenders and women leaders, she added. Biden, in his speech Monday, vigorously defended the withdrawal. I stand squarely behind my decision, the president said, conceding that the collapse of the central government in Kabul did unfold more quickly than we anticipated. The war in Afghanistan began in 2001 under President George W. Bush following the 9/11 attacks and continued through the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Trump negotiated with the Taliban for a withdrawal of U.S. troops set for May of this year, a deadline the Biden administration pushed back to Aug. 31. ____ Read more from Yahoo News: SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The Brazilian government is considering suing national newspaper Estado de S. Paulo for a July 22 article that stated that Defense Minister Walter Souza Braga Netto had threatened the 2022 election, Braga Netto told lawmakers in Brasilia on Tuesday. The article, which cited anonymous sources, said that Braga Netto had told the head of Brazil's lower house that the election would not take place if it was not conducted via printed ballot, a measure pushed by right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. Both Braga Netto and House Speaker Arthur Lira denied the report. (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo; Writing by Gram Slattery) Miles Routledge said he'd 'landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people in the British Army'. (Miles Routledge/Facebook) A British student who claimed to have been stuck in Afghanistan on a "danger holiday" says he has been evacuated. Miles Routledge, 21, from Birmingham, said in a series of Facebook posts on Tuesday that he was being transported out of the country, which has been effectively conquered by the Taliban in recent days. He said he was on a flight scheduled to fly to Dubai and posted a picture of what appeared to be the inside of an aircraft. Later on Tuesday, Routledge posted a video and declared he had a 'happy ending' as he'd 'landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British army.' Miles Routledge in what he said was a UN safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Twitch) Watch: Britons evacuated from Afghanistan arrive in UK Routledge had said previously that he was staying at a United Nations safe house in Kabul. There were chaotic scenes at the city's international airport on Monday as thousands of people gathered in a desperate attempt to flee the country. In less than two weeks the Taliban were able to conquer almost all of Afghanistan after the US pulled out of the country and the government's military all but collapsed. Routledge wrote on Tuesday: Got evacuated at 4ish with 100 or so other civilians. "The Taliban let us go through the airport and we met many of them. Some took selfies with them. "I slept on a dirt/gravel road and woke up as cars went by. Were in a new safe house and were all hydrated, happy and ready for a few hours of sleep. Routledge said he had booked his trip to Afghanistan after watching tourism videos on YouTube. When he was unable to secure a refund for his flights after the Taliban insurgency took hold, he decided to travel there anyway. He documented his trip online, using streaming platform Twitch and controversial right-wing message board 4chan. He admitted he was ready to die after the Taliban's lightning offensive capture Kabul in a matter of days. In his Twitch videos, Routledge, a physics student at Loughborough University, said: "I genuinely thought I was going to die. Story continues "I should be safe. If I die, I die, but if not, its all good." On Monday, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are aware of this case and are attempting to reach the individual to offer assistance. "We are working hard to contact all the British nationals we are aware of who remain in Afghanistan, to help them leave the country." Routledge claimed he had been questioned by the Taliban about where he was from - he told them he was from Wales, adding they did not know where Wales was, so let him go. He also said he had walked past a convoy of armed Taliban fighters and posed for a selfie on one of their gun emplacements. Miles Routledge said he travelled to Afghanistan for a holiday. (Facebook) He reportedly told friends on social media: "Ive bitten off more than I can chew and something has not gone to plan resulting in this situation. "There was no convincing me otherwise and I knew the risks, it was a gamble I took that went wrong despite my confidence and jokes." In an online video, he said: "I was fully prepared for death, I accepted it. "This trip has been a test of God. I'm very religious so I believe I'll be looked after." Despite the chaos at Kabul's airport, US president Joe Biden was defiant in an TV address on Monday. He said he stood "squarely behind" his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. Watch: Biden says he stands by decision to withdraw US troops A search continued Tuesday for a gunman who shot and injured a deputy with the Clay County Sheriffs Office on Monday evening during a traffic stop. Deputy Breanton Chitwood was saved by his bulletproof vest, said Clay County Sheriff Jeff Lyde in a Facebook video post. Chitwood was slightly injured when the bullet struck his vest in the upper chest, Lyde said. The vest caught the bullet, the sheriff said. Hes going to be fine. The sheriff said Chitwood managed to fire one round at the gunman, striking the vehicle. The suspect drove away from the scene after the shooting. The shooting occurred about 7 p.m. Monday near Jolly, Texas, in Clay County. Jolly is about 10 miles southeast of Wichita Falls. A Blue Alert was issued Monday night by the Texas Department of Public Safety for the unknown gunman and the vehicle, a white Cadillac sedan. No detailed description of the shooter was available. Blue Alerts are designed to help in the capture of violent criminals who kill or seriously wound local, state, or federal law enforcement officers, according to the DPS. The alert was discontinued Tuesday, but authorities have not commented on that. The sedan was located by Wichita Falls police, but no one was inside, according to the Wichita Falls Times Record News.. OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has no plans to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's government following the Islamist movement's takeover of Kabul, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. "Canada has no plans to recognize the Taliban as the Government of Afghanistan," Trudeau told reporters. "They have taken over and replaced a duly elected democratic government by force." (Reporting by Julie Gordon in Ottawa, Editing by Franklin Paul) BEIJING (AP) China has expressed a willingness to hold talks with the U.S. to promote a soft landing in Afghanistan, while heavily criticizing Washington and again demanding that the Biden administration halt its attacks on China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a phone call Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, blamed what he called America's hasty military withdrawal the chaos accompanying the Talibains seizure of power in Afghanistan, according to a Foreign Ministry statement dated Tuesday. China is willing to conduct communication and dialogue with the U.S. to promote the soft landing of the Afghan issue and avoid a new civil war or humanitarian disaster ... and not let it become a breeding ground and shelter for terrorism once again," Wang was quoted as saying in the call. Ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. troops, the Taliban have topped the Afghan military and government, entering the capital, Kabul over the weekend. Wang said that China and the U.S. should cooperate on global issues and regional hot spots, but that the US cannot, on the one hand, deliberately curb and suppress China to damage Chinas legitimate rights and interests, and on the other hand, count on China to offer support and coordination. A one-sentence State Department statement said that Blinken and Wang spoke about developments in Afghanistan including the security situation and respective efforts to bring their citizens to safety. The Biden administration has been seeking China's cooperation on issues such as climate change, while criticizing China over differences on trade and technology, security in the Asia-Pacific region and human rights. Henry Storey, a political risk analyst based in Melbourne, Australia, said that Wang is trying to portray China as a responsible international stakeholder in contrast to America's history of intervention in other countries. The reference to the U.S.s hasty withdrawal and Afghanistan being a breeding ground and shelter for terrorism alludes to Chinas clear anxieties around how instability in Afghanistan may impact China and the broader region, Storey said in an email response to questions. Story continues Wang and Blinken also each held talks separately with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. Wang called for strengthened strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia to encourage the Taliban to adopt mild and prudent religious policies and build an open and inclusive political structure with all parties, a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said. China has shown a willingness to engage with the Taliban, inviting leaders to a meeting with Wang in the Chinese city of Tianjin last month. Wang urged the group to negotiate a peaceful end to the two decade-old conflict and not shelter terrorists it says threaten security in its restive northwestern region of Xinjiang. China, which shares a narrow border with Afghanistan, says the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, has been behind violent attacks in the past. It's not clear what sort of presence the group currently has in Afghanistan. A soldier holds a Taiwanese flag during a military exercise aimed at repelling an attack from China in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, January 19, 2021. Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo State-affiliated media company Global Times warned Taiwan that the US may abandon it as it did Afghanistan. The newspaper called the chaos there an "omen" for the island. Taiwan's premier hit back Tuesday and said Taiwan would not collapse like Afghanistan if it were attacked. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. State-affiliated Chinese tabloid Global Times said Monday in a staff editorial that the chaos in Afghanistan should be a warning for what is in store for Taiwan should the US "abandon" it. "The situation in Afghanistan suddenly saw a radical change after the country was abandoned by the US. And Washington just left despite the worsening situation in Kabul. Is this some kind of omen of Taiwan's future fate?" wrote the commentary on Global Times. The newspaper said Taiwan is similar to Afghanistan in that it relies heavily on US protection. It warned that the US would not come to the island's aid should a military conflict happen, saying the island's defense "will collapse in hours." "From what happened in Afghanistan, they should perceive that once a war breaks out in the Straits, the island's defense will collapse in hours, and the US military won't come to help," it wrote. The US does not have troops stationed in Taiwan, nor does it have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Instead, it maintains its relationship with the country via its American Institute in Taiwan, which acts as a de facto embassy. Most recently, in April, the Biden administration sent an unofficial delegation to Taiwan, with officials saying it sent "an important signal about the US commitment to Taiwan and its democracy," reported CNN. The United States also sells arms to the region. Sales from the US to Taiwan exceeded $5 billion in 2020, per a Reuters report. This month, the Biden administration proposed a $750-million arms sale to the island, reported CNN. Story continues Premier Su Tseng-chang on Tuesday hit back at concerns that Taiwan may end up being the next Afghanistan, saying the island will not collapse if attacked, reported Reuters. Su said what's unfolding in Afghanistan shows that external help will not make a big difference to a country that is chaotic from within. He also warned "foreign forces" looking to invade Taiwan not to be "deluded." "Today, there are powerful countries that want to swallow up Taiwan using force," he said, telling Reuters "we must guard this country and this land, and not be like certain people who always talk up the enemy's prestige and talk down our resolve." Read the original article on Insider HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's top legislature will discuss on Friday the possible extension to Hong Kong of an anti-sanctions law, local media TVB News quoted National People's Congress Standing Committee delegate Tam Yiu-chung as saying. Earlier, the city's leader Carrie Lam said she did not have an explicit timetable for the implementation in Hong Kong of a mainland Chinese law that retaliates against foreign sanctions. (Reporting by Twinnie Siu and Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Catherine Evans) The decent performance at Geneva Finance Limited (NZSE:GFL) recently will please most shareholders as they go into the AGM coming up on 24 August 2021. This would also be a chance for them to hear the board review the financial results, discuss future company strategy to further improve the business and vote on any resolutions such as executive remuneration. Here is our take on why we think CEO compensation is fair and may even warrant a raise. View our latest analysis for Geneva Finance How Does Total Compensation For David O'Connell Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? Our data indicates that Geneva Finance Limited has a market capitalization of NZ$51m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as NZ$528k for the year to March 2021. That's a slight decrease of 6.7% on the prior year. It is worth noting that the CEO compensation consists entirely of the salary, worth NZ$528k. For comparison, other companies in the industry with market capitalizations below NZ$285m, reported a median total CEO compensation of NZ$1.2m. In other words, Geneva Finance pays its CEO lower than the industry median. Moreover, David O'Connell also holds NZ$267k worth of Geneva Finance stock directly under their own name. Component 2021 2020 Proportion (2021) Salary NZ$528k NZ$516k 100% Other - NZ$50k - Total Compensation NZ$528k NZ$566k 100% Speaking on an industry level, nearly 42% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 58% is other remuneration. At the company level, Geneva Finance pays David O'Connell solely through a salary, preferring to go down a conventional route. If salary dominates total compensation, it suggests that CEO compensation is leaning less towards the variable component, which is usually linked with performance. A Look at Geneva Finance Limited's Growth Numbers Geneva Finance Limited saw earnings per share stay pretty flat over the last three years. In the last year, its revenue is up 21%. Story continues The reduction in EPS, over three years, is arguably concerning. On the other hand, the strong revenue growth suggests the business is growing. In conclusion we can't form a strong opinion about business performance yet; but it's one worth watching. Although we don't have analyst forecasts, you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Has Geneva Finance Limited Been A Good Investment? Boasting a total shareholder return of 36% over three years, Geneva Finance Limited has done well by shareholders. As a result, some may believe the CEO should be paid more than is normal for companies of similar size. To Conclude... Geneva Finance rewards its CEO solely through a salary, ignoring non-salary benefits completely. While the company seems to be headed in the right direction performance-wise, there's always room for improvement. If it continues on the same road, shareholders might feel even more confident about their investment, and have little to no objections concerning CEO pay. Rather, investors would more likely want to engage on discussions related to key strategic initiatives and future growth opportunities for the company and set their longer-term expectations. CEO compensation is an important area to keep your eyes on, but we've also need to pay attention to other attributes of the company. That's why we did our research, and identified 3 warning signs for Geneva Finance (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock. Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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. Aug. 17Facing the prospect of a sudden shortage of police, firefighters, paramedics and other county workers who have not been inoculated against, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi extended by one week the deadline for employees to comply with Honolulu's vaccine mandate to Monday. Blangiardi continues to call city leaders and union officials, answering questions and urging employees to accept the vaccine while planning for a scenario where unvaccinated workers may be not be available to perform their duties. "Mayor Blangiardi stands behind the decision to protect city employees, their families and our communities, while also reducing the number of positive COVID-19 cases currently on the verge of overwhelming our medical providers, " said Tim Sakahara, the mayor's communications director, in a statement provided to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "In addition, we have heard from numerous employees who are grateful for the program. We thank our city employees who are fully vaccinated for doing their part to fight the pandemic." The city will not have a tally of vaccinated and unvaccinated employees until after Monday, Sakahara said. State and county officials are urging all employees to get vaccinated to reduce the risk of further spread of COVID-19 and ease the pressure on hospitals. Of the 321 people hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide as of Monday, only 26 were vaccinated. The mandate originally required all county employees to be vaccinated by Monday, Aug. 16, unless they were granted a medical or religious exemption. If that request is denied, the employee "will be given up to five calendar days to initiate the COVID-19 vaccination process or be placed on leave without pay until their employment status is determined, " according to the city's policy. Unvaccinated employees who don't submit an exemption request by Monday will be placed on leave without pay and possibly terminated. Story continues Acting Honolulu Police Chief Rade K. Vanic, acting Honolulu Fire Chief Lionel E. Camara Jr., Honolulu Emergency Services Department Director Dr. James Ireland and acting EMS Chief Christopher Sloman did not respond to questions about the mandate, how their supervisors are handling it, whether they are asking all of their employees to comply with the mayor's mandate or what impact a sudden loss of personnel would have on public safety. Vanic, who is vaccinated, has said that he encourages all officers and civilian personnel to get vaccinated as they are responsible for enforcing the state's emergency orders, a duty that places them in direct contact with people possibly infected with COVID-19. At the July 7 Honolulu Police Commission meeting, HPD Maj. Thomas "Sonny " Santos told commissioners that approximately 75 % of HPD's more than 2, 200 sworn officers and civilian employees have been vaccinated. The department has had a difficult time getting an accurate number because employees may have gone to their primary care physician for the vaccination, he told commissioners. "Commissioner (Michael ) Broderick then asked what the Department's position was concerning employee's who have declined vaccination. Acting Assistant Chief Santos said, approximately 25 percent of employees have not been vaccinated, and that is their personal choice, " according to the minutes of the July 7 meeting. About 75 % of the roughly 1, 100 members of the Honolulu Fire Department are also currently vaccinated, according to the Hawaii Firefighters Association, Local 1463. Bobby Lee, HFFA president, said the union's top priority is ensuring members' safety and that vaccinations are a critical part of protecting them and their families. "We strongly support our members being vaccinated. We consider that the safest means to protect themselves, but we also respect their personal choice. If they don't want to vaccinate, we recognize their personal choice, and they understand that comes with weekly tests, " Lee told the Star-Advertiser. "We recognize everyone's opinion, and we want our guys as safe as possible." Malcolm Lutu, president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, said SHOPO will continue to work with the Hawaii Government Employees Association, United Public Workers, HFFA, University of Hawaii Professional Assembly and Hawaii State Teachers Association to engage state and county officials and find a middle ground for their members. "We strongly urge our members to get vaccinated, and we continue to use (personal protective equipment ) and be aware of our contacts with the public. Sometimes we are forced to go hands-on but (the virus is ) a constant reminder to sanitize and be as safe as we can when dealing with the public, " Lutu told the Star-Advertiser. On Friday, attorneys who said they represent more than 1, 200 first responders filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court, asking that the city's mandate be voided. "County workers want reasonable testing mandates, not vaccine mandates, " said attorneys Michael J. Green, Shawn A. Luiz and Kristin Coccaro in a statement. "This lawsuit is not about being anti-vaccine. ... This is about a personal, autonomous healthcare decision, and everyone should make their own choice, whether they want to take the vaccine or not." A hearing is set for Sept. 8 before U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson. "We're not against the vaccine, we're against the mandate. We just don't want them (state and county government ) to force people, " Green said. "There are personal rights that people are espousing. They don't want this medicine put in their bodies before the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration ) approves it." WASHINGTON The blame game in Washington intensified Tuesday as critics including leaders in Congress pounced on claims by embattled Biden administration officials that they had no clue a blitzing Taliban would take Afghanistan so quickly and without a fight. President Joe Biden himself has sought to spin the spiraling crisis as one that was inevitable, largely out of his control and a development that took the White House by surprise. This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated," he said in a televised address Monday. "The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. But a wide variety of experts, including some current and former U.S. intelligence and military officials, counter that the White House had ample warnings of just such an impending catastrophe. President Joe Biden speaks about the fall of Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House on Monday, August, 17, 2021. They say an intensive inquiry is needed to find out who knew what and when about the probability of the crisis now engulfing Kabul, and why Washington appeared to be blindsided by such a swift and total collapse of the Afghan government and security forces. This is a policy failure. It was a rushed withdrawal against the advice of the intelligence community and the U.S. military," said Marc Polymeropoulos, who spent 26 years in the CIA, including significant time on the ground in Afghanistan. "Ultimately, we're much less safe now as a result." One senior staff member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which oversees the nation's spies and analysts, confirmed that the U.S.-gathered intelligence flowing in from Afghanistan was dire. "There are plenty of questions being raised about what went wrong, and a lot of finger-pointing about who screwed up and whether the intelligence was correct and if it went to the right people," said the senior committee staff member, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive committee matters. "Because if it did, obviously this was more of a policy failure than an intelligence failure." Story continues More: 'Nobody should be surprised': Why Afghan security forces crumbled so quickly to the Taliban The raft of questions now go far beyond why the Biden administration had to beat such a hasty retreat that it stranded some say betrayed legions of loyal Afghan military and civilian allies now at the mercy of Taliban militants. There is also the question of how America could leave behind so many potentially sensitive classified documents and expensive, deadly weapons including Black Hawk helicopters, Humvees and possibly shoulder-fired missiles. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. doesn't have a "complete picture" of how much defense materials was lost but conceded that a fair amount of equipment including Black Hawk helicopters was seized by the insurgents. Sullivan said the president was presented with a choice of fulfilling former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's plea for additional air capability and other equipment with the hope that they use it to fend off the Taliban, or deny the request over the risk that it would fall into the Taliban's hands. "Both of those options had risks. He had to choose, and he made a choice," Sullivan said. And then there is another big question looming over the latest round of recriminations: Did the CIA and Pentagon simply miss many months worth of apparent efforts by the Taliban to buy off and win over Afghan civilian and military leaders in what was essentially a bloodless coup? Or did the Biden administration and Congress choose to ignore that intelligence, as well as the clear signs that the Afghan military could not possibly defend its own capital? The idea that President Biden, with four decades of experience and multiple trips to Afghanistan, somehow has faith in the Afghan army is ludicrous, said Polymeropoulos, who retired from the CIA Senior Intelligence Service in 2019. Instead of trying to throw U.S. intelligence agencies under the bus, Polymeropoulos said, Biden should shoulder the blame for failing to anticipate how easily the Taliban could co-opt Afghan military and police forces that were demoralized, underpaid and facing a future in which they could side with the insurgents or risk being killed by them. Former Acting CIA Director Mike Morell defended his colleagues Tuesday on Fox News. "The intelligence community for the last 20 years has been more pessimistic than any other organization in the U.S. government about how this was going and whether victory was possible. So to blame intelligence now infuriates me, absolutely infuriates me," he said. And on Wednesday, the CIAs former Counterterrorism Chief for South and Southwest Asia came forward to say that Bidens claim of being taken by surprise was misleading at best. The CIA anticipated it as a possible scenario. Before his 2019 retirement, Douglas London wrote in a Just Security blog post, he was responsible for assessments concerning Afghanistan prepared for former President Donald Trump. He said he later advised Biden on the same issues as a volunteer with his Presidential campaigns counterterrorism working group. The decision Trump made, and Biden ratified, to rapidly withdraw U.S. forces came despite warnings projecting the outcome were now witnessing, London wrote, describing recent events as "Not An Intelligence Failure Something Much Worse." Whether those CIA warnings were specific enough to be acted upon will be a central focus of the upcoming Congressional investigations, according to the Senate staffer and other sources. More: A timeline of the US withdrawal and Taliban recapture of Afghanistan Calls to investigate The Senate Intelligence Committee already is combing through all of the intelligence gathered in and about Afghanistan, the Senate staffer confirmed, and is working with Democrats and Republicans on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees to coordinate a series of planned investigative hearings into actions taken by the White House, Pentagon, State Department and intelligence agencies. "We owe those answers to the American people and to all those who served and sacrificed so much," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. In its defense, the Biden administration circulated a long list of talking points on Capitol Hill claiming that the administration knew that there was "a distinct possibility" that Kabul would fall to the Taliban. But the White House memo stressed: It was not an inevitability. It was a possibility. Some current and former U.S. national security officials contend there were no such illusions about whether Afghan troops could withstand pressure from the Taliban without U.S. support. They cited U.S. military intelligence assessments from June that concluded that the Taliban could overrun government forces within 90 days, or as soon as 30 days. More: 'I am begging you guys:' Florida veteran fights to bring his Afghan interpreter to the U.S. "This was a political failure. The intelligence community got this right, Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs committee, told MSNBC. I got the briefings. I can't go into detail. But they predicted, within six months, then three months. Actually, the Taliban worked even faster." When asked about those military intelligence reports, Biden said last week that he was not considering any change of plans even though the Taliban had already taken at least seven provincial capitals in a span of several days with little or no fighting. Meanwhile, the CIA also was developing similarly stark intelligence and sharing it up the chain of command, sources said. We have noted the troubling trendlines in Afghanistan for some time, with the Taliban at its strongest militarily since 2001, one senior U.S. intelligence official told USA TODAY. Strategically, a rapid Taliban takeover was always a possibility. We have always been clear-eyed that this was possible, and tactical conditions on the ground can often evolve quickly. In its 2021 Annual Threat Assessment Report in April, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that the Afghan government continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory. It also concluded that Kabul would struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support, but it offered no details in the public version of the classified report. Members of Afghan security forces guard along the roadside in Panjshir province on August 14, 2021. The brain trust and what must be weighed As congressional investigations ramp up into what went wrong in the final days of America's deployment in Afghanistan, one key focus will be on the quality and specificity of the intelligence provided by the CIA and military intelligence agencies and what was done with that information by the National Security Council and other Biden administration policymakers. That will train a spotlight on the National Security Council, the White Houses brain trust that is tasked with assessing the many and often conflicting streams of intelligence and making recommendations on what the best policy options might be. That's easier said than done, especially when intelligence assessments from the field often paint a rosier picture of what's happening on the ground for instance, the capabilities of the Afghan army it trained and equipped than similar assessments by analysts in Washington, D.C., who are less institutionally invested in such things, said Javed Ali, a senior National Security Council official in the Trump administration. The NSC held 36 deputy and principal level meetings on Afghanistan between April 13 and last weekend that focused on over-the-horizon counterterrorism planning, special immigrant visas applicants and embassy security," according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the meetings. Eight of those meetings centered on humanitarian scenario planning. Earlier this month, the White House convened a tabletop exercise on evacuation scenarios to pressure test every element of our planning through August 31," the scheduled deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops, the official said. It was clear by last spring, based on media reporting, that top military leaders like Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were warning of the implications of the kind of rapid withdrawal Biden was planning so he could meet a deadline negotiated by the Trump administration, Ali said. I would have to believe that ... somewhere along the way people proposed some interim option like a small counterterrorism or special operations presence on the ground that aligns with our vital national security interests, said Ali, who also spent 16 years in top national security positions at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Homeland Security and FBI. To me, it seems really surprising that we weren't even willing to do that. Now was that a policy decision? Or was it operational or political? Ali asked. Those are all really important questions. On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby evaded the question of whether Biden overruled military leaders in his decision to withdraw U.S. troops. "The commander in chief is the commander in chief," Kirby said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "Its not about overruling his military leaders or his other advisers. He is given options, he is given the pros and cons for each option, and then it is up to the commander in chief to decide. He was advised by the Defense Department. We have a seat at the table. We provided our advice and counsel. The president made his decision, and now were in execution mode. Thats the way it works. Long predicted For many years, most U.S. spies and soldiers working the Afghanistan account have assumed that today's worst-case scenario was not only possible but likely. Thats not the fault of rank-and-file U.S.-trained Afghan forces, who have fought heroically and sustained heavy casualties even in the face of massive government corruption and wavering political and financial support from Washington. But all the institutional stuff the poor morale, corruption, poor leadership, poor accountability, no pay that was a problem 15 years ago when I was an adviser in Afghanistan and it never got fixed, said Mike Jason, who retired in 2019 as a U.S. Army colonel after 24 years commanding combat units in Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, Kosovo and Kuwait. The subject of how long Afghan forces could fend off the Taliban came up repeatedly during U.S. military meetings, including two Jason attended in 2007 and 2001, he said. Each time, the consensus was that the Afghan army would fall immediately after the withdrawal of U.S. forces if not sooner. So now, lo and behold, the army collapses. Well, no kidding, Jason said. When the (U.S. aid) money started drying up and the Taliban comes in with better paychecks and we are telegraphing internationally that we're out of here, at some point youve got to make a calculation for yourself and the safety of your family. Ali pointed to these questions as an intelligence failure the apparent inability of successive U.S. administrations to understand the transactional nature of Afghan culture. It's how the Taliban was able to take over Afghanistan so quickly without using much force, he said. Thats just the way Afghanistan works," Ali said. "This all goes back to our fundamental misunderstanding of Afghanistan as a country and how it operates. The tribes there are rooted in ethnicity and tribal and clan affiliation. And those kinds of connections, I think, led to those deal arrangements that were happening very quickly and on the ground. And the U.S. never had really good insight on that. Biden's 'buck stops here' Faced with mounting criticism, Biden returned briefly Monday from Camp David, the Maryland presidential retreat, to deliver a defiant speech in which he declared he stood squarely behind my decision and blamed Afghanistan political leaders who gave up and fled the country. The rapid U.S. withdrawal was necessary to end Americas longest war, Biden said, and Ghani had personally promised in June that his U.S.-trained military could and would fight to protect the country from a hostile Taliban takeover. And obviously, Biden said, he was wrong." More: What President Joe Biden said in his address on Afghanistan But the president focused much of his defense on the strategic decision to leave, one that majority of Americans support, and avoided addressing criticism over the tactics used to evacuate the embassy and the execution of the withdrawal. He acknowledged the harrowing images of Afghans clinging to U.S. military aircraft and the scramble to evacuate the American embassy, scenes that evoked the U.S. retreat from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, and described the withdrawal process as "hard and messy and yes, far from perfect." Administration officials echoed Bidens defense, arguing that they had planned for every contingency, including one in which the Taliban swiftly overran the capital and the U.S. needed to close its embassy. Officials pointed to the 6,000 troops that were deployed to Afghanistan to assist with the evacuation. One senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, noted that Taliban fighters had been gaining ground, especially in rural territories, before Biden took office. The Taliban has been building a significant military operation since they struck a deal with former President Donald Trump in February 2020, the official said, which was a key factor in the presidents decision-making in the spring. When the president met Ghani at the White House in July, according to the official, Biden asked him to lead efforts to unite Afghan political factions, display a show of unity in which he brought together political factions in support of his government, and adopt a military strategy that consolidated Afghan security forces and geographic areas where they had the best chance of fighting off the Taliban. "None of those things happened," the official said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Taliban takes control in Afghanistan, is Biden responsible? U.S.-bound migrants who attempt the 60-mile trek across the Darien Gap risk death at the hands of ruthless thieves and unforgiving elements in one of the planet's most treacherous jungles. Murder, robbery, deadly torrential rains, and poisonous snakes abound in the remote pass on the border of Colombia and Panama. Recently, a half-dozen dazed and haggard men from Cuba and Haiti emerged from the gap and shared their experience on dramatic video captured by photojournalist Michael Yon. HARRIS NEEDS TO VISIT DARIEN GAP TO SEE REAL MIGRANT PIPELINE Cuban man discusses murders he saw inside the Darien Gap. Michael Yon Many people were dead, one Cuban, who did not give his name, said in halting English. Sometimes the group sleeps, and the river [rises] up, and the people [die]." "All glory is fleeting," read a tattoo on his chiseled torso. Just below it, a stallion etched in black ink galloped across his abdomen. He recounted seeing a woman and her baby fatally shot by bandits and said eight people who set out with him died. The robbers who prey on migrants working their way north through the Darien Gap overtake their victims on horseback and show no mercy, he said. Migrants line up for services in a village outside the Darien Gap. Chuck Holton They take all the money. Many people say, I dont have money. They look in the bag and [say] You have money!" the man recalled. Pointing his index finger like a gun, he grimly demonstrated what came next. Boom! That. Its very bad, he said with a grimace. The man said he was robbed twice once at gunpoint and another time by a knife-wielding thief. Yon, a veteran war journalist, has documented what may be the most dangerous part of the journey many migrants make on their way to the U.S. border. The Darien Gap is of heightened interest not just because of the dangers that lurk within. It is also a preferred route for terrorists. Earlier this year, two Yemeni men on the terrorism watchlist were arrested in San Diego. They had crossed through the Darien Gap as part of the record 1 million people surging the U.S. border this year. Story continues Graphic shows the route used by Cubans migrating toward the U.S. through Panama's Darien Gap region. AP Photo An estimated 50,000 people, primarily from Africa and the Caribbean, have attempted the trip this year. Colombia has now limited entry to 650 migrants a day, according to the Associated Press. Once the migrants exit the thickest part of the jungle, they find a clearing where the village of Bajo Chiquito has created an industry of caring for the travelers and sending them on a three-hour canoe ride to a government camp. There, a food kitchen and volunteer medical professionals from Doctors Without Borders await. Those who still have money can purchase clothing and other necessities. The Haitian men interviewed by Yon apparently were able to pick up supplies even though robbers took their money and clothes. Haitian immigrants recuperate outside Darien Gap Michael Yon Yon encountered them sitting on a railing. Their trip took 13 days, and two people in their group died, they said. Through an interpreter, one of the men described some of the horrors. [Robbers] had handguns and for four days, they were continuously robbed, [bandits] took their clothes, their shoes, whatever jewelry they had, whatever money they took that," the interpreter said. "Theyre only looking for a better life. They want to go to Florida and get jobs. Darien Gap terrain is mountainous, overgrown with massive foliage, and filled with poisonous insects and reptiles. Photojournalist Chuck Holton, who often travels with Yon, said part of the journey involves climbing an aptly named barrier on the journey called the Mountain of Death." The mountain is 2,000 feet high at a nearly 90-degree angle, and its like climbing a ladder made of mud people who fall often die, Holton said. It's several days into their trek, and many unfit people simply cannot make it. They are too far to turn back, so they die there. Sign for the village of Bajo Chiquito, which is next to Darien Gap Michael Yon Holton recounted one example from talking to a Somali woman who made it into Bajo Chiquito. She said, Man, theres dead people everywhere, I saw all kinds of dead bodies. People fall off things. They drown, they get washed away, they die of dysentery, just everything,' Holton said. She said there were several people who couldnt go any further, couldnt walk. So they were just out there waiting to die. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER One woman who couldnt scale the mountain of death was last seen waiting below for weeks, accepting food from other travelers, Holton said. Unable to forge ahead or turn back, "she is just sitting there waiting for God to take her, Holton said. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Border, Haiti, Cuba, Migrants, illegal immigrants, illegal immigration Original Author: Tori Richards Original Location: EXCLUSIVE: Murder, robbery, and 'Mountain of Death' await migrants crossing the Darien Gap HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland said on Tuesday it would halt development aid to its largest partner Afghanistan following the Taliban's seizure of power, saying it would reconsider the decision when the situation clears. "We have to see how the situation develops. That said, Finland is not abandoning the Afghan people, its children, women, men, journalists, doctors, deminers or human rights fighters," Ville Skinnari, minister for development cooperation, said in a statement. "Our objective, together with our international partners, is to protect what we have already achieved. Finland requires its partners to respect human rights," he said. Finland, a member of the European Union, said its support for humanitarian aid, the work of international organisations and mine clearance has amounted to around 30 million euros ($35 million) a year. The U.N. children's agency (UNICEF) said on Tuesday it was still delivering aid to most parts of Afghanistan and has held initial meetings with new Taliban representatives in recently seized cities. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned on Monday of "chilling" curbs on human rights under the Taliban and mounting violations against women and girls. ($1 = 0.8527 euros) (Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Paul Simao) Hillsborough County Superintendent of Schools Addison Davis, right, speaks to Carletta Braden and her son James before the first day of school at Sessums Elementary School Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in Riverview, Fla. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara Hillsborough County School District in Tampa, Florida, includes more than 300 schools and 233,000 students. More than 5,500 students in the school district are being forced to quarantine due to COVID-19. Gov. Ron DeSantis has prohibited it and other districts from requiring masks. See more stories on Insider's business page. More than 5,500 students at a school district in Central Florida are being forced to quarantine due to an outbreak of COVID-19, prompting the school board to announce Monday that it is holding an emergency meeting to discuss "mandatory face coverings." The outbreak at Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa comes less than a week after students returned to in-person learning there. As of Monday morning, 5,599 students and 316 employees are isolating after either testing positive or being in close contact with someone who has, the school board said. Superintendent Addison Davis had issued a requirement that all students wear masks. But Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has prohibited such mandates, forcing the school district to allow any parent who wishes to "opt out" their child with a note. "While the outcome may be the same whether we make face coverings optional or required with an opt-out, we believe this decision continues to illustrate that Hillsborough County Public Schools takes public safety seriously," Davis said earlier this month, Florida Politics reported. At the emergency meeting on Wednesday, the school board said it will "discuss the best way to mitigate against the spread of the virus, up to and including mandatory face coverings for all students and staff." DeSantis has threatened to pull funding from schools that proceed with mask requirements amid the surge in COVID-19 caused by lagging vaccination rates and the Delta variant. But last week the Biden administration pledged to step in with additional federal money should that happen. Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com Read the original article on Business Insider Former Republican Rep. Paul Mitchell has died at age 64 after a battle with renal cancer, his family said in a statement provided to CNN on Monday. The big picture: Mitchell, who hailed from Michigan, left the GOP in 2020 due to efforts to overturn the election and former President Donald Trump's false election fraud claims. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. He was one of the few Republicans who acknowledged then President-elect Biden's win. He then finished his term as an independent. "It is unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation and incite distrust of something so basic as the sanctity of our vote," Mitchell said last December. Background: Mitchell was a businessman before first running for office in 2014. He lost but went on to represent Michigan's 10th congressional district after winning the 2016 and 2018 elections. In 2019, Mitchell announced he would not be running for a third term due to D.C.'s political climate. What they're saying: Sherry Mitchell, Paul Mitchell's wife : "He was the lone voice in a sea of politicians who cared more about power than the true definition of the office." Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer : "He led with his values and always spoke out for what he felt was right, even when he had to go against his own party, the president, or conventional political wisdom." Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich): "[Mitchell] was a trooper to the very end. He was always ready to fight on principle and was never afraid of the politics... he had grown very tired of the gridlock in Washington and always wanted to make a difference and that is what he did." Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. Former President George W. Bush said late Monday that he and former first lady Laura Bush had "been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness." Why it matters: Bush ordered the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and deny al-Qaeda of a safe haven to launch any more terrorist attacks on the U.S. following 9/11. He said last month that President Biden's decision to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan would leave Afghan women and girls facing "unspeakable harm." Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free What he's saying: The former president said in a statement that he, Laura Bush and the George W. Bush Presidential Center "stand ready as Americans to lend our support and assistance in this time of need" after the Taliban declared victory Monday following its seizure of Kabul. The former first couple's "hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much." Bush stressed that he's "confident that the evacuation efforts will be effective because they are being carried out by the remarkable men and women of the United States Armed Forces, diplomatic corps, and intelligence community." In a message for the American personnel who served in Afghanistan, he added: "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and will always honor your contributions." Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. A German evacuation plane was forced to change its course and land in Uzbekistan on Monday after it encountered issues attempting to touch down at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, an area that has been flooded with people trying to escape the embattled nation amid a Taliban takeover. An A400M transport aircraft, the first of three planes seeking to remove individuals from the country, circled the runway for over an hour before the call was made to land in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, Lt. Gen. Markus Laubenthal told a German broadcast outlet, per Reuters. A Berlin official previously said efforts to extract people from the airport were unsuccessful due to crowds blocking takeoff lanes. On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed support for aiding Afghans in a bid not to repeat a situation akin to the 2015 migrant crisis. AFGHANISTAN CHAOS CUTS SHORT BIDEN'S WIDELY PANNED SUMMER VACATION "We need to make sure that the many people who have big worries and concerns even though they have not worked with German institutions have a secure stay in countries neighboring Afghanistan," she said during a news conference. "We should not repeat the mistake of the past when we did not give enough funds to UNHCR and other aid programs and people left Jordan and Lebanon toward Europe." Amid the chaos, Afghans have been observed climbing atop U.S. transport planes. At least 7,000 troops have been deployed to the area to facilitate the extraction of diplomats in the embassy and a number of recipients of the Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans program, which grants asylum to residents of the country who worked for the U.S. government in some capacity. As many as 30,000 refugees are expected to be housed in Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, among other military installations. In one incident, people who were clinging to the side of an aircraft were seen plummeting to the ground after a transport plane took off. At least seven have been pronounced dead near the airport, and the Pentagon has revealed that U.S. troops killed at least two armed individuals. Story continues U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace indicated that "some people won't get back" to the U.K. He said, "It's sad that the West has done what it's done." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan, has quickly become a hotbed for evacuees in the region. At least 585 Afghan soldiers jetted to the country on 22 military planes and 24 helicopters. An additional 158 military personnel crossed into the nation on foot. One Afghan military jet was shot down by Uzbek authorities after it attempted to cross the country's border "illegally." Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Germany, Afghanistan, Taliban, Uzbekistan Original Author: Jake Dima Original Location: German evacuation plane forced to land in Uzbekistan amid Kabul airport chaos By Tim Reid MIAMISBURG, Ohio (Reuters) - Jill Stephenson lost her only child Ben Kopp, a 21-year-old U.S. Army Ranger, when he was shot during a 2009 firefight with Taliban forces in Afghanistan. For her, the militant group's takeover of Kabul this weekend came as a gut punch. Stephenson is among the American families given gold star status by the U.S. military after losing a close relative serving in a war or other conflict. Her son was 13 when the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, and he vowed that evening to become an Army Ranger. He eventually deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. "Here we are 20 years later, and so you do question why did we even bother," said Stephenson, one of two Gold Star mothers who spoke to Reuters as Taliban insurgents swept across Afghanistan following President Joe Biden's decision to end the U.S. military mission there. Stephenson, who lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, worries many Americans will now lose sight of the service of the nearly 2,500 members of the U.S. military killed during the 20-year conflict. "I hope their sacrifice doesn't get forgotten," she told Reuters. As the Taliban emerge victorious from a conflict that started with al Qaeda's hijacker-led plane attacks on the United States, Stephenson and other Americans are speaking out about the sacrifice of their loved ones and pondering the lessons of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. On Sunday, the American flag was lowered and removed from the embassy compound in Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country, and Afghans who assisted the United States are trying to escape amid chaotic scenes at Kabul's airport. The Taliban triumph occurred just over 12 years after Kopp saved six fellow soldiers during a battle in southern Helmand Province in which he was shot in the leg. He suffered cardiac arrest on the operating table in Afghanistan and was left brain dead. On July 18, 2009, eight days after he was shot, Kopp was taken off life support - but not before his heart, kidneys, liver, skin, bone and tissue were donated. His heart today beats inside Judy Meikle, 69, who was diagnosed with congenital heart disease a few months before Kopp died. Story continues "It's an amazing gift," said Meikle, who spoke to Reuters from her home in Winnetka, Illinois. Stephenson says she copes with the loss of her son by focusing on the blessings of his life and his organ donations. His major organs have saved the lives of four people, said Stephenson, who is now an organ donation advocate. The Gold Star mother said she has never felt anger about her son's death. At a camp for Gold Star families and other veterans in Miamisburg, Ohio, Stephenson said: "I believe Ben's mission was completed in the time that he was here and he would not have been able to fulfill that mission had he not been an Army Ranger, had he not deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, had things not turned out the way they did and him becoming an organ donor." THE BEATING HEART Jean Durgin's 23-year-old son, Army Sergeant Russell Durgin, a sniper leader, was killed by small arms fire on June 13, 2006 in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. He had completed a combat tour in Iraq before heading to Afghanistan. His 82-year-old mother, who lives in Henniker, New Hampshire, was saddened to watch the Taliban retake Afghanistan, adding that she sympathizes with the Afghan people and questions the U.S. mission there. Her main message, she says, is one of remembrance. "It's our sons and daughters and husbands who have gone there to fight, and so many have lost their lives. So many have returned with the war still battling in their minds. People mustn't forget them." Durgin said when her son died, she questioned his commanders: "Why wasn't there more cover? How could you leave him up on that mountain with no cover?" She said she was told they didn't have sufficient numbers because fighters had been diverted to Iraq. "That made me angry," she said. "Well, I was already angry. But that added to it." "If we didn't have the numbers, why didn't we leave?" she said, adding that she believes U.S. troops should have been pulled out of Afghanistan before her son was deployed there. In April, as he announced America's withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden said the Afghan people must decide their own future and that the United States should not have to sacrifice members of another generation in an unwinnable war. Durgin, like Stephenson, said her son's death was not in vain. "It was Russell's life. He made that decision I believe out of love for his country and because he believed we were doing the right thing." "His life is not wasted because he lives on. People remember him. I'm surrounded by memorabilia, things people have sent me, things people do." A bridge in Henniker has been named after Russell Durgin. A banner commemorating the hometown hero will soon adorn the town. About 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away, Meikle keeps a picture of Kopp in her bathroom where she speaks to him silently every morning while brushing her teeth. "He beats stronger when I talk about him," she says. (Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Donna Bryson and Paul Simao) Aug. 17Three days after a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed by another student at Albuquerque's Washington Middle School, the city's 80th homicide this year, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced New Mexico State Police officers will be deployed to the city to help fight violent crime. Beginning Tuesday, about 35 state police officers will work with the Albuquerque Police Department to aid in various crime-fighting efforts, targeting automobile theft, narcotics trafficking and drunken driving on Interstates 25 and 40, state police and the Governor's Office said Monday. Police also will work with the state Corrections Department and its parole division to find people with outstanding warrants who may be involved in criminal activity in Albuquerque, state police said in a news release. "I know New Mexicans are beyond sick and tired of crime," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "This state has prioritized rehabilitation and reform within the criminal justice system as well as essential community policing efforts. And we likewise must prioritize aggressive crime prevention." Lt. Mark Soriano, a state police spokesman, said officers with his agency will monitor the interstates and use data analysis to focus on problematic areas. Planning for the operation was a multiagency collaboration that included the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office, Soriano added. The state Department of Public Safety, 2nd Judicial District Attorney's Office and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller's office held discussions on how state resources could make a difference in Bernalillo County, Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokeswoman for the governor, wrote in an email. Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina said in a statement he welcomes the state's support. Keller also issued a statement, saying, "Any collaboration must keep a focus on constitutional community policing as we use an all-hands-on-deck approach to keep New Mexico families safe." Story continues State Sen. Mark Moores, an Albuquerque Republican, said, however, the announcement of the operation "reeks of hypocrisy and political grandstanding." "The revolving door of crime in Albuquerque lays primarily at the feet of the District Attorney's Office and our judges," Moores said. "I can only hope that Democratic leadership will see the effects of their failed, regressive policies and partner with us in our continued effort to end the crime epidemic gripping our city and state." Similar operations have taken place in Albuquerque before. In 2020, former President Donald Trump sent federal officers to Albuquerque as part of an effort to address high crime, a move that was criticized by Lujan Grisham, Keller and others. A two-month state police operation began in May 2019 after a 23-year-old University of New Mexico baseball player, Jackson Weller, was killed outside a nightclub. Around 50 state officers were sent to patrol areas of Albuquerque, resulting in the arrests of 175 felons, according to KOB-TV. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico criticized the 2019 operation following two shootings involving state police officers. Barron Jones, a policy strategist with the organization, said in an interview Monday neither would have been allowed under Albuquerque police protocol, given they violated the city agency's use-of-force policies. Further skepticism came after KOAT-TV reported nearly half the charges filed as part of the operation had been dismissed four months later. Soriano did not respond when asked how state police would avoid a similar result following the new operation. Both state police and the Governor's Office said the operation would be executed differently than the one in 2019. Sackett wrote in an email the new operation "is a more targeted approach and, of course, lessons learned from the 2019 operation will be and have been applied here." Still, Jones said the increase in the law enforcement presence could heighten concerns about overpolicing in underserved communities. Further, Jones said, the use-of-force policies put in place in Albuquerque following a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, after a federal investigation found a pattern of civil rights violations by police, differ from those of state police. "It's always a concern when there's an outside police agency coming into the city that is not mandated to follow guidelines outlined in the court-approved settlement agreement," Jones said. Soriano confirmed state police will not follow protocols established for Albuquerque police. And, if another shooting occurs involving state police officers, it will be investigated internally. "New Mexico State Police has policies and procedures in place to assure any incidents involving our officers are handled professionally within the scope of New Mexico State Police policy," Soriano wrote in an email. Local law enforcement leaders said they support the efforts in Albuquerque to crack down on violent crime. "Historically speaking, there has been no correlation that we've been able to identify that points to wanted persons from Albuquerque fleeing to the Santa Fe area, specifically when APD conducts warrant operations," Santa Fe police Deputy Chief Paul Joye said. Santa Fe police also have been conducting warrant roundups with other agencies since July 31, he said. Juan Rios, a spokesman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, said, "Any effort a community undertakes to target criminal offenders is a positive law enforcement action." A destroyed church in Haiti. Reginald Louissaint Jr./AFP via Getty Images Haiti continues to reel from Saturday's devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake, with the country's Civil Protection Agency announcing on Monday that the death toll has increased to 1,419, with more than 6,000 people injured. At least 7,000 homes were destroyed in the quake and almost 5,000 damaged, leaving 30,000 families homeless, The Associated Press reports. Search and rescue teams are still hoping they will pull survivors alive out of the rubble of collapsed buildings, but they are racing against time, as Tropical Depression Grace could hit Haiti on Monday night, bringing with it heavy rains that could trigger flash flooding and mudslides; some areas are expecting to see 15 inches of rainfall. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and residents are waiting in line for hours to get money that has been wired from friends and relatives abroad. Humanitarian agencies are attempting to get much-needed food, water, and medical supplies into the country, and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday that local officials are negotiating with gangs in Port-a-Prince's Martissant district, seeking safe passage for two humanitarian convoys. Southern Haiti is "a hot spot for gang-related violence," the agency said, and humanitarian workers are routinely attacked across the region. The hardest hit towns are Les Cayes and Jeremie, and at Les Cayes General Hospital, there aren't enough beds for all of the wounded. People suffering from broken bones and internal injuries are being treated outside and in hallways, and the hospital is running out of pain killers and steel pins. "We are saturated, and people keep coming," Dr. Paurus Michelete told AP. You may also like Actor suspected of participating in Capitol attack arrested in California How sociology shows 'policy makers have been looking at vaccine refusal all wrong' With tropical storm looming, the race is on to find survivors of Haiti's 7.2-magnitude earthquake TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has closed its embassy in Kabul due to the worsening security situation in Afghanistan and the last remaining twelve embassy personnel had left the country, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The Taliban took control of Kabul without a fight on Sunday, rounding off a dramatic week of advances across Afghanistan. "Due to the rapid worsening of the security situation in Afghanistan, we are temporarily closing our embassy there," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that it was relocating the embassy's duties to an office in Istanbul. "Twelve remaining embassy personnel have been flown out of Kabul airport on a military flight provided by a friendly nation and been evacuated to Dubai." The ministry also warned any of its nationals still in Afghanistan to leave, and said any travel there should be put off. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Lebanese parliament will convene on Friday to discuss what to do about a fuel crisis that has brought much of the country to a halt and sparked deadly violence. Speaker Nabih Berri called the session to discuss "appropriate action" over crippling fuel shortages, a crunch point in a two-year financial meltdown that marks Lebanon's worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. A rocket-propelled grenade was fired near a Beirut petrol station during a dispute over gasoline, a security source said. Gunmen opened fire on soldiers who had detained a man who tried to fill his car by force. The station caught fire. The steadily worsening fuel crisis has hit a low in the last week, with power blackouts forcing some hospitals, bakeries, and businesses to scale down or close. A senior U.N. official said water supplies and essential health services were threatened, warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. "A bad situation only stands to get worse unless an instant solution is found," said Najat Rochdi, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon. Last week, the central bank announced it could no longer finance imports of gasoline and diesel at heavily discounted exchange rates, effectively ending a subsidy scheme which promises to increase prices sharply. Governor Riad Salameh has been at odds with the government over the move, as the government says it should have been done only after the provision of prepaid cash cards for the poor. Salameh has said he can resume subsidizing imports only if a law is passed allowing him to dip into the mandatory reserves. The crisis has sparked a renewed push by Lebanon's squabbling politicians to agree on a cabinet that can start tackling the financial crisis, which has depressed the currency by more than 90%. "We still have a few meters (yards) left in the race, but god willing we are sorting it out appropriately," Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati said after meeting with President Michel Aoun on Tuesday. Story continues Despite soaring poverty, Lebanon's ruling elite have failed to form a new cabinet since Prime Minister Hassan Diab quit after last year's devastating Beirut port explosion. The past week has seen repeated violence at gas stations. At least 28 people were killed in northern Lebanon at the weekend when a fuel tanker exploded as people rushed to get a share. Suggesting some subsidised imports were continuing, broadcasters MTV and al-Jadeed said the central bank had approved financing for two diesel shipments at the subsidized rate of 3,900 Lebanese pounds to the dollar, compared to the parallel market rate of 18,500 on Tuesday. The central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The channels reported that the bank did not approve financing for a gasoline shipment on the same terms. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, said on Sunday it would begin bringing diesel and gasoline from Iran with delivery dates to be announced soon. (Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir, Laila Bassam, and Tom Perry; Editing by Tom Perry and Mark Heinrich) Police officers prepare to separate pro- and anti- vaccine mandate protesters in front of the LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday. A man was stabbed during the melee. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles police are asking for the public's help identifying a person they believe is responsible for stabbing another person during a vaccine protest that turned violent in front of City Hall on Saturday. The stabbing happened around 2 p.m. near 1st and Spring streets, police said. "During a protest, the suspect used a knife or a sharp object to stab the victim once in the upper right chest area," police said. The suspect is described as a white or Latino male with long blonde hair, police said. The suspect was last seen wearing a bandana, hoodie and skinny jeans with holes in the knees all black. The suspect was also last seen wearing a pair of white tennis shoes, police said. Anyone with information about the person's whereabouts is asked to contact Central Area Det. Cheng at 213-996-1248. During nonbusiness hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to (877) 527-3247. Those who wish to make an anonymous tip can call L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Aug. 17Rochester Mayor Kim Norton said she signed an emergency declaration requiring masks be worn in indoor public spaces when children are present. The requirement starts with Norton's signature in place, and lasts up to three days without further action. Under state statute, a citywide emergency declaration requires action by the city council to extend it beyond three days. The Rochester City Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting this week to discuss the option. Norton said the declaration requires people to wear masks when children 13 and younger could be present. The order does not make violating it a criminal offense, but it allows business owners to bar access to those who fail to comply and some businesses could see their city licenses affected if they don't comply. Since announcing plans to sign the declaration Monday night, Norton said she's received comments on both sides of the issue. This story will be updated. Afghanistan was calmer on Tuesday after chaotic scenes played out the day before at the country's main airport, but fear was still widespread as Afghans and the world waited to see what kind of country the Taliban intend to run after storming back to power. Taliban leaders announced a nationwide "amnesty" for all Afghans, including former government officials, and have called for women to join the new government. Earlier the group vowed not only to leave diplomats and aid workers alone, but to ensure them a safe work environment. Senior spokesmen have also said that female medics will be allowed to continue their work, and that girls can remain in school. In the first nationwide televised address by a Taliban official on Tuesday, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group did not have a policy of revenge, that the war was definitively over, and that there was no enmity harbored against anyone. He reiterated a previous Taliban vow to afford women basic human rights, saying they would be "very active in society, but within the framework of Islam." Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks at at his first news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. For years, Mujahid had been a shadowy figure issuing statements on behalf of the militants. On Tuesday he said the insurgents sought no revenge and that aeveryone is forgiven.a / Credit: Rahmat Gul / AP If they stick to their latest public pledges, it will mark a significant divergence from their previous reign, which was ended abruptly by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. The Taliban rulers of the 1990s, who allowed Osama bin Laden's terror network to operate freely on Afghan soil and plot the September 11 attacks, led their own reign of terror against Afghan civilians. They didn't allow women to work or girls to go to school. Women couldn't even leave their homes without a male relative. Recreational sports and music were banned. This time, the world is watching, and the Taliban clearly know it. One their second day in power, a female Afghan television journalist was back on the air, reporting live from the capital and interviewing a Taliban official. Another video showed Taliban fighters watching calmly as a volleyball game played out in a city park. Story continues But the Islamic fundamentalist group has made patience one of its most valuable weapons. It waited out the U.S.-led war, biding its time until the interest of America and its allies waned sufficiently for them to stride, unchallenged in many places, straight back into power. Many Afghans now fear that when the intense spotlight on their country dims again, the Taliban will revert to its old ways. On Tuesday, however, a nervous calm had been ushered in under the new regime. Desperate, chaotic bids to escape The U.S. military still had control over Hamid Karzai International Airport, which was open again, but only for military flights. The U.S. charge d'affaires in the country, Ross Wilson, said he was staying in Kabul to continue helping evacuate American citizens and "vulnerable" Afghans. Evacuees crowd the interior of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, carrying some 640 Afghans to Qatar from Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2021. / Credit: Courtesy of Defense One/Handout via REUTERS A U.S. official told CBS News on Monday that about 1,000 people still needed to be flown out urgently, including a "significant number" of Americans. One of the lucky Afghan civilians who managed to cram himself onto a U.S. military transport plane on Monday shared video with CBS News showing just how packed the aircraft was with his countrymen and women, desperate and grateful to be airlifted out of Kabul. It wasn't the first such flight. A widely-shared image from inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 that left Kabul for Qatar on Sunday shows more than 600 Afghans seated on the floor of the cavernous aircraft. According to the Defense One military news website, that evacuation flight to Qatar almost hit the record for the most people ever carried by that type Boeing aircraft. Those onboard the planes left behind them scenes of desperation. Others trying to flee the Taliban on Monday clung to a U.S. military aircraft as it took off. At least four fell to their deaths, and human remains were found in the wheel well after the plane landed, U.S. officials confirmed. "None of us believe them" CBS News met one man in hiding from the Taliban due to his previous work. Ahmad who didn't want to be identified for fear of reprisal described watching his fellow Afghans run alongside and cling to the U.S. evacuation flight as "gut wrenching." "It's scary, it gives you the feeling of abandonment," he said of the situation in his country. "Every friend I've known is locked in their homes we're waiting for them [Taliban] to come. In fear they will come soon. If they take us, the eminent is death." A senior aide to a high-ranking official with the now-former Afghan government is also living in fear. He said that since the Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday, they'd kidnapped two of his colleagues. That flies in the face of the extremist group's promise on Monday of a blanket "amnesty" for all Afghans. There were also reports of Afghan female journalists being harassed by Taliban officials since Sunday. A journalism advocacy group said two women's homes were entered, again challenging the veracity of the Taliban's vows to let people go about their work. Taliban fighters on a pick-up truck move around a market area in the Kote Sangi area of Kabul, Afghanistan, August 17, 2021, after the Taliban seized control of the capital following the collapse of the Afghan government. / Credit: HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Ahmad told CBS News that while President Biden promised on Monday to help to evacuate Afghans who worked for the U.S., the administration was ignoring tens of thousands of others here who helped America. "The Afghan people helped them fight terrorism, al Qaeda," he said. "You don't leave an ally." As for the Taliban's promises to live and let live, Ahmad wasn't buying it. "None of us believe them," he said. "We don't believe any word they say." How collapse of Afghan government impacts Pakistan Flights back on track out of Kabul after chaotic airport shutdown WorldView: World leaders react to Afghanistan; New Zealand in COVID lockdown Lear is a TV legend, known for being behind hit series like The Jeffersons, Good Times, and more Norman Lear is getting his flowers. The television icon will officially be honored with the Legend Award by the African American Film Critics Association. To say that Lear is television royalty would be an understatement. The man behind massive hits in the television landscape, the producer and writer helped to create and develop Good Times, The Jeffersons, All in the Family and more. The African American Film Critics Association TV Honors celebration is set to air virtually this August, and at the event, Lear will be presented with the Legend Award. Lear shared in an official statement per Deadline, As I reflect on the past 99 years of life, I think of all of the those who are responsible for helping me make it this far. From the Tuskegee Airmen who flew by my side in WWII to the brilliant actors, writers, producers, and creators who made me laugh in places I didnt know existed throughout my career. Norman Lear attends the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony honoring Marla Gibbs on July 20, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) He continued to speak to how fortunate he feels his life has been, and even honors some of the biggest Black names in entertainment that hes been able to collaborate and spend time with. He shared, Ive said it many times before laughter adds time to your life. And being fortunate enough to spend time with the likes of Kenya Barris, Dave Chappelle, Laverne Cox, Ava DuVernay, Jamie Foxx, Redd Foxx, Marla Gibbs, Sherman Hemsley, Richard Pryor, Shonda Rhimes, George Wallace, Kerry Washington, and fellow honoree Wanda Sykes just to name a few I anticipate living another 99 years. I thank AAFCA for this great honor. I couldnt be prouder to be in the company of such incredible talent. AAFCA co-founder and president Gil Robertson also shared a statement regarding Lears legacy and career. Norman Lears work has made such a tremendous impact that creators still feed off of it till this day. This award recognizes Mr. Lears legacy and impact. His is a footprint whose impact will extend well beyond any of our lives, Robertson stated. Using the powerful medium of television, he has truly made the world we live in a much better place. Story continues Norman Lear, recipient of The Norman Lear Award, speaks onstage at The 45th Annual HUMANITAS Prize at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 24, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for the 45th Annual HUMANITAS Prize) He has made us think about family, poverty, wealth, racism and so much more while making us laugh. And, at 99 years old, hes still doing it. It is a privilege for AAFCA to honor him with the Legend Award. Lear joins Wanda Sykes, Michaela Coel, Naomi Ackie, and more in the already announced list of special honorees. Sykes will receive the Special Achievement Salute to Excellence Award for expanding the parameters of diversity and inclusion for both the Black and LGBTQ communities, per Variety. Coel will earn the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Breakout Creative Award for her hit series, I May Destroy You, while Ackie will receive the 2021 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement Horizon Award for her roles in Master of None and Small Axe. 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 Norman Lear honored with Legend Award by African American Film Critics Association appeared first on TheGrio. Nominated National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan participates as US President-elect Joe Biden speaks during a cabinet announcement event in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 24, 2020. - US President-elect Joe Biden introduced November 24, 2020 a seasoned national security team he said was prepared to resume US leadership of the world after the departure of President Donald Trump. "It's a team that will keep our country and our people safe and secure," Biden said, introducing his picks for secretary of state, national security advisor, intelligence chief, and other key cabinet jobs"It's a team that reflects the fact that America is back. Ready to lead the world, not retreat from it," Biden said. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images Brett Bruen said Biden should "shake up" his whole national security team, including Sullivan. Bruen served as director of global engagement on President Obama's National Security Council. The Afghanistan 'disaster' was the result of a flawed decision-making process, said Bruen. See more stories on Insider's business page. An official who served in the Obama administration is calling on President Joe Biden to fire National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan due to both the "disaster" of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and what he sees as issues with the national security decision-making process. "President Biden needs to fire his national security adviser and several other senior leaders who oversaw the botched execution of our withdrawal from Afghanistan," wrote Brett Bruen, the director of global engagement on the National Security Council during President Barack Obama's tenure, in an op-ed in USA Today on Monday. "He has to restructure how and with whom he is making major foreign policy decisions, allowing for more input from career experts." "The disaster that unfolded in Afghanistan is illustrative of other major issues at the White House," writes Bruen, arguing that Biden's national security team fails to "challenge their own assumptions," speak "truth to power," or "manage up." "In a case like this, you absolutely have to find a way to manage up and explain the real risks to pursuing the preferred presidential path. Instead of just going along, the national security adviser needs to lay out safer options that could accomplish the same stated goals," he wrote. He also offered specific, pointed critiques of Sullivan himself. "While he knows all the theories and academic arguments in foreign policy, his overseas experience is less robust," Bruen wrote. Jake Sullivan has been serving as Biden's national security advisor since the beginning of the president's term. Previously, he served a year-and-a-half stint as the Biden's national security advisor when he was Vice President, and was Hillary Clinton's chief foreign policy advisor during her 2016 presidential campaign. Story continues Bruen expanded his critique of Biden's Afghanistan policy to a critique of the administration as a whole, arguing that Biden has failed to make systemic changes following the Trump administration and has relied too much on political appointees and donors. "There is only one career diplomat in a senior position on the National Security Council, the senior director for Africa," he wrote. "Things do not get much better at the State Department, where for the first time in a quarter century a current career diplomat is not in one of the top three jobs." "Biden has too often treated too many posts as political party favors, naming the well to do or well-connected to places like Turkey, where diplomatic experience is normally a prerequisite," he continued. "There should be absolutely no more donors appointed to represent us abroad. The stakes are just too high." Bruen, a regular contributor to Insider, also criticized Biden's foreign policy in May and last week called the the president's Afghanistan plan "a disaster." He wrote his USA Today op-ed as Afghanistan continues to be engulfed in political turmoil. As of Monday, the civilian government had fallen and scenes of Afghans falling from departing planes were circulating online. Read the original article on Business Insider (Bloomberg) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern put the nation into a three-day lockdown after the discovery of the first community case of Covid-19 since February. The snap lockdown will begin at midnight tonight as authorities rush to identify the source of a single infection in largest city Auckland, Ardern said at a news conference Tuesday in Wellington. While genome sequencing has yet to be completed, the case is assumed to be the highly infectious delta variant, she said. Delta has been a game-changer, were responding to that, Ardern said. The best thing we can do to get out of this as quickly as we can is to go hard. It is New Zealands first nationwide lockdown since the initial pandemic response over a year ago. Under so-called Alert Level 4, all schools, public venues and most businesses must close and people are urged to wear a face covering if they need to venture out. Only shops providing essential services such as groceries, gasoline and health products can stay open. The New Zealand dollar plunged more than one U.S. cent when the case was reported, falling to as low as 69.07 cents. Bond yields and swap rates tumbled as investors reduced bets that the central bank will raise interest rates at its policy decision on Wednesday. The case is an unvaccinated man in his 50s from Auckland who is deemed to have been infectious since Aug. 12, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told the news conference. He and his fully vaccinated wife were in the nearby Coromandel region over the weekend, where they visited a crowded pub on Saturday night to watch an All Blacks rugby game, he said. Because of those movements and the probability of it being delta, officials advised an immediate nationwide response. Auckland and the Coromandel have been placed into lockdown for seven days. Going hard and early has worked for us before, Ardern said. We want to be short and hard, rather than light and long. Delta Challenge Story continues New Zealand has so far largely kept the virus out of the community, allowing its economy to recover quickly during the pandemic. But a slow vaccine rollout has left it vulnerable to another outbreak, particularly of the delta strain that is challenging virus containment efforts around the world. Along with Australia, which has strict border curbs like New Zealand, China is battling a delta-fueled outbreak after the variant got in via cleaners at an airport. It has taken a similarly zero-tolerance approach, testing millions of people and locking down city districts to rein in cases. Its a strategy thats running into resistance in some so-called Covid Zero countries as people tire of restrictions while other parts of the world open up. Ardern cited Australias experience with delta as a reason for swift nationwide action, saying we dont want that experience here. Australias outbreak continues to spread despite more than half the nations 26 million people being placed into lockdown. New South Wales state recorded 452 new cases on Tuesday after a record of 478 set the previous day, with the vast bulk of those infections detected in Sydney. Australias most-populous city has been in lockdown for more than seven weeks and some health experts have criticized the New South Wales government for acting too late, after the virus was already seeded in the community. RBNZ Decision New Zealands case comes on the eve of the Reserve Banks review of the official cash rate. Prior to news of the lockdown, a majority of economists were forecasting a quarter percentage point hike in response to an overheating economy. Those at Westpac and ASB changed their calls after Arderns press conference late Tuesday, saying they now expect the RBNZ to keep the OCR on hold at 0.25% on Wednesday. It is logical that the RBNZ will pause until more certainty over the extent of the community Covid outbreak and lockdown is established, said Nick Tuffley, chief economist at ASB in Auckland. Still, provided the lockdown is short and doesnt change the underlying economic picture, we would still anticipate the OCR reaching 1.5% by the end of the year, he said. (Updates with China strategy in 10th paragraph.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. Angelle Mosleys family hopes her breakthrough case and subsequent death from COVID-19 will still encourage vaccination. A 33-year-old woman has died in New Orleans despite being vaccinated against COVID-19, a breakthrough case that her family hopes will serve as a reminder to Americans to continue to wear masks. Angelle Mosley told her mother and sister in July that she had tested positive for the delta variant of coronavirus, but her mom told CBS News her health quickly deteriorated because she was obese. Angelle Moseley, 33, a vaccinated boutique owner in New Orleans, died last month of COVID-19. (Facebook) Her mother, Tara Mosley, was asked if doctors specifically told her that her daughters weight was a factor in her severe illness. He did, she said in response. He did. He says that shes a large person. Her heart could not pump like it should have been pumping. Obesity is one of the comorbidities that can put a person at risk for severe symptoms of COVID-19. Others include kidney and heart disease, as well as asthma and a history of cancer. The CDC recommends that people with comorbidities continue to wear masks and social distance in addition to vaccination. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Dr. David Agus, who is a medical contributor to CBS News, commented on Angelles story, saying that while vaccines are keeping many people from severe cases of COVID-19, people who died from the virus despite vaccination had serious underlying medical conditions. Its very important for every single person whos been vaccinated to know if you have other medical conditions, the vaccine doesnt protect from those becoming an issue or causing a problem, Agus said. While the vaccines may give you some protection, its not enough to overcome the medical issues or the lack of a very strong immune system, unfortunately. Angelles mother reiterated that she still recommends vaccination, even if people will use her daughters case as a reason not to. I will still say to them, Still be vaccinated because her weight played a lot in it,' she added. Outside of Angelles business, Brave Beautique, which specializes in clothes for plus-size women, a memorial is growing since her July 25 death. Story continues Her mother has pledged to keep the store open. When asked what her daughter would want to hear her say at this time of mourning, she said, Keep her business going, because that was her baby; it was her dream, Mosley replied. I know she really wanted the people to know to actually get to be vaccinated, to still mask up. You know, it is very imperative that we still mask up. More than 166 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Aug. 9, 2021, according to the CDC. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today! The post New Orleans entrepreneur, 33, dies of COVID-19 despite vaccination appeared first on TheGrio. PARIS (Reuters) - The first French military plane carrying French evacuees from Afghanistan landed overnight in Abu Dhabi, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Tuesday, adding that France was working on running further flights out of Afghanistan. Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians resumed early on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to flee after the Taliban seized the capital. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; editing by John Stonestreet) Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. RUNE STOLTZ BERTINUSSEN / NTB SC/AFP via Getty Images Prince Harry has issued an official statement in response to the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan. He urged the military community to "reach out and offer support" to each other. Harry served two tours of Afghanistan during his time in the British Army. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Prince Harry has issued a statement to the military community amid the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan. The Duke of Sussex served two tours of Afghanistan during his time in the British Army before launching The Invictus Games, a sporting tournament for wounded or injured military personnel in 2014. "What's happening in Afghanistan resonates across the international Invictus community," Harry wrote in a joint statement with Lord Allen of Kensington CBE, chair of the Invictus Games Foundation, and Dominic Reid OBE, CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation. "Many of the participating nations and competitors in the Invictus Games family are bound by a shared experience of serving in Afghanistan over the past two decades, and for several years, we have competed alongside Invictus Games Team Afghanistan," the statement said. "We encourage everybody across the Invictus network - and the wider military community - to reach out to each other and offer support for one another." The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from the late 1990s until 2001, when they were removed from power by US-led forces following the September 11 attacks. The Taliban started reclaiming large parts of the country in the wake of the US troop withdrawal in July, and on Sunday, the group entered the capital city of Kabul and seized the Afghan presidential palace. Read the original article on Insider The Taliban has reportedly freed prisoners as it took control in Afghanistan and the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said in a statement around 780 prisoners, including some of its important leaders, were being released. Wali Ullah crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday (August 17) and said he had spent two years in Bagram's prison before the Taliban broke into the facility and released prisoners. "I am very happy to return to my relatives. It seems like I have got a new life," he said. Democrats dominate politics in California and no Republican has won statewide since 2006. But the upcoming recall election on September 14 is presenting a serious political challenge to gained traction in collecting signatures. The election is set to take place amid a rise in COVID cases and as wildfires rage in the state. The election also presents a key test for how voters will respond to the way Democratic governors handled the pandemic. There have been previous attempts to recall Newsom, but this is the first challenge to get to the ballot. The election will be just the second recall election for governor in state history. The other took place in 2003 when Democratic Governor Gray Davis was recalled and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor. Here's what you need to know about the recall. How did we get here? In February 2020, a group called the California Patriot Coalition began circulating a petition to recall Newsom, citing his administration's policies on immigration, homelessness, the state's drought emergency and taxes. Newsom had faced five previous recall attempts, but such petitions require 1.5 million signatures to trigger an election and the prior ones all fell short. The coalition was started by Orrin Heatlie, a retired sheriff's sergeant. Other groups such as the Reform California organization have ties to Republican operatives and helped fundraise to collect signatures. California Governor Gavin Newsom and challengers Larry Elder, Caitlyn Jenner and Kevin Faulconer. / Credit: AP Proponents of the recall say the movement really gained traction in collecting signatures after Newsom was spotted at the upscale French Laundry restaurant while his indoor dining shutdowns were still in effect. Recall supporters were able to submit more than 2.1 million signatures and California's Secretary of State verified 1.7 million signatures. How does the recall election work? All 22 million registered voters in California are set to receive a mail ballot that will feature just two questions. Question 1: "Shall Gavin Newsom be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?" Story continues Question 2: The second question asks voters to choose which candidate should replace Newsom. And there will be a list of all 46 candidates, not including Newsom. Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc, which provided voting data to campaigns, estimated that 80% to 85% of the vote will be from mail ballots. If more than half of voters choose "no" on the recall question, Newsom will remain in office. But, if a majority vote "yes," Newsom will be replaced by the candidate who receives the highest number of votes. Who are the candidates? Twenty-four Republicans, 9 Democrats, 10 "No Party Preference" candidates, 2 Green Party and 1 Libertarian candidates will be on the ballot to replace Newsom. Six Republicans have stood out with their campaign activity and fundraising: Conservative radio talk show host Larry ElderFormer Olympian, reality TV star and transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner2018 Republican nominee for governor John CoxFormer San Diego Mayor Kevin FaulconerFormer congressman Doug OseState Representative Kevin Kiley Elder entered the recall race in mid-July and has already brought in at least $5.5 million for his campaign. A Los Angeles-based host of a nationally syndicated conservative talk show, Elder has been the most recent target for Newsom's recall campaign, which claims Elder's show serves as a platform for disinformation on science and COVID-19 and that he's further "to the right" of former President Trump. "Think about the judges he could appoint," Newsom said Friday in San Francisco. "Who would he have appointed to replace Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate? How would that impact the trajectory of this country? What would this mean for the future of the Democratic party in our efforts to keep the House of Representatives?" Elder, like other Republican candidates in this recall, have gone after Newsom's COVID-19 measures. "This man that I'm going to defeat on September 14, he shut down the state in the most severe way than any of the other 49 governors have," Elder said Friday in San Jose. "When I get elected, assuming there are still facemask mandates and vaccine mandates, they will be repealed right away and then I'll break for breakfast." Since entering the race in April, Jenner has trailed other candidates in polling despite her name recognition. She launched a bus tour Thursday focused on immigration. "It always sounded like an extreme longshot, kind of a hope that the Democrats and Independents would go for it because of her name, not any single issue," said Joshua Spivak, an expert in recall elections. Cox lost to Newsom by over 23 points in the 2018 race for governor, though his campaign argues his statewide name recognition and conservative credentials gained from his previous race will help in the current election. Faulconer has positioned himself as the more centrist candidate often pointing to his 2013 election as a Republican mayor in San Diego, a historically Republican city that has trended Democratic since 2008. He made a public plea for citizens to get vaccinated during a recall debate in August, but says he doesn't favor state mandates. Kevin Paffrath, a 29-year-old real estate investor who makes financial advice videos on YouTube, jumped into the recall race after seeing no notable Democratic candidate. "Once it became official I thought, 'Wow. Why did they not pick another Democrat? A neutral JFK-style Democrat that can bring both sides together and actually solve the real problems?" he said. A new CBS News poll found 13% of voters would select Paffrath to replace Newsom. That put him 10 points behind Elder, who was the leading candidate in the poll. 25% of voters said they are not sure who they would choose to replace Newsom. Can you vote "no" on the recall and still pick a candidate to replace Newsom? Yes. Whether a voter votes "yes" or "no" on the recall question, they are allowed to cast a vote for a potential replacement or leave that question blank. California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks told CBS News that it's up to voters to decide if they want to pick a replacement even if they vote "no" on the recall question. Newsom and his allies are focused on that question. "We intend to defeat this recall on the first question. It's the only way to stop this Republican power grab," Hicks said. "I'll be leaving the second question on my ballot blank." Has California ever recalled a governor before? Yes. If Newsom is recalled, it would be the second time that California voters have recalled a governor. In 2003, Democratic Governor Gray Davis was recalled and replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger went on to win a full term as governor in 2006. The memories of that race still sting Democrats. Hicks said because of the 2003 result, he's glad that there isn't a strong Democratic candidate challenging Newsom. In that election, then-Democratic Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante ran as a replacement candidate. "We had a Democratic governor and we had the 'backup option' and the result was Arnold Schwarzenegger," Hicks said. "I think that California Democrats carry that lesson with us to this fight." Could Governor Newsom actually be removed from office? What do the polls show? Democrats hold a massive advantage in party registration numbers. As of July 16, there were 10.3 million registered Democrats in California, accounting for 46.5% of all registered voters. There were about 5.3 million Republican voters and about 5.1 million who registered as "No Party Preference." But recent polling suggests that Newsom is far from in the clear and his biggest issue may be complacency among Democratic voters. According to a new CBS News poll, 78% of Republicans say they will definitely vote, while 73% of Democrats say they definitely will. Republican voters are also more motivated to cast ballots than Democrats. The poll found that among registered voters, 54% think Newsom should not be recalled, compared to 46% who think he should. But among likely voters, the gap narrowed to 52% against the recall compared to 48% who support it. Other recent polling from California has shown a similar picture. A Berkley IGS poll from late July found that 51% of registered voters wanted to vote "no" on the recall, while 36% planned to vote "yes." But among the voters most likely to cast a ballot, 50% planned to vote "no," while 47% planned to vote "yes." A Core Decision Analytics poll released in early August indicated a similar trend, but showed Newsom with a slightly better position among the likeliest voters. "Those that think this thing is not close I'd hate to disabuse you. It is," Newsom said recently. Newsom's team is hammering the message to Democrats who are considering sitting on the sidelines. "It [the recall] will happen if Democrats don't vote. Period," said Nathan Click, senior adviser for Newsom's anti-recall efforts. The main committee defending Newsom raised more than $46 million through July 31 and had more than $26 million in cash, giving Newsom's side a massive warchest in the final stretch. According to a source familiar with the president and vice president's planning, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will be taking an active role over the next month in the effort to stop the recall. That could include potential in-person events and other forms of engagement. "He knows how to get the job done because he's been doing it," Mr. Biden said about Newsom in a recent statement, praising his response to the pandemic, his environmental work and his advocacy for women, immigrants and the LGBTQ community. "And to keep him on the job, registered California voters should vote 'no' on the recall election by September 14 and keep California moving forward," he added. Republicans remain optimistic about their chances not only because of enthusiasm, but also because of some key victories in 2020. Jessica MillIan Patterson, chair of the California Republican Party, said Democrats believe that Republicans' only shot to win is low turnout, but 2020 showed the GOP can win in the Golden State. "We had record turnout last year with mail-in ballots and we won where we played," Patterson said, pointing to four GOP flips in Congressional elections and wins on statewide ballot initiatives. Still, Patterson acknowledged the pro-recall movement's strong enthusiasm is due to its roots at the grassroots level and Newsom's decision making. "This isn't something that started in the California Republican Party, this is an outside organization of Californians of all political affiliation," Patterson said. "We are incredibly fortunate as Republicans that (Newsom) is our governor and has done everything possibly wrong and has failed the California people on every single level." What role might COVID-19 play? COVID and Newsom's restrictions in response to the pandemic are at the heart of this recall. Newsom fully reopened the state in June, but the Delta variant has caused cases and hospitalizations to increase in recent weeks. On Wednesday, Newsom announced that California teachers will be required to get vaccines or submit to regular testing, prompting some of the leading Republican candidates to quickly criticize the policy. Whether Newsom may have to make more decisions along those lines could weigh on voters as they prepare to fill out their ballots. "I do not think that mandates are the way to go," Patterson said. "I think that Californians are sick of one man and one-party rule here." Newsom's team is hoping that contrast between Newsom and his alternatives will motivate the Democratic base. Click said that promises to repeal mandates or banning local communities from putting restrictions in place are "an anathema to how Californians see the role of a governor and see the role government plays in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic." About 60% of Californians think Newsom did a "very good" or "somewhat good" job handling the COVID outbreak, according to a new CBS News poll. A majority, 67%, of Californians back vaccine mandates for employees, 69% support vaccine mandates for health care workers and 61% are okay with indoor businesses or venues requiring customers to be vaccinated. I don't live in California should I care? Depending on how wide the margins are, the outcome of this race could show how voters will react to their governors' actions and stay-at-home orders during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty governors will be up for re-election in 2022, including Newsom and 10 other Democratic governors. Mitchell, the Political Data Inc. vice president, said that a big Newsom win would show that voters "are now forgiving Democrats for these stay at home orders" and that it shows Democrats have a "path out of the woods and there's a New York Times Magazine cover of Gavin Newsom as the example of Democrats being able to withstand post-COVID political heat." "Or Gavin gets trounced and then Democrats are running around like chickens with their heads cut off," Mitchell said. Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook removed 18 million posts with COVID misinformation, won't say how many people viewed them Opening statements begin today in R. Kelly racketeering and sex trafficking trial Death toll rises in Haiti after earthquake destroys towns, crumbles buildings Rep. Ted Lieu in 2021. (Getty Images) California's congressional members rank among the most frequent users of a House proxy-voting rule that enables them to avoid travel during the pandemic and have a colleague vote on their behalf. More than 70% of California's House members 38 of 53, including four Republicans have voted by proxy in the last year, compared with about 60% for all House members nationwide, according to data compiled by the Brookings Institution. A handful of Californians have voted by proxy more than 250 times since the pandemic began. Democrats say proxy voting has allowed representatives to do their jobs while keeping themselves and their families safe from COVID-19. Republicans say that representatives should be required to be physically present to vote, and if it's safe enough for essential workers to be on the job, it is safe enough for Congress to meet in person. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) announced Friday that, in consultation with Capitol Physician Brian Monihan, she has extended the ability to vote by proxy until Oct. 1. When the pandemic began, the House had no plan in place for how to vote during a pandemic. Existing emergency plans largely focused on how to bring members physically together during a crisis when they could not enter the Capitol building. As airlines cut back on flights, states required travelers to quarantine when they returned and had lockdowns in place in attempts to stop the rapidly spreading virus, the question quickly rose: How could Congress operate if members were stuck scattered across the country? After weeks of discussion, the House voted in May 2020 to change its rules to allow members to vote by proxy during the pandemic. The Senate has continued to require members to be physically present to vote. The House rule change caused an immediate uproar. In a federal lawsuit House Republican leaders argued the Constitution requires members to physically be present in order to vote, and that Congress didnt allow proxy voting during other disasters and emergencies, including the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 or the Civil War. Story continues But as the pandemic enters its 18th month, both parties now use it to varying degrees. Some members and experts are suggesting that it's time Congress looks for a way to make it a permanent accommodation in a modern age. Because of her blood pressure, stroke history and age, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-Norwalk), 84, said doctors told she is too at risk to travel. She's used proxy voting more than all but one other member of Congress: 385 times since the rule changed, according to the Brookings data. Napolitano said she's anxious to leave her home and return to Washington, but called proxy voting a "life saver" that has allowed her to continue doing her job despite the risks. I could be exposed and I don't want to take a chance. So as long as I'm able to, I will take advantage of the proxy voting and thank the speaker and Dr. Monihan for realizing that it could be dangerous for some of us who have had preexisting conditions, she said. At least 70 representatives and senators have disclosed having COVID-19 since March 2020; more than 120 have said they were in contact with someone who had it. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), who had a stent installed in December 2019, said his cardiologist told him he was at high risk. He is also among the top California users, voting by proxy 339 times since the rule changed in May 2020, according to the Brookings data. "It's the same vote whether you cast it by proxy or in person. So you're still representing your constituents on that issue for that vote," Lieu said. Earlier in the summer as case numbers dropped and much of life returned to normal, it looked as if proxy voting might come to an end. Monihan, the Capitol physician, relaxed masking rules in mid-June, saying only unvaccinated members had to wear a mask. Republican leaders urged Pelosi to let it expire in June. "There is a lot more cooperation, a lot more agreements you can reach when youre here in person working together then you just can get on a Zoom or WebEx call or just somebody staying at home proxy voting and not coming here to Washington when everyone who wants to can come," Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said. But the startling resurgence of COVID-19 has brought back mask-wearing and safety protocols across the country, including in the Capitol. Pelosi extended proxy voting, and when members and staff began testing positive again, Monihan again required House members and staff to wear masks, a change that set off an immediate firestorm. Several Republican representatives refused to comply during House votes, risking the $500 fine for the first time and $2,500 for subsequent violations. In July a federal appeals court threw out House Republicans' legal challenge of proxy voting, saying it is up to the House to make its own rules. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) has an underlying medical condition that he doesnt talk about publicly. He has voted by proxy 363 times. The rule was written for people like me. The rule was because of a public health crisis and to protect people who were the most vulnerable and who really should avoid getting it, Lowenthal said. There were people, especially early, who thought that I was doing this because I could break the rules and get away with it. I was hurt by that. It had nothing to do with not wanting to be here or had nothing to do with not wanting to do my job. Lowenthal and Lieu returned to Capitol Hill in July, but were often spotted wearing KN95 masks, even when their colleagues were maskless. "It sort of depends on what side of the floor I am [on]," Lieu said in mid-July. "Yesterday I wasn't wearing a mask when I was primarily on the Democratic side, but I do have to go to the Republican side and talk to some members and I feel safer wearing a mask." Members have had access to vaccines since December. Although there is no public accounting of member vaccination rates, Pelosi has cited the large percentage of House Republicans thought to have declined the vaccine as a reason to continue proxy voting. The rule requires House members to certify in writing that they are "unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency. But there has been apparent misuse on both sides of the aisle. Nine Republicans used proxy voting to cast votes while appearing at the border with former President Trump in late June. In May, seven Democrats used it while on a trip to Michigan with President Biden. Brookings scholar Molly Reynolds, who has studied proxy voting since the rule change, found that members of both parties are substantially more likely to vote by proxy on so-called fly-in and fly-out days at the beginning and end of the week, when members travel to and from Washington. Votes on those days tend to be on bills with broad bipartisan support and were generally among the most missed before proxy voting was allowed. Many people have criticized proxy voting and I would see it fundamentally as a success in allowing the House of Representatives to continue operating, she said. Reynolds said House leaders should look at continuing proxy voting, but limited to specific circumstances, such as for members recovering from a medical procedure or who are spending time with a newborn. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), one of the few single mothers in Congress, has used proxy voting 284 times so she can stay in California with her three young children. She said each time the House is scheduled to return to vote she must balance the importance of the issue with the risk that her travel would pose to her unvaccinated children. "For well over a year after proxy voting was put into place three of the four members of my household were not able to be vaccinated. And they were also not in school," she said. "I don't know exactly how I'm supposed to quarantine as a single parent, away from my three children for all those days after I got back. And the reality is, we had members with COVID exposure or with COVID on the House floor or in the Senate floor, virtually every week." House committees, which account for a large part of representatives' work, also loosened their rules to permit members and witnesses to participate in hearings remotely during the pandemic something proponents hope will continue. Napolitano led her Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee throughout the pandemic from home. Porter continued her well-known grilling of executives and agency officials from her kitchen. "My work in hearings, questioning witnesses, I would put it up against anyone's, whether I'm doing it from my kitchen, or I'm doing it in Longworth [House office building]," Porter said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Moscow court on Tuesday fined Alphabet Inc's Google a total of 14 million roubles ($190,398) for violating Russian rules on banned content, the penalty coming amid a wider stand-off between Russia and Big Tech companies. Russia has routinely fined social media giants for failing to remove prohibited content and is seeking to compel foreign technology companies to open offices in the country. Moscow's Tagansky District Court said Google had been handed five administrative fines of 4 million roubles, 1.5 million roubles, 5 million roubles, 1.5 million roubles and 2 million roubles respectively. A spokesperson for Google confirmed the first two fines, but gave no additional comment. Russia has hit Google with a series of small fines in the past year, for reasons ranging from not deleting content Moscow deems illegal to failing to localise user data. Google is also the subject of a Moscow court order obliging it to unblock the YouTube account of Tsargrad TV, a Christian Orthodox channel owned by Konstantin Malofeev, who is under U.S. and EU financial sanctions. An appeal hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20. Tsargrad TV on Monday said it had abandoned talks with Google, which owns YouTube, and accused the U.S. company of dragging its feet in negotiations. ($1 = 73.5300 roubles) (Reporting by Alexander MarrowAdditional reporting by Polina Devitt and Maria VasilyevaEditing by David Goodman and Susan Fenton) Law enforcement members in Colorado and across the country are resisting COVID-19 vaccines and ignoring mask mandates. Why it matters: Scores of local public safety officials charged daily with protecting and regularly interacting with the public have tested positive for the virus. Two Denver sheriff's deputies have died from the disease. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. The fatalities here add to the growing national toll. More than 500 officers have lost their lives to the illness since the pandemic began, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. State of play: First responders including police, sheriff's deputies and troopers were among the first to be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine when the shots became available in late December. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock is now requiring vaccines, or regular COVID tests, for city employees, including law enforcement officials. They have until Sept. 30 to comply or risk being fired. And Gov. Jared Polis will require all unvaccinated state employees to be tested twice weekly and wear masks in indoor public areas beginning Sept. 20. Context: With COVID-19 cases surging thanks to the Delta variant, a Denver Police Protective Association survey recently found 57% of its members aren't vaccinated, a poll first published by Denver CBS4. The city's top public safety leader, Murphy Robinson, said earlier this month he'll discipline police officers and sheriff's deputies who ignore a mandate to get vaccinated. But the police union is now ripping apart its own poll, claiming in a statement that it was "informal and unscientific" and "impossible to determine the number of officers actually vaccinated." By the numbers: New data from Denver's public safety department, obtained by Axios, shows 10%, or 426 public safety employees across Denver's police, fire, sheriff and safety agencies, have tested positive for COVID and reported a workers' compensation claim since the start of the pandemic. Story continues The overall case count in Colorado is also 10% of the population. Approximately 50 Colorado State Patrol troopers also have contracted the virus, and at least four are currently in quarantine, according to agency spokesperson Kimberly Ramsey. It remains unknown how many troopers have been vaccinated, she said. Meanwhile, complaints against first responders without masks have stacked up, Axios has learned. Between Denver police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers, law enforcement officials have accumulated 71 complaints from the public and inmates for failing to mask up when mandated. Most resulted in verbal warnings, and none led to termination. The bottom line: Like health care workers, teachers and the military, the COVID status of Colorado's public safety officials could have ripple effects for the communities they serve. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Watch: Snap national lockdown in New Zealand over single virus case Shoppers have crowded New Zealand supermarkets ahead of the country going into lockdown following a single coronavirus case. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the whole country will shut down for at least three days from Wednesday after a 58-year-old man tested positive. Auckland and Coromandel, where the man spent time over the weekend, will be in lockdown for seven days. Arderns announcement led to shoppers crowding supermarkets on Tuesday to stock up on essentials, despite supermarkets being one of the few types of businesses which will remain open during the lockdown. The New Zealand Herald reported a number of stores had seen huge queues, while pictures posted on social media also showed empty bread and toilet paper shelves. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Read more: Thousands isolated unnecessarily because of NHS Covid app error The paper reported police are even increasing visibility at stores to provide reassurance to workers and shoppers. Meanwhile, Countdown, one of the countrys main supermarket chains, urged shoppers to keep calm and insisted there is plenty of food and other groceries, so there's no need to buy more than you need. The single COVID-19 case on Tuesday was the first to be identified in New Zealand in six months. Read more: Battling vaccine inequity: Africa boosts COVID-19 jab production capacity The country has enforced a go hard, go early strategy which has minimised cases to just 2,570 through the pandemic. New Zealand will be in the strictest possible level four lockdown, which will see schools, offices and most businesses close. Justifying the move, Ardern said: "The best thing we can do to get out of this as quickly as we can is to go hard. "We have made the decision on the basis that it is better to start high and go down levels rather than to go low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly." Watch: UK reported 28,438 new COVID cases on Monday Southern Africa's regional bloc praised Zambia on Tuesday for overseeing a peaceful transition of power after a veteran opposition politician won a landslide victory at the ballot box. Hakainde Hichilema was declared the winner on Monday after roundly defeating Edgar Lungu, who had been in power for six years. It is the third time that power has changed hands to the opposition in Zambia since 1991, on a continent where incumbent leaders often hold on to power for decades. "The pattern of peaceful transitions of power we have been seeing in our region in recent years, ... (with) Zambia being the latest member to embody that, are worthy of global acclaim and our applause," said Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera, launching a summit of southern African leaders. "To all the leaders and people of Zambia, we say thank you," he said. Chakwera, himself a former opposition politician, came to power last year after the re-election of his predecessor Arthur Mutharika was scrapped for vote rigging and the ballot re-staged. He told the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) that regional peace and security depended on democratic norms being sustained and on the protection of human rights. Lungu had claimed the election was not free or fair, while votes were being counted at the weekend. But on Tuesday, hours after the vote was declared, Lungu conceded defeat and promised to peacefully hand over power. A few hours later he met Hichilema in the presence of former leaders -- Zambia's Rupiah Banda, Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete and Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma. In one of the post-meeting pictures posted on Twitter by Lungu, the two political foes were seen laughing and elbow-greeting. Last Thursday's election marked Hichilema's sixth attempt at Zambia's top political job and his third bout against Lungu. In his first address to the nation, Hichilema, 59, assured his predecessor -- whose administration arrested him several times -- "don't worry, you'll be okay, you won't face retribution or get teargassed." Story continues - 'Serve Zambia with distinction' - He pledged to "foster a better democracy... rule of law, restoring order, respecting human rights, liberties and freedoms." Despite occasional episodes of political violence, Zambia has earned a reputation for stability. Every transition of power has been peaceful since the former British colony adopted its multi-party system in 1990. African leaders have been slow in delivering their congratulatory messages -- with most of them only doing so more than 24 hours after the results were proclaimed. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa commended the vote which "provides the basis for continued stability and development in Zambia" and the region. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa tweeted that "I have no doubt that you will serve Zambia with distinction for the benefit of all". But Mnangagwa's message received insults on social media. "Respect the will of the people in your country..." said one tweeter, yet another questioned him "If you are beaten by ...(Zimbabwean opposition leader) are you going to concede defeat?" Further afield in east Africa, a statement from Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's office said the election "demonstrated the strong confidence and trust the people of Zambia have in his leadership". Hakainde's inauguration is slated for Tuesday next week. str-sn/ri/pvh Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos Getty They distrust the media, rally against impeachment, and think the women are liars. But these are not Trump supportersthese are fans of Andrew Cuomo. The disgraced New York governor, who resigned last week after a state attorney generals report alleged sexual harassment and misconduct in his office, became a COVID celebrity during the first half of the pandemic. Fans, many of them women, flocked to Facebook groups like the Andrew Cuomo Fan Club (40,000 members), We Stand With Governor Andrew Cuomo (1,000 members), and Friends of Andrew M. Cuomo & People Who Support Him (1,400 members). Former Staffers Say Problems at Times Up Run Deeper Than Cuomo But as news of the investigation broke in April, along with allegations that Cuomo botched his handling of the pandemic in nursing homes and undercounted deaths, many so-called Cuomosexuals abandoned ship. The New York Times reported that Etsy shops were pulling pro-Cuomo merch after his resignation. Lingua Franca, a New York-based label that sells luxury fair trade sweaters embroidered with resistance-y slogans announced that it would change Cuomosexual tops to a new phrase of your choice, free of charge. One Etsy store called Harish Gift Shop sells a dizzying mix of pro- and anti-Cuomo slogan tees. A top that reads, Cuomo killed my grandma lives next to another they proudly proclaims Single, Taken, Mentally Dating Andrew Cuomo, with a check mark next to the last option. Another comes blazed with the Fox News chyron: Im not perverted, Im just Italian. Etsy The owner of the store, who did not give their name, told The Daily Beast in a message that theyve only sold about 20 Cuomo-themed shirts in total, counting both positive and negative ones together. I am really outraged by the news about Cuomo, the Etsy user wrote. Since then, my design team and I have come up with ideas for shirts against him with the desire to contribute a small role to reclaim justice for those who have been harmed by him. Story continues Another person who runs the CustomBull Etsy shop has offered Cuomosexual shirts for about the last 4-5 months but has yet to sell a single one. Same goes for the owner of 1997ClothingCo: no one wants to buy those Cuomo tops, either. But in a different corner of the internet, Cuomo allies remain loud and proud in their support. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported on one such Facebook group, Women for Andrew Cuomo. According to the Journal, some used the group to attack accusers, others strategize about fundraising for the governor, and plenty of women treated it as a fan club. Facebook data found that 70 percent of the users in the 1,110-person Facebook group were women over the age of 55. Unsurprisingly, the mood has been morose in recent weeks. One member of Friends of Andrew M. Cuomo & People Who Support Him wrote in a post, Today in Walgreens they were giving the Pfizer booster shots to people who qualified. They said I had to have an existing condition. I put down just the word heart. I left out the word broken. When I got the booster I smiled and thought, this is for you Governor Cuomo, and if you were here you would have said, atta girl! (The user then clarified that she actually qualifies for the booster for unspecified health reasons.) Another person in Andrew Cuomo Fan Club wrote, Letitia James & the others just sacrifice the wrong little lamb our amazing Governor Andrew Cuomo. To punctuate the message, she added photos of the governor and some adorable stock images of lambs. Facebook On We STILL support Andrew Cuomo, one admin posted a TikTok video showing a montage of photos featuring the governor, set to Christina Aguileras song Aint No Other Man. On that same page, some women began posting about sending flowers to the governors mansion in Albany. I just ordered flowers from the Enchanted Florist, one wrote last week. The Governer [sic] should receive them by tomorrow. One commenter agreed: We should inundate him with flowers! An employee who answered the phone at The Enchanted Florist would not give their name or title, but confirmed that several dozen people have sent the governor flowers. It is extremely true and its extremely happening, the worker said, adding. Every single one of them has been a woman. One card included the name of the husband. The employee added that The Enchanted Florist will provide free delivery to the governor for the time period that he is [still] there, or the week and a half Cuomo has left in office. That has everything to do with business being business, the worker clarified. It has nothing to do with the business supporting the governor. I have to be very careful. Four other Albany-area flower shops did not report receiving orders to send to the governor. No one who posted about sending the governor flowers would speak to The Daily Beast about their support for Cuomo. One member of the group urged others not to speak to a reporter. Why my husband and I chose to send flowers is none of her gdmm business, she wrote. Administrators of the various groups also did not respond to requests for comment. Ill just say that it comes as no surprise that there are women who protect and defend abusive men, said Jack Z. Bratich, a professor at Rutgers who studies the intersection between pop culture and politics. It happens in romantic relationships and also in professional ones. There are a number of reasons for this, but one main factor is that in patriarchy, womens ability to thrive still often depends on men in power. In the Cuomo case, womens political survival might have been hitched to his continued reign, so their professional investment in him is now at risk. The Saturday after Cuomo resigned, a small group of around 11 people gathered outside of the governors New York City office on Third Avenue, not far from the United Nations headquarters. They toted signs that read, Thank You, Governor Cuomo and We stand with the governor. One woman wore a white T-shirt with #Andy stamped on the front. Supporters at the 'Rally for Andrew Cuomo' outside his Manhattan office, August 14, 2021. Alaina Demopoulos Im here today because I still support the governor, Brenda Torres, a Brooklyn woman who gave her age as late fifties, said. I dont think he was given fair treatment. I dont think he received the due process that he should have. Torres didnt think of herself as political until she got furloughed from her travel company job last year. Stuck at home during the beginning of the pandemic, she turned to Cuomos popular pressers as a means of comfort. She began joining Facebook groups dedicated to the governor. It was a support group for all of us to talk and keep calm, Torres said. To discuss his briefings when he came on. OK, hes calming us down and doing what he needs to do and telling us what we need to do to stay safe. I wouldnt call it a fan club. Its more of a support group. Torres does not appreciate being called a Cuomosexual. We take offense to that, she said. Im a supporter, but Im also a serious person. By the media labeling us Cuomosexuals, what they did was a disservice. We were the butt of a joke. And were not a joke, and were not just women. There are men, too. We do have a voice and we want to be heard. Most of Torres summer has been spent attending pro-Cuomo events. Ive made new friends, she said. Hes really united us, and thats one of the lovely things about this project. He does have that empathy, warmth, and it rubs off on you. If he can do it with all of us through a tiny little screen, why cant we do this with each other? Along with her crew of New York protesters, Torres has become virtual buddies with supporters from London, Canada, Kazakhstan, and Germany. Shes sent letters to Cuomo thanking him, though she doesnt expect to get anything back. Hes always going to be my governor, Torres said. Theres not going to be another one for me. Torres said they felt the AGs report was flawed, and that the 11 witnesses alleging sexual harassment were not vetted properly. Those who spoke at the rally seemed to agree. Carmen Enriquez, a member of the New York State Democratic Party Committee for Assembly District 39, held up a selfie Brittany Commisso, the executive assistant who said Cuomo groped her twice, took with the governor. In an emotional interview, Commisso told CBS News that she felt Cuomos hand go down my back onto my butt, and he started rubbing it, right before the photo was taken. She mentioned being embarrassed and nervous and said she couldnt stop shaking. Commisso said she moved to sit on the couch so shed have better control over her body, and thats when she snapped the smiling selfie with Cuomo. At the rally outside of his office, Enriquez held a blown-up copy of the selfie and attacked Commissos credibility, saying she did not see any evidence of sexual harassment in this photo. Betty Alcivai, a woman from Queens, had been to three pro-Cuomo rallies. I love everything he does, and I think hes a very good person, she said. She doesnt believe the allegations. I am a woman. If someone does something to me, I say, Excuse me, if you do that again I will report that to my manager. Thats how it should work. What do the Cuomo supporters want? Part of their meeting was an unabashed display of love for their governor, one that ended with a fervent chant of, Cuomo! Cuomo! They disagree with resignation, but mostly just want people to know: they exist. He is well supported, Torres said. And thats the message we want to get out there, becauseno offensethe media, all they do is the negative. They forget the positive, and they dont talk about the positives, the supporters. They dont come to talk to us, ever, or ask us to come have a forum, discussion, something. Its never happened. Its always been, lets report all of the negative and lets become the judge, jury, and executioners. Its like, did you guys forget all of the good things hes done? Why is it being put on the back burner? As women on the Facebook groups process their grief over Cuomos resignation, many assure each other that the governor will be back someday. Hes not disappearing, and neither are we, one wrote. Another posted an inspirational quote. Reset, readjust, restart, refocus as many times as you need to, it read. The user captioned the graphic: This thought reminds me of what we want Governor Cuomo to do. 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. Gholam Ruhani was filmed celebrating at the Afghan presidential palace on Sunday. He spent 8 years imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay before being released in 2007. According to his prison record, Ruhani once told a guard: "We will get you on the outside." See more stories on Insider's business page. One of the Taliban fighters filmed celebrating the capture of Kabul at the Afghan presidential palace on Sunday has been identified as a former Guantanamo Bay prison inmate, who once told a guard there: "We will get you on the outside," according to prison records published by The New York Times. In a victory speech, Gholam Ruhani had said that he was held at Guantanamo for nearly eight years. In reality, Ruhani spent nearly six years at the American-run detention center in Cuba, according to records published by The Times in June. The records show that Ruhani was one of the first Taliban fighters to be captured by the US after the September 11, 2001, attacks, entering the prison on the first day it opened in January 2002. He was repatriated to Afghanistan in December 2007, also under President George W. Bush's administration. Video: What if the most powerful nuclear bomb exploded in space Officials said Ruhani posed a threat to US if released In an assessment before he was released, Pentagon officials said that Ruhani posed a "medium" threat to the US, since he had family in "anti-coalition militia entities," and would likely join such groups if released and take part in attacks against US forces in Afghanistan. The assessment included details about Ruhani's conduct in prison, saying his "overall behavior has been complaint and non-hostile toward the guard force and staff." However, it was also noted that he threatened a guard in April 2005, saying: "We will get you on the outside." According to a summary of evidence against Ruhani, included in the Times documents, he worked for the Taliban's Ministry of Intelligence. He was captured in December 2001, during a meeting between the Taliban and Americans. Story continues Over the years he was imprisoned at Guantanamo, Ruhani downplayed his role in the Taliban and refuted some of the evidence the Americans had on him, in interviews and statements to US authorities. The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Ruhani claimed to be a 'simple shopkeeper' According to his records, Ruhani said that when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in the 1990s, he was forced to join the group, which conscripted all young men. He said he went for bureaucratic job because he was "scared of fighting" and didn't want to die on the battlefield. He also said the department he worked at was not an intelligence agency but a local police department, and that he only performed menial tasks like gardening and janitorial work, per the records. Ruhani said he was only required to "check in" to his Taliban job in Kabul every 10 to 15 days, and mainly worked at his family's appliance store in his hometown of Ghazni, more than 90 miles away. He described himself as a "simple shopkeeper." He said he had never heard of al-Qaeda until 9/11 and blamed Osama bin Laden for bringing the war to Afghanistan, the records said. Ruhani said he quit the Taliban after the attacks, and was no longer associated with the group when he was asked by an acquaintance to act as an interpreter for the meeting between the Taliban and the Americans where he was captured in 2001. "I thought it was a friendly meeting of which I believed I was on the Americans' side," Ruhani said in August 2004. While in Guantanamo, he also told US officials that he wanted to return to Afghanistan so he could help his sick father run their store. The Times tried to track down Ruhani and the other 19 men first imprisoned at Guantanamo for a story in March, but said he and three others were unable to be located. Ruhani's former lawyer told the outlet that Ruhani cut off contact as soon as he returned to Afghanistan. Read the original article on Business Insider By Sabine Siebold (Reuters) -The Taliban must not let Afghanistan become a breeding ground for terrorism again, NATO said on Tuesday, warning that the alliance after its withdrawal still has the military power to strike any terrorist group from a distance. "Those now taking power have the responsibility to ensure that international terrorists do not regain a foothold," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in his first news conference since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. "We have the capabilities to strike terrorist groups from a distance if we see that terrorist groups again try to establish themselves and plan, organise attacks against NATO allies and their countries," he added. The fight against al Qaeda, the militant organisation responsible for the 9/11 attacks whose leadership was hosted by the Taliban, was the main reason for the West's intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 in what was to become NATO's first major operation beyond Europe. But as the alliance wrapped up military operations this summer after almost two decades, the Taliban rapidly advanced, capturing the biggest cities in days. The sudden takeover of the capital, Kabul, caused thousands of people to flee to the city's airport, which is still being held by the U.S. military, desperate to get on evacuation flights. In Brussels, a female Afghan journalist on the verge of tears asked Stoltenberg what the West would do for all those vulnerable back in her country, leaving the NATO chief visibly moved. Stoltenberg called on the Taliban to facilitate the departure of all those who want to leave the country, and said that Western defence allies had agreed to send more evacuation planes to Kabul. At the same time, he expressed frustration with the Afghan leadership, blaming it for the Taliban's easy success. "Part of the Afghan security forces fought bravely," Stoltenberg said. "But they were unable to secure the country, because ultimately the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban and to achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted." (Additional reporting by John Chalmers, Marine Strauss, Foo Yun Chee, Francesco Guarascio; Editing by John Chalmers and Jonathan Oatis) (Independent) A spokesperson for the Taliban has said the US should "withdraw all their forces" from Afghanistan by 9/11, but that it was "committed not to attack them", after the militant group retook Kabul. Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, said the Taliban had already announced a "general amnesty" to people in Afghanistan, and that it would not attack remaining US forces in the country. The US has sent 6,000 troops to assist in the evacuation of civilians and refugees from Kabuls international airport following the unexpected fall of Afghanistan at the weekend. Asked how long the Taliban was giving the US to evacuate, Mr Shaheen said US president Joe Biden should respect the Doha agreement signed by the Trump administration last year, and to get out of Afghanistan by 9/11 the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks that led to the US invasion. We are committed not to attack them, we have not attacked, said Mr Shaheen. More follows... Read More Biden news live: Presidents speech branded grotesque and devoid of empathy as Bush breaks silence Norwegian Cruise Lines CEO launches blistering attack on Florida governor Ron DeSantis Chris Cuomo addresses CNN viewers on brothers scandal: I cant be objective when it comes to my family By Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey has dropped plans to take over Kabul airport after NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan but is ready to provide support if the Taliban request it, two Turkish sources said on Monday amid turmoil following the militant group's victory in Afghanistan. Turkey, which has 600 troops in Afghanistan, had offered to keep them in Kabul to guard and operate the airport after other NATO members pulled out, and was discussing details with Washington and the government of President Ashraf Ghani. The plans were thrown into disarray over the past two days after Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Taliban swept in to Kabul and thousands of Afghans, also hoping to escape, thronged the airport on Monday. The Taliban had also warned Turkey against keeping soldiers in Afghanistan to run the airport - warnings which Ankara had dismissed before the Islamist militants surged towards the capital. "At the point reached, there is total chaos at Kabul airport. Order has been completely disrupted," said one of the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity. "At this stage, the process of Turkish soldiers taking up control of the airport has automatically been dropped," the person added. "However, in the event that the Taliban asks for technical support, Turkey can provide security and technical support at the airport." The move to scrap the plans comes after the rapid conquest of Afghanistan by Taliban insurgents following U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. forces after 20 years of war that cost billions of dollars. Opposition parties in Turkey had criticised the government's plans, saying such a mission would put Turkish soldiers at risk and calling for their immediate withdrawal amid the uptick in violence. Until the Taliban's entry into Kabul, Turkish officials had said Ankara remained committed to the plans and that it would wait to see how events unfolded in Kabul before making a final decision. Story continues Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has called for calm in Afghanistan and criticised the Taliban's advance, said last week he could meet with the Taliban as part of efforts to end the fighting in Afghanistan. Ankara had viewed the airport mission as a potential area of cooperation that could help heal frayed ties with Washington and other NATO allies, which have been strained over several issues. (Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu in AnkaraEditing by Dominic Evans and Matthew Lewis) ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey is in talks with all parties in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, and views positively the messages the Islamist militants have sent since taking control of the country, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. Cavusoglu was speaking a day after Turkish security sources said Ankara had dropped plans to guard and operate Kabul airport following the withdrawal of other NATO forces from Afghanistan because of the chaos which accompanied the Taliban victory nL1N2PO06L. The sources told Reuters that Turkey, a Muslim country which has one of NATO's largest military forces, was instead ready to provide technical and security assistance nL8N2PN5F9 if the Taliban requested it. "We are keeping up dialogue with all sides, including the Taliban," Cavusoglu told a news conference in Jordan. "We view positively the messages that the Taliban has given so far, whether to foreigners, to diplomatic individuals or its own people. We hope to see these in action as well." Turkey, with some 600 troops in Afghanistan, will also discuss airport security and the transition in Afghanistan with the United States and others, Cavusoglu said. "(Afghan parties) will negotiate all these issues amongst themselves - who will be in the transition government, what kind of government will there be... We will discuss all of these but the country needs to calm down now," he said. TALKS WITH THE TALIBAN A senior Turkish official said talks with the Taliban, which started before the group's fighters swept through Afghanistan, were continuing and Turkey could maintain its presence at the airport if the Taliban requested help. "We don't know if the Taliban have enough personnel (to run the airport). They may ask us for technical support. Our presence at the airport may continue in that framework," the official said. The Taliban had previously warned Turkey against keeping troops in Kabul to guard the airport but the official said they had not asked Turkish forces to leave Afghanistan, hoping positive ties with Muslim nations would help them gain international recognition. Story continues Turkey was meeting "the Taliban's military officials through Pakistan, and we are in contact with the political wing through Qatar," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Turkey's intelligence agency was involved in the contacts, the official said, adding: "The plan to take control of Kabul airport following the U.S. withdrawal was dropped, but there is no approach for us to leave immediately. No such message was received from the Taliban for now." (Reporting by Orhan Coskun, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Dominic Evans, Jane Merriman and Timothy Heritage) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is sending nearly half a million doses of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine to Rwanda, including the first doses from the Biden administration's 500 million global pledge earlier this summer, the White House said on Tuesday. "Today, we are shipping over 488,000 doses of Pfizer to Rwanda, including the first 100,000 doses from @POTUS 500 million shots pledged and purchased this summer. This is just the beginning," White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said in a post on Twitter. The move is part of the Biden administration's support for COVAX, the global vaccine sharing program with the World Health Organization to help distribute vaccines to poorer countries. U.S. President Joe Biden in June said the United States would donate 500 million doses of Pfizer's shot, made with partner BioNTech SE, and officials have said they would start shipping out in late August. In Rwanda, COVID-19 infections are decreasing with 584 average daily reported cases, 42% of its peak caseload reported on July 22. https://tmsnrt.rs/3yWz8pR Biden administration health officials have said efforts to quell the novel coronavirus outbreak worldwide is key to ending the pandemic and preventing future problematic COVID strains, in addition to ongoing efforts to vaccinate people in the United States. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by David Holmes) By Emma Farge and Emma Thomasson GENEVA (Reuters) -The chief of field operations of the U.N. children's agency expressed cautious optimism about working with Taliban officials following their seizure of power in Afghanistan, citing their early expressions of support for girls' education. The U.N. children's agency (UNICEF) is still delivering aid to most parts of the country and has held initial meetings with new Taliban representatives in recently seized cities like Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad. "We have ongoing discussions, we are quite optimistic based on those discussions," UNICEF's chief of field operations in Afghanistan, Mustapha Ben Messaoud, told a U.N. briefing, adding that 11 out of 13 field offices were currently operational. "We have not a single issue with the Taliban in those field offices." The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 following strict Islamic law, forbidding women from working. Girls were not allowed to attend school and women had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative if they wanted to venture out of their homes. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned on Monday of "chilling" curbs on human rights under the Taliban and mounting violations against women and girls and a U.N. official warned on Tuesday that thousands of Afghan rights workers were at risk. UNICEF cited some Taliban local representatives as saying they were waiting for guidance from their leaders on the issue of educating girls, while others have said they want schools "up and running". One Taliban health director in Herat where UNICEF is the only U.N. agency present had also asked female employees to report to duty, Ben Messaoud said. UNICEF had not yet established a direct communication with the Taliban in the capital Kabul, he added. Rupert Colville, spokesman for Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the worries of many Afghans about the Taliban were "thoroughly understandable". Story continues "We call on the Taliban to demonstrate through their actions, not just their words, that the fears for the safety of so many people from so many different walks of life are addressed," he said. Unlike many countries which are scrambling to evacuate their diplomats from the country, the United Nations does not plan staff evacuations and is appealing for additional aid for its operations amid warnings of growing humanitarian needs. However, U.N. dealings with the Taliban, designated by its Security Council as a terrorist organisation, may raise questions among donors. More than half a million people have been displaced within the country since the beginning of the year with U.N. agencies warning of a "humanitarian catastrophe" as hunger spreads. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson, Emma Farge and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alex Richardson and Nick Macfie) The rate of incarcerated people in the US has fallen, according to Pew Research Center reviewed data (iStock) The rate of incarceration in the US fell in 2019 to levels not seen since 1995, according to government data. The Pew Research Center reviewed Bureau of Justice data to find that there were 810 people per 100,000 in prisons at the end of 2019. This translates to 2.1 million people incarcerated in total. The rate was at its highest between 2006 and 2008. During this two-year period, the rate of incarcerated people was 1,000 per 100,000. Following this high period, the number dropped every year. According to the Pew Research Center, the decline can be attributed to reduced levels of violent and property offences and legislative changes that allow for shorter sentencing. Pew cited the 2018 law enacted by President Donald Trump that shortened some federal sentences. Despite this decrease, the US still claims the highest rate of imprisonment in the world when compared to other countries that share prison data. The study, however, questioned how China accounts for its incarcerated population. According to the World Prison Brief, China has 1.7 million people in prison, but that figure has been disputed. Chinas total excludes people held in pre-trial detention or administrative detention a group that may number more than 650,000. Chinas total also excludes the estimated 1 million Uyghur Muslims who are reportedly being detained in camps in the Xinjiang autonomous region, wrote Pews John Gramlich in the datas accompanying statement. President Joe Biden has pledged to reduce the US prison population, which is disproportionately people of colour. Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the administration was looking to review some nonviolent drug offenders and potentially offer them clemency. The war on drugs, which began in the 1980s, is believed to have significantly contributed to the high levels of incarcerated people in the US. According to the AP, 20 per cent of incarcerated people have a drug charge as their most serious offence. Story continues The federal governments treatment of incarcerated people throughout the pandemic has sparked criticism. Inmates were sent back to prison following their removal for social distancing purposes. Additionally, prisons have faced massive Covid outbreaks due to the crowded conditions. These statistics do not gauge levels of youth incarceration. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the youth prison population is believed to stand at roughly 60,000. In some states, youth incarceration rate stands at over 400 per 100,000 people, including in South Dakota and Wyoming. The Independent reached out to the Pew Research Center for comment. Companies are acting where government is not and pushing workers to get the jab to get the job. Driving the news: The share of job postings on Indeed requiring vaccination has jumped 90% in just the last month. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. The big picture: Vaccination rates in the U.S. are climbing, but hesitancy remains high in certain places. And the Delta variant is foiling companies' return-to-work plans. Now, it's not just front-line jobs at restaurants and shops requiring vaccination. Postings for jobs in software development, marketing and sales are mandating that applicants have the shot too. What's happening: At the beginning of the year, there were basically zero office jobs asking workers to get the vaccine. But even if workers are 100% remote, they'll have to come on-site at some point to meet with colleagues and firms don't want to take risks. And even though the overall number of job postings requiring vaccination is still quite small just about 1,200 per 1 million postings they're increasing at a rapid clip. "This is incredible growth," says Indeed economist AnnElizabeth Konkel. The share of software development jobs postings requiring vaccination has skyrocketed 12,400%, from a minuscule 3.5 per million to 438 per million. Marketing jobs have seen an 11,100% jump to 1,110 per million, and sales a 4,100% increase to 374 per million. Big companies that are now requiring proof of vaccination at least to come into the office include Google, Facebook, Netflix, Disney, Morgan Stanley, Lyft and The Washington Post. Even jobs that already tended to require vaccination like those in education, retail and hospitality are doing so at even higher rates. The bottom line: This is yet another example of companies acting like governments. Even if cities, states or the federal government choose not to mandate vaccination, firms can throw their weight around and effectively set policy by requiring it for their employees or customers or both. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Washington A New York man pleaded guilty Monday to posting threatening statements online about killing Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia around the time of the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The Justice Department said Eduard Florea, 41, of Queens, also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing ammunition after having been convicted of a felony. Federal law enforcement officers found more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition during a search of his home on January 12, according to court filings. He faces up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced November 29. Florea made his violent comments on the social media site Parler and posted under the name "LoneWolfWar," federal prosecutors said. On January 5, one day before a mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters breached the Capitol, Florea posted "Warnock is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when he's swinging with the f**king fish." Then, just after midnight on January 6, he wrote of Warnock, "Dead men can't pass s**t laws." Warnock was elected in Georgia's Senate runoff election January 5, defeating Republican Kelly Loeffler, the incumbent. His win, along with Democrat Jon Ossoff's victory over Republican Senator David Perdue in the state's other runoff election, handed Democrats control of the Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes. Warnock and Ossoff were both sworn in on January 20. In addition to posting violent threats about Warnock, Florea also wrote on Parler on January 5 that "We need to all come to an agreement ... and go armed ... and really take back Washington," according to court records. He posted minutes later that "Tomorrow may very [well] be the day war kicks off..." On the afternoon of January 6, after the attack on the Capitol had begun, Florea posted on Parler that he planned to go to Washington, D.C., writing in part that there were "3 cars of armed patriots heading into DC from NY" and "Guns cleaned loaded ... got a bunch of guys all armed and ready to deploy ... we are just waiting for the word." Story continues Florea did not ultimately travel to Washington on January 6, according to court filings. Florea's guilty plea comes as federal prosecutors continue investigating the violent assault on the Capitol, when Mr. Trump's supporters attempted to stop Congress from reaffirming President Biden's victory. In the months since January 6, more than 570 people have been arrested in connection with the attack, though prosecutors said in July hundreds more have yet to be identified. At least 83 of the alleged rioters are tied to extremist groups and ideologies, including the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Texas Freedom Force and the online conspiracy theory QAnon. Efforts to help Afghan refugees ramp up LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher on landing a new job Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Taliban seizing control in Afghanistan 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. Indianapolis, IN (46208) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 67F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 67F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Damn, cancel culture is real... In China. I kind of believe his excuse that he just didn't know. And this cancelled by association is weird. Also, WTF, Japan? 1068 war criminals enshrined in that temple? Fuck. Edited at 2021-08-17 06:52 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link let me word vomit on this, lol. i haven't been to the shrine or seen it in person, so i don't know whether or not it's obvious what kind of shrine yasukuni is. i can give him a pass for nogi, because that's where the wedding was and that's not on him. nor would i fault him for being in pictures with this dewi person because i've also read that the connection is on the bride's side, while zzh is friends with the groom. but idk how a chinese national making a career in the public eye would NOT vet where he was going/doing on social media. like at all? these aren't new photos, he could have easily done a social media cleanse and cleared out his weibo when he blew up on WOH. the fans like to paint him as being educated and well read (something about him reading neil gaiman?) if so, i would think he knew exactly what kind of shrine yasukuni is given the history between china and japan. even my diaspora ass knows shrines like this exist and my first instinct if i walked into a historical monument of any kind would be to look for signage for an explanation or google it. do i believe the rumors that it's some sort of conspiracy to throw him under the bus due to WOH's success in getting around the censors? idk. it's suspect timing with all the memorial days for sure and again, the pics aren't new. also been told actors who play the shou in danmei dramas (the bottom lol) are targeted more by antis, dunno if that's true or more fans just speculating. kinda suspect that suddenly ppl who have worked for him are coming out to disparage him, he wasn't some huge well known actor. i am however, disappointed in ppl trying to play this off. i don't think the punishment fits the crime in that i think he wasn't trying to be malicious, just dumb. so i don't think his career should be ruined. but generational trauma exists. i've seen chinese ppl talking about how their families were affected by the war and how they would get in trouble for engaging with japanese media because the sentiment with older family is that anything japanese = bad. hell, i've had a peer tell me in regards to the hiroshima nuclear bomb museum, which we both visited before but on diff trips, that "it's sad but remember what they did to us." this type of mentality doesn't just go away after a generation. he prob has a lot of fans whose families were personally affected and going through that trauma changes you as a person, your relationships, how you treat your family. it gets passed on. i don't fault anyone of chinese descent being angry about it, nor do i fault them if they're not. tl;dr it's complicated imo, but he fucked up majorly. Reply Thread Link I've seen so many conspiracy theories about why this happened, like the one about disgruntled shippers of him/Gong Jun turning against him bc of a girlfriend or the one about tencent trying to ruin his career to ~make way for the TGCF actors. some ppl tried to compare this to what happened to Xiao Zhan too, which nope. Reply Parent Thread Link the worst is stans trying to compare this to kris wu's situation which i'm like, kindly fuck off forever? they're no where near the same as if kris wu isn't facing consequences as well (which he deserves and more). xiao zhan is really lucky his ~scandal~ had nothing to do with wo guo/nationalism or else his ass would have been cancelled even more, lmao. i do think the popularity of danmei live actions is a blessing and a curse. i don't see xiao zhan or yibo ever acting in another one of them given the level of obsession fans curated. i've also heard solo gong jun fans are happy about this, which sucks and like, y'all don't know if gong jun is next on the chopping block, keep your mouths shut, lol. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Ugh the Kris Wu comparisons made no sense. Apparently they were mad b/c the brands dropped him like a hot potato while it took a day or two for Kris. I'm like?? Your guy may have heat right now but has no stability so of course brands are going to drop him quick. Kris on the other hand had a lot more influence so they played it safe until things couldn't be salvage anymore. At the end of the day, ZZH is a free man. He can pursue other careers, just not in C-entertainment. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Imagine reading Neil Gaiman being a sign of education. Reply Parent Thread Link I would never set foot in that god-forsaken place Yasukuni Shrine. It must be like hell on earth. pic.twitter.com/6Dh792MTyJ Rob Kajiwara (@robkajiwara) August 16, 2021 Japan's Defense Minister & Minister of Economic & Fiscal Policy both visited Yasukuni Shrine to worship war criminals. Yes, the "defense minister" (Nobuo Kishi) went to worship war criminals. He is a grandson of Class-A convicted war criminal Nobusuke Kishi.#RealJapan https://t.co/zK0guonXkr pic.twitter.com/POMloewmwe Rob Kajiwara (@robkajiwara) August 14, 2021 The fact that they'll still wave that flag there makes me want to throw up tbh: Reply Thread Link Japan and their denial over ww2 and imperialism/colonialism is like next level delusion and brain washing. Reply Parent Thread Link I was watching a YT video of a Japanese guy watching a video on ww2 and the amount he didnt know was I had no idea how in denial Japan was over ww2 until he literally was like everything I learned in school was a lie. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link And their rebranding. Most people only associate japan with technology and anime, not war and imperialism Reply Parent Thread Link Miyavi doesn't go into detail but when he did the movie with Angelina Jolie he was basically like "I had no idea" it's absolutely wild that the education system failed them so much Reply Parent Thread Link How American of them. Reply Parent Thread Link Holy shit, Nobusuke Kishi is the maternal grandfather of SHINZO ABE too!! All these war criminal sprogs in public office, jesus. I had no idea there were different classes of war criminality either and Class A isdreadful. Dont google it. Reply Parent Thread Link I hate the Yasukuni shrine and it scares me. The people in charge are most definitely right wing nationalists. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Jesus Christ. Nationalists are the worst. Reply Parent Thread Link Nanjing....jfc. The Flowers of War film was too much to handle. And reading about Iris Chang's writing the book only to spiral.... Japan will never admit they were wrong to do that. My Korean professor said they will also not admit to taking Manchuria from Korea. (I lent her Millennium Actress and she said she turned it off once they got to Manchuria...but she read a summary afterwards. I didnt quite understand) Reply Thread Link That book Flowers of War was based on wasnt written by Iris Changshe wrote a different book about the Nanjing Massacre. Manchuria is part of China, not Korea. It was invaded and occupied by Japan in 1931. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh no I know Iris wrote a different book. It really affected her mental health. :( I watched FoW a few years back and it upset me. But Zhang Yimou did a great job, Bale as protagonist aside. I always thought that China, Korea, and Japan were all trying to claim ownership of the island Edited at 2021-08-18 03:01 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Id give him a pass for the wedding since he was only a guest. But I dont buy that hes ignorant about Yasukuni Shrine. Some of the books he recommended (b/c he markets himself as cultured) talks about it. And every year Japanese right wing politicians pay visits to that shrine and every year China & Korea rage about it. Hes an arrogant idiot is what he is. Apparently his fans had warned him to take those photos down years ago but were ignored. Oh and I firmly believe his international fans defending him by downplaying the issue and being ignorant/dismissive of Chinese history & sentiment is the reason he got kicked off of Weibo too. C-netizens camp on twitter and translate our tweets to C-fans. It's cute when fans are doing it for fellow fans but not so much when anti's do the same thing. Edited at 2021-08-17 09:04 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link This isI dont like that his career and life are being ruined, but I dont like how many WoH/ZZH fans want to just bury and ignore this while screaming that the exposure was done in bad faith. Like yeah, Im sure it was done maliciously to get at him, but he still did the thing and it isnt for fans to go its no big deal. Reply Thread Link yeah I mean in the end he's the one visiting that place and posting pictures of his visit online. he's the one who gave antis the ammo to use against him Reply Parent Thread Link People going it was a mistake dont we all make mistakes are fucking killing me. Nah, Im sorry, we dont all make mistakes like this, no. No one loves a totally pristine life of course, but this is A Lot. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'm truly shocked about that damn shrine, why? Reply Thread Link Wasnt there pictures of him doing the Hitler hand thing or was that someone else Reply Thread Link It was him but he fans claimed he was mimicking the gesture of a character in a previous movie he was in. His idiot fans went to the same place and replicated the gesture, took pictures and posted on Weibo... Reply Parent Thread Link Was that also the picture of him grabbing the nipple of a statue? Its all very bizarre, I dont think this guy is ignorant, hes prob just an ass. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Pretty sure that shrine has security at the entrance gate (which isnt common to other shrines Ive been to in Japan) as have seen video of them stop people attempting to film a documentary there before. They also have the nationalist vans outside and will follow anyone theyre suspicious of (aka anyone covering it truthfully). So yeah, Im dubious that you wouldnt realise something was a bit off about that place if youd been to other shrines. Reply Thread Link This feels like a hit job although its his fault for posting pictures and igniting this fire against him. He really needs to own responsibility for his actions. Im surprised his management/PR team didnt go through his Weibo etc to make sure he was not doing anything to ruin his rising image. There was also pictures of a car he had before? Still owns? that was retrofitted with a big rising sun logo. A lot of stuff came out besides just this Japanese trip, nazi salut, questionable behavior and pictures with allegedly questionable people. Then again, dude lives in China and the higher the star the more careful with public image you have to be. Any co-stars/ex-costars cant say anything because they can be cancelled. So dont expect WOH people to come out and be all openly supportive of him. It sucks major for any future WOH things, like if a Chinese sequel was made or movie or anniversary fan meets. Edited at 2021-08-18 05:47 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link I've been seeing bits and pieces of the news and didn't know the full extent of this. Welp, that's a lot of holes i missed. Thanks for the reddit link, it's a lot to take in. Reply Thread Link uh how come no mentioned that whole thing started because he admitted he got into uni acting because he mom sold her store and bribe the official, he admitted this on a tv interview. rumor his demise happened so fast because hes very arrogant and make a lot of enemies. his fans warned him about those pics before. china is extremely sensitive about fans culture right now, one wrong move and youre done this dude is just dumb! Reply Thread Link OSHA Releases Free Online Training for New Wildfire Smoke Rules Training is easy access and offered in both English and Spanish. A free resource is now available to Oregon employers to help them comply with rules with the goal of protecting workers from wildfire smoke. Oregon OSHA created an interactive, flexible online training course. Wildfire Smoke Training Requirements is designed to help employers meet certain training rules found in Oregon OSHAs emergency temporary rule, addressing wildfire smoke in the workplace. We encourage employers to take advantage of this free training resource, which will help them better understand and carry out our rule, said Roy Kroker, consultation and public education manager for Oregon OSHA. And it provides an opportunity for employers to enhance their existing training programs. The temporary rule addressing wildfire smoke took effect August 9, 2021 and will remain in effect for 180 days. The rule requires employers to comply with employee training provisions by August 16, 2021. They must do so for employees who may be exposed to wildfire smoke where the ambient air concentration for fine particulate matter (also known as PM2.5) is at or above an Air Quality Index (AQI) 101, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to an article. The training requirement applies unless the employer decides that operations involving wildfire smoke exposure will be suspended before employees are exposed to an AQI 101. The online training course covers six of the 10 required training elements. They are: Symptoms of wildfire smoke exposure Potential health effects of wildfire smoke The definition of sensitive groups It has been a quiet start to the week for oil markets, but bearish sentiment is undeniably building as the Delta variant threatens to damage global demand. Chart of the Week - Oil and gas majors have withstood the immediate ramifications of a sternly-worded IPCC report warning of the dire consequences of climate change quite well. - Energy companies remain the second-most lucrative investment in the S&P 500 pool, having gained 30% over the course of this year, Bloomberg reports. - At the same time, the era of energy stocks soaring above others in relative terms is over, with energy companies now accounting for a mere 2.5% of the broader index. - Overall, energy firms in the S&P 500 saw sales more than double in Q2 and revenues in H2 are assumed to exceed those of every other sector. Market Movers - Saudi Aramco is reportedly in advanced talks with Indian conglomerate Reliance (NSE:RELIANCE) to acquire a 20% stake in its refining and chemical business, in a monster deal worth some $25 billion. - BHP Group (NYSE:BHP), the Anglo-Australian energy firm, reported its best annual profit in more than a decade, taking in $17.06 billion in fiscal year 2021. BHP will also shift its main market listing from London to Sydney. - LG Energy (KRX:003550) signed a deal with Australian Mines Ltd (ASX:AUZ) to supply 100% of projected nickel and cobalt output from the miner's flagship Sconi Project in southeastern Australia. Tuesday, August 17, 2021 It has been a relatively quiet start to the week for oil markets, with Brent trading just below the $70 per barrel mark and WTI hovering around $67.5 per barrel. Despite the relative lull, short-term sentiment turned more bearish as Chinas July readings indicated its weakest refining performance since May 2020, denting hopes of a robust Chinese demand bounce-back coming anytime soon. OPEC+ Not Willing to Ramp up Output. OPEC+ nations see no utility in ramping up crude production beyond the already agreed gradual roll-back, turning a blind eye on US President Bidens call to boost output as gasoline prices spiral out of control, Reuters writes. Woodside to Buy BHPs Oil Business. UK-Australian firm BHP (NYSE:BHP) is negotiating the divestment of its oil and gas assets with Woodside Petroleum (ASX:WPL) in a deal that could create Australias largest producer, surpassing the recent Santos-Oil Search Merger. Related: How Can Emerging Markets Capitalize On Geothermal Energys Potential? US Treasury to Oppose Development Banks Investments into Fossil Fuels. The latest investment guidance US Treasury Dept guidance states Washington would be against international development banks (World Bank, African Development Bank) investing in fossil fuel projects, except for some downstream gas facilities in poor countries. Canada to Finally See Pipeline Capacity Expansion. Enbridge (TSE:ENB) intends to commission its Line 3 replacement pipeline project in late September-early October, although it would take months until it reaches full throughput, increasing Canadas export capacity by 390,000 b/d. Rosneft Courts Vostok Oil Investors. Russias state oil company Rosneft is still wooinginvestors into its Vostok Oil megaproject, having already sold 10% to Trafigura and negotiating on further 5% sales to trading firms Vitol and MME. Vostok Oil will combine Vankor fields with newly purchased Payakha acreage, aiming for 2 mbpd of production by 2030. EIA Cuts 2022 Us Crude Supply Forecast. The EIA cut its 2022 crude output estimate by a further 100kbpd to 11.76mbpd, indicating that production next year will still remain below pre-pandemic levels on an annual average. This year will see an 11.12mbpd annual output rate. Europe to See Retail Energy Prices Hike. In a harbinger of things to come amid sky-high gas prices, EDF Energy, a subsidiary of Frances EDF (EPA:EDF), announced it will hike retail energy prices in the UK by 12% starting from October 01. Germany to Sell Quarter of Lufthansa Stake. Germanys government will sell a quarter of its 20% stake in Lufthansa (ETR:LHA), one of the worlds largest airlines, in a deal that is supposed to bring some $1 billion to the state coffers. Shell Declares Force Majeure at Forcados. The Shell-operated (NYSE:RDS.A) Forcados terminal in Nigerias Niger Delta declared force majeure over the weekend after a sheen was noticed around the loading buoy. Market sources indicate that the incident might have happened during the loading of the George S vessel. Saudi NOC Invests into Solar. Saudi Aramco (Tadawul:2222) agreed to invest in the 1.5 GW Sudair solar PV plant, the first project under the Saudi Public Investment Funds renewable portfolio. Aramco will own 30% in the $0.9 billion project, already wielding a 25-year power purchase agreement with Saudi Power Procurement. Aluminum Prices Soar to Record Highs. Triggered by Russias half-year aluminum export tax and a strike-induced supply drop at Rio Tintos (NYSE:RIO) Kitimat site in Canada, aluminum prices were at all-time highs US prices have surged to $3400 per metric tonne already, some $400 metric tonne higher than the previous high from 2018 when the US sanctioned Rusal (MCX:RUAL). Iraq Clinches Drilling Deals. Seeking to rekindle drilling activity in Iraq, the state-owned drilling firm IDC is closing on an array of drilling contracts with international majors. BP (NYSE:BP) got a contract to drill 30 wells at the Rumaila field, whilst the Italian ENI (NYSE:E) is set to sign off to 37 wells for the Zubair oil field. IKEA Starts Selling Renewable Energy. The worlds largest furniture brand, the privately-owned IKEA, will start selling renewables-sourced electricity on the Swedish market starting this September. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: After hitting a near three-year high of $4.20/MMBtu a week ago, natural gas prices have gone into a sharp reversal, leading to growing fears that the bull party could have come to an abrupt end. Natural gas futures slipped another 4% on Thursday to trade at $3.90/MMBtu after the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that natural gas injections rose by 49 billion cubic feet for the week ended Aug. 6, above the 44 billion cubic feet average estimate by Wall Street. Gas prices have now declined four times in five sessions while hitting near three-year highs in the same stretch. However, to the longs, last Thursday's peak above $4.20 portends even better times ahead; to the bears, the extraordinary bull rally that has prevailed since the beginning of the year has finally run out of steam. Here's why the bulls still have the upper hand in this market. Low Inventory Levels According to the experts, temperature anomalies that have leaned towards the cooler side of the spectrum have been mainly responsible for slowing natural gas demand. Unfortunately for the bulls, this trend is expected to accelerate in the coming weeks as summer temperatures begin to decline, thus depressing cooling demand even further. Part of the expected cooldown is thanks to Tropical Storm Fred, which is expected to bring rain, wind, and cooler temperatures to Florida this weekend. That said, short-sellers should be on the lookout for another potential hurrah for the bulls next week if the experts are right again--a late summer heat anomaly as summer temperatures peak that could again send cooling demand spiking. There's a great degree of uncertainty regarding next week's injection, with estimates as low as 9 bcf to as high as 45 bcf, with 26 bcf being the mean as per Refinitiv estimates. If actual injection levels end up being closer to the mean, they will be considerably lower than 45 bcf recorded during last year's corresponding period and a five-year average build of 42 bcf. An even bigger positive for the bulls is the fact that natural gas inventory levels remain considerably lower compared to historical levels: Total U.S. natural gas stocks now stand at 2.776 trillion cubic feet, 16.5% lower from a year ago and 178 billion cubic feet below the five-year average. In fact, the biggest worry right now is that U.S. natural gas stocks might not be enough to last through the winter. U.S. storage inventories have been struggling to refill this injection season, as strong export demand and robust power burns have left little gas left to replenish stocks. The supply crunch is also being felt keenly in Asia and Europe. According to a report in the Financial Times, natural gas prices have climbed sharply across Europe and Asia thanks to tighter supplies, lower production volumes in Europe, as well as lower exports from Russia. Consequently, natural gas prices in Europe have surged to around 40 euros per mWh (~14/MMBtu) for the first time ever, with UK gas prices at the highest levels in 16 years. The situation is even direr in Asia, where gas prices have hit $15/MMBtu The supply crunch is only expected to intensify over the coming weeks. "If anything it's surprising there hasn't been more concern. In terms of additional supply there aren't many options on the table globally. Russia is really the only discretionary source of supplies out there but we don't know when additional deliveries might start. So traders around the world, from Japan to Brazil, are starting to watch European prices too," Tom Marzec-Manser at ICIS has told FT. The long-term natural gas outlook is even brighter. Natural gas and LNG are now being viewed as the bridge in the transition from coal to renewable energy thanks to their more favorable emissions profile, as it generates 30% less carbon dioxide than fuel oil and 45% less than coal. And, this is very likely to become a long-term trend. Whereas a combination of several short-term tailwinds such as supply disruptions, the global economic rebound, and a pause in new LNG export plants have been driving the natural gas rally, there is a growing consensus that structural changes led by the clean energy transition mean that this is likely to become the new norm. Related: Oil Sinks As Demand Outlook Worsens To exacerbate matters, investments in new gas fields have been falling over the years amid calls from climate-conscious investors and governments. For instance, high carbon prices in Europe are forcing utilities to quickly switch to natural gas; China is ready to be more reliant on gas than ever, while scores of governments in South and Southeast Asia are planning dozens of new gas plants to meet rapidly growing electricity needs. Further, the switch to natural gas can be made relatively quickly with limited capital deployments. With few other viable options, the world will continue to rely more heavily on cleaner-burning gas to help achieve short-term green goals. "No matter how you look at it, gas will be the transitional fuel for decades to come as major economies commit to meeting carbon emission targets. The price of gas is more likely to remain high in the medium term and increase in the long term," Chris Weafer, CEO of Macro-Advisory Ltd., has told Bloomberg. Natural gas rally boosts coal Coal Prices (USD/Ton) Source: Business Insider Given this backdrop, it's somewhat ironic that high natural gas prices have actually been giving a major boost to the fuel it's supposed to replace: Coal. Coal prices have surged 126% in the year-to-date to $146.25/ton, with high natural gas prices encouraging more coal generation. This could become a point of contention for the environmentalists, with coal-related CO2 emissions expected to increase 17% this year as coal plays a bigger role in the energy mix. Consequently, the energy sector is expected to record a 7% increase in C02 emissions to 4.9 billion mt in 2021, a sharp turnaround after emissions fell 11% in 2020. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Biden administration has filed an appeal against a ruling by a federal judge against the oil and gas leasing ban the administration enforced earlier this year. The appeal of the preliminary injunction is important and necessary, the department said in a statement. Together, federal onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions and growing climate and community impacts. Yet the current programs fail to adequately incorporate consideration of climate impacts into leasing decisions or reflect the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions including, for example, in royalty rates. The appeal also noted the departments stewardship responsibilities that were not reflected in the oil and gas leasing terms previously. In January, the White House said it would review the margin for potential changes in the existing regulation for the issuance of oil and gas leases, and for the duration of this review, new oil and gas leasing would be suspended. The ban, although temporary, raised a lot of hackles in oil-dependent states. The immediate impacts of that pause were at the time considered likely to be negligible, but in the medium to long term, new regulations could have far-reaching consequences. These would be true not only for the U.S. shale industry and conventional production offshore, but it would also affect the oil revenues and budgets of states where a large part of the drilling activity currently takes place on federal lands, such as New Mexico. Angered by the ban, oil-dependent states sued to have it revoked. In June, a Louisiana federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that effectively removed the ban. The lawsuit argued that the ban would result in GDP losses of $33.5 billion during President Bidens first term and another $8.8 billion in conservation funding. Soon after the injunction was granted, Republican Senators accused the Department of the Interior of dragging its feet on restarting the oil and gas leasing process. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland admitted that the banor pause as the administration called itwas still in place. Technically, I suppose, you could say the pause is still in place, she said, adding that We are evaluating our options, and Theres a lot of work that goes into moving that forward. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Brazil is hoping to attract oil majors to new deepwater projects that would employ low-carbon extraction technology, Reuters has reported, citing country officials. According to unnamed sources, Exxon, TotalEnergies, BP, and Chevron were among the targets for potential talks about the development of the new fields, to be auctioned this December. Projects that produce less CO2 will be the last ones to go offline, the head of exploration and production at Petrobras, Fernando Borges, told Reuters at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. This environment made our new projects more attractive. Brazil is on its way to becoming the single biggest supplier of offshore in the world, accounting for 23 percent of total offshore oil output in 2025, at a rate of 1.3 million bpd. This would be thanks to the development of its massive reserves in the presalt zone of its shelf, which has already attracted a lot of supermajor attention because of the low production costs. The county is home to the largest deepwater field, Buzios, which currently produces about 600,000 bpd, but Petrobras has plans to boost this more than threefold over the next decade. Brazils prolific pre-salt layer in the Santos Basin has produced a strong portfolio of offshore projects [...] These projects have shown robust economics, such as development breakeven oil prices averaging US$40 per barrel and have significantly contributed to South Americas trend of surpassing North Americas offshore production by 2023, said GlobalData senior oil and gas analyst Effuah Alleyne in the report forecasting Brazil to take the lead in offshore oil. Petrobras, the state-owned oil major, also has plans to boost its total production, from 2.7 million barrels of oil equivalent daily now, to some 3.3 million boepd by 2025. To that end, it is eyeing the development of new fields close to the border with Guyanathe location of a string of recent discoveries made by Exxon and its partner in the Stabroek Block, Hess. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Libya will struggle to keep its oil production at current levels if the country fails to resolve a long-running dispute over its budget, according to Libyas oil minister. Mohamed Oun, Libyas oil minister, told Bloomberg that it plans on raising its crude oil production to 1.5 million barrels per day. This is up from the current 1.3 million barrels per day. Back in July, Oun told media that it was shooting for 1.6 million bpd by the end of next year. OPEC pegs Libyas July crude oil production at 1.165 million bpd, according to secondary sources. Libyas direct reported crude oil production came in at 1.273 million bpd, according to OPECs latest Monthly Oil Market Report. But this plans success remains in jeopardy due to disagreements over the nations budgetLibyas first national budget in nearly a decade. If the budget is not approved, there will be an impact and perhaps great difficulties in maintaining oil production rates, Oun said. Currently, Libya is exempt from OPECs output cuts. Libya installed a unity government in March, and appointed a petroleum minister for the first time in five years. Related: Aramco Moves Closer To Closing $25B Reliance Megadeal Libyas oil production was seriously disrupted for eight long months after a port blockade that began in January 2020. But even after the blockade was lifted in September, Libyas crude oil production has failed to be consistent, in part because of the Petroleum Facilities Guard strikes over unpaid salaries and a lack of funds needed to restore and maintain its infrastructure. The most recent oil production disruption came from a leaky pipeline, which took 70,000 bpd offline while it assessed the damage and made repairs. The latter highlights Libyas growing need for funds to maintain its critical infrastructure. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Fidelity Bank Ghana has launched the Fidelity Banking Academy, a new capacity-building programme to provide regular, holistic training and competency upskilling for staff of Fidelity Bank. The initiative, that is being implemented in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Bankers Ghana will elevate standards in the Ghanaian banking industry with respect to technical skills, and essential non-technical skills such as management and interpersonal skills. The Fidelity Banking Academy will create an avenue for staff of Fidelity Bank to acquire top-notch skills. It also aims to provide the necessary creative environment for them to conceptualize locally relevant banking innovations that will meet the unique needs of the banks diverse customer base. Commenting on the Fidelity Banking Academy, Julian Opuni, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, stated, This Academy seeks to produce consummate world-class bankers whose expertise will help to keep our banking industry at par with the very best in the world. Importantly, it will also serve the purpose of regularly upgrading skills of our staff and offering cost efficient and international standard training to meet the pertinent human resource needs of the local banking industry. The Director of Human Resources at Fidelity Bank, Owusu Boahen, noted that The current dynamic landscape of the banking industry requires all banking professionals to sharpen their skills to meet evolving customer demands. We at Fidelity Bank remain committed to equipping our employees with the necessary skills and tools to become the best in the industry and we believe that this Academy will help us to achieve that objective. The Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Ghana, Charles Ofori-Acquah, remarked that, The Associate Charter Banker programme is the Institute's flagship qualification for banking education. However, in collaboration with leading financial institutions like Fidelity Bank, the Institute has also introduced certification programmes for practitioners in specialised areas of the banking industry such as Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, and Treasury Management, amongst others. We are happy to partner with Fidelity Bank to pilot this new model to provide opportunities for reskilling and upskilling of practitioners to improve and sustain excellent service delivery. The Fidelity Banking Academy will deliver customized programmes/modules for different departments in the bank, including Banking Operations, Risk Management, Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, and more. There will also be an entry level program to boost the employability and skill level of young people desirous of building a career in the financial sector. Fidelity Banks introduction of the Fidelity Banking Academy forms part of the Banks Together Were More brand promise that views success as a collaborative effort among key stakeholders working together towards a greater good. To this end, Fidelity Bank has demonstrated that by working with the Chartered Institute of Bankers Ghana to train its employees, it is supporting the industry to further contribute to the economic development of the country. 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 Secretary of the University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Ransford Yaw Gyampo says the government approach in resolving the ongoing strike of the association is appalling. He said on NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie' that the government's move to use state institutions to force them into the classrooms will not work if negotiations are not made to address their plight. Dont use state institutions to threaten the poor, it wont work, he told host Kwesi Aboagye. Prof Gyampo was addressing a contempt case brought against the leadership of UTAG by the National Labour Commission (NLC) to a Labour Court. The Commission on Friday, August 6 secured an interlocutory injunction from the court to compel UTAG to call off their strike which started on Monday, August 2, 2021. UTAG has, however, refused to comply with the courts order, indicating that the premise is false. While the NLC says that UTAG cannot remain on strike while negotiating with the government, UTAG insists that there is currently no active negotiation between them. Listen to the interview below Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An Accra High Court (Labour Division) has awarded the cost of GH3,000.00 against the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) for failing to comply with the courts rules concerning an application they had filed before it. UTAG had gone to court to set aside a ruling that restrained them from embarking on strike in the various public universities. However, lawyers for UTAG failed to comply with Section 20 (14) of the court rules about their application. The Court presided over by Justice Frank Rockson Aboadwe, therefore, awarded cost against UTAG. The Association has over a couple of weeks been on strike, and efforts made by the National Labour Commission to have UTAG call off the strike have proven futile despite an interim injunction against them. UTAG through one of its lawyers, Keli Delataa, prayed the court to set aside its earlier order as per an ex-parte application. The lawyer for NLC, however, objected to the move and drew the Court's attention to the fact that UTAG had breached the rule of the court and as such, cost should be awarded against them. The lawyer for the NLC held that the exhibit that the counsel for UTAG was relying on to move his application, had not been certified as per Order 20 (14) of the rules of the court. According to the NLC, that section was instructive, and therefore, the application was not properly laid before the court. Counsel for the NLC prayed the court not to allow UTAG to move the application. Counsel for UTAG, in his response to the objection, said every document they have attached to their processes has been stamped by the registrar of oath. Justice Aboadwe after listening to them said it was minded not to strike out the case but would allow UTAG to put their house in order. The court contended that the provision in the said section of the law was mandatory and ought to be fulfilled. To this end, the lawyer for the NLC asked the court to award the cost of GH10,000.00 against UTAG because the case is of public interest. The court has adjourned the matter to August 19 for UTAG to come back and move their application. Meanwhile, an application for contempt against the leadership of UTAG has been filed and that case is expected to be heard tomorrow. The Commission on Friday, August 6, this year secured an interlocutory injunction from the court to compel UTAG to call off their strike which started on Monday, August 2, this year. UTAG has, however, refused to comply with the order, indicating that the premise is false. The association filed a motion to set aside the 10 days injunction. The 2012 Single Spine package put entry-level lecturers on a salary of $2,084 while the current level puts lecturers salaries around $900. 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 Director-General of the Commission for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, has disclosed that President Akufo Addo's vision of making Ghana a world-class TVET hub is gradually taking shape. This, he attributed to the massive infrastructure projects ongoing and restructuring in the various regions across the country to revamp the TVET sector. Dr Asamoah made this known during a visit to some selected TVET projects with the Parliamentary Select Committee for Education last week. The Parliamentary Select Committee for Education is currently touring ongoing TVET projects around the country to assess the progress and report back to the house. In Accra, the Committee visited a new campus for the Accra Technical University at Mpehuasem (Samsam) which was inaugurated in 2018 and is currently being restocked with new tools and equipment under the Ghana China Project on the Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Equipment in Technical Universities and Institutes. The Committee also visited the Ashaiman Technical Institute where there is a newly constructed workshop with state-of-the-art tools and equipment under the same project. Again, the team visited the NVTI headquarters and the Vocational and Technical Institute (VTI) both at East Legon where there is an ongoing construction work which is part of the project for the overall upgrade and modernization of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Ghana which commenced in 2019. Background It would be recalled that in 2018, whilst speaking at the centenary celebrations of Asuansi Technical Institute, in Asuansi, in the Central Region, President Akufo-Addo said it was the goal of his government to make Ghana a world-class centre for skills development, and a leading country in technical and vocational education training (TVET) delivery in Africa. He further outlined Government's strategic policy on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, stating: "We want to emphasize the importance of TVET, and redeem the misconception that technical and vocational education is inferior and patronized only by less endowed students." This promise has informed the government 'resolve to invest over $ 700 million US Dollars since 2017. According to Dr. Asamoah, the government is upgrading and modernizing all National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTIs) and Opportunity Industrialisation Centres (OIC) nationwide. "The government is also constructing three foundries and machining centres, work on which is ongoing to enhance effective practical training at the various training centres, he said. "Again, the government is upgrading 17 Technical and Vocational Institutes across the country and building an office complex to support the unit responsible for TVET examination", Dr Asamoah stated. He added that additional infrastructural equipment is being provided at all technical universities to achieve quality delivery at the tertiary level with industry 4.0 standards. The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select committee, Mr Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, said, "the latest machines are being installed and we can see that these machines will help our youth to learn the modern technology and also fit in the modern way of doing things so we can rub shoulders with all other students who are doing technical education in any other country." He was upbeat that after the completion of the various construction and installations of equipment across the country, the country's dream of improving the teaching and learning of TVET would be enhanced drastically. The team will be visiting the Central, Western, Ashanti and Eastern Region over the next two weeks as part of this project. Parliamentary delegation The 20-member Parliamentary Select Committee was led by its Chairperson Mr Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah. The other members are Prince Hamidu Armah (vice-chairman) Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe (ranking member) Clement Abas Apaak (deputy ranking) Andrew Amoako Asiamah, Vincent Ekow Assafua, Kingsley Nyarko, Augustine Tawiah, Kwasi Ameyaw- Kyeremeh, Joseph Kwame Kumah. The rest are Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Bernard Ahiafor, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe, Christian Corleytey Otuteye, Dakoa Newman, Moses Anim, Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah and Ayariga Mahama. The Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, also an MP, represented the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum during the tour. 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 debate over the Free SHS policy has been revived with the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) advising the government to explore other means of financing the policy to make it sustainable. The Moderator of the PCG, Rt Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, said the government should not be the sole financier, but should be open and allow others to contribute financially to make the policy viable, sustainable and have the desired impact. If the whole project is not sustainable, there is no harm in asking others to contribute to a fund to support this good system, he said. General Assembly The Moderator was speaking at the 21st General Assembly of the PCG held in Accra yesterday. The General Assembly of the PCG is an annual event where policies and decisions affecting the church are made. It is also the body that elects national officers of the church such as the Moderator and Clerk of the PCG. It is constituted by representatives from all the 22 presbyteries that make up the PCG. This years event was on the theme: Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Challenges Rt Rev. Prof. Mante lauded the government for introducing the Free SHS policy, describing it as a life-changing policy and a courageous decision. With the Free SHS, many more people now have access to high school education which hitherto could not have for financial reasons, he said. He, however, noted that the implementation of the policy had been fraught with certain challenges which required the government to take a different approach, particularly with regard to financing the policy. In several cases, students never complete the syllabus, and in other places the schools are so oversubscribed that some students are sleeping on the floor, he said. Financing the policy The Free SHS was the flagship social intervention policy introduced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2017, to provide access to senior high school education to millions of children, who had no means of affording the education . The policy allows students to enjoy free education, with the government paying for tuition, meals for both boarders and day students, textbooks, library fee, boarding, science laboratory, examination, utility fees, among other fees. On July 22, this year, the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, told Parliament that the government had spent about GH7.62 billion on the Free SHS since its introduction in 2017. According to him, the policy had increased student enrolment in SHSs from 881,600 in 2016 to 1,261,125 in 2021. Debate Since its introduction, there had been different debates about its sustainability, with many groups calling on the government to explore other means of financing the policy. The introduction of the double-track system which made students to attend school in a shift system, led some groups, including the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), to question the viability and sustainability of the policy. The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, however, insisted that the policy was not under stress for some people to be made to pay the school fees of their wards. He described the policy as solid, and said there was no cause for alarm and no need for people to help sustain it. I do not see why people are making the argument that we are under stress. I do not see why those who pay taxes should now be made to pay fees, he told journalists in May, this year. Policy must not fail Rt Rev. Prof. Mante said inasmuch as the government was committed to sustaining the policy, there was nothing wrong in seeking support from the public. We as citizens must contribute to help the successful implementation of this policy. It is a good thing and we must help sustain it, he said. Fix the country The Moderator of the PCG also touched on the Fix the Country movement and said although there was nothing wrong for people to ask the government to fix the country, fixing the country was everyones responsibility. Fixing the country is not and cannot be a one-way affair. We must all fix ourselves for the country to be fixed, he said. PCGs impact On issues pertaining to the PCG, he said despite the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PCG made tremendous achievements in not just the spiritual lives of its members, but also in the area of education, health care and social intervention in the country. I am happy to state that PCG is growing stronger. For this we are grateful to the Lord, he added. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The British newspaper reported that only three weeks ago, Ghafari said there was hope for her country. She had said before the Taliban overthrew the government: "Younger people are aware of what's happening. They have social media. They communicate. I think they will continue fighting for progress and our rights. I think there is a future for this country." Ghafari was appointed in the summer of 2018 by President Ashraf Ghani, The New York Times reported. Although there have been female governors and mayors before in Afghanistan, she is one of the few women ever to have held a government job in the very conservative city of Maidan Shar. As the Taliban became resurgent, Ghafari was given a job in the relative safety of the Defense Ministry in Kabul, with responsibility for the welfare of soldiers and civilians injured in terrorist attacks, inews reported. Just before Kabul fell to the Taliban, senior members of the government, including the Afghanistan President, fled the country. But Ms Ghafari and people like her have nowhere to hide. Just like Ghafari, the few females in the government in Afghanistan have said they fear for their lives. Also, there have been concerns for the safety of Afghan female judges, especially those who had sentenced Taliban fighters in the past. In a statement, the International Association of Women Judges warned that Afghan women judges and their families would be in particular danger due to the nature of their work and past rulings they have made in the criminal, anti-corruption and family courts. The association said the danger was exacerbated by their gender and the likelihood that offenders sentenced by them will be released from prison. On Sunday, August 15, shortly after overthrowing the government, the Talibans chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, promised that the lives of women and opponents would be protected. The insurgents said theyd offer an "amnesty" to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. "No ones life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk," the Taliban said. However, there is already evidence of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country seized by the group. 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 incessant calls of a would-be in-law to end eight years relationship of her daughter has turned bloody in the Appollo community in the Effia Kwesimintsim Municipality of the Western Region. The said in-law, Madam Elizabeth Nkrumah, 66, according to an eye witness account has never been in favour of the relationship between Emmanuel Kwofie, 33, a chop bar operator, now deceased and her daughter who is a training college graduate. The persistent resistance which might have angered, frustrated and shattered the love dream of the man resulted in him shooting the-would- be mother in-law to death and also shooting himself in the abdomen leading to his death. The daughter (whose name being withheld for security reasons) is however in safe keep of the Police, while the whole Community is in a state of shock and anguish over the bizarre incident. The partners have a child between them. Some residents the GNA spoke with attributed the killing to the many years of love enjoyed by the parties and the anxiety to boycott such love affair on the basis of money, educational background and ethnicity. Meanwhile, Mr. Alfred Hughes, a broadcaster and Historian called on parents to avoid the interference in their children's relationship. "As parents, you can only give the best of advise... eight years journey is a long one," he added. The Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Olivia Adiku who confirmed the story, said the gun had been retrieved and the bodies have been taken to the morgue for preservation and further investigation. 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 Former President John Dramani Mahamas upcoming 'Thank You' tour will not serve as an occasion to announce any future flagbearership ambitions in 2024, reliable sources have hinted. Mr Mahama, as a sign of mutual respect to Ghanaians, will simply use the tour to show appreciation to loyalists and sympathisers who voted for him in the 2020 general elections. This was made known by a close associate to the former President, Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe. 5 months After Supreme Court Ruling Mr Mahama is on a 'thank you' tour across selected areas in the country. This comes barely five months after the Supreme Court ruling on the 2021 Presidential election dispute. Some, largely speculate that the tour, is a prelude to his official declaration to contest for the presidency for the fourth time. 10 Lepers, But Only 1 Returns But speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, the NDC stalwart dismissed the report and rather alluded to the Biblical passage of the gratitude expressed to Jesus Christ by only one of the ten lepers to underscore his point. "It is often said that gratitude is life...it is about humanity. That is how humanity is....the impression and suggestions that he is about to launch a comeback for the 2024 general elections should be disregarded....only proper for the former President to show appreciation to the people of Ghana who believed in him and voted for him to continue the good works he had started. "Why should anybody be thinking that the former President is going round to announce his comeback. He will definitely come out with a statement if he intends to do so," he said. 1st Leg, Few NEC Members The first leg of the tour according to his office will be limited to the regional capitals starting from Wa, in the Upper West region on Sunday, August 15. Next Tuesday he will visit his home region, Savannah where he will address party supporters at Damongo and cross over to the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale on Wednesday. According to the schedule, John Mahama will be accompanied by former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, and a few national executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Watch video below Official Statement on Thank You Tour President Mahama Thank you tour itinerary H.E John Mahama will embark on a tour of the regions from the 15 August, 2021. The purpose of the tour is to thank the millions of Ghanaians across the 16 regions for their support in the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The schedule of the tour is in three phases. Phase one is scheduled as follows: 1. Upper West: 15 August 2. Savannah: 16 August 3. Northern: 17 August 4. North East: 18 August 5. Upper East: 19 August. The dates for the other phases will be communicated in due course. The design of the regional programmes should be guided by the ff: 1. The tour is limited to regional capitals only; 2. Half a day for each region; 3. Covid-19 Protocols should be put in place and adhered to all times. For purposes of planning, we have allocated a maximum of 4 places for national executives for each trip. Please note that, these officers are expected to make their own traveling arrangements. They will, however, be supported with fuel and accommodation for each region. Again for the purpose of planning, kindly urge the regions to submit their programmes, latest by 12 August, through your office for the attention of H.E John Mahama. I will appreciate it if you could bring the above schedule to the attention of the regions concerned. Thank you and best wishes. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanaian patriots who sacrificed their energy, resources and lives for Ghana to gain its political freedom deserves commendation and must be celebrated. Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso who stated this, said the independence of Ghana did not come on a silver platter and that selfless leadership was the foundation and future of Ghana. The independence of Ghana was not realised on a silver platter; as a matter of fact, it took years of struggle, pain, disappointment, betrayal, and even deaths before we were able to gain freedom from our colonial overlords - the British. The patriots who sacrificed their energy, resources, and lives deserve commendation, and must be celebrated, they were our leaders, foundation and future, Dr Nyarko told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Kumasi. He said the patriots, who by dint of hard work, sacrifice, dedicated service and commitment to the country, led the struggle that culminated in the countrys independence on March 06, 1957, played a key role in the countrys progress and development agenda. Ghana, our motherland, he said, was and continues to be a great land with extraordinary human talents, great opportunities, possibilities and resources. What was needed was hard work, patriotism, selflessness, commitment and collective effort to work and ensure the prosperous future of the country for all. With distinct diversities expressed in our ethnicities and cultures, we have the opportunity to overcome the impediments such as poverty, hatred, greed, corruption and other social vices, that have over the years, derailed our efforts of enduring progress, he stated. Dr. Nyarko said these obstructions threatened the survival of the country, and must be dealt with in unison to guarantee the socio-economic turnaround. During the era of colonial rule, he said, the forefathers had differences, yet, they came together to pursue a collective and worthy goal by delivering the country from colonial domination. As our first President once said our independence is meaningless until it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa. This vision and sustainable economic development and progress, according to him, cannot be accomplished when the people are divided. We cannot achieve this vision, when we allow excessive partisanship to take over our conscience and our obligation to produce a better and fulfilling future for the present generation and posterity. In every society, community or country, there were people who stood in the gap between the present and the future and fought for the liberation of their people. We dont only eat and die, but to impact our world and leave a legacy for our generation and subsequent ones, because the meaningfulness of our existence lies in the impact we make on society, he stated. Dr. Nyarko said Ghanaians needed to consciously reward patriotism and acts that encourage others to sacrifice their lives for the benefit of society. This is why we need to embrace Founders' Day and make it part of our collective existence, he stated. 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 New footage has come out on social media showing the Taliban militants wining and dining in the presidential palace formerly occupied by President Ashraf Ghani and his cabinet. Some of the militants sat ontop the sofa while others could be seen eating as they chatted and laughed in the palace. The Taliban have taken total control of the war torn country as Western nations scramble to fly their citizens and diplomats out of Kabul as fast as possible. On Sunday, August 15, former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country to neighboring Tajikistan as the Taliban advanced on the capital, Kabul. By Sunday evening the Taliban had already declared the 'Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan' bringing to mind the dark days of pre-2001 when the group ruled the country with iron fist, where women had no rights, had no education and had no voice. Watch the video of the Taliban militants dining in the presidential palace below... 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 Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin says an opposition leader does not need to fight the one in power to portray his party as a credible alternative government. According to him some people have the mindset that the noble art of opposition is to fight the ruling government for electoral advantage saying an opposing leader does not oppose for oppositions sake. Mr. Bagbin made the statement during an interaction with a delegation from Ethiopias Political Parties Joint Council (EPPJC) in Parliament on Wednesday. The delegation, which was led by Dr. Rahel Bafe, was made up of leaders of political parties and some Members of the Ethiopian Parliament. Opposition is not about fighting the one in power because as for change nothing can stop it. It is one of the things that nothing can stop. It will happen when it will happen, Mr. Bagbin said. The Speaker continued that while he was the Minority Leader, a Nigerian parliamentarian questioned him whether he was truly the opposing leader in Ghanas Parliament at the time because of his collaboration with then Majority Leader and the Speaker when they attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting in Nigeria. I was moving with the then Speaker and the Majority Leader. We were always together sitting, talking and eating together and one of the Nigerian MPs stopped me and said, they say you are the opposing leader in Ghana and I said yes. Are you sure you are the opposing leader? And I said yes, I am the opposing leader, he narrated, adding And he asked how can you be sleeping on the same bed with them and you said you are an opposing leader? And I said do you want to see me fighting them? That is not opposition. The Nigerian MP told me it can never happen in Nigeria. Are you from Rawlings party and I said yes. So you people sat there and allowed the opposition party to take power from you? And I said we were not even sitting; we were standing and they took it from us. It can never happen in Nigeria but it eventually happened, he stated. Power alteration According to the Speaker, there has been power alteration in Ghana since the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution, indicating that every eight years there is usually a change. Our colleagues, like us yes we did it before, are saying today that as for the next election they will win it. Yes, they say they will break it. In 2016, my party the NDC said the same thing. As for that one for sure they were breaking it. We didnt break it. They are saying now they will. Were hearing them; we shall see whether they can do that, he asserted. He assured Ghanaians that it would not be for his intervention for power to change hands, noting because as I sit I will do everything, when I am performing my functions as the Speaker, to be impartial. It is not when I am performing my functions as a member of my party. That is different. That one I cannot be impartial. I have to perform my party function, he, however, indicated. But as a Speaker, I will do everything to be impartial on the floor of the House. I wont satisfy the NDC and I will not satisfy the NPP. They will both be against me. I have to satisfy the good people of Ghana and advance the course of democracy. It is national interest that should prevail, he stressed. He told his guests that Ghana had moved away from the mantra the Minority should have their say and the Majority their way to the Majority and Minority should have their say but the national interest must have its way. We are not just talking about good governance or multiparty democracy. No! We are moving towards inclusive, participatory democracy, which is more of smart governance; not good governance as defined by the commonwealth conference in Zimbabwe. 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 Special Aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe seeks to credit his boss for the commencement of the construction of some 111 hospitals under the Akufo-Addo governments Agenda 111 initiative. According to the private legal practitioner, the artwork of 'Agenda 111' posted by government officials on social media platforms will be started with $100 million from Ghana Infrastructure Fund created by former President John Dramani Mahama. Government officials have posted artwork of 'Agenda 111'. The government is saying that it is going to start the project with 100 million dollars. That 100 million dollars, where did they get the money from? It is from the Ghana Infrastructure Fund . . . before John Mahama left office, he decided that 2.5 per cent of VAT should be taken to the Ghana Infrastructure Fund. He sent it to Parliament for that fund to be approved like the GETFund, he noted. . . Today, it is out of the same fund that this government has taken 100 million dollars to start agenda 111, he recounted. Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe was sceptical about the number of hospitals and their quality the $100 million can build as it will require between 20 to 30 million US dollars to build a proper 100-bed hospital. "Even with that, how many hospitals can 100 million US dollars build in this country? If you are building a proper 100-bed hospital today, you will need between 20 to 30 million dollars, he indicated. Touching on the source of funding for such projects, Edudzi Tamakloe admonished that President Akufo-Addo should have a dedicated funding source before cutting sod for the commencement of 'Agenda 111', as the $100 million will not be enough to accomplish the project. "You should have a dedicated funding source and that is the only way the project can be accomplished. Ask any contractor what is called interest on delayed payment When the contractors are done, they prepare what is called Interim Payment Certificate (IPC) to the government to be paid for the work they have done. If there is no money for the project and the contractor sends the IPC to the government, the government will say that it does not have money and so the IPC which is supposed to be paid within 50 days, one year can pass without being paid and the contractor will take interest, he said. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as part of measures to mitigate the impact of the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic cut the sod on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, for the commencement of the construction of hospitals under the governments Agenda 111 initiative. The project is aimed at resourcing the countrys health sector in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and also improving healthcare delivery in every single district of the country. Members of the opposition NDC as usual have raised doubts and vehemently opposed President Akufo-Addo's laudable initiative; describing it as a scam. Mame Yaa Aboagye, commending President Akufo-Addo, described him as a covenant-keeping President. She chastised the opposition NDC to take their disbelieving and doubting Thomas spirit away from the agenda 111 initiative. She maintained that the visionary President Akufo-Addo always kept to his promises, and would once again deliver on the Agenda 111 promise. The President has delivered on bold, unprecedented initiatives such as Free SHS; 1 district, 1 factory, 1 Constituency, 1 Ambulance, and Planting for Food and Jobs. The success of Agenda 111 will cause the good people of Ghana to reject the NDC for good. She further touted the Agenda 111 project as one to boost access to healthcare services to ensure each district in the nation has a decent district hospital. 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 Management of the Royal Senchi Hotel has decided to maintain Mrs. Akosua Amoateng (MBE) as the International Brand Ambassador of the Hotel. Mrs Amoateng has met and exceeded the expectation of Management by not only marketing the hotel globally but also promoting the culture-rich country of Ghana to the world, leveraging her wealth of network and influence. She was appointed an Ambassador for the Hotel in 2019, following President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo's "Year of Return" declaration, which saw many people in the diaspora coming home and experiencing our rich Ghanaian culture at Royal Senchi. Two years on, the quantum of visits to Ghana and the hotel and the potential numbers in the months and years ahead, are traceable to her role, which leaves Management in no uncertain position to renew the relationship with the Media Personality par excellence - a proud daughter of the land. The peak of the pandemic was a very challenging period to many businesses, especially for us in the tourism/hospitality space. The period, however, also presented us with the opportunity to essentially appreciate our strengths and capabilities, putting in more work when it became critical to turn things around. In the face of grim challenges, Mrs. Amoateng made sure the Hotel received a constant flow of guests from various parts of the world. During her tenure, the hotel got a number of recognitions, including winning the best River Front Resort in Africa early this year. It has been a wonderful journey with her and we look forward to an even better future together. The Royal Senchi Resort shall continue to be committed to promoting our time-honored heritage and artistry with a jealously-guarded set of values and devotion to class. We remain the most preferred getaway destination in West Africa, and we will endeavor to deliver our every service and product with a perfected standard of Ghanaian hospitality. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanaian actress, Beverly Afaglo has announced that the GoFundme Account that was launched to solicit for funds following the unfortunate incident that left her with literally nothing. Beverly Afaglos house was raze down with fire and all her belongs were burnt to ashes leaving her with the only dress she and her kids were wearing on that day. In their bid to show support and empathy, some of her colleagues, Nana Ama McBrown and Yvonne Nelson called on members of the public to donate to help Beverly rebuild her burnt house and for the sake of the kids, Ghanaians should come together and help her. The target of the campaign is to raise $20,000 to support Beverly Afaglo. Hi our names are Yvonne Nelson, and Fianko Bossman also known as Chase Forever,and We are fundraising for our sister Bervely and husband Choir master who have lost all their belongings in a fire that burned down their home, the information on GoFundMe read. It added that we are pleading with the public and all love ones to be touched in their hearts to donate something or anything that can help them get back on their feet thank you. Yvonne Nelson shared a screenshot of the campaign on her Instagram page to publicize it. She wrote she lost her home. Pls help @beverly_afaglo Kindly tap link in my Bio to donate. Thanking you in advance. God bless you However, Ghanaians were not pleased with the gesture some of these celebrities extended and they blasted them for choosing to help someone who had bragged about have enough money to take care of herself several months ago. Beverly Afaglo who has had to deal with the backlash and criticism on social media has finally given up on the donations as she has officially cancelled the Gofundme project as well as the Mobile Money donations that was supposed to help her get back on her feet and rent a house for her family. Sighted on her Instagram page, Beverly asked fans to delete any Gofund me post they have made and assured them that God will see her through. She appreciated Nana Ama Mcbrown, Yvonne Nelson and other celebrities who came through for her and apologized to them for being dragged by Ghanaians into her trouble. "U all should delete the Gofund me post, please.God is my strength. Thank u to @yvonnenelsongh and @iamamamcbrown for starting the Gofund me and the Momo ", she posted this on her social media pages. Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/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 information table for the 2020 census outside the 3rd and Spruce Recreation Center in Reading, California, Sept. 25, 2020, where the city held an event to encourage people to fill out the census. MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Images Every 10 years since 1790, the federal government of the United States conducts the U.S. census of the country's population, which includes a head count of the people living in the country, in addition to a distribution breakdown of where those people live. This is important because the U.S. Constitution created the census in order to figure out how many seats in the House of Representatives as well as how much federal funding each state will get. The census asks questions about every member of each household in America, including their sex, age, race and relationship to each other. Here are eight takeaways from the 2020 U.S. census: Advertisement 1. The U.S. Population Grew Slowly Between 2010 and 2020 The U.S. population rose from 308.7 million to 331.4 million over the course of the past decade that's an increase of 22.7 million. With a percentage increase in total population of only 7.4 percent, the 2010s rivaled the Great Depression for slow growth. (In contrast, the period between 1950 and 1960 saw an 18.5 percent increase in the U.S. population.) 2. Fewer Children Were Born in the Past Decade The percentage of the U.S. population under the age of 18 declined by almost 1.5 percent in the past decade. As birth rates decline, children make up about 22 percent of the population, although that varies by race and region: The majority of the under-18 set are not white, and the population in the Northeast is scant in children (20 percent) while the Southeast has a slightly more robust child population (22.5 percent). 3. American Families Have Become More Diverse One surprising finding from the 2020 census was the startling jump in the number of Americans describing themselves as multiracial. Among the non-Hispanic population alone there was a 127 percent jump in the multiracial population of the U.S. And among the Hispanic population, it was even higher the number of Hispanic Americans who identify as multiracial grew from 3 million to 20.3 million, a whopping 576 percent increase. Even though multiracial Americans make up only around 4 percent of the population, this spike is significant. It's possible this has to do with an increase in multiracial families, Americans reporting their race differently or something about the design of the 2020 census that caused people to answer questions differently than before possibly all three. 4. The White Population Has Declined For the first time on record, the white population of the U.S. the largest racial group in the country fell. Although the U.S. has become increasingly diverse over the past few decades, this is the first time the white population has actually shrunk. Although whites remain the largest race group in the U.S., the 2020 census data show the white population falling from 64 percent of the population in 2010 to 58 percent in 2020. (The share of the population occupied by whites in 2000 was 69 percent.) " " As the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the 2020 census citizenship question, protesters gathered April 23, 2019, in support of a fair and accurate census. The controversial question was dropped for 2020 by the Trump administration after much protest against its inclusion. NurPhoto/Getty Images Advertisement 5. White Americans Are the Oldest Racial Group According to demographers, part of the reason for the declining numbers of white Americans has to do with their age. The median age of whites in 2019 was 44, compared with 30 for Hispanics and 38 for the American population overall. This has to do with declining birth rates, but also the baby boomer generation squeaking into their 60s and 70s. 6. America Has Become More Urban The growth in the U.S. happened almost exclusively in urban areas over the past decade. People flocked from rural to metropolitan counties; even in states that are growing rapidly like Georgia and North Carolina, the rural areas shrank in population. Interestingly, a retirement community in Florida called The Villages was the fastest-growing metro area in the country, seeing 39 percent growth between 2010 and 2020. 7. Hispanic and Asian Populations Have Skyrocketed With growth in the overall population of the U.S. slowing, the gains that were made happened largely in the Hispanic population, which grew from 16 to 19 percent of the total U.S. population. Latinos accounted for about half (52 percent) of all U.S. population growth over this period. The Asian population grew as well up by more than a third since 2010. In 2020 America, one in four Americans is either Hispanic or Asian. 8. Populations of the South and West Have Grown Phoenix, Arizona, overtook Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in America, its population growing 11 percent in the past decade. Similarly, Dallas and Houston, Texas, are two of the fastest growing cities in the country. Georgia and North Carolina saw population surges as well, while the populations of West Virginia, Mississippi, Illinois and Puerto Rico declined. Now That's Not Right Enslaved Black people were counted as three-fifths of a person in the first census, and Native Americans weren't counted at all until 1870. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain When it comes to diversity in the workplace, "a lot has changed," said Dr. Pavica Sheldon, Professor and Department Chairperson of Communication Arts at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). "Diversity has changed not only with technologies but with world events," she said. "Younger workers grew up witnessing a lot of social movements (Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street) and events post9/11." Sheldon said diversity has become more situational. She notes workplace diversity as a prime example. "There are currently four generations working together: baby boomers (19461964), Gen-Xers (19651980), Gen-Yers (millennials, 19801996), and Gen-Zers (1996current)," Sheldon said. "All these generations have different work preferences and skills, especially when it comes to technology. Gen-Yers make up the largest percentage (35 percent) of the workforce today, and Gen-Xers follow," she added. In addition to the four generations in today's workforce, Sheldon said, we also have "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" to consider. "Digital natives (younger millennials and Gen-Zers or 'zappers') are shaped by technology from birth. Technology influences how they communicate. They value speed over accuracy, and digital natives multitask, spending more time on online social networks compared to digital immigrants. Although criticized for shorter attention spans and lack of focus, digital natives are very creative. For instance, they can build apps and games without coding," she said. Sheldon said competition for jobs between older and younger workers is a real issue. "Many factors are keeping older Americans working today including jobs and retirement funds lost during the financial crisis of 20072009, plus many baby boomers for now being forced to raise grandchildren because of the opioid crisis. All these reasons and more are causing many older workers to delay retirement," said Sheldon. She went on to say that there are many pros and cons for employers to seriously consider when it comes to hiring the best person for the job. "Mature workers can be good mentors. Younger workers, especially millennials expect a lot of feedback. They were raised by helicopter parents and therefore need contact, praise and reassurances. Older workers can help by providing supervision and mentoring." While baby boomers are more experienced, disciplined and loyal, Sheldon admitted that employers do have other issues to consider when hiring older workers such as can they keep up in a tech-savvy world, and there are healthcare and wellness concerns, too. She said when it comes to young adult workers some are more technically inclined than others. "millennials are true techies. In fact, Gen-Xers are not as tech-savvy as millennials or even Gen-Zers. zappers are what we call tech innate," she said. "Unlike millennials who communicate by texting, zappers communicate better with images." According to Sheldon research from 2008 showed that younger generations perceive social pressure from superiors more acutely than do older generations. "Younger workers have greater respect for hierarchy and authority in the workplace than older workers. Because they grew up with social media, they are used to some kind of approval for instance 'likes' on social media. "Recent research shows that younger workers expect to get more feedback, which is a good thing as they strive to perform better. The communication style of younger workers is more direct; they expect honest and open discussion. I see this in the classroom as well," Sheldon said. When it comes to hiring young people employers have cause for concern as well. Particularly challenging in the employment world now is ghosting. "Millennials and younger workers are literally walking off the job without giving notice. Some job applicants go as far as ghosting prospective employers by not showing up for interviews," said Sheldon. Documented in generational research, two other traits, impatience and short attention spans, caused problems for young adults on the job, too, according to Sheldon. "Young people are used to instant gratification because of technology, and they expect the same in the workplace. millennials and other young workers are more likely to quit their job if they feel dissatisfied or emotionally exhausted," she said. "Their communication style is different but I do not think we necessarily have to look at it as negative behavior." Sheldon said soon generational differences in the workplace will be obsoletethe larger job threat will be advances in robots and automation. According to a recent McKinsey & Company report, by 2030, as many as 800 million workers worldwide could be replaced at work by robots and artificial intelligence. Last fall, according to an Interesting Engineering.com article, Giant Food Stores introduced "Marty" robotic assistants to customers in 17 Pennsylvania stores. Tall and gray with big googly eyes (could pass for Gumby's cousin), Marty uses technology to check expiration dates, report spills, debris, and other hazards to store employees to improve the customer shopping experience. The grocery chain has announced plans to place Martys in all 172 stores. The article noted too, that Wal-Mart is also introducing robots to its stores. Sheldon said for now a multigenerational team could be an asset to a company as each generation brings their own strengths and skills. "Research shows there are more similarities than differences among generational cohorts. The key is to 'value' generational differences." Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers from University of Connecticut, Indiana University, and National University of Singapore published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines how affiliations among backers affect the success of crowdfunded ideas. Crowdfunding offers an alternative for creators looking to raise funds for their ideas. Creators list their ideas on online crowdfunding platforms by describing their idea, setting a monetary goal for fundraising, and requesting backers to support their idea. When backers find ideas to their liking on the platform, they support them by committing funds and, in so doing, grow the community as they form co-backing relationships with other backers. Such co-backing relationships are referred to as affiliations. However, affiliations might have unexpected consequences to the success of ideas. The research team collected daily data about crowdfunding contributions from the largest crowdfunding platform. Using these data, they constructed the network of co-backing behavior over one month for about 2000 new ideas listed on the crowdfunding platform. Herd says that "We find that when backers have prior affiliations, in other words, co-backing relationships, it decreases the amount of funds raised by the crowdfunded idea. This is a surprising finding because common wisdom indicates that drumming up support among contributors by social messaging might help raise funds." The study's primary result identifies a nuance in where such support comes from: Crowdfunding efforts help by increasing the number of backers, but it hurts the funding outcomes when the backers have prior affiliations. To further explore why this might be happening, the researchers conducted three experiments using the online platform MTurk. They find that the negative effect of affiliation on crowdfunding success can be explained by vicarious moral licensing. As Mallapragada explains, "When people see others who they affiliate with back crowdfunded ideas, they feel licensed not to do so and refrain from providing their support. Additionally, we find that such behaviors are reinforced when they see that the idea's description and the updates provided include social pleas for support. We believe that such social language makes backers more aware of their affiliation to others in the community, with the consequence that the effect of vicarious moral licensing becomes stronger." Several in-depth interviews of crowdfunders gage their motivations for participation on crowdfunding platforms. Affiliation is identified as one of the key criteria during these qualitative conversations. Further, an analysis of comments from crowdfunding discussion forums reveals that backers notice and discuss social belongingness and community identify as key aspects of affiliation. "Based on our findings, we recommend that creators on crowdfunding platforms refrain from generating support from backers who are affiliated with many others on the platform. Trying to add more backers helps, but when such backers have prior affiliations, it hurts," says Narayan. Crowdfunding platforms should increase the number of backers and refrain from extensive social messaging because such community efforts might have a dark side effect. Explore further How a simple change can protect crowdfunding backers from fraud More information: Kelly Herd et al, EXPRESS: Do Backer Affiliations Help or Hurt Crowdfunding Success?, Journal of Marketing (2021). Journal information: Journal of Marketing Kelly Herd et al, EXPRESS: Do Backer Affiliations Help or Hurt Crowdfunding Success?,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/00222429211031814 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain If you're a male chimp looking for loveor offspringit pays to make friends with other males. A study led by the University of Michigan, in collaboration with Arizona State and Duke universities, examined why male chimpanzees form close relationships with each other, and found that male chimpanzees that build strong bonds with the alpha male of the group, or with a large network of other males, are more successful at siring offspring. The results are published in the journal iScience. "One big question that biologists have had for a long time is why you see so many friendly behaviors such as cooperation and alliance in animals," said lead study author and U-M postdoctoral researcher Joseph Feldblum. "One would expect to see these social bondsor strong, friendly social relationshipsonly if they provide some sort of fitness benefit to the individuals. Males wouldn't spend all this time grooming other males and forgoing trying to find females or food unless you get some kind of benefit from it." One benefit would be the opportunity to sire more offspring, but no previous studies have looked at the link between social relationships and reproductive success in chimpanzees. Much of the research in this area has been done in female primates, who are primarily concerned with accessing resources in order to reproduce quickly. For males, the biggest task is getting reproductive access to females, says Feldblum, also an assistant professor in the U-M Department of Anthropology and member of the Michigan Society of Fellows. "Chimps cooperate frequently, and often in these very dramatic ways: You see things like grooming, all kinds of complex alliance formation and group territorial defense," Feldblum said. "The question is: What do males get out of it and how?" It turns out, they get babies. One function of these social bonds, the researchers found, is to help males gain access to mating opportunities they wouldn't otherwise be able to get without help from their friends. To examine the link between sociality and paternity success, the researchers examined behavioral and genetic data from a population of chimpanzees living in western Tanzania. The group is part of the ongoing study of chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, begun by Jane Goodall in 1960. The researchers began by constructing a base model that captures the effects of male age, dominance rank and genetic relatedness to the mother on male siring success. They first used the model to look at 56 siring events with known paternity between 1980 and 2014. Then, they tested whether adding measures of male social bonds to the models improved their ability to predict which male would sire a given offspring. They found that males with more strong association tiesmales with the highest number of social bonds with other maleshad a higher likelihood of siring offspring. In fact, two or more strong association ties meant a male chimpanzee was more than 50% more likely to sire a given offspring, after accounting for the chimp's age, relation to the mother and dominance rank score. Next, the researchers wanted to understand how a chimp's relationship to the alpha male underpinned male reproductive success. To do this, they examined the role of strong bonds with the alpha male, looking at 45 siring events by non-alpha males. They generated the same base model, this time comparing the model with models that included several measures of bond strength with the alpha male, among other measures. The model that fit best included what is called the composite sociality index, which includes grooming and association with the alpha male. It showed that subordinate males with strong bonds with the alpha male, as well as those with many strong association ties, were more likely to sire a given offspring. "Sucking up to the boss is nothing new," said co-author Anne Pusey of Duke University. "We show that it's always paid off." But the researchers also found that two factorsa strong bond with the alpha male and many strong association tiesboth independently contributed to reproductive success. In animal behavior, coalition formation is when two or more individuals jointly direct aggression toward a third or another group of individuals. According to previous research, individuals that are more central in the network of coalitions tend to rise in rank and sire more offspring. In the current work, the researchers showed that males who form stronger ties are also more likely to form coalitions, and the researchers hypothesize that this larger alliance network helps males gain mating opportunities. They also found that forming these many strong bonds leads to chimps' improvement in rank within the group; those that made it to the alpha position were also more likely to sire offspring. A clearer idea of the benefits of social relationships in chimpanzees provides clues about the evolution of friendship in humans. "Together with bonobos, chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, and help us to identify which features of human social life are unique. This study suggests that strong bonds among males have deep evolutionary roots and provided the foundation for the more complex relationships that we see in humans," said senior author Ian Gilby, a researcher at ASU. "This research also highlights the value of long-term studies like these, which are essential for understanding the biology of a species that lives for many decades and is slow to reproduce." Feldblum says more research is needed to tease out how coalition formations and these social bonds lead to siring success. "Is it that if your ally is nearby, you're more likely to mate with an estrus female, or does having your allies around you protect you from harassment from other males?" Feldblum said. "Or because your ally will support you if a conflict erupts, your stress levels are lower and you can devote more energy to mating efforts? This last step we still don't know." Gilby is an associate professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at ASU, and a research affiliate in the Institute of Human Origins, which curates the data used in this study. Pusey, professor emerita at Duke, has spent the last 30 years of her career assembling, organizing and digitizing this unique dataset. Study co-authors also include Joel Bray of ASU and Christopher Krupenye of Duke, Johns Hopkins University and Durham University in the United Kingdom. Explore further Chimpanzee males court friends in high places More information: Joseph Feldblum et al, Social bonds provide multiple pathways to reproductive success in wild male chimpanzees, iScience (2021). Journal information: iScience Joseph Feldblum et al, Social bonds provide multiple pathways to reproductive success in wild male chimpanzees,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102864 Figure 1. (a) The temperature of boron quantum dots with the increase of light power from 0 to 100 mW; (b) the response curve of the all-optical modulator. Credit: Compuscript Ltd In a new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances, researchers led by Professor Han Zhang from Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China, consider whether boron quantum dots surpass the graphene in thermal properties. The discovery of graphene in 2004 opened the door to the possibilities of two-dimensional materials. Various two-dimensional materials have been reported since, (black phosphorus, transition metal sulfides, topological insulators, MXene, etc.) but graphene is still widely studied due to its excellent optoelectronic properties. The thermal conductivity of pure single-layer graphene with few defects is as high as 5300 W/mK, which is the most potential thermal material known. As the properties of materials are closely related to their atomic structure it could be asked whether there are new materials with thermal properties exceeding that of graphene? Some researchers have used the non-equilibrium Greens function and the first-principles method to prove that the thermal conductivity of borophene can surpass that of graphene, implying that boron has high potential for thermal applications. Due to the difficulty of fabricating borophene, there have not been relevant experimental reports about the thermal properties to date. In this current article, Professor Han Zhang's research group describe the preparation of boron quantum dots, and indirectly proved the thermal properties of boron materials by combining thermo-optical switches. The results have been successfully applied to the fields of all-optical modulators and laser engineering. The authors' experiments prove that boron materials are promising for photothermal conversion and the thermal conducting applications exceed those of graphene. Further investigations of the thermal properties of borophene are planned by the research group. Professor Han Zhang's research group proposes the preparation of boron quantum dot material by the liquid-phase exfoliation method. The high-resolution electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to prove the successful preparation of boron quantum dots. The thermography was used to record and analyze the photothermal conversion characteristics and the stability of the boron quantum dots. Experimental results show that boron quantum dots have excellent thermal stability (Figure 1a). The response time of the all-optical modulator based on the thermo-optical effect is closely related to the heat generation and thermal diffusion. The authors used this method to indirectly compare the photothermal characteristics of the boron material with that of graphene and successfully realized the all-optical phase and intensity modulator. The rise and fall times of the all-optical modulator based on graphene are 9.1 ms and 3.2 ms, respectively. In the experiment described by this paper, the rise and fall times of the all-optical modulator based on boron quantum dots are 1.1 ms and 1.3 ms respectively (Figure 1b). This proves that the thermal properties of boron quantum dots are better than that of graphene, with more researches required to investigate further. By applying the constructed all-optical modulator to the laser resonator, the optically controlled Q-switched laser operation is realized. Compared with the application of acousto-optic modulator and electro-optic modulator in the laser field, this work shows excellent monochromaticity (0.04 nm) and controllable frequency, which has potential applications in nonlinear frequency conversion and all-optical communication fields. Explore further Scientists stabilize atomically thin boron for practical use More information: Cong Wang et al, Boron quantum dots all-optical modulator based on efficient photothermal effect, Opto-Electronic Advances (2021). Cong Wang et al, Boron quantum dots all-optical modulator based on efficient photothermal effect,(2021). DOI: 10.29026/oea.2021.200032 Provided by Compuscript Ltd Six modes of co-production identified by approaches to purpose, power, politics and pathways. Spider diagrams show the value of each of the eight approaches for all case members of each mode. Case identifiers (IDs) and mode colors correspond to those in Fig. 1, demonstrating the high geographic and scalar diversity within each mode. See Methods for further details on the hierarchical clustering process. Images adapted from the Noun Project under a Creative Commons License CC BY 3.0: handshake by Chunk Icons, magnifying glass by kiddo, pyramid by IconPai, arrow by Alice Design and iceberg by Juan Pablo Bravo. Credit: DOI: 10.1038/s41893-021-00755-x Research on complex sustainability issues produces a great deal of knowledge and advice. But do these also connect to the real world? The answer may be found in co-production: don't put one researcher or computer at the helm, but rather collaboratively produce knowledge and action with a diversity of people pursuing change in the world. Scientists argue this in a new study that outlines six ways of doing co-production. They show how co-production can overcome conflicting views and how this can lead to social change. Co-production is already widely used to address sustainability challenges. "This is also urgently needed," says Dr. Josephine Chambers, lead author from the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy group at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). "Yet there are questions about the many proliferating concepts and methods." Six ways of co-production The international team of 42 scientists has now developed a tool for co-production. This tool is designed to help people and organizations at the helm of change, such as researchers, policy makers, activists, religious leaders and CEOs, explore how and in what situation a particular form of co-production might be valuable. The scholars identify six ways in which co-production can be used: Researching solutions Empowering voices Broker power Redefining power Navigating through differences Reframing agency For each of these modes of co-production, they provide information on the trade-offs to be made and the risks that exist around power, impact and scale. Examples of co-production To arrive at this tool, Chambers and her team examined the similarities and differences between 32 initiatives that seek to achieve sustainable development through co-production. For example, by building bridges between diverse social actors such as policy makers, indigenous leaders, and interdisciplinary scientists, so that they can navigate conflicting perspectives and identify solutions that would not have been possible from the outset. The six modes are capable of addressing complex challenges: from habitat loss and climate change, to wildfire outbreaks and unsustainable supply chains, as spotlighted in their recent blog post. Chambers: "We asked ourselves: how do our approaches differ? Why? What are the implications?" One of the cases was contributed by Dr. Jeanne Nel, Chambers' colleague at WUR and co-author. "The aim of this case was to help land and water management agencies conserve and jointly manage freshwater ecosystems in South Africa. Work was done to find common ground between policies and management tools that were previously separate, develop maps of important freshwater ecosystems while building closer relationships between land and water managers." Application According to Nel, each of the six modes of co-production has great potential to change narratives, policies and institutions in ways that contribute to a more sustainable world. But none is perfect on all fronts," she says. "Each method of co-production offers unique opportunities to achieve results, but also comes with challenges and risks." For example, in situations where environmental decision-making was supported, other forms of knowledge-such as that of local and indigenous populations-risked being marginalized. Chambers also warns against an overemphasis by scientists on filling gaps in knowledge, as they argue this can hinder the achievement of real social change. "Six modes for coproduction for sustainability" is published in the scientific journal Nature Sustainability with open access for one month. Explore further Major gaps remain in how traditional knowledge is used in salmon governance in Norway and Finland More information: Josephine M. Chambers et al, Six modes of co-production for sustainability, Nature Sustainability (2021). Journal information: Nature Sustainability Josephine M. Chambers et al, Six modes of co-production for sustainability,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-021-00755-x The level of Lake Mead - as seen in July 2021 from Boulder City, Nevada - has been steadily declining due to a chronic drought. A huge reservoir that supplies water to tens of millions of people in the Western United States is at such low levels that populations it feeds must reduce their useage next year, the government said Monday. A chronic drought has left huge swathes of the country parched, as man-made climate change forces shifts in the pattern of rainfall. That has left Lake Mead, the largest US artifical reservoir which is fed by the mighty Colorado River, worryingly lowat just a third of its capacity. "Like much of the (US) West, and across our connected basins, the Colorado River is facing unprecedented and accelerating challenges," said Tanya Trujillo, an official with the federal water resources agency. "The only way to address these challenges and climate change is to utilize the best available science and to work co-operatively across the landscapes and communities that rely on the Colorado River." That means starting in January, places downstream of Lake Meadformed in the 1930s by the building of the Hoover Damwill receive less water. Arizona's water supply will drop by almost a fifth, compared with a normal year, while Nevada will get seven percent less and Mexico will see a five percent reduction. According to a study released last year by the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Colorado River's flow has declined by an average of 20 percent over the past century. At least half of that decline can be attributed to rising temperatures in the area. Global warming caused by human activity - mostly the burning of fossil fuels - has pushed up Earth's average surface temperature 1.1 degrees Celsius (2.0 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to mid-19th century levels. Most of that increase has occurred in the last 50 years. A UN draft climate report obtained by AFP says these rising temperatures will cause water shortages around the world. "Globally, 800 million people are projected to experience chronic water scarcity due to drought cause by two degrees Celsius of warming," it says. Explore further Water shortages in US West likelier than previously thought 2021 AFP Conservationists fear that the fires engulfing parts of Europe will cause a terrible toll on wildlife. As wildfires supercharged by climate change-induced drought and heatwaves ravage southern Europe, conservationists are increasingly concerned for the fate of the continent's wild species which are struggling to stay ahead of the rampaging blazes. "Fires falling outside natural patterns are jeopardising the survival of wildlife, which are killed or injured through direct contact with smoke and flames or suffer widespread habitat destruction," Margaret Kinnaird, global wildlife practice leader at WWF International, told AFP. While it is hard to gauge the impact of individual fires on specific species, there is no doubt that the blazes destroying thousands of hectares of their natural habitat is bound to disrupt certain animals. "There are so many fires it is impossible to know which ones are serious and having an impact," said Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List unit. "In an area impacted by fire, it will also depend on the species found at those sites as to how susceptible they will be - some species are tolerant of fires and others may even thrive after fire." Turkey According to WWF's preliminary observations, the fires in the forests and mountains of Turkey's southern Mugla and Antalya provinces have caused "extensive damage" to habitats of desert lynx, wild goat, eagle owl and woolly dormouse. In total the environment inhabited by 121 species has been damaged in Antalya and by 87 speciesincluding woodpeckers and reptilesin Mugla. A burned animal carcass after a fire in Turkey. Greece In neighbouring Greece, WWF said it had recorded "major disasters in many parts of the country, with the recent forest fires affecting vital ecosystems and countless wild and domestic animals." It said that the hard-hit north of the Attica region was home to the only area in southern Greece where critically endangered red deer lived, adding that the region was home to two packs of grey wolves, another endangered and protected species. Italy Italy's national Aspromonte park, which comprises a large part of the Cantabria region, has been hit by a string of fires in recent weeks. The park is home to the rare forest dormouse, WWF said. Flames were also threatening several species endemic to Sardinia, "one of the most biodiversity-rich regions in the Mediterranean," it added. Among those at risk are the Sardinian deer, which was saved from extinction in the 1980s, the Sardinian partridge and the Sardinian hare, it said. Fires in Abruzzo, Sardinia, Puglia and Sicily were having a "huge impact on wildlife and important ecosystems that are already threatened by fragmentation, land transformation, hunting, poaching and illegal logging," WWF said. Dozens of species are endemic to regions currently burning in Russia. Fires hit parts of Europe most years, and frequently burn protected areas of national park. Swathes of Greece including biodiversity hotspots have burned this summer. France A large blaze ravaging southern France near the tourist hotspot of Saint Tropez has burned part of the Plaine des Maures nature reserve. The reserve is one of the last spots where Hermann's tortoisesEurope's last land turtlestill live. There are around 10,000 of the tortoises in the reserve, according to Concha Agero, deputy head of France's Office for Biodiversity. "We hope that with previous fires, they are able to burrow underground and will only be partially burned," she told AFP. Russia Russia's largest region of Yakutia is ablaze, with fires "threatening many of the large animals that dwell in the region's protected areas," according to WWF. These include populations of elk, wild reindeer, roe deer, brown bears, wolves, wolverines, lynx and flying squirrel, as well as rare species such as musk deer, snow sheep, black-clawed marmot, white cranes, black cranes, gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons, white-tailed eagles, and golden eagles, it said. Explore further New heat record as 'Lucifer' sweeps Italy 2021 AFP Illustration of the Diversity-Interactions modeling approach of an ecosystem function (y, here total annual biomass production) in a two-species system. For the equation y = 1P1 + 2P2 + P1P2 + (adapted from Equation 1 for two species), we illustrate the expected ecosystem function for all possible communities involving the two species, ranging from a monoculture of species 1 (on the left) to a monoculture of species 2 (on the right), and all possible two-species mixtures in between (e.g. 50:50% in the center point). The identity effect for species 1 is 1 and this is the expected performance of species 1 in monoculture (similarly it is 2 for species 2). In mixture, the expected performance is a weighted average of the identity effects (1P1 + 2P2) plus the interaction effect scaled by the product of the two proportions (P1P2). The expected ecosystem function for the 70:30% mixture is 1 0.7 + 2 0.3 + 0.7 0.3. In this example, species 1 performs better than species 2, and so has a higher identity effect; and is positive reflecting synergistic interaction; however, it could also be negative or 0. These concepts scale up for systems with >2 species. Because the ecosystem function of interest is the biomass production in this case, the sloped dashed line shows the overyielding threshold, that is, where a mixture outperforms the weighted monoculture performance. The horizontal dashed line shows the transgressive overyielding threshold, that is, where a mixture outperforms the best-performing monoculture. Credit: DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13894 Six-species swards outperformed perennial ryegrass monocultures and were considerably more resistant to drought, research has found. The research from Teagasc, Johnstown Castle and Trinity College Dublin shows that multi-species mixtures receiving 150 kg per hectare per year of nitrogen fertilizer out-yielded perennial ryegrass monocultures receiving double that amount of fertilizer (300 kg per hectare per year). Increases in plant diversity up to six species in intensively-managed grasslands reduced the impact of drought and produced more yield with less fertilizer. Higher-diversity lower-input mixtures produced higher yields than low-diversity high-input monoculture Averaged across the two years of the trial, mixtures with all six species produced the highest yields, and yielded more than the best of the six monocultures. Under rainfed conditions, the mixture with equal proportions of all six species at sowing (produced 11.8 tons/ha/year) outperformed the best-performing monoculture (produced 10.5 tons/ha/year). Even after increasing fertilizer on perennial ryegrass in monoculture, it did not yield as much as the highest diversity mixture. Higher-diversity mixtures produced similar yields under drought as other comparisons under rainfed conditions As expected, total annual yields were generally reduced by the experimental drought. Nevertheless, the higher-diversity lower-input mixtures under unfavorable drought conditions achieved similar yields to those from the low-diversity, high-input comparison under favorable rainfed conditions. This indicates the potential for multi-species mixtures to mitigate the effect of more variable weather conditions on grassland yields across the whole year. Dr. John Finn, a senior researcher at Teagasc's Environment Research Centre at Johnstown Castle, said: "The need for research on drought in Irish grasslands has become all too obvious in recent years, and that need will only increase in the coming decades. The use of multi-species is one strategy to improve the resilience of grassland production." Dr. Caroline Brophy, Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin, said: "It is crucial that we reduce nitrogen fertilizer inputs to improve the sustainability of Irish agricultural grasslands. Using innovative statistical approaches, we show that multi-species mixtures provide a solution to reduce fertilizer usage, without compromising on grassland production." The most productive swards were a combination of species from the three functional groups of grasses, legumes and herbs. With legume proportion between 30 and 70%, yields were better than the best monoculture. Teagasc Walsh Scholar Guylain Grange, who conducted the experiment, said: "Multi-species mixtures can be a practical, farm-scale solution for intensive grassland production with lower nitrogen fertilizer input, and can mitigate the risk associated with summer droughts due to climate change. Further research at Teagasc is investigating the use of multi-species mixtures under grazed conditions." More information: Guylain Grange et al, Plant diversity enhanced yield and mitigated drought impacts in intensively managed grassland communities, Journal of Applied Ecology (2021). Journal information: Journal of Applied Ecology Guylain Grange et al, Plant diversity enhanced yield and mitigated drought impacts in intensively managed grassland communities,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13894 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Grassland, as one of the important ecosystems and an ecological barrier in China, is the green production base of animal husbandry. It plays a vital role in maintaining national ecological security, food security and even global ecological balance. However, climate change is expected to lead to more frequent extreme droughts in grassland regions. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of ecosystem responses to drought are not well understood. Recently, a research team from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences addressed this issue by experimentally removing 66% of growing season precipitation for four years in two grasslands of Inner Mongolia. As expected, the researchers found that these two sites differed markedly in their aboveground net primary production (ANPP) responses to soil moisture, with greater sensitivity at the more arid site. They used structural equation modeling to further examine the underlying community-based mechanisms for such differential ANPP responses to declining soil moisture. Surprisingly, the results indicated very little influence of species richness on ecosystem responses to drought. However, ANPP responses to drought were indirectly mediated by community functional composition (i.e. community-weighted traits and functional diversity) as well as soil nutrient availability. Moreover, these indirect effects differed by site with stronger buffering influences observed at the site with greater ecosystem drought resistance. Together, these results highlight the importance of understanding the unique indirect effects of drought on semi-arid plant communities and have broad impacts for improving models of ecosystem sensitivity to drought with climate change. Relevant results were published online in the journal Ecology with the title "Plant traits and soil fertility mediate productivity losses under extreme drought in C3 grasslands." Explore further How rhizosphere microorganisms of a leguminous plant respond to change More information: Wentao Luo et al, Plant traits and soil fertility mediate productivity losses under extreme drought in C 3 grasslands, Ecology (2021). Journal information: Ecology Wentao Luo et al, Plant traits and soil fertility mediate productivity losses under extreme drought in C 3 grasslands,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3465 An Airbus observation satellite has been launched into orbit by a European Vega rocket. A European Vega rocket lifted off Monday night from French Guiana carrying an Earth observation satellite and four miniature "cubesats". It was the second launch this year of the Vega, a crucial component of European ambitions to compete with rivals such as Elon Musk's SpaceX in the booming commercial aerospace market. The rocket blasted off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou at 10:47 pm (0147 GMT), successfully delivering the satellites in just under two hours. Its main cargo was a high-resolution satellite, the second of four for a new Earth observation constellation operated by Airbus. The first was put in orbit in April by a Vega rocket. The Pleiades Neo constellation will offer high-resolution imaging of Earth for military or civilian uses such as disaster response, according to Airbus. Vega's operator Arianespace is a subsidiary of the ArianeGroup, of which Airbus owns half. The latest Vega also carried four miniature satellites known as "cubesats". One of them will become part of a constellation of satellites being developed by French start-up Unseenlabs, which specialises in maritime traffic monitoring. The remaining three cubesats are from the European Space Agency for scientific and technology demonstration purposes. Monday's launch was the second Vega sent up by Arianespace this year, and the 19th since the rocket's first flight in 2012. The two 2021 launches are a boost to the Vega programmean effort involving 10 European countrieswhich suffered a setback in November last year when the rocket failed minutes after liftoff and disintegrated. Explore further Europe's Vega rocket successfully launches 2021 AFP Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new study reveals the extent of the political divide opening up between city and countryside right across Europe, with research suggesting that political polarisation in the 21st century may have a lot to do with place and location. University of Cambridge researchers analysed survey data collected between 2002 and 2018 to gauge the social and civic attitudes of people across the cities, towns and rural areas of thirty European countries. The findings show that political division throughout the continent runs on a "gradient" of disenchantment and distrust in democracy that increases as it moves from urban centres through suburbs, towns, villages and out into open country. People in the more rural parts of Europe have the lowest levels of trust in their nation's current political systemand yet are significantly more likely than their urban counterparts to actually vote in elections. Those in suburbs, followed by towns and then the countryside, are increasingly more likely to see themselves as politically conservative, and hold anti-immigration and anti-EU views, while city dwellers lean towards the left. However, it's not the poorest rural areas where disillusion is strongest, and small town and countryside dwellers report much higher levels of life satisfaction while voicing dissatisfaction with democratic institutions. Researchers from Cambridge's Bennett Institute for Public Policy and Department of Land Economy say the study suggests a "deepening geographical fracture" in European societies that could see a return to the stark urban-rural political divides of the early 20th century. "Those living outside of Europe's major urban centres have much less faith in politics," said study co-author Prof Michael Kenny from the Bennett Institute. "The growth of disenchantment in more rural areas has provided fertile soil for nationalist and populist parties and causesa trend that looks set to continue." "Mainstream politicians seeking to re-engage residents of small towns and villages must provide economic opportunities, but they also need to address feelings of disconnection from mainstream politics and the changes associated with a more globalised economy," he said. Across Western Europe, residents of rural areas are on average 33.5% more likely to vote than those in inner cities, but 16% less likely to report a one-unit increase in their trust of political parties on a scale of 0-10. They are also far less likely to engage in political actions such as protests and boycotts. Conservatism incrementally increases as locations shift from suburb to town to the countryside. Europeans in rural places are an average of 57% more likely to feel one point closer to the right on the political spectrum (on a ten-point scale where five is the centre ground) than a city dweller. When asked if migration and the EU "enrich the national culture", rural Europeans are 55% more likely than those in cities to disagree by one unit on a ten-unit scale. However, on issues of the welfare state and trust in policeboth iconic in post-war rhetorical battles between left and rightno urban-rural divisions were detected. "Worries about law and welfare may no longer be key to Europe's political geography in our new populist age," said Kenny. Last year, research from the Bennett Institute revealed a global decline in satisfaction with democracy, and the latest study suggests thatin Europe, at leastthis is most acute in rural locations. After discounting characteristics typically thought to influence political attitudes, from education to age, the researchers still found that people in rural housing were 10% more likely than urbanites to report a one unit drop in democratic satisfaction (on a scale of 0-10). "We find that there is a geography to current patterns of political disillusion," said Dr. Davide Luca of the Land Economy Department, co-author of the study now published in the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. "As disenchantment rises in European hinterlands, democratic politics risks being eroded from within by people who engage with elections yet distrust the system and are drawn to populist, anti-system parties." Of the thirty nations they looked atthe EU27 plus Norway, Switzerland and the UKFrance had the sharpest urban-rural divide in political attitudes. "Large cities such as Paris and Lyon are seen to be highly globalised and full of bohemians nicknamed the 'bobos', while small towns and rural areas are primarily inhabited by long-term immigrants and the indigenous working classes," Luca said. While less pronounced across the Channel, the trend is still very much in evidence in the UK. "Cambridge is a prime example," explains Luca. "The centre hosts the world's leading labs and companies, yet greater Cambridge is one of the UK's least equal citiesand the fenland market towns are even more disconnected from the city's hyper-globalised core." Added Luca: "Ageing populations in small towns and villages combined with years of austerity have put pressure on public services in rural areasservices that are often central to the social connections needed for a community to thrive. "Reviving these services may be key to reducing the political divides emerging between urban and rural populations across Europe." Explore further Small towns have highest risk of intimate partner violence More information: Michael Kenny et al, The urban-rural polarisation of political disenchantment: an investigation of social and political attitudes in 30 European countries, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society (2021). Michael Kenny et al, The urban-rural polarisation of political disenchantment: an investigation of social and political attitudes in 30 European countries,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/cjres/rsab012 Spain is evaluating provisional data that suggests record temperatures. During last week's heatwaves in Italy and Spain, meteorologists in both countries announced provisional data suggesting temperature records had been set there. But such claims need to be verified by the United Nations before being confirmed or rejecteda process that can take months of careful scientific checking. The UN's World Meteorological Organization is responsible for signing off on temperature records around the planet. The Geneva-based agency maintains a global weather and climate extremes archive, which logs records for temperature, pressure, rainfall, hail, aridity, wind, lightning and weather-related mortality. Here is how the WMO validates record claims, and what the records can tell us: Months of evaluation Confirming a claimed heat record takes several months. The WMO first contacts the national weather service of the country concerned, and the specific organisation that captured the supposed record in order to get the raw data. That includes details on the exact location of the reading, the equipment used, its calibration, and the regional weather conditions at the time. An initial assessment is carried out by the WMO Commission for Climatology and by Randall Cerveny, the organisation's rapporteur of weather and climate extremes, who heads up the records archive. An international panel of atmospheric scientists then reviews the raw data and provides Cerveny, a geographical sciences professor at Arizona State University, with recommendations for his final verdict. A decision typically takes six to nine months after the panel is convened. Since the process was set up, "no findings of any WMO extremes evaluation committee have been overturned", he told AFP. Database started in 2007 In 2005, while watching US news coverage of Hurricane Katrina's trail of destruction in New Orleans, Cerveny was struck by TV presenters repeatedly calling it the worst hurricane of all time. He knew otherwise: while Katrina caused 1,800 deaths, a tropical cyclone in 1970 killed an estimated 300,000 people in what is now Bangladesh. Meteorologists in Italy think they may have recorded a new European record of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 Fahrenheit) in Sicily on August 11. Cerveny co-wrote a scientific article calling for an official global records database. And in 2007, the WMO asked him to set one up, to keep world, hemispherical and regional records for particular extreme weather events. Measuring climate change A new report this month by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed unequivocally that the climate is changing faster than previously feared, and because of human activity. Knowing the existing weather and climate extremes is critical in determining exactly how much and how fast the world's climate is changing, said the WMO, identifying that as the most important reason for holding the database. The information is also important for health and civil engineering planning, Cerveny said in a WMO bulletin: Architects needed to know, for example, the maximum possible wind speed when designing a bridge. Another reason given for maintaining the records database was to advance scienceand help the media to put weather events in perspective. All-time heat record overturned The WMO also re-examines records from before 2007, and sometimes delists them. Perhaps the best-known case is that of the long-standing world record temperature of 58 C (136 F) measured in 1922 in El Azizia, in what is now Libya. Following a two-year investigation conducted in dangerous conditions during the Libyan revolution of 2011, the record was invalidated due to five major concerns, including potentially problematic instrumentation and "a probable new and inexperienced observer". Since then, the 56.7 C (134.1 F) registered on July 10, 1913 in Furnace Creek, in Death Valley in the United States has held the world heat record. The coldest temperature on record is the minus 89.2 C (minus 128.6 F) recorded on July 21, 1983 at Russia's Vostok research station on Antarctica. In July this year, the WMO recognised a new record high temperature for the Antarctic continent, confirming a reading of 18.3 C (64.9 F) made last year at Argentina's Esperanza research station on the Antarctic Peninsula on February 6, 2020. But the WMO rejected an even higher temperature reading of 20.75 C (69.35) reported on February 9 last year at a Brazilian automated permafrost monitoring station on nearby Seymour Island. It found an improvised radiation shield led to a demonstrable thermal bias error for the permafrost monitor's air temperature sensor, making its reading ineligible as a record. Explore further UN confirms 18.3C record heat in Antarctica 2021 AFP In a time of COVID-19 uncertainty, adopting hybrid learning for children will only stress students and teachers further. Credit: Flickr/Phil Roeder, CC BY-SA With an eye on back-to-school during the COVID-19 pandemic, some education advocates in the Greater Toronto Area's York and Peel regions have been calling for school boards to say no to hybrid learning. The hybrid model forces educators to teach online and in-person at the same time. In May, the York Region District School Board announced it would be adopting a hybrid model where by "students attending face-to-face and students attending remotely will be taught simultaneously by the same educators." The Peel District School Board plans to follow the same model in secondary schools. Other boards across the province are weighing options now that families have opted for in-person or virtual schooling. What these decisions don't show is that the hybrid learning plan for schooling in the COVID-19 pandemic is more about politics than what's best for kids. Join York Communities for Public Education for the #NOHYBRID ChalkTalk on Riverwalk, this Saturday at 10:00am! Bring out your inner artist and chalk the sidewalks of Newmarket Farmers' Market to let everyone know you say #NoHybrid #StudentsSayNoToHybrid #OnPoli @york4_public_ed pic.twitter.com/I9ZXxzJXxf Black York Region Youth (@BYRYouth) July 22, 2021 Nickel-and-diming education At the very time that researchers and child advocates have sounded the alarm about kids disengaging from school during the pandemic, Ontario's Financial Accountability Office recently announced the Ministry of Education's spending plans for the next eight years fall $12.3 billion short of expected expenses. The early pandemic created an emergency remote teaching crisis: teachers and students were forced online, unprepared. For fall 2020, Ontario's Ford government mandated separate online "virtual schools," while also re-opening classrooms. But when the province announced in spring 2021 that school boards would have to offer virtual learning for the entire 2021-22 school year, amid announcements about funding allocated to "keep schools safe and support learning renewal and recovery," there was no mention of funding earmarked for additional teachers. It was up to boards to structure and fund their own virtual plans. Some boards latched onto hybrid, which offers a solution for financial savings. Hybrid learning collapses virtual and face-to-face classroom options under a single teacher's salary, instead of having to hire additional teachers for virtual learning. Refusal to reduce class size For boards mandated to provide virtual schooling by a province unwilling to fund separate virtual schools, hybrid education may seem like the only choice. But the province's Ministry of Education has also likely created demand for a choice to keep students out of school when schools are officially open by repeatedly ignoring health experts' calls for small class sizes as a COVID-19 safety measure. In the lead-up to September 2020, the Ministry of Education refused to assure families of smaller class sizes to support physical distancing and COVID safety. The same is true this year. Hybrid learning, then, isn't a choice so much as an abdication of responsibility by the province. And it doubles demand on teachers, in the process. Teaching kids isn't about 'delivering content' The face-to-face strategies effective teachers use to encourage participation and engagement are not the same things that work for online teaching and learning. Hybrid learning models expect teachers to teach in two ways at the same time, splitting their attention and capacity to be present to students. Hybrid learning plans that have been announced in Ontario also operate on a flawed assumption: they presume kindergarten to Grade 12 teaching is fundamentally about delivery of content. It isn't. It emphasizes active engagement, whether through play-based learning in kindergarten or engagement with ideas, one's peers or hands-on projects in later grades. The relationships teachers build and support in their classroomsand what they can address as a result of observing and knowing their studentsare integral to children's engagement, learning and wellness. A hybrid model disrupts those practices, and encourages a default to simple, slowed-down, teacher-led approaches. A parent of a kindergartener relayed to Mississauga News that her child was having fewer hands-on experiences and was spending more time sitting at a desk while the child's teacher was focussed on the computer. And as some teachers in the United States reported last year, hybrid teaching is often "less effective and twice the work." Approach suited to adult learners What Ontario boards call hybrid learning is a repackaging of what higher education calls a "hyflex" model. The "flex" part, however, was designed to allow mature learners to choose when they tune in online and when they show up. That flexibility isn't part of the kindergarten to Grade 12 model. For all the talk of "choice" in the government's framing of virtual learning mandates, there is minimal choice at the core of the hybrid model. Families who've chosen to have their kids in school, after a year and a half of frustration with limited online engagement, will still find that their children's classrooms are focused on online delivery. And for teachers, there appears to be neither choice nor the kind of support that such a drastic pivot in professional practice would usually call for. Building equitable classrooms across two learning modes demands that educators have online skills. Instead, teachers will broadcast their regular classroom activities to children at home. Defunding public education At best, the hybrid mandate demonstrates a failure to value the high-quality legacy of Ontario education. At worst, it suggests ways that the province is looking at the pandemic as an opportunity to defund public education. Press Progress reports that the Ontario government has invested millions of dollars in private contracts with McKinsey, a management consultancy with expertise that has been "linked to wage and job cutting policies" and that the company was awarded a contract to manage the province's 2020 school reopening for $3.2 million. Such funds could have been directed to smaller class sizes, virtual schools or a school COVID-19 safety plan communicated prior to August 11. Disrespect for public education In a time of COVID-19 uncertainty, adopting a hybrid learning plan for children will only stress students and teachers further. Virtual education piggybacked onto classroom learning and relationships demonstrates disrespect for teachers, for equity in Ontario schools and for public education generally. It's not a choice that any board of education should have to make. Explore further Pandemic prompts changes in how future teachers are trained This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Panama's forest canopy (Colon, Panama). Credit: Camilo Alejo In a recent study in PLOS ONE, researchers from 6 different countries, including Camilo Alejo and Catherine Potvin of the Department of Biology at McGill University, examined the importance of Indigenous Territories in climate change mitigation across Panama and the Amazon Basin. They found that Indigenous Territories represent effective natural solutions to meet the Paris Agreement by protecting forests and storing carbon. Given the role they play, the researchers say that Indigenous peoples should benefit from payments countries receive for avoided greenhouse emissions. Q&A with Camilo Alejo What question did you set out to answer? Natural environments like forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store that carbon in the forest ecosystem, mainly in living biomass and soil. The world's forests store approximately 861 gigatons of carbon. Carbon stocks refer to the amount of carbon stored in this way. Protecting and managing forests are cost-efficient ways to mitigate climate change by increasing carbon stocks and reducing land-use emissions from activities such as forestry or agriculture. Indigenous Territories, customary lands of traditional societies who inhabited countries before colonization, and Protected Areas, whose main objective is the conservation of nature, might be considered part of these natural climate solutions. Our study aimed to estimate the actual effect of Indigenous Territories and Protected Areas on forest's carbon stocks while considering the influence of their location across Panama and the Amazon basin portions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. Tikunas identifying sacred lands in their territory (Amazonas, Colombia). Credit: Camilo Alejo What did you find? We found that Indigenous Territories are as effective as Protected Areas in preserving forest's carbon stocks. For example, Indigenous Territories and Protected Areas in Brazil had around 6% more carbon stocks than private and unprotected lands in 2003. This effect increased to 10% and 8.5% in 2016, respectively. Both buffer losses and bring stability to forest's carbon stocks. We also found that Indigenous Territories' boundaries secure more extensive carbon stocks than their surroundings, and this difference tends to increase towards the least accessible or more remote areas. For instance, Panama's Indigenous Territories had carbon stocks 9% larger than their surroundings at 1km from their boundaries, and this amount doubled at 15 km. Why are the results important? Our findings show that both Indigenous Territories and Protected Areas are effective ways to protect forests, store carbon, and avoid land-use emissions from deforestation and degradation. Moreover, our findings are among the first to establish that indigenous land use in neotropical forests may have a stable impact on carbon stocks, indicating that indigenous forest governance complements centralized forest governance in Protected Areas. Forest governance is defined as the way in which public and private actors, make and enforce binding decisions about the management, use and conservation of forest resources. Hence, Indigenous Territories in Panama and the Amazon basin, while providing material and cultural benefits to their inhabitants, can have a pivotal role in climate change mitigation. Who or what will be affected by what you found? Under the Paris agreement, countries may rely on forest conservation, restoration, and improved management for avoided greenhouse gas emissions. Our results indicate that Indigenous Territories support Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. We suggest that securing land titles to Indigenous Territories and formalizing forest co-governance when Indigenous Territories overlap with Protected Areas could bring multiple benefits. On the one hand, indigenous people may secure their livelihoods and culture. On the other hand, national governments could reach their climate goals. Finally, given the role of Indigenous Territories in climate change mitigation, we highlight that countries receiving payments for avoided greenhouse emissions must consider indigenous people recipients of such benefits. Indigenous peoples must become recipients of countries' results-based payments. Explore further 55 percent of carbon in Amazonian indigenous territories and protected lands may be at risk More information: Camilo Alejo et al, Are indigenous territories effective natural climate solutions? A neotropical analysis using matching methods and geographic discontinuity designs, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Camilo Alejo et al, Are indigenous territories effective natural climate solutions? A neotropical analysis using matching methods and geographic discontinuity designs,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245110 Revealing the promoting role of S in higher alcohols synthesis over iron catalysts. Credit: YAO Ruwei Higher alcohols (C 2+ OH), important intermediates for fine chemicals, are mainly produced via petrochemical route, which is energy-intensive and environmentally unfriendly. Recently, a research team led by Prof. Sun Jian and Prof. Ge Qingjie from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) proposed a monometallic iron catalyst with Na and S co-modification for higher alcohols synthesis from CO 2 hydrogenation. This study was published in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental on July 28. Iron is a well-known candidate catalyst for CO 2 conversion. However, the strong ability for CO dissociation of the monometallic iron catalyst decreases the efficiency of higher alcohols synthesis. The proposed monometallic iron catalyst achieved a space-time yield of 78.5 mg g cat -1 h-1 for C 2+ alcohols at a relatively mild condition, which was comparable to the composite catalysts such as FeCu and FeRh. The synergistic effects of Na and S enabled the Fe sites in different electronic environment in one metal phase and helped provide matched dissociative and non-dissociative CO activation simultaneously required for higher alcohols synthesis. Explore further New catalyst method promises better use of syngas, coal More information: Ruwei Yao et al, Monometallic iron catalysts with synergistic Na and S for higher alcohols synthesis via CO 2 hydrogenation, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental (2021). Journal information: Applied Catalysis B: Environmental Ruwei Yao et al, Monometallic iron catalysts with synergistic Na and S for higher alcohols synthesis via COhydrogenation,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2021.120556 Credit: shutterstock Coastal communities around the world are facing increasing threats from tropical cyclones. Climate change is causing rising sea levels and bigger, more frequent storms. Many coastal communities are pondering what to do. Should they build massive seawalls in a bid to protect existing infrastructure? Do they give up on their current coastal locations and retreat inland? Or is there another way? In the US, the US Army Corps of Engineers has proposed building a 20-foot high giant seawall to protect Miami, the third most populous metropolis on the US east coast. The US$6 billion proposal is tentative and at least five years off, but sure to be among many proposals in the coming years to protect coastal communities from storms. But seawalls are expensive to build, require constant maintenance and provide limited protection. Consider China, which already has a huge number of seawalls built for storm protection. A 2019 study analyzed the impact of 127 storms on China between 1989 and 2016. Coastal wetlands were far more cost effective in preventing storm damages. They also provided many other ecosystem services that seawalls do not. How wetlands reduce storm effects Coastal wetlands reduce the damaging effects of tropical cyclones on coastal communities by absorbing storm energy in ways that neither solid land nor open water can. The mechanisms involved include decreasing the area of open water (fetch) for wind to form waves, increasing drag on water motion and hence the amplitude of a storm surge, reducing direct wind effects on the water surface, and directly absorbing wave energy. Wetland vegetation contributes by decreasing surges and waves and maintaining shallow water depths that have the same effect. Wetlands also reduce flood damages by absorbing flood waters caused by rain and moderating their effects on built-up areas. In 2008 I and colleagues estimated coastal wetlands in the US provided storm protection services worth US$23 billion a year. Our new study estimates the global value of coastal wetlands to storm protection services is US$450 billion a year (calculated at 2015 value) with 4,600 lives saved annually. Coastal wetlands can absorb storm energy in ways neither solid land nor open water can. Credit: Shutterstock To make this calculation, we used the records of more than 1,000 tropical cyclones since 1902 that caused property damage and/or human casualties in 71 countries. Our study took advantage of improved storm tracking, better global land-use mapping and damage-assessment databases, along with improved computational capabilities to model the relationships between coastal wetlands and avoided damages and deaths from tropical cyclones. The 40 million hectares of coastal wetlands in storm-prone areas provided an average of US$11,000 per hectare a year in avoided storm damages. Pacific nations benefit most The degree to which coastal wetlands provide storm protection varies between countries (and within countries). Key factors are storm probability, amount of built infrastructure in storm-prone areas, if wetlands are in storm-prone areas, and coastal conditions. The top five countries in terms of annual avoided damages (all in 2015 US dollar values) are the United States (US$200 billion), China (US$157 billion), the Philippines (US$47 billion), Japan (US$24 billion) and Mexico (US$15 billion). In terms of lives saved annually, the top five are: China (1,309); the Philippines (976); the United States (469)l India (414); and Bangladesh (360). Other ecosystem services Coastal wetlands also provide other valuable ecosystem services. They provide nursery habitat for many commercially important marine species, recreational opportunities, carbon sequestration, management of sediment and nutrient run-off, and many other valuable services. In 2014 I and colleagues estimated the value of other ecosystem services provided by wetlands (over and above storm protection) at about $US 135,000 a hectare a year. But land-use changes, including the loss of coastal wetlands, has been eroding both services. Since 1900 the world has lost up to 70% of its wetlands (Davidson, 2014). Preserving and restoring coastal wetlands is a very cost-effective strategy for society, and can significantly increase well-being for humans and the rest of nature. With the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones and other extreme weather events projected to further increase, the value of coastal wetlands will increase in the future. This justifies investing much more in their conservation and restoration. Explore further Coastal wetlands are nature's flood defences This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A home burns on Jeters Road as the Dixie fire jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope A wildfire raged through a small Northern California forest town Tuesday, burning dozens of homes as dangerously dry and windy weather also continued to fuel other massive blazes and prompted the nation's largest utility to begin shutting off power to 51,000 customers. The Caldor fire in the northern Sierra Nevada had burned an estimated 50 homes in and around Grizzly Flats, a town of about 1,200 people, fire officials said at a community meeting. Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for El Dorado County because of the blaze, which tripled in size between Monday and Tuesday afternoon to nearly 50 square miles (129 square kilometers), To the north the Dixie Firethe largest of some 100 active wildfires in more than a dozen Western stateswas advancing toward Susanville, population about 18,000. Meanwhile, Pacific Gas & Electric announced it had begun shutting off power to some 51,000 customers in small portions of 18 northern counties to prevent winds from knocking down or fouling power lines and sparking new blazes. The utility said the precautionary shutoffs were focused in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the North Coast, the North Valley and the North Bay mountains and could last into Wednesday afternoon. Very few homes were left standing in Grizzly Flats, where streets were littered with downed power lines and poles. Houses were reduced to smoldering ash and twisted metal with only chimneys rising above the ruins. A post office and elementary school were also destroyed. Firefighters from a Chino Valley task force battle the Dixie fire as it jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope Two people with serious or severe injuries were airlifted to hospitals from the Grizzly Flats area, fire officials said. Derek Shaves and Tracy Jackson were helping their friend salvage food and other supplies from the Grizzly Pub & Grub, a business in the evacuation zone that wasn't touched by the blaze. Shaves said he visited Grizzly Flats Tuesday and saw his home and most of the houses in his neighborhood had been destroyed by the fire. "It's a pile of ash," he said. "Everybody on my block is a pile of ash and every block that I visitedbut for five separate homes that were safewas totally devastated." At the Dixie Fire, numerous resources were put into the Susanville area, where residents were warned to be ready to evacuate, said Mark Brunton, an operations section chief. "It's not out of play, and the next 24 hours are going to be crucial to watch as to what the fire is going to do there," he told an online briefing. An orphaned bear cub walks alone through an area impacted by the Dixie Fire in Plumas County, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Thousands of Northern California homes remain threatened by the nation's largest wildfire and officials warn the danger of new blazes erupting across the West is high because of unstable weather. Credit: AP Photo/Eugene Garcia To the east, spot fires became established south of the small community of Janesville, which had been ordered evacuated. Some structures were lost thereimages captured by The Associated Press showed a home consumed by flamesbut a surge of firefighters was able to herd the fire around the majority of the town, Brunton said. The Dixie Fire, which had burned some 600 homes, is the largest of the major wildfires burning in Western U.S. states that have seen historic drought and weeks of high temperatures and dry weather that have left trees, brush and grasslands as flammable as tinder. Climate change has made the U.S. West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists. Susanville is the seat of Lassen County and the largest city that the Dixie Fire, named for the road where it started, has approached since it broke out last month. The former Sierra Nevada logging and mining town has two state prisons, a nearby federal lockup and a casino. A tree stump smolders as the Dixie fire jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope Ash fell from the advancing fire, and a police statement urged residents "to be alert and be ready to evacuate" if the fire threatens the city. The Dixie Fire has scorched more than 940 square miles (2,434 square kilometers) in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades since it ignited on July 13 and eventually merged with a smaller blaze. It's less than a third contained. Investigations are continuing, but PG&E has notified utility regulators that the Dixie and Fly fires may have been caused by trees falling into its power lines. The Dixie Fire began near the town of Paradise, which was devastated by a 2018 wildfire ignited by PG&E equipment during strong winds. Eighty-five people died. Ongoing damage surveys have counted more than 1,100 buildings destroyed, including 630 homes, and more than 16,000 structures remained threatened. Numerous evacuation orders were in effect. Firefighters battle the Dixie fire as it jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope An orphaned bear cub is seen alone by a tree in an area impacted by the Dixie Fire in Plumas County, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Thousands of Northern California homes remain threatened by the nation's largest wildfire and officials warn the danger of new blazes erupting across the West is high because of unstable weather. Credit: AP Photo/Eugene Garcia A firefighter battles the Dixie fire as it jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope A firefighter stares through smoke as the Dixie fire jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope A firefighter hoses down areas of the Dixie fire as it jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire along Highway 89 in Lassen National Forest, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger A dozer works to contain the Dixie fire as it jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Ethan Swope A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire as it jumps Highway 395, south of Janesville in Lassen County, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Critical fire weather throughout the region has spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger As the Dixie Fire burns towards Susanville, Calif., Gary Mooney prepares to evacuate from his home on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger Near the Caldor Fire, people were offering assistance to evacuees, including the four-footed kind. Susan Collins of Placerville used her horse trailer to help move two horses Tuesday after offering help on an El Dorado County Facebook page. "I know not everybody is prepared when something like this happens, and my purpose in life is to be there to help people," she said. Across the state line in Nevada, school administrators delayed start times in the Reno-Sparks because of a cloak of wildfire smoke from the Dixie Fire blanketing the region. Smoke plumes from the Caldor Fire were also visible from northern Nevada. Two dozen fires were burning in Montana and nearly 50 more in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, according to the National Fire Interagency Center. In Montana, authorities ordered evacuations on Tuesday for several remote communities in north- central Montana as strong winds propelled a large wildfire toward inhabited areas. The mandatory evacuation covered Lodge Pole, a town of about 300 people on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, and the former mining town of Zortman, which has about two dozen people, KOJM reported. Explore further Nearly 900 buildings destroyed by massive California fire 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Swiss researchers said Monday they had calculated the mathematical constant pi to a new world-record level of exactitude, hitting 62.8 trillion figures using a supercomputer. "The calculation took 108 days and nine hours" using a supercomputer, the Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences said in a statement. Its efforts were "almost twice as fast as the record Google set using its cloud in 2019, and 3.5 times as fast as the previous world record in 2020", according to the university's Centre for Data Analytics, Visualisation and Simulation. Researchers are waiting for the Guinness Book of Records to certify their feat, until then revealing only the final ten digits they calculated for pi: 7817924264. The previous world-record pi calculation had achieved 50 trillion figures. Pi represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, with an infinite number of digits following the decimal point. Researchers nevertheless continue to push calculations for the constantwhose first 10 figures are 3.141592653ever further using powerful computers. The Swiss team said that the experience they built up calculating pi could be applied in other areas like "RNA analysis, simulations of fluid dynamics and textual analysis". 2021 AFP Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain If you're putting together a team for a project, you might be inclined to pick people with cheerful, optimistic dispositions and flexible thinking. But a new management study indicates your team might also benefit from people who are exactly the opposite, according to experts at Rice University, the University of Western Australia, Bond University and the University of Queensland. The study, co-authored by Jing Zhou, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management and Psychology at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business, investigates the effects of "team affective diversity" on team creativity. The paper published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior is among the first research to reveal how, why and under what condition teams' "affective diversity" promotes team creativity. Team members with what researchers call "negative affect" exhibit critical and persistent thinking that allows them to identify problems needing solutions, as well as to search out and critically evaluate relevant information. On the other hand, team members with "positive affect" engage in broad and flexible thinking that expands their range of information and helps them see unusual and creative connections, the researchers say. "At any given point in time, some team members may experience positive affect such as joy and inspiration, whereas others may experience negative affect such as frustration and worry," Zhou said. "Instead of trying to homogenize team members' affect, teams should embrace affective heterogeneity." When a team experiences a high level of this "affective heterogeneity," what Zhou describes as "dual-tuning" leads to greater creativity. The researchers tested their hypotheses among 59 teams working on a semester-long project in an undergraduate management course at a university in Hong Kong. Each team developed a business plan, which involved designing a new product and differentiating it from potential competitors in the market. Zhou stresses that a team's "affective heterogeneity" can serve as a resource for team creativity. This unique type of diversity facilitates team creativity, provided the teams have a strong so-called "transactive memory system." "Our study suggests that teams may be aided in using their affect heterogeneity via interventions that focus on building the team's transactive memory system, which can be accelerated when team members spend time together, share goals, receive information about member specializations and train on the task together," Zhou said. Zhou co-authored the paper with March To of the University of Western Australia, Cynthia Fisher of Bond University and Neal Ashkanasy of the University of Queensland. Explore further Use rewards effectively to boost creativity, study suggests More information: March L. To et al, Feeling differently, creating together: Affect heterogeneity and creativity in project teams, Journal of Organizational Behavior (2021). March L. To et al, Feeling differently, creating together: Affect heterogeneity and creativity in project teams,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/job.2535 Credit: Kumpan Electric Labor markets in Southern Europe and the Baltic States were among those hit hardest last year by the pandemic, according to an Open Access study published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Economics Letters. The findings based on European Commission data on employment among those aged 2564 in EU countries are the first of their kind and provide important messages for policy-makers. Main findings Overall, the proportion of unemployed jobseekers remained "remarkably" stable in 2020, as did the percentage termed "inactive"those who did not have a job but also were not looking for one. However, the authors say some EU states are more susceptible to labor market disturbances than others and can learn from countries with robust economies. Significant variations existed with sharper increases in inactive citizens in Spain, Italy and Greece. In total, the percentage of inactive among the 2564 age group rose from 20.0% to 20.3%. A small increase in percentage points but in the absolute number of citizens, this still implies an increase of about 720,000 additional inactive persons. As for unemployment, the Baltic States experienced the highest growth and even Sweden dropping down the league table, with the authors drawing comparisons with the 2009 financial crisis in Europe. "The impact of this pandemic on the lives of citizens was enormous, as was the economic shock," says author Professor Stijn Baert from Ghent University, Belgium. "Most European countries didn't receive a huge blow from COVID-19 in 2020. However, there are important differences between countries. Some EU states in particular the Baltic States are a lot more shock-prone than others and can learn from countries that digested the shock well in 2020." During a crisis, labor markets usually follow trends in real gross domestic product (GDP), the measure of what a country's goods and services output was worth in a given year. The average real GDP drop in 2020 of 6.1% represented an almost unprecedented contraction. A decline in demand for goods and services often translates into a drop in demand for labor. Therefore, previous research on short-term COVID effects has analyzed labor market performance by tracking changes in unemployment in 2020 to early 2021, often country by country. In addition to unemployment, this study examined inactivity. Inactivity has, just as unemployment, "major implications for public financing," say the authors who suggest some people may have abandoned job hunting out of discouragement in the first months of COVID-19. The Ghent University study also looked at changes among EU-27 country rankings for unemployment and inactivity rates between 2019 and 2020, spanning the period before the pandemic and when it began. The authors compared these rates with 2009 during the Great Recession when real GDP growth fell by 4.3% in Europe. More results Findings show: The proportion of inactive people (20.3%) overall in 2020 was over five times higher than the unemployed (5%). Greece had the highest unemployment (11.8%), with Czech Republic (1.9%) the lowest Italy was highest for inactivity (28.6%) with Sweden lowest (10.8%). Unemployment in 2020 was only marginally higher on average compared with 2019 (5% vs 4.8%). But the authors say this belies the differences between EU countries with the Baltic States experiencing a substantial increase (above 1.5% on average) in 2019. Sweden dropped down the ranking following a 1.2% increase in people in search for work whereas Belgium, France and Slovenia moved up. The trend was similar with inactivitySpain (1.1%), Italy (1.5%) and Greece (1%) all saw rises. Interestingly, the Baltic States fared better overall for inactivity which even fell in Latvia (by 1.4%). Poland is described as a "unique case"unemployment and inactivity both fell slightly here despite the effect of the pandemic. The authors say their EU member states labor market comparison bears "many similarities" to 2009. Unemployment was worse overall in the Great Recession with a 1.4% rise in the ratio of unemployed people vs population, but similar patterns emerged for countries such as the Baltic States and Sweden. Explore further Latinas were more likely than other groups to drop out of workforce during pandemic More information: Stijn Baert, What shifts did covid-19 year 2020 bring to the labour market in Europe?, Applied Economics Letters (2021). Stijn Baert, What shifts did covid-19 year 2020 bring to the labour market in Europe?,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2021.1959893 Warming water and receding sea ice is changing the plankton community in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Credit: British Antarctic Survey Warming water and receding sea ice in the Western Antarctic Peninsula is changing the local plankton community with potential consequences for climate change, according to research led by scientists from Duke University and Duke Kunshan. The five-year study, conducted in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, found water temperature and sea-ice cover to be dominant factors affecting the makeup of microscopic sea life, which had declined in species richness and evenness, with those changes leading to less ocean absorption of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas associated with global warming. The study's lead author, Yajuan Lin, an assistant professor of biogeochemistry at Duke Kunshan University, in China said: "This invisible forest in the ocean sucks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so changes to it are incredibly important. The research suggests that forest may be doing less of this in the Western Antarctic Peninsula." Published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on August 16, the study, which began in 2012, is the longest ever time-series research on DNA-based plankton community structure and continuous carbon export in the Antarctic region, and for the first time quantitively links plankton community structure to carbon export potential there. It was supported by a US National Science Foundation grant to Nicolas Cassar, a professor of biogeochemistry at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. The research team and collaborators, which included scientists from UNC Chapel Hill, Rutgers, Columbia University and the British Antarctic Survey made annual trips to the Western Antarctic Peninsula, spent primarily aboard the research vessel Laurence M. Gould, with short spells at the U.S. Antarctic base Palmer Station and the British Antarctic Survey station Rothera. They collected DNA samples of microbial sea life, including algae and microzooplankton, as well as employing a mass spectrometer to monitor carbon sequestration levels. Following each trip, researchers spent months at Duke University and at the University of Nantes analyzing the samples using a high-throughput DNA sequencing technology, which allowed them to measure species numbers, community composition, carbon levels and other features in the samples, despite their microscopic size. They found significant changes in the community of microscopic sea life as some organisms better adapted the to a warmer environment with less ice survived and others perished. This shift may have an impact on climate change, as analysis of the changing community showed a reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide it absorbed from the atmosphere, said Lin. Professor Mike Meredith, an oceanographer at British Antarctic Survey and co-author of the paper said: "The coastal regions of Antarctica are especially vulnerable to climatic change, and some of them are showing rapid losses of ice. This new research shows that as this progresses and spreads, it could result in substantial declines in plankton diversity. This could have knock-on consequences for the Antarctic ecosystem, and also affect the Southern Ocean's ability to mitigate our carbon emissions. The findings are particularly timely and relevant, in the wake of the recent report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change." The findings also come ahead of the 2021 United National Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, scheduled for October, where it could add to debates about both biodiversity conservation and climate change. Yajuan added: "Our results add to the data about climate change and biodiversity, and could help to provide as clearer picture of what's happening," she said. "However, a longer study will be needed to confirm the pattern." "Decline in plankton diversity and carbon flux with reduced sea ice extent along the Western Antarctic Peninsula" is published in Nature Communications. Explore further Study finds big increase in ocean carbon dioxide absorption along West Antarctic Peninsula More information: Yajuan Lin et al, Decline in plankton diversity and carbon flux with reduced sea ice extent along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Yajuan Lin et al, Decline in plankton diversity and carbon flux with reduced sea ice extent along the Western Antarctic Peninsula,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25235-w teaching in singapore MOE tuition teacher On the face of it, MOE teachers seem to have it good. Decent pay AND long holidays? Sign us up! Yet everyone has that ex-teacher friend who quit to give tuition full-time. And if youve got friends who teach, its likely youve heard countless rants about the unreasonable workload and frustrating bureaucracy they face. And while the authorities are tight-lipped about the attrition rate of teachers and MOE scholarship bond breakers, many in the industry harbour dreams of leaving for good. Is it better to be an MOE teacher or a private tuition teacher? We compare salary, workload and other important factors. MOE teacher salary vs tuition teacher salary In Singapore, teachers are quite highly paid. According to salary benchmarking website payscale.com, secondary school teachers receive annual salaries of $70,782, or about $5,900 a month. Primary school teachers earn just a little bit less: $68,314 a year, or about $5,700 a month. Tutors, on the other hand, are usually self-employed and charge by the hour. They dont receive CPF contributions and bonuses. The hourly pay range can be huge. On the higher end of the scale, there are ex-MOE tutors who specialise in difficult subjects at higher levels, who can bring in as much as $100 per hour. But non-superstar freelance primary and secondary school tutors realistically earn $25 to $50 per hour. There are full-time tuition teacher positions in established tuition centres like The Learning Lab or Math Vision Enrichment Centre that start off on a pay thats closer to $3,000 a month. Bonuses are not guaranteed though. Considering CPF contributions and performance bonuses, full-time MOE teachers in Singapore do end up having stable annual salaries thats very respectable. Tutors usually only work during school terms and get 10 months of salary, while MOE teachers get almost 15, considering bonuses. How much do you need to work to earn MOE teachers salary? To get an annual salary that is comparable to an MOE teacher benchmarked at $68,314 an experienced freelance tuition teacher who earns $40/hour will have to put in about 142 hours of work a month. Story continues That works out to almost 36 hours of work per week, nearly on par with a full time office job. It also means being on the hunt for students perpetually and working on weekends and public holidays. Thats not to say its not impossible to earn more as a private tutor. If you are more specialised and have a bit of reputation, you can charge more. To multiply your time, you could even set up small group tuition classes in your own home where you can earn from not just 1 student each time but 4 to 5 without having to travel. In all, it sounds like private tuition isnt really all that lucrative unless youre one of those hotshot ex-Raffles physics tutors in super high demand. So why are some MOE teachers going into the tuition profession, then? MOE teachers have poor work-life balance Almost every teacher Ive spoken with has complained about poor work-life balance and the fact that theyre ridiculously overloaded with administrative tasks. I dont think I know a single MOE teacher who doesnt bring work home in the evenings and on weekends. Teachers are usually at school by 7am, but just because they start earlier than office workers doesnt mean they end earlier. Most leave no earlier than 5pm (some even stay till 8pm when they have responsibilities like guard duty), and many continue to work late into the night at home, marking homework and tests. Then there are the weekly CCA duties which take place in the afternoons and evenings after school, or even on weekends. Penelope, a 32-year-old teacher in a government school, sounds disgruntled when she says, The reason so many MOE teachers are leaving is so obvious that I dont understand why MOE doesnt address this once and for all. We are bogged down by so many tasks that we are unable to focus on teaching. Many of us chalk up 12/13 hours of work every day, and sometimes we work on weekends, she adds. Taylor, a 32-year-old teacher in a government-aided school, concurs. I only spend about 40% of my time at work teaching. I think they should ease the admin load to ensure more teachers remain in the profession. Teachers are so tired out from all the admin and miscellaneous duties that its hard to enjoy the core of our work. Incidentally, both Penelope and Taylor, who are married with kids, took close to a year of no-pay leave to look after their children. Both thought they would not be able to cope with the demands of looking after a newborn and teaching at the same time. You can compare the hours. As a tuition teacher, you probably can earn decently if you put in 40 hours a week. Time is quite flexible and within your control. MOE teachers may work up to 13 hours a day, which over the course of 5 working days, easily add up to 65 hours. Tuition has better money in terms of hours worked While the salaries that MOE teachers earn are largely considered to be decent, the general consensus is that they may not be worth the long hours. Taylor says, The market rate for tuition is $70 per hour if youre an MOE teacher. But Ive friends who are charging $80 to $90 per hour. Thats very, very good money. Some famous teachers conduct group tuition sessions and earn at least $10,000 a month. Penelope says, Some of the advantages of tuition are the flexibility of time, being able to focus on teaching without being bogged down by other duties and tasks, especially class management, and being able to exercise control over which students I want to help. I have a soft spot for the weaker students. And of course, you earn an hourly rate thats much higher than an MOE teachers. Even so, there are some downsides to tuition that keep teachers in the profession. Tutoring hours are mostly on weekday evenings or weekends. If you have a family, this is when your kids are home, yet you are out teaching, says Taylor. Penelope has similar concerns. As with any other job, there is a downside to being a full-time private tutor. You sacrifice weekday evenings and weekends if you want to maintain a decent income, and you also lack interaction with adults. MOE teacher vs private tuition teacher: So, which is better? Penelope has made up her mind to quit her job and become a full-time tutor some time in the next few years. She is merely biding her time. For someone who became a teacher because she thought it would be a meaningful job, it was a tough decision for her to make. She says, I think MOE really has to reconsider our workload. It really is too much. They can keep upping our salary and dishing out bonuses, but when teachers are not happy and healthy, they will leave. For Taylor, things look a little rosier. It sounds cheesy but I think I know that I am making a difference in the lives of my students, not just academically but holistically, and I get opportunities to do so in school where I see the students for the whole day, and even for CCAs, unlike at tuition where I see them only for 2 hours a week and the parent hires me simply to see their grades improve, she says. In addition, she admits the stability and perks are a draw. Unlike tuition where students can cancel on you and your income varies, you get a fixed pay every month. We get bonuses in March, June and December, medical and dental benefits, as well as allowances depending on our appointment in school. At the end of the day, I simply enjoy teaching, she admits. But if I continue with MOE, I will probably take long-term leave again depending on which season of my life I am in, such as during the child-bearing years. (Names have been changed to protect the identity of respondents.) How to become a teacher in Singapore To become an MOE teacher in Singapore, going by the MOE route, you must have a university degree, diploma, A levels certificate or an IB diploma. If you are still completing your tertiary studies, MOE recommends that you apply during your final year, preferably at the start, via Careers@Gov. Degree holders can go on to take their Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at NIE, which spans between 16 months and 2 years. The intake for the PGDE occurs in December. You will be able to choose your teaching subjects. Diploma holders must go on to either study 2 more years to get their Diploma in Education (DipEd) or 4 more years for the Bachelor of Arts/Science in Education. The PDGE and DipEd programmes are fully paid for by the MOE, but teachers must fulfil a teaching bond. To become a tuition teacher, you dont necessarily need to be trained in education. You can go through tuition agencies or word of mouth to get students. However to make it a career, youd want to make a name of yourself by collecting student testimonials that prove your ability to resurrect an F to an A. Are MOE teachers allowed to moonlight? According to a 2019 discussion in Parliament, about 1 in 10 MOE teachers do moonlight as private tutors. And its not against the rules either. Under current MOE rules, MOE teachers can give up to 6 hours of private tuition a week. Although there was a review proposed in 2013, this doesnt seem to have changed. In fact, MOE teachers have an incentive to do so because they can charge more than students who give part-time tuition, because they are updated with the latest syllabi and are trained to teach. Of course, with gruelling work hours, were not sure how many MOE teachers are insane enough to take on more work. Know someone whos considering teaching as a career? Share this article with them! This article was originally written in 2016 and has been updated with the latest salaries in 2021. The post Teaching in Singapore: Is It Better to Be an MOE Teacher or a Private Tuition Teacher? appeared first on the MoneySmart blog. MoneySmart.sg helps you maximize your money. Like us on Facebook to keep up to date with our latest news and articles. Compare and shop for the best deals on Loans, Insurance and Credit Cards on our site now! The post Teaching in Singapore: Is It Better to Be an MOE Teacher or a Private Tuition Teacher? appeared first on MoneySmart.sg. Original article: Teaching in Singapore: Is It Better to Be an MOE Teacher or a Private Tuition Teacher?. 2009-2018 Catapult Ventures Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. Binance is in discussions about the CEO role with Richard Teng, who stepped down as head of the Abu Dhabi Global Market in March after six years. (PHOTO: ADGM) By Joanna Ossinger, Chanyaporn Chanjaroen and Yoolim Lee (Bloomberg) Binance Holdings Ltd. is in talks with a former senior Singapore bourse executive about taking the top job at its local business in the Asian financial hub, as the crypto exchange seeks to appease regulators around the globe. Binance is in discussions about the chief executive officer role with Richard Teng, who stepped down as head of the Abu Dhabi Global Market in March after six years with the business centre, according to people familiar with the matter. The crypto exchange has also approached other executives about the position, one of the people said, asking to not to be identified because the information is confidential. Its not clear if Teng, who returned to Singapore from the United Arab Emirates in April, has accepted the job. Teng was previously Singapore Exchange Ltd.s chief regulatory officer, and spent 13 years at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, according to his LinkedIn profile. Teng declined to comment when contacted on his mobile phone. A spokesperson for Binance also declined to comment. Under Scrutiny Founded in 2017, years after many other exchanges, Binance has quickly gained market share partly by being more aggressive and following fewer regulations than rivals such as Coinbase Global Inc. Its now the worlds biggest crypto spot and derivatives exchange at a time when the industry is drawing the attention of officials around the world. Binance and its affiliated entities have come under scrutiny in recent months from regulators in countries such as the U.S., U.K., Thailand and Japan. At a recent press conference, Binance founder and Chief Executive Officer Changpeng CZ Zhao said the firm will establish multiple headquarters globally and is looking for regional CEOs as well as, potentially, his successor with compliance experience a big focus in the selection process. Binance Asia Services Pte., Binances Singapore unit, is operating within a grace period while the MAS reviews its application for a license to provide digital payment token services. The regulator said last month it would follow up as required with the local unit of Binance Holdings after its parent company came under scrutiny. Story continues Strong Compliance The potential appointment of a former regulator alone wont be enough to placate regulators in financial centres such as Singapore, according to Chia Hock Lai, co-chairman of the Blockchain Association Singapore. There are other various factors to consider such as, but not limited to, having a strong compliance track record in the digital token business, and the ability to comply with travel-rule guidance, Chia said. Firms must also have strong technology risk-management systems, he said. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. By Eric Gaillard GRIMAUD, France (Reuters) - French firefighters hampered by strong winds were battling to contain a fast-spreading wildfire in the hills behind the coastal town of Saint-Tropez on Tuesday as campsites packed with holidaymakers were evacuated. Planes carrying water and 900 firefighters were tackling the blaze, which began late on Monday at a highway service area, according to local media. Waves of extreme heat have hit much of the Mediterranean region in recent weeks, with wildfires from Spain and Greece to Turkey raising uncomfortable questions over global warming and countries' preparedness. The French fire, which hit several villages in the southern Var region, spread quickly overnight as high winds propelled the blaze across 5,000 hectares (12,350 acres) of land, burning through some 3,500 so far. "We were completely surrounded by the flames," said Stephane Gady, mayor of the village of La Mole, which is nestled near pine forests close to the French Riviera. Gady and his team were almost stranded after being caught by the blaze on the village outskirts on Monday night, he said. No lives were lost in the area, according to Gady and local authorities in the Var, but around 100 homes were destroyed. A campsite in Grimaud was razed to the ground. Charred mobile homes were scattered across the site. At least six other campsites in the Var region were evacuated, the Var prefect's office said. Another local mayor, Philippe Leonelli, said his seaside town of Cavalaire was spared, and was now sheltering some 2,000 people from nearby campsites in gyms and events halls. "This time the fire spread in three hours through an area that would normally be covered in 48. It's crazy, that's how quickly it all went," Leonelli said, adding several colleagues had lost their homes. Cavalaire is normally home to some 10,000 people, but the population swells to 90,000 during the summer months. The villages of La Croix Valmer and Grimaud were also hit. Story continues Alexandre Jouassard, an emergency services spokesman, said some locals were being told to stay indoors with wet sheets under the door instead of fleeing, to prevent chaos on the roads. Authorities warned that more fires could break out in surrounding areas. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he would visit Gonfaron and that any reinforcements needed would be sent. Authorities urged people not to drive around the area, known for its beaches and coastal towns. They were also advised to avoid the axis between Bormes-les-Mimosas, where President Emmanuel Macron is for his summer retreat, to Saint-Tropez. Elsewhere in the region, two wildfires, also fanned by strong winds, raged out of control near Athens on Monday, forcing the evacuation of villages. (Reporting by Eric Gaillard, Sarah White, Richard Lough, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Myriam Rivet and Juliette Portala, Editing by John Stonestreet and Andrew Cawthorne) "The situation is precarious," Mohan Gurung, a former worker in the U.S. Embassy in Kabul told Reuters at Tribhuvan International Airport. "They have also captured the Presidential Palace and the president has also fled the country. So the U.S. Embassy has returned us back home to Nepal," he added. The Nepalese foreign ministry said 118 people arrived on board a chartered flight via Kuwait, while another nine Indian nationals ware also evacuated on the same flight. The evacuees will be taken to a quarantine center in Kathmandu to be screened for COVID-19, according to an army spokesperson. Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan resumed early on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to flee the country following the Taliban takeover. Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. Silvia Moreno-Garcias new novel, Velvet Was the Night, has a campy title and over-the-top cover art featuring a woman, in glistening lipstick and gigantic sunglasses, smoking a cigarette. The sprawling, cursive typeface of the title looks like the opening credits of a mid-40s movie, perhaps starring Gene Tierney as a gorgeous psychopath. Velvet Was the Night is Moreno-Garcias follow-up to her surprise bestseller from last year, Mexican Gothic, and an absolute flex. Mexican Gothic crossed the glossy suspense of Daphne du Mauriers Rebecca with the morbid horror of H.P. Lovecraft and set this heady concoction amid the landed gentry of 1930s Mexico. Velvet Was the Night has little in common with the delirious Mexican Gothic. Its prose is lean, its characters are nobodies, its setting is urban, and there isnt the slightest speck of the supernatural. But Moreno-Garcia, a bona fide literary chameleon, slips effortlessly out of the satin pumps of the gothic and into the beat-up wingtips of noir. The scary thing about this novel is how good it is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Classic noir narratives may be gritty, but they also have a strange timelessness, as if the charactersfemme fatale, hard-boiled hero, sneering henchman, sinister crime bossexist, like archetypes, everywhere at once but nowhere in particular. One interpretation holds that noir novels and movies are packed with what Freud would call repressed material: the wartime experiences of several generations of Americans in both the 1910s and the 1940s. These are traumas that no one in the story talks about but that haunt the male characters. Noir movies are full of shadows, and the war is whats in them. Sign up for the Slate Culture Newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The specificity of history, the insistent way it focuses on exactly what happened to which exact people at which particular place and time, seems at odds with the dream of classic noir. Yet some of the most striking later revivals of the form, like Roman Polanskis Chinatown, marry iconic gumshoe adventures to distinct historical events, such as the theft of water from Californias Owens Valley to fuel the growth of Los Angeles. Advertisement This is Moreno-Garcias game. Velvet Was the Night is set in Mexico City in 1971 and told from the alternating perspectives of two characters. One, known only by the nickname Elvis, works as a hired thug for an ambiguous gentleman known as El Mago. Elvis is part of a semitrained group called the Hawks, who are tasked with surveilling, beating, and harassing student activists and other perceived manifestations of communism who oppose the ruling party, the PRI. The other protagonist, Maite, is a secretary who has just turned 30 and salves her loneliness and boredom with romance comics. Leonora, the girl who lives across the hall, asks Maite to feed her cat while shes out of town. (Maite, because she never goes anywhere, often supplements her modest income by feeding her neighbors pets.) When Leonora fails to return, Maite goes looking for heror, more specifically, for her money and a way to unload the catand falls into an intrigue involving the Hawks, the government, the secret police, the KGB, and would-be student revolutionaries. Advertisement Advertisement The incident that opens the novel, an attack on protesters that became known as the Corpus Christi massacre, actually happened. (It also serves as a pivotal moment in Alfonso Cuarons Roma.) It was one of a series of human rights violations committed by the PRI during Mexicos Guerra Sucia, or Dirty War, of the 1970s. But for both Elvis and Maite, the causes behind the violence are remote and indistinct. Elvis, a street kid from the provinces, admires and aspires to the genteel, cultured lifestyle of his boss and longs to someday possess a home like El Magos, the beautiful books, the beautiful shelves, the antiques and decorative items. Hes a striver who likes to read and owns a Larousse dictionary from which he learns one new word per day. Maite comes from a family that thinks so little of her that for her birthday her mother bakes her sisters favorite cake. Maites plain, self-conscious about her ill-fitting inexpensive clothes, and trying to scrape together the cash to get her car out of the shop. The highlight of her week comes with the release of each new issue of Secret Romance. Advertisement Advertisement What Elvis and Maite have in commoneven if, for most of the novel, neither realizes itis bookishness and, especially, their taste in music. Elvis got his nom de guerre from his love of the King, but like Maite, hes most keen on ballads. Separately, the two listen to songs like Love Me Tender and Strangers in the Night, performed both by American crooners and the Mexican artists who covered their songs. Music, as Moreno-Garcia explains in her afterword, also played a role in the clashes between young people, who frequented singing cafes where pop and rock songs were performed, and the government, which eventually closed them down, arguing that they were hotbeds of rebelliousness. Elvis and Maite, however, like music two decades behind their own timelush, swoony tunes from the somnambulant 50s, the kind of music David Lynch characters brood to as they act out that artists noir fantasies. Advertisement Some people are made to be lonely, Elvis thinks when he learns that Maite has a recording of Blue Velvet and he imagines her listening to it, late at night, swaying to the music, all alone, while the city slept. Despite being deeply involved in the political violence around him, Elvis has no investment in his fucked-up assignments watching folks when he didnt give a damn if they were red or notJesus, what was the big deal about that? He needed the money. Maite considers politics terribly dull compared with what she lives for: love, frail as gossamer, stitched together from a thousand songs and a thousand comic books. Both characters are fascinating creations, bristling with contradictory but convincing traits. Maite, for example, is both romantic and petty. Shes a patsy for one of Leonoras ex-boyfriends simply because hes handsome, suave, and rich like one of the heroes in her comics. She lies to a co-worker about her love life and steals small objects from people she meets, cherishing a collection of trinkets that make her feel as if she has peered into the soul, the life, of another human being, and she had cut out a part of them and theyd never know it. (Plus, props to any novelist in these days of fan service who dares to create a heroine who dislikes cats.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Near the end of Velvet Was the Night, Elvis boss scolds him, then cruelly suggests that his word for the day ought to be pawn. Elvis and Maite are pawns, mere supporting characters in the minds of everyone else in the novel. The contrast between their grand, outdated yearnings and their sordid circumstances as a hired goon and a forgettable secretary lends the novel its classic noir piquancy. But the way that warnot a world war, but the Dirty War between the government and its restive citizenskeeps erupting into their lives, forcing them to confront the reality of history and politics, keeps the novel fresh; in contrast with classic noir, this war refuses to remain hidden. The delectable cocktail that is Velvet Was the Night contains a generous dash of bitters, but the finish is satisfyingly mellow. It goes down so smoothly that it left me marveling at what kind of sorceress Moreno-Garcia must be as she reworks genre after genre, weaving in Mexican history and culture, satisfying familiar cravings without resorting to mere pastiche. The most tantalizing suspense of all comes with wondering what shell do next. The fall of Kabul, Afghanistan, to the Taliban has inevitably drawn comparisons to the 1975 fall of Saigonso many that, on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the press, This is not Saigon. But Blinkens efforts havent stopped the supposed historical parallels from coming, often from the right, which has quickly moved to cast the event as a failure of President Joe Biden and his administration. But what, if anything, can the fall of Saigon really teach us, as the grim situation in Afghanistan unfolds? And why might the right be so invested in the comparison? Christian Appy is a historian who writes about the Vietnam War and American politics and culture and the author, most recently, of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity. I called Appy on Monday to understand more about how the event of the fall of Saigon resonated in the United States in 1975, how its meaning changed in the intervening decades, and what the fall of Kabul may mean for our own politics in 2021. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rebecca Onion: At the time of the fall of Saigon, how did Americans, watching from home, perceive the events as they unfolded? Christian Appy: The final American troops left in early 1973, after the Paris Peace Accords. This ended the Vietnam Warwhich, of course, almost immediately began again, while falling off the front pages and out of the American consciousness. What people were paying attention to at home was really the unfolding Watergate scandal. The fall of Saigon in the spring of 1975 brought the war in Vietnam really rushing back into American awareness. And though the media was full of scary and shocking images of people trying as best they could to leave the country, and of very chaotic and mismanaged evacuations, most Americans had resigned themselves to this outcome. There was no will to reenter the war, and that was true in Washington and Congress as well as in the population. Advertisement Id say the national mood on April 30, 1975, when the embassy fell, was a kind of resignationa fatalism about the outcome. But also, I think, there was a pretty broad understanding, at the time, that America had been largely responsible for creating the conditions that led to this. Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Thats one difference from this situation in Afghanistan. The endgame in Vietnam unfolded over many months, so the fall of Saigon came a long time after the troops left. Yes, there was an interval of a little more than two years between the U.S. exit and the Communist victory. During that time, America was still supporting, with money and arms, the government of South Vietnam. In Afghanistan, of course, the government weve supported since 2001 is just collapsing with a speed I dont think many people predicted. Advertisement I keep seeing some people argue, about the supposedly perilous politics of this moment for Joe Biden, Well, President Ford didnt pay a political price for the fall of Saigon. I wonder if you think thats accurate. Well, presiding over that eventthere was very little positive spin you could invent for the fall of Saigon. So it didnt help him politically, but the much bigger cause for his defeat in the 1976 election was primarily the pardoning of his notorious predecessor. So I dont think there was a huge political cost for him. Were now seeing a lot of reaction from military personnel who served in Afghanistan to the fall of Kabul. What did people who served in Vietnam say, upon seeing the fall of Saigon? Advertisement Advertisement Veterans were all over the map, politically, in the United States, in that period. Many of them were deeply saddened by it, for all kinds of reasons. Some were thinking, This end simply really proves that we risked our lives and lost friends and perhaps even killed people for a goal that clearly failed and may never even have been realistic. Its a sense of disillusionment and betrayal, which was a word you heard a lot at that time, which was very much felt by veterans. But Id say that their sense of betrayal was much deeper than a sense that the United States had bugged out or abandoned this mission in South Vietnam. I would say that the bigger sense of betrayal was having sent them to this foreign war with this impossible mission to begin with. Advertisement How did American memory of the events of the fall of Saigon change over the years? At the time of the war itself, right up to and including the fall of Saigon, the overwhelming majority of Americans had come to the conclusion that the war was, at the very least, a horrible mistake. By the early 1970s, a majority of Americans had concluded that the war was immoral. Advertisement But by the time that Reagan became president in the early 1980s, the political shift to the right had created a story about the Vietnam War that focused American attention on the idea that the war was a noble causecould have been won, should have been won. And that a victory didnt happen because we didnt try hard enough, we quote-unquote denied our soldiers permission to win. Many Americans were wanting to restore a sense of national pride, prestige, and patriotism. Advertisement That was the time of the sort of creation of an image of Vietnam veterans as the key symbol of the war. Many parts of the culture were encouraging Americans to pay attention to and honor Vietnam veteranspart of the larger sort of project to make the experience of Vietnam into an American tragedy, rather than pay attention to the damage and wreckage that the United States had brought to Vietnam. So, for example, by the 1980s, if you asked Americans how many Vietnamese died in the war, there were a couple of polls where people would guess something like 100,000 or so, when in fact it was something like 3 million Vietnamese casualties to our 58,000 Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You mention the Reagan shift, and I think one reason were seeing so many mentions of the fall of Saigon on social media and in some of the press now is that it has, since the time it happened, become a touchstone for the right interested in pinpointing Americas decline. Now the same may be happening with Kabul. But there are so many differences between the two historical eras were comparing that its hard for me to say how Americans will remember the fall of Kabul. Major differences involve our respective media ecosystems, the numbers of soldiers involved in each war, the fact that Vietnam had soldiers who were drafted and Afghanistan did not. What other differences do you see? And how do you think the memory of this event will develop? Advertisement Well, as for Republicans blaming Biden, of course we need to point out that Trump came to power promising to end the war in Afghanistan, and as late as last February sent officials to negotiate with the Taliban, just before the pandemic shutdown. He promised the U.S. would leave Afghanistan by May 1, 2020. The military talked him out of doing that so fully and decisively, but he had made a commitment to it. And in the campaign in the fall 2020, he claimed that Biden was going to continue the war, and he was going to end it. Advertisement According to one poll, in July, 73 percent of Americans wanted out of Afghanistan. That was similar in the 1970s as well, in Vietnam. Republicans as well as Democrats were disillusioned with the war, and as I said, only in the years later did Reagan attack the Democrats for having failed to succeed there. Advertisement But as you say, another major difference between then and now is that now, in the 21st century, we have relied on a tiny cohort of Americans to do the fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, because of the all-volunteer force and troops being required to do multiple tours in these war zones. That makes it possible for the vast majority of Americans to go about life as if there were no wars going on. That was not possible during the Vietnam War. Of course, there were some oblivious Americans, but to a really stunning degree, ordinary Americans were consumed by that war as it was unfolding. There was the draft, and the possibility that every able-bodied young American might end up in that war. Though the draft was radically skewed to advantage the privileged and well connected, to keep them from having as much of a chance of fighting, it was nevertheless hanging over a whole generation, that possibility. Advertisement Advertisement But even more than the draft, I would say Americans were deeply consumed by the war itself. And incredibly shocked that it seemed not only to be failing, but to be contrary in its conduct to the ideals that had been used to justify intervention. I think in the 21st century, Americans are much more cynical, and less shockable about the possibility that Americans could be engaged in wars that dont live up to their advertising. There hasnt been much public support for either of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since about 2005. But theres also a lot of skepticism about the possibility for ordinary citizens to make foreign policy more accountable to the public. This feels like a real inflection point, when it comes to public opinion on foreign policy. I have no idea how things will go. Advertisement We can hope that this will lead to more public engagement and critical thinking about American foreign policy. Ive been struck by, over the past year, the contrast between the deepand I think healthyscrutiny that large portions of the public have given to issues of systemic racism, which is a phrase thats really entered the common vernacular language in this last year. But then, at the same time, it hasnt really led to a large public discussion of American imperialism and American foreign policy. I do fear that if the narrative is focused only on the vision of civilians fleeing a scary and repressive new government, which is already on the record from the 1990s as having a horrible history of brutality and repressionif thats our only focus, if our attention isnt on the longer history of our involvement there, and what that has done to the country, then I dont think we really have the kinds of critical tools to think deeply about what our priorities should be going forward. How did Afghanistan fall so quickly, and so completely? Afghans have not maintained their security forces. President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. The Taliban have taken over, and did so in less than four months. Slate War Stories columnist Fred Kaplan says that, without the Americans there to prop them up, the Afghan forces simply did what they had to do. Now, hope is in short supply for the tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for U.S. and NATO forces and were promised visas and a life abroadmany of them are stuck behind Taliban roadblocks. Officials at the U.S. Embassy were spending their remaining hours in Kabul burning documents that would identify allied Afghans, but Kaplan says the Taliban can still find them. However, U.S. President Joe Biden said the U.S. would move in the coming days to help transport Afghans with visas. To take stock of the situation after 20 years of U.S. military occupation, I spoke with Kaplan on Tuesdays episode of What Next. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Wilson: Lets talk about how we got here. We could go back two decades, but lets remember February 2020, when a deal was struck between the U.S. and the Taliban for U.S. withdrawal, brokered by the Trump administration. Fred Kaplan: Trump is now saying, If I were still president, there would have been conditions attached to this withdrawal. Well, no. The deal he went with, it had two deals. One was that the Taliban would not cooperate with al-Qaida or any other groups that threatened the United States. So far, nothing theyve done has involved al-Qaida or anything like it. The second was that the Taliban would engage in intra-Afghan negotiations. Well, what does that mean? There is no time applied to this. It wasnt like, You will do this before taking over Kabul. There is nothing in there that said you will not advance upon Kabul or any other city until were out of there or for another year or two. There is no such term. So the Taliban are still in compliance with the February 2020 agreement. Advertisement Could the Biden administration have revisited that deal? Thats an interesting question, because under the Trump deal, we were supposed to be completely out by May 1. Biden said that with the logistics, we were not going to be able to get out of there by then, so lets say Sept. 11. The Taliban had no problems with that. But one thing Biden said is possibly true: that if he didnt pull out all the troops in accordance with this deal, the Taliban would start fighting us again. American people dont generally recognize that not a single American has been killed in Afghanistan since that February 2020 deal was signed. Zero. If Biden had come along and said, Well, screw this deal, I know Im not part of it, were keeping 2,000 troops in Afghanistan for the duration, its possible that the Taliban would have started fighting again. Its also possible they might not have. The point is, the proposition was never tested. Biden was looking to get out of Afghanistan as soon as possible, and the poorly, hastily negotiated Trump accord gave him an excuse for not delaying. Advertisement Advertisement In April of this year, Biden announced he would withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan. There were about 3,500 U.S. troops, and contractors would be coming with them. The drawdown begins in earnest in May, and so does the advance of the Taliban. They started in the rural areas, and then by July, people were starting to sound the alarm that this is going a lot faster than anybody anticipated. The Afghan forces are falling like dominoes. So the question became, why are they so weak? You know, what was propping up the Afghan Army wasnt just American troops, since American troops hadnt really been engaged in direct combat for quite a while. What was propping Afghan forces up were things like close air support, logistics, intelligence helicopters that were able to transport Afghan troops from one very isolated part of the country to another. One problem hereand we have a tendency to do thisis that we built up the Afghan Army in the image of the U.S. military to make it dependent on all that logistics and close air support and intelligence and so forth. It enhanced the Afghan Armys power greatly, but it also made it forever dependent on the U.S. Once that network of combat support and supplies and maintenance left, that was it. Even an American combat unit would not have had much ability to keep fighting without that network of support behind it. That plus the fact that the army hated the Taliban, but it never have never had much fealty toward the Afghan government, which remained corrupt, which didnt give it enough food or water, much less guns and ammunition. So the soldiers said, This thing is going down the tubes and I dont want to die here for something I dont particularly believe in. Military experts and retired officers whom I was talking with all along thought that once we pulled out like this, it was just a matter of time, and not much time. Advertisement Advertisement Im thinking of the stories Ive read over the past week of Afghan forces waiting for rations and getting a box of slimy potatoes. And youve got reports of Afghan security force equipment winding up in the hands of the Taliban, who are using vehicles that still have Afghan insignias on them. That had been going on for quite a long time. For years, maybe a decade. I mean, its a little dangerous to focus so much on whats happened in the past couple of weeks. This has been a pretty hopeless endeavor for many, many years, arguably from the very beginning. The very fact we were fighting an insurgency that, when they were coming under attack, could just take safe haven in neighboring Pakistanthat alone really made the odds almost absurdly small that we were ever going to succeed here. Advertisement In some ways, its even more delusional because there were generals like David Petraeus pushing for a counterinsurgency, for a nation-building kind of thingbut we dont know how to do this outside of the image of ourselves. We had almost nobody over there who spoke the language, much less understood the history or the culture or anything. It was textbook from A to Z on how to do something like this incorrectly. Advertisement What the Taliban takeover looks like to me is local Afghans knowing how to survive invasions: You figure out which big dog is leaving and you make nice with the next alpha dog in line. Afghans have been doing that for decades. Listen, there were reports that even at this late date, a lot of Afghan farmers thought the U.S. people who were there were Russians. They never quite processed that the Russians had left a long time ago. But you know, to them, theres no difference. Americans, Russians, theyre all outsiders. Advertisement And of course, the Soviets left in 89. Yeah, maybe even before some of these when these farmers were little kids. But it almost doesnt matter from their perspective. There is no difference. Both groups of outsiders came in and said, Were going to make a better future for you. The Soviets said, Were going to clue you in on the glories of international socialism. We came in and said, Were going to clue you in to the to the glories of freedom, democracy, and modernity. It was all nonsense to them, and it had nothing to do with anything about their everyday lives. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. In his remarks from April on why he decided to issue the order to withdraw the remaining 3,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden declared, Over the past 20 years, the threat has become more dispersed, metastasizing around the globe. He went on to mention terror cells in Africa and Asia, noting that with the terror threat now in many places, keeping U.S. troops concentrated in Afghanistan makes little sense to me and to our leaders. Essentially, the Biden administrations argument is that the terror threat from a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan will be no different from the threat from any number of other ungoverned spaces and failed states around the world, where thousands of U.S. troops are not currently deployed. Advertisement But this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the importance of safe haven and sanctuary for transnational terrorist groups. None of the other places where the U.S. and its allies are fighting jihadisSomalia, Yemen, Mali, and other parts of Africas Sahelis ruled by an organization like the Taliban, an organization that boasts tens of thousands of militants under arms and continues to have a close relationship with al-Qaida. Indeed, the entire proposition that because the U.S. is combating terrorists elsewhere, it should be less concerned about Afghanistan is a bit confounding. Afghanistan is a country that has experienced four decades of continuous conflict, dating back to the Soviet invasion in 1979. It is a country awash in weapons and battle-hardened fighters. The infrastructure necessary to wage a terrorist campaign, to include external operations against the West, is already firmly in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. The last several U.S. presidential administrations have sought to extricate the U.S. from Afghanistan. The Biden administration is the only one to have done so, although judging from events that have unfolded over the past few weeks, the operation was far from the responsible withdrawal that the president promised in speeches and policy documents. On the contrary, the chaos that ensued as Taliban fighters swept through numerous Afghan provinces has been described by some as an intelligence failure. But the onus for what has transpired cannot be placed squarely on the shoulders of the intelligence community. What has occurred in Afghanistan is a failure on multiple levelsintelligence, but also diplomacy, foreign policy, and the 20 years of capacity-building efforts by the U.S. military and Department of Defense that aimed to build competent Afghan security forces capable of defending the population. Advertisement The United States initially invaded Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaidathe group responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 American citizens. Yet after two decades, the U.S. has withdrawn without accomplishing its objectives. Numerous al-Qaida leaders have been captured or killed, including the groups longtime leader Osama bin Laden, but tactical gains have failed to amount to anything close to a strategic victory. Al-Qaida numbers between 400 and 600 fighters in Afghanistan, but this number is expected to grow exponentially as the jihadis reinforce their ranks with fighters from throughout the region. With no U.S. intelligence assets on the ground in Afghanistan, Washington will have few indications and warnings about a highly dynamic environment where things are likely to change quickly. Human intelligence and signals intelligence will both suffer, and the U.S. will be forced to rely more than ever on unreliable allies like Pakistan for morsels of information. Advertisement Advertisement Will the Taliban be as tolerant of its terrorist guests as it was in the past? There are reasons for the group to attempt to keep al-Qaida in check. After all, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were an unequivocal setback for the movement. As a result of the U.S. invasion in October 2001, the Talibans so-called Islamic Emirate government was toppled, and its leadership and midlevel commanders targeted. It took 20 years for the Taliban to regain power, and its leaders are likely aware that another major terrorist attack planned from Afghan soil would be met with a response from the West. However, this also presupposes a level of command and control that the Taliban just might be able to exert over al-Qaidawhich, in plotting its comeback on the jihadi world stage, may feel compelled to stage a spectacular attack in the West. Advertisement In his remarks to the American people on Monday afternoon, Biden implied that the U.S. would hold the Taliban accountable when it comes to ensuring Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for al-Qaida. Yet he provided no details on exactly how the U.S. could do that, especially with no presence on the ground. Advertisement The president also sought to dispel the notion that the United States needs boots on the ground in a country in order to wage an effective counterterrorism campaign. He referenced operations in Somalia, Syria, and Yemen as proof that the U.S. could maintain robust over-the-horizon capabilities. Here again, the president was not being fully transparent. U.S. counterterrorism operations in those countries are focused on training, advising, and building the capacity of host-nation counterterrorism forcesand include a modest presence of American forces active in these countries, something that will no longer be possible in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Advertisement The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has been nothing short of a complete debacle. Biden is focused on conveying his certainty that this was the right decision for the United States. But the administration has gotten a lot wrong on Afghanistan so far, from whether the Taliban would break with al-Qaida to how long the Afghan security forces could withstand the Taliban. Biden justified his decision by arguing that preventing another terrorist attack on American soil has always been the overarching national interest for the United States, rather than protecting Afghanistans democracy or stability. But his decision may very well have made such an attack more likely. Video - TOLOnews' Hasiba Atakpal reports on the situation in Kabul pic.twitter.com/IqbGJbqlUX TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 17, 2021 Among the many distressing images to come out of Afghanistan over the past days, one inspiring development has been the steadfast commitment among Afghan journalists to continue to report on whats going on in the country despite the Taliban takeover of Kabul. Afghanistans female journalists, in particular, have displayed profound bravery in continuing to report the news during what appears to be the first moments of renewed Taliban rule. The Taliban, pre-U.S. invasion in 2001, had essentially written women out of public life, confining them to their homes with violent penalties for those that defied the groups harsh interpretation of Sharia law. On Tuesday, however, amidst desperate scenes of evacuation at the airport, journalists at the Afghan news network Tolo News stayed on the job, including female journalists like Hasiba Atakpal, who reported from the streets of Kabul on the Talibans taking of the capital city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our brave female journalists out and about in Kabul this morning @TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/tAC29Y2zIG Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) August 17, 2021 The decade-old Afghan news organization has been a pioneer in a country that had no media whatsoever during the previous round of Taliban rule in the late 1990s. Tolo News, however, continued its reporting and broadcasting as the Taliban advanced, beaming out the Dari and Pashto language reports to terrestrial TV sets across Afghanistan, while also posting a selection of English language news on the web and its social media feeds. Saad Mohseni, CEO of Moby Media Group which oversees Tolo News, told NPR that while the Taliban has not yet imposed any restrictions on the outlets reporting or other broadcasts, which include daytime soap operas, he doesnt expect that freedom to continue for long. Advertisement The Taliban is believed to be trying to moderate its image, at least internationally, as it reasserts control over the country. Tolo News Mohseni said its not clear what the Talibans ultimate media policy will be because its not clear what faction of the group will emerge as dominant. Mohseni said his company had asked some female journalists to stay home out of fear of Taliban treatment, but many refused, including Tolo News anchor Beheshta Arghand, who conducted a studio interview Tuesday with a senior Taliban spokesperson. Advertisement Advertisement TOLOnews and the Taliban making history again: Abdul Haq Hammad, senior Taliban rep, speaking to our (female) presenter Beheshta earlier this morning. Unthinkable two decades ago when they were last in charge @TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/XzREQ6ZJ1a Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) August 17, 2021 The continued visible presence of female journalists is a marked shift from Taliban rule of 20 years ago, and more aligned with its more recent media strategy, where it has given access to female journalists, including those from Afghanistan, to cover its side of the story, notably during recent Doha peace talks in Qatar. Many other women in Afghanistan, however, have stayed away from public spaces as the Taliban combed the streets of Kabul in recent days. After a generation of Afghan women have taken up places in public life, at schools and the workplace, joining the military and participating in politics, even competing in the Olympics, the reemergence of the repressive Taliban has caused many to stay home out of fear of reprisal from the hardline group. Footage showed advertisements of women without headscarves being covered over in the Afghan capital as the Taliban advanced. On a recent episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick spoke with law professor Michael Heller about Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives, which he co-wrote with James Salzman. Mine! seeks to do for ownership what Freakonomics did for incentives and what Nudge did for our cognitive biases. It opens up a new, counterintuitive, and fascinating way to think about the world that we all take for granted. Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Dahlia Lithwick: You both open and close the book with toddler rules, which I love. Mine is actually the very first word that many toddlers say. And we feel like we have an intuitive cognitive cultural understanding of what mine means, but the whole point of the book is that almost all of that is wrong. Is there some overarching theme of how toddlers think about the world and why theyre wrong that you could distill for us? Advertisement Advertisement Michael Heller: Toddlers actually get it pretty right. So, when you see two kids fighting in a playground and one kids shouting, Mine!, and the others shouting, Mine!, as well, what theyre fighting over is a toy shovel that they both are holding onto. Ive had this experience many times with my kids. But what theyre actually doing is one kid is saying, Its mine because Im holding onto it. And the other is saying, No, mine, I had it first, and what theyre engaged with there in that battle of first-in-time versus possession is nine-tenths of the lawtheyre actually arguing through some of the very basic stories about how ownership really works. Advertisement So that piece of it, little kids are getting right. Theyre actually relying on the very few stories that we all use to claim everything in the world. Where it gets complicated is in the grown-up world, where businesses and governments have figured out ways to turn each of those simple storiesmine, possessionupside down, so they can get you to do what they want without you even realizing it. Theres such a throughline in this book around air travel. I wonder if air travel signifies some frontier to you in doing the research for this book about ways in which these ideas of who owns what all get smushed in this really complicated and fraught way into fights about spaces on planes. Advertisement Advertisement Well, the origin of the book was: I fly around a lot to give talks, and Im always trying to work on my laptop, and people lean their seats right back into me and squish the laptop into my chest. So I have a lot of experience thinking about, Well, whose space is that, when someone leans back? Does it belong to the person in front or the person in back? And my co-author, Jim, and I realized that that little interaction that we have all had so many times when we fly opens a window into the world of ownership conflicts that are all around us every day, every minute. Its where you live. Its what you drink. Its what you eat. Its the medications you take. All of that traces back to these very same simple few stories, and all those stories are on display in that crowded, mushed, conflict-ridden space, which is the airplane seat. Advertisement Just to give you a concrete example, theres a guy named James Beach who was flying from Boston to Denver, and he had actually a little plastic clamp called a Knee Defender, which you can buy online. Its really very effective. You stick it on the seat in front of you, on the little tray table, and it keeps the seat in front of you from leaning back. On this particular flight, the woman in front of him tried to lean back. She couldnt; she realized what was wrong. She asked him to take them off. He didnt comply. She turned around and threw her water at him. The pilot did an emergency landing right away. They were taken off the flight. The plane went on to Denver an hour and 38 minutes late. Advertisement Advertisement But those little Knee Defenders turn out to reveal a tremendous amount about the ownership conflicts that are all through our lives. The woman in front is saying, That space behind my seat, its mine, because the little button reclines the seat. And the guy behind, like the kids in the playground, hes saying, No, it was mine. I had it first, for my laptop, or I possessed it first with my knees. So that wedge of space is an ownership battle, it turns out, between attachment and possession and first-in-time. When I talk to audiences about that conflict, I always poll them, and its amazing to me that invariably half say the person in front is in the right, and half say the person in back is in the right. Whats most amazing is how each side is just amazed that anybody else could have a different view. It feels and looks and seems so obvious, whats mine, the same way it is to toddlers on a playground. But that little conflict on the airplane seat is not just an accident, it turns out. Its deliberately engineered by the airlines so they can sell that same space twice. Most of us are just polite; we try to work it out, and thats true in all of the ownership conflicts we go through throughout our day, throughout our lives, in the Starbucks line, to line up at Disney World. Anywhere that were trying to make something mine, our experience is being engineered and designed by some owner to shape our behavior. And on the airplane seat, the design is to get us to fight with each other instead of being mad at the airlines, to not realize that theyre selling that same space twice. And what theyre using is one of the most advanced tools of ownership design that Jim and I have uncovered in doing this work, which is what we call strategic ambiguity. Ownership is ambiguous a lot more often than people realize. And that ambiguity is really valuable, in this case to the airlines. Advertisement Advertisement Yeah, the idea that this is left to the poor flight attendants to have to police because the airlines make no actual claims about it, and then theres no dispositive resolution for them either, so its really on their necks to try to litigate this when you have, as you say, 50 percent of the folks thinking theres one property rule in play and 50 percent saying the other property rule is in play. I want to ask just one doctrinal question, which is, how do you think about ownership in relation to the things we learned in law school, whether its property law or intellectual property? Is ownership a different word for property, or is it broader in some way? Advertisement Well, ownership is property, property is ownership, and both property and ownership, in my mind, and from years of teaching and working with students, is massively overrated. So one of the punchlines that I always try to get across to my students and to lawyers I talk to is how much law itself is overrated in terms of shaping our actual behavior in our daily lives. So, there is a law for the airplane seat. Every airline has a rule, which is that the person with the button can lean back, but they are super deliberate about keeping that rule quiet. They do want the ambiguity, because the ambiguity is quite valuable to them. So they do put the pressure on the flight attendants to solve it, and they often arent sure of the rule themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is one of many contexts where there may be a rule, but the reality, the lived life, our lives all day long, were not consulting law books. Were not talking to lawyers. Were just trying to get through our day. And as we do that, were actually encountering dozens, hundreds of these ownership disputes every day, and were solving them outside of the law. One of the reasons that this book is very fun is that you take six different maxims of ownershipthings that we simply believe to be trueand turn them on their heads, and show us how, in fact, more often than not the opposite is true. The one that you start with is first come, first served, the notion that its my shovel because I picked it up first, if Im in the sandbox. I imagine my teenage boys yelling shotgun when they want to get the front seat in the car. Advertisement And you start with one of my favorite examples, which is the paid line standers at the U.S. Supreme Court, which Ive been railing about for years. I wonder if you can talk a little bit about why it is that we have these notions that if were at the front of the line, we get first access, and how it is that that has been thwarted and subverted by other processes. Advertisement First come, first served is one of the six basic maxims everyone uses to claim everything. Part of why its so basic is its ancient, it feels fair. Kids can use it on a playground. They know whose turn it is to be on the swing. So it often can be decided without a lot of policing. In the Supreme Court line-standing case, if you want to go to a big case and you go wait in line, tickets are first come, first served. You pretty much know how the line works. Youre Person 83 in the line, and youll get in 83rd. But it turns out there might not be space for you. The people in front of you, it turns out, today, are often paid to be there. People often pay thousands of dollars to companies who hire line standers, and what those companies have realized is that old-fashioned first-in-time, just whoever lines up first, leaves a lot of money on the table, that there are people who have a lot more money than time, and theyre willing to pay for the time of others. Advertisement So, a simple lining up, like at a delifirst in line, step on upturns out to be a business opportunity for a savvy ownership engineer. And its not just at the Supreme Court. If you want to get theater tickets, or the hot new Supreme sneakers, or a new iPhone, any place where theres going to be a long line for something thats in high demand, youll have entrepreneurs who are ownership engineers. So today, it turns out much more often than not to be first come, last served. Advertisement I experienced this most dramatically going to Disney World with my teenage kids. Theyre pretty patient, but the lines can be hours long to get into a five-minute ride. And it turns out that whats going on is that Disney has figured out how to itself engineer first-in-time, not just some company hiring line standers at the court, but Disney said, Hey, if theres going to be money to be made, we, Disney, want to make it. So they figured out a FastPass system, which gets people out of those lines. They can get a time ticket for later in the day, and then rather than spending time waiting in line, theyre spending money walking around in the food court. Disney then took the next step, and they figured out there are some people, like at the Supreme Court, who are willing to pay a lot of money not to ever wait in line, and Disney created for them a special kind of superduper FastPass called a VIP guide, where if you pay $3,000 to $5,000, you skip every line on every ride all day long. So the only people who are still playing by first come, first served are the poor sweaty families who are lined up still for hours as people come around them through these other methods for getting to the front. Advertisement Now, Supreme Courts line standing, Disney, theyre outrageous, maybe, but theyre still fairly small examples. But that same redefinition of first, thats how America was settled hundreds of years ago. The early courts in this country said, Who does the land belong to? When there were conflicts between people who claimed it from white settlers and people who claimed it from Native Americans, the courts decided, Well, the way we decide this is who was first. And their answer was white settlers, not the Native Americans. How can that be? Who was first at the Supreme Court standing in line, at Disney, and for who owns every piece of land in America is not an empirical fact. Thats one of the hardest things to get across to my students: First-in-time is an ownership story, like possession is nine-tenths of the law. Its a story, and we can tell different versions of what first means. So, for America, and American law, what first meant was the first to cut trees, the first to clear fields of stone, the first to do row agriculture, the first to make New England look like old England. And in that sense, the settlers were first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For me, the throughline for so much of this is, you and I, regular people, are having increasingly heated disputes about which of us own something, including that tiny wedge of space on the airplane. But the actual owners, in the airplane context, are selling it to both of us and then backing out of our dispute. In other words, we have this illusory ownership interest, but the real owners, who are adding more seats to planes and making that wedge of space ever smaller, actually have some vested interest in not resolving the dispute, and allowing us to jack up our own deeply held, deeply felt visceral senses that we have some ownership interest, where in fact its just theyre profiting, Right, and thats true not just in the settling of America, but also in airplane seats. So, it used to be airplane seats were 35 inches apart. There was plenty of space. Airlines have been shrinking whats called the pitchits the space between seats. Its down to about 28 inches now. Each time they push us an inch closer, they get to put six extra seats on the plane, so its actually quite valuable to them to shrink the pitch. And theyre able to do so because the FAA decided to allow the airlines to keep shrinking the pitch, and as they do, that wedge of space becomes a more valuable resource. To hear their entire discussion, listen below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. Gigi Gronvalls youngest child isnt vaccinated against COVID-19 yet. Hes 11-years-old, and until he can receive his shots, Gronvalls been using at-home COVID-19 test kits in order to determine if his sniffles are more than allergies or a slight cold. The test swabs are longer than a Q-tip, but easier on the nasal cavity than a flu diagnostic or the original brain swab used to test for COVID since early in the pandemic. Advertisement Theres often a lot of stuff coming out of their nose, Gronvall said of her kids, with a slight chuckle, when we talked recently. As an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Gronvall knows the importance of testing. We cant all rely on everybody being extra scrupulous and paying attention to all of the COVID restrictions, she said. And thats even more true when kids are back in school. [We] have to do as many things as we can in the school environment so that all the kids are protected. Advertisement Advertisement So where do the home tests fit into this back-to-school picture? If used correctly (taken at the right time, in the right way), FDA-approved at-home testsauthorized for kids as young as 2-years-old can deliver highly accurate results. Some of the FDA-approved kits on the market have an 84 to 95 percent chance of detecting a true positive and 97 to 99 percent of detecting a true negative, according to an analysis by Wirecutter. Advertisement Most of the at-home diagnostic kits for COVID-19 are rapid antigen tests that can be purchased at a local drugstore with or without a prescription. They arent a replacement for PCR testing, the CDC-approved gold standard, and anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 should still seek out a PCR test. But they can be a useful tool to lessen anxiety and COVID spread. The tests are not as sensitive as PCR-based tests, wrote Christopher Brooke, a virologist at the University of Illinois, over email. The sensitivity of antigen tests can be increased through serial testing however. If someone takes two or three tests in the week after an exposure and remains negative, that is more convincing than if that person just takes a single test. Advertisement Advertisement Gronvall agrees. Tests are a moment in time, she told me. You could be negative and then, a few hours later, you have enough virus in your nose so that if you had taken the test [right then] it would be positive. Nothing is perfect. But these tests are a really good indicator of your contagion risk. If you have enough virus in your nose to make this test turn positive, then you absolutely shouldnt be around other people. I asked Gronvall how she would advise parents to use at-home tests this fall. She suggested using them when concerned that the child is sick, after being potentially exposed to COVID-19, or before seeing an immunocompromised relativejust to be on the safe side. Advertisement A general good rule of thumb is: If a symptomatic user gets a positive result, believe it. If they get a negative, go get a PCR test. If a user is asymptomatic, doesnt have a known exposure, and gets a negative result, theyre probably fine. If they get a positive, seek out follow-up testing. Its vital that [the at-home tests] are used with your eyes wide open to their limitations, said Chana Davis, a geneticist who founded the website Fueled by Science and a contributor to the COVID advice site Dear Pandemic. The way that I think about it is: If the test basically confirms your suspicions, its probably right. But if the test doesnt quite match what you expected, then you need to do some sort of follow-up testing. Advertisement Advertisement Davis also cautioned that the tests perform best in someone who has a high viral load. The tests do tend to perform worse in children, but only because children are more likely to be asymptomatic, thus less likely to have high viral load, she explained. When you compare asymptomatic kids and asymptomatic adults, there is not a dramatic difference in performance. The same is true of symptomatic adults versus kids. But Davis believes the at-home tests could hold up better against the delta variant since higher viral loads lead to better performance. Results will vary from brand to brand, and depending on the user, she said. Repeat testing will be the key to getting value from these tests to catch the infectious window. (Efficacy can take a hit when the person collecting the specimen doesnt use the kit correctly. But Gronvall said YouTube has plenty of thorough demonstrations and even thinks its possible for kids to learn to swab themselves.) Advertisement Davis, Brooke, and Gronvall all agreed the tests are a great tool for parents, especially those who dont feel great about their school systems mitigation strategies. Still, they emphasized the need for broad safety measures such as masking, proper ventilation inside buildings, and, of course, vaccinations for those eligible. Advertisement Again, the more frequently parents can screen their kids the better, especially in schools where precautions are not being taken, wrote Brooke. That said, these tests cost money and many cant afford to regularly purchase these tests. At-home kits can be found for under $35, and some insurance plans will cover the cost. Aetna pays for all COVID-19 testing for its members, while UnitedHealthcare allows members to use any available HSA/FSA funds to cover the at-home kits. Blue Cross Blue Shield leaves the decision up to the individual states, but many of the state policies I reviewedincluding North Carolina, Nebraska, Georgia, and Californiaonly cover COVID-19 tests that are ordered or approved by a healthcare provider. Advertisement But the obvious caveat is: More than 35 million Americans didnt have health insurance in 2020, and the Urban Institute projects that Americas poverty rate will hit 13.7 percent in 2021. People of color are more likely to fall into both categories, and Black Americans are particularly vulnerable due to Americas racial wealth gap. The pandemic has only exacerbated that divide, which endures across generations and is as calamitous for Black children as for their parents. Early in the pandemic, COVID-19 testing options followed redlines and essentially excluded Black neighborhoods, while the lack of testing in Black communities left a huge hole in the data. Advertisement Advertisement What this means for the at-home testing era is that people who dont live in an area where free testing is available, or are on a fixed income, wont be able to protect their families with the same ease as those able to afford the kits. (If you live in D.C., you can grab free at-home kits at libraries across the city, which gives unhoused individuals direct access to routine testing.) So while the at-home tests are a great tool if you can get them, they are certainly not a protective option for all parents. As Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson, a social epidemiologist at Ohio State University, put it: If the intervention is dependent on flexible resourceslike money, power, transportation, and correct informationthen they will be useful to people who have those flexible resources and they will not be at all accessible to people who dont. Then the inequities within whatever the intervention is supposed to address will get worse. And around and around we go. On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Tesla. The agency claims that there have been 11 incidents since 2018 in which Tesla vehicles struck stationary first-responder vehicles attending to the scene of an emergency; theres allegedly been 17 injuries and one fatality as a result. The NHTSA is narrowing in on the companys Autopilot system, noting that the Teslas in these incidents were all confirmed to have been engaged in either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control during the approach to the crashes. The investigation will cover Tesla models Y, X, S, and 3 that were released between 2014 and 2021. Autopilots difficulties with sensing firetrucks and other emergency vehicles has been a known problem for years, and the feature has also been criticized as encouraging drivers to rely on it as though it is a self-driving system when in fact it is only meant to assist an engaged driver. To better understand the issue, I spoke with Raj Rajkumar, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University who specializes in self-driving vehicles. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aaron Mak: Why might Teslas be having this issue with stationary emergency vehicles? Raj Rajkumar: In the past, there have been two kinds of sensors: cameras and radar. In more recent versions, they [Tesla] removed the radar, so it is completely dependent on cameras. Radar emits electromagnetic waves. Thats like the radio waves when you listen to the radio in your car. They hit an obstacle and then they come back, you receive that radar echo and then determine how far that object is. Most cars, except for Tesla, have them for automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and the like. So when the electromagnetic waves go out and come back, and they hit a moving object, there is the Doppler effect, which you might recall from high school physics. The frequency changes. If its coming toward you, the frequency increases. If its going away from you, the frequency decreases. With the radar technology, its easy to detect moving objects because the Doppler effect is so pronounced. For stationary objects, you have this problem of the echoes potentially coming back from a road surface, or the walls of a building on the side of the road, and so on. Stationary objects are trickier; you need more recent generations of radars, which have a lot more computing power and can detect and track a lot more objects. On the Teslas, when they had radar, they used to have a problem detecting stationary objects, particularly when they had to deal to with the situation where the vehicle is actually approaching an overpass, and it would get this signal saying that there is an object out there. From the radar, all you get is that theres an object in the front, and then they might end up actually braking. Its called phantom braking. Thats a false positive: The radar declares theres an obstacle, and there is none. If they had lidar in there, the lidar could be used to confirm if there was obstacle or not. [Editors note: Lidar is an emerging laser-based radar technology.] Tesla has famously said that they will not use lidar. Advertisement Advertisement [Tesla] started depending on the camera, but camera is a very different animal. [Editors note: Tesla removed radar from its cars starting in May.] With cameras, you basically get numbers, which correspond to the red, green, and blue values of each pixel. And these are just numbers for a computer. So the computer has to interpret them and understand what those pixels mean. That happens with a relatively recent technology called deep neural networks. These networks are extremely good at doing pattern matching. You train them by giving them hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of images. In each image, you say this part of the image is a car, or this part of the image is a truck, a bus, a bicycle, a motorcycle, and so on. You basically manually or semi-automatically annotate these images and then feed them into the network. Then the network sees all these things millions of times and it kind of understands the patterns in the pixel value to look for. And then you give it an image and ask, Is there a car in here? Because [Teslas network] understands the pattern to look for, it will try to match the pattern. If it comes across the pattern, it will declare, I do see a car in this region of the image. Advertisement Advertisement Its basically a super-duper, very sophisticated pattern-matching scheme. The problem is that, in the real world, it is given an image where it sees an obstacle that it has never seen before. The patterns really do not match, so it will not detect it as a vehicle. For example, when the first person was killed using the Tesla autopilot in Florida, the truck [hit by the Tesla] was perpendicular to the direction the motion. The training did not have those images at all, so therefore the pattern matcher did not recognize that pattern. Thereve been many recent incidents where the Tesla vehicles run into a firetruck or police vehicle. The lights are on, so the red, green, blue pixel values look different as well, and therefore the patterns do not match. Lo and behold they declare that theres no obstacle ahead, and the vehicle very promptly dysfunctions and has no idea theres something in front of it. Advertisement According to the NHTSA, most of these incidents occurred after dark while the first-responder vehicles were flashing lights and had flares and flashing arrow boards around them. Do you think these lights could confuse the cameras? Advertisement Im sure thats part of the problem. When the lights are spinning and flashing, looking at it from the camera image, these are just pixels, meaning that they have numbers, and the numbers basically go up and down, up and down in some regions, when the light flashes. Unless the training phase has been given those images and that kind of modality, it could throw the pattern matching off. These emergency vehicles look different from a normal car or truck. The colors may be different as well; different jurisdictions may be using different colors. The images that were fed to the Tesla neural network may or may not have that combination of shape, orientation the vehicle, the colors of the vehicle, and the flashing lights. Advertisement So what can be done to address this flaw? The lack of number of images of that kind in the training phase is really what it comes down to. There are a couple of ways to deal with it. One is basically to generate a lot more images of emergency vehicles under different lighting conditions: daytime, nighttime, the sun low on the horizon during dusk and dawn. But people like me believe that no matter what you do, in the future there will be somebody who comes up with a new vehicle design or orientation that has never been seen before. So its very difficult, if not impossible, to generate all the kinds of images that need to be fed for training purposes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You should use the other sensors. Radar will provide some information. Lidar will provide a lot more different kinds of information. With that combination, you can definitely detect and deal with the situation. But of course, Tesla does not use radar at this point, and its not going to use lidar. Its a twofold problem: With the camera alone, the training is not sufficient, and meanwhile they [Tesla] forgo all the other sensors. Youve been talking about this issue with Teslas autopilot at least since 2018. Do you get the sense that its technology has improved at all in that time? Its very difficult for me to quantify what the progress would be, but I would expect that Teslas been feeding [the network] more images for training. So Im sure they would have done that, but clearly theyre still missing these cases in which the vehicles look differentfor example, when a vehicle is rolled over. Theres a case in Taiwan where the Tesla is on autopilot and runs directly into a truck that has rolled over. So in the training, they might not be feeding it images of rolled over trucks. Thats a case where training alone will not be sufficient, and they should be looking at other sensors like radar and lidar. Advertisement So you think its a mistake for Tesla to forgo lidar? From an operations standpoint, having lidar would certainly detect these obstacles, and the crashes can be avoided. The practical compromise that theyre making, which I do appreciate, is that lidar is expensive. Tesla is looking to sell cars. The economics come into play. Do you think this problem is common enough that we should be worried about it? Does it merit a government investigation? I certainly think that it could be. Clearly, they [Tesla cars] should be monitoring what the driver is doing or not doing. The monitoring aspect alone should be a subject of a study by the NHTSA. Tesla has been saying that as long as the person is holding the steering wheel, they let autopilot be operational. But it turns out that people have found all sorts of tricks to bypass that scheme. We see cases where people are able to take their hands off the wheel minutes at a time. It is certainly dangerous. Users do not have a full understanding of what the system is capable of and what its limitations are. They very often reach very incorrect conclusions. Its up to the seller, the regulators, the government to make sure that youre protecting the consumers. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Economic growth broke record in Q2, yet still fell behind expectations Low comparison base was behind record economic growth as well as growth of other indicators. Font size: A - | A + Even though Slovak economic growth accelerated to an almost record 10 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2021, it was lower than expected. The main features of the April-June period were the re-opening of the economy in mid-April following the lifting of anti-pandemic measures; and the shortage of semiconductors, which especially impacted the automotive industry. Related article Economy grew slightly in beginning of the year, analysts pleasantly surprised Read more The performance of the Slovak economy during the second quarter fell behind expectations implied by the monthly indicators published throughout the quarter, Matej Hornak, analyst with the Slovenska Sporitelna bank, wrote in his memo. While the year-on-year growth was the highest since 2007, the reason behind this was the low comparison base. The GDP shrank by almost 11 percent in Q2 2020. Some figures The gross domestic product (GDP) at constant prices grew by 9.6 percent y-o-y in the second quarter of 2021.After an adjustment for seasonal effects, GDP increased by 10.2 percent y-o-y and by 2 percent q-o-q. At current prices, Q2 GDP in Slovakia amounted to almost 24 billion, up 11.8 percent y-o-y. GDP thus achieved the nearly pre-pandemic level of 2019, the Statistics Office reported. The reason for the economic growth was not only foreign demand, but also domestic demand, Eva Sadovska, analyst with Wood & Company, said in her memo. Consumer as well as investment demand were apparent. Tatra Banka analyst Juraj Valachy sees the increase of investment activity as very encouraging. This is a very important sign that companies are willing to invest and believe in further recovery, Valachy wrote in his memo. Sadovska recalled that the Slovak economy is small, open and pro-export. This means that economic development in Slovakia depends not only what is happening in the country, but especially on what is happening with our trade partners abroad, said Sadovska, adding that Slovakias export thrived during the second quarter of 2021, driven by the automotive sector. The production of motor vehicles rose by tens of percent during Q2 2021 compared to the previous year. Analyst Lubomir Korsnak from UniCredit Bank noted that the recovery of the industry especially slowed down in May, but also partially in June and April, due to the semiconductor shortage. The automotive industry especially had to battle the semiconductor crisis, which resulted in mass stoppages at car production plants, especially in May, Korsnak stated in his memo. Outlook The next development of the Slovak economy will depend on a potential third pandemic wave. Slovenska Sporitelna is keeping its estimate for GDP growth for all of 2021 at 4.2 percent, under the condition of less restrictions during the third wave and the fading of issues related to semiconductors. UniCredit Bank estimates economic growth in 2021 at 3.7 percent. 17. Aug 2021 at 17:51 | Compiled by Spectator staff When Bruce Ranger won the sixth race at Plainridge Park with Beach Watch on Monday (August 16), he surpassed the career milestone of $40 million U.S. in driving earnings. The win came in typical Ranger fashion with a gate-to-wire victory by open lengths, tying the horses lifetime mark. A native of Portland, Maine, the 61-year-old Ranger started his driving career in 1979 at the Skowhegan Fair, where he scored his first victory. From there, his career took him to other tracks in Maine, Massachusetts and Florida, where he was a perennial star and all-time dash leader at Pompano Park. In 2015, Ranger decided to call it a career and became a starting judge in his home state. But after being out of the sulky for three years, Ranger felt physically refreshed from the time off and got the itch to go from riding in the starting gate, to getting back behind it. He returned to action at Scarborough Downs during the Maine Sire Stake finals in the fall of 2018. Since climbing back into the bike, Ranger has been a regular at Plainridge Park and has taken his spot near or at the top of the leaderboard for the last three years. At the current Plainridge meet, Ranger is the leading dash driver with 117 wins and $995,771 in earnings. Over the three years hes raced there since his comeback, Ranger has had 1,148 starts with 231 wins, 170 seconds and 143 thirds with $2,058,389 in earnings and a Universal Driver Rating of .332. Rangers overall career numbers are also outstanding. He surpassed 9,500 wins earlier this year and now has 9,580 to date. That puts him 21st on the North American all-time driving wins list and 17th among active reinsmen. He also has 7,523 seconds and 6.088 thirds with a total current bank of $40,002,908. Ranger has won in excess of $1 million in a single season 17 times, including 13 straight from 1998 to 2010, and just missed doing it in four other years. His best single season came in 2004 when he won 569 races and $2.4 million in purses. And despite all the starts, Ranger has always been a very high percentage driver and has a career UDR of .337. Beside the many driving crowns Ranger has won over the years, he has also been honoured with placement in the United States Harness Writers Associations New England and Florida Chapter's Hall of Fame. (With files from Plainridge Park) US safety officials opened a preliminary investigation into Tesla's Autopilot after identifying 11 crashes involving the driver assistance system, officials said Monday. The incidents dating back to 2018 included one fatal crash and seven that resulted in injuries to 17 people, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency "is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety on the nation's roadways," a spokesperson said, and in order to "better understand the causes of certain Tesla crashes, NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into Tesla Autopilot systems." Tesla founder Elon Musk has defended the Autopilot system and the electric automaker warns that it requires "active driver supervision" behind the wheel. Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here. But critics, including in Congress, say the system can be easily fooled and that the system's name gives drivers a false sense of confidence. They have called for NHTSA to take action. Tesla did not respond to an AFP request for comment. The crashes cited by NHTSA involved incidents in which "various Tesla models crashed" in instances where first responders were involved, including "some that crashed directly into the vehicles of first responders," the NHTSA spokesperson said. Three of the crashes took place in California, while others happened in Florida, Texas and Massachusetts, and other states. The probe covers models Y, X, S and 3, the agency said. "NHTSA reminds the public that no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves," the spokesperson said. "Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly." News of the probe sent Tesla shares sharply lower Monday. Investigations such as the one announced Monday sometimes lead to recalls. In June, Tesla recalled more than 285,000 cars in China due to problems with the cruise control system that authorities there said could lead to collisions. However, analysts said such a recall could involve a software update rather than a more hardware change that requires costly equipment upgrades. - Pushing the boundaries - Musk has a history of skirmishing with regulators, but the controversies have had little effect on Tesla's ascendance over the last year and a half as the company has hit key production targets. His achievement in building Tesla from a fledgling startup into a pacesetter in the electric car market stands out as a success as other electric auto startups like Lordstown Motors and Nikola have stumbled. At the same time, Musk has sparked blowback from critics as he pushed or flouted the rules on everything from his use of social media to discuss Tesla's operations to his response to Covid-19 health protocols required by local authorities near the California plant. The Center for Auto Safety, a non-profit group, has pressed US officials since 2018 to bar the name "Autopilot," viewing the moniker as deceptive. Jason Levine, executive director of the center, welcomed news of the NHTSA probe, but said it should go "far beyond" crashes involving first responder vehicles "because the danger is to all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians when Autopilot is engaged," he said in an email to AFP. "Whether Autopilot needs to be disabled, or be required to use driver monitoring systems to prevent these crashes, is a question for NHTSA," Levine said. "But there's no question that something needs to be done quickly to prevent more injuries and deaths." Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein said the most likely outcome of the probe will be a requirement for a software update and additional warnings about the limits of Autopilot. "We think the incidents highlight the need for Tesla to continue to improve its autonomous software before the company is likely to see a large revenue increase from its subscription-based full self-driving software," Goldstein said in a note. Testers with the magazine Consumer Reports demonstrated in a video that Autopilot could be fooled into driving with no one behind the wheel, a ploy also shown in widely-seen videos on TikTok and other social media platforms. In April, Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts urged NHTSA to probe a fatal crash in Texas involving a Tesla after law enforcement said there was no driver behind the wheel. Tesla has said it does not believe the April crash involved Autopilot. Tesla shares dropped 4.3 percent to end at $686.17. Credit: CC0 Public Domain "Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century," by Tim Higgins (Doubleday) Space exploration, solar power, electric carsthe fortune Elon Musk had made for his role in creating PayPal, the online payment system, gave him the money to plunge into those arenas. "Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century" by Tim Higgins focuses on Tesla, the electric car concept that survived more near-death experiences than a Harrison Ford character. In the author's telling, Musk emerges as the quintessential American entrepreneurdriven, intelligent, focused and confident in his own abilities, vision and judgements. Except that Musk is South African by birth and upbringing, Canadian by immigration choice, finally arriving in the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania and then, on to graduate studies at Stanford University. But academic life couldn't match Musk's entrepreneurial fervor. First, he was an investor in Tesla but every time he went to the bank for more money for the carmaker, he increased his control. "Power Play" is a business thriller for real. Multiple times in the journey to launch the Tesla, the effort teeters on the edge of technological and financial cliffs. The Great Recession alone should have rolled over Tesla, but with the cool resolve of a fighter pilot, Musk steers the company to success. Higgins explains Musk this way: "Belief created the vision, the vision would create the market, the market could create cash and cash would create cars." It didn't seem to hurt Tesla that Musk could be bitingly blunt, cranky and uncompromising. Musk declined to cooperate with Higgins on this book, which is unfortunate because Musk's name now clearly belongs with Carnegie, Ford and Jobs in the hall of great American entrepreneurs. If only we knew what Musk was thinking, his thought process in forming and guiding his companies, his vision for setting and accomplishing goals and how he embraced and redefined California's entrepreneurial culture. Higgins offers us the next-best thing, a clear, deeply reported and engaging account of how Musk launched a truly transformational car. Explore further Tesla CEO Elon Musk adding SNL hosting job to his to-do list 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Australia's transport sector accounts for almost 20% of the country's CO emissions, making it a key battleground in efforts to reduce the impact of climate change. The sector comprises road, air and marine transport, and while some efforts are being made to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) among businesses and the wider community, Australia remains woefully behind compared with many other countries. Some of the impediments for road transport emissions reductions include a lack of EV charging infrastructure, and EV affordability. Targeted business tax changes and incentives are required to make the transition away combustion engine cars. By comparison, Europe is leading the way in incentivising its road transport sector to transition to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), beyond petrol-electric hybrid models. In the Netherlands, for example, the penetration of BEVs is 73%, while in Australia the BEV take-up is only 1%. The United Nations Climate Change Conference is in Glasgow in November. To address climate change, participants including Australia, are expected to commit to lower CO 2 emissions by 2050. 'Technology not taxes' One response by the Australian government is its policy to address road transport's future fuels and emissions, captured by the slogan "Technology not taxes". A recent example of this policy's practical implementation is the Morrison government's provision of $25 million in cash from the taxpayer-funded Future Fuels Fund. Cash grants have been recently won by businesses, such as Ampol and Chargefox, to install electric vehicle charging stations for public use. Ampol could install EV charge stations alongside its petrol pumps in its network around Australia. This funding goes toward the government's aim to boost the rollout of fast-charging stations across the country. But the Monash Business School's Dr. Diane Kraal, together with Anna Mortimore from Griffith University, argue that Australia's road transport emissions reductions need to go further and be facilitated by the federal tax system and technology. They've recently launched a project named "Business fleets and EVs: Taxation changes to support home charging from the grid, and affordability". Fleets comprise about 40% of passenger and light commercial vehicles on Australian roads. They argue that taxation support is the key to exponentially increasing BEVs in company fleets. "In the quest to lower CO 2 emissions, the tax system is an integral tool, and should be used transparently, and not muddied by politics," Dr. Kraal says. The researchers say that in Europe, taxation is fundamental to incentivise companies to switch to EVs, a process often supported by overarching EU regulations. Their project, valued at $220,000, has been awarded by the Reliable Affordable Clean Energy (RACE) for 2030 cooperative research centre. The project is investigating taxation solutions to fix the low levels of business-site EV-charging infrastructure, and the affordability of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). These are seen as the main barriers for low numbers of BEVs in business fleets. The project sees business as more rational in selecting business assets, such as BEVs, as they're more focused on cost. It's examining the prospect of company fleet-car charging at company employees' homes overnight as one short-term solution. A driver's fear of running out of EV power mid-trip is referred to as "range anxiety". Tax changes are needed to facilitate a quick shift to EV home-charging, as we wait for more business and public charging facilities to become available, Dr. Kraal says. As for the cost of EVs, "the gap between the low cost of a petrol car and a high-cost EV must be facilitated by the federal tax system", she says. Focus on the fleets Central to the research are interviews of fleet managers from a selection of ASX-listed companies and local government city councils to gauge their views on EV home-charging, the high cost of EVs, and tax incentives. The interviews will inform a larger survey to target ASX companies with fleet cars. Fleet employees won't be forgotten, as the project will survey their reactions to business requests for EV home-charging, and associated costs. Fleet employees are considered important, as they'll be the frontline drivers of EVs, and potential purchasers of ex-fleet EVs. This RACE project is due to finish by October 2021, in time for the November-scheduled UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, known as COP26. The project contributes to the debate for taxes as a tool to facilitate changes to lower CO 2 emissions in the Australian road transport sector. Explore further Dutch lead charge for electric car stations How do strong forces affect large structures? Credit: Sleipner A platform/Equinor The force of waves slamming into offshore rigs, wind turbine pillars, ships or other offshore structures can do an enormous amount of damage. One of the fundamentaland unresolvedproblems with designing these kinds of large structures is being able to predict exactly how they will react to extreme stresses. What exactly is the load from the force of powerful waves slamming into structures? Solving these challenges will be a major step towards safer and more cost-effective marine operations. Interaction between load and load effect "It's crucial to understand the mutual interaction between the impacting wave and the response of the structure," says Rene Kaufmann. Kaufmann is a postdoctoral fellow at the NTNU SIMLab (Structural Impact Laboratory) and one of the researchers in the SLADE KPN project. This is a Knowledge-building Project for Industry (KPN) funded by the Research Council of Norway, in which researchers from SINTEF Ocean and NTNU are collaborating on basic research. The overall goal is to increase the safety at sea. Building bridges and better design It's important to expand what's known about these challenges, but that will require systematic experimental studies of wave-impact scenarios. The project will do exactly that, which should allow researchers to figure out how a structure's behavior interacts with the loads that are applied to it. The researchers are developing experimental methods to measure this interaction. Better calculation methods can help the industry when new offshore structures are designed. Kaufmann's focus is measuring the impact of local surface deformations from massive loads. How large structures react to strong waves is not yet fully understood. Postdoctoral fellow Rene Kaufmann is one of the researchers working to find the answers. Credit: Vegard Aune, SIMLab One important aspect of Kaufmann's research is to make sure the measuring equipment itself doesn't affect the structure's properties. Researchers at SIMLab have used their experience with camera-based techniques to measure the structural response to loads from impacts and explosions. But more on that later. First we're heading out on a trip out into the Norwegian Sea. 'Huge wave on its way' The monster horizontal waves that can slam violently against ships and other structures at sea originate from what are called 100-year storms. In 1995, the offshore platform "Draugen" was put to a serious test at the Halten Bank area, on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. On 12 March, a hurricane swept through the Norwegian Sea, and platform manager Magne Gundersen received an unexpected phone call from the Aberdeen Weather Center. The Center warned of a massive wave on its way to the platform. The crew had only 30 minutes to prepare. Production was immediately stopped. Gundersen gathered the crew of 134 people into the gymnasium in the interior of the platform. There he reassured everyone by expressing his unconditional trust in the engineers who had designed the Draugen platform. Platform shook under crew "Just after I said those words, the loudest, most shivery and violent 'BANG' I have ever heard rang out," Gundersen said in an interview after the incident. "We started to feel an increasingly large amont of movement under our feet. () [T]he room kept pitching. I couldn't tell exactly how long it lasted but my guess would be more than a minute," he said. First the huge wave had hit the shaft, before it lifted itself up under the deck with tremendous force. The distance between the still water level to cellar deck of the platform is 30 meters. The Draugen platform on Halten Bank, in the Norwegian Sea. Credit: Svema / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Into the physics of wave slamming A key question for SLADE is: What is the effective stress of these kinds of loads? "We have to understand the load before we can study the details of a structure's behavior," says Vegard Aune, an associate professor at SIMLab. Another incident that contributed to the motivation for SLADE occurred in the North Sea in December 2015, when a large, steep wave thundered into the COSL Innovator drilling rig. The platform was designed in accordance with regulations, but still failed to withstand the load. The incident took one human life and four people were injured. The rig was also extensively damaged. Understanding load to predict load response "Accidents like the COSL Innovator event raise the question of whether we fully understand the underlying physics of loading during violent wave slamming. It's crucial to provide construction engineers with detailed knowledge about loads, the underlying physics and the materials. All this is key to understanding and predicting how structures respond during extreme stress," says Aune. Controlled model tests Kaufmann, along with fellow researchers Bjrn Christian Abrahamsen from SINTEF Ocean Transport & Energy and project engineers Trond Auestad (SIMLab) and Jens Age Havmo (SINTEF Ocean), recently spent several days in the Ocean Basin Laboratory at Tyholt in Trondheim, where they conducted wave slamming tests on small-scale models. The researchers tested the measurement technique they had worked out, which involves measuring the load as the wave strikes the structure. Today, this is measured with point meters that rely on wires. The SLADE team has been exploring the use of lasers and camera techniques that not only provide measurements at a given point, but can potentially determine in time and space how the entire incoming wave field evolves as it approaches the structure. Researchers used the Ocean Basin at Tyholt in Trondheim to recreate breaking waves slamming into a flat steel plate. The plate was integrated into a steel pillar representing a scaled-down steel structure at sea. This development is leading to another goal for SLADE, that of bridging the gap between physical tests and reliable computer simulations. The researchers recreated breaking waves in the basin, causing them to slam into a flat steel plate. The plate was integrated into a steel pillar representing a scaled-down steel structure at sea. Measurements at the micro level Kaufmann has a background in flow mechanics. He is an expert in deflectometry, which he describes as a "full-field surface slope measurement technique." The technique has high sensitivity and enables deformations to be measured down to the micrometer level. Kaufmann received his doctorate from the University of Southampton, UK in 2019. The technique he uses in SLADE is related to his dissertation. Scientists who complement each other SLADE's project manager, Dr. yvind Hellan, describes the project as an "inspiring collaboration between research environments that complement each other." Hellan is Vice President for Research at SINTEF Ocean. He says that when SLADE was launched, they wanted to focus on gathering a top team of Norwegian researchers. SINTEF Ocean, a world leader in marine technology and marine bioresearch, teamed up with NTNU's Department of Marine Technology and SIMLab at the Department of Structural Engineering. IMT is a world leader in education, research and innovation for technical systems in the marine environment. SIMLab carries the same status within the field of load-bearing structures subjected to extreme loads. Team of top researchers in the field "These are the two academic environments at NTNU that rank highest in the Research Council's international evaluations within their respective fields," says Hellan. SLADE KPN was launched in 2019, but the partners involved have a long shared history of collaboration. Explore further Using ships themselves to monitor and predict waves A sign at Big Top, a candy store in Austin, tells patrons masks are required for entry July 19. Local governments have passed mask mandates, defying Gov. Greg Abbotts order against them. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The U.S. and its NATO allies spent billions of dollars over two decades to train and equip Afghan security forces. Are you worried the Taliban will again harbor Al-Qaida? You voted: The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Job Title: Data Clerk DREAMS (4 Fresher Job Opportunities) Organisation: John Snow, Inc. (JSI) Duty Station: Uganda Reports to: DREAMS Data Officer About US: John Snow, Inc. (JSI), a leader in the eld of international public health, is currently recruiting for two positions for the USAID-Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services-North, Lango (USAID-RHITES-N, Lango) Project. USAID- RHITES-N, Lango will improve the use of integrated health services in Northern Ugandas Lango region and strengthen the health system to sustain gains made by earlier projects. USAID-RHITES-N, Lango will contribute to improving key population-based national health indicators; build the capacity of the Ugandan government to carry out a sustainable and locally-driven response to the HIV epidemic, while also improving TB, malaria, nutrition, MNCH+A, and WASH outcomes. JSI will work with Ugandan stakeholders to design and implement health system strengthening strategies to scale up high-impact, evidence-based interventions at the national, sub- regional, district, and community levels. Interventions will include VMMC, virtual elimination of mother-to- child transmission of HIV, antiretroviral therapy, and condom education and distribution. JSI will focus where the greatest impact can be realized, with a priority on hard-to-reach and high-HIV-prevalence locations. RHITES-N, Lango is a ve-year contract. The JSI team includes Amref Health Africa, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, Another Option, and Medical Concierge Group. Job Summary: The Data Clerks DREAMs will mainly be responsible for the efficient and effective creation, storage, retrieval of all the DREAMs data records. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Ensure real time data entry into UDOTS based on combined register Engage with the DREAMS data officer to ensure that best practices of DREAMS records storage and management are implemented. Work closely with the data officer to quantify the tools needed to ensure sustained DREAMS data collection. Work closely with health facilities to ensure cross cutting services are clearly captured in MOH tools Ensure that DREAMS data is collected and entered on the DREAMS Tracker on time. Manage the DREAMS registers and ensure they are always up to date Ensure confidentiality of data collected and stored at all times. Ensure safety of all DREAMS data entry equipment. Ensure that DREAMS Group registers and sub-county registers are up to date Maintain updated list of all Peer leaders of each group with tin the sub-county Performs any other duties as may be assigned from time to time. Regularly contribute to periodic and adhoc data analysis as required by USAID RHITES-N, Lango Perform any other duties as may be assigned from time to time. Participate in collaborative learning and adapting activities designed from time to time Support data collection and submission for adhoc and other special studies commissioned by USAID RHITES-N, Lango. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The ideal candidate must hold a diploma in Statistics, Computer Science or related field or qualification. At least two years of experience in handling DREAMS records Computer literacy skills with acceptable minimum speed for data entry Previous experience of working with international NGOs, MOH, and public health facilities will be an advantage. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision Practical experience in working with the DREAMS tracker (UDOTS) How to Apply: All interested candidates who meet the above requirements, should send their applications clearly indicating the district of preference by email to ug-rhites-n@ug.jsi.com addressed to the Human Resource Manager attaching their application letters and CV NB: JSI is an equal opportunity employer so women are encouraged to apply. Deadline: 20th August 2021 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline Job Title: Assistant Accountant (No Experience Job Opportunities) Organization: Makerere University, Kampala (MUK) Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Reports to: Accountant About US: Makerere University, Kampala is Ugandas largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of nine colleges and one school offering programmes for about 36,000 undergraduates and 4,000 postgraduates. Job Summary: The Assistant Accountant, Finance will support to operationalize the accounting function of the University. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Participate in the revenue Budget Preparation, monitoring & control; Maintain accounting records and reporting; Monitor revenue and expenditure performance against budget; Reconcile revenue collected to bank account; Review accounting systems, identify weaknesses and propose improvements; Contribute towards innovations, creativity and fundraising strategy; Process payments and perform clerical works as assigned; Perform any other related duties as may be assigned by the supervisor. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant must hold an Honors degree in Commerce, Business Administration (Finance/Accounting, Finance & Accounting, Finance). Must be industrious and self-driven; Integrity; Must be computer literate; Excellent communication skills; Ability to with stand pressure; Able to lead and build teams; Financial management and budgeting skills; How to Apply: All candidates should apply online at the link below. Click Here Deadline: 1st September 2021 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline Job Title: Researcher Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda About UNHCR: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a UN agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country. UNHCR was created in 1950 to address the refugee crisis that resulted from World War II. The 1951 Refugee Convention established the scope and legal framework of the agencys work, which initially focused on Europeans uprooted by the war. Beginning in the late 1950s, displacement caused by other conflicts, from the Hungarian Uprising to the decolonization of Africa and Asia, broadened the scope of UNHCRs operations. Commensurate with the 1967 Protocol to the Refugee Convention, which expanded the geographic and temporal scope of refugee assistance, UNHCR operated across the world, with the bulk of its activities in developing countries. Job Summary: The purpose of consultancy is to assess and document the protracted refugee situation in Uganda, a member of the Great Lakes Region where both risk of statelessness arising from long exile and potential for durable solutions have been pre-identified. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Conduct qualitative interviews (key-informant, focus group discussions where feasible) on matters of citizenship, civil registration, immigration status, statelessness, and refugee/forced displacement matter with refugees, government officials at central and local level, civil society and other key-stakeholders in line with the research toolkit and methodology developed. Conduct initial analysis of the information collected during principally qualitative data collection and presenting in an adequate manner. Administer survey questions to refugees and other persons of concern to UNHCR. Perform any other duties as assigned Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The ideal applicant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Researcher job should hold a Bachelors degree in law, social sciences or related field. Required. At least 10 years experience working in research, data collection or related field is required. Research expertise and experience in the Great Lakes region and of Uganda as a country of asylum is required. Knowledge of the relevant international and regional frameworks pertaining to refugees rights and obligations, rights of refugees and statelessness is required. Experience in conducting key informant interviews and facilitating focus group discussions and qualitative data collection is required. Analytical Thinking Innovation and Creativity Technological Awareness Ability to conduct initial analysis of the data collected and present the preliminary findings in a well-articulated and coherent manner in English to the Senior Research Consultant is required. Understanding on issues related to data ownership, data confidentiality and data protection and data requirement is required. Analytical skills and experience with relevant qualitative data analysis tools and processes is required. Good command of data protection principles and practices, ability to apply organization-specific policies is required. Strong communication skills with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills are required. Desirable Fluency in Kiswahili or Juba Arabic desirable Furthermore, experience in data collection, storage, and processing, including experience with Kobo Toolbox and tablet-based data collection is desirable. Experience in collection of quantitative data is desirable How to Apply: All candidates who wish to join the United Nations in this capacity should apply online at the link below. Click Here Deadline: 19th August 2021 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline LAST Saturday, the Trinidad Express reported that Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance (TTMF) and the Home Mortgage Bank (HMB) had been given the greenlight to merge their operationsa move that was floated about ten years ago by Winston Dookeran when he was the minister of finance. The Ministry of Health recorded nearly 9,600 new domestic coronavirus infections, a daily rise of almost 1,000 cases, in Vietnam on Tuesday. Forty provinces and cities reported 9,595 local cases whereas another 10 infections were imported from abroad, the health ministry said. The ministry had reported 8,644 domestically-infected patients on Monday. Nearly 4,500 of the latest local cases were found in the community while the remainder were detected in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities. Ho Chi Minh City documented 3,559 of the new domestic infections, up by 218 cases from yesterday, Binh Duong Province 3,332, Long An Province 581, Tien Giang Province 411, Dong Nai Province 298, Can Tho City 172, Dong Thap Province 170, Khanh Hoa Province 139, Da Nang 124, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 79, and Hanoi 61. Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has logged 289,276 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities. The health ministry has declared 108,534 of them recovered from the respiratory disease. Ho Chi Minh City is on top of the caseload with 156,186 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 49,833, Long An Province with 15,579, Dong Nai Province with 14,502, Bac Giang Province with 5,743, Dong Thap Province with 5,338, Tien Giang Province with 4,859, Khanh Hoa Province with 4,647, Tay Ninh Province with 3,613, Can Tho City with 2,921, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 2,666, Hanoi with 2,545, and Da Nang with 2,249. By comparison, Vietnam confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. The ministry announced 4,331 recoveries on Tuesday, taking the total to 111,308 recovered patients. The death toll has surged to 6,472 after the health ministry reported 331 fatalities the same day, including 285 registered in Ho Chi Minh City and 12 in Binh Duong Province. The Southeast Asian country has detected an accumulation of 293,301 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020. Health workers gave 592,104 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Monday. About 15.3 million vaccine shots have been administered in Vietnam since the country rolled out vaccination on March 8, with 1.4 million people having been fully vaccinated. The Vietnamese government expects to obtain 175 million shots of various vaccines, including 51 million Pfizer-BioNTech jabs, by early 2022. It set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Six people have had their quarantine period extended after throwing a farewell party at a concentrated quarantine facility in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Tri last weekend. A Facebook account, whose owner wishes to remain anonymous, hosted a live broadcast for 15 minutes, recording a group of people partying with snacks and soft drinks while singing at the corridor of a concentrated COVID-19 quarantine facility on Sunday. Most of the party participants failed to keep a safe distance and wear a face mask. As the video went viral, the steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control of Quang Tri started an investigation and found the footage being filmed at a university in Quang Tri Province. The people in the video are Vietnamese returnees from Laos being quarantined at the aforesaid facility, according to Do Van Hung, director of the Quang Tri Department of Health. They were supposed to finish their quarantine time and be discharged from the school the following day. The group threw a farewell bash to celebrate the release. The provincial health department booked all of the six people for their pandemic prevention rule violations while the steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control of Quang Tri decided not to let them leave the centralized quarantine facility as scheduled, Hung said on Monday. Functional forces are expected to impose sanctions on the violators in the next few days. Vietnam closed its borders and canceled all international flights in March last year. Only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts, diplomats, investors, highly-skilled workers, and students have been allowed in since with stringent quarantine requirements in place. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police in Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam have kept in custody a 55-year-old man, the only person surviving a gas explosion that triggered a fire and killed all of his four family members on Sunday, after he admitted to causing the deadly accident. The man in question, Nguyen Van Hai, is being investigated for unintentionally causing the deaths of other people, based on the evidence gathered and his initial testimony, police said on Monday night. A gas explosion set Hais house in Kien Bai Commune, Thuy Nguyen District on fire at 7:56 pm on Sunday, according to local police. It killed his four family members on the spot, including his 50-year-old wife Nguyen Thi Thuy, 31-year-old pregnant daughter Nguyen Thi Hien, 31-year-old son-in-law Vu Trong Khuong, and four-year-old granddaughter Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhi. Hai was severely injured and rushed to hospital in a critical condition. During the investigation into the case, the 55-year-old man confessed that he was the one who caused the explosion and fire. He said his daughter Hien, who was living with her husband Khuong in Minh Tan Commune in the same district, recently came with four-year-old granddaughter Nhi to stay at his house after a marriage conflict. On Sunday, Khuong visited Hais house to convince Hien to go back home. As Hai also tried persuading Hien, the father and daughter got into a dispute. After the failed attempt, Hai threw a bottle containing petrol into the room where his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were staying together to threaten the daughter to return to her husbands house. The petrol bottle fell on a gas lighter next to the son-in-laws phone, causing the lighter to explode. The petrol bottle then caught fire from the lighter. The fire quickly escalated and killed Thuy, Hien, Khuong, and Nhi. As firefighters and two fire trucks extinguished the blaze, the bodies of the victims were discovered in the room. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Polish government will transfer COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam on a not-for-profit basis, according to Minister Micha Dworczyk, head of the Polish Prime Ministers Office. The Polish-Vietnamese Parliamentary Group and the Poland-Vietnam Friendship Association, with the support of Polish Ambassador to Vietnam Wojciech Gerwel and Vietnamese Ambassador to Poland Nguyen Hung, have raised the idea of delivering a part of Polands leftover COVID-19 vaccine source to Vietnam, which needs to have enough vaccines for its national immunization campaign, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Tuesday. This can be seen as a form of transfer of COVID-19 vaccine at its original price. Under the transfer, the Embassy of Poland in Vietnam will receive about 1,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, to be administered to its staff and Polish citizens in Vietnam. The vaccine issue will be among the topics of a phone talk slated for next Monday between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, said Ambassador Hung. At a recent meeting between Minister Dworczyk, Ambassador Hung, and representatives of the Polish-Vietnamese Parliamentarian Group and the Poland-Vietnam Friendship Association, many participants expressed their gratitude to the Polish government for its support and prompt realization of the vaccine initiative. They hoped that the Polish government will further assist Vietnam in the COVID-19 fight and more agreements will be inked to send additional batches of vaccine doses from Poland to the Southeast Asian country. Trybuna, a Polish left-wing newspaper, on Tuesday reported that Poland is expected to deliver six million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam on a not-for-profit basis. Vietnam well controlled the COVID-19 outbreaks in 2020, but the country is now suffering from the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, the newspaper commented. Vietnam, which has had a friendly cooperative relationship with Poland for more than 70 years, is now a strategic partner of the European country in Southeast Asia and in the ASEAN Community. Currently, tens of thousands of Vietnamese citizens are living in Poland while Vietnam is home to hundreds of Poles. Vietnam is accelerating its coronavirus vaccination campaign nationwide, with the number of people receiving the first and second doses topping 14.6 million and 1.4 million, respectively, the Ministry of Health reported. The country needs to have 150 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to inoculate two-thirds of its 98 million population to reach herd immunity, but it has so far got over 20.5 million doses from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations, local sources said. Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on July 29 asked health authorities to promptly authorize Nano Covax, a vaccine being developed domestically, to make the first made-in-Vietnam jab available soon to drive back the pandemic. Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in nearly 2020, the country has documented 283,696 COVID-19 cases, ranking 77th among 222 countries and territories, the health ministry said. Among the total number of patients, 106,977 have recovered while 6,141 died. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A man has set his motorbike ablaze after being inspected by police officers during an extensive social distancing drive in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong. Police in Phu Loi Ward, Thu Dau Mot City confirmed on Tuesday they had arrested Nguyen Duy Thanh, 23, who hails from the central province of Quang Ngai. Preliminary information showed that Thanh was riding his motorcycle on My Phuoc - Tan Van Street earlier the same day. A team of officers, who were patrolling the area, spotted the man and pulled him over for an administrative inspection. As the officers were about to book Thanh for going outside without a proper reason, he set his motorbike on fire. The incident escalated so quickly that the officers did not have time to react, and the vehicle was eventually burned down. Thanh was then taken to the local police station where he underwent rapid COVID-19 testing. Officers also took him into custody to verify the case. Binh Duong is currently the second-largest coronavirus epicenter in the country, with 46,501 local infections recorded since the fourth wave began on April 27. The province is following social distancing regulations under the prime ministers Directive No. 16, which requires all residents to stay home and only go outside with an appropriate reason. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Two men have been sentenced to a total of 30 months in prison for attacking an officer at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Vietnams Mekong Delta. The Peoples Court in Kien Giang Province on Monday conducted the trial of Nguyen Van Duong, 30, and Nguyen Van Khanh, 23. The indictment showed that Duong, Khanh, and three other men took part in a drinking bash at an ice factory in Vinh Hoa Ward at around 7:00 pm on August 4. Four of them, including Duong and Khanh, decided to continue drinking at Duongs shrimp farm later that night. Duong carried Khanh on a motorbike, while their two friends traveled on another motorcycle on their way from the factory to the shrimp farm. After reaching a COVID-19 checkpoint, they were pulled over by an on-duty officer for administrative inspection in accordance with regulations. Duong and Khanh did not follow the officers request and began insulting and hitting him. The two were eventually subdued and probed for their wrongdoings. At the trial, the judge stated that the defendants had disregarded the law and deliberately disobeyed social distancing regulations, which could cause the coronavirus to spread further into the community. Duong and Khanh were sentenced to 18 months and 12 months in jail, respectively, for obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Kien Giang has recorded 512 local COVID-19 infections since the fourth wave hit the country on April 27. The province began implementing social distancing measures on July 14 and has decided to extend the drive for another 10 days from Monday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Documentary David Attenboroughs Global Adventure will screen on ABC Sundays. The legendary naturalist revisits some of his favourite locations, filmed over a 7 year period. This looks to be a single film which will screen in 2 parts. When Sir David Attenborough was in his mid-eighties, many thought he had retired from his exploration of the natural world. Instead, over the next 7 years he embarked on a new era of natural history filmmaking. Revisiting some of the most iconic locations on the planet he delved deeper into the secrets of nature using innovative filming techniques and advanced technologies to share fresh insights into the wonders of the natural world. David Attenboroughs Global Adventure shares some of the most memorable stories from that incredible period. From collecting undiscovered species from the depths of the Great Barrier Reef using a state-of-the-art submarine to exploring the highest trees in the ancient rainforests of Borneo in a quest to find out how animals colonized the air, David Attenboroughs Global Adventure highlights some of the astonishing locations he visited, and the fascinating creatures he has encountered along the way. From the highly adapted marine iguanas and giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands to ingenious King Penguins on the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia, and from the fastest bird on earth hunting above the historic rooftops of Rome to the legendary Dodo seeking a mate inside the walls of Londons Natural History Museum, Attenborough shares the stories of some of the most awe-inspiring animals on the planet. Following his travels across the globe and through time the film captures the action as never seen before, using spectacular footage and breath-taking CGI drawn from multiple BAFTA and Emmy-winning documentaries. Production credits: Executive Producer, Siobhan Mulholland. Producer, Anthony Geffen. Director, Dina Mufti. 7:40pm Sunday August 29 on ABC. Orders boomed in the first half for Just Eat as consumers habits turned to takeaways. Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty Just Eat Takeaway.com's (JET.L) shares rose even as the company said that a heavy period of promotions and deals to snag new customers had weighed on its top line. The company said it had fallen to a 71m (60.6m) underlying pre-tax loss in the UK compared with a 127m profit in the same period a year ago. Overall revenue was up 52% for the half, to 2.6bn. This came even as households placed orders 3.2 times a month on average up from 2.5 times a month during the first half of 2020 as the pandemic hit. The number of orders placed on Just Eat in the UK soared by 58 million in the first six months of 2021 to 135 million compared with a year earlier. The company saw its share of the London market increase 10% following a major period of investment earlier in the year. Shares had gathered steam by 9.05am in London heading up around 2.2%. JustEat shares gained in early trade in London, but were still down from five days ago. Chart: Yahoo Finance UK The investment in delivery and extensive brand marketing is a long-term market share play but will serve to crimp margins, especially if delivery volumes cannibalise marketplace orders which are significantly more profitable overall," said Dan Thomas AVP at research firm Third Bridge. Competition in Germany, Just Eat Takeaways second highest margin region in H2, will also be a concern. Where Takeaways Lieferando brand had previously dominated the market, Delivery Heros re-entry will reignite the fight for market share in the country. Read more: FTSE declines even as UK job vacancies hit record highs Takeaway companies have seen a boom during the pandemic, as consumers opted for home comforts during lockdowns and habits shifted. Watch: Just Eat expects to create 1,000 UK jobs as it launches new agency worker model Last week, rival Deliveroo (ROO.L) said in its interim results that its gross transaction value (GTV) the total value of orders made on its platform grew by 131% in the first quarter of 2021. But growth slowed to 81% in the second quarter, as restrictions on day-to-day life began to ease. Story continues Its GTV grew by 102% to 3.4bn ($4.7bn) across the first six months of the year, which Deliveroo said showed continued strength despite reopening effects and an increasingly tough comparison base. Orders doubled to 148.8 million in the first half. Watch: Should I book a holiday in 2021? A tricky 24 hours, PR wise, for the Taliban, what with the reports of door to door executions and those pictures of people so desperate to get away from it that theyd sooner take their zero per cent chances and cling to the landing gear of evacuation flights out of Kabul airport. Time for a press conference, then. Thatll sort things out. Wheel out the lecterns, welcome in the cameras and put a few concerns to rest. There they sat, beneath black and white flags, in their black and white pashtun robes, looking not wholly unlike an Isis hostage video, with the slight tweak to the format being that the hostage was not an unlucky IT contractor from Wisconsin but an entire country. This Taliban, it turns out, is the nice, new friendly Taliban. Even if youve spent the last 20 years working for the American military, its not going to be a problem. Everybody has been pardoned, they were here to explain. Nobody is going to be treated with revenge. The youths who have talents, who have grown up here we do not want them to leave. These are our assets, we would like them to stay. So there you go then. The Taliban believe that children are the future. Theyll treat them well and let them lead the way. Women dont need to worry either, it turns out. The Islamic Emirate is committed to the rights of women within the framework of sharia. Our sisters will have the same rights, will be able to benefit from their rights. Its already been pointed out that the Ayatollah Khomeini said much the same on his takeover of Iran in 1979, and it would turn out that the rights of women within the framework of sharia are much the same as the rights of turkeys within the framework of one of Bernard Matthews superfarms. But come on. Lets give them a chance. Those stories from a few weeks ago, when these guys (and on this occasion, we really *do* mean guys) were marching down to Kabul, and peasant women who didnt have the means to cook for them were beaten to death with the butts of Kalashnikovs; well, maybe there are a few rogue elements within the Taliban, but theyre working to get on top of those. Story continues And more to the point, it could have been worse. Its not like theyve spent 2.9m of taxpayers money on a room in which to hold press conferences then decided not to hold them after all. Its not like anyone from the Taliban sat there and honestly tried to claim hed only driven a tank into Kabul to test his eyesight. Still, given America and the rest have run away it seems like the new, media-savvy Taliban is here to stay. Its smarter than last time around, apparently. Its learnt that it pays to just say its doing one thing while actually doing the complete opposite. As long as you say women are going to be fine, it doesnt matter if it turns out theres a man with an AK-47 standing at the entrance to their lecture halls, stopping them from going in. As long as you say everyones been pardoned, and no ones in danger, then the world will just think the people falling off the wheels of the aeroplanes have gone absolutely mad. They are a few years late to this particular party of course. We, in the west, are used to being told, for example, weve got a world-beating test and trace system, a plan for social care, an oven-ready Brexit deal and were going to send coronavirus packing within 12 weeks, which may or may not turn out to be two years or more accurately never. For a little while, probably, well all be very bothered about the enormous gap between what the Taliban says and what the Taliban does. But given it took barely a year for us to stop bothering to care about how much our own leaders are systematically and repeatedly telling gargantuan lies to us, its probably fair to conclude the Taliban has already worked out that its absolutely, definitely going to get away with it. University of North Carolina Wilmington Partners with UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy to Train Future Pharmacists UNCW is collaborating with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in a shared commitment to train the future public health workforce.The two universities are creating an Early Assurance Program, offering an automatic interview with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacys Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program admissions committee for qualifying UNCW students. UNCW will verify that interested students meet the participation qualifications identified by the two schools and provide processes and resources to support interested students.Each of our universities is committed to engaging with our communities to improve the health of North Carolinians, so this is a natural partnership that will help strengthen health care across our great state, said Angela Kashuba, dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.We are excited to be working with UNC Wilmington, added Betsy Sleath, regional associate dean for Eastern NC at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. They have fantastic students who are interested in health careers. Through this partnership, we hope to identify and recruit students from Wilmington and the surrounding counties who are interested in pharmacy, with the hope that these students will eventually go back and care for their local communities.Throughout the program, participating students will be required to meet with a School of Pharmacy advisor at least once each semester prior to joining the School; participate in a program seminar series; and meet pre-requisite coursework/grade requirements. The School of Pharmacys admissions committee will be responsible for the final selection and notification of the candidates admitted to the schools Pharm.D. program.Regional and state health concerns, in particular, cannot be addressed by single institutions working in isolation, said James J. Winebrake, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNCW. This partnership brings together expertise and assets from UNCW and the Eshelman School of Pharmacy to create enriching learning experiences for our students. We are looking forward to seeing the impacts this partnership will bring to the region and the state.The partnership will involve UNCWs College of Health and Human Services and the College of Arts and Sciences . Officials are developing processes to track students to ensure they meet the requirements, said Chris Lantz, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Health and Human Services.Students who express interest in participating in this agreement will receive support from UNCW and UNC-CH, said Lantz. The agreement provides structure and gives our students a clear pathway. The real beneficiary of this is the population we serve in the health care workforce. We are putting high-quality students into degree programs that are of great value.Students will be admitted to the ESOP PharmD program through this partnership beginning in spring 2022. Interested UNCW students should contact Sheri Shaw, assistant dean for student success in the College of Health and Human Services, at shaws@uncw.edu for more information. Dr. Jonas Kauffeldt, associate professor of history at the University of North Georgia (UNG), has died at age 53. Kauffeldt was born June 3, 1968, to the late Jorgen and Joan Kauffeldt in Copenhagen, Denmark. He had lived in the United States since the late 1980s. Kauffeldt joined the history faculty at UNG in 2009 and his area of concentration was the modern Middle East, focusing specifically on Orientalism, Western imperialism/influence in the region, and Armenian history. He taught several history classes on UNG's Gainesville Campus, but also taught special topics classes on global issues. In the years before arriving in Georgia, he held several one-year positions as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Central Florida, the University of North Florida, and Furman University. Kauffeldt earned bachelor's degrees in international studies and history from the University of South Florida, a master's degree in international affairs from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. in history from Florida State University. His research interests included Orientalism, Ottoman Armenia, general Armenian history, Italian North Africa, and the Second World War in the Middle East. In addition to teaching, Kauffeldt also served as co-faculty advisor to the Students for a Progressive Society Club and was a member of the Georgia Association of Historians and the Middle East Studies Association. Kauffeldt died Aug. 11, 2021, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville and is survived by his brother, Jan Kauffeldt. A memorial service was held Aug. 20 at Christ Lutheran Church, 3612 Old Oakwood Rd., Oakwood, GA 30566. Condolences may be offered online at Memorial Park Funeral Homes. Armenian armed forces have fired on Azerbaijani positions in different directions today, according to the Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry. On August 17, starting from 10:55 to 14:20, the Armenian armed forces units from the positions in the Arazdayan settlement of Vedi region using sniper rifles, assault rifles, and machine guns periodically subjected to fire the Azerbaijan Army positions in the direction of Heydarabad settlement of Sadarak district, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. In addition, from 11:18 to 13:37, the opposing side using small arms subjected to fire the positions of the Azerbaijan Army in Galakand settlement of the Gadabay district and Istisu settlement of the Kalbajar district from their positions in Goysu and Shishgaya settlements of Basarkechar region. "The Azerbaijan Army did not suffer any losses. The Azerbaijan Army units control the operational situation," the ministry added. The information disseminated by the Armenian side about the death of an Armenian soldier, allegedly as a result of the shelling of the positions of the Armenian Armed Forces in the direction of the village of Zerend in the Basarkechar region by Azerbaijani army units, does not correspond to reality, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. "On the contrary, during the day, the Armenian armed forces fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani army in different directions. The information spread by the Armenian side about the alleged losses in our units is also fake," the ministry added. U.S. President Joe Biden authorized $500 million in aid relief to Afghan refugees on Monday, according to a White House news release. The money will come from the "United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs of refugees, victims of conflict, and other persons at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan, including applicants for Special Immigrant Visas," according to the White House. The aid comes after chaotic scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. military planes in Kabul in a desperate bid to flee their home country after the Taliban's easy victory over an Afghan military that America and NATO allies had spent two decades trying to build. Biden outlined his plan going forward in U.S.-Afghanistan relations in the White House address. "We will continue to work with the Afghan people," he said, emphasizing that he will not resort to military action unless U.S. personnel are harmed. He said he will transport American citizens and diplomats out of Afghanistan. The State Department is asking Americans to take shelter and not to go to the airport until they hear otherwise from U.S. officials. Biden also said he will expand refugee efforts to help Afghan families and civilians who are at great risk. He said more civilians werent evacuated earlier because some were unwilling to do so, choosing to stay in their home country. Turkey is in dialogue with all sides in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. "We would like to say that we welcome the messages given by the Taliban so far," Cavusoglu told reporters during a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman al-Safadi in the capital Amman. Turkey will continue to support Afghanistan's economic development, stability, and peace, the Turkish diplomat added. He elaborated that Turkey is cooperating with the U.S. regarding evacuations at the airport which will continue in the upcoming days when safety is ensured. The foreign minister also noted that Ankara would discuss the transition process in Afghanistan and the fate of Kabul airport security. The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan after capturing the capital Kabul on Sunday and are in the process of establishing their government that had been removed after U.S.-led foreign forces occupied the country in 2001. Uzbekistan is in close contact with the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) on border protection issues, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. "Uzbekistan is in close contact with members of the Taliban movement on issues related to border protection and efforts to preserve calm in border areas," the statement reads. "We also firmly declare that attempts to violate the state border will be met with a tough response," the ministry vowed. The Uzbek Foreign Ministry pointed out that the countrys diplomatic missions in the Afghan capital of Kabul and the city of Mazar-i-Sharif continued to operate normally. The ministry also emphasized that Uzbekistan was closely monitoring developments in Afghanistan and was hopeful that the transition of power would be peaceful, based on a general consensus and on universally recognized international law. Uzbekistans Foreign Ministry added that Tashkent was ready to maintain friendly and good-neighborly relations with Afghanistan and reaffirmed the countrys commitment to non-interference in the domestic affairs of the neighboring country. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have visited Kalbajar and Lachin districts, the Azerbaijani presidential press service reported. The President and the First Lady laid a foundation stone for a tunnel to be constructed on Toghanali-Kalbajar highway in Murovdag, and viewed the work done at the Kalbajar Small Hydroelectric Power Station. They then inaugurated the 110/35/10 kV Kalbajar substation. As part of the visit, the head of state laid a foundation stone for a tunnel to be built on Kalbajar-Lachin highway, as well as the Lachin International Airport. President Ilham Aliyev then raised the state flag in the city of Kalbajar and made a speech here. Then President Ilham Aliyev viewed conditions created at a military unit in the city of Kalbajar. During his trip to Kalbajar, the head of state also visited the Istisu sanatorium and inspected the construction work of the Minkand road of Kalbajar-Lachin districts. The Second Karabakh war will go down in history as our glorious Victory, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed a ceremony to raise the state flag in Kalbajar district. He recalled that as a result of the victory, Kalbajar District was liberated from the occupiers together with Lachin and Aghdam districts. Armenia signed an act of capitulation on 10 November and undertook to return Kalbajar, Lachin and Aghdam districts to Azerbaijan. "During the first days of the second Karabakh war, the northern part of Kalbajar was liberated by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. There were fierce battles in the territory of Mount Murov and surrounding areas. We had martyrs. However, we took over strategic heights, and these heights allowed us the opportunity to control the transport and communication infrastructure Armenians were using. So by taking over the strategic heights in the northern part of Kalbajar, we were able to substantially limit the movement of the Armenian armed forces in this direction. As a matter of fact, they were unable to use the Basarkechar-Kalbajar road. This was a part of the military operation, the counter-offensive operation," Ilham Aliyev explained. "We conducted the counter-offensive operation in several directions, and each direction was important. Because we were already liberating the occupied territories by breaking the line of defense in some directions, taking over strategic areas in some directions and almost paralyzing the actions of the Armenian army. In some areas, we simply conducted military maneuvering to prevent the redeployment of Armenian armed forces. Thus, a part of Kalbajar, a small part of it, was liberated on the battlefield. However, most of the district was liberated after Armenia had signed the act of capitulation," the head of state said. Israel is seeking international help to battle wildfires outside Jerusalem that have forced hundreds to evacuate and sent clouds of smoke billowing over the city, the foreign ministry said on Monday. Planes and crews fought the blaze for a second day as strong winds and dry heat assisted its spread in wooded hills some 10 km (6 miles) west of Jerusalem. Medics said some people had been treated for smoke inhalation but reported no serious injuries. Israel's Fire and Rescue Authority said 75 crews and 10 planes were battling the blaze, which the country's internal security minister said had burned at least 4,200 acres (17,000 hectares). Several hillside communities were evacuated. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid contacted his counterpart in Greece, where wildfires are currently raging, on Monday and requested air support to help put out the blaze near Jerusalem, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece "would help as much as it could," the statement said. Israel is also requesting help from Cyprus, Italy, France and others, the statement added. The commissioner of Israel's Fire and Rescue Authority earlier announced a general mobilisation for personnel to help battle the blaze, Reuters reported. In a meeting with fire and rescue officials late on Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was concerned the blaze could reach Jerusalem's western localities, including the area of Ein Kerem, home to Israel's Hadassah Medical Center. "Fire brigades are preparing a defensive position there," Bennett said, warning that while he was hopeful crews would bring the blaze under control, "fires and winds have a capricious dynamic." An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fires, the Fire and Rescue Authority said. The situation in Afghanistan in light of the actual change of regime in that country was the focus of a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday. "The sides discussed the situation in Afghanistan after that countrys head of state fled the country and following the collapse of power bodies and amid the actual change of the regime," the ministry said, adding that the conversation was initiated by the U.S. side. "Sergey Lavrov informed his U.S. counterpart about Russias views on the situation and about the Russian embassys contacts with representatives from all key political forces in Afghanistan in the interests of ensuring stability, law and order," the ministry said. Blinken, in turn, told Lavrov "about the U.S. administrations actions in the context of the evacuation of the U.S. embassy employees and the resolution of urgent humanitarian tasks stemming from the current situation," it added. According to the Russian foreign ministry, Lavrov and Blinken agreed to continue consultation involving all concerned sides to promote dialogue in Afghanistan after the change of power in that country, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday after their telephone conversation. "The two top diplomats agreed to continue consultation involving representatives from China, Pakistan and other concerned countries and the United Nations in a bid to help create conditions for the establishment of an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue in the new environment," the ministry said. After the United States announced the end of an armed operation in Afghanistan and began to withdraw its troops, the Taliban (a radical movement outlawed in Russia) launched a large-scale offensive on the government army and by August 15 entered Kabul after meeting no resistance. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was resigning to avoid bloodshed and fled the country. Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy employees. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense denied the reports of the Armenian side about the alleged shelling of the settlements of Armenia and the population living there by the Azerbaijani army, according to the ministry. Azerbaijani servicemen comply with the principles of international humanitarian law and do not fire at non-military targets and civilians, the ministry said. Russia has established working contacts with Kabuls new authorities in order to ensure security of the Russian diplomatic mission, a statement by Russias Foreign Ministry made public on Monday said. "The Russian Embassy in Kabul continues to function as usual. The working contacts with the representatives of the new authorities have been established in order to ensure security of the Russian foreign institution," the document said. As the Foreign Ministry noted, the Russian side is carefully monitoring the situation unfolding in Afghanistan after the Talibans (outlawed in Russia) rise to power "following a practically complete absence of resistance on the part of the national armed forces trained by the US and its allies." "According to available information, the situation in Kabul and in Afghanistan in general is stabilizing. The Taliban moved on to establish the public order, confirmed the security guarantees for local residents and foreign diplomatic missions," the Ministry pointed out. "We are urging all Afghan sides to refrain from violence and to facilitate the peaceful settlement of the situation," the Foreign Ministry concluded. The U.S. authorities consider it necessary for Tehran to cease its nuclear escalations and return to consultations on implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, according to the statement by U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price. The U.S. has seen the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, he noted. Reuters said earlier that the report suggests specialists in Iran had produced 200 g of uranium metal enriched up to 20%. "Iran has no credible need to produce uranium metal, which has direct relevance to nuclear weapons development," Price said. "Iran should cease its nuclear escalations and return to negotiations toward full implementation" of the nuclear agreement, he added. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the Var region of southern France as wildfires engulf the region, a spokeswoman for the fire department told Agence-France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday. "Thousands of people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, but there are no victims. Around 750 firefighters are fighting the fire, which is still very fierce," she said. A massive deployment of firefighters in southern France was dispatched to battle several large forest fires since Monday night. "All my support to the 650 firefighters who are mobilized to protect our public this night," French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted Monday evening. A heatwave and a drought preceded the fires. The minister plans to visit the affected region on Tuesday. Some 430 firefighters were sent to a single fire in Gonfaron in the mountains near Saint Tropez. Firefighting aircraft were supporting them until nightfall, the civil defense authority said. Broadcaster BFMTV reported the flames were fanned by strong winds and had already destroyed around 2,800 hectares. Several rural roads were closed. The Marseille fire department earlier tweeted that around 100 firefighters and 40 vehicles had been sent to a fire on a mountain range outside the city. As it is an uninhabited area, there was no immediate danger to the public. Several Mediterranean countries have suffered intense heat and quickly spreading wildfires in recent weeks, including Turkey, Algeria, Greece, Italy and Spain. The UN presence in Afghanistan will be adapted to new security concerns and will be maintained, while all countries should accept rather than turn away Afghan refugees fleeing the country, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday at a UN Security Council meeting. "The United Nations presence will adapt to the security situation," he noted. "But above all, we will stay and deliver in support of the Afghan people in their hour of need." "I also urge all countries to be willing to receive Afghan refugees and refrain from any deportations," Guterres added. The UN chief also stressed that the country should not be used as a stronghold for terrorism. "The international community must be united and utilize all available instruments to ensure the following: first, we must speak with one voice to uphold human rights in Afghanistan. I call upon the Taliban and all parties to respect and protect international humanitarian law and rights and freedoms of all persons," he said. "Second, the international community must unite to make sure that Afghanistan is never again used as a platform or a safe haven for terrorist organizations." "We continue to have staff and offices in areas that have come under Taliban control," he said. "I am relieved to report that in large measure our personnel and premises have been respected.". The rate of users pay with their phones in Vietnam is estimated at 29.1 percent, the third-highest in the world, according to Statista Digital Market Outlook. China has the highest percentage of mobile payment users in the world with more than 500 million people, which equals to 39.5 percent of the country's population. This number includes payments at stores, restaurants as well as online stalls. The Republic of Korea ranked second with a rate of 29.9 percent. In China, the payment app adoption is booming and is currently dominated by Alipay and WeChat Pay. These two applications are widely used across multiple platforms and by millions of stores, including traditional market stalls. China has a large number of small businesses and has mostly transitioned from cash to payment apps. Credit card is not favoured by local residents. However, in terms of the total annual transaction value per user, China is far behind the United States and some European countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, and Italy. Statista forecasts that a Chinese customer spends about 2,300 USD on average through payment apps this year while the figure is more than 7,000 USD in the UK and nearly 8,000 USD in the US. However, not all European countries have high consumption value through payment applications. The spending of Spanish and German users is predicted to be more than 1,800 USD and more than 1,500 USD, respectively, Statista said. Meanwhile, in developing Asian countries such as India and Vietnam, although the rate of payment apps users is higher than the global rate, the amount of money spent by each customer is low, estimated at only 80 USD and 74 USD per one transaction this year./. Source: VNA If there is a nationwide B2B wholesale trading floor for domestic agricultural products, the supply chain of agricultural products will not be disrupted, even in the time of an epidemic. Before HCM City imposed social distancing measures, Binh Dien wholesale market sold 1,500 tons of seafood and 1,000 tons of vegetables and fruits every day. Moc Mon wholesale market sold 5,000 pigs and 2,500 tons of vegetables per day, and Thu Duc wholesale market sold 4,000 tons of vegetables and fruits a day. Wholesale markets have temporarily closed when the Covid-19 outbreak occurred in HCM City. These are three large wholesale markets that not only supply agricultural products to Ho Chi Minh City but many other provinces. The three wholesale markets temporarily closed when the Covid-19 outbreak occurred in HCM City. After these markets were closed, supply of goods, mainly food and fresh food, for HCM City was in shortage while the supply chain was interrupted. The price for pigs and chickens in the southern province of Dong Nai has dropped below the cost level. According to the Vietnam Poultry Breeding Association, over 60 million poultry heads are unsalable. At the same time, millions of tons of fruits and vegetables cannot find outlets. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development set up a special working group in the South (working group 970) to take care of consumption of agricultural products when many wholesale markets had to close. The groups report shows a more alarming situation. In August alone, up to 1.1 million tons of fruit and vegetables must be harvested in the southern region. The volume of unsold aquatic products is up to nearly 480,000 tons. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have suggested that the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City reopen wholesale markets as soon as possible, or at least set up goods gathering and transshipment points at these wholesale markets. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam - head of working group 970 - said that he had received requests from more than 800 agricultural product suppliers, with the need to sell several to 1,000 tons of agricultural produce. In the North, as soon as wholesale markets had infection cases and were forced to close, a working group to direct the production and consumption of agricultural products was established. An expert in the field of agriculture said that, in an urgent situation, such working groups are necessary to connect supply and demand for agricultural products. But this is only a temporary solution because the authorities cannot keep connecting each order like this. This situation proves the important role of intermediaries like wholesale traders, agricultural product trading enterprises, and wholesale markets. In the North, as soon as wholesale markets had infection cases and were forced to close, a working group to direct the production and consumption of agricultural products was established. We will have to live with the pandemic for a long time. With millions of tons of agricultural and aquatic products harvested each month, in addition to the wholesale market, traders, cooperatives and businesses still need a place to exchange and buy goods The most effective way is online wholesale markets, also known as a wholesale e-commerce platform (B2B)," said an expert. In Vietnam, selling agricultural products on e-commerce platforms is increasingly popular. Eggs, vegetables, chickens and other items are sold on e-commerce floors. Most recently, farmers in Bac Giang and Hai Duong provinces successfully sold their lychees on e-commerce platforms. However, these products are sold on e-commerce platforms in the B2C (business-to-consumer) model, under which e-commerce platforms have to work directly with farmers. Nguyen Kim Hung, Director of VIDEM Institute, said e-commerce is playing a huge role in global trade. In 2020, the total transaction value was about 1.7 trillion USD, including both B2B and B2C e-commerce. In Vietnam, the value was less than 16 billion USD and the main model is B2C. Digitizing wholesalers Besides wholesale markets, the model of e-commerce platforms specializing in the wholesale of agricultural products has become popular. In India, Ninjacar is an e-commerce platform specializing in wholesale vegetables and fruits. Retailers can place orders through the app and product information will be transferred to the supplying farms. Ninjacart uses technology to solve logistics and marketing issues, reduce middlemen, avoid price fluctuations, and waste and unfair trading practices. Ninjacart provides farmers with an app so that they can know the needs of the market to have suitable harvest plans. Similarly, WayCool is a B2B e-commerce platform, specializing in purchasing fruits, milk and vegetables from farmers and supplying to hotels, restaurants, and retailers. After six years of operation, WayCool has earned annual revenue of up to 134 million USD. In Kenya, Twiga is an online wholesale market for agricultural products. Farmers can register on this platform, then Twiga will evaluate the farm, and add it to the list of suppliers. In Canada, FarmLead has a website and mobile application, connecting grain farmers with businesses and grain buyers. FarmLead charges very low commission for transactions on this platform. If there is a nationwide B2B wholesale trading floor for domestic agricultural products, the supply chain of agricultural products will not be disrupted, even in the time of an epidemic. Tridge is an online platform for trading agricultural products in the Republic of Korea. Tridge provides an online trading platform for producers, growers, importers, and wholesalers to buy and sell agricultural products worldwide. Tridge also provides market trends and analysis on various aspects such as real-time wholesale market prices, production trends, production volume analysis, and suppliers. In Vietnam, some online markets for agricultural products have been set up on social networking platforms. Some markets operate on a nationwide scale and some cover certain regions. Most of them are formed by individuals and operate under their own rules, and are not registered with or supervised by relevant agencies. These markets have tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of participants, which show the potential of B2B e-commerce for agricultural products in Vietnam. In the southern province of Vinh Long, there is a provincial agricultural product trading floor in the B2B model which operates very effectively, with large transactions of dozens of tons of fruit. If there is a nationwide B2B wholesale trading floor for domestic agricultural products, the supply chain of agricultural products will not be disrupted, even in the time of an epidemic. Tam An - Duy Khanh Enterprises at risk of falling out of global supply chains due to fourth outbreak Although Vietnam has dealt with previous COVID-19 outbreak with spectacular success, it stands to lose some of its hard-earned gains if it cannot overcome the latest outbreak that has paralysed industries in the past couple of months. Leading a club or organization this year? Meet Marwa Al Khamees. In a role new to the Office of Student Engagement & Leadership, Al Khamees will oversee all student organizations at Willamette University and coordinate some of its bigger events, including Family Weekend, the fall Activities & Resources Expo and the Bearcat Excellence Awards. Shell be available to field questions on everything from club finance to affiliation registration management, help student leaders ensure events are created through the lens of accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion, and serve as the primary advisor to Willamette Events Board (WEB.) Supporting over 70 organizations alone is no small task, but as a former student leader who was deeply involved in campus life, she understands its rhythms well. At Portland State University, while earning a double major in management and leadership and human resource management, Al Khamees took on various roles that included coordinating orientation, tours and the student ambassador program. The experience was so enjoyable that after an internship with the student development office at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, she realized it was the path she wanted to pursue, she said. I love seeing the confidence and the initiatives that students take in these positions. They get to discover their identity and purpose, not only through academics but supplemental activities they do outside of the classroom, she said. After she graduated from PSU in 2019, she earned her masters of education at Oregon State University in Corvallis then worked at a few higher education organizations before becoming interim associate director of student activities at Willamette in March. She became assistant director in June. Creating programming for first generation students and their families is a primary focus of her job. A webinar shes currently developing will give families a better understanding of their childs experience and the ways her office supports their transition to college, and a college success workshop shes working on will provide students tips on time management, selecting a major and other topics. She also plans to launch a translated website to ensure accessibility. Al Khamees interest in the topic is both professional and personal. Born and raised in Najaf, Iraq, she moved to Portland with her family when she was 14 years old. Her parents attended college in the Middle East but they werent familiar with the U.S. education system. Although her situation is not commonly understood as first generation, she identifies as one, she said the lived experience of students is more diverse than the term dictates as only being the first to receive a college degree. In addition, she used her graduate portfolio at OSU to link academic theories and research to the stories of historically marginalized voices particularly that of first generation and Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) to reveal the stories behind the numbers in research. As her job is deeply involved with students and developing their leadership capabilities, Al Khamees is looking forward to meeting people in person and feeling the energy of a busy campus again. College offers a unique setting for students to safely develop their interests and push themselves out of their comfort zone, allowing them to experience things they wouldnt otherwise, she said. I firmly believe that college is not only an academic growth space, but a place where students can figure out their values and goals, she said. I love watching them make a difference on campus and eventually in other peoples lives, and see how those skills translate into their future. Annual Report - 30 June 2021 Melbourne, Aug 17, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - BTC health ( ASX:BTC ) has undertaken a strategic review of its investments to ensure assets are able to generate sufficient returns in the medium term to shareholders. The Company is committed to supporting investee companies in the hospital healthcare sector given the demand for patient care, sustainable funding and an ageing population. The Company is actively assessing a pipeline of assets to purchase which align to the Hospital sector. This may include target companies which operate within the hospital critical care sector, or companies which provide product diversification in high growth niche markets.The primary objective for BTC Speciality Health is to increase market share through organic growth. New products will continue to be sourced by BioImpact and will enable BTC Speciality Health to expand its product range within pain management and critical care.BTC health has supported investment in infrastructure to ensure its investee companies are well positioned to grow organically and through acquisition. The company will advise the market when capital is needed for a material investment.To view the Annual Report, please visit:About BTC Health Limited BTC Health (ASX:BTC) is a listed entity on the ASX and is a Pooled Development Fund, registered under the Pooled Development Funds Act 1992. It is a high-growth company, focused on making world-class innovative medical products available to patients in Australia and New Zealand. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... On Aug. 19, the Intertribal Ceremonial Office will fulfill its duties outlined in the Intertribal Ceremonial Act by bringing the 99th Annual Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial one the most cherished and storied cultural events for New Mexico and the city of Gallup to a global audience. Passage of the Intertribal Ceremonial Act in 2005 established the Intertribal Ceremonial Office, which is tasked with preserving the heritage and cultural integrity of the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial and functioning as a coordinating office for all services and activities pertaining to the Intertribal Ceremonial, among other duties. The Intertribal Ceremonial Office was rendered defunct for years by previous administrations. Committed to honoring the obligations outlined in state statute, the current administration restored the Intertribal Ceremonial Office by appointing Melissa Sanchez as executive director of the office in September 2020. Sanchez has accomplished a great deal by restoring the Intertribal Ceremonial Office to a fully functioning entity all while planning for the annual ceremonial with the challenging considerations of the pandemic in mind. Sanchez led the renovation of the Intertribal Ceremonial Office in Gallup, breathing new life into a community treasure, which included the identification and curation of historical artifacts in efforts to preserve the integrity and cultural significance of many priceless items. Sanchez built a new website and social media presence from scratch and created a Ceremonial Event Task Force to bring together community representatives with a shared commitment to collaboration and interest in planning the annual event. Restoring the Intertribal Ceremonial Office would have been a struggle in a normal year, but the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic that continue to loom over us presented an extra set of challenges. To retain the cultural significance of the event while facing the challenging realities of the pandemic, Sanchez is administering a mix of in-person and virtual events that will still bring the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial to a global audience. Thanks to Sanchezs creative adaptability, we will be bringing the 2021 Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial to a global audience on Aug. 19 through a 1-hour documentary televised, broadcast and digitally streamed special titled Spirit of the Ceremonial. The special broadcast will share the ceremonials origin and history through in-depth interviews with an intertribal cast of Native American and Indigenous dance groups and will represent a new movement on behalf of this cultural event to use technology to preserve Native American and Indigenous stories and voices for future generations. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ To help Native American and Indigenous artists whose livelihoods rely on events like the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial, Sanchez is bringing the first-ever Virtual Artisan Market to this years Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial. This will provide artists with access to a global audience to help sell their goods to prospective buyers. Completing the 2021 Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial on Aug. 21 with the ceremonial queen contestant traditional presentations is an appropriate way to conclude the event that celebrates community and heritage. Our next Miss Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial Queen will be making an appearance later this year at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, representing the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial and the Native American and Indigenous community. The restoration of the Intertribal Ceremonial Office is crucial for preserving one of New Mexicos most storied cultural events as we prepare to celebrate next years 100th anniversary of the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial with the world. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal The search for a new National Hispanic Cultural Center executive director is almost over. The NHCC board of directors on Friday voted to send the names of two finalists, Margie Huerta and Noel Bella Merriam, to Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego. The NHCC has been without a permanent executive director since April 7, when Josefa Gonzalez Mariscal resigned after 11 months in the position. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Garcia y Griego has been overseeing the cultural center for nearly two months. Huerta is a New Mexican who until two months ago was a member of the NHCC board of directors. She resigned from the board to apply for the position. Huerta was also on the executive search committee before her resignation. Huerta has a long history of public service in New Mexico, with stints at New Mexico State University and Dona Ana Community College. While at DACC, where Huerta was president, she was at the center of controversy when the schools nursing program lost accreditation on July 20, 2013, from the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission. Students were notified weeks later, shortly before the semester began. The accreditation loss threatened job prospects for 109 community college nursing students, because most hospitals require nurses to graduate from an accredited program. Eventually, about three-fourths of the students transferred to NMSUs nursing program after public outcry over the situation. Huerta and DACC faced numerous lawsuits due to the event. After retiring from DACC, Huerta landed a role as special assistant to then-NMSU President Garrey Carruthers. Merriam is director of education, diversity and inclusion at the San Antonio (Texas) Museum of Art. Shes been at the museum for 20 years and has worked in museum education during her tenure. In March, Merriam was named 2021 Western Region Museum Education Art Educator by the National Art Education Association. Since 2017, and through the pandemic, Merriam, in her role at SAMA, has worked with students and educators across San Antonio. According to her bio, she specializes in designing and implementing arts education and gallery learning experiences for teachers of students in prekindergarten through 12th grade. She also designs programming for students and families in the museum. According to the DCA, there is no deadline to name a director. Edward Lujan, who has been chairman of the NHCC and NHCC Foundation boards for many years and was a major player in the establishment of the cultural center, has said there needs to be stability in the executive director position. When we get an interim leader, it doesnt help, he said. The NHCC has had nearly a dozen executive directors in its 20 years. As the oldest online skill gaming industry body, the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) has been at the forefront of ensuring global best practices for its stakeholders through the self-regulation skill games charter that cover all aspects of the online gaming business. To reinforce its self-regulation process, AIGF announces the appointment of former senior bureaucrat PK Misra as President of the Players Association (AIGF Advisory). The Players Association will work closely with AIGFs member stakeholders and governing council to monitor education, awareness, protection and grievance redressal of the online skill gaming community. Mr. Misra has now assumed duty in this latest positional advancement in his illustrious career. SCREENXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN An Uttar Pradesh Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of the 1976 batch, Mr. Misra has held key positions in Indian bureaucracy, including that of Steel Secretary & Secretary Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). He was also Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser to the Home Ministry. Mr. Misra has now agreed to spearhead the initiatives of the Players Association at AIGF as part of AIGF Advisory, providing his proven guidance and bringing to the table his decades of experience and a keen understanding of the industry, the AIGF, and its self-regulatory perspectives. Mr. Roland Landers, Chief Executive Officer of AIGF, said: We are delighted to have a person of Mr. PK Misras stature and experience to guide us and bring in greater focus and efficacy in our efforts to protect the interests of millions of Indian online gamers. I am thrilled that he will help us shape the path ahead to ensure that the industrys phenomenal growth over the last many years is maintained and accelerated, while players protection is kept paramount. I am glad to share that the transactional online gaming industry has grown to over US $1 billion annually. His guidance will provide impetus to the industry and ensure transparency and sustained clarity on policy. Elaborating on this new role, Mr. PK Misra said: Over the last few years, Indias Online Gaming industry has outstripped every other section of the economy, growing at over 30 percent annually, contributing to tax collections. This is an industry that needs to be nurtured while ensuring that players have an enriching and unique experience. Being part of the Advisory Panel of judges, sportsmen/women, and the intelligentsia, with a special focus to the Players Association, is something I am looking forward to. I am also very keen in progressing AIGFs Charter and ensuring that growth is inclusive and monitored regularly. The AllIndia Gaming Federation also plans to induct other such industry experts into its fold and other similar announcements can be expected soon. This is in keeping with AIGFs stated objective of bringing in transparency to the industry and greater visibility for its new association, especially as the Online Gaming industry increasingly contributes to the economy. Sundanda Jenna to be the Vice-President, Digital Content originals, in Balaji TeleFilms. She joined as a consultant showrunner/creative producer for AltBalaji Originals and has been associated with the company since 2019. SCREENXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN A decade of experience in content selection, programming, content creation, management and television production, Jenna has proved herself as a veteran broadcast media professional who has also worked with Zee Network, Viacom18 and Endemol India in past. As India entered its 75th year of Independence yesterday, there were many heart-warming messages from brands reminding us to cherish our hard earned freedom. The meaning of independence in these uncertain times is ever changing, and many brands defined it in their own unique way, from highlighting their Indian heritage to saluting the armed forces- there were several messages that tugged at the heart strings. SCREENXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN One of the campaigns that stood out was from Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times rolled out the campaign #HTLegacyofTruth through a set of 5 immersive 3D audio stories from key milestones of independent India. The 5 stories anchored on the Hindustan Times historical archives of the editions published on the very day that: #1 The British Rule Ended #2 Indira Gandhi became India's first Prime Minister #3. 1942 Congress Demanded Withdrawal of British Power #4 India emerged victorious in the Kargil war #5 Supreme court struck down Section 377 Conceptualised by Dentsu, and produced by Wat Consult, #HTLegacyofTruth is a digital audio first campaign under which Hindustan Times celebrated its journey in the nations development and the struggle from the pre-independence days till the present. It brought to life the stories of pre-independence India, followed by stories that truly made the country feel independent. These stories have been turned into immersive 3D audio experiences & an illustration led treatment for visuals to keep the audience engaged. Through the series the brand weaved in the story of how Hindustan Times has remained a prominent partner in the countrys struggle for independence and a major player in its development post-independence by voicing the issues that matter. To leverage the fast growing Podcast audience; the campaign was launched via HT Medias Podcasting Hub HT Smartcast. Aparna Bhawal, Vice President, Marketing at Hindustan Times said, Hindustan Times has been at the forefront of Indian journalism for almost a century and an integral part of the independence struggle as the fourth pillar. The written word has its own magic, and going through the Hindustan Times archives to conceptualize the campaign was an emotional experience that moved us and at the same time transported us to the India of 1947. We wanted to share that experience with our readers, especially contemporizing history for the millennials & GenZ, who at times can feel disassociated with the sacrifices of the previous generations, and give them an experience that takes them back in time to the pre Independence era, as well as remind them of the milestones of free India. We were able to achieve this with our partners who conceptualized & executed the vision perfectly. Chief Creative Officer of Dentsu Impact, Ms. Anupama Ramaswamy shared her thought on the campaign The occasion of Independence Day fills us all up with a strong feeling of patriotism and country-love. On such an occasion it seemed more than apt to bring back some historic milestones from our countrys rich history. Fortunately for us, a brand like Hindustan Times has shared that legacy in its own way. The idea was just waiting to be found. The medium of 3D audio was also something that excited the entire team on both sides. While the world seems to be moving more and more towards visual communications, this reinvention of the audio medium was just too fresh and impactful to be ignored. She added. The pandemic and the resultant lockdowns have been one of the biggest disruptors of human life in history. The situation in the pandemic times has changed a lot both in terms of human behaviour and peoples approach to health. To understand and gauge the behaviours across the country, Godrej Group conducted a research study, which sought to analyse the daily routines, habits and gestures adopted by the people to make their lives more tolerable during the 10 months of lockdown across 13 cities of India. The research findings showed how people across cities, age-groups and genders have responded to the trying times. While some have discovered great interest towards altruism and financial prudence, others have taken steps to protect their own health and mental wellbeing. The findings further helped Godrej to drive positive narratives in the media with authentic stories depicting the Godrej thought leadership in the said spaces. SCREENXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN In an exclusive conversation with Adgully for our special column on PR Conversations, Sujit Patil, Vice President and Head Corporate Brand and Communications, Godrej Industries Ltd and Associate Companies, shared sights from this research and how they plan to leverage the same for their PR and communication campaigns. What was the objective behind conducting this behavioral research during the pandemic in the 12 cities? What was the mix of the audience in your sample? The idea of our Little Things We Do research emerged from a campaign that we did just before the pandemic. We had launched a video with the same name to highlight the Little Things We Do as a group to make our consumers lives better and brighter. Post the onset of pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, we felt people needed a reminder that even little contributions can lead to big change. Amidst the pessimism and scepticism in the environment, we wanted to explore how little contributions by people and organisations have created a long-lasting impact on the lives of people around them. The objective was to bring to the fore the good things that people have done to alleviate the perils of the pandemic. The research findings show how people across cities, age-groups and genders have responded to the trying times. While some have discovered great interest towards altruism and financial prudence, others have taken steps to protect their own health and mental wellbeing. It has a direct connection with many of the categories that we operate in viz., ergonomic furniture, personal hygiene, security, snacking, appliances, etc. The findings helped us drive positive narratives in the media with authentic stories depicting the Godrej thought leadership in the said spaces. The research was undertaken based on interviews with over 2,750 Indians across various cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh, Indore, Kochi and Lucknow between September and December, 2020. How do you plan to leverage the key insights and plan to apply in your brand and PR communication? In times of shrinking editorial spaces and rising fake news, media has put its trust on data-driven stories. Customers, too, today are substantially more motivated by a brands transcendent purpose (how it improves lives) than by its transactional purpose (how it sells goods and services). Narratives are an interesting way of weaving data-driven stories which are closer to ones brand. As I said earlier, the insights from the study will be used to drive positive narratives in the media with authentic stories depicting the Godrej thought leadership in the said spaces. The research has thrown up a lot of findings and insights. Can you highlight some of the key insights that stood out and that will help in strengthening your brand equity further? One of the most startling findings was that despite several initiatives and campaigns by the government and brands, nearly 15% of people in the target group of this study have not adopted hand sanitisation as a measure to safeguard their health and happiness. This was disappointing since hand and product sanitisation are the first shield against pathogens. This only strengthens our resolve to push for more communications in this space. Similarly, our findings revealed that over half the respondents (52%) have become mindful of the environment by undertaking activities like growing plants and preserving energy. A majority of this can be credited to the generation comprising millennials and Gen Z. With the disposable income, world-wide exposure, these peers display an ecologically and socially conscious consumer behaviour. This validates our belief and strengthens our resolve towards adhering to sustainable practices. These insights are authentic, data-driven stories reflective of the consumers current mindset and living up to them will help strengthen their positive disposition towards Godrej. What would be the frequency of such study? Would this be part of the overall corporate strategy of Godrej to keep engaging with your audience to get the right picture as the pandemic has brought in a lot of shifts in consumer behaviour? This study is a part of our overall strategy to create research and data driven narratives that are conducive forour brands and categories that we operate in. We aim to do such research driven narrative setting at frequent intervals.Our belief is that corporate and brand performance is being observed very carefully, and being an authentic raconteurbuilds a strong relationship of equity with the audience. Whether for storytelling, crisis mitigation or influencer engagement, without data you are going to just spray and pray. Also, owing to the exposure to fake news and branded content, there is a cognitive ad-blocker that switches on every time a consumer today sees content that looks like tall advertising claims. Therefore, stories you share with audiences must be factual, data-driven, and more inclusive. One way to do this is use research-driven narratives to tell your stories. The truth is that in the times of shrinking editorial spaces and rising fake news, media has put its trust on data-driven stories. Godrej has been a trusted and strong brand for over a century. How does the company plan to change gears post the pandemic to maintain the momentum and engage with the younger audience? For us, regardless of the age and demography, empathetic and authentic communication has always formed the core of our corporate brand and communication strategy. The pandemic has taught us simple lessons to enhance the effectiveness of our communications. For example, Being heard is one of the most precious aspects that the audiences seek today from the brands. So, one must make audiences the protagonist and not limit the engagement to transactional purposes. Our communication strategy is, hence, built on the principles of ABC Authentic narratives, Bi-directional communication channel, and Co-creation of content. In addition to the other oft-used integrated communication tools, direct communication channels have emerged as a key source of communicating to and connecting with the TG. We are, therefore, enhancing our focus on our owned media platforms and apart from the existing ones, viz. Godrej LAffaire, Vikhroli Cucina, and Design Dekko, we are venturing into many more such community building platforms that bring together brands, influencers, and consumers to co-create content and engage wider audiences. JK Tech, a global Digital Transformation services company, has announced the launch of their redesigned corporate website, new Logo, refreshed brand identity, which will be their first rebranding after two and a half decades. Their website features a clean and modern design, with seamless and simplified user interface, portraying JK Tech as a young and vibrant organization. JK Tech made their statement clear when they revealed their new logo on the summit of Mount Everest. Talking about the feat, Aloke Paskar, CEO and President of JK Tech said JK Tech 2.0 shows the world that we are always ready to redefine and reinvent ourselves. It also emphasizes on the fact that we are a young and vibrant company that thinks on its feet. The unveiling of our new logo on the summit of Mount Everest, by itself is a testament of who we are and how we want to portray ourselves. With us, you can imagine a future that promises progress, through innovation, agility and customer satisfaction. The new branding features a curation of primary and secondary colors. Primary colors evoke the values that JK Tech as an organization strive to stand for i.e., Tranquility, security, stability, and reliability. The secondary colors bring other aspects of the brand identity to the forefront. They symbolize calmness, a new beginning, energy, and ambition. Tanuj Singh, Marketing and Alliances- Head, JK Tech spoke about the transformation, JK Tech 2.0 reflects our future orientation, new goals, services, and values. Through this rebranding, we stay current, especially in social branding. Our focus has always been to deliver unrivaled modernization and automation services, helping customers unlock digital adaptation in its full potential. A new brand identity will reaffirmour vision for the company, within our employees and our customers; current and new. MyGlamm, Indias fastest growing DTC beauty & personal care company, has acquired BabyChakra, Indias top parenting platform to further expand the largest 3C (Content + Community + Commerce) company in South Asia. With this acquisition MyGlamm and Baby Chakra will be investing Rs 100cr in building Indias largest Mom-Baby Content to Commerce platform over the next 3 years. The move to acquire BabyChakra first started in 2020 with the founders of both companies aligning on a shared vision about Content, Community & Commerce being the future of creating digital first brands and there being an opportunity for the same in the Mom - Baby category at scale. This led to the partnership of MyGlamm and BabyChakra to build Indias largest Mom-Baby Content to Commerce company. The whole process took 6 months and was finalised on 11th August, 2021. Naiyya Saggi, Founder & CEO of Baby Chakra will join the MyGlamm group as Co-founder & President and will spearhead the Mom-Baby vertical while also building out the overall Community vertical for the Group. Naiyya will also join the MyGlamm Board. Together (MyGlamm, POPxo and Baby Chakra) represent a community of over 80 million women, have produced and sold millions of beauty products across makeup, skincare, and personal care and have over 220,000 influencers on their platforms. The large user base, proven digital and go to market capabilities, and data-driven insights into what millennial women and mothers want will help MyGlamm, POPxo and BabyChakra successfully create, launch and market products in the beauty, lifestyle and parenting category. With this acquisition, BabyChakra will continue to remain focussed on building out the largest, most trusted brand in the mom child ecosystem starting from India. While BabyChakras digital assets and solutions already reach & deeply engage 25+ million families, the MyGlamm partnership will exponentially accelerate its journey on the D2C e-commerce side. The Mom & Baby Care segment is a $4BN market, however the category penetration is only 15% resulting in the bulk of Indian families still remaining underserviced with products & solutions that ensure care. With the commerce stack that MyGlamm has built out and scaled, BabyChakra will leapfrog its D2C capabilities by continuing to co-create best in class products with their large Communities of families & doctors, launch products online and offline across the country, thus ensuring every mother and family has the best care for themselves and further expanding the #TellMyGlammWhatYouWant brand philosophy in the parenting segment as well. Adding to this, Naiyya Saggi, Founder & CEO, BabyChakra & Co-Founder President, MyGlamm I am extremely excited about this partnership with MyGlamm and working with Darpan, Priyanka and team as we build Indias largest parenting platform. MyGlamm is an established leader in the e-commerce ecosystem with a shared value system on how to develop, launch and scale best in class products that cater intuitively to the needs of our consumers. While the Indian Mom & BabyCare market is large and rapidly growing at 15-20% CAGR, Indian moms and kids still need products that are truly personalised to their needs. I am also very excited to contribute to the group by leading its overall efforts at building out engaged Communities based on a data and product first approach." Darpan Sanghvi, Founder & CEO, MyGlamm said, The Mom-Baby category is one of the fastest growing categories currently in the BPC segment in India. BabyChakra has built an incredible amount of trust amongst parents, through their engaging platform, community and extensive Doctor network. We are thrilled to have Naiyya join the Group as Co-founder and work alongside her to make Baby Chakra the largest Mom-Baby brand and platform in India Priyanka Gill, Co-Founder & President, MyGlamm, commented, Really happy to have BabyChakra join the MyGlamm and POPxo family. I can think of no one better than Naiyya to lead our strategy in the parenting segment. BabyChakra addresses important concerns and supports moms from the very first day of their maternal journey and I look forward to working alongside Darpan and Naiyya in building Indias largest parenting platform. MyGlamm products, launched in October 2017, are available both online and offline. The brand has over 15000 points of sale across 70 cities in India. Recently, the brand closed its Series C funding round at Rs. 530 crores and is projecting to grow to an annualized revenue of INR 750 crores by December 2021. Currently, MyGlamm has around 800 SKUs across Makeup, Skincare, Personal Care and recently entered the Hair Care segment as well. Truecaller is pleased to announce the appointment of Jijendran Ravindran as Vice President of Global Business Development. Jijendran joins Truecaller from Xiaomi, where he was the Associate Director and Lead for MIUI India. He was responsible for managing and driving the overall business strategy for the brand. His work involved customisation of apps for India, app promotion, portfolio growth, managing partnerships & revenue across the MIUI properties and handling a large team of talents. SCREENXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN Jijendran has extensive experience of working across varied sectors spanning telecom operators, smartphone brands & Start-ups. His rich experience of over 16 years includes new partnerships, strategy, business development, operations, marketing, advertising & customer insights. Jijendran will lead the business development function and will report to Kari Krishnamurthy, Chief Commercial Officer. Jijendran will be working towards expanding business and growth across markets. He brings to the table an innate knack for understanding consumers, a bias for action and people development experience. Prior to Xiaomi, Jijendran was heading app partnership for Micromax in India, Sri Lanka, Russia & Bangladesh. He has also been associated with Airtel and Vodafone in the past. Welcoming Jijendran, Kari Krishnamurthy, Chief Commercial Officer, Truecaller, stated: I am excited to have JJ on board. And I am confident that he will push our ambitions of having Truecaller in every connected device globally. His extensive experience and accomplishments in his recent past stints will definitely take our efforts to another level. Jijendran Ravindran, Vice President Brand Development at Truecaller, added: I feel both honoured and humbled on being appointed by Truecaller. I firmly believe in Truecallers mission and it has been a service I have relied on myself for many years now. Im also excited about the journey ahead. Truecaller has become an integral part of hundreds of millions of consumers across the world and I look forward to taking up this challenging and exciting new role to create long term sustainable value for all stakeholders in the company. The initial muted market sentiments have disappeared as Onam, Keralas biggest festival, commences. Just a month back Kerala was reeling under the highest number of daily COVID-19 infections and also faced with rising cases of the Zika virus and there was no clarity on whether markets would be opened up for Onam shopping. As the COVID-19 situation improves, Kerala is looking for a bumper season this year, which a brought great cheer to brands and marketers. Not just local brands, national brands, too, are keenly eyeing consumer sentiments during Onam, as the festival heralds the start of the festive season in India. Following Onam will be Raksha Bandhan, Ganesha Mahotsav and then on to Dussehra/ Durga Puja, Diwali and later on Christmas. SCREENXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN Adgullys premier #TwitterChat #GullyChat will take an indepth look at brand and consumer sentiments this Onam titled Onam Bringing the sentiment back to the market. Whether it will meet the expectations of marketers, where the festival will spur a buying frenzy and lead to a more resurgent festival season ahead. The #TwitterChat discussion will take place on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 between 3 pm and 4 pm. Joining in the discussions will be some leading marketing and industry experts: Arha Padman, Head Brand Marketing, Duroflex Ramsai Panchapakesan, SVP, Media Buying, Zenith Sudeep Kumar, Cluster Head, Mathrubhumi Group (Print) Varghese Chandy, Vice President - Advertising and Sales, Malayala Manorama Xavier Prabhu, Founder & MD, PRHUB + APAC President & Member of Global Board, IPREX To join in the discussions, follow us on Twitter - @adgully. Of the more than 107,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations, fewer than 1,200 were in fully vaccinated patients (1.1%). That means that 98.9% of the hospitalizations occurred in unvaccinated persons. Vaccination is highly effective at preventing infection and if breakthrough infection does occur, vaccination uncouples infection from hospitalization and death. This is from an internal memo to employees of a hospital in which I work, July 2021. It's available upon request with permission from the hospital system. These undeniably impressive facts appear to make a clear-cut case for COVID vaccination one that is apparently so clear it has been conferred into moral and existential imperative along with simultaneous disdain for the decision to (and increasingly, the people who) decline its benefits. The president and others are calling COVID vaccination patriotic duty and obligation to humanity, and on August 3 the president issued additional highly coercive mandates to federal employees and anyone else who wants to do business with the government. I do not oppose vaccination. However, this rhetoric is dangerously overstated, and as such very highly disturbing. While encouragement for vaccination is reasonable for populations at risk, coercive mandates, especially for young persons at minimal risk for long-term disability from the disease are unfounded scientifically. The facts and concepts I shall succinctly present here should compel significant pause for all fair and clear-minded Americans concerned not just about government overreach, but the use of selective information to foster a narrative that is reasonable, but by no means certain. Coercion under these circumstances is improper. The imposition of an unwanted medical treatment obviously contradicts the arguably sacrosanct notion of patient autonomy. Society ethically accepts breaches of autonomy - this most civilized and respectful of notions - only when clearly necessary. In the modern age, arguments for such necessity may be well scrutinized when relevant facts and justifications are honestly disclosed and discussed. Such is sadly not the current situation with COVID-19, but that disappointment is not the subject of this essay. Rather I wish to succinctly summarize why COVID-19 differs from other infectious diseases for which mandatory vaccination is well justified. In the process of doing so, an apt analogy with the military draft for a specific cohort of young healthy Americans is presented. The imposition of mandatory vaccination and quarantine are well accepted for many infectious diseases, predicated upon the natures of those entities (for example childhood polio, smallpox, and measles). Coercive arguments are less sound for COVID-19, in particular for the special cohort of young, healthy, non-obese college students at near-zero risk of long-term disability or death from the disease. Unlike COVID, meningococcal disease does primarily affect young healthy college students. Yet there are generally no mandates for this particular vaccine. Students are highly encouraged to receive the meningococcal vaccinations, but not subjected to social shaming or other coercion. A similar policy should be applied to COVID-19. However, vaccination for the latter has been all but mandated by coercive tactics imposed by school administrators and government officials and an absolute mandate has been threatened by at least some elected officials (e.g., New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio). See The Problem with the Early Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates in National Review. While chanting herd immunity, herd immunity, the key point lost upon mandate advocates is that this phenomenon does not protect a demographic that has (thus far) been shown to have essentially zero (statistical) risk of death from the disease. This is not a highly sophisticated or complex biological concept, which leads its undaunted vociferous promotion to be all the more disturbing. In the case of COVID-19, our government has stated an agenda to reach herd immunity, but the only well-established rationale for this agenda is to protect the unvaccinated. Other claims are unsupported by other than rhetoric and conjecture. For example, the commonly held notion that more vaccinated individuals will lead to less clinically relevant wild-type mutation is, while plausible, not supported by actual data. Furthermore, although in theory reinfection with a more virulent strain could be bad for a vaccinated individual, this additional notional benefit of herd immunity also resides but within the realm of biological plausibility - i.e., again, significant data has yet to accumulate that such reinfection results in any increased morbidity and mortality for the vaccinated, re-infected individual. Childhood vaccinations differ from COVID because young children (at extreme risk of death and disability from infection) cannot be fully vaccinated due to the immaturity of their immune systems. They consequently rely upon herd immunity of older children and adults to avoid the illnesses. If all children could be immediately vaccinated at birth and only those who refused vaccination would suffer, it could be proper to not compel childhood vaccination. The policy of mandatory vaccination for childhood diseases is at least scientifically-based, and can therefore at least be properly argued for, whether or not an agreement is reached. The case for COVID-19 related illness and morbidity is entirely different from that of childhood and most other dangerous infectious diseases. The risk of death or long-term disability from SARS-CoV2 (COVID) infection if young (<25), healthy, and non-obese appears to be essentially zero. Data by Richardson et al in 2021 on this risk supersedes a lesser quality research letter published in JAMA in 2020. These are the papers: Safiya Richardson et al. In-Hospital 30-Day Survival Among Young Adults With Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Cohort Study. Open Forum Infectious Diseases Received 11 November 2020; editorial decision 3 May 2021; accepted 5 May 2021. * College-Aged Patients (1824 Years Old) There were 119 patients in our study within this age group (median age, 22 years [IQR, 2123]; 69% female). Median length of stay for these patients was 3 days (IQR, 1.94.9). Only 7 required invasive mechanical ventilation and, of those, 4 died. Two of the 7 who required invasive mechanical ventilation had no prior medical history except for obesity, whereas the remaining 5 patients all had comorbidities, including Downs syndrome, congestive heart failure, end-stage kidney disease, and obstructive sleep apnea. RESEARCH LETTER: Jonathan W. Cunningham, MD et al. Clinical Outcomes in Young US Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19. JAMA Internal Medicine. March 2021 Volume 181, Number 3; pp 379-381. * Published Online: September 9, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.5313 On the other hand, there are some known short-term risks of COVID vaccination, and entirely unknown long-term risks from mRNA vaccination. In particular, the risks of introducing spike protein expression and/or deposition onto potentially every cell of the human body - with or without modulating presence of natural humoral (antibody-mediated) or cell-mediated (T-cells and such) immunity - is unknown. When autonomous intelligent people decline something that seems to be clearly in their best interest, it would be respectful to understand their point of view. Such respect should lead to a presentation of compelling data, rather than shaming, coercion, and mandates that are similar to a military draft. Rather than label, deride, and mock with contemptuous disdain, it is in a societys interest to understand and convince its citizens, not compel them, in issues that are supposedly only for their own good. The fact of the matter is that there is a definite risk, small as it may be, for myocarditis and thrombosis and an unknown long-term risk from mRNA COVID vaccination (this article cannot be considered authoritative, but its concerns are not unreasonable to consider), and that there are other definite risks from more traditional antigen vaccines. Respectful treatment of persons does not simply tell people to ignore these risks and do what we (the government) say. Respectful treatment of persons requires adherence to the guiding principle of informed consent. Yet the following declaration, presented here in its entirety from the CDC website (accessed 7/18/2021 and again 8/3/2021) completely disregards that principle: CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years of age and older given the risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death. This statement should be considered disturbing and disrespectful to readers not for its frightening rhetoric, but for its astounding lack of scientific substantiation. Its authors apparently wish their readers to simply trust them, without bothering to link to even a single supportive data set. In other related sections of the CDC website, there are links to information about myocarditis and reported adverse effects, but again not a single citation to a published study, such as the ones I have included in this essay, that can help ordinary people and physicians decide upon relative risk vs benefit for themselves or their patients. Rhetoric presented in this manner should be considered arrogant and disrespectful. Readers are expected to implicitly trust this governmental guidance without a single published citation - when for over a year (and even now) the declaring authoritative agency hasnt been able to keep their advice straight on something as simple and benign as masking, and when initial declarations from its supporters told Americans to not even worry about the disease, to begin with, and called efforts to halt travel from China xenophobic. With that, I have no intention of being political here. I merely point out that the advice/prediction at the time, based on available data, was wrong. Unreferenced scary dangerous statements made by government to its citizens without citation to even a single piece of data should be considered improper, to say the least. Young Americans being compelled against their will to receive a vaccine deserve to at least be pointed in the direction of a clue as to how many completely healthy, non-obese, non-drug-abusing, under 25 year-olds have been shown to be at risk for all those stated CDC concerns, including death. Do they not? Do they not deserve that modicum of respect? Furthermore, for the CDC to blandly recommend vaccination equally regardless of antibody status (a marker of prior natural infection and protection against the disease) strikes this physician as cavalier at best, and incomprehensible at worst. If there is actual data to support CDC's recommendations, why is none presented? Could the actual data ultimately be proven as reliable as the assurance of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Given the near-zero risk of long-term disability or death from infection with SARS-CoV2 (the virus causing the COVID clinical syndrome), current data continues to suggest that the risk from COVID-19 vaccination in a young, healthy, under 25, non-obese person, and certainly one with circulating antibodies, approaches infinity (any risk divided by near-zero). This calculation may change upon new/ additional data, but so far this does not appear to be the case. See Lumley SF et al. Antibody Status and Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers. N Engl J Med 2021; 384:533-540. Feb 11, 2021. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034545. This article was published online on December 23, 2020, at NEJM.org. Once again: The risk of death or long-term disability from COVID infection if young adult (<25), healthy, and non-obese remains essentially zero, and any long-term immunologic side effects from vaccination are unknown. The effects (and risks) of introducing spike protein expression or deposition onto potentially every cell of the human body is unknown. Further, while vaccinating people who have already been infected may be seen as a "booster shot," there is limited data as to whether prior infection is better or worse for the vaccinee in the long term. These biologically plausible concerns are not trivial, yet they are simply understood: we do not and cannot know the long-term side effects for something in the short term. This is troublesome for a profession whose first and most sacrosanct principle is to do no harm. Once again: There is a definite risk, small as it may be, for heart inflammation (myocarditis) and blood clots (thrombosis), and unknown long-term risk from mRNA COVID vaccination. There are some other risks associated with the more traditionally prepared (not mRNA) vaccines, including several cases of devastating blood clotting in the brain (cerebral vein thrombosis). Once again: The risk for long-term disability or death from COVID-19 infection in a young, healthy, under 25, non-obese person is very low, and for those with natural antibodies (from prior infection), this risk likely approaches zero. Hence the risk of vaccination in this particular cohort approaches infinity (any risk divided by near-zero serious morbidity). This calculus can obviously change, but only as more, reliable, and disclosed information arises. While individual vaccination clearly benefits cohorts at risk from the native infection, young healthy non-obese people are not necessarily at risk and therefore unlikely to personally benefit from COVID vaccination. It may be good for them to get vaccinated, just as it may be good for them to start IRA accounts in their teens or to enlist in the military. But reasonable people may disagree with these life choices based upon their own values and actual known facts associated with the choices. The most important point policymakers considering abrogation of informed consent for involuntary vaccination must consider is this: that herd immunity confers definite benefit only to those who eschew vaccination. Thus the similarity to a military draft. Any compelled risk or injury sustained by young healthy persons at minimal risk (by analogy, draftees) specifically/primarily to create herd immunity (fight foreign wars) does not benefit those persons (soldiers) per se, only (if anyone) the herd back home. Aside from my analogy to the military draft, the careful reader must admit that I do not provide an opinion as to whether or not an autonomous respected citizen of the United States, or one of their children, should accept COVID-19 vaccination. I have received it, my wife has received it, my friends have received it, and I recommend it to almost all of my patients. But I do not coerce them, and here I offer for consideration merely a reasonable clarification of the current state of affairs that respects patient autonomy, arguably the most important medical ethics principle of the latter 20th century. I favor duty to society. However, the superior moral argument for vaccination in young healthy adults remains one of autonomous personal risk assumption. If we are to compel anyone for the benefit of society, the superior moral argument would be to compel vaccination of high-risk patients, perhaps otherwise denying insurance claims for their COVID-19 related illnesses, rather than coercing young healthy persons in college or elsewhere, who are at essentially zero risk of death or long-term disability from native infection, to promote herd immunity for the benefit of vaccine refusers. Dominick A. Rascona, MD, FCCP, is a Captain, Medical Corps, US Navy (ret.) and an MD in Pulmonary Medicine/ Critical Care (NBPAS/ABIM); Neurocritical Care (UCNS) in Norfolk, Virginia Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. It is my very firm belief that when America is strong, the world is safer and more stable. Observe then, that it has taken less than seven months for our installed (*) government to diminish Americas strength and our standing in the world, with the predictable consequence of strengthening the enemies of Freedom. My father had several small desk-top plaques or picture frames in his office that displayed either witty sayings or motivational wisdom. As a salesman and small business owner, I think he wanted to generate conversation with the folks who visited his office so he could learn what made em tick and how his company could best meet their needs. Those visitors would also learn more about his values and experience. Recent events remind me of one specific saying he memorialized on a plaque, which he apparently learned while growing up in rural northwest Guilford County, North Carolina: Id druther see it than hear tell of it (Old Summerfield saying) The meaning is relatively easy to decipher, even though it is not conveyed in the Kings English. In its own way, it summed up what one would expect to hear in the common-sense wisdom of rural Americans who worked from before sun-up to after sundown, and who had the hardened, rough, muscular hands that offered a quick and vice-like handshake. This wisdom came from the folks who then, as now, make the country work and who along with many millions of other Americans, want all Americans to succeed and thrive. These were then and now, also among the first Americans to send their sons and daughters to defend America and the Freedom we want to see take hold in every corner of the world. I just cant imagine what they would be thinking today, seeing our fellow Americans (and those we have elected) throw away our hard-won birthright of Freedom, deny their fellow citizens their constitutional rights, and deny America her rightful place of leadership in a dangerous and unstable world. Well, I am glad I am alive to see this current mess. I am not sure I could have believed it otherwise if I had heard tell of it. There are a number of ways in which we are in the process of destroying all that American leadership means in a dangerous world. It is quite unbelievable, but it offers an incredible opportunity as a teachable moment. Lets use this opportunity to review the impact that American energy independence has not only on every American but on the world. Beginning in 2017 and continuing to January 19, 2021, the business and political climate enabled America to attain energy independence for the first time in my lifetime, and we were a net exporter of petroleum. I am glad I was alive to see it because I always knew we could do it! That America has this capability is extremely important, because not only can we meet our own needs for fuel and natural gas, but we can also provide a stable source of these products to the world (hmm blessed to be a blessing, maybe?). For example, in September 2019, two major Saudi Arabian oil installations (ahem, excuse me, thats OPEC) were attacked by drones. Iran was a prime suspect. The result was to be expected, which was that the price of oil rose dramatically overnight. But the markets quickly calmed, and oil prices returned to normative market levels as quickly as they did because American oil producers never missed a beat and there was no meaningful reduction in supply. I am old enough to remember the 1970s, the fuel shortages and oil crisis, sky-high gasoline prices, gas lines, higher home heating oil prices (you may also remember, and you get the picture). OPEC made it clear then its member nations were not our friends. Americas energy sector also got a punch in the gut from OPEC in 2014 when, in response to Americas rising oil production and potential market dominance, OPEC boosted production to drive down oil prices, and prepared to endure what they expected to be a short-term loss. Meanwhile, oil prices were below what American companies needed to be profitable. It was quite the bust, and many of the folks I know here in Texas were severely impacted. Thankfully, that turned around in 2017 and a leaner, smarter U.S. oil sector bounced back and made America energy independent for the first time in over 70 years. Today, that has all been thrown away. Flushed. Gone, at least for the foreseeable future. The current American government installed (*) as it were on January 20, 2021, immediately hamstrung our domestic oil production and halted pipeline construction, all of which affects our allies as well as each and every American. Hard-working, skilled American workers have lost their jobs. In fact, the poor, the single-parent families, and those who depend on hourly-wage jobs are the hardest hit. To offset the loss of supply to our European allies (Im guessing, because it makes no sense whatsoever), Joe Biden has waived economic sanctions against Vladimir Putins entourage of supportive oligarchs, enabling Russia to build their own Nordstream 2 pipeline, sell their oil and natural gas to our allies in Europe (effectively holding them hostage to Russian supply), which ensures Russia will have hundreds of billions of dollars in future revenue. Given Russias historical position as an adversary to Freedom, dont expect those Russian oligarchs to be rushin to any reforms that would increase freedom, individual liberty, and prosperity for their own citizens. Those revenues will be used against America and our allies. Sarcastically, but in very real terms, the Russians are using the leverage they have gained by stealing Hunter Bidens laptop to great effect against America. I havent seen yet how this might be affecting the Biden crime family, but I can tell you it is affecting my family. How about yours? This week Joe Biden asked some reports say he begged OPEC to increase oil productionbecause we need their oiland we will pay them for their oil before we pay Americans to explore, produce, ship, store, and refine our own oil. If I hadnt seen it, I wouldnt believe it if Id heard tell of it. Hell, now that I have seen it, I still cant believe it! An elected (*) president, having sworn an oath before God to all Americans that he would, faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, has relinquished a hugely significant part of Americas strength and national security to those who have been our historical adversaries -- in Russias case, our mortal enemy (remember Nikita Khrushchev, We will bury you!). Yeah, my friends dont talk to me like that, either. Ironically, Russia and OPEC probably see this whole situation as I do. If they hadnt seen it, they wouldnt believe it to hear tell of it. Jeff M. Lewis is a Christian, a husband and father, a Veteran, and a small-business owner in South Texas. Image: The Lucas Gusher at Spindletop, Texas (1901). Public domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. There will be blood! That's the one thing that can be said with any certainty about the catastrophe in Afghanistan. The ensuing question is, who is responsible for the inevitable bloodletting? The Taliban, obviously. Their record for savagery long precedes the current debacle. But the cast of characters is much larger. There are a series of corrupt Afghan governments that despite the deluge of American treasure and blood failed to create a meaningful military force. There were the neo-cons whose delusion of regime change and nation-building appealed to American hubris but had no correspondence to political realities. There was the American failure to acknowledge history. Afghanistan has always been the graveyard of empires. Ask the British and the Russians or Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great. But most of all, there is the Biden administration that conducted an asymmetric negotiation in Doha for withdrawal without getting anything meaningful in return. The agreed upon intra-Afghan negotiations will not take place. Secretary of state Antony Blinken said this is not Vietnam. But we must wonder if he has seen the chaos at Kabul's airport. The last days of Saigon and Kabul are strikingly similar. Foreign wars have never been a political winner for any candidate, and 2022 is an election year. Most Americans could not find Afghanistan on a map, and the Taliban is less important to them than the price of gasoline or the employment rate. Those who will applaud the decision to leave will point out that twenty years of blood and treasure have not defeated the Taliban, and another five years will not make a difference. To them, Afghanistan was lost from inception, and once Osama bin Laden was out of the picture, we had no business there. Even so, there are ways to withdraw from the battlefield that do not result in chaos or yield to the enemy billions of dollars of military hardware. For twenty years, we changed Afghanistan, extricating it from the nightmare of fundamentalist Islam. We provided hope and opportunity, especially for the women and minority faiths in Afghanistan. We made important advances in health care, education especially for women and human rights. Now we are abandoning the Afghan people to a ruthless fundamentalism that has shown a penchant for shedding innocent blood. People with whom we worked will be murdered. Single women will be coerced into sexual slavery for Taliban fighters. This is our responsibility. It is a responsibility the Biden administration is happy to ignore. We will call on the international community to come to the aid of Afghanistan, but except for begging the Taliban to behave with civility, the international community will do nothing. Yes, there will be an ensuing problem of hunger and economic upheaval, but authoritarian governments are conquerors in their own land. The Taliban will be as sensitive to these concerns as the Iranian mullahs are to the sanctions. America's credibility in the world of diplomacy will suffer its biggest decline since President Barack Obama failed to follow through on the line in the sand in Syria. As thenvice president Joe Biden told him, great powers do not bluff. But the words fell on a man who thought of himself as the smartest guy in every room. Twice in recent memory, America has withdrawn from its commitments leaving behind chaos, human suffering, and in Syria an incomparable refugee problem. America is not a dependable ally. How will this affect the future of American diplomacy? In Israel, the opinion leaders are already asking whether it is time for Israel to go it alone. Certainly, it is a question being asked throughout the Middle East. How it will play out remains to be seen, but America's ability to influence world affairs will certainly have been compromised, as will what's left of its credibility. Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science, University of Cincinnati. Image: Sgt Rupert Frere RLC. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. My father gave me Werner Keller's The Bible as History when I was a kid. I've been a sucker for biblical histories since then. Keller's been superseded, both by the deconstructionists who claim that the Bible isn't true and by modern archeology, which has added to and reinterpreted many archeological findings since Keller's time. And last week, in Jerusalem, an archeologist discovered an earring that helps confirms one of the most pivotal stories in the Bible: the destruction of Solomon's Temple and the Babylonian captivity. The Bible describes how the Kingdom of Judah, under Jehoiakim, refused to pay tribute to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The Babylonians besieged Jerusalem, Judah's capital, ultimately destroying Solomon's Temple one of the greatest tragedies in Jewish history. Jews still mourn that destruction on Tisha B'Av, which is one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar. Over the next twenty years or so, the Babylonians depopulated most of Judah, bringing the Jews to Babylon. All of this took place from around 605 B.C. to 580 B.C. While the event was a tragedy, it also consolidated the identity of the Jewish people. Historically, when a nation was defeated in war, with the survivors deported to the victor's kingdom, that nation vanished from history. That didn't happen with the Jews. Because their God wasn't tied to graven images and temples, He traveled with them and helped them maintain their distinct Jewish identity, right up until the Persian king, Cyrus, conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return home. The Babylonian captivity gave us one beautiful psalm and one amazing story (a story I wish the Democrats would heed). Psalm 137 is lovely despite that gruesome last line: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. As for the story, in Daniel, we learn how King Belshazzar partied, even as the Persians were headed his way. At that party, a giant hand appeared and wrote on the wall: "Mene, Mene tekel upharsin." The king's days were numbered. The events of the past week might be sending that same message to Biden & Co. The question is, did that Babylonian conquest and exile really happen? Based on a dazzling find in Jerusalem, yes, it did: Archaeologists from the University of North Carolina made a remarkable discovery while digging on Mount Zion in Jerusalem that is evidence of the Babylonian conquest of the city in 586 BCE: a golden earring. Dr. Rafi Lewis, co-director of the project, explained the importance of the tiny earring. "With finds like this, there is a material value but, more importantly, there is a spiritual and emotional value," Dr. Lewis told Breaking Israel News. "On that level, this find is quite literally priceless. We can establish the context as the destruction of the First Temple without any doubt. We have made similar finds outside of the city but this is the first time we made such finds inside the city." [snip] "This is not proof of the destruction of the Temple since the dig is on Mount Zion, some distance from the Temple Mount," Lewis said, noting that there has been no archaeological work permitted on the Temple Mount due to the political and religious sensitivity. "But this is certainly proof of the destruction of Jerusalem [in the Babylonian captivity time period]." Reading that, I harked back to what Keller wrote in the introduction to his book: "You see, the Bible is right after all!" By the way, if you're interested in whether the Exodus really happened, I highly recommend Patterns of History: Exodus, which makes a very credible archeological argument that the Exodus happened as the Bible describes. I also recommend Dennis Prager's Rational Bible books, especially the one about Exodus. Image: The ancient city of Jerusalem with Solomon's Temple. Library of Congress collection. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. As the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, the president of the United States went into hiding. Bidens most recent disappearing act in a moment of crisis proved once again that hes not leading the nation and that America is without a commander-in-chief. But his belated and disgraceful address to the Nation served to highlight the 3 Ds that define the modern Democratic Party dishonesty, delusion, and danger. It was an embarrassing and feeble display from the start. Biden, an allegedly fully vaccinated man, removed his face diaper for the cameras as he made the ten foot walk from offstage to the podium. But right out of the gate Joe Biden lied to the American people. He announced, My national security team and I have been closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and moving quickly to execute the plans we had put in place to respond to every constituency including and contingency including the rapid collapse we are seeing now. The truth is Joe Biden had no plan no contingency; certainly not for the rapid collapse. Afghanis clung to a U.S. military plane as it took off from an airport in Kabul. It was a frenzied exodus Ashraf Ghani, the former Afghan president fled, and U.S. embassy personnel were rushed out of the now-abandoned embassy. Thousands of U.S. citizens currently remain trapped in Afghanistan as the Taliban hunts them down. Yet Joe Biden lied and claimed a contingency plan was in place for the rapid collapse were seeing now. Its dishonest. Joe Biden is a liar. As a matter of fact, per CNN, Biden ignored military leaders warnings that his hasty withdrawal would likely result in the collapse of the Afghan government and a Taliban insurrection in the capitol. He didnt plan for every contingency. He dismissed this one the one that happened. But so too is Biden delusional. He claimed that I am president of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me. And yet at no point in his teleprompter address did he accept responsibility for this disaster. Instead he blamed Trump and the Afghani people. Trump isnt president and the Afghani people arent responsible for the evacuation of American personnel in Afghanistan. Biden is. But he cares more about ice cream than he does about the American citizen. He spends more time choosing his flavor of ice cream than he does planning a responsible evacuation of Afghanistan. It is Biden who publicly announced in July that the military mission would end by August 31. It is Biden, who ignored the council of his military advisors, and ended the mission even ahead of schedule. It is Biden who abandoned the Afghani people in the dead of night without having the decency to notify the Afghani commander at Bagram Airforce base of Americas sudden departure back in July. Per the AP, The U.S. left Afghanistans Bagram Airfield after nearly 20 years by shutting off the electricity and slipping away in the night without notifying the bases new Afghan commander, who discovered the Americans departure more than two hours after they left, Afghan military officials said. Despite this betrayal, Biden had the audacity to claim in his teleprompter address that, when I hosted President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah at the White House in June, and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed. Apparently Biden wasnt very frank, because the Afghani commander of Bagram Air Force Base didnt learn of our departure until after wed left. But lies and delusion coincided when Biden made the claim that, Well continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people, of women and girls, just as we speak out all over the world. The Taliban routinely executes gays, and stones women. Biden cozies up to the Chinese while they torture and kill Muslims in their internment camps. Biden and the Democrat party dont speak up for anyones basic human rights all over the world. They only invent non-existent violations in the United States. Bidens irresponsible abandonment of Afghanistan is also dangerous. Not only are Americans in Afghanistan presently in danger of losing their lives because of his recklessness and incompetence, but future Americans will also be in danger of losing their lives at the hands of the Taliban. Our mission in Afghanistan was to neutralize the threat of the Taliban and al Qaida; to prevent a future terrorist attack. Biden claimed that Im adamant we focus on the threats we face today, in 2021, not yesterdays threats. But yesterdays threats are now todays threats. We spent 20 years fighting against the Taliban, who sheltered Osama Bin Laden as he plotted the 9/11 attacks. 20 years later the Taliban has overtaken Afghanistan in a matter of days. What was the point? Biden doesnt care. Hes already resumed his vacation. Then again, per CNN, the Taliban is just chanting Death to America but they seem friendly at the same time. Meanwhile the DHS has issued new terror threats for Americans opposing COVID measures. Biden and the Democrats are dishonest, delusional, and dangerous. Drew Allen is the host of The Drew Allen Show podcast. He is a Texas-bred, California-based and millennial author, columnist, and political analyst. His work can be read and seen and heard at drewthomasallen.com Image: Screen shot from Today video, via shareable YouTube To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. We heard in 2020 how Joe Biden would walk into the presidency as a man well versed in foreign policy. The media repeated this over and over again, as we remember: Biden has been blasted by even liberal media outlets for the scenes of chaos unfolding in the war-torn nation, as the Taliban seized power in Kabul and the Afghan government quickly collapsed amid the U.S. troop departure. The president has been accused of being caught flat-footed, looking incompetent, betraying allies, and emboldening American adversaries. Yet part of Biden's appeal to the press in 2020 was his supposed foreign policy chops after decades in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president, although Obama Secretary of Defense Robert Gates once remarked Biden had "been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." The New York Times wrote in its endorsement editorial that Biden would "stock his administration with competent, qualified, principled individuals" and said he had the "necessary chops" to restore the country's global reputation. To say the least, the wise ones left their chops at home. This is on Biden 100%, but he clearly got some very bad information about the situation in Afghanistan. Back in July, he painted a picture of Afghanistan that just did not work out. Who gave Biden those facts? Or was this another one of those Biden moments when he just spoke out loud without any information? It's one thing to "gaffe" about this or that, but this was a president assuring a nation that things were under control in Afghanistan. You'd be fired in a private company for making such a grave mistake. Biden would go a long way toward recovering his credibility by accepting blame and firing a few of his advisers. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). Image: US gov. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Joe Biden and his media acolytes call him Mr. Empathy and Mr. Compassion. His Afghanistan speech yesterday told a different story, and should end that phony spin forever. My takeaway was how cold, and hard, and compassionless Biden was as he sought to extricate himself from the catastrophe of his own making. He blamed everyone but himself for his failure, starting with the Afghan army. He smarmily assured terrified Afghanis left behind he'd now speak out for their human rights instead of actually protect them. He effectively told U.S. servicemembers their service was for nothing. It was appalling. Biden came off as a man without a soul. First, he blamed our Afghan allies for the collapse of the country, effectively calling them cowards. American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong. Incredibly well equipped. A force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies. We gave them every tool they could need. We paid their salaries, provided for the maintenance of their air force, something the Taliban doesnt have. Taliban does not have an air force. We provided close air support. We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future. It was some amazing chutzpah to say that, given the thousands of Afghanis who gave their lives to the conflict. He showered them with money, see, sounding like a heartless martinet father figure. But the Brookings Institution has compiled a list from 2013-2017, which is just four years of the 20-year-conflict, showing 24,000 dead. More Afghanis lost their lives fighting the Taliban over the past 20 years than Americans or allies. But to Joe, they're just cowards glomming off the Americans and unwilling to fight. Biden continued the string of insults to people who lost thousands: Heres what I believe to my core: It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistans own armed forces would not. The political leaders of Afghanistan were unable to come together for the good of their people, unable to negotiate for the future of their country when the chips were down. They would never have done so while U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan bearing the brunt of the fighting for them. As H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor to President Trump, but no Trump ally, noted in this Wall Street Journal op-ed today here -- there hadn't been a single U.S. casualty on the Afghanistan front in more than a year and a half, because the Afghanis were doing the fighting. Biden's mendacious claim: ...insults the memory of tens of thousands of Afghans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against our common enemies and underestimates the psychological blow from Americas sudden abandonment. Worse still, McMaster notes that it was Biden who destroyed their will (emphasis mine). On April 14, ignoring predictions of dire consequences, President Biden announced that all U.S. forces would depart by Sept. 1120 years to the day after jihadist terrorists used their safe haven in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to launch the deadliest terrorist attack in history. As U.S. forces departed, the Taliban seized the initiative and launched an offensive on Afghan cities, taking control of the large majority of provinces in 11 days. The takeovers in the north exposed the Talibans plan, along with al Qaeda, to isolate and overthrow the elected government in Kabul and subjugate the country under its brutal form of Shariah. The fall of Kandahar on Thursday gave the Taliban a major symbolic victory in the ideological center of the antimodernist and misogynist movement. The fall of Ghazni, Laghman, Logar and Paktia provinces on Kabuls doorstep enabled the disaster we are now seeing in the capital. Biden was the guy who demoralized the Afghan army. in handing the Taliban a handy schedule so they could focus and strategize. But that was hardly all. In the previous year, the U.S. pressured the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners. Supposedly, that was a peace offering. Actually, that was like releasing Gitmo terrorists onto U.S. soil to make the terrorists like us. The unjailed terrorists did what injailed terrorists do, and joined the Taliban as reinforcements for their final battle. That ought to have been a real morale-builder to the Afghani army seeing the 60,000-strong enemy get 5,000 fresh recruits. Joe then kept on sending the signals to them, all the way to the bitter end. According to this Wall Street Journal editorial: As the Taliban closed in on Kabul, Mr. Biden sent a confirmation of U.S. abandonment that absolved himself of responsibility, deflected blame to his predecessor, and more or less invited the Taliban to take over the country. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd stirred up something of a tweet storm in leftist quarters last weekend with a hit piece on Barack Obama's super-spreader birthday bash, titled, without subtlety, "Behold Barack Antoinette." The reference is to Marie Antionette, the soon-to-be-beheaded French queen who reportedly dissed the revolutionary masses with her classic brush-off, "Let them eat cake." In reading the column, I found myself amused at Dowd's discovery that Obama is "a diffident debutante with a distaste for politics." Given the access to power provided by her lofty perch at the Times, I had to ask myself, "How had it taken her so long to grasp the obvious?" In comparing Obama to F. Scott Fitzgerald's party-giving Jay Gatsby, Dowd writes, "Barack Obama gave a big, lavish, new-money party at his sprawling mansion on the water because he wanted to seem cool. Being cool is important to him. One difference is that Gatsby opened his house to the uninvited." Had Ms. Dowd simply looked at the cover of my new book, Barack Obama's Promised Land: Deplorables Need Not Apply, she would have known that her thesis is not original. Barack Obama's "promised land" had no room for the uninvited or the "disinvitado," let alone the deplorables. Some background. In Obama's 2020 memoir A Promised Land, he expressed his fears of climate change at great length. "I pictured caravans of lost souls wandering a cracked earth in search of arable land," he wrote, "regular Katrina-sized catastrophes across every continent, island nations swallowed up by the sea." Wrote I in response, "Yet despite these fears, Obama somehow found the courage to buy a seaside estate that gobbled at least three times the energy of the average American home. The purchase calls to mind another memorable quote from a doomed French royal, 'Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.' Let them eat cake." I am not accusing Dowd of lifting this metaphor, although she is quite capable of lifting metaphors and worse. In May 2009, for instance, Dowd was accused of pilfering a paragraph from the blog of Talking Points Memo editor Josh Marshall. I read Dowd's response before I saw the purloined paragraph. "I was talking to a friend of mine Friday about what I was writing," Dowd began. This friend, Dowd continued, "suggested I make this point, expressing it in a cogent and I assumed spontaneous way and I wanted to weave the idea into my column." Reading this, one might expect Dowd's passage to be a rough paraphrase of Marshall's. No, not so rough. Here is what Dowd wrote: More and more the timeline is raising the question of why, if the torture was to prevent terrorist attacks, it seemed to happen mainly during the period when the Bush crowd was looking for what was essentially political information to justify the invasion of Iraq. Here is what Marshall wrote earlier: More and more the timeline is raising the question of why, if the torture was to prevent terrorist attacks, it seemed to happen mainly during the period when we were looking for what was essentially political information to justify the invasion of Iraq. Granted, Dowd is a plagiarist and a liar, but then again, all plagiarists lie when caught. I am confident, however, that she did not borrow from me because she, like her mainstream peers, would never deign to read, let alone lift, anything from what I call the "American samizdat" that is, the largely conservative blogs, public forums, news aggregators, online publications, talk radio shows, and the like that sniffed out the fraud in the Obama ascendancy long before the rot became too pungent to ignore. For years, people like Dowd served as Obama's Praetorian Guard. They routinely defamed opposition journalists, mocked their work, exposed their past sins, trivialized their information, and twisted their facts, all the while remaining wonderfully and willfully blind to the grift the Obamas were running on America, Michelle even more than Barack. As early as June 2010, however, Dowd began to realize she'd been had. On the occasion of the Gulf oil mess, the Pulitzer Prizewinner confessed her own naivete. In "Dreams From My Father," Obama showed passion, lyricism, empathy and an exquisite understanding of character and psychological context all the qualities that he has stubbornly resisted showing as president. It was a book that promised a president who could see into the hearts of other people. But there's so much you don't learn about candidates in campaigns, even when they seem completely exposed. Had Ms. Dowd read American Thinker in October 2008, she could have spared herself two more years of delusion. Obama was as much a literary fraud as she was. Not only did he likely plagiarize sections of Dreams, but he also passed off as his own writing done by others. Even worse, he did not live the life he said he lived. Like Jay Gatsby, Obama reinvented his life and crafted for himself a new persona. Wrote Pulitzer Prizewinner David Garrow in his 2017 Obama biography, Rising Star, Dreams "was not a memoir or an autobiography; it was instead, in multitudinous ways, without any question a work of historical fiction." Obama's A Promised Land is nearly as fictional as Dreams. The title itself deceives. To be sure, the Obamas found a "promised land" of their own, manifest most showily in their Martha's Vineyard hideaway. But the title refers to the promised land to which Obama was supposed to lead the "Joshua generation," the postJim Crow generation of African-Americans. Tragically, they never got close. The dilettante Obama led these unfortunate souls deeper, much deeper, into the wilderness. Just how deep is evident in the Twitter responses to Dowd's column. Some samples off the top: Why are old white women allowed to write vengeful "uppity" pieces in the NYT? Maureen Dowd referred to Obama as a "diffident debutante" in her column today. She's a racist. I for one am happy to see the worm has turned in this country when snooty white bigots like Maureen Dowd are so mad they couldn't get an invite to a Black man's birthday party. Love to see it. Maureen Dowd also often referred to the first Black President of the United States, President Barack Obama, as Barry in her columns. We all can see the subtext here. There should be no place for a writer like Maureen Dowd at the New York Times. Welcome to the club, Maureen. We're all white supremacists now. Jack Cashill's latest book, Barack Obama's Promised Land: Deplorables Need Not Apply, is now widely available. See www.cashill.com for more information. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. I've previously recommended a strategy for turning the political tide that involves getting involved locally. These battles will not be won from the top down. We must build our case from the bottom, converting people one at a time. It is often said that the battle is too big, and the left will overpower us. In a way, that's true. The left is too big because conservatives fight alone. Numbers are important. The more of us who band together to help, the more power we will have to turn this tide. We should build the numbers the Democrat way, by building coalitions, but time may be short. Democrats are professionals at taking groups of people, including political enemies, and bringing them together into coalitions to create overwhelming numbers. It is how they eke out a majority. Conservatives and Republicans do not generally do that. Each interest group fights its battles alone. We need to take this page from the Democrats and form coalitions. We have subgroups within conservatism with great talent and enthusiasm, but we never coordinate responses. Look at how the Democrats do this. When there is a political battle, they help each other out, adding numbers to create an appearance of strength. If the issue changes, the rhetoric changes, but the same people are fighting the battles. All that will change is the group taking the lead. In the current battle over CRT in local schools, the point of the spear is the Democrat school board. Immediately, the teacher's union steps up to assist. Racial equity groups add their strength. Academia, the source of the ideas, defends the "scholarship." The press and social media provide information assistance. It's sold as "everyone agrees," and the parents are the outliers with the strange ideas. Democrats usually pull this off. It's always the same. Progressives identify a "problem" that can be fixed using progressive ideas from a progressive organization. Defund the Police, CRT, $15 minimum wage, Green New Deal, Universal Basic Income, and the For the People Act are all examples. In every case, the small groups band together to present a massive front. Conservatives just want to be left alone, and they do not easily create coalitions. However, if we are going to leave our comfort zone and become a militant opposition, we need to combine groups into a coordinated opposition with massive numbers. We need to find and build on the threads of agreement among the various interest groups. "Leave us alone" is not going to work. The connections among groups like pro-life groups, the NRA, free-market capitalists, and other conservative groups may not be obvious. It's not based on specific issues but is, instead, philosophical. The conservative connection is individual liberty. It is the lifeblood of conservatism. Progressives are against individual liberty, and each of the primary issues on which they fight is meant to give power to government at the expense of individual liberty. Progressives are keenly aware of the interconnections between the various issues. They use those connections to build the powerful coalitions that are difficult to resist. They battle with a combined front. When conservatives attempt to defend liberty in specific instances, they are often surrounded by an overwhelming army of coordinated opposition, giving an appearance of irresistible power. Conservatives already have a communication network in conservative media including radio, podcasts, cable, and websites like this one. We fail to use this power to build conservative coalitions that can defeat the left. The information is out there. We know that parents are battling the school systems over CRT and COVID restrictions. We know that conservative legislators in several states are fighting to put election reforms in place. We know that hundreds of people are held without bail for minor crimes on January 6. We know, but we fail to provide coordinated help. We sit back, cheer them on, and watch them fight alone with the hope that they will be victorious. It is rugged individualism transferred to groups. We fight only when our particular ox is being gored, and this will lead to our eventual defeat. Conservative organizations need to look at these battles and look for opportunities to join and help. If we do not build coalitions, they will defeat us by sheer strength of numbers. When conservatives see fellow conservatives in battle, we should offer help and not just cheer from the sidelines. We cannot fight the left's coordinated effort alone. Working together, we outnumber them. This is a difficult request. We are busy people with jobs and responsibilities, but we are at a point at which getting involved is no longer optional. If we are going to successfully resist the leftist onslaught, we need to do this quickly, and we need to move out of our comfort zone and help fight these battles. We fight locally, and we fight together as one. We can be victorious. Image: Join, or Die by Benjamin Franklin. Public domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. After listening to President Joe Biden give his 20-minute speech explaining his decision to leave Afghanistan in the hurried way that has resulted in the fall of the nation (if we can call the tribal land such), I was compelled to end my half-year self-imposed exile from writing articles. I had become fearful of the cancel culture and the woke antipathy that have overtaken our country. But watching the videos of the failure in Kabul has reminded me of the film during the fall of Saigon 50 years ago. Have we learned anything from history? George Santayana would be brought to mind as we relive this disgrace. While all the experts point fingers and blame others, it is time to understand the essential truth that caused the failure. Undoubtedly, the president was told that the Afghan military would be unable to maintain their ground without the support of the U.S. military. Perhaps they did overestimate the ability of the Afghanis, but this is not the problem. Our soldiers sacrificed limb and life for the mission to end the terrorism that resulted in the 9/11attacks. They performed their mission well and were misused by our political leaders. This brings to mind the failure of Vietnam, where we propped up corrupt surrogates. We now have to place many more soldiers in harm's way to secure the evacuation of Americans and our allies from the overrun capital. For twenty years, these soldiers have done their job and kept the terrorists from attacking our homeland. During the 19th century, the British found that the tribal groups were ungovernable by Western standards as the artificially contrived boundaries did not conform to a national identity. This did not change with the end of the war to end wars, or World War I. Even WW II did not change this situation. The Soviet Union could not manage the country. We allowed the Taliban leadership to escape at the beginning of the war due to stupid rules of engagement. The arrogant, smug intellectuals who manage foreign affairs of our superpower nation have failed to recognize human behavior again. They thought they could create a democratic society that never had one, nor much literacy, cohesion, or common fidelity. But after twenty years of American guidance, the Afghani military and government folded like a cheap trick when exposed. Their corrupt leadership did not gain the loyalty of the people. The Afghani president ran away lest he be caught. Yes, for months and years, the Afghan military absorbed casualties in their battle with the Taliban, but that was with our support both on the ground and in the air. When they feared our departure, they recognized that the Taliban would torture and slaughter those who resisted. So they surrendered their weapons and ran. No wonder it happened so quickly. The choice between the dictatorship of Islamic fundamentalists and torture or death was easily decided. The people were never members of the modern age. They would rather live under Sharia law than fight for liberty or the women now at risk. Those who helped us for years were promised protection and eventual relocation to America. Even this was in short supply. Panic results from the onslaught of the enemy when their brutality is so evident. The political and military leadership of our nation kept redefining the mission so that defeating the Taliban and al-Qaeda was no longer the aim. Instead, as with most bureaucracies, the mission creep became nation-building. The president of the USA could have taken on a limited mission of maintaining our three bases within the territory, but then we would likely be there for many decades as in Europe and Asia. For once Biden was correct that we could not sustain this purpose for ever. But his staff failed to provide a plan that would lead to an orderly withdrawal. But then his staff has failed at the border, too. So we are looking like a paper tiger again. After twenty years, the cause of the sorry videos and failure in Afghanistan is the arrogance and lack of appreciation of the differences in culture and aspirations of others. We can instill hope and desire in other peoples, but we cannot transform their mindset. Just as we think we can control the Earth's environment independent of cosmic forces, we have swelled heads about our abilities to influence events. We call this hubris, and it is the root of many failures throughout history. Will we ever learn the lesson? Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Imagine the horror! All your teen and adult life, you've been taught that feminism is sacrosanct and LGBT issues are equally holy. But you've also been taught that indigenous peoples and movements are to be solemnly praised. And you've never, ever spoken an unkind word about Islam or Muslims, even being ever so quick to criticize anything Christian while being ever suspicious of all things Israel. Now here you are with one of your favorite presidential administrations of all time having allowed even fostered the takeover of a secular Islamic country by an indigenous Islamic movement that casts homosexuals off tall buildings and mutilates female genitalia. So, who are the villains here? Are they the scimitar-wielding, 8th-century Neanderthals who call themselves the Taliban? Can't say that. They're Muslim! Is it the semi-senile, lavishly corrupt president whom the leftist media and Big Tech tied themselves into pretzels to get elected? Can't be. That would risk admitting that an entire nation had been lied to several times over. Could it be the abundantly and elegantly educated chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Milley; secretary of defense Lloyd Austin; and secretary of state Antony Blinken? Say not so! That would indict our whole puffed-up, Gilbert and Sullivanesque, elitist D.C. swamp. Americans might then see that the left-wing Progressive establishment has no clothes! What might they then conclude? Well, maybe that they're being lied to about a few other things (COVID, BLM, pipelines, elections, borders, Brexit, global warming, guns, Bibles, capitalism, Marxism, white privilege, Critical Race Theory, ivermectin, the Wuhan Virological Institute, January 6, masks)? Where might that lead? Government by the people? So let's watch how our media/Big Tech overlords contort themselves over the next two weeks to blame the worst foreign policy disaster in decades on anyone but the left-wing, progressive establishment. Expect Trump, maybe even Ulysses S. Grant, to bear the brunt of the fusillade. Watch too for signals that the Taliban, even al-Qaeda, are not such bad guys, and may even be welcomed into the Family of Nations that we all so love. Maybe even NATO! Watch and wait for signs that melting glaciers or income inequality may have caused the fall of Kabul. Expect white nationalist extremists to have been a root cause. And last but not least, observe all those AK-47-wielding insurgents on your television screens and wait for NPR to ponder what that means for why a semi-automatic weapons ban in the U.S. is now so critical. Image: Meme created by Political Clown Parade. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Following Biden's disastrous pullout, it's clear that many Afghan citizens will come to America. Even if the administration doesn't ship them in, they'll head for our southern border, just as every other third-world immigrant is doing. And here's where the problems arise: recently arriving Afghan immigrant men (unlike the ones who came to the West decades ago) have an appalling record of sexual assault against women and children once they're in the West. Remember in 2014 and 2015, when Angela Merkel opened Europe's gates to the people fleeing the Syrian Civil War and the other fallout from Obama's "Arab Spring"? Western Europe went from having almost no sex crimes to seeing its rape and pedophilia statistics skyrocket (the leftist states and media covering up crimes). Check the map at this link to see that Europe's incidence of rapes now roughly parallels America's. In 2017, Cheryl Benard addressed rape and the influx of male immigrants from Afghanistan into Europe. Her essay at The National Interest explains her qualifications to speak: I have worked on issues related to refugees for much of my professional life, from the Pakistani camps during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan to Yemen, Sudan, Thailand, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Lebanon, Bosnia, Nicaragua and Iraq, and have deep sympathy for their plight. The "about" section at the end of the article elaborates: Dr. Cheryl Benard was program director of the Initiative for Middle Eastern Youth and the Alternative Strategies Initiative within the RAND Corporation's National Security Research Division. Her publications include Civil Democratic Islam, Building Moderate Muslim Networks, The Muslim World After 9-11, The Battle Behind the Wire - US Prisoner and Detainee Operations, and Eurojihad - Patterns of Islamist Radicalization and Terrorism in Europe. Civil Democratic Islam was one of the books found in Osama Bin Laden's library during the raid on his compound. It is from this background that Benard states authoritatively that recent Afghan refugees have proven to be unlike all other Muslim refugees into the West: Europeans were predisposed to be positive towards Afghan refugees. But it quickly became obvious that something was wrong, very wrong, with these young Afghan men: they were committing sex crimes to a much greater extent than other refugees, even those from countries that were equally or more backward, just as Islamic and conservative, and arguably just as misogynist. Benard details something extraordinary about these sexual assaults: they were invariably committed more or less in public. Moving in gangs, they grabbed women and children at pools, parks, and festivals. And always, it was the Afghan men: And why, why, why the Afghans? According to Austrian police statistics, Syrian refugees cause fewer than 10 percent of sexual assault cases. Afghans, whose numbers are comparable, are responsible for a stunning half of all cases. Clearly, while Islam may be a factor, it's not the only factor. Likewise, Benard disposes of the excuses of drunkenness and cultural clashes. The remaining theories are more disturbing. An Afghan translator with whom Benard worked believes to have discovered that they are motivated by a deep and abiding contempt for Western civilization. To them, Europeans are the enemy, and their women are legitimate spoils, as are all the other things one can take from them: housing, money, passports. Their laws don't matter, their culture is uninteresting and, ultimately, their civilization is going to fall anyway to the horde of which one is the spearhead. No need to assimilate, or work hard, or try to build a decent life here for yourself these Europeans are too soft to seriously punish you for a transgression, and their days are numbered. To this theory, Benard adds something else: these young Afghan men are losers and desperately want to drag down anyone who appears happy and successful hence, their targeting mothers in parks with children, old ladies walking their dogs, and boys playing at pools. And then there's the last theory, which many in Austria had come to believe: [T]hat these destructive, crazed young men are being intentionally infiltrated into western Europe to wreak havoc: to take away the freedom and security of women; change patterns of behavior; deepen the rifts between liberals, who continue to defend and find excuses, and a right wing that calls for harsh measures and violent responses; to inflict high costs and aggravation on courts and judicial systems and generally make a mess of things. Bernard doesn't buy into this last theory, but when we look at the suspected terrorists pouring across our southern border, we may as well be prepared for that, too. Image: Consolation by Edvard Munch. Public domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. It is no longer morning in America. Now many are mourning America. Primitive Taliban savages just routed allegedly American-trained Afghan forces, waltzing across Afghanistan in a matter of days. Resistance and the erstwhile Afghani government collapsed like paper lambs because the Afghan forces did not believe in their cause, and the government didn't, either. Much as those in charge of the U.S. no longer believe in American exceptionalism and the founding principles on which their nation was proudly built, and because of which it succeeded beyond any other in human history. The Biden administration claims that the Afghanistan fiasco is in no way a repeat of the Saigon surrender of '75, even though it looks remarkably like that very thing, replete with frightened and betrayed souls falling from aircraft, one of which appeared to be the same exact model of helicopter that we saw fleeing Saigon in April of 1975. When it's raining people, literal hangers-on who have tragically lost their grip on their last chance for life and liberty, you know things aren't right. Yet U.S. secretary of state Antony (Winken) Blinken (and Nod) rejected any comparisons to the U.S.'s frantic and chaotic pullout from Vietnam over 45 years ago. "This is not Saigon," he said on ABC. Good one. You got us there. No, it's technically Kabul...but other than that, it's Saigon '75. Afghan president Ashraf Ghani wasn't any more forthcoming, as he quickly boarded a plane and fled the country, after which he posted on Facebook that he had left to "avert bloodshed in the capital." Yes, his bloodshed. He did not tell anyone where he went. As the American flag was lowered from the $700-million U.S. Embassy, America's esteem was likewise lowered, around the world and probably even at home. And President Biden fled his country's capital, going on a particularly ill timed vacation at Camp David in Maryland. Is it just me, or does it seem that Biden being president of the United States is akin to Elmer Fudd being head of the NRA? U.S. allies are questioning our trustworthiness, commitment, and credibility. Enemies of America are questioning our toughness and resolve. Both Biden and the head of U.S. Central Command have essentially begged the Taliban to act with decency and not interfere with the evacuation of American personnel and their friends from the airport in Kabul. ("The Old Man and the Plea"?) Taliban fighters in Kabul have started confiscating firearms from the city's residents, perhaps giving the Biden administration ideas for use here at home. The Taliban have also taken over Afghanistan's presidential palace, though, tellingly, Democrats seem far less upset about this actual insurrection than about the actions of a few hundred people who sauntered through the American Capitol Building on January 6, after being ushered in by Capitol Police. Moreover, the Biden administration apparently managed to accidentally reveal the existence of a secret CIA facility in Doha, Qatar. Every day, it's another blunder. One conjures up images of the Carter and Obama administrations, only to realize that they were slightly less incompetent than the current one. Is there a large bunker basement at Camp David in which Biden can hide? Who is in charge of the United States? Who, as Winston Churchill once asked the English parliament prior to World War II, is in charge of this "clattering train"? Who is in charge of the clattering train? The axles creak, and the couplings strain. For the pace is hot, and the points are near, and Sleep hath deadened the driver's ear: And signals flash through the night in vain. Death is in charge of the clattering train! Photo credit: YouTube screen grab (cropped). To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. According to a new report, Samsung will manufacture Qualcomms Snapdragon chips for the Galaxy S22 series. The chip in question will allegedly be called the Snapdragon 898 (SM8450), and it will be made using a 4nm process. Samsung is tipped to manufacture upcoming Snapdragon flagship SoC that will fuel the Galaxy S22 This information comes from China, and it hasnt been confirmed just yet. That chip will supposedly improve the overall performance by 20-percent. It will also employ a three-cluster architecture. Its expected to include a large Cortex-X2 core, a Cortex-A710 core, and a small Cortex-A510 core. As expected, this processor will likely launch in December. That is the usual time frame for Qualcomms flagship chips, and this report tips December as the launch month. Advertisement The Snapdragon 898 will become available in either December or January, just in time for Samsungs new flagships. The US version of the phone will almost certainly include that processor. Samsungs Exynos processor with a GPU from AMD is also said to be coming. Versions of the Galaxy S22 with that chip wont be available in as many markets. They wont be available in Korea, and quite possibly not in the US either. The Snapdragon 888 Plus is coming in H2 2022 Now, the report also touched upon the Snapdragon 898 Plus. That chip is allegedly coming in the second half of 2022, as did the Snapdragon 888 Plus. Whats interesting is that the Snapdragon 898 Plus wont be manufactured by Samsung, as TSMC will take the baton. It will also be made using a 4nm process. Advertisement It will be interesting to see how will the Snapdragon 898 and Samsungs Exynos chips with AMD GPU compare. Initial reports said that the new Exynos chip will crush it in the GPU department, which is to be expected. The thing is, it remains to be seen how will it perform overall, and how much power will it require. There are a lot of performance aspects to consider. 2022 will be quite interesting in the mobile world, it seems, at least from the SoC point of view. Five years after being rescued, has Cubby Leo found her sunshine? 17 August 2021 There was excitement in the air as our rescue team approached a house in the village of Xuan Hoa in northern Vietnam on 17 August 2016. We were on our way to rescue a sun bear whod been caged as a pet for seven years. We couldnt wait to go and get her and bring her back to our sanctuary. Our rescue teams have seen bears living in some terrible conditions, but what they saw that day still shocked them. They were led out of the daylight into a small, dark, dirty, concrete room. Once their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, they followed the sounds to an old, rusty cage inside which a clearly distressed bear was pacing back and forth. Whats in a name? Bears on bile farms or who are kept as pets have usually been taken away from their mothers as cubs. As Heidi Quine, Bear and Vet Team Director at our Vietnam sanctuary explained, their identities and freedoms are taken away and their needs ignored. They become a thing, a Nowhere Bear. Heidi continues, as soon as we rescue a bear we give them their dignity and individuality back by giving them a temporary name. This is until we can find a Bear Guardian who will give them their forever name and support them on their road to recovery. Originally called Annemarie this beautiful, gentle bear had many thousands of people fall in love with her including one special Bear Guardian who has named her Cubby Leo, her forever name. A lifetime in a cage Until Cubby Leo arrived at our sanctuary in Vietnam, her entire world had been a cage in a dark room. Now, for the first time, she had her own den with enrichment items such as hessian sacks and banana leaves, and treats like tropical fruit to get her taste buds tingling again after years of eating gruel. And yet, Cubby Leo was too traumatised to step foot outside her den for an entire year after being rescued. Our bear care staff were incredibly patient, careful and considerate with Cubby Leo. They monitored her reaction to every new thing she was introduced to, sourcing more of what she liked and removing things that she backed away from. Working at Cubby Leos pace, the team slowly and gently encouraged her to take that all-important first step outside. There are hundreds of bears like Cubby Leo who are lost in the shadows. If you are able to, please help us bring them home: The first tentative step to freedom One morning, a year after Cubby Leo captured our hearts, the teams hard work, unwavering patience and encouragement paid off. They stood and watched and held their breaths as she took her very first step outside her den and towards the sunlight. This incredibly brave bear had finally stepped out of the darkness. Over the following weeks, months and years, our care team continued to monitor Cubby Leos progress, reactions, likes and dislikes. She shared her enclosure with other sun bears who we slowly introduced her to. Having not seen another bear for many years, Cubby Leo was understandably wary of her new housemates, but they were patient and gentle with her and left her alone if she didn't want to interact. To our teams absolute joy, Cubby Leo eventually started to trust the other bears and began playing, rolling around and even napping with them. Kindness is the cure Five years on, Cubby Leo is a playful, happy, confident and sometimes even cheeky resident of our sun bear house! Her incredible transformation is testament to the teams commitment to this very special bear, to their fierce love for Cubby Leo and for every single bear that we rescue and care for and all those that we are yet to rescue. They have proven, yet again and will do many times over, that the only cure truly is kindnes. Read more: Sun bear rescued after 7 years held as a pet in a cage (ANSA) - ROME, AUG 17 - The overwhelming majority of Italian people are aware that the climate crisis is close to the point of no return and want action to avert this, according to a major study of G20 countries released on Tuesday. Most Italians also recognize the value of protecting nature, although only a small proportion are aware of the profound changes that are needed in order to avert an environmental catastrophe, said the survey produced by Ipsos MORI for the Global Commons Alliance. "Four out of five people (79%) in Italy recognise that Earth is close to tipping points. This is higher than the average for G20 countries," Owen Gaffney, the lead author of the report entitled 'The Global Commons Survey: Attitudes to planetary stewardship and transformation among G20 countries', told ANSA. "And almost nine in ten people in Italy (86%) are willing to do more to protect nature and the climate, again higher than the G20 average. "67% of Italians believe the benefits of protecting nature outweigh the costs. "But just 6% of people in Italy are aware of the scale of the transformation required in the next decade to protect climate and nature for the long-term," added Gaffney, who is also the director of communications for the Global Commons Alliance. "Italians want a new economic model," he said. "Nearly four out of five Italians (77%) support a move towards a well-being economy that prioritises human well-being and sustainable use of natural resources, rather than a singular focus on economic growth. "Almost three quarters of Italians (73%) feel the UN should be given more power to protect the global commons". Italy currently holds the duty presidency of the G20 and has asked the Global Commons Alliance to present the findings of the study to the G20. "It is critical that leaders wake up: people are very concerned for the future and disillusioned with an economic system that is crowd funding environmental catastrophe," warned Gaffney. The survey was carried out by in April and May, 2021 - before the release last week of the IPCC's sixth assessment report, which said huge reductions in greenhouse gases this decade were the only way to avert a full-blown climate breakdown. The Global Commons Survey said that 83% of people in G20 countries are willing to do more to become better "planetary stewards" and protect and regenerate the global commons - the natural resources we all need to survive and thrive, including the ocean and freshwater, the climate, biodiversity, forests and wetlands. People in developing economies showed greater willingness to do more to protect nature and climate than those in advanced economies: Indonesia (95%), South Africa (94%), China (93%) compared with Japan (61%), Germany (70%), and the United States (74%). "The world is not sleepwalking towards catastrophe," said Gaffney. "People know we are taking colossal risks, they want to do more and they want their governments to do more". (ANSA). Sans-masks dancing at Manu Chao in Cerveteri Mayor threatened to stop concert (ANSAmed) - ROME, AUG 17- After a Salmo concert in Sardinia failed to comply with any of the regulations against COVID-19, also a concert by the French musical group Manu Chao on August 16 in Cerveteri did not abide by the measures in force. The concert of the Etruria Eco Festival began with the checking of Green Passes and spectators sat in their seats initially but later crowded around near the stage, dancing in close proximity to each other without masks. Mayor Alessio Pascucci then got onto the stage and urged people to return to their seats out of respect for all those who have died of COVID-19, threatening to halt the concert otherwise. "Everyone in their seats within the next three minutes or I will stop the concert," he warned.(ANSAmed). (ANSA). ROME - The famed pink sand of the Sardinian island of Budelli in the Maddalena archipelago is being sold to collectors on the Internet, the Sardegna Rubata e Depredata (Sardinia Robbed and Despoiled) Association said Tuesday. The Budelli sand is among the most coveted by sand fans, the group said. Five years ago the island off Sardinia returned to the public domain when a judge handed it over to the Parco La Maddalena national park, scotching the plans of New Zealand millionaire Michael Harte who had bought it for three million euros. The Worldwide Fund for Nature urged the government to "run the archipelago in the best way possible" amid a row over management and expenses. Two years earlier, in 2014, a Sardinia judge ruled Italy had a preemptive right to buy back the stunning island off the region's coast after it was bought by Harte, a Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) executive, at auction in October 2013. The sale of the tiny island of Budelli to CBA Chief Information Officer Harte for 2.94 million euros sparked an outcry that forced the Italian government to take steps to recover it. The island had been put on the block after its original owner, Milan-based Immobiliare Nuova Gallura real estate company, filed for bankruptcy. When he bought the 1.6-square-km uninhabited island off Sardinia's northernmost coast, 49-year-old Harte, an avowed conservationist, reportedly said he was committed to ensuring it remained pristine. Italy's Senate in 2013 allocated some three million euros to buy Budelli back from Harte, claiming it has preemptive rights over the uncontaminated island that lies in the Maddalena archipelago between Sardinia and Corsica, because it belongs in the geomarine national park by the same name. The sale was reversed despite a personal campaign by Harte, who wrote to the Italian environment minister to plead his case. Harte raised concerns about the ability of the cash-strapped Italian government to properly fund the preservation of the island's untouched ecosystem. Michelangelo Antonioni famously shot some scenes on Budelli's pink beaches for his iconic 1964 movie Red Desert. MADRID - The Mauritanian authorities have said that a boat sunk that had been heading towards the Canary Islands with migrants onboard. Only seven are known to have survived and 40 are feared dead, according to a Mauritanian security source cited by the Spanish news agency EFE. According to the reconstruction by Mauritanian authorities, the migrants had weighed anchor August 1 from Morocco. Survivors said that the motor on the boat they were using had had a problem and that this was why it was drifting. The water and food they had stocked up on ran out and many people onboard died in the following days. They said that there had been women and children onboard. The waves pushed the boat towards the northern coast of Mauritania, where the seven survivors disembarked. EFE reported that the Mauritanian authorities will deport the survivors as soon as the circumstances of the incident are clear. Over 50 migrants enter Spanish enclave Melilla from Morocco 150 tried to climb over border barrier (ANSAmed) - MADRID, AUG 17 - Some 57 people managed to enter Spanish territory via the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla before dawn on Tuesday, media outlets quoted Spanish authorities as saying. The people were some of the approximately 150 migrants who over the night tried to climb over a barrier located on the Spanish-Moroccan border, they added. Those that crossed the border will be subjected to a quarantine period at one of the facilities used by the Spanish authorities for migrants arriving in the territory. Attempts to enter Melilla in an irregular manner are frequent: over 230 people managed on July 22.(ANSAmed). (ANSA). TUNIS - Tunisian president Kais Saied, as part of a surprise visit to the Tunis-Carthage airport in the capital, reiterated that "the aim of the exceptional measures" brought in recently, including a ban on overseas travel, "is not to deprive Tunisians of their right to free circulation". The comment was reported in a statement issued by the president's office in reference to a prohibition for some people on leaving the country, such as politicians and businessmen with pending criminal cases. "People who are wanted (by the authorities) for or suspected of corruption are called upon to regularise their position," Saied said, adding that "every individual is equal before the law, and this must hold true for everyone". He added that these restrictions are temporary and target "those suspected of corruption, terrorism, and tax evasion". A woman was bludgeoned to death in her west London home in a bungled burglary by a man who owed thousands of pounds to multiple loan sharks, a court has heard. Armen Aristakesyan, 42, is charged with the murder of Serafima Meshaka, 58, who was left lying in a pool of blood in the shower at her flat in Haven Green, Ealing. The court heard how Aristakesyan owed money to several people including more than 100,000 to a man known as The Turk and came to learn that Ms Meshaka kept large quantities of cash at her home. Alexandra Healy QC, prosecuting, said: (Ms Meshaka) was murdered in her home on the September 17 2019. She was 58 years old. She had been hit multiple times to the head with a blunt instrument. She was discovered the following day lying face down in her bathroom in a pool of dried blood. The last person to see her alive was the defendant, Armen Aristakesyan. He was, the prosecution say, the only person who could have killed her. The court heard that as well as being as a guide and guardian for Russian students in the UK, Ms Meshaka worked part-time as a personal assistant to a Russian/Israeli businessman. Ms Healy said that at the time of her death, Aristakesyan, of Uxbridge Road, West Ealing, was in a dire financial position. He had borrowed money off anyone and everyone and was being pursued by all of his creditors, she said. Most significantly he owed over 100,000 to someone who was referred to as the Turk. He had postponed repaying that money initially until September 10 2019. By September 2019 that very large debt had grownto over 120,000. Jurors heard Aristakesyan had been in contact with three men in relation to pay back his debts and had made plans to get his hands on the significant quantity of cash he learned was kept in Ms Meshakas apartment. Following examination of the defendants mobile phone recordings were found in which Aristakesyan tried to arrange for Ms Meshaka to attend the opera while he robbed her though this plan later fell through. Ms Healy said Aristakesyan was due to meet with his creditors on September 17 to repay the money so had decided to steal the money himself. She said the defendant had arrived at Ms Meshakas apartment first at 5pm but, finding that she was not alone, returned at 8.30pm. Jurors were shown CCTV footage of both instances, the second of which showed Artistakesyan carrying what to be a bag for life which, Ms Healy said, appeared quite full. The prosecution say that as he leaves Haven Green Court, he has been the last person to see Ms Meshaka alive, she said. The trial, at the Old Bailey, continues. Police looking for a man suspected of murdering his wife say he has been spotted in Aberdeen. Nurse Eileen Barrott, 50, was found dead at her home in Leeds on Sunday, and detectives issued an urgent appeal to find her husband, Mark Barrott, 54. West Yorkshire Police said officers know Mr Barrott travelled to Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon. Eileen Barrott was found dead at her home in Leeds on Sunday (West Yorkshire Police/PA) On Tuesday, they said they believed he moved on to Aberdeen later that night and has been sighted in the city. Officers said Mrs Barrotts family have been left completely devastated by her death. Detective Chief Inspector Vanessa Rolfe said: We are continuing to carry out extensive enquiries to locate Mark Barrott as a suspect for his wife Eileens murder. We are liaising closely with our colleagues from Police Scotland who have established the most recent sighting of Mr Barrott on CCTV in Aberdeen city centre on Sunday night. We are keen to hear from anyone who has seen him since then or who has any information that could assist in tracing him. We continue to advise anyone who does see him not to approach him but to contact police immediately on 999. Ms Rolfe said: Eileens family have been left completely devastated at her death in these circumstances and we are doing everything we can to support them as we progress the investigation. Detectives said Mr Barrott travelled to Edinburgh from Leeds by train on Sunday. They said further inquiries have shown he subsequently caught a train to Aberdeen and was last sighted on CCTV in Huntly Street, in the city centre at 9.16pm on Sunday. Neighbours of the couple said they had lived in the terraced house in Naburn Fold, in the Whinmoor area of Leeds, for about 20 years and have two grown-up children a son and a daughter. Police want to trace Mark Barrott (West Yorkshire Police/PA) They said Mr Barrott did not work but Mrs Barrott was a nurse at St Jamess Hospital, in Leeds. Officers have released CCTV images of him at Leeds railway station on Sunday, along with an image of him taken in 2015. Officers are also trying to trace Mr Barrotts car a silver Toyota Avensis, registration FJ51 ZHB which is still believed to be in Leeds. Anyone with information is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police via 101 quoting Operation Pumacastle, reference 13210413554, or online via www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat A man from Afghanistan has said he is very scared for his wife who is trying to leave the country after the Talibans takeover. The militant group moved into Kabul on Sunday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, ending two decades of the UK and its allies trying to transform it. Mohammad Yusuf Mahmoud, 46, who has lived in the UK for 29 years, said he has concerns the Taliban may have not reformed. He told of how family members, including his 22-year-old wife, are currently in the country. Speaking outside the Afghan and Central Asian Association in Feltham, Hounslow, Mr Mahmoud told the PA news agency: My wife is there, I got recently married and shes there. My cousins, my uncles and aunties are all there they are all musicians and are famous in the country. Im quite concerned about their safety and future. At the moment they havent said anything, theyre all scared and shocked because the collapse was so sudden they were not expecting the collapse that soon or quick. He said his family members are desperate to leave the country. Mr Mahmoud went on to tell of how his wife was at Kabul airport on Monday, when hundreds of Afghans attempted to escape. He said: There were firings and she was just sitting next to a window which was broken and she got injured because of the glass. It was not that heavy but it could have been worse. Shes so scared because weve had so much news about people being taken out of their house, especially ladies, young ladies. They have been taken away by some people, I dont know who they are, the Taliban or activists so they are taking these people away. Mr Mahmoud added: They are all trying to go out of the country, or at least Kabul because it is the most dangerous place to live. He told of how they can hear gunshots, helicopters, airplanes, shouting and people fighting at night. WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the delta variant spreads across the country. Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccines protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January. An announcement on the U.S. booster recommendation was expected as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Doses would only begin to be administered widely once the Food and Drug Administration formally approves the vaccines. That action is expected for the Pfizer shot in the coming weeks. Last week, U.S. health officials recommended boosters for some with weakened immune systems, citing their higher risk of catching the virus and evidence that the vaccines' effectiveness waned over time. The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, said Sunday the U.S. could decide in the next couple weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to Americans this fall. Among the first to receive them could be health care workers, nursing home residents and other older Americans, who were some of the first Americans to be vaccinated once the shots received emergency use authorization last December. Since then, more than 198 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 168 million fully vaccinated. Still, the country is experiencing a fourth surge of virus cases due to the more transmissible delta variant, which is spreading aggressively through unvaccinated communities but is also responsible for an increasing number of so-called breakthrough infections of fully vaccinated people. Israel, which exclusively administered the Pfizer shot, has been offering a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who were already vaccinated more than five months ago in an effort to control its own surge in cases from the delta variant. For months, officials had said data still indicated that people remain highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant, after receiving the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna regimen or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. But U.S. health officials made clear Sunday they are preparing for the possibility that the time for boosters may come sooner than later. There is a concern that the vaccine may start to wane in its effectiveness, Collins said. And delta is a nasty one for us to try to deal with. The combination of those two means we may need boosters, maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward with others, such as older Americans who were among the first to get vaccinations. He said because the delta variant only started hitting the U.S. hard in July, the next couple of weeks of case data will help the U.S. make a decision. Officials were continuing to collect information as well about the J&J vaccine, which was only approved in the U.S. in late February, to determine when to recommend boosters, one of the officials said. The White House has said that even though the U.S. has begun sharing more than 110 million vaccine doses with the world, the nation has enough domestic supply to deliver boosters to Americans should they be recommended by health officials. Global health officials, including the World Health Organization, have called on wealthier and more-vaccinated countries to hold off on booster shots to ensure the supply of first doses for people in the developing world. YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS.Prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Boris Johnson sent a congratulatory message to Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of being appointed Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. The message runs as follows, 'Dear Prime Minister, I would like to offer my warm congratulations on your re-appointment as Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. The United Kingdom deeply values our bilateral relationship and shares your vision for a sustainable economic and democratic future for Armenia. Your recent parliamentary elections demonstrated the Armenian commitment to building strong democratic foundations. I was pleased to send UK electoral observers to build confidence among voters, and we remain committed to providing ongoing practical support for your reform programme. The UK looks forward to working with Armenia to address global challenges, not least recovery from COVID-19 and climate change. I hope to welcome you to Glasgow for COP26 in November this year. Finally, I would like to reiterate my strong support for a fully negotiated, sustainable and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. After the 2020 conflict, the United Kingdom was the first country to provide humanitarian support through our work with the ICRC. We continue to provide assistance to bordering communities to enable their recovery. Once again, many congratulations on your re-appointment. I look forward to continuing our work together and strengthening our bilateral relations''. YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani armed forces started firing at the Armenian positions of the Armenian- Azerbaijani border in Gegharkunik Province on August 17, starting from 14:45, as a result of which one Armenian serviceman was injured. ARMENPRESS reports MoD Armenia informed that the soldiers life is not under risk. The shootings continued as of 16:30. As a result of the countermeasures taken by the Armenian side, the adversary suffered two casualties; 1 victim and one wounded. Some of the Indian nationals who had been staying and working in Afghanistan on projects or in companies are yet to be evacuated New Delhi: In its first official reaction a day after the Taliban grabbed power in Afghanistan, India on Monday said it would stand by those Afghans who have been Indias partners in the promotion of our mutual developmental, educational and people-to-people endeavours, thereby indicating that they would be brought to safety in India along with those Afghan Hindus and Sikhs who wish to leave. Asserting that the situation in Afghanistan is being monitored on a constant basis at high level, the Indian government said it would take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and our interests in Afghanistan. According to some media reports, some of the Indian diplomats and security personnel are also awaiting evacuation, even as India said it would await the resumption of commercial flights after the forced pause in its repatriation efforts. Even some of the Indian nationals who had been staying and working in Afghanistan on projects or in companies are yet to be evacuated but state-owned carrier Air India could not operate flights to Kabul on Monday due to the airspace closure. New Delhi also pointed out that the security situation in Kabul has deteriorated significantly in the last few days and is changing rapidly even as we speak but did not comment directly on the fall of ousted President Ashraf Ghanis government. In a statement, the MEA said, Commercial operations from Kabul airport have been suspended today (Monday). This has forced a pause in our repatriation efforts. We are awaiting the resumption of flights to restart the process. New Delhi added, The government of India has been closely monitoring all developments in Afghanistan. We are in constant touch with the representatives of Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities. We will facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan. There are also a number of Afghans who have been our partners in the promotion of our mutual developmental, educational and people to people endeavours. We will stand by them. Its a story of inconsolable loss wrecked by war. It needs no added drama Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Shiv Pandit, Nikitin Dheer, Shataf Figar Direction: Vishnu Vardhan Rating: **1/2 Streaming on Amazon Prime The best thing about Shershaah is that it does not star Hindutvas ubiquitous lickspittle Akshay Kumar. And thats reason enough to pop a bottle of champagne and raise a glass to the house of Karan Johar. In his presence and under his aegis, Shershaah -- which tells the story of Captain Vikram Batra, the 24-year-old soldier and brave heart who died fighting Pakistani soldiers in Kargil -- would have just been about him and his insufferable I-come-first-in-lehraoing-the-BJP-flag preening. Without him Shershaah is as expected -- mostly inane and mediocre, rising only when it goes to fight. While the film avoids overt chest-thumping, it conspicuously does what it is supposed to: Othering Muslims. Shershaah, directed by Vishnu Vardhan, opens with the war cry of Capt. Vikram Batra's regiment, 13 J&K Rifles Durga Mata Ki Jai. This is followed by the deafening sound of bullets. One more bunker, boys, says Dharma Productions favourite boy, Sidharth Malhotra, who plays Capt. Batra. Bollywood tells many stories, but all of them, especially biopics, are presented in the way that the good people of "For Dummies" book series explain stuff. Everything is whittled down to the simplest, silliest, brief facts, allowing no depth, nuance or digression lest we, the nincompoops, get our bhejas fried. In Bollywood this means that a human being and his or her life is reduced to a sequential string of mundane events requiring songs to keep us entertained. These stories are populated by the usual characters -- mummy, daddy, bhai, behen, dost, boss -- but all are like trees and bushes in a landscape, existing just to fill up the frame. In Shershaah, Capt. Batras journey from childhood in Palampur to a college in Chandigarh, from IMA to his posting in Sopore and, eventually, Kargil -- is narrated by his twin, identical brother. Inexplicably, he is giving a PPT presentation to an auditorium full of people on My brother, My pride. To establish how special and dogged Vikram always was, we get one scene from his childhood when, even during a game of bat and ball, he said, Meri cheez mere se koi nahin cheen sakta. Then the film moves on to establish what a dashing lover he was. In a Chandigarh college, young Vikram hovers around Dimple (Kiara Advani), a girl with lovely eyes and silver earrings, till she allows a romance to commence over PCO-calling-landline. These bits are dull and are carried mostly by Ms Advanis spunk and glow. Then the Palampur ka seedha saadha ladka joins the Army and is posted in J&K where it is again established that he was different. Unlike all the other soldiers who are vary of Kashmiris, Vikram makes friends with them, calling them "khala", "mamu", "chacha". But the irony that he is in uniform and carrying an automatic weapon is lost on the film, as is the fact that what they are peddling as a soldier's friendly banter is not just patronising, but dehumanising. In one scene, where Batra and others are trying to ambush a big terrorist, Haider (Shataf Figar), there is a chance to capture him alive. But because Haider taunts Batra, the fauji shoots him and then poses like Rambo. This is a troubling scene but no one around him seems to think so. In fact, he is given shabashi by Army biggies and soon, after the abduction and killing of Lt. Saurabh Kalia and five other soldiers, is sent off to fight the Pakistanis. The story of Capt. Vikram Batra lives in a sad corner of many Indian hearts. Its a story of inconsolable loss wrecked by war. It needs no added drama. Shershaah, written by Sandeep Srivastava, tells us nothing more than what we already know about Capt. Batra. But, instead of humanising the man and his story, the films trite, lazy writing drags this exceptional story down to the level of, Ek desh bhakt hero tha, ek sweet si heroine thi Phir jang chid gayi Shershaah essentially rides on our rage and grief at losing 527 soldiers in a needless battle. And specifically on our emotions attached to Capt. Batra, a boy who came into our lives posthumously with his unforgettable victory signal, Yeh dil mange more, as he sacrificed himself, going well beyond the call of duty. Shershaah is not overtly jingoistic. But it's slant is apparent. All Armymen are honourable while the Kashmiris are split between being terrorist sympathisers or being anti-Army. And the one victim we meet is treated as an "intelligence asset". The film mentions JKLF but not Army atrocities. It shows Kashmiris distrust of the Army, but doesnt tell us why. Thus, treating Kashmiri Muslims as part of the problem and the Army protecting a piece of precious real estate, not the people. Sidharth Malhotra is an adequate actor who gave a fabulous performance in the 2016 Kapoor & Sons. But here, perhaps restricted by a rather dull script and dialogue, he smiles a lot and puts on charm, but little else. His best scenes are also the films best scenes when Vikram the commando-soldier is on a mission to recapture parts of Indian territory. Shershaah is quite dumb and annoying when it lingers in the plains, but rises in tension and drama as it climbs the dizzying heights of Kargil. The films long battle sequences are very well done and very sad. In its opening credits, Shershaah thanks the Indian Army and several Army officers. Clearly, they are better directors than our Bollywood lot. The ambassador and his Indian staff will move to India immediately considering the current circumstances in Kabul U.S soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. New Delhi: India on Tuesday is bringing back home its ambassador and staff at the embassy in Kabul in a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force in view of the prevailing situation in the Afghan capital after its take over by the Taliban, people familiar with the development said. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it was decided that the ambassador and his Indian staff will move to India immediately considering the current circumstances in Kabul. "In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," Bagchi tweeted. The people cited above said the IAF transport aircraft left for India this morning with over 120 people including officials and security personnel from the embassy.Some Indian nationals are also learnt to have been returning home on board the aircraft. It is the second evacuation flight. On Monday, another C-17 aircraft had evacuated around 40 people including a number of Indian embassy staff from Kabul before the operations at the airport in the city were suspended. The two military aircraft flew into Kabul using the Iranian airspace while avoiding the route through Pakistani airspace, the people cited above said. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in New York on a four-day visit, spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan. "Discussed latest developments in Afghanistan with @SecBlinken. Underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul. Deeply appreciate the American efforts underway in this regard," he tweeted at around 3 am. It is learnt that Jaishankar was also involved in hectic discussions including with US officials on the evacuation of the Indian officials from Kabul. The US military had taken control of the security at the airport on Monday after thousands of desperate people converged there in the hope of getting on an evacuation flight and leave the country. Hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan on Sunday, the Taliban took control of Kabul, capturing power nearly 20 years after a US-led military invasion ousted it in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. In a series of tweets, Jaishankar also said that India is monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. "Monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. Understand the anxiety of those seeking to return to India. Airport operations are the main challenge. Discussions on with partners in that regard," he tweeted. "Significant UN Security Council discussions today on developments in Afghanistan. Expressed the concerns of the international community. Expect to discuss these during my engagements at the UN," he added. In another tweet, he said the government is in constant touch with the Sikh and Hindu community leaders in Kabul, adding their welfare will get its priority attention. "Given the Kabul situation, important we have accurate information about Indians there. Urge that this be provided by all concerned to the MEA Special Afghanistan Cell," he said. The contact details of the Cell are phone number: +919717785379, Email:MEAHelpdeskIndia@gmail.com, Jaishankar said. Earlier on Sunday, an Air India flight AI244 carrying 129 passengers had arrived in Delhi from Kabul Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs informed that the Indian Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately, in view of prevailing circumstances in the war-torn country. (MEA picture) New Delhi: Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft which was carrying 120 Indian officials from Afganistan has landed in Gujarat's Jamnagar, sources confirmed on Tuesday. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs informed that the Indian Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately, in view of prevailing circumstances in the war-torn country. "In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a Tweet. India is closely monitoring the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan and will be deciding on the evacuation of diplomatic personnel from Kabul, sources said. Afghanistan government collapsed on Sunday with President Ashraf Ghani leaving the country and the Taliban's entry into the capital, the New York Times reported. Earlier the same day, an Air India flight AI244 carried 129 passengers has arrived in Delhi from Kabul. They expressed concerns about the safety and security of people back home, saying the situation is 'really bad' in the country. Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. Taliban leaders have been discussing future government plans in Doha after gaining control of Kabul and seizing the presidential palace in Afghanistan's capital, as per a media report. Panic gripped the Afghan capital as people fear about a return to the Taliban's brutal rule and the threat of reprisal killings. Thousands of Afghans flooded the tarmac on Monday morning, at one point swarming around a departing US military plane as it taxied down the runway. The country will move into a snap three-day lockdown, as authorities suspect presence of Delta variant The health department said the case was identified in Auckland, the country's largest city, adding "a link between the case and the border or managed isolation is yet to be established". (Representational Image/AFP) WELLINGTON: New Zealand will move into a snap three-day lockdown after recording its first case of locally transmitted Covid-19 in six months, suspected to be the Delta variant, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday. "We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance," Ardern said in a televised national address, calling the Delta strain "a game changer". New Zealand recorded its first locally transmitted case of Covid-19 in six months on Tuesday, sparking efforts to trace the origins of the infection as officials pondered a response. The health department said the case was identified in Auckland, the country's largest city, adding "a link between the case and the border or managed isolation is yet to be established". It said ministers would meet later Tuesday to determine how to respond to New Zealand's first community case since February 28. "A hard and early response is the best tool to stamp out any potential spread and everyone in New Zealand is asked to stay calm, be kind and play their part while we gather more information on the potential case," the department said. Further details of the case were not released. New Zealand has won widespread praise for its coronavirus response, recording just 26 deaths in a population of five million. But its vaccine rollout has been less stellar, with only around 20 percent of the population fully inoculated. Auckland has been forced into several brief periods of lockdown since an initial nationwide response last year succeeded in largely halting the virus at the border. The most recent stay-at-home orders in the city of two million ended in March. Officials warned last week that the presence of the Delta variant in New Zealand would trigger "a short, sharp lockdown". Remember last years Bronco OG and Bronco + Filson Wildland Fire Rig prototypes? They were built for spontaneous outdoor adventures, according to the carmaker. We could easily argue this years cool Moab concepts achieved the same goal, just like the 2021 Bronco Riptide would if ever allowed.For now, its a custom build vehicle that doesnt give a dime about anything else other thanYes, a marketing ploy to sell more of the official accessories is as transparent as it gets. But since the summer road trips arent over just yet, does anyone care about that when the Bronco Riptide looks like this?So, theres no roof, the stock doors were removed, and, in their place, comes a set of tubular add-ons. Meanwhile, the surfboard rack and boards stand tall enough to attract everyones attention to the whole purpose of this custom project. Yes, it rimes with sun, waves, the California coast...The Velocity Blue paintjob mimics the tropical ocean hues, marine-grade vinyl-trimmed seats in Black Onyx and Dark Space Gray bode well for (dirty) adventures alongside the rubberized washout flooring, and of course, we are dealing here with a Sasquatched unit so remote beaches are within easy reach.And lets not forget the accessory partners. Theres a Bestop mesh Bimini top, a Yakima bike rack with Santa Cruz mountain bikes, a Rigid LED lightbar (plus mirror-mounted off-road LED aids), as well as Almond surfboards, among others.Probably to warrant the project expenses, the Bronco Riptides designers also came up with a bespoke prototype front steel bumper. And, of course, under the hood resides Ford's flagship 2.7-liter EcoBoost hooked up to the 10-speed automatic transmission. When you hear the name Titan, youre instantly thinking of something massive and powerful. In this case, its a counter drone system (C-UAS) thats powerful indeed, but deceptively small. Unlike other C-UAS that are fixed platforms of impressive dimensions, Titan was meant to be portable yet still rugged, and versatile enough for fixed or mobile operations.Its the flagship product of Citadel Defense, a company specializing in security solutions, which was recently awarded a $4 million government contract, for the AI-powered Titan. According to the manufacturer, Titan uses an automated decision system to determine and conduct the optimal electronic countermeasures , adapted to the type of unmanned aerial system, without requiring manual response from an operator.Citadel states that AI technology makes Titan the smartest drone jammer on the market, capable of detecting and engaging threats without interfering with common communications. Able to protect against air, land or sea drone threats , Titan can detect a wide range of Wi-Fi, controller, video or telemetry communication links, between 400MHz and 6GHz.This C-UAS was designed for the fastest response possible, so its able to establish a hemisphere of protection beyond line of sight, in less than five minutes. Plus, it has been successfully tested not just against individual drones , but also swarm attacks, which it was able to defeat with precision, at a safe distance. Thanks to machine learning, Citadels technology is always one step ahead of the threat, and Titan is able to effectively provide protection against new types of drones in weeks, instead of months.The new contract awarded by an undisclosed government customer will use Citadels C-UAS both standalone and as an integrated layered defense solution, for mobile security, fixed-site protection and pre-deployment training. If it is a working prototype, it may make its fans relieved that thethe company claims to have was put for use. It may also happen that it works thanks to another solution and that theis yet to be developed and produced.On the other hand, a mockup would not do much for Alpha Motor Corporations credibility. The press release still has no executive in charge of the company speaking on its behalf. People still do not know how or where it plans to produce this electric pickup truck by the end of 2023 or what theis about.What the company was quick to disclose is that customers interested in making a reservation can go to its website. The page to which the link directs allows future clients to pre-order not only the Wolf but five other Alpha Motor Corporation vehicles, of which we only have pleasant CGI and technical specs without more substance.Alpha Motor Corporation also said it joined the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help raise $100,000 for researches about Parkinsons disease. So far, the page with the Alpha Motor Corporation logo inside Team Foxs fundraising page has reached $5,500.Thats a noble goal, but it just helped to fill up a press release that would not have much to say otherwise. It also sounds like an attempt to associate Alpha Motor Corporation with a respected organization. The company still owes the public more explanations to inspire the same sort of trust Michael J. Fox Foundation has. Hopefully, we will get them at the Petersen Automotive Museum on August 24. In a very surprising turn of events, the French auto firm has announced that they will produce the Bolide in very limited numbers. Only 40 such track-only vehicles will be built, each on costing at least 4 million ($4.71 million) in Europe, and deliveries will kick off in 2024.Besides the Bolide, the Chiron Super Sport celebrated its official arrival in the U.S. market. Designed for insane performance yet without sacrificing the luxury and comfort, the first units of the hypercar will be shipped early next year.Each one has a starting price of 3.2 million ($3.77 million) on the right side of the Atlantic Ocean, before tax, and uses a tuned version of the quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine, rated at 1,600 metric horsepower.Its iconic predecessors, the Veyron Super Sport, EB110 Super Sport, and Type 55 Super Sport, were also on display, at the Le Domaine Bugatti at the Pebble Beach Lodge. These were joined by the Sport and Pur Sport versions of the Chiron.The United States is Bugattis largest market, so for us to be able to present two brand new hyper sports cars to enthusiasts and collectors in person here is critical for the company, said President Stephan Winkelmann. The two vehicles represent the best of the Bugatti brand, from the enhanced performance capabilities and technological innovation, to the ultimate level of luxury and comfort for customers.Last month, Bugatti announced that the United States became their largest single market worldwide in the first half of the year, with orders up seven times over the same time period of 2020.A few weeks later, they stepped forward once again, stating that production of the Divo officially ended, with car #40 being delivered to its owner in Europe. The final Divo has a combination of different shades of blue, with grey carbon accents, and matte gold metallic wheels. The W16 lump produces 1,500 metric horsepower, rocketing it to 62 mph (100 kph) in 2.4 seconds. The two carmakers are locked in an argument regarding whether cruise is just a generic term used to describe technology that allows a car to take over some of the driving duties from the human driver, as reported by Reuters GM currently uses Super Cruise for its semi-autonomous driving technology, whereas Cruise is the name of its robo-taxi unit in San Francisco. According to Ford, there is no legal merit for the lawsuit, which is why they decided to up the ante and attack GMs trademarks for the word cruise.To defend itself, Ford has no choice but to ask the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to rescind both of GMs Cruise and Super Cruise trademark registration that should have never been registered in the first place, said Ford. Any number of companies use the word cruise in connection with driver assist technology.Among the examples cited by Ford is Predictive Cruise by Mack Trucks, Hyundais Smart Cruise Control and Autocruise, which is used by automotive supplier ZF.Meanwhile, GM would like to remind everyone that Super Cruise has been an established system in the U.S. ever since 2017 and that they will defend their brands vigorously if need be.As far as were concerned, wed be shocked if this legal battle goes anywhere. Fords attempt to wipe out GMs already established trademarks is a long shot at best, and we also wouldnt be surprised if Ford is allowed to continue using the term Blue Cruise And in the last few months, the number of apps joining the Android Auto party has indeed increased, especially in the navigation category where more developers started rolling out alternatives to the likes of Google Maps and Waze.This week, Russian company Yandex did the same thing, bringing its navigation software to Android Auto and therefore offering a car-optimized experience for those who connect their Android mobile devices to the head unit in the car.As you could easily figure out, the essential feature package is all there, so youre getting the typical navigation capabilities that include voice prompts to help you figure out which way to go without looking at the screen, traffic camera and speed limit alerts, real-time updates on traffic, as well as support for offline maps to continue the navigation without an Internet connection.In other words, Yandex.Maps sounds like a worthy alternative to Google Maps , though the biggest problem is that it comes with one huge limitation.Its only available for Russian users, and the parent company explains that the Android Auto support requires a Yandex Plus subscription. This means you cant use the app in your car unless youre paying, but on the other hand, the current version listed on the Google Play Store features a 3-month trial to let you see what its all about without paying.Certainly, this shortcoming will affect its adoption on Android Auto, so most people would still stick with Google Maps and Waze, but even so, the debut of Yandex.Maps in the car is the living proof that more developers are finally interested in bringing their apps to the head units inside our vehicles. Portugal's Ton-Up Garage is one of those enterprises that wont be taking any shortcuts when it comes to building a stunning machine. The workshop first saw the light of day back in 2010, when co-founders Pedro Oliveira and Daniel Cabral joined forces under one banner, creating what would go on to become one of the Iberian Peninsula's most reputed motorcycle customization meccas.As such, their vision began to materialize in the city of Porto, where the duo still operates today. Over the years, the autoevolution pages were honored with the presence of numerous entities bred on Ton-Up's premises, including a flat tracker-style Kawasaki W650 and a Triumph Scrambler that goes by the name of Crane , to name but a couple.However, a fair chunk of time has elapsed since we last visited their portfolio, so lets dive in for a thorough examination of what these folks call the Tribute a Honda CB500 Four restomod that redefines old-school cool. Now, anyone whos well versed in moto lore will already know just how important the introduction of the CB lineup was to the industry.When the CB750 made its debut back in 1969, it sparked a genuine revolution in the motorcycle realm. Not only was the four-banger extremely advanced compared to European machines, but it is also considered to be the first superbike thats ever touched the tarmac. Sure enough, Honda s competitors knew they had to raise the bar in order to keep up, so an age of unprecedented innovation started to unravel.With that being said, the CB750s 498cc sibling is no damn toy, either. Thus, we applaud the Ton-Up pros for retaining some of its quintessential characteristics, such as the unmistakable fuel tank and bulky side panels. To kick things off, they transplanted a 2002 MY Yamaha R1s inverted forks and front brake discs onto the CB500. One of the rotors had been installed up front, while the other replaces the donors outdated rear drum module for good measure.Next, the stock shoes were deleted in favor of 17-inch alternatives, with aluminum rims, stainless-steel spokes and Talon hubs. These sexy things are embraced by top-shelf Heidenau rubber thats as gorgeous as it is grippy. With the footwear ticked off the list, it was time to create an assortment of custom bodywork goodies for a neater aesthetic, including a new front fender and a one-off tail, which hosts dual-function LED lighting items.Rear suspension duties are now handled by a single shock absorber and a Yamaha FZR400Rs repurposed swingarm. After theyve topped it all off with a fresh solo saddle, Daniel and Pedro went about refurbishing the bikes four-cylinder powerplant inside out. Moreover, the engine received aftermarket pod filters and a bespoke four-into-four exhaust system that resembles the factory unit.A 7-inch headlight can be seen taking pride of place up front, along with a pair of stealthy clip-ons, bar-end blinkers and a Chronoclassic gauge from Motogadgets inventory. For a meaner riding posture, the handlebars are joined by rear-mounted foot pegs on the flanks. Lastly, the Portuguese specialists enveloped the Tribute in a handsome color scheme that draws inspiration from CB500s original paintwork. A dozen for the books!????The #MarsHelicopters latest flight took us to the geological wonder that is the South Seitah region. It climbed 32.8 ft (10 m) for a total of 169 seconds and flew ~1,476 ft (~450 m) roundtrip to scout the area for @NASAPersevere. https://t.co/cM9xzI8rza pic.twitter.com/SDRVMpOPoo NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) August 17, 2021 Flying over the complex rocky terrain and dunes in South Seitah poses a significant risk for the helicopter. Ingenuity's navigation system, which was designed to support a short technology demonstration on Mars, relies on the assumption that the rotorcraft is flying over virtually flat terrain.Deviations from this assumption can cause errors which can, in turn, lead to anomalies in the helicopter's flight profile. During its 6th flight , Ingenuity did come across such an anomaly that made it tilt back and forth in an oscillating pattern. Not only that, but the deviations can also cause long-term errors in the helicopter's position awareness.However, Ingenuity powered through the latest flight and successfully climbed 32.8 ft (10 m) to scout the rugged terrain. The rotorcraft hovered for a total of 169 seconds and made a 1,476 ft (450 m) roundtrip.During its journey, it didn't miss the chance to capture 10 color images that will help the Perseverance rover's team decide which of the boulders, rocky outcrops, and other geologic features in South Seitah are worth further investigation by the rover.Even though the flight proved to be risky, "knowing that we have the opportunity to help the Perseverance team with science planning by providing unique aerial footage is all the motivation needed," explained NASA.This trip was somehow similar to Flight 10 when Ingenuity scouted a surface feature known as "Raised Ridges" for the Perseverance team. But, unlike its 10th journey, the timing of Flight 12 was critical.Currently, the rover is not too far from Ingenuity as it is moving faster northwest across the southern ridge of Seitah thanks to its newly enabled AutoNav capability. According to NASA JPL , if everything goes well, the rover is expected to meet up with the helicopter in the upcoming days. On August 12, Lin Wenqin, the founder of Chinese restaurant brand Meiyihao, was driving his ES8 on the Shenhai Expressway, in Putian, East China's Fujian Province. NOP was active when his electric crossover rear-ended a working construction vehicle in the Hanjiang section at high speed. Wenqin died instantly.According to Caijing.com.cn, the entrepreneur trusted NOP so much that he allegedly used it on 3,113 kilometers of the 5,960 km he drove the electric SUV in July. Thats equivalent to 52.2% of all the driving he did in that month. After that, Nio released an official statement saying it was cooperating with the traffic authorities investigating the crash.The law firm hired by Wenqins family then accused Nio of erasing data in his car to escape responsibility in the crash. The automakers worker that dealt with the car would then have been summoned by the police. Nio denied that and said its worker performed a cut-off in the parking lot where the car was parked, but that operation would not cause a data loss."Nio also said it dispatched a technical team to help with the investigations and read data on the vehicle. The company ended an official statement about the crash saying it would not release information about the accident until the investigation result is finally confirmed out of respect for its dead client.In Nios defense, it has never promoted its NOP system as an autonomous driving tech, nor were any of its main executives alleging that its cars would be autonomous at any point. However, that will not make things easier for the Chinese manufacturer if it is not able to prove that it monitors driver attention and that NOP can safely disengage if the driver is acting recklessly. IAI stands for Israel Aircraft Industries, and its a company that describes itself as a leader in defense, aerospace, and commercial markets. The bit that concerns us now is the defense one, because were here to talk a bit about the aircraft it makes.The company presently specializes in producing a wide range of drones and other such systems, but when it comes to military aircraft, the star of the lineup is the Kfir. Based on the French Dassault Mirage 5, the warbird is described as an all-weather, multi-role supersonic combat aircraft.Powered by a reworked General Electric engine, the Kfir is capable of reaching a top speed of over Mach 2 (2,440 kph/1,520 mph) and fly at altitudes of up to 17,680 m (58,010 ft). It packs guns, rockets, missiles and bombs, weaponry it can deliver at distances of up to 768 km (477 miles).For a while, the Kfir, introduced in the early 1970s, served the needs of the Israel Air Force. In the meantime, the fleet was retired, modernized, and delivered to partner nations, including Colombia, Ecuador and Sri Lanka. The U.S. used them briefly as well, in the 1980s, as unarmed adversaries for dissimilar air combat training.The four Kfirs youre looking at in the main pic of this piece (click photo to enlarge) are with the Colombian Air Force, and are seen here accompanied by an equal number of American F-16 Fighting Falcons. The planes got together over Colombia during Exercise Relampago VI in mid-July, a drill meant to provide rapid integration into theater training, as well as joint, coalition and partnered missions.And given how rarely F-16s get to meet Kfirs in the air, this is too good of an opportunity to miss for our Photo of the Day section. Its exactly what happened last week, at a gas station in Denver, when some slider thief tried to drive off in Jordan Williams car. Williams is a 30-year-old mixed martial arts fighter currently in the UFC, welterweight division. He drives a relatively new Honda Civic that he bought for himself as a present for signing with the UFC, in November 2020.Williams was able to fight off the wannabe car thief, kick his butt and chase him away. He then went inside the convenience store again, retrieved the surveillance video and posted it on social media. Speaking with MMA Fighting , he says he had no idea you could drive the car without the fob key, so he assumed his ride was safe with the engine running and the door open, as long as he had the fob on him.Williams has diabetes, so he went inside the convenience store to pick up some snacks because his blood sugar was too low. He always does that, and he almost always leaves the engine running practically an open invitation for all aspiring car thieves to make a go for the vehicle, as police would say. He only realized what was happening as he was coming out of the store, and he saw someone drive off in his ride.As you can see in the video, Williams was able to overpower the thief (duh). He landed a few punches and a few knees, which felt fair game to the UFC star because, he says, the dude was still in his car. When the thief got out and made a run for it, screaming Im sorry, Williams did not pursue him and did not attempt to hit him again. He wanted to, he writes on Instagram, but more than that, he wanted his car.Speaking of, it might be just a Civic, but it holds special meaning for him. Williams bought it as a present for landing the UFC contract and, on the occasion, recalled how hard he had it a while back, when he was living out of his car. The Civic was his motivation to keep going and work for even greater things.Williams knows he came close to losing it , because the only thing that delayed the thiefs getaway was the fact that he didnt know how to disengage the parking brake. But that changes the impact of the story because of how much of an idiot I am for leaving it running, he tells the publication. So, a lesson learned. According to the Sussex Police, the Tesla Model 3 hit six children and an adult at around 4:30 PM on August 16. One 8-year-old boy had to be transported by air ambulance to St Georges Hospital in London due to severe injuries. Thankfully, none of them is life-threatening. The boy remains in the hospital for treatment.The six other people affected by the crash were taken to local hospitals to treat minor injuries. The driver, a 47-year-old woman, was in the car and was not harmed. There is no information on what would have caused the wreck, but the Sussex Police expressly asked people not to speculate about the incident. Pictures taken at the site by Eddie Mitchell revealed that the left side of the vehicle was affected and that it run over the children on the internal road of the Ardingly College.We have already asked them what explanation the driver gave for the trampling and if Autopilot was involved in any way. The Sussex Police Media and Communications Department told us they could just confirm that the driver was in the car. All other information will just be released when the investigation ends.Whether that was the case or not, the mere suspicion shows that Tesla has a reputation issue with its system that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If these folks were run over by any other car, most would bet on human error right from the start. Whenever a crash with no logical explanation happens with a Tesla, Autopilot is the main suspect.A competent PR department would have already identified the issue and tried to fix the softwares reputation. In Teslas case, there is no PR department apart from the ones in Norway and China. A quick and transparent reply to such incidents would make for effective damage control. As Sherlock Holmes would say, thats Sussex Police via Reuters Several names were involved in this complex project of modernizing the aging, outdated warhead, including Sandia National Laboratories, the design and engineering labs for the W88 Alt 370. Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Kansas City National Security Campus, Pantex Plant, and the Y-12 National Security Complex also had important roles in updating the nuclear warhead.The W88 was faithful to the United States nuclear deterrent for more than 30 years since its entered the stockpile. Deployed on the U.S. Navys Trident II D5 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) system, the W88 has an estimated yield of 475 kilotons and was carried onboard Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines.Multiple major components had to be upgraded as the W88 had to align with all the technological advancements of the last 30 years.Sandia redesigned the entire AF&F assembly, which is the brain of the warhead , including the radar, communication, guidance, and other safety key components. The AF&F looks for the correct code and environmental signals that will unlock the system and make sure the flight is an authorized one, as explained by Dolores Sanchez, senior manager of the W88 Alt 370 program.In addition to updating the AF&F subsystem, all the materials that have deteriorated over time have been replaced and the modernizing process also included a refresh of the conventional high explosive.Sandia states that the entire W88 Alt 370 system has been put through an extensive set of tests to make sure it is reliable and secure and to also ensure that its AF&F assembly can be successfully integrated into the full weapon system. Among others, the AF&F was put through extreme temperatures, drops, impact, massive electrical impulses, and vibration tests, proving it can operate as intended. kWh HP kW Marco Soriano is the investor who founded the new Soriano Motori in Italy, based on the eponymous motorcycle s legacy in Spain. In a recent press release, we are informed that his company is committed to meeting Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, and also to reducing the carbon footprint, not just by manufacturing electric motorcycles, but also by developing a plan to recycle and recondition batteries.All of this sounds great, but theres no word about the actual e-bike lineup, except to confirm that the company has developed a product that is not yet in the market. Announced in 2020, the range includes three models that were meant to look and feel traditional, despite being electric. Called Giaguaro (Italian for jaguar), these new motorcycles were ready to become a hit, due to their unique look and advanced performance.Giaguaro V1 Gara, the company s flagship model, is described as a super-sport bike with an exclusive aluminum frame and the original look of the 1940s headlights. It is equipped with a dual lithium ion battery system that ranges from 15to 20kWh, for extended range and autonomy. The Duoflex engine can deliver 100(75) and 106 pound-feet (145 Nm) of torque, and is capable of a 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) acceleration in just 3.5 seconds. This e-bike is also designed to stop quicker or turn faster, thanks to the peripheral brakes, lighter front wheel, and three gears.All three Soriano models are available for pre-order, in various configurations, with prices ranging between 25,500 ($31,000) to 32,500 ($39,515). 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. Investigative Committee spokesperson Vardan Tadevosian said on Tuesday that Irina Yolian and Menua Hovsepian, both of whom are known to be critical of the government, are suspected of large-scale embezzlement. He added that Hovsepian is also suspected of electoral violations. According to an official report, besides the deputy mayors, two employees of the Goris municipality, Armine Chopchian and Susanna Sargsian, were also arrested. It said that documents had been confiscated from the municipality and the apartments of the arrested officials in Goris had been searched. No other details are reported yet while investigation continues. In July, Armenian law-enforcement authorities arrested Goriss pro-opposition mayor Arush Arushanian, who is charged with trying to buy votes ahead of the June 20 parliamentary elections. The main opposition Hayastan alliance, with which Arushanian and most other arrested officials in Syunik are associated, has condemned the arrests of local leaders critical of the government, describing their prosecution as politically motivated. Authorities deny any political motives behind the latest criminal cases and arrests of officials. The Armenia Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Azerbaijani forces opened fire in mid-afternoon, using firearms of different calibers, against Armenian positions in the Sotk area in the eastern Gegharkunik province, as a result of which one Armenian soldier was wounded. It said the wound was not life-threatening. As of 4:30 p.m., the shooting was ongoing. As a result of the counter-actions carried out by the Armenian side, the adversary suffered one dead and one wounded, the Armenian ministry said in a statement. Armenia also reported clashes along the border with Azerbaijan also on Monday, saying they left two of its troops dead at different sections of the frontier, including the Yeraskh section of the border with Azerbaijans western exclave of Nakhijevan. Armenia has blamed all incidents on Azerbaijan, which, for its part, claimed that in all cases shooting was started by the Armenian side. Baku also denied any casualties among its military personnel claimed by Armenia. Long-running tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region turned into a large-scale war last year in which nearly 7,000 people were killed in six weeks of fighting that ended in a Moscow-brokered cease-fire deal. Under the accord, a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration. The agreement also resulted in the deployment of around 2,000 Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor linking the Armenian-populated region with Armenia. On August 14, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with CNN Turk television that his country did not want a new war with Armenia, as Baku has accomplished its historic mission. Last week, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Yerevan was ready to resume talks with Baku on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and expects specific proposals. The Armenian legislature convened for a special session on Tuesday to discuss a government-drafted bill on the use of additional water from Lake Sevan for irrigation purposes amid an unusually hot summer. Representatives of the Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions, however, drew their pro-government colleagues attention to what they described as a no less important issue of fresh tensions at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The new escalation in the border standoff between the Armenian and Azerbaijani military comes amid fresh claims by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev about historical Azeri lands in the territory of modern-day Armenia that he made during his visit to the Kelbajar (Kalbajar) district this week. Kelbajar was one of three districts around Nagorno-Karabakh that Armenian forces withdrew from after a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal put an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan last fall. During the hostilities in which nearly 7,000 people were killed Azerbaijan recaptured four other districts around Nagorno-Karabakh as well as two districts within the region proper. Aliyev, in particular, referred to the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces of Armenia, saying that Azerbaijanis who lived there in Soviet times and were displaced in the late 1980s are entitled to return and live in the lands of their ancestors. In his earlier statements Aliyev also described Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, as a historical Azerbaijani land. The Syunik, Gegharkunik and Ararat regions bordering on Azerbaijan have been the locations of border fighting in recent days. Armenia and Azerbaijan have blamed each other for the escalation. Seyran Ohanian, the head of the opposition Hayastan faction, suggested that the current border situation should be discussed in parliament because it is, first of all, necessary to dispel any fears that our people have, as our authorities seem to have stopped dealing with this situation. Only the ombudsman provides relevant information to our society, Ohanian said, referring to reports by Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan about the situation of people in border areas. Hayk Konkorian, the head of the majority Civil Contract faction, said the faction did not address the opposition proposal when they held a closed-door discussion during the day. Pro-government lawmakers did not comment on Ohanians proposal or respond to Aliyevs statements immediately. Senior Armenian officials have not responded to the Azerbaijani presidents recent statements either. Ohanian, who served as Armenias defense minister in 2008-2016, claimed that Azerbaijan takes official Yerevans silence as a sign of weakness and pushes forward. Why dont you condemn Azerbaijan? Why dont you present to the international community that Azerbaijan is a criminal state that stages provocations? the opposition leader charged. Later on Tuesday Armenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning what it described as Azerbaijans provocative actions on the borders. It also noted that these actions are accompanied by the threats of the Azerbaijani top leadership towards the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and use of force against Artsakh [the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh]. We strongly condemn the provocative actions of the Azerbaijani side, which are clearly aimed at undermining the efforts towards de-escalation and hindering regional security and peace. They are aimed at preventing the resumption of the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, as well as disrupting the regional unblocking process and the opening of all means of communication, the Armenian ministry said. The Republic of Armenia will consistently defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination and life in their homeland, it concluded. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. CANNES, France (AP) Sean Penn is sort of done with movies. Hes still making them, here and there. But Penn is mostly seeing out commitments he made years earlier. After those? Hes not so sure how much more hes going to be acting or directing. Penn, the 61-year-old maverick actor and sometimes filmmaker, is in many ways happily out of step with many of the prevailing winds in Hollywood. Streaming films? Franchise movies? So-called cancel culture? All of these things draw his ire, to various degrees. Meanwhile, Penn is dedicating more of his time to Haitian relief efforts and getting people vaccinated than he does to movies. All of that makes Flag Day, a new film Penn directed and co-stars in, a rarity for a once voracious actor who in the past decade has been a co-lead in only a few movies (The Professor and the Madman, Gangster Squad). In the father-daughter drama, which MGM will release Friday in theaters, Penn plays a larger-than-life but often absent and sometimes imprisoned father to daughter Jennifer (played by Penn's daughter Dylan Penn). Im currently feeling with this movie incredibly lucky to have a movie thats going to be a movie, thats going to have a theatrical front, Penn said in an interview last month. I, as an audience, can be very into some of the things that are only streaming. But as a practitioner, not at all. To act in something, you take it in a certain stride. But as a director, the way Ive always put it is: Its not the girl I fell in love with. And Penn increasingly sounds like someone for whom the romance of movies has faded. He misses Hollywood films that arent just razzle-dazzle, Cirque du Soleil movies, he says. On Marvel movies, he laments how much its taken up the space and claimed so much time in the careers of so many talented people. Arguing that today he wouldnt be allowed to play gay icon Harvey Milk (2008s Milk), Penn recently said that soon only Danish princes will be playing Hamlet. And Penns generally well-regarded directing career (including 1995s The Crossing Guard and 2001s The Pledge, both with Jack Nicholson; and 2007's Into the Wild) has lately been rockier. His last film, 2016s The Last Face, with Charlize Theron, flopped, and was loudly booed at its Cannes Film Festival debut. Yet Penn last month returned to Cannes to premiere Flag Day. Ive been on such extreme ends on that. Its like: whatever, says Penn. The thing is: I am confident that I know as much more about acting than almost any of these critics. And Im very confident in the performance Im most concerned about. With that, Penn raises his hand and points toward where Dylan is sitting across an otherwise empty hotel bar off Cannes' Croisette. Dylan, 30, is the star of Flag Day. She has dabbled before in acting but its easily her biggest role yet. In the film, adapted from Jennifer Vogels 2005 memoir Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Fathers Counterfeit Life, she plays an aspiring journalist with a seldom truthful father. Penn's confidence isnt misplaced. In Flag Day, Dylan is natural, poised and captivating. She looks a veteran, already, which might be expected of the child of Penn and Robin Wright. And those critics? Some have been quite complimentary. Variety said the film reveals Dylan Penn to be a major actor. Just as Penn is withdrawing from movies, his daughter is stepping forward even if she didnt immediately seek the spotlight. Growing up, being surrounded by actors and being on set, it was really something that didnt interest me at all, Dylan says. I always thought, and still think, my passion lies in working behind the camera. But as soon as I expressed wanting to do that kind of thing, both of my parents said separately: You wont be a good director if you dont know what its like to be in the actors shoes. Dylan grants that her dad may be passing the torch a little bit. Hopper Jack Penn, her younger brother, also co-stars in Flag Day. (The rest of the cast includes Josh Brolin and Regina King. Original songs by Cat Power, Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard contribute to the score.) I have always thought if she wanted to do it, Id encourage it, Penn says. For Dylan, the father-daughter relationship of Flag Day Jennifer tries to help and stabilize her scamming father but also inherits some of his more destructive, conman habits is a half-reflection of their own bond together. She always strived to have this really honest, transparent relationship with her father which she never got it in return, Dylan says. Ive tried to have that with my dad and got it in return. Penn has recently been shooting Sam Esmails Watergate series for Starz, with Julia Roberts. He's been vocal that vaccinations ought to be required for everyone on set. During the pandemic, Penn's Community Organized Relief Effort non-profit, which he started after the 2010 earthquake to help Haitians, erected testing and vaccination sites, helping dispense millions of shots. Perhaps those experiences have made Penn only further repelled by anything artificial. "My tolerance for the contrived is less and less," says Penn. But working with Dylan came naturally. Talking about her attentive, even disarming presence, he calls her as uncontrived as it gets. I would be sort of taken about by it sometimes, like: Uh, oh. Shes really listening to this. Is she seeing right through this?" says Penn. Penn started out younger he was starring in Fast Times at Ridgemont High by the time he was 21. He felt confident from the start in roles that were like him young and very shy," as he describes. Staying natural while expanding away from himself, Penn says, has been the journey ever since. How do you feel as natural, as free in something where youre going to the role as in something where youre bringing the role to you? To varying degrees of success and failure, thats what the road has been to find that original unquestioning, says Penn. Theres stuff that I see in Dylan that is so unquestioning. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect women's rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists as part of a publicity blitz aimed at reassuring world powers and a fearful population. Following a lightning offensive across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a strict form of Islamic rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical and thousands have raced to the airport, desperate to flee the country. Older generations remember the Talibans previous rule, when they largely confined women to their homes, banned television and music, and held public executions. A U.S.-led invasion drove them from power months after the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida had orchestrated from Afghanistan while being sheltered by the Taliban. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's longtime spokesman, emerged from the shadows Tuesday in his first-ever public appearance to address those concerns at a news conference. He promised the Taliban would honor womens rights within the norms of Islamic law, without elaborating. The Taliban have encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school, handing out Islamic headscarves at the door. A female news anchor interviewed a Taliban official Monday in a TV studio. The treatment of women varies widely across the Muslim world and sometimes even within the same country, with rural areas tending to be far more conservative. Some Muslim countries, including neighboring Pakistan, have had female prime ministers, while ultraconservative Saudi Arabia only recently allowed women to drive. Mujahid also said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacking other countries, as it was in the years before 9/11. That assurance was part of a 2020 peace deal reached between the Taliban and the Trump administration that paved the way for the American withdrawal. The Pentagon said U.S. commanders are communicating with the Taliban as they work to evacuate thousands of people through Kabul's international airport. It said the Taliban have taken no hostile actions there. Mujahid reiterated that the Taliban have offered full amnesty to Afghans who worked for the U.S. and the Western-backed government, saying nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped. He said private media should remain independent" but that journalists should not work against national values. Kabul, the capital, has remained calm as the Taliban patrol its streets. But many remain fearful after prisons and armories emptied out during the insurgents' sweep across the country. Kabul residents say groups of armed men have been going door-to-door seeking out individuals who worked with the ousted government and security forces, but it was unclear if the gunmen were Taliban or criminals posing as militants. Mujahid blamed the security breakdown on the former government, saying the Taliban only entered Kabul in order to restore law and order after the police melted away. A broadcaster in Afghanistan said she was hiding at a relatives house, too frightened to return home much less go to work. She said she and other women do not believe the Taliban have changed their ways. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared for her safety. A group of women wearing Islamic headscarves demonstrated briefly in Kabul, holding signs demanding the Taliban not eliminate women from public life. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. and other governments will not simply take the Taliban at their word when it comes to women's rights. Like Ive said all along, this is not about trust. This is about verify, Sullivan said at a White House briefing. And well see what the Taliban end up doing in the days and weeks ahead, and when I say we, I mean the entire international community. Whatever their true intentions, the Taliban have an interest in projecting moderation to prevent the international community from isolating their government, as it did in the 1990s. The European Union said it was suspending development assistance to Afghanistan until the political situation is more clear but that it would consider boosting humanitarian aid. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the Taliban must respect U.N. Security Council resolutions and human rights to earn access to some 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in development funds earmarked through 2024. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain might provide up to 10% more humanitarian aid, but the the Taliban would not get any money previously earmarked for security. Evacuation flights resumed after being suspended on Monday, when thousands of people rushed the airport. In shocking scenes captured on video, some clung to a plane as it took off and then fell to their deaths. At least seven people died in the airport chaos, U.S. officials said. On Tuesday, the Taliban entered the civilian half of the airport, firing into the air to drive out around 500 people there, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to brief journalists. The Taliban appeared to be trying to control the crowd rather than prevent people from leaving. A video circulating online showed the Taliban supervising the orderly departure of dozens of foreigners. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, now operating from the military side of the airport, urged Americans to register online for evacuation but not to come to the airport before being contacted. The German Foreign Ministry said a first German military transport plane landed in Kabul but took off with only seven people on board due to the chaos. Another left later with 125 people. U.S. President Joe Biden has defended his decision to end America's longest war, blaming the rapid Taliban takeover on Afghanistan's Western-backed government and security forces. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that assessment, while saying the alliance must investigate the flaws in its efforts to train the Afghan military. Talks continued Tuesday between the Taliban and several Afghan politicians, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the countrys negotiating council. The Taliban have said they want to form an inclusive, Islamic government. The talks focused on how a Taliban-dominated government would operate given the changes in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, rather than just dividing up ministries, officials with knowledge of the negotiations said on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. A top Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Kandahar on Tuesday night from Qatar, potentially signaling a deal is close at hand. The vice president of the ousted government, meanwhile, tweeted that he was the country's legitimate caretaker president. Amrullah Saleh said that under the constitution, he should be in charge because President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. ___ Faiez reported from Istanbul, Gannon from Guelph, Canada, and Krauss from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Pan Pylas in London, and Aya Batrawy in Dubai contributed to this report. When body-positive advocate Fallon Melillo traveled to Miami for a fun trip with her girls, she didn't expect to be turned away and shamed for her size by a "fat-phobic" Miami party bus service on July 31. "It was humiliating and embarrassing," the San Antonio woman tells MySA. "If this would've happened to somebody else, I probably would have gone off right then and there, but I was shocked and uncomfortable. You never think this is something that would happen to you." With nearly 50,000 followers on TikTok, the 27-year-old isn't holding back and using her platform to call out the Spring Break Miami Party Service Bus for discriminating against plus-size women. In her viral video explaining the experience, she has reached more than half a million views. Melillo says she and her friends bought tickets through a club promoter to board the Spring Break Miami Party Service Bus, which would take them to the Daer Night Club at the Hard Rock Hotel. Melillo tells MySA she sent her friend $40, thinking all was well. However, when Melillo, 27, looked at the business' Eventbrite, she noticed the party bus service notes how it does not accept "big girls" on its bus. It read, "Sorry, no big girls for this party! The doorman is very strict on appearance. If you have had problems getting into exclusive clubs before, then this is not for you! Please don't waste your time nor ours thinking that we can get you inside if you do not meet the qualifications." Fallon Melillo Melillo says she brought it up to her friends, but none thought it could be true as the club promoter didn't relay that message to them. On arrival at the meet-up location, Melillo says the staff member took one of her friends aside and informed her that they would not allow her on the bus. The group received refunds and ended up taking an Uber to Daer Night Club, where Melillo says she had no problem getting into the pool party. She says she contacted the club via chat to see if they don't allow plus-size women, and the business said they do. Melillo also noted the party bus service isn't affiliated with the nightclub. Since her viral video, the party bus service has not posted any upcoming events on Eventbrite under Spring Break Miami Party Service Bus. The business also deleted its original event from July 31. Melillo believes they may have changed their name. Melillo says she wouldn't be surprised if other services use the same discrimination towards plus-size individuals. In an Eventbrite page from "The Camp," there's a note included where it states the event is "very exclusive" and has the right to "deny service." "Nobody should be basing thing off looks ... we are people. We are good-paying customers. We're just like normal people. Just because we're not small or not straight-sized doesn't mean we should be denied access to events or party buses." "It's not only this company," she continues. "Lots of other promoters are changing their name and saying fatphobic things as well. It's just wrong, and I hope this brings awareness of how they are making others feel." MySA reached out to Daer, "The Camp" business, and Eventbrite for comments. None have responded as of press time. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Manjula Wijesuriya had COVID-19, but his friends and family say that's not what killed him. When the 51-year-old tutor suffered a heart attack in late July, his loved ones rushed him to a nearby hospital in a suburb of Sri Lankas capital, Colombo. But as his condition deteriorated over the next few hours, they found it impossible to get him a bed in an intensive care unit. That's because a test confirmed Wijesuriya also had the coronavirus, and virus patients must be admitted to separate ICUs. All of them were occupied. The father to three died on Aug. 1 a day after stepping foot inside the hospital. It was a tragic death, said his friend Tissa Jananayake. Even though he had COVID, he did not die because of it. He died because he did not receive treatment for the heart attack; he died because he could not get an ICU bed. Wijesuriyas death is a worrying sign of how the latest coronavirus surge, driven by the highly contagious delta variant, is swamping the Indian Ocean island nation. The delta variant is like a bomb, said Channa Jayasmana, state minister of pharmaceutical production, supply and regulation. It exploded in ... London and India. Now it has exploded in Sri Lanka, he added. In the last two weeks, Sri Lanka has seen an unprecedented rise in coronavirus patients and deaths. The country's latest wave of infections, which began in April, has been the most severe of the pandemic. Around 80% of the countrys total deaths occurred during this current wave, which also accounts for the majority of confirmed cases since the pandemic began. While the Health Ministry doesn't release data on how many COVID-19 beds are occupied, doctors and medical associations warn that ICU beds for coronavirus patients and morgues across Sri Lanka are rapidly nearing maximum capacity. In recent weeks, television channels and social media have been inundated with dramatic visuals of overrun and overburdened government hospitals, with patients forced to sleep on floors while waiting for treatment. Daily confirmed cases have doubled to 3,000, while deaths have shot past 100 a day. Sri Lanka has confirmed over 358,000 cases since the pandemic began and more than 6,000 deaths. Doctors and health officials say the delta variant has swept across the country with dizzying speed, and is quickly moving from cities and into the suburbs. The government has appealed to the public to stay at home except in an emergency. The rise in infections has pushed oxygen demand to unacceptably high levels that are increasing by the day, said Dr. Padma Gunaratne, president of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. The latest barrage of cases comes as restrictions were slowly being eased following a monthlong lockdown in May and June. New restrictions have followed. A ban on all public gatherings began on Sunday while weddings receptions will be banned from Tuesday. And a nighttime curfew began Monday that exempts only essential services. The Health Ministry is also adding more hospital beds. Last week, the World Health Organization said it provided emergency medical equipment to 78 hospitals in Sri Lanka, including beds, oximeters, oxygen cylinders and concentrators. President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa also changed his health minister on Monday. Keheliya Rambukwella, the media minister and government spokesman, takes over the Health Ministry, while predecessor Pavithra Wanniarachchi was appointed as transport minister. Starting Sept. 15, no one will be allowed to enter public places without a vaccination card. But the government has held off on imposing a new lockdown, fearing the damage to the already ailing economy. Instead, Sri Lanka's leaders are banking on the vaccination drive to see them through the surge. It used more than 1 million AstraZeneca shots to begin its vaccination drive before supplies from neighboring India dried up. Sri Lanka then looked to China, whose Sinopharm vaccine has been the most widely used in the drive so far. Sri Lanka has also received doses from Japan, Russia, the U.S. and through the U.N.-backed COVAX program. Officials are confident they will receive enough doses to fully immunize 70% or 15 million people out of the 22 million population by the end of September. So far, 4 million have received both doses while 11.6 million got the first shot. But this is not enough to stop the current wave or the large number of deaths, said Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya, executive director of the Institute for Health Policy especially since Sinopharm and other vaccines are not fully effective in blocking the delta variants transmission. Authorities will need to test more rapidly and make plans to vaccinate the remaining 30% of the population, who are mostly children, he added. This target of inoculating 70% of the population that they (the government) are chasing is no longer enough. Experts say the next few weeks are of immediate concern, with cases likely to escalate quickly, especially with no lockdown in place. We need to pay attention, we need to do something, said Gunaratne of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. We are at a very critical point. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) CANBERRA, Australia Australia had evacuated the first 26 people, including Australian and Afghan citizens, from Kabul since the Taliban overran the Afghan capital, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday. An Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft landed at an Australian military base in the United Arab Emirates with the 26 who included a foreign official working for an international agency, Morrison said. The remainder were Australians and Afghans. This was the first of what will be many flights, subject to clearance and weather and we do note that over the back end of this week, there is some not too favorable weather forecast, Morrison said. Two Hercules and two larger C-17A Globemaster transport aircraft will make further evacuation flights. Australia plans to evacuate 130 Australians and their families plus an undisclosed number Afghans who have worked for Australian soldiers and diplomats in roles such as interpreters. Australias goal is to evacuate 600 people, according to media reports. Morrison did not provide a number. Our goal is as many as we can, as safely and as quickly as we can, he said. ___ MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN: Taliban announce amnesty, urge women to join government Taliban encounter Afghan cities remade in their absence US agencies scrub websites to protect Afghans left behind Taliban take over Afghanistan: What we know and whats next Biden: Afghan chaos gut-wrenching but stands by withdrawal Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: WASHINGTON President Joe Biden has spoken with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the situation in Afghanistan, marking his first call with another world leader since the Taliban took control of the country Sunday. The White House said that during Mondays conversation Biden and Johnson commended the bravery and professionalism of their military and civilian personnel who are working to evacuate their countries citizens and allies from the country. The White House says the leaders agreed on the need for close coordination with allies about the future of aid and support to Afghanistan now that the Taliban is in charge. Johnson holds the presidency of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies, and the White House says he will convene a virtual meeting of the group next week to discuss the path forward in Afghanistan. ___ WASHINGTON The U.S. Air Force says its Office of Special Investigations is reviewing an incident at the Kabul airport Monday in which multiple people were killed when hundreds of Afghan civilians desperate to leave the country swarmed a C-17 cargo plane as it was attempting to take off. The Air Force did not say how many people died. It said human remains were found in the planes wheel well after it landed at al-Udeid Air Base in the Gulf state of Qatar. Videos of the incident, including images of people falling from the aircraft as it took off, were widely viewed on social media. The images captured the initial chaos of a U.S.-directed evacuation that followed the Talibans takeover of the country. The Air Force said the C-17 Globemaster III had landed at Kabul airport to deliver equipment for the evacuation effort. Before the crew could offload the cargo, the aircraft was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians who had breeched the security perimeter. Because the security situation was getting worse, the crew decided to take off. ___ ROME Italys prime minister is vowing that Italy will remain committed to promoting and protecting fundamental rights in Afghanistan, especially of women, following the Taliban takeover and the evacuation of Western diplomats and military forces. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 industrialized countries this year, is the natural forum to launch a process of collaboration among countries including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, in addition to Europe, Premier Mario Draghi said. In an interview with state-run RAI television, Draghi paid tribute to the 54 Italian soldiers killed and some 700 injured during Italys 20-year participation in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan and said Italy was looking to the future, not to the past. He said: The future for Italy is made up by the defense of fundamental rights, the defense of the rights of women and the protection of all those who exposed themselves in these years to defend these rights in Afghanistan. This must be undertaken in all possible contexts. He said the priority for Europe was to continue welcoming those Afghans who collaborated with the West and their families, those who worked for womens rights in Afghanistan, and to ensure security to prevent terrorist infiltration. Noting that a G20 ministerial meeting is planned later this month dedicated to women, as well as the leaders summit at the end of October, Draghi said: This year of our presidency of the G20, we are fully committed to building the appropriate seat for this collaboration. ___ BRUSSELS The European Union is suspending payments of development assistance to Afghanistan now that it has fallen to the Taliban but is weighing whether to boost humanitarian aid to the conflict-ravaged country. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says there can be no payments of development assistance until we clarify the situation with Taliban leaders. Speaking after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers Tuesday, Borrell said the Taliban must respect U.N. Security Council resolutions and human rights to earn access to the funds. Borrell says that humanitarian help will continue, and maybe we will have an increase, given the number of displaced Afghans, the ongoing drought, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The 27-nation bloc has pledged about 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in development assistance for Afghanistan for the period 2021-2024. ___ PARIS A flight carrying 41 people evacuated from Kabul, including French and other nationalities, landed at a Paris airport on Tuesday evening. France evacuated several dozen people in a military plane after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. The were first brought to a military air base in Abu Dhabi, and several of the passengers were then sent back to France. French authorities did not provide details over the nationalities of people on the flight to Paris. Defense minister Florence Parly said there are still a few dozen of Afghan people whom we consider need to be evacuated as soon as possible and we are working on it, in addition to bringing back French citizens. The Interior ministry said in a statement the situation in Kabul remains complex. All the states services and the French Embassy on the ground remain fully mobilized to ensure new flights as soon as possible. President Emmanuel Macron promised Monday that France would not abandon Afghans who worked for the country, from translators to kitchen staff as well as artists, activists and others under threat with the collapse of the Afghan government. France withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan in 2014 and has already evacuated more than 1,000 Afghans who supported French forces. ___ ISLAMABAD Pakistans information minister said on Tuesday that said his country will make a decision about the recognition of a Taliban government in Afghanistan only after consultations with regional and international powers. Fawad Chaudhry said at a news conference that Pakistan does not want to take any unilateral decision about this matter. He said Pakistan was pleased that so far there hasnt been much violence and bloodshed in Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover. Chaudhry made his comments two days after the Taliban swept into the Afghan capital of Kabul following a blitz that lasted just over a week. Pakistan was among three nations which recognized the Taliban government when it came into power in the 1990s. The Taliban were ousted by the U.S-led invasion following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They had at the time sheltered al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, the leader of the network. ___ SOFIA, Bulgaria Bulgarian leaders have signed a joint statement saying Afghans should be allowed to leave the country if they wish, the Balkan nations foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. The statement followed an emergency meeting of a national security council called by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to discuss measures to address the increased migratory pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. It noted that all temporary accommodation centers in Bulgaria are already overcrowded with migrants from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Bulgaria saw hundreds of thousands of migrants pass through its territory and continue to western Europe during the height of the migrant crisis. Since then, Bulgaria erected a razor-wire fence along most of its 269-kilometer (167-mile) border with Turkey. There is no fence on the border with Greece, but army units have been deployed occasionally to help police patrol the frontier. Bulgarian public opinion has been largely opposed to the arrival of migrants and asylum seekers during previous migrant waves. ___ THE HAGUE, Netherlands The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is closely monitoring events in Afghanistan and is most concerned by recent reports of escalating violence in the country. Prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement on Tuesday that he echoes views expressed by the U.N. Security Council over incidents he says may amount to violations of international humanitarian law. He says they include allegations of extrajudicial executions in the form of revenge killings of detainees and individuals who surrendered, persecution of women and girls, crimes against children and other crimes affecting the civilian population at large. The Hague-based court has already opened an investigation into crimes in Afghanistan dating back to May 2003. Khan says he calls on all parties in the country to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by ensuring the protection of civilians. I remain available and willing to engage with all parties to this end. ___ GENEVA Dozens of demonstrators have staged a rally outside the U.N.s Geneva compound to call for respect for women, freedom of expression, and other human rights in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power from the countrys government. The demonstrators on Tuesday called for continued schooling for women and girls which was banned during the Talibans previous rule in the late 1990s and held up banners such as We want peace and Help Afghanistan out. Several demonstrators draped themselves in red, green and black Afghan flags, which has been replaced by a white Taliban flag on some official buildings in Afghanistan after the insurgents drove out President Ashraf Ghanis government. Many women, and some girls, took part in the rally. Two women held up a sign that read: The world should not allow Afghanistan to become a prison and a deathtrap for women. The protest took place at the foot of the landmark three-legged chair outside the U.N. Geneva compound, a site that regularly hosts demonstrations about a vast array of grievances and human rights concerns ___ MOSCOW The Russian ambassador to Afghanistan said he had a constructive and positive meeting with Taliban representatives in Kabul to discuss security for the Russian diplomatic mission. Tuesdays meeting was announced the day before by the Kremlin envoy on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, who also said the Taliban has already started guarding the outside perimeter of the Russian embassy. Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov told Russian state TV Tuesday that the meeting was dedicated exclusively to the security of the embassy and involved senior Taliban representatives in the city who were accepting the surrender of the remnants of the self-disbanded Afghan national security forces. The meeting was positive and constructive, Zhirnov said. The Taliban representatives said the Taliban has the friendliest ... approach to Russia. They confirmed guarantees of security for the embassy. Russia designated the Taliban a terrorist organization in 2003, but has since hosted several rounds of talks in Afghanistan, most recently in March, that involved the group. Moscow, which fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989, has made a diplomatic comeback as a mediator, reaching out to feuding Afghan factions as it has jockeyed with the U.S. for influence in the country. ___ MOSCOW Uzbekistan on Tuesday denied media reports claiming that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani sought refuge in Uzbekistan as the Taliban swept into Kabul over the weekend. Ghani left the Afghan capital on Sunday and his whereabouts have since remained unknown, with ex-Soviet nations of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan denying taking him in. The Uzbek Foreign Ministrys news agency Dunyo said on Tuesday that media reports about the alleged presence of Ghani, as well as former Afghan warlords Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ata Mohammad Noor and others, in Uzbekistan were, according to official information, not true. In Stockholm, meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Tuesday that it is unclear how the Taliban intend to govern the country. Unfortunately, the prospects for the peace talks are very uncertain. We will not abandon the Afghan people, he wrote on Instagram. But Sweden will need to shift parts of its aid to Afghanistan after the Taliban take power. We will not in any way provide any assistance to the Taliban. Since 2013, Afghanistan has been the largest recipient of Swedish aid. ___ WASHINGTON The Defense Department says U.S. military commanders at the Kabul airport are in touch with Taliban leaders as they coordinate the evacuation effort of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that necessary interactions with Taliban leaders will continue as the U.S. evacuates people. He said there have been no new hostile encounters with Taliban fighters at the airport. Asked whether U.S. commanders had an agreement with the Taliban for safe passage to the airport of Afghan allies and others awaiting evacuation, Kirby said There are interactions at the airport, by our commanders, with the Taliban leaders outside the airport. Officials hope the pace of evacuations will pick up so that as many as 9,000 people could be taken out of the country each day. After their sweep into Kabul on Sunday and the takeover of the country, Taliban fighters are guarding Kabul airports entry points and gates. ___ LONDON A Taliban spokesman has said that Afghan women will have the right to work and be educated at the university level. Suhail Shaheen also told Britains Sky News in an interview on Tuesday that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other world leaders have a moral obligation to help rebuild a new Afghanistan. The U.K. prime minister, all leaders of the world, they should respect the aspiration of the people of Afghanistan and support its economic development, Shaheen said in a video interview from Doha, Qatar. He added: This is their obligation because they were behind the destruction of Afghanistan during the 20 years. It is their moral obligation to also help to reconstruct Afghanistan and to help the people to start a new life, and a new chapter. Shaheen said the Taliban intend to uphold the Doha peace deal and are committed to womens rights to education and work. He said girls can get education from primary to higher education. That means university. This is our policy and we are really working on this in all those areas falling to us in Afghanistan. He added that the group has already announced a general amnesty to all those who worked in the collapsed government, with foreigners or in foreign embassies. Their property will be saved, their honor and their lives are safe. They should not be worried about it. ___ PRISTINA, Kosovo Kosovos prime minister on Tuesday said the country would temporarily house Afghans threatened by the Taliban during the peacekeeping military mission there. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that since mid-July, two teams from Kosovo and the United States were coordinating efforts to shelter a number of Afghans under threat. President Vjosa Osmani said Monday that a month earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken had asked for a temporary shelter of Afghan local staff working with the U.S. forces. Kurti said in an interview with The Associated Press that by sheltering some of the refugees from Afghanistan we are doing a small help in return to an immense contribution that the United States did for our country and our people during the war and after it. Kurti did not give numbers of the place where they will be housed due to security concerns. Kosovo Albanians left in a mass exodus in 1999, amid a brutal war between separatist ethnic Kosovo Albanian rebels and Serb forces. The war ended after a 78-day U.S.-led NATO air campaign drove Serb troops out and a peacekeeping force moved in. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which is recognized by most of the West but not by Serbia and its allies, Russia and China. ___ KABUL, Afghanistan The Afghan vice president is claiming that after President Ashraf Ghani fled in the face of the Taliban sweep into Kabul over the weekend and with his whereabouts unknown, the vice president is the countrys legitimate caretaker president. Amrullah Saleh made the comment on Twitter on Tuesday. He cited the Afghan constitution was empowering him to declare this. He wrote that he was reaching out to all leaders to secure their support & consensus. As of now, Afghan leaders, including former President Hamid Karzai and peace council chief Abdullah Abdullah, have been negotiating with the Taliban since the fall of Kabul. ___ BERLIN Ahead of the EU foreign ministers meeting on Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters in Berlin that the ministers would talk about how to support each other in getting EU citizens and local Afghan staffers out of the country. Mass said they would also discuss how to deal with the Taliban in the future and how to keep the region stable in the face of possible refugee flows escaping Afghanistan. He added that we will watch the developments very closely and those who are now executing power in Afghanistan will be judged by their action. The German foreign minister added that we will especially focus our view on the stability of the region. The neighboring countries will certainly be confronted with further refugee movements. Maas added that, we have already told the United Nations that we are ready to help with the humanitarian care of these people in neighboring countries however, eventually we will need to have a common European approach for that. ___ COPENHAGEN, Denmark Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen said that at the request of the United States, Denmark will help others out of Afghanistan using military planes. We are now in a situation where we are able to lift out our own and help allies, Bramsen said. In advance, we had decided to have military planes in the area so we (now) can help our allies. The Danish move became crucial when civilian aircraft no longer took off from the Kabul International Airport while the military side kept on operating. On Sunday, we were one of the first (nations) to move to a military action, she said. Denmark was able to help Norway to get its diplomats out of Afghanistan on Monday, along with those from the Danish Embassy. It was unclear if all Danish nationals have been evacuated. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said that he can guarantee that we do everything humanly possible to help with the evacuation. It is really important to us, and added but some things are out of our hands. ___ BERLIN German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says that in addition to the 125 evacuees that were flown out of Kabul on Tuesday, another 100 people were waiting for the next German military transport plane to ferry them out of the country. Maas said two more planes were expected to land later in the day. He added that German military personnel on the ground had secured a safe gate to the airport that people who are on the German governments list for evacuation could use to to get in. Following their sweep into Kabul on Sunday and taking over the country, Taliban fighters are now also guarding entry points and gates at the airport in the Afghan capital. Meanwhile, Hungarys foreign ministry confirmed that more than 26 Hungarian citizens are in Afghanistan waiting to be evacuated. News site Hvg.hu reported Tuesday that the 26 Hungarians had previously provided private security services to the Dutch embassy in Kabul but were now stranded in the city. In a statement to news site Index.hu, Hungarys foreign ministry confirmed the report, saying Hungary had already agreed with one of our military allies to bring out the 26-strong Hungarian team, and was constantly monitoring the process. The ministry also stated that additional Hungarian citizens in Afghanistan had sought assistance, but would not divulge their numbers or details of their whereabouts for security reasons. On Monday, the foreign ministry had told commercial television station ATV that it was unaware of any Hungarian citizens in Afghanistan. ___ LONDON A British officer in charge of Britains evacuation of between 6,000 to 7,000 people from Afghanistan says Taliban commanders around the airport in Kabul have not sought to disrupt the effort. Royal Navy Vice Admiral Ben Key says pragmatic, tactical, low level discussions have had to take place with the Taliban as they control entry points into the airport. While conceding that its only been a day and a half since the evacuation commenced, Key told BBC Radio that the Taliban have so far appeared acquiescent and understanding of what were trying to achieve. British officials are calling in people to go to the vicinity of the airport as and when a flight becomes available for them. There, they have to be allowed through into the airport grounds by the Taliban. Once inside, British officials undertake the necessary security checks before taking them to the airfield where they await their flight back to the U.K. Britain is seeking to evacuate 4,000 U.K. nationals and Afghan allies who have helped over the past 20 years. ___ BRUSSELS NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is blaming a failure of Afghan leadership for the swift collapse of the countrys armed forces but says the alliance must also uncover flaws in its military training effort. Stoltenberg says the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up and that this failure of Afghan leadership led to the tragedy we are witnessing today. His remarks came after he chaired a meeting Tuesday of NATO envoys to discuss the security implications of the Talibans sweeping victory in Afghanistan. NATO has been leading international security efforts in Afghanistan since 2003 but wound-up combat operations in 2014 to focus on training the national security forces. Referring to way the Afghan armed forces withered in the face of the Taliban offensive, Stoltenberg said that it was a surprise, the speed of the collapse and how quickly that happened. He says there are lessons that need to be learned at NATO. ___ MOSCOW Russias top diplomat on Tuesday said that Moscow was in no rush to recognize the new Taliban government in Afghanistan and called for an inclusive dialogue of all political forces in the country. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia was just like all other countries and in no rush to recognize the Taliban government. At the same time, Lavrov noted encouraging signals from the Taliban, who are declaring their desire to have a government with the participation of other political forces. His remarks came as the Taliban in Kabul declared an amnesty across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government. Lavrov also said Moscow supports the beginning of an inclusive national dialogue with the involvement of all political and confessional forces in Afghanistan. Russia designated the Taliban a terrorist organization in 2003, but has since hosted several rounds of talks in Afghanistan, most recently in March, that involved the group. Moscow, which fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989, has made a diplomatic comeback as a mediator, reaching out to feuding Afghan factions as it has jockeyed with the U.S. for influence in the country. ___ SKOPJE, North Macedonia North Macedonia will provide temporary shelter to 186 Afghan refugees before their transfer to the United States or other countries. The government in Skopje said late Monday the decision concerns Afghans involved in democratic changes in their country or who worked for international organizations and agencies. It didnt say when they were expected to arrive. Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said the first group of six refugees, mostly women and children are relatives of the U.N. office staff in Kabul. The rest include family members or staff from charities, human rights and civic organizations, as well as journalists. The government did not say when they are to arrive. The Afghans will be put up in motels, resorts and hotels, at the expense of international organizations, as well as the U.S. North Macedonias authorities said on Tuesday that most of the countrys 75 nationals have been evacuated with U.S. military planes from Kabul to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Out of another 14 still in Kabul, 11 will be evacuated later on Tuesday, Osmani said. The remaining three have stated that they will stay in Afghanistan for the time being. ___ DUBAI, United Arab Emirates A top Taliban official has met with a Qatari official before reportedly leaving the country for Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday. A statement said the two reviewed the latest security and political developments in Afghanistan, stressing the need for the protection of civilians, intensifying necessary efforts to achieve national reconciliation, working for a comprehensive political settlement and a peaceful transfer of power. ___ DUBAI, United Arab Emirates A senior female broadcaster in Afghanistan said she remains in hiding at a relatives house, too frightened to return home or to work following reports the Taliban had a list of journalists and had knocked on some of their doors after sweeping into Kabul over the weekend. The 29-year-old woman, who is in Kabul, says her father told her to remain in hiding until the security situation becomes clearer. She spoke to The Associated Press by phone on Tuesday and declined to give her name for fear of retaliation. The situation for women in Afghanistan is unclear, she said. I do not believe the Taliban, she said. She said that Afghan women have made great gains over the years, but she doesn't think the Taliban would accepts these strides. She said a friend of hers who is a presenter on Afghanistans national broadcaster, Mili TV, called her crying after she was told Tuesday by the station to stay home and not return to work until further notice. ___ PRAGUE The second Czech military transport plane has taken off from Kabul and is heading for Prague. Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar says Czech ambassador to Kabul, Jiri Baloun, and the Afghans who worked with the Czech military during NATO missions together with their families are among those on board. Metnar thanked the soldiers for doing their utmost to get onboard as many people as possible. Czech Foreign Ministry Eva Davidova says there are 87 people on board, including two nationals from other European Union countries, and an unspecified member of crew. During the flight to Kabul, the plane had to land in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday, and was only able to continue to the Afghan capital on Tuesday as evacuation flights were interrupted after people desperate to flee the country flooded the tarmac in the Afghan capital. The first evacuation flight on Monday airlifted to Prague 46 Czech and Afghan nationals. Another European Union member, Slovakia, has not yet received the green light for its military transport plane to land in Kabul due to the chaos at the airport, Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok said Tuesday. ___ CHAMAN, Pakistan Hundreds of Pakistanis and Afghans nationals crossed into Pakistan from the key border crossing of Chaman in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, witnesses and officials said. However, they said that among these people were two suspected militants recently freed from the Pul-e-Charkhi and Bagram prisons by the Afghan Taliban. It was unclear on what charges the two had been held by the Afghanistan government. No government official was immediately available for comment, but authorities have said they are allowing in all Pakistanis and Afghans who were stranded in Afghanistan. One such suspected militant, Abdul Qadoos, told The Associated Press that he spent six years at Pul-e-Charkhi Prison until the Taliban let them go after capturing the facility. He refused to share any other details and only said that he was freed by the Taliban. A second man, Hafiz Abdul Hadi, spent 10 years at Bagram Prison before his release by the Taliban, according to his close relative, Ameen Ullah, who was at the crossing to welcome him. The relatives of the men held up Taliban when they welcomed them into Pakistan. ___ TIRANA, Albania Albania is waiting on Tuesday to temporarily shelter the first Afghans who worked with Western peacekeeping military forces in Afghanistan and are now threatened by the Taliban. Government sources, who spoke anonymously under regulations, said that about 300 Afghans are expected to arrive later tonight or early morning Wednesday with a military plane. They will be sheltered at the students campus in the capital, Tirana, and some hotels in the nearby western port city of Durres. U.S. Ambassador to Tirana Yuri Kim met with Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka saying the situation changes rapidly and no details were known yet about the schedule and the numbers. Weve been deeply moved by the gesture of the Albanian people, the decision to give temporary refuge to those who are in greatest need, she told reporters. Kim said that (Afghan) people will be coming here temporarily with the idea that they will move on to the US for final settlement ... this is a matter of processing (the visa requirements). Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Sunday said they had responded positively to the U.S. governments request to Albania to serve as a transit place for a certain number of Afghan political emigrants who have the United States as their final destination. ___ WASHINGTON A top U.S. defense official says plans are being made to temporarily house thousands of Afghans at three U.S. military installations. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that up to 22,000 Afghans and their families could be housed at the installations. Kirby did not identify more specific locations. Thousands of Afghans who assisted the U.S. as interpreters and in other roles have been desperate to leave Afghanistan since before the government fell to the Taliban over the weekend, in the shadow of an Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Kirby told ABCs Good Morning America that the U.S. Defense and State departments are working together to evacuate as many Americans and Afghans as quickly as possible. Kirby says several thousand U.S. service members now arriving in Afghanistan will there for the next couple of weeks to help with the evacuation. ___ BERLIN German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin that she would speak to the head of the UNs refugee agency later on Tuesday regarding the situation of people in Afghanistan who may want to leave the country because of the instable situation. Merkel said on Tuesday that she wants to talk with Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, about secure possibilities for refugees in the neighborhood of Afghanistan. Merkel said it is a weakness of our EU that we didnt create a common asylum policy. The German chancellor has said before that the focus of helping possible Afghan refugees should be on supporting neighboring countries like Pakistan to take in Afghan migrants. ___ PARIS France has evacuated several dozen people from Kabul in a military plane after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. The flight early Tuesday brought the evacuees to a military air base in Abu Dhabi, and several of the passengers were then sent back to France. The French military did not say whether there were Afghan or other citizens among the several dozen people brought on the overnight flight. France withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan in 2014 and has already evacuated more than 1,000 Afghans who supported French forces. Images released by the military showed French troops checking their weapons and guarding the plane in the Kabul airport while others checked the documents of those boarding the flight. President Emmanuel Macron promised Monday that France would not abandon Afghans who worked for the country, from translators to kitchen staff as well as artists, activists and others potentially under threat with the collapse of the Afghan government. ___ BERLIN Germany has suspended its development aid to Afghanistan after the Taliban's takeover of the country. German Development Minister Gerd Mueller told daily newspaper Rheinische Post on Tuesday that the state-run development aid has currently been suspended. Mueller added that all German and international employees of the German developmental agency GIZ had left the country and Germany was now trying to get local Afghan staff evacuated as well. German news agency dpa reported that until now Afghanistan had been the country that received the most German developmental aid in world. The agency reported that the German government had planned to give an estimated 250 million euros ($294 million) in developmental aid in 2021, but that money had not been paid out. Other financial aid, not directly linked to the development aid, would have included support for police training or humanitarian aid. It was not immediately clear how much of that aid had already been given to Afghanistan. Dpa reported that altogether all German financial aid for Afghanistan would have added up to 430 million euros in 2021. ___ GENEVA The United Nations is urging the Taliban to keep its promises, including its pledges to grant an amnesty to former government workers in Afghanistan, show inclusiveness for women and allow girls to remain in school. The Taliban have made a number of statements that on the surface are reassuring, U.N. human rights office spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters Tuesday in Geneva. But their actions speak deeper than words, and its very early now its very fluid. He said the Talibans promises "need to be honored. Understandably, given their past history, these declarations have been greeted with some skepticism, Colville added. Nevertheless, the promises have been made, and whether or not they are honored or broken will be closely scrutinized. Colville alluded to comments a day earlier from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about chilling reports of human rights abuses and restrictions on rights especially those of women and girls in areas captured by the Taliban in recent weeks. He also called on U.N. member states to use their influence with the Taliban to protect civilian lives. ___ GUELPH, Canada Talks to expand a future Afghan government beyond only Taliban members are continuing in Kabul. Officials close to the discussions on Tuesday are hoping for some good news within a day or two. They spoke on condition of anonymity because until now no one wanted details of negotiations released to the media. Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi has already held several rounds of talks with Kabuls political leadership, including Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the countrys negotiating council and former president Hamid Karzai. At least one round of the talks went through the night. Discussion appeared to focus on how a Taliban-dominated government would respond to rights gained over the last 20 years. The announcements of general amnesty and urging women to return to work appeared to indicate progress may have been made. Muttaqi, a former higher education minister when the Taliban last ruled, began making contacts with Afghan political leaders even before President Ashraf Ghani secretly slipped away from the Presidential Palace on the weekend. Ghani's departure left a devastating vacuum that Taliban who were surrounding the city strode in to fill. Muttaqi had reached out to U.S-allied warlords prior to Kabuls collapse seemingly starting the process of greater inclusivity in their government. The talks underway are aimed at bringing other non-Taliban leaders into the government, which Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen earlier said would be an inclusive Afghan government. Shaheen earlier told The AP a government will be announced after negotiations were completed. -Kathy Gannon in Guelph, Canada It's not the plot of another doomsday movie. Yet there is a pending, albeit unlikely threat to life as we know it: an asteroid approaching Earth. Bennu, a rugged, rock-spewing asteroid with a diameter of about one-third of a mile, is headed in our direction, on track to come very close with Earth in September of 2135. DOOMSDAY, MAYBE: Houston's hurricane season outlook just got worse But not to panic, scientists with NASA said Wednesday. Though Bennu will come within half the distance of the moon, the odds of the asteroid colliding with Earth in the next century and causing Armageddon-type of destruction are still very low. "Even though there is no possibility whatsoever of in impact during that encounter, Bennu is going to be fairly close to the Earth," said Davide Farnocchia, a scientist with the Center for Near Earth Object Studies, a NASA center that calculates asteroid and comet orbits and their odds of impact at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California Although researchers believe it will not impact Earth, they now face the challenge of deciphering how our planet's gravity will alter the asteroid's path around the sun, NASA scientists said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. Scientists noted there is small possibility that the asteroid could pass through what's known as a "gravitational keyhole" that could potentially put it in en route to Earth at a later date in the 22nd century. A gravitational keyhole is a tiny region in space where a planet's gravity can tweak the trajectory of a passing asteroid and put it on a path to collide with it in the future. Farnocchia said that although recent findings show the odds of impact have slightly increased - from 1-in-2,700 to 1-in-1,750 over the next century - it "does not represent significant change," or a reason to worry. Farnocchia explained that scientists now have a much better idea of Bennu's path thanks to data collected by NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, which orbited and studied the asteroid for over two years. "Overall the situation has improved," Farnocchia, the lead author of a study published Wednesday, told reporters in a conference call. "I am not any more concerned about Bennu than I was before; the impact probability remains very small." In the study, NASA researchers used precision-tracking data from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to better understand Bennu's movements through 2300, improving scientists' ability to determine the probability of impacting Earth and predict the orbits of other asteroids. Using NASA'S Deep Space Network of giant radio antennas that support interplanetary spacecraft missions and computer models, scientists were able to determine Bennu's overall probability of striking is about 1 in 1750 (or 0.057%.) Looking at it from glass half full perspective, it means there is a 99.94% probability that Bennu will not hit our planet. Scientists also calculated the day with the highest risk of collision: Sept. 24, 2182, with a probability of 1 in 2,700 (or about 0.037%) - which is still lower that the overall probability of impact through 2300. The potentially hazardous asteroid was discovered in 1999 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team, a program that works on detection and tracking, and has been closely observed with 580 ground-based "astrometric observations," mainly made by optical and radar telescopes through 2018, according to the study published in Icarus Journal. ONLY IN HOUSTON: I made kolaches from a hundred-year old recipe Since its discovery, Bennu has had three close encounters with Earth, in 1999, 2005 and 2011, during which two radar stations collected data of the asteroid's measurements. Although the chances of it colliding with Earth are very low, Bennu remains one of the two most hazardous known asteroids in our solar system, along with another called 1950 DA, NASA said in a news release. Researchers stated that the most pressing threat for Earth from space objects are hazardous asteroids that are undetected. However, they said they have detected about 60% of those similar to Bennu in size. In 2016, NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to fly in close proximity to Bennu to gather information about its size, shape, mass, and composition, while monitoring its spin and orbital trajectory to evaluate its potential danger. After a 27-month-long journey, OSIRIS-REx arrived in the asteroid's orbit in 2018 and spent two years closely studying the object, before coming back to earth on May 10 of this year. "The OSIRIS-REx data give us so much more precise information, we can test the limits of our models and calculate the future trajectory of Bennu to a very high degree of certainty through 2135," said study lead Davide Farnocchia. "We've never modeled an asteroid's trajectory to this precision before." The spacecraft also scooped up a sample of rocks and dust from the asteroid's surface, which it will drop to Earth two years from now, on Sept. 24, 2023, landing at the Utah Test and Training Range, in the Great Salt Lake Desert. "The orbital data from this mission helped us better appreciate Bennu's impact chances over the next couple of centuries and our overall understanding of potentially hazardous asteroids - an incredible result," said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator and professor at the University of Arizona. "The spacecraft is now returning home, carrying a precious sample from this fascinating ancient object that will help us better understand not only the history of the solar system but also the role of sunlight in altering Bennu's orbit since we will measure the asteroid's thermal properties at unprecedented scales in laboratories on Earth," he said, according to the news release. A week after the spacecraft entered its first orbit around Bennu, on Dec. 31, 2018, the mission's team came to the surprise realization that the asteroid was releasing small pieces of rock into space. Upon arrival at the asteroid, team members also were astonished to find that Bennu is littered with boulders, according to a NASA statement in May. OSIRIS-REx is not the only spacecraft from Earth exploring an asteroid. Hayabusa2, launched by Japan's space agency in 2014, began orbiting the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu in 2018 and in 2020 successfully completed its mission to collect samples and return them to Earth - according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Traveling at approximately 600 miles per hour, if Bennu were to crash into Earth it would unleash the energy of more than a billion tons of TNT, according to NASA's calculations. SHOOT FOR THE STARS: These Texas women were just named Forbe's richest self-made women The resulting damage depends on a number of factors and specific circumstances, including location and angle of entry into our atmosphere, but it could create a crater three to six miles in diameter, said Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defense officer. The area of devastation would be much bigger: as much as 100 times the size of the crater. If an object Bennu's size hit the Eastern Seaboard, it "would pretty much devastate things up and down the coast," he told reporters. The Talibans takeover of Afghanistan was swift and thorough. The U.S. governments $83 billion project of state-building failed spectacularly. And the U.S. militarys provision of $6 billion a year in security assistance proved meaningless, as Afghan security forces simply evaporated in the face of Taliban offensives, surrendering without a fight. So what does this mean for Southeast Asian security? How will it impact Islamist militancy moving forward? Right now, there is no clear answer, but a look at recent history suggests the return of the Taliban could revitalize weakening terrorist networks in the region. An intertwined history Afghanistan has always played a part in the development of terrorist networks in Southeast Asia. Not many Southeast Asians traveled to fight the Soviets in the 1980s, but those that did returned to Southeast Asia and took over leadership of almost every militant Islamist group, including Jemaah Islamiyah, Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia, and Laskar Jihad. These returnees were placed on pedestals and established madrassas that they used as centers of recruitment and indoctrination for the next generation of militant jihadists. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front broke away from the secular Moro National Liberation Front in 1984, and moved their headquarters to Lahore, Pakistan, where they deepened ties to transnational jihadists. By 1996, al-Qaeda was dispatching operatives to replicate at the local level their Afghan training camps. Southeast Asian militants were increasingly being trained at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. And the results were devastating. One only has to look at the casualties of the 2002 Bali bombings to see the devastation that could be wrought by al-Qaeda-trained operatives. Jemaah Islamiyahs operations chief Hambali and al-Qaeda anthrax researcher Yazid Sufaat were in Afghanistan on 9/11 waiting to procure a virulent strain that could be produced in a Malaysian lab. Southeast Asian militants played key roles in al-Qaeda operations, as well. A meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 2000 reviewed the failed attack on USS The Sullivans (January 2000), planned the USS Cole attack (October 2000), and made final preparations for the 9/11 attacks the following year. Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, al-Qaedas operational chief, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, called for militants in Indonesia to launch a diversionary attack. The result was the Bali bombings that caused the death of 202 people. Other attacks against U.S. interests were planned, including a bombing of U.S. naval vessels in the Singapore Strait. From 2002-2009, Jemaah Islamiyah was al-Qaedas most consistently lethal franchise. With the initial defeat of the Taliban and much of al-Qaeda being driven from Afghanistan, in 2001-2002, the links between Southeast Asian militants and Afghanistan became more tenuous. Years of effective counterterrorist operations across Southeast Asia led to JIs collapse as a militant organization. It launched its last terrorist attack in 2011. By 2014, the Islamic State, which had swept across Syria and Iraq, was the new shiny thing to attract the interests of regional militants. Former leaders and cells of the pro-al-Qaeda Jemaah Islamiyah defected to the Islamic state, and Southeast Asian militants began to travel to Syria to wage jihad. By November 2014, there were enough to establish a Bahasa-language-speaking company. Now what? What does the Talibans takeover mean for militancy in Southeast Asia? At one level, its a clear propaganda victory. The Taliban and their Mujahidin antecedents can claim to have defeated two superpowers. Islamists will rejoice in that fact, alone. And it will inspire them to set their sights back on their own corruption-ridden governments, which they view as being propped up by the West. We do not know if Afghanistan will return to being a terrorist safe haven. Some argue that al-Qaeda never left, and that the Taliban have not moderated their stance on the group one iota. Others contend that after been driven from power for 20 years, the Taliban have an incentive to make sure that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven again. But the most important factor is not what happens in Afghanistan, but the terrorist trajectory in Southeast Asia. For the past seven years, pro-Islamic State groups have been the most consistently lethal terrorist organizations in the region. JI has quietly let them absorb the body-blows of the regions security forces, who have been far more proactive with the Islamic State, far more willing to cooperate with regional partners, and armed with far greater legal powers and authorities. Pro-Islamic State groups, especially in Indonesia, are significantly weakened. And Jemaah Islamiyah is waiting to pick up the pieces. It certainly has the financial resources to do so. They are stronger than they have been in years, as the state gave them ample space to regroup, run their madrassas, mosques, businesses, and charities. Jemaah Islamiyah never renounced violence, waiting patiently for the appropriate time to resume terrorist operations. And unlike in parts of South Asia and the Middle East, things are much more fluid in Southeast Asia. Groups and individuals can move between groups without consequence. What is very telling is that by July 2021, Indonesian security forces had already arrested over 30 members of Jemaah Islamiyah. And of course, things in Iraq and Syria remain far from settled. Though the Islamic State has suffered reversals, it is far from a defeated force. They too, could regroup, one again drawing support from Southeast Asia. Arguably the greatest impact on regional security from the fall of Afghanistan will simply be a greater questioning of American reliability and commitment as an ally and security partner. The damage has been done, and this plays into the hands of Chinese propagandists who revel in sowing seeds of doubt regarding U.S. reliability. Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington and an adjunct at Georgetown University. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, the National War College, Georgetown University or BenarNews. Adem Karadag (in handcuffs), one of two Uyghur suspects arrested in connection with the bombing of the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok in August 2015, arrives at a military court in the Thai capital, Feb. 16, 2016. Two Uyghur men facing charges in a bombing that killed 20 people and injured more than 100 at a Hindu shrine in Bangkok are waiting for a courtroom interpreter from China to arrive next month before their trial can resume, two people involved in the case told BenarNews. Adem Karadag (alias Bilal Mohammed), then 31, and Yusufu Mieraili, then 28, were arrested within two weeks after the three kg. of explosives stuffed into a pipe ripped through the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok on Aug. 17, 2015. Since then, however, the legal proceedings against them have been delayed or set back multiple times. Their trial in a criminal court has yet to begin in earnest although they have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court most recently informed us that the interpreter proposed by the Chinese Embassy would likely arrive in September, Chuchart Kanpai, the lawyer representing Karadag, told BenarNews this week. The defendants disagreed, but the court said they have to follow the arrangement. The duo were originally tried in a military court instead of a criminal court in 2016 a move seen as political by many during the second year of a power grab by General Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who had ousted elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a military coup in May 2014. Chuchart said the court proceedings had been delayed or disrupted over the years because of a lack of qualified interpreters. The case was sent to the Bangkok South criminal court in November 2019, after junta leader Prayuth became an elected prime minister after the March 2019 general election which, critics claimed, was engineered to keep him in power. Chalida also said that the World Uyghur Congress would try to send a lawyer or a translator to Bangkok to assist the duo. Some other Uyghurs who live in Thailand feared helping them out due to privacy reasons, she said. According to the lawyer and an NGO worker assisting Uyghurs in Thailand, Karadag could not speak Chinese and would prefer a Uyghur-speaking translator. At the same time, Mieraili can communicate in English but not fluently. The two defendants, who identified themselves as Uyghurs from Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China pleaded not guilty in 2016 in front of the judges in the military court and the civilian court last year. They last appeared in court in January 2020. On Tuesday, a senior official from the World Uyghur Congress, said it was prepared to send an interpreter to Bangkok to assist in the case. We dont know the procedure to send the translator. We learned that Thai authorities have asked the Chinese embassy in Bangkok for assistance, Mehmet Tohti, a co-founder of the organization who is based in Ontario, Canada, told BenarNews by phone. If Thailand authorities are ready to accept, the Congress is ready to send the translator. We have experienced translators and we can assist, Tohti said. For the two Uyghur defendants to go without a proper trial for six years tells us something, Tohti said. The proceedings would likely be a political trial, as he put it, because certain governments in Southeast Asia were under heavy pressure from China. Tourists and locals pray during the first anniversary of the Erawan Shrine bombing, in central Bangkok, Aug. 17, 2016. [Reuters] The bombing at the shrine was the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Thai history. The shrine, whose centerpiece is a four-faced golden statue of the Hindu god Brahma, is venerated by Hindus as well as Buddhists, and is popular with foreign tourists. People from Buddhist-majority Thailand believe that the statue will bring them prosperity and good fortune, if they pray to it. Thai authorities have said the bombing was not transnational terrorism, insisting that the violent attack was the work of smugglers, aggrieved that Thai authorities were hampering their human trafficking operations. But most experts refute that theory, saying it was most likely retribution for the Thai government forcibly repatriating more than 100 asylum-seeking Uyghurs to China in July 2015. The move drew criticism and protests from activists who say the Turkic-speaking Muslim minority suffers harsh repression in China, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on their culture and language. Chalida Tajaroensuk, the director of Peoples Empowerment Foundation, a Thai NGO, expressed concern that the defendants had to rely on an interpreter from China. To have a Chinese-picked translator is not fair. He or she may not be impartial because China is not an ally of the duo, Tajaroensuk told BenarNews. He or she may translate in favor of China. The Bangkok South criminal court did not immediately respond to BenarNewss request for comments on the arrangement. The charges Karadag and Mieraili have been charged with criminal offenses, ranging from premeditated killing to possession of explosives. Both could face a death sentence if convicted. Chalida said that while the issue about the translator was bad luck and unavoidable, she expressed concern about the length of the trial. They are still presumed innocent but have been kept in a special cell because of the serious nature of the case for way too long, she said. Even NGOs cannot visit except for the lawyer. Its unjust. Chuchart, the attorney, said the two defendants were keeping up their morale. I visited them a couple of times during the Ramadan [in April], said Chuchart, adding that they have started to speak some Thai. Meanwhile, a senior police investigator who had handled the case early on admitted that the issue was a lack of interpreters. They wanted someone who they can trust, but that was hard. So the trial was postponed many times, Col. Somkiat Ploytubtim, who is no longer assigned to the case, told BenarNews recently. There have been four interpreters in the past. One interpreter, an Uzbek, was later jailed for alleged possession of drugs in Bangkok. He claimed he had been framed for helping the two Uyghur men, and had been beaten by police. Three others did not work out because they did not have good command of Uyghur to be accurate for trial. Ploytubtim said three people were arrested in the case. Wanna Suansan, then 30, who married a Turkish man, was another suspect because she had rented out an apartment to the Uyghurs during that time. She is facing a separate trial after returning home to Thailand in November 2017 and faces five criminal charges, including first-degree murder and possessing war weapons. She is out on bail. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Wet and unwelcome, Fred spawns twisters and flooding in US Tropical Depression Fred has weakened to a depression and spawned several apparent tornadoes in Georgia as it dumps heavy rains into the Appalachian mountains The Latest: Biden has first talk with ally on Taliban's rise President Joe Biden has spoken with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about Afghanistan, marking his first call with another world leader since the Taliban took control of the country Sunday James Wilusz, executive director of the Tri-Town Health Department in Lee, questions whether his group can enforce a return to mandatory masking locally. But, the coronavirus pandemic's threat to public health remains, he said. Were nowhere close to being out of the woods. We need to protect those who dont yet qualify for vaccines. The virus isnt gone, and we cant forget what we went through earlier this year and last year." Community News Editor / Librarian Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. Gov. Charlie Baker tweeted about the "mismanagement" in the buildup of the Taliban seizing cities in Afghanistan. Perfect time to address nursing shortage The BGSU School of Nursing moves into Central Hall in time to welcome the BSN programs first cohort of around 45 students, as well as another 125 pre-nursing students who will begin their nursing education this fall. The expansion of the BGSU School of Nursing portfolio is much needed to help address a long-standing nursing shortage in Ohio and the nation. This expansion and the move to Central Hall comes after 2020 was deemed the Year of the Nurse amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, with a wider and deeper appreciation for nurses serving on the front lines of our nations response to the unprecedented public health crisis. Construction within the former B.A. Annex began last September after the Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business moved to its new home in the Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Center. Second floor computer labs were moved to the first floor before the third and second floors were renovated to make room for the School of Nursings simulation center and skills lab, featuring entirely new construction. The first floor includes classrooms along with the relocated computer labs. The second floor houses the simulation center, which was supported by a generous donation from the Wood County Hospital Foundation. It features five computerized manikins: a newborn, a child, an adult, a birthing mom and a geriatric model. Four simulation rooms mimic a hospital environment to provide students with realistic patient care scenarios that help them gain clinical judgment skills. The third floor contains a 19-bed skills lab space in which students learn to care for patients and develop psychomotor skills. The lab space features a full complement of audio/visual equipment to assist students in guided reflection and debriefing, and will be open to students any time of day to practice skills learned in the classroom, critical in the development of each student's success. Renovations also have been made to the office spaces in Central Hall. The third floor now houses the College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Institutional Research, and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, along with School of Nursing administrative offices. School of Nursing fills a critical need at a critical time Dr. Shelly Bussard, director of the School of Nursing, said that BGSU is at the forefront of current trends in health care with its focus on clinical judgment skills. Our mission is to develop clinical judgment skills in our students with a new, innovative curriculum taught by highly qualified faculty in a technologically sophisticated facility," Bussard said. "I want our graduates to stand out for their exceptional clinical judgment and amazing patient care, where people will recognize in them as BGSU graduates. The expansion of the BGSU School of Nursing and bringing BSN classes and labs to the Bowling Green campus come at a particularly favorable time in light of a growing nursing shortage in Ohio and the nation. Industry and U.S. labor statistics reveal that nursing remains one of the fastest-growing segments in the country. Registered nursing (RN) is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2029, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projections. The new home of the School of Nursing at Central Hall has been designed to facilitate a new curriculum that aligns with the latest trends in health care, which will translate into BGSU students success. So much of this program is new and exciting, and it is a transformational moment in the life of the College of Health and Human Services and BGSU, said Tom Gorman, assistant dean of HHS. Since the initiation of the consortium with the Medical College of Ohio in 1971, at the time a very innovative step in nursing education, BGSU has been committed to providing well-educated nurses to the region and beyond. The prospect of finishing their degree program with University faculty on the Bowling Green campus has many students excited to be among the nations best trained nurses. The faculty is excellent here and my professors are always willing to help and have gone out of their way to make things go smoothly for me and the other nursing students, Tanzi Buchan 23 said. Im looking forward to taking classes and labs right here on campus." MOSCOW Former University of Idaho Associate Director of Alumni Relations Tim Helmke pleaded guilty to felony misuse of public money by a public employee earlier this month in Latah County Second District Court as part of a plea agreement. Helmke, 49, of Moscow, was charged with two felony counts of forgery in addition to the felony count of misuse of public funds by a public employee in April 2019. He originally pleaded innocent to all charges. He allegedly made more than $2,700 in unauthorized purchases on his U of I purchase card between 2019 and 2020, including two purchases for which he submitted false receipts, according to court documents. Helmke allegedly used his U of I purchase card to spend $2,768.34 at a Moscow Bear Boosters auction, Moscow Chamber of Commerce auction and Best Western Plus University Inn trivia night as well as on theater tickets and books, according to a probable cause affidavit. Deputy Prosecutor Keith Scholl said the court ordered a presentence investigation, which will be completed Oct. 8. Helmkes sentencing hearing will be 2 p.m. Oct. 20. Prosecutors said if the court accepts a plea agreement, Helmke will pay restitution just less than $2,500 and serve three years of felony probation. If this is the case, the final element to be argued on Helmkes sentencing date is how much local jail time he will serve. The maximum penalty in Idaho for felony misuse of public funds in excess of $300 is 14 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Helmkes U of I employment ended in October, and he resigned as president of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce board of directors. EDITORS NOTE: While the state has lifted most COVID-19 restrictions, local libraries may have different requirements for entry. Please contact your local library. If any listing is inaccurate or to submit an event, please contact Julie Norwood at julie.norwood@pioneergroup.com. Big RapidsCommunity Library BRCL requires all patrons, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks during their visit. If you do not have your mask, one can be provided to you. Walk Big Rapids: 10-11 a.m. Tuesdays, Aug. 10-Oct. 26. Meet at the library Tuesday mornings to walk different paths around Big Rapids. Turn in your steps each week to help the Library reach our community goals. Summer Reading Program Skating Party: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, at Big Rapids Roller Rink, 325 N. Michigan Ave. For those who finished their Summer Reading goals, bring your ticket to the door for an evening of skating, games, music and prizes. Concession stand and arcade will be open. Bring a friend or an adult for only $2 each! Storytime with Mr. Howard is on summer break until Sept. 8. It returns at 10-10:45 a.m. Wednesdays at the library. A-Z Kit Club (ages 3-5): Participants receive weekly bags that spotlights a letter of the alphabet and Talk is Teaching activities. Register by emailing Sarah at swelch@bigrapidslibrary.org. Reed City AreaDistrict Library Story Hour (ages 2-6): 11:30 a.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays outside the library, weather permitting. Reed City Readers Book Club: 6 p.m. third Thursday of each month. August Selection: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Childrens Carnival: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, at the Great American Crossroads Celebration. Check out a story walk, create a bookmark and get a library card. Back to School Night: 9 a.m. to noon and 3-6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 23, for Community Preschool; 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, for G.T. Norman. Morton Township Library Summer hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Virtual Auction: 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 13, through 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21. View and bid on items online at www.32auctions.com/MTPLibrary2021 or in person in the library's community room. Online Preschool Storytime: Videos are posted Tuesdays at morton.michlibrary.org. Packets are available for pickup at the library. Crafty Wednesdays for Kids: Kits are available for curbside pickup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 231-972-8315 and staff will bring the packets out to you. Walton Erickson Public Library Pardon our dust. With the construction going on at the school, the library may need to be closed occasionally. Updates will be posted at facebook.com/Weplrurallibrary, or you may call 231-856-4298 to verify we are open. LeRoy Community Library Tails and Tales Summer Reading Program ends Aug. 20. Turn in your reading goals for prizes. Busy Bags: Available the first of each month. Free monthly steam-centered activities for pre-k through sixth grade. Novel Tea Book Club Discussion of Hamnet by Maggie OFarrell: 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, at Artworks,106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. 231-796-2420. LIST OF LIBRARIES MECOSTA COUNTY Big Rapids Community Library, 426 S. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids, 231-796-5234 Morton Township Library 110 S. James St., Mecosta, 231-972-8315 Barryton Public Library, Barryton Branch, 198 Northern Ave., Barryton, 989-382-5288 Barryton Public Library, Chippewa Branch, 19171 Fourth St., Chippewa Lake, 231-867-2014 Walton Erickson Public Library, 4808 Northland Drive, Morley, 231-856-4298 OSCEOLA COUNTY Reed City Area District Library, 829 S. Chestnut St., Reed City, 231-832-2131 Evart Public Library, 104 N. Main St., Evart, 231-734-5542 LeRoy Community Library, 104 W. Gilbert St., Leroy, 231-768-4493 M. Alice Chapin Memorial Library, 120 E. Main St., Marion, 231-743-2421 Tustin Community Library, 310 S. Neilson St., Tustin, 231-829-3012 LAKE COUNTY Pathfinder Community Library, 812 Michigan Ave, Baldwin, 231-745-4010 Chase Township Public Library, 8400 E. North St., Chase, 231-832-9511 Luther Area Library 115 State St., Luther, 231-797-8006 Submitted photo BIG RAPIDS The president of the Michigan District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod will be the guest preacher this Sunday for 150th anniversary services at St. Peters Lutheran Church and School at 408 W. Bellevue. Rev. Dr. David P. E. Maier is the President of the Michigan District, LCMS. He is a graduate of Concordia University Ann Arbor, where he received his B.A. with a double major in Biblical Languages and Christian Doctrine. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, the states vs. the president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Aiming to co-produce the China's Sinopharm vaccine in Bangladesh An agreement has been signed between the Sinopharm of China, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Peoples Republic of Bangladesh and Incepta Vaccine, at the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS), Mohakhali Dhaka in order to produce the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in Bangladesh. According to Incepta Vaccine, a new direction has been unveiled with this agreement in the production of COVID-19 vaccine in Bangladesh. It is expected that through this agreement, Bangladesh-based company Incepta Vaccine would produce the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine very soon in the country. On the other hand, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping the Bangladesh government strengthen its vaccine delivery system through ongoing technical assistance projects worth $1.7 million. In addition, ADB has supported Bangladeshs COVID-19 response through a $250 million loan in June 2021. The new integrated eye health ecosystem will usher in a new standard of eye care, by improving access, capacity, and hyper-personalization of patient care Johnson & Johnson Vision, a global leader in eye health and part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, is pioneering an integrated eye health ecosystem to meet Singaporeans eye health needs at every life stage, with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) for talent development. Johnson & Johnson Vision will establish a consumer-centric, experiential eye health ecosystem that connects key stakeholders in the eye health journey patients or consumers, caregivers, eye care professionals, and other industry stakeholders seamlessly. The ecosystem will be built to meet these objectives: Support eye care professionals by increasing their capacity to provide eye health and care services, by combining in-depth industry expertise with innovative digital capabilities; to provide eye health and care services, by combining in-depth industry expertise with innovative digital capabilities; Increase Singaporeans access to eye health and care; and to eye health and care; and Improve knowledge of eye health and vision needs among the public, through hyper-personalization of patient care. The ecosystem will focus on "data and digitalization" initiatives that will ensure eye health in Singapore keeps abreast of technological advancements into the future. Mapped out across a three-year roadmap, key initiatives that will be piloted include a community eye health e-referral network, people-centric eye care powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), and telehealth (see visual below for more information). The ecosystem is intended to lead the way for delivery of eye care in the Asia Pacific region, and be the gold standard for eye health innovation. Johnson & Johnson Vision is projected to invest in excess of SGD 10 million over three years to complement its existing activities to improve access, capacity, and hyper-personalization in the delivery of eye care in Singapore. These include: Research partnership with Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) AI Singapore (AISG) partnership Johnson & Johnson Visions consumer-centric mobile platform This project will also provide exciting job opportunities in Singapore for digital talent to enter and support the growing healthcare sector. With a focus on data and digitalization, this project is intended to foster up to 40 local next-generation talent in leadership positions with the support of EDB. These talents will drive key initiatives across 26 different professions, covering areas such as cybersecurity, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, AI development, and blockchain. To redefine the hygiene and cleanliness in ICUs Clensta International, an IIT Delhi partnered healthcare start-up revolutionising the personal hygiene space, recently announced the extension of the marketing and distribution partnership with Cipla for its waterless technology products. The deal will redefine the hygiene and cleanliness for patients in hospital setups, primarily focusing on ICUs where patients dont have easy access to bathing and likewise, government and defence forces who are located in remote locations and cannot take baths easily. Cipla will run an intensive marketing drive to educate the right buyers as planned. Puneet Gupta, Founder, and CEO, Clensta International said, The strategic partnership with Cipla is an important step in our journey to redefine bathing without exhausting water. We see significant synergies between the two companies especially on brand relationships and consumer experience. Panacea Infosec India in JV with Healmed Solutions USA launch Panacea Healmed New Delhi-based cybersecurity consulting firm, Panacea Infosec along with Panacea Bioedge has partnered with Healmed Solutions, a leading mental healthcare technology company from the US, to launch Indias first AI-based digital, touch-free, voice-enabled mental healthcare technology platform Panacea Healmed. Panacea Healmeds mental healthcare assessments introduced for healthcare institutions, corporates, educational institutions and social enterprises in India through its proprietary technology platform, provides individuals with direct access to clinical assessments that support risk and diagnosis, provide an immediate connection to care that allows individuals to self-manage and create responsive coping mechanisms through the delivery of personalised therapeutic support. The platform provides support around various mental health issues, personalised care pathways and valuable preventive insights for healthcare institutions, corporate and social organisations. It is currently utilised by employers, therapists and educational institutions and offers a continuity of care programme that effectively blends the supported intervention with technology, AI, and human touch. This is accomplished through a suite of proprietary digital tools that are designed by clinicians and grounded in AI that is proven to positively impact outcomes. What can 10,000 successful women achieve when gathered together sharing inspirational ideas? The prospects are bright and boundless. Standard Bank Top Women Leaders publication 16th edition 2021 - it's a must-see! The 16th edition of Standard Bank Top Women Leaders boasts more than 200 pages of quality content, tons of in depth interviews with trailblazing women and critical information regarding top women-empowered companies... The road to genuine gender equality is long and in flux. Cue the Standard Bank Top Women 2021 Conference . A stage across which trailblazing women excelling in society will gleefully dance. Gather to learn the motions, gain insights from their award-winning choreography, and offer your unwavering support for their show-stopping performances.After all, gender parity is a nuanced kind of movement. A tango between what was, what is and what could be. The Top Women conference is a giant and courageous leap towards a realm in which brave conversations are celebrated. A space where powerful women band together and rise by lifting each other.Success comes in all forms, and at Topco Media, we maintain that it starts with your thoughts, habits, beliefs and actions. At the Top Women Conference, we will give you some epic stories and case studies from throughout the world to inspire you into massive action. - Ralf Fletcher, Topco Media CEO.Generating awareness locally and internationally, Standard Bank Top Women honours impactful movers and shakers. If you are searching for effective networking, practical solutions and advice that will propel you to the next level, you have certainly struck sheer gold. The Standard Bank Top Women Conference is about shattering old perceptions and barriers and drawing on a trusted network of over 10,000 women entrepreneurs and leaders in the public and private sectors to unleash economic potential. In the name of investing in women for growth, Standard Bank is once again the events platinum sponsor and together with Topco Media will host the virtual conference on 6 and 7 October 2021.Being a courageous leader means showing up all the time and speaking up too, whilst listening. In times like now, one has to be very deliberate and conscious of the energy that you transfer. At Standard Bank, we believe that empowering women can accelerate growth in Africa. We also recognise the positive societal impact made by phenomenal female entrepreneurs by sponsoring initiatives like Top Women, among others, says Lindy-Lou Alexander, head, brand and marketing, consumer and high net worth at Standard Bank Group.Top Women has also strategically partnered with the Commission for Gender Equality, the British Chamber of Business, Silicon Cape, Exxaro, Unilever, Unisa, Wipro, Servest, Netstar and Implats.Join us, this year, as we reshape the conversation, change the dynamic and attend to the unfinished business of empowering women, with brave conversations 2.0.Honourable keynote speakers include Khara Jabola-Carolus, Executive Director at the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; Masana Ndinga-Kanga, Crisis Response Fund Lead at CIVICUS, SA; Eva Mwai, Regional Director for East Africa at the North Star Alliance, Kenya and Nahla ValjiSenior, Senior Advisor of the United Nations Executive Office of the Secretary-General, Canada.According to Arundhati Roy, Another world is not only possible, but she is also on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. The collective strength of both women and men will enable us to achieve economic growth of grand proportions.Topcos vision is to inspire the world to do good business and encourage women to grow their businesses and themselves. By building the worlds fastest-growing platform for women who lead, we are cementing with great zest and purpose, a future our daughters daughters will be proud of. Ivory Coast began vaccinating health workers against Ebola in the commercial capital Abidjan after a case of the deadly virus was confirmed over the weekend. A health worker receives a vaccine against Ebola at a hospital after a case of Ebola was confirmed in Abidjan, Ivory Coast 16 August 2021. Reuters/Luc Gnago Guinea starts vaccinating Guinea records West Africa's first Marburg virus death Health authorities in Guinea have confirmed one death from Marburg virus, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola, the WHO said... An 18-year-old woman tested positive on Saturday after travelling by bus to Abidjan from neighbouring Guinea. It is Ivory Coast's first confirmed case of Ebola in 25 years.About 200 health workers, many from the hospital in Abidjan where the woman was admitted, received shots and the health ministry said it was aiming to vaccinate 2,000 people by Wednesday. The country has 5,000 doses available."This is a situation that is under control," health minister Pierre Dimba told reporters. He said the woman was in stable condition and that authorities had identified about 70 people who travelled in the same vehicles as her.Ebola spreads through contact with the body fluids of symptomatic people. Health officials try to prevent it from spreading by monitoring and vaccinating people who come into contact with confirmed cases.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is deeply concerned about the virus' presence in Abidjan, a densely-populated city of more than four-million. Ebola typically kills about half of those it infects although vaccines and new treatments have proved highly effective in reducing fatality rates.In Guinea, the health ministry said on Monday that it would begin vaccinating, although it did not say when. Guinea was declared free of Ebola on June 19 after a four-month outbreak in the south killed 12 people.Authorities believe the woman who tested positive travelled from northern Guinea by bus, passing through the Nzerekore region in the southeast, where the last outbreak began.She then crossed Guinea's southern border into Ivory Coast and reached Abidjan several hundred kilometres farther south on Aug. 11. She was hospitalised the next day.A WHO report said preliminary genetic sequencing showed a close match between her case and the 20142016 Ebola outbreak, which killed a record 11,300 people. That epidemic originated in southeastern Guinea before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone.Last week, Guinea confirmed one death from the Marburg virus, West Africa's first case of the highly infectious hemorrhagic fever which is similar to Ebola. South African National Editors ' Forum (SANEF) calls on journalists who are unemployed for fifth round of media relief fund. The deadline for applications is 31 August 2021.The fifth round is open to all journalists, all newsroom staff, from reporters to photographers to production staff who are in distress after being retrenched or having their freelance contracts terminated since March as a result of Covid-19. Individuals who successfully applied for assistance in round one to four are also eligible.Click here for the criteria and application form for the fifth round. Junior Journalist Remuneration: cost-to-company Location: Cape Town Education level: Degree Job level: Junior Type: Permanent Reference: #Motor Company: Highbury Media Researching and assisting with articles on the CAR magazine website Assisting on shoots and videos for CAR magazine and CAR magazine website Assisting our road test engineers in road testing, including weighing, measuring vehicles, recording specification features and road test data A tertiary qualification in English or Journalism Work experience in the motoring media. An ability and willingness to work hours as dictated by prevailing news trends. Excellent writing, communication, copy editing, organisational and motivational skills. Proficiency in WordPress CMS, Excel, Photoshop, trending social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc) and the Mac operating system. Knowledge of InDesign, Affinity Publisher and basic video editing a bonus. Excellent technical knowledge of motor vehicles. A passion for driving and motoring media. Highbury Media (Pty) Ltd is SAs largest independent magazine and digital publishing company responsible for some of the countrys most-loved and best-performing titles. Established 64 years ago, CAR is SAs longest running motoring magazine and an opinion-forming consumer and automotive-interest title. We are currently looking for a Junior Journalist.Posted on 17 Aug 12:56 Digital Marketing and Social Media Manager Remuneration: R20000 - R25000 per month basic salary Location: Johannesburg, Sandton Education level: Diploma Job level: Junior/Mid Own transport required: Yes Type: Permanent Reference: #Digital&SocialMedia Company: Cardilogix Social media and digital campaign management Google Ads: Display, search, shopping, mobile, video, AdWords and Analytics Display, search, shopping, mobile, video, AdWords and Analytics Build a PPC strategy for a variety of client accounts Paid media and social media advertising eCommerce: Shopify & WooCommerce Social media ad auctions and bid management Campaign monitoring, analysis and strategy Paid media (SEO & PPC) on the following platforms: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, WhatsApp, YouTube. Facebook Business and Ads Manager Facebook Ads: Lead generation, dynamic, collection, reach, offer claim, conversion, Messenger and event response ads Lead generation, dynamic, collection, reach, offer claim, conversion, Messenger and event response ads Conduct A/B testing Experience using Google Analytics Digital marketing and social media analytics Daily management of paid search plans Conduct data analytics and metrics analysis to measure: Customer journey segmentation User engagement Campaign performance Social media/digital marketing/SEO qualification Facebook Blueprint LinkedIn Learning Twitter Flight School Update CV Portfolio (digital media campaigns you've implemented/analysed etc). Our client a leading digital agency seeks to hire a junior/mid-weightMust have at least three to four years of experience in a digital agency or similar company, with big brands expereince.AdWords certification is a pre-requisite and is not negotiable.Please only apply if you have the relevant experience as per our job ad. Our client does not have the capacity to train anyone you need to hit the ground running.Your application will be passed to our team of recruitment consultants and should your skills and experience match the recruitment needs of our client, we will be in touch within a 96 hour turn-around time.Should you not hear from us, please treat your application for this job as unsuccessful. Posted on 17 Aug 09:39 Drupal Web Developer Remuneration: R35000 - R50000 per month basic salary Location: Johannesburg Education level: Degree Job level: Senior Type: Permanent Reference: #BG#DrupalWebDev Company: Cardilogix Ability to build, extend, and configure Drupal sites Front-end development (theming) Back-end development Architect, build and maintain excellent clean code Integrate third-party API's Updating Drupal features and security patches Knowledge of working with a source control system such as Git Ability to convert comprehensive layout and wireframes into working HTML page Experience with responsive and adaptive web design This position requires a combination of programming skills HTML5, XHTML, PHP, CSS3, JavaScript, etc. Experience in web design (Drupal Development) and UX capabilities Strong knowledge and understanding of content management systems Deliver on final product integration Must be fully computer literate on Mac A copy of your CV A copy of your Portfolio (showcasing links to projects or websites you've designed/developed). 6-8 years of experience Related qualifications: diploma, etc. Our client a leading and renowned web/software company, requires the services of a skilled and talentedPlease only apply if you have the relevant experience as per our job ad. Our client does not have the capacity to train anyone you need to hit the ground running.Your application will be passed to our team of recruitment consultants and should your skills and experience match the recruitment needs of our client, we will be in touch within a 96 hour turn-around time.Should you not hear from us, please treat your application for this job as unsuccessful. Posted on 17 Aug 10:18 The COVID-19 pandemic has been a bonanza for government officials, allowing them to extend authority that they then exercise with relatively little oversight or restraint in ways that would have been inconceivable in the past. It has accelerated the transformation of previously free societies into permission-based states, where things once done as a matter of right are now considered privileges to be dispensed or withheld by those in power. Case in point: the Biden administration reportedly discussed making travel within the United States conditional on vaccination status but is holding back out of fear that the public has yet to be sufficiently softened-up for such an intrusive restriction. "While more severe measures such as mandating vaccines for interstate travel or changing how the federal government reimburses treatment for those who are unvaccinated and become ill with COVID-19 have been discussed, the administration worried that they would be too polarizing for the moment," the Associated Press reported last week after discussions with administration insiders. "That's not to say they won't be implemented in the future, as public opinion continues to shift toward requiring vaccinations as a means to restore normalcy." The AP emphasizes that "White House officials say Biden wanted to initially operate with restraint to ensure that Americans were ready for the strong-arming from the federal government." The piece is unusually blunt in the glimpse it offers of an administration that embraces coercive measures to achieve its goals but is trying to co-opt businesses and localities as its proxies until Americans are more ready to do as they're told. This isn't the first time that conditions have been imposed on travel and other activities in the name of public health during the pandemic. The administration had already announced that it plans to require foreigners traveling to the United States to be vaccinated, a restriction likely to excite little opposition in an age when border controls are popular and other countries have similar rules. Before that, states and localities imposed testing and quarantine rules on visitors and even travel bans, though most were haphazardly enforced. Hawaii, surrounded as it is by a natural moat, has most successfully imposed a masked-and-gowned version of the iron curtain. But that's just evidence of how far we've already gone down the path of turning travel from the right it once was into a privilege. "As a general rule, until 1941, U.S. citizens were not required to have a passport for travel abroad," reports the National Archives. "Airline travel in the early 1960s was still fairly carefree: If you had a ticket, you could board a plane," the Los Angeles Times noted in 2014. Invoking security concerns, officialdom imposed documentation requirements and subjected people and their luggage to the extensive screenings with which we're now all too familiar. Starting in 2009, Americans had to show passports to be readmitted to the United States on their return from journeys beyond the border. So, the federal government making interstate travel a privilege granted only to those in its good graces would be just one more step down a path traveled beforebut a big one. Note that this isn't about the wisdom of getting vaccinated; let's stipulate that vaccination for COVID-19 is effective and generally a good idea. But traveling within the country has historically been treated as a right to be freely exercised without the need to seek permission from the government, no matter how wisely (improbable though that is) officials exercise their discretion. "Freedom of movement within and between states is constitutionally protected," Georgetown Law's Meryl Justin Chertoff noted last year after states and localities began imposing travel restrictions. "The right of Americans to travel interstate in the U.S. has never been substantially judicially questioned or limited." But Chertoff acknowledged that governments tend to enjoy more leeway in exercising authority when they invoke the words "public health," and civil liberties advocates often let them get away with it. It's not just the freedom of travel at risk of becoming a conditional privilege. "Through vaccination requirements, employers have the power to help end the pandemic," Jeff Zients, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, said last Thursday as part of the effort to get employers, businesses, and local governments to impose rules that Americans aren't yet prepared to accept from Washington, D.C. Localities including New York City and San Francisco have obliged by making many indoors activities, such as dining in restaurants, attending performances, and exercising in gyms, conditional on vaccination. Again, the issue isn't the effectiveness of vaccination or of other public health measures. The concern is the conversion of everyday activities like travel, work, and shopping into privileges to be permitted only to those who please the powers that be. To be certain, the permission society isn't new. Roughly 30 percent of workers in the United States now need a licensepermission from the governmentto do their jobs. That permission can be revoked for reasons having nothing to do with work responsibilities, meaning that it becomes just another tool for controlling people by denying them the ability to make a living unless they submit. "States must adopt laws that allow them to suspend driver's, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses of individuals who owe overdue support," according to the Department of Health and Human Services, citing the requirements of a law intended to ensure payment of child support. And who could object to making parents meet their obligations to their kids? But that's how rights become privileges, one ostensibly well-intentioned incursion at a time. If the Biden administration does eventually require proof of vaccination as a condition for traveling within the United States, it will be moving just a little bit further down the path to making this country one based not on individual rights exercised at will, but on permission dispensed from above. With every step, we lose a little more of our freedom to do as we please and find ourselves stuck with the crumbs of whatever we're allowed. As more and more Canadian post-secondary institutions require staff and students to be fully vaccinated to attend in-person activities this fall, the Brandon University Faculty Association is asking its administration to follow suit. Advertisement Advertise With Us As more and more Canadian post-secondary institutions require staff and students to be fully vaccinated to attend in-person activities this fall, the Brandon University Faculty Association is asking its administration to follow suit. According to a Monday morning news release, this motion to endorse a local vaccine mandate was passed late last week by BUFAs executive, who represent more than 250 staff at Brandon University. "We believe that the health and safety of students, staff and faculty are of paramount importance to the Brandon University community," BUFA president Gautam Srivastava said in this release. "We believe that this is a reasonable step we can take to ensure as normal a return to campus life as we can expect during the fall term." In a followup interview with the Sun, Srivastava went on to clarify that BUFAs proposed vaccine mandate would not be applied across the board, with exceptions being made for individuals with medical exemptions or certain international students. "There may be cases of students who are coming from overseas that may have vaccination inequalities or poor access to vaccines," he said, mentioning that these pupils could be given a grace period to receive their shots. This motion from BUFA comes 13 days after representatives of the Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations called for a similar vaccine mandate, arguing that the looming fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic poses a major threat to staff and students across the province. In early August, only a few post-secondary schools in Canada had established vaccine requirements for the coming fall semester, with Seneca College in Ontario being one of the most high-profile examples. However, within the last two weeks, a number of institutions have since followed Senecas lead, including the University of Regina, Queens University, Western University, the University of Waterloo, Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Saskatchewan. Despite this trend, the BU administration has not committed to instituting a mandatory vaccine policy as of yet. On Monday afternoon, school communications director Grant Hamilton told the Sun that BU is still preparing for in-person learning to take place this fall for classes that dont exceed 25 people and can provide up to two metres of physical distancing. All other classes will take place online. Masks will also be required for in-person activities on campus. However, Hamilton said the BU administration is still strongly encouraging staff and students to get vaccinated as soon as possible, mentioning that more than 1,000 people have been fully vaccinated through BUs "Every Shot is a Winning Shot" incentive program so far. "We are keeping an eye on the evolving science and the evolving situation, and well see what the rest of fall looks like," he said. Earlier this month, BU president David Docherty also told the Sun that establishing a mandatory vaccine policy this late in the year wouldnt be logistically feasible for the beginning of the fall semester. However, Srivastava said on Monday that BUFA is more than willing to work with the administration to come up with a later time when their proposed vaccine policy could come into effect. "If logistics are the reason, lets move the date a little bit," he said. "Lets say Oct. 1 or lets say Sept. 25, something that gives them a better chance to implement something like this." When asked about this topic during a Monday afternoon technical briefing, Manitobas Vaccine Implementation Task Force medical lead Dr. Joss Reimer said that the province still doesnt have any plans to mandate vaccines at post-secondary schools this fall. However, Reimer also mentioned that institutions like BU are free to establish these policies themselves if they believe it is in the best interest of their staff and students. "And we know that young people, right now, have lower vaccine uptake rates than older people, so we do worry that in some of these settings we might see outbreaks," she said. "We strongly encourage students to get vaccinated as soon as possible, at whatever location is most convenient for them." A representative from Assiniboine Community College told the Sun in an email that their school administration also isnt considering a mandatory immunization policy right now. kdarbyson@brandonsun.com Twitter:@KyleDarbyson For years, Cody Baptiste would watch his older brother spend his summers fighting wildfires in Manitoba. Advertisement Advertise With Us For years, Cody Baptiste would watch his older brother spend his summers fighting wildfires in Manitoba. It's a path he knew he eventually wanted to follow. For the first time this year, he gets to blaze his own path in the field and, at the age of 15, he may be one of the youngest firefighters in the province. Cody is from Berens River First Nation along the east side of Lake Winnipeg, about 330 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Wildfires and smoke forced members from the community in July to leave for Winnipeg and Brandon. Growing wildfires on the eastern edge of the province also forced three other nearby First Nations to evacuate -- for a total of more than 2,000 residents living in hotels. That was when Cody was called to action. A month earlier, the teenager had completed a training course where he learned the ins and outs of operating a water pump and hose, as well as important safety measures. He didn't know at the time that he would be putting his newfound skills to use a few weeks later. "I was excited (and) I actually like firefighting now," Cody said in an interview earlier this month. Cody's older brother Aaron Hudson, 27, started firefighting about four years ago. Hudson urged Cody and their other brother Brody Baptiste, 17, to look into careers as firefighters. Cody tried to get training last year but was told he was too young. The age to become a seasonal firefighter with the province is 16, but Cody's mother said she signed a waiver giving him permission to work at his age. She said having two teenage sons firefighting doesn't come without worries. "They're so young. First thing when you get up in the morning you want to worry about them and you want to see how they're doing," said Monica Patrick. But she said it was important for her to instill a good work ethic in her children. She said she's happy to see the boys make their way in the world and follow in their older brother's footsteps. "They make me really proud and I'm really glad that they love what they're doing," Patrick said. The province recently welcomed 100 South African firefighters to help battle wildfires. They join more than 400 local firefighters, as well as other crews from across the country. Hot and dry conditions linked to climate change have made this year one of the worst wildfire seasons in Manitoba. There have been roughly 430 wildfires this year compared to the average of 370 for this time of year. Cody spent about two weeks working with his brother Brody and three other men trying to suppress wildfires near Bloodvein First Nation, about 250 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Four separate fires in the area eventually merged together to form one of the largest single wildfires on record in the province. Being part of the crew tackling a fire of this proportion was both exciting and scary, he said. Working in the heat was sometimes unbearable, "when there were big open flames you had to go rush to them very quickly to make sure it doesn't spread," Cody recalled. An unfortunate tumble in the field has since sidelined Cody. He had to go to Brandon to stay with family in a hotel to nurse a sprained ankle, but he said he's itching to join his brothers again. "I'm just trying to protect our elders and the other communities," he said. Residents from Berens River and Bloodvein were able to return home this week, along with two other First Nations, after community leaders determined it was safe. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2021. _The Canadian Press OTTAWA - New survey results suggest Justin Trudeau's Liberals are the top choice of Canadians to lead an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media following a meeting with Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. New survey results suggest Justin Trudeau's Liberals are the top choice of Canadians to lead an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - New survey results suggest Justin Trudeau's Liberals are the top choice of Canadians to lead an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. But Erin O'Toole's Conservatives are not far behind on the question of the most competent party to shepherd Canadians back to prosperity. Twenty-six per cent of respondents to the survey, conducted by Leger in collaboration with The Canadian Press, said the Liberals were the best party to lead Canada's post-pandemic economic recovery. Twenty-four per cent named the Conservatives, 15 per cent the New Democrats and three per cent the Greens. Fifteen per cent said none of the major parties was best-placed to spearhead a recovery, while 18 per cent did not know who to choose. The online survey of 2,007 Canadians, conducted Aug. 13 to 15, cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered truly random samples. The survey was done before the release Monday of the Conservative platform, which pledged billions of dollars in fresh spending to help reinvigorate a pandemic-pillaged economy. Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president, expected the governing Liberals to have more of a head-start on persuading voters they should lead a national recovery from the health crisis that suddenly turned livelihoods upside-down in March last year. "If that's going to be the issue the ballot box question, as they say they've got work to do," Enns said. The 36-day campaign, the shortest allowed under the election law, concludes Sept. 20. Overall, there were no seismic shifts in voter support on the eve of the campaign, which Trudeau quickly framed as a referendum on the party most able to guide the country through the months and years after COVID-19 subsides. Thirty-five per cent of decided voters expressed support for the Liberals, 30 per cent for the Conservatives and 20 per cent the NDP. Seven per cent would vote for the Bloc Quebecois, which is fielding candidates only in Quebec, while five per cent supported the Greens and two per cent the People's Party of Canada. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the Trudeau government and that it is time for another party to have a chance to govern. Another 16 per cent said they were dissatisfied with the government, but still preferred the Liberals to the alternatives. That pool of vaguely disgruntled voters represents "low-hanging fruit" for the parties trying to unseat the Liberals, Enns said. Trudeau raised eyebrows, and some objections, by pulling the plug on his minority government as another wave of the pandemic loomed. Even so, 67 per cent said the prospect of voting in a summer or fall election did not worry them, while 24 per cent did express concern. Meantime, 62 per cent of respondents said they would follow the campaign either closely or very closely. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2021. VANCOUVER - A lawyer for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou wrapped up her defence team's arguments in the B.C. Supreme Court Tuesday by reminding the extradition judge of her task in the case. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves home to attend her extradition hearing at B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER - A lawyer for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou wrapped up her defence team's arguments in the B.C. Supreme Court Tuesday by reminding the extradition judge of her task in the case. Eric Gottardi told Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes that an assessment of evidence should guide her decision on whether to recommend the telecom executive for surrender to the United States to face fraud charges. "The question you now have to decide is whether this evidentiary record that you have before you in the case, with all the problems that we have attempted to outline, still amounts to a plausible case," Gottardi told the judge. "Could a jury convict to the criminal standard on the evidence before you? We say the answer is no." Meng's legal team has spent three days arguing that the United States has provided a "manifestly unreliable" record of the case against her that is riddled with gaps in supporting evidence. The only appropriate remedy is for Meng to be released, Gottardi said. "Fundamental justice demands that Ms. Meng not be extradited to face trial on legally and factually flawed allegations and, accordingly, we ask you to discharge her." Meng was arrested at Vancouver's airport in 2018 at the request of the United States to face fraud charges that both she and Huawei deny. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves home to attend her extradition hearing at B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Her arrest embroiled Canada in a bitter battle between the United States and China. Days after she was taken into custody, Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in what has widely been seen as retaliation and Canadian officials have promised to continue fighting for their release. The fraud charges against Meng centre on a PowerPoint presentation she gave during a meeting in a Hong Kong tea room in 2013 with a senior HSBC banker. Meng, who is Huawei's chief financial officer and daughter of the Chinese telecom giant's founder, is accused of misleading the banker about Huawei's control over another company that did business in Iran, putting put the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against the country. The court has heard that an extradition judge's job is not to determine guilt, but instead to assess whether the requesting state has presented enough evidence to support a possible guilty verdict and whether the allegations would be considered a crime in Canada. Lawyers for Canada's attorney general, who represent the United States in the case, argued last week that Meng's alleged lies would clearly constitute fraud in Canada. Government lawyer Robert Frater told the court that Meng's deceit lay in both what she said and left unsaid during the meeting. Meng "went to some length to demonstrate that Huawei had a rigorous approach to sanctions compliance, and that Huawei demanded the same of any partners working in Iran," he said. She neglected to tell the banker that Huawei controlled the company, Skycom, that was the subject of HSBC's concern, he said. As a result, HSBC made financial decisions based on incomplete information about its clients that put it at risk of not only violating sanctions, but also at risk of reputational damage and financial losses, Frater told the court earlier. However, Meng's team has tried to convince the judge the Meng's case is anything but ordinary and, in fact, the government lawyers are trying to turn fraud law "on its head." Court documents from the defence say Skycom made payments from its Chinese bank account to a third party's HSBC U.K. bank account, and HSBC cleared those payments through a U.S. subsidiary. The dollar-clearing transaction is the only sanctions violation that occurred, defence lawyer Scott Fenton said Tuesday, and HSBC was entirely responsible for its own decision. Neither Huawei nor Skycom violated U.S. sanctions and the United States has provided no evidence that Meng's presentation triggered HSBC to make the violation, the defence team has argued. Fenton attempted to hammer home a theme in the defence team's arguments Tuesday: that the United States failed to provide crucial evidence of deprivation or risk of deprivation, a fundamental element of fraud. His team has already argued there's no proof that HSBC would suffer any civil or criminal consequences. Fenton doubled down, saying there is also an "evidentiary vacuum" linking her PowerPoint presentation with any risk of reputational damage or financial loss suffered by HSBC, her alleged victim. Reputation is not something that is protected under fraud law, and even if it was, the United States has failed to provide anything beyond a theoretical risk, Fenton said. "We're left with a reputational risk theory that ultimately flounders on the shoal of no evidence, and no amount of conjecture or theorizing or speculation as is well known to the court could possibly be a substitute for actual evidence demonstrating a concrete risk of identifiable pecuniary harm to HSBC," Fenton said. The United States has not offered proof that HSBC's continuation of loan-related business with Huawei caused it any risk of loss, he said. The hearing is expected to wrap up Wednesday after government lawyers give their response. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2021. OTTAWA - The Truth Test is a project of The Canadian Press that examines the accuracy of statements made by politicians. Each claim is researched and analyzed to provide Canadians with facts instead of spin. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stretches out a supporter's Canadian flag for a photo during a campaign stop in Toronto, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson OTTAWA - The Truth Test is a project of The Canadian Press that examines the accuracy of statements made by politicians. Each claim is researched and analyzed to provide Canadians with facts instead of spin. STATEMENT: "We saw that in this pandemic no other opposition party could point to a single victory that they fought for and won to make people's lives better. They did not benefit from having those other MPs representing them." NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Aug. 15, 2021. BACKGROUND: Singh kicked off the NDP's election campaign Sunday taking credit for improvements to various emergency aid programs introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to cushion the impact of lockdowns on workers and businesses. Among other things, he asserted that the NDP used its leverage in a minority Parliament to force the the Liberal government to double the Canada Emergency Response Benefit for jobless Canadians to $2,000 per month from the initial $1,000 per month. New Democrats, he said, also forced the government to increase the wage subsidy to 75 per cent from an initial 10 per cent. And he said they forced the creation of a paid sick leave that hadn't existed at the federal level before. By contrast, Singh asserted, other opposition parties did "absolutely nothing" to push the government to do more for people. ANALYSIS Singh's assertion that "no other opposition party could point to a single victory that they fought for and won" is certainly not true. Both the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois have also repeatedly claimed credit for improvements to pandemic relief programs. The Conservatives, for instance, rattle off a long list of "victories," including the removal of GST/HST on face masks and face shields, rent relief for businesses, enhanced business loans, expanded emergency support programs to include expectant and new parents. And all three opposition parties claim credit for pushing the government to boost the wage subsidy to 75 per cent from the initially proposed 10 per cent. Whether any of those claims are accurate is another question. No doubt opposition pressure was a factor but it's impossible to say whether the government would have adjusted its programs in any event, in response to public demand and pressure from premiers, business, labour groups, its own backbenchers and others. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but particularly during the early days of the unprecedented crisis, the government's response constantly evolved as it struggled to keep up with a rapidly deteriorating economy, plug the gaps in the social safety net and deal with problems as they arose. When the Liberals introduced a 10 per cent wage subsidy in March 2020, it was roundly criticized by business groups as nowhere near enough. "It needs to be 75 per cent or more as is the case in Europe," Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly said immediately. Other business and labour groups echoed that view and all three of the main opposition parties took up the call. When, several weeks later, the government bumped the subsidy up to 75 per cent, the opposition parties took credit. Andrew Scheer, then leader of the Conservatives, tweeted that the government "took my advice." Singh similarly took credit, although at the time he was generously prepared to at least acknowledge that business and labour groups also had something to do with it. "Business and labour leaders have been working with us to push the government to increase the wage subsidy," Singh tweeted. "Today they listened." In a speech in the House of Commons in April 2020, Scheer maintained his party had been "leading the way on useful, practical actions," including pushing for tighter travel restrictions and border measures, increasing the wage subsidy and expanding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to include "seasonal workers and those with limited incomes." In response to Scheer's claim, Bloc Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet told the Commons: "I do not want to be the kind of person who takes credit for everything good but the Bloc Quebecois contributed to the wage subsidy, in addition to the fixed costs, the recognition of social enterprises and the changes made for growing businesses." He was, in other words, claiming credit for pushing the government to increase financial support for businesses to help subsidize their rent and to expand that support to more businesses. The Bloc has also claimed credit for pressuring the government to provide more financial supports for seniors. Singh can certainly claim credit for pushing harder than any other party for paid sick leave. He made that a condition of NDP support for the Liberal throne speech last September, without which the minority government would have fallen. Both the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois voted against it. When the Liberals agreed to his demand last fall, Singh proclaimed it a historic achievement, marking "the first step in achieving the first-ever, in the history of our country, federal paid sick leave for Canadian workers. However, four months later when COVID-19 cases were spiking among essential workers, Singh was less enthusiastic about claiming ownership of the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit. The $500 benefit, available in weekly increments for up to two weeks, was criticized as inadequate since workers had to apply for it only after taking unpaid time off for illness and it did nothing to help those who needed a day or two off to get tested or vaccinated. "The Liberals are sitting on the sidelines while essential workers and their families are being admitted to ICUs because of the virus," Singh charged in January, urging the government to fix the paid sick leave "so essential workers don't have to choose between going to work sick or losing a paycheque." He mentioned none of that Sunday when claiming credit for paid sick leave. CONCLUSION While the NDP can claim its share of the credit for pushing for improvements to pandemic relief programs, it is certainly not the only opposition party to do so. None of the opposition parties' claims takes into account the pressure the Liberal government came under from business, labour, the public and others to expand, enhance and adjust the programs as the economic fallout from the pandemic worsened. Singh's assertion is, therefore, false. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2021. Sydneys first harbourside walk dedicated to Indigenous history has a new name that calls on the citys latter-day residents to walk with the spirits of Aboriginal ancestors. On Monday, the City of Sydney endorsed the name Yananurala, meaning Walking on Country, for the nine-kilometre footpath that when finished will extend from the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour to Woolloomooloo. The walk was an acknowledgement of Country in its truest and most ancient form, Emily McDaniel said. Credit:Katherine Griffiths The move comes as the fourth of seven public art installations marking Aboriginal history is due to be unveiled before Christmas at the Royal Botanic Gardens overlooking Bennelong Point (Dubbagullee). The stone sculpture Bara, by artist Judy Watson, is inspired by the traditional fish hook fashioned by Gadigal women, and acknowledges an Aboriginal encampment at the Dubbagullee boatsheds during the 1800s. Subject to COVID-19 restrictions, the city hopes to host a community celebration of the artwork in early 2022. Frank and Leo are fishermen. They have a trawler working off the coast of Massachusetts and 16-year-old Ruby rises before dawn each morning to go out with them on the boat so that she can operate the radio and negotiate a price for their catch at the end of the trip. Then she races off to high school, where shes in her final year. Its an acronym, standing for child of deaf adults. Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is the only member of her family who can hear. Her father Frank (Troy Kotsur), mother Jackie (Marlee Matlin) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) are all deaf, which means she plays an invaluable role in their lives as the family interpreter. The title of this film has nothing to do with afterthoughts or addenda the usual meanings signified by that terse little word, coda. The film is a reinvention of the French comedy hit, The Belier Family (2014), and theres a very good reason that it won four of the top prizes at this years Sundance Festival. Its writer-director, Sian Heder, has succeeded in refining some of the original films broader comic strokes and adding a deeper vein of sentiment without letting it spill over into sentimentality. Shes also avoided the criticisms that the French filmmakers attracted for casting the roles of the deaf characters with actors who could hear. Matlin, whose deafness has failed to inhibit her long and busy Hollywood career, introduced Heder to Kotsur and Durant, who have both worked with her in plays produced by Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles, and their sign language is so expressive that it serves as a funny and irreverent familial shorthand. One of its neatest ironies springs from the fact that Frank is the most outspoken of the fishermen who are protesting against the government restrictions threatening to put the local fleet out of business. Even so, his signing has its limitations. He needs Ruby to get his message across, which is where things get complicated because she is starting to want a life of her own. Shes discovered that she can sing and the school music teacher and choirmaster is encouraging her to apply for a scholarship at a music college. Whats more, shes acquired a boyfriend who likes the chaotic atmosphere of the Rossi household because its so much warmer and more cheerful than his own. Labor senator Katy Gallagher is in home quarantine after her daughter tested positive for COVID-19. Senator Gallagher said the family was told on Tuesday morning that Evie was one of Canberras 17 new cases. She is at home with us but is feeling pretty unwell and understandably worried about what this means for her and for the rest of her family, she said in a statement. Our household remains in strict quarantine until ACT Health advises us that we dont need to isolate anymore. The senator, who is fully vaccinated, has so far tested negative. She criticised the federal governments vaccine rollout for failing to protect her family. Here I sit tonight, where after doing everything right for 18 months, like millions of other families right around Australia - I am left with my children completely vulnerable to COVID-19, she said. All of our Five Eyes partners Canada, the United Kingdom, the US and New Zealand have effectively criminalised right-wing extremist groups by proscribing them as terrorist organisations. Australia just proscribed its first right-wing extremist group a few weeks ago: the UK-based Sonnenkrieg Division, a group with little connection to Australia. Members of the Australian neo-Nazi group National Socialist Network. Credit: Some government ministers claim that proscribing local right-wing extremist groups, like National Socialist Network and Combat-18, would be ineffective. They say Australian groups are too fractured to meet the proscription threshold, or too savvy and know how to stay just below the proscription threshold by publicly denouncing violence. The chilling revelations in The Age about NSN and Combat-18 directly contradict these claims. Proscription also exists to send a loud and clear message about what Australia values and what it rejects. Loading When Australias proscription laws were introduced in 2002, the Howard government cited the symbolic rationale for proscription offered by the UK: a clear symbol of public revulsion and reassurance that severe measures are being taken. There are international groups right now that have been proscribed by our Five Eyes counterparts that have direct links to Australia, and could be proscribed here. Such proscription would be more than just symbolic. In our increasingly networked world, any practical distinction between domestic and international terrorism is almost gone completely. Movements do not exist in isolation, but rather link and take inspiration from each other and from individuals within movements. The manifestos from right-wing extremist attacks in Oslo, Charleston, San Bernardino, Christchurch, and El Paso all cite inspiration from one another. But we dont need to just proscribe, we also need prevention. Since coming to government, the Department of Home Affairs has allocated just $53 million to countering violent extremism programs. It is unclear how much if any is allocated to those at risk of right-wing extremism. Loading Some federal ministers speak about all forms of extremism, as if various ideologies can be lumped into one category and addressed with the same solutions. Countering violent extremism programs, both on the governmental and non-governmental level, must be designed to address the specific motivating factors that drive someone to a particular extreme ideology. We also must do more to keep people safe online. I was alarmed when I heard the former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton tell ABC Insiders that right-wing extremists were on the dark web and were hard to track down. While The Age has exposed the secret clubhouse meetings of NSN, the fact is that right-wing extremists are often recruiting in plain sight, on Facebook and other commonly used social media platforms. They use certain words and phrases that have everyday meanings but also convey coded content to those in the know. Both Twitter and Facebook have removed accounts and content relating to right-wing extremists in recent months, but no doubt there is more that can be done to identify, disrupt and deter when people are searching for certain words or phrases online. We also need our national leaders to be consistent in naming and condemning right-wing extremist views. Too often we see labels applied to right-wing extremists that minimise the motivations and ideology behind their actions something that rarely occurs when Islamist terrorism is even suspected. Loading For example, the Australian man imprisoned for vile terrorism offences in New Zealand is not merely a gunmen or murderer as some Australian media and political leaders have described him. He and people like him are terrorists and proponents of a vile ideology right-wing extremism that must be named out loud. Right-wing extremism is here, but it doesnt need to be here to stay. Western Australias predicted biggest-ever grain harvest is just weeks away, but farmers still dont know whether they will have the manpower to get it done. The state government wants to bring in between 300 and 900 agriculture workers from Europe ahead of the harvest using the Commonwealths Christmas Island detention centre for quarantine, but an application was rejected by federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud because it lacked detail and the centre was nearing capacity. The federal government has rejected a request to quarantine overseas workers at Christmas Island. Credit:Glen McCurtayne On Tuesday, WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said that was perplexing because she had provided more detail, but even if the detention centre wasnt available, the Commonwealth needed to come to the table to find a solution. They write back suggesting that it might be possible but they want more detail. Its their facility, I mean, for Gods sake weve got to sit down together and try to deal with this issue, she said. Experts say its extremely difficult to work out what effect an overnight curfew had on reducing Melbournes case numbers during its second wave last year, but say it is likely the reintroduced measure limits overall movement. The return of 9pm to 5am stay-at-home directions by the Victorian state government on Monday reignited debate about curfews, with the state opposition describing it as an unnecessary overreach and the police union and peak civil liberty group Liberty Victoria also opposing it. A quiet Bourke Street on Monday night. Credit:Jason South Concerns have also been raised about the disproportionate effect tough enforcement measures such as a curfew could have on people from non-English-speaking backgrounds, those in insecure work and young people, with many still struggling to pay hefty fines imposed during last years lockdown. Some health experts have backed the tough restrictions, warning they were the only way for Victoria to avoid following NSW into a disastrous coronavirus outbreak, while others have been more sceptical about the efficacy of a curfew in stopping the spread of the virus. Before I cast the thousandth stone against the most egregious lockdown violations, and explore the fraught predicament of ethnic and religious minorities during plague time, hear my confession. Or at least the closest thing to a confession an atheist Jew can muster. Last weekend, the glorious sunshine and whiff of spring went to my head, in what was clearly a citywide contagion. People out and about in Melbourne. Credit:Scott McNaughton While I didnt picnic outdoors or pub crawl on the footpath, I exercised unmasked with a double-jabbed friend on Saturday, and in the afternoon visited my 93-year-old father. Citing a care-giving loophole in the regulations, I ventured into the house. I didnt need the collective punishment of a two-week lockdown extension, nighttime curfew and playground ban to feel ashamed of my carelessness. By Saturday night, when the list of coronavirus exposure sites included Coles Balaclava, my idiosyncratic local with a kosher bulletin board and where Id shopped at the critical time a week earlier, I was already stricken with shame. Australias competition watchdog is forecasting another spike in gas prices across south-eastern states in the next two years, warning the market is on a knife-edge and companies that rely on the fossil fuel could face further pain. In the latest update of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions long-running inquiry into the gas market, chairman Rod Sims reiterated that opening up new domestic sources of gas supply would be critical to avoiding price rises and potential shortfalls. The ACCC says a tight gas market is driving up prices for companies that depend on the fossil fuel. Credit:Glenn Hunt Theres no question that theres a very tight squeeze on people that want gas, Mr Sims said on Tuesday. Long-term gas supply contracts in Australias south-east were being offered at $6 to $11 a gigajoule in 2022, the ACCC inquiry found, while buyers were being offered gas at $9 to $10 a gigajoule from 2023. An Australian aid worker has received desperate calls for help from his former Afghan colleagues who say they expect to be hunted down door-to-door by Taliban forces or tracked via social media after the fall of Kabul. Geoff Peterson, who worked for an AusAID-funded Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) program in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012, said Australia had a responsibility to evacuate Afghans who had assisted the program. Geoff Peterson with some of his colleagues during his time working as an aid worker in Afghanistan. Faces have been blurred for safety reasons. My friends and colleagues are saying, our lives are [under] threat, theyre going to hunt us down, they have a list, they know who we worked with, he said. Im not saying Australia needs to take responsibility for all of Afghanistan, but it needs to lend a hand to those who lent a hand to us while we were there. Its a betrayal if we fail to act. About eight are in the race to advise the government in the strategic disinvestment of These will make a presentation before the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) chaired by DIPAM Secretary on Wednesday, and one firm would be selected as the legal advisor. The that are in the race include Crawford Bayley, L&L Partners, Link Legal, S&R Associates, Saraf and Partners, S&G Partners, Surana & Surana and Trilegal. The government is looking to sell its 45.48 per cent shareholding in Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), which owns 49.24 per cent, will also offload its stake to transfer management control to the new buyer. The government is seeking to appoint a legal advisor who will review and advise on all legal contracts, including titles of property assets, intellectual property rights, loan agreements, and contracts with employees. They would also advise the government on the regulatory norms, and assist in obtaining approval and exemptions from all applicable regulatory agencies including Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). Legal advisors had to submit their bids to Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) by July 22. London-based Climate Group on Tuesday announced the appointment of Sumant Sinha, chairman and managing director of domestic renewable energy company ReNew Power, as a trustee on its UK board for three years. Besides, Meryam Omi, head (sustainability and responsible investment strategy) at Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM), has also joined as a trustee on the board of the non-profit organisation. In a statement issued here, Climate Group said it welcomes the two new trustees, Meryam Omi and Sumant Sinha, to the UK board. Joan MacNaughton, chair of the board of Climate Group, said: "We are delighted to welcome Sumant and Meryam to Climate Group's UK board, strengthening our links and understanding with the global investment industry, and also with important renewable investors in India, a country that is central to the global energy transition away from fossil fuels." The addition of Omi's expertise in financial services comes at an opportune time. MacNaughton said India is also facing change at the moment, looking for ways to rebuild post the pandemic in a resilient and sustainable way. Sinha already plays a key role in advising the Climate Group in India. His expertise will also contribute to activities in the UK. "I'm delighted to join the board of Climate Group, which has been driving to embrace and achieve ambitious targets to create the net-zero carbon future. "With experience of engaging with and creating sustainable investments, I hope to add value to the critical discussions and help find solutions for the low carbon transitions," Omi said. On his appointment, Sinha said, "I am delighted to be part of the board of trustees of the Climate Group. I have been associated with Climate Group for the past three years and I believe their work is crucial in strengthening the collaborative efforts in meeting the Paris Agreement goals and mitigating the impact of climate change on global communities." Founded in 2003, Climate Group is an international non-profit organisation with offices in London, New York and New Delhi. It works in the area of climate action. It works with governments and business leaders and decision makers with the goal of achieving a world of net-zero carbon emission by 2050. (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.) Nasdad listed IT services major has acquired digital engineering assets from Hunter Technical Resources, a privately-held digital engineering and project management agency headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. This is Cognizant's sixth announced acquisition in 2021 as the company continues expanding in key strategic focus areas for digital -- digital engineering, data and artificial intelligence, cloud and the Internet of Things -- to provide clients with capabilities to compete as modern digital businesses. Hunter Technical Resources marks Cognizant's third digital engineering acquisition in the past year; acquired Magenic, a privately-held custom software development services company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in February 2021, and Tin Roof Software, a custom software and digital product development services company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, in September 2020. "This acquisition expands Cognizant's access to the highly-specialized expertise our clients require to accelerate their digital transformation journey," said Rajesh Nambiar, President, Digital Business and Technology, "Hunter Technical Resources has a long track record of sourcing high-value IT talent for blue chip clients. Their unique, blended focus on technology and relationship building fits perfectly with Cognizant's digital engineering franchise and our own client-first culture. We're thrilled to expand our digital engineering capabilities in the US as we welcome the Hunter team into our software product engineering family." Hunter Technical Resources engineers specialize in high-demand skills, including full stack development, machine learning, DevOps, systems architecture and data science. "Hunter Technical Resources was founded 20 years ago with one mission -- recruit the best talent available, a passion we share with Cognizant," said Scott Hall, President, Hunter Technical Resources. "We are excited to have the digital engineering business we have built become part of Cognizant's large and growing digital engineering enterprise." In an important step that will galvanise Indias largest ever domestic arms deal viz. the acquisition of 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighters for Rs 45,696 crore Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has ordered 99 engines worth US $716 million (Rs 5,375 crores) for the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Tuesday. Since it first flew in January 2001, the Tejas LCA has been powered by a single (GE) F404-IN20 engine. is continuing with that engine for its first 123 fighters. Support services for the engine will also be provided by GE Aviation, USA, as a part of this project. The Tejas Mark 1 and 1A both use the highest thrust variant of GEs F404 family, the F404-IN20. This incorporates GEs latest hot section materials and technologies as well as FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control), stated the MoD. FADEC is a computer-managed aircraft ignition and engine control system that is used in modern commercial and military aircraft to control all aspects of engine performance digitally. It replaces the old technical or analogue electronic controls in previous generation aircraft. This is largest ever deal and purchase order placed by for the LCA, said R Madhavan, HALs chairman and managing director. is working closely with GE to develop the export potential of the LCA, and to supply spare parts to the global supply chain of GE 404 engines, Madhavan said. The F404 family of engines has proven itself in operations all over the world and we have committed to deliver all 99 engines and support services by 2029, stated Chris Cyr, Vice President of GE Aviation. The F404 engines are amongst the worlds most comprehensively proven, having logged more than 14 million engine flight hours. The F404 has powered 15 different production and prototype aircraft, said GE in a press release today. The next batch of GE engines that will be bought are the bigger, more powerful GE F-414 engines for the Tejas LCA Mark 2 fighter. The F-404 will not be built in India as it is required in limited quantities. However the F-414 engines are likely to be built in India in larger numbers. said it has signed a five-year, end-to-end information technology transformation services deal with Wacker Chemie AG, a German multinational chemical company, to establish a modernized digital workplace and improve its quality-of-service delivery. Wacker currently operates 26 production sites. Wackers engagement with HCL will lead to significant cost efficiencies through modernisation, standardisation and automation. HCL will be using AI-enabled virtual assistants to drive efficiencies for Wacker. Wacker was looking to transform its current sourcing model with a long-term Next Generation Managed Service sourcing model, said Dirk Ramhorst, CIO and CDO, Wacker Chemie AG. We wanted a partner to not only enhance our digital transformation journey but also support the Wacker Digital Program, helping us to become a digital leader in the chemical industry. We have great confidence this partnership will improve efficiencies through potential harmonization of service delivery across IT areas while ensuring frictionless and streamlined processes. HCL has earlier said that amongst its priorities this year is expanding its geographical footprint, with an increased focus in Germany, France, Canada, Australia, and Japan. is a key strategic market for HCL and our engagement with Wacker is testament to our continued growth in the region, said Dr. Rolf Frank Fehler, Senior Vice President, We are excited to partner with Wacker, as we strongly believe digital transformation is a collaborative journey. HCLs global delivery model and regional service management will help ensure delivery success at Wacker. Last week, HCL announced a partnership with Rogers Communications, a leading Canadian telecom service provider and media company, to expand support of operational stability excellence in business and operational support systems and corporate IT systems. The Indian government has asked a federal court in Washington to dismiss Britain's suit seeking enforcement of a USD 1.2 billion arbitral award, saying it had sovereign immunity under US law. Cairn had in May asked a US federal court to force Air India to pay a USD 1.26 billion arbitration award the firm had won in December. The government on August 13 filed a 'Motion to Dismiss' petition in the US District Court for the District of Colombia, saying it lacked subject matter jurisdiction in the dispute between Cairn and the Indian tax authority, according to a filing seen by PTI. This comes a week after the government enacted legislation to scrap a tax rule that gave the tax department power to go 50 years back and slap capital gains levies wherever ownership had changed hands overseas, but business assets were in India. That rule had been used to levy a cumulative of Rs 1.10 lakh crore of tax on 17 entities, including Rs 10,247 crore on Cairn. Officials said rules for withdrawal of such tax demands are in the process of being framed. "One of the requirements for the dropping of the demands is that the parties concerned have to give an undertaking for withdrawal all cases against the government/tax department. So, while all this is in process, the government is obligated to respond in any legal matter where there is a time bar for doing so," an official explained. Cairn had challenged the tax demand before an international arbitration tribunal, which in December last year overturned the same and ordered the government to refund the money collected. The government initially refused to return USD 1.2 billion, forcing Cairn to take action to recover that money through a seizure of Indian assets overseas. Tax tussle India says US court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction under Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in the dispute Cairn moved the court in May to force Air India to pay the $1.2 billion arbitration award it had won in December It contended Air India and the Indian government were alter egos and the airline should be held liable for the award Development comes a week after the govt enacted legislation to scrap retro tax Govt has to refund about ~8,100 crore it had collected using retro tax law In May, it took flag carrier Air India Ltd to a US court and last month got a French court order to seize real estate belonging to the Indian government in Paris. It had contended before the US court that Air India is controlled by the Indian government so much that they are "alter egos" and the airline company should be liable for the arbitration award. In response, the government filed a dismissal motion last week, citing protections afforded by the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976. India in the filing said the court "lacks subject-matter jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) because India never waived its sovereign immunity and, likewise, never offered - let alone agreed - to arbitrate the present dispute with Petitioners". "India also never "clearly and unmistakably" excluded judicial review or delegated exclusive competence to decide these questions to an arbitral tribunal", implying that Cairn couldn't satisfy any exception to sovereign immunity under the US law, the filing said. Officials said the government couldn't have waited for the tax dispute to be closed in line with the new law and had to file a motion, failing which an adverse court order would have led to more embarrassment. Cairn had asked the US court in February to recognise and affirm the December 2020 award against India from the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. On Monday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the rules that will lead to the scrapping of the demands made on such as Plc and Vodafone Plc will be framed soon. The government has to refund about Rs 8,100 crore that it had collected using the retro tax law. The bulk of this -- Rs 7,900 crore is to alone. While in other cases, it did not take punitive measures to recover the tax demand, the income tax department sold Cairn's near 10 per cent shareholding in its erstwhile Indian subsidiary and also seized its dividends totalling Rs 1,140 crore and stopped tax refunds of Rs 1,590 crore. Vodafone too had a favourable arbitration award against a levy of Rs 22,100 crore tax. In both the cases, the government appealed against the awards - in Singapore court in the case of Vodafone and The Hague in the case of Cairn. Singapore was the seat of Vodafone arbitration and the Hague was the same in the case of Cairn. Asked if the government will withdraw the challenge to the awards after the passage of the law, Sitharaman said, "I will follow the law passed in Parliament". "I will follow the features of the legislation. Nothing beyond that," she said without elaborating. Finance Minister said her ministry officials are discussing with Cairn and Vodafone on the closure of retro tax cases, refund and settlement. (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.) Moving from pure captive cargo player to a sizable third-party port business, Infrastructure plans a of Rs 10,000 crore by 2025 which will also include investments in logistics Logistics investment is a natural progression to the port business to strengthen hinterland connectivity. We have been accessing opportunities in rail connectivity since the last 6-8 months. We could invest in rakes, in the last mile as it continues to be a huge challenge and this would be for both our west as well as east coast operations, Arun Maheshwari, joint managing director and chief executive officer at Infrastructure told Business Standard without divulging financial details. The unlisted company competes with private port players such as Adani Ports, APM Terminals and DP World in the India market. Through this rail connectivity we are planning to have dedicated rakes, or leased rakes to have volumes increased for us as hinterland connectivity will improve, said Maheshwari. Part of Group, JSW Infrastructure currently has a capacity of 120 million tonne with its third-party cargo growing over the last few years. About two years back our third party cargo was 8-10 percent of total cargo JSW Infrastructure handled which went close to 25 percent in FY21 and probably this fiscal we will be at 30 percent. We are targeting 40 percent third-party cargo by 2024, Maheshwari said. The company had started off its port operations as a support industry for its group mainly JSW Steel and JSW Energy. However, over the years, it has moved towards becoming a business vertical which later progressed to dedicated cargo handling from captive cargo and now is focused on being a strong third-party cargo handling company. The third party business is growing because we are now more strategically located than before where we were only located close to our plants for captive cargo handling purposes, he added. At present the company operates seven terminals and two portsDharamtar and Jaigad. Besides, two more terminalsParadip for coal and Mangalore for containers are under construction. The company is looking to add more capacity to touch 200 million tonne over next three years and is of the view that container and liquid would make a stronger presence in the portfolio as bulk capacity is sizable already. For any maturing economy like India, container cargo capacity looks promising and is a long term bet. Also we have something in the offing in the liquid bulk capacity but it cannot be disclosed at present, said Maheshwari. With plans strong, JSW Infrastructure has managed to escape the heat from the ongoing pandemic. We were not impacted by the pandemic mainly because for logistics we rely on rails and sea routes for transportation and it was the truck supply chain which took a hit during the pandemic. Also, it was the container cargo that was hit badly, where we did not have much presence, said Maheshwari. The company currently carries a debt close to $500 million and aims to make its capacity expansion via internal accruals, its cash available and partly via debt. Maximl, a Chennai-based that provides solutions to industries that empower deskless workers, is looking to expand to over a hundred global sites and over 20 countries by the end of this financial year, fueled by what it expects to be an 8 times growth from pre-Covid levels. The firm counts big names such as Tata Steel, Reliance Industries, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Oman Refinery Limited, CPCL Refinery customers. The company describes itself as Indias first connected worker platform for deskless workers, has expanded during the last two years. "We expect to be live at over 100 global sites across over 20 countries by the end of this financial year. This is fuelled by both internal and external factors. Firstly, the demand for digitalisation to drive essential tasks and operational excellence has accelerated due to Covid-19. Further, the no-code capabilities of our product allow us to rapidly scale to more use cases and industries with templatized solutions that make it faster for enterprises to derive value from digitalisation. We plan to execute almost 70 per cent of all turnaround digitalization in the Indian refining sector in this financial year," said Pankaj Pawan, co-founder and CEO, Maximl. Maximl plans to go deeper in LatAm, Europe, and South East Asia through its partner network while actively building capacity on the sales and marketing front for a greater presence in the US and Indian markets. The firm is currently present at over 50 global sites with 16 enterprise customers across India, South East Asia, Latin America, and Europe. These deals come from both direct and indirect channels. Maximl has raised $1.5 million in a pre-series A round from Nexus Venture Partners and Axilor Ventures. It is also backed by the BPCL fund under the India programme. "We are also eyeing to raise more than $10 million in the coming months," said Pawan. Over the course of the last 18 months it has expanded from oil and gas, steel and petrochemicals to new sectors such as consumer packaged goods, chemicals, power and utilities, industrial EPC, warehousing and agrisciences. As it expands to different regions, said Pawan, Maximl has to ensure it is in compliance with local laws. "We spend a significant amount of time ensuring Maximl has all the required certifications including GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation, SOC2 (Service Orgnaisation Control 2), ISO (International Organization for Standardization) etc. in place. Information security and privacy is a top priority qualifier to work with global enterprises and ensure that we build trust and ease of doing business," he added. It also made changes to ensure it becomes multilingual and is now available in ten global languages. In June, the firm announced a $1 million contract with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), to digitalize last-mile operations in refineries for turnaround maintenance. The contract is for two years across all of IOCL's nine refineries. "We have been growing 2X steadily over the last few years, working very closely with our clients to innovate on how we can help them bring to the last mile. With the lockdown and Covid impact, last year was tough for all of us and our clients. Together as a team, we focussed a lot on innovation and strengthening our platform and made some significant changes. We were able to launch globally and are looking at 8x growth this financial year from our pre-Covid level, this has been due to us being able to cater to more industries and the increase in demand due to Covid impact," Pawan added. The scope is immense, given the fact that most still use written format (paper or digital) and classroom video to train their workforce. As many as 75 per cent employers still find the most effective method to be on-the-floor (pairing) where an expert supervisor (who has tribal knowledge) trains the new recruits. This will no longer be an option as the people with tribal knowledge are retiring and it is expected that by 2025, 75 per cent of the workforce will be millennials. The people on the floor lack access to these job instructions since these are available in paper-based formats and are difficult to consume. As part of job completion, they often have to go back and fill the compliances in checklists and create manual reports. "Our platform enables a modern, digital collaborative experience for the workforce," said Pawan. "Process Experts or knowledge experts can seamlessly author rich interactive standard operating procedures and work instructions (which was earlier done in word/paper) using pictures, videos, adding intelligence, and have the ability to share them with the workforce at the click of a button. The workforce can access them through the use of mobility devices on- field when they need to, they no longer have to carry paper binders, diagrams on- field and can access these instructions on-field," he added. The Naveen Jindal Group, APM Terminals of the Netherlands, and a consortium of GMS of Dubai and Besiktas Group of Turkey have submitted final bids for and Engineering. The Committee of Creditors (CoC) will meet on Wednesday to evaluate the bids and select the highest bidder. The former group company was sent for debt resolution to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, after it failed to repay Rs 12,400 crore of debts. The company owns and operates a shipyard off the southern coast of Gujarat near Pipavav and fell upon bad times after orders from the Indian defence establishment dried up. While APM Terminals and GMS Dubai have potential synergy benefits from the acquisition, the Naveen sees the shipyard as a potential customer for its steel products. Earlier, 12 had expressed interest in acquiring Reliance Naval, but only three submitted final bids. The other backed out citing post-Covid economic downturn and lack of orders. IDBI Bank is the lead banker of the company with an exposure of Rs 1,300 crore and had filed for IBC proceedings against the company in January 2020. State Bank of India has an exposure of Rs 1,965 crore, while Union Bank of India had lent Rs 1,555 crore. The banks have jointly made claims worth Rs 12,429 crore (See chart). All banks have already written off the entire amount and have transferred their debt to the newly-created National Asset Reconstruction Company for debt resolution. Rage Coffee, which manufactures, markets, and distributes coffee products globally, said it has raised around $5 million of growth capital as part of its Series A funding round led by Sixth Sense Ventures. The company plans to expand its online presence and offline footprint across India and will utilise the fresh capital for marketing and distribution purposes. Rage Coffee will also use the funds to scale up production, launch innovative new products and add senior management talent. The Rs 7,000 crore Indian packaged coffee segment is dominated by incumbents with two players, Nestle and Hindustan Unilever Limited (brands Nescafe and Bru), controlling over 65 per cent market share of the industry. Rage is disrupting the core instant coffee segment by launching flavored instant coffee (Mocha mint, Irish hazelnut, Dark chocolate, etc) along with products such as roast coffee, and cold brew coffee bags. Rage is a digital native fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand, and is now expanding rapidly using an omni-channel approach. We are excited to work with Sixth Sense Ventures - veteran FMCG investors, through this round of funding. Therefore, we plan to double down on our efforts across all the channels. We are successfully building a truly omnichannel FMCG brand, with distribution strategies being implemented for the first time, given our digital DNA. In fact, our D2C channel has grown 10x during the pandemic. With this round of funding, we have our sights set on fulfilling our global demand as well with distributor partners in US, Europe and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) markets already working with us. We see ourselves continuously developing innovative new products in the years to come, said Bharat Sethi, founder and CEO of Rage Coffee. The brand was founded in 2018 by Sethi. Rage Coffee products are retailed through their own website, all leading online platforms, and over 1,000 offline touch points through a network of distributors. The company was recently accepted into Amazons Global Selling Accelerator Programme, which plans to take Indian brands to global markets through the Amazon network. The companys vision is perfectly aligned with our philosophy here at Sixth Sense a disruptive product (flavoured instant coffee), developed by a maverick founder, with a vision to disrupt a large category. With increasing adoption of the cafe culture and changing consumer preference within hot beverages (in favour of coffee), our sense is that the segment will witness a strong increase in penetration. We believe Rage Coffee is extremely well positioned to resonate with these new age consumers and create a strong brand affinity for its products. We are excited to partner with Bharat and team in their journey to establish Rage as a marquee Indian brand in the caffeine segment, said Nikhil Vora, CEO and founder of Sixth Sense Ventures. maker (SII) has picked up a 50 per cent stake in specialty glass company Schott AGs Indian joint venture, Schott Kaisha, from the former co-owners Kairus Dadachanji and Shapoor Mistry for an undisclosed sum. While the deal helps SII to have more control over its supply chain (glass vials are a critical component of packaging), it also helps the Kaisha group to focus on their other pharmaceutical ventures. Sources in the know say that now Dadachanji and Mistry would focus on bringing in new pharmaceutical products both drugs and drug delivery systems to the frontend of the market. Kaisha Group such as Sovereign Pharma are contract manufacturers and make drugs like remdesivir for Cipla and other which market it. Kaisha Group now wants to have a frontend presence itself through brand launches, sources indicated. Schott Kaisha is a leading Indian manufacturer of pharma packaging products like vials, syringes, ampoules, and cartridges that are used to package medicines. Adar Poonawalla, CEO, SII said, Even the best medication cant reach the patient without the right packaging. Securing this supply chain is of strategic importance. Schott is the perfect partner for us to do this because of their expertise and global network. Poonawalla said that as a longtime customer, they use Schott Kaishas vials, ampoules and syringes to store our vaccines including Covishield. With this acquisition, SII is securing its supply of pharma packaging amid rising global demand. German Schott, owned by Carl Zeiss Foundation, has clocked a turnover of 2.2 bn euros in the fiscal year 2020. The 130-year old company has presence in 34 countries and thus also presents a good opportunity for SII to tap the high-demand market of glass packaging of pharma products like vaccines, biologics, and other drugs. Frank Heinricht, CEO Schott says, As India has steadily established its position as a global pharmaceutical hub, we are delighted to strengthen our footprint within the Indian pharma supply chain. We are looking forward to strong impulses from this partnership. It is an excellent example of shifting towards new cooperation models, with greater synergies between pharma manufacturing and packaging production. Kairus Dadachanji, Managing Director, Kaisha Group said that they are now expanding their 'horizon' to cater to the front of the pharmaceutical value chain. "We want to work more closely with the medical community, and channelize our strengths by bringing ease of drug administration to our healthcare workers and highly effective medication for our end consumers. My son, Rishad and I will remain in close contact with the industry through our other businesses, namely Sovereign Pharma, Kaisha Lifesciences, Kaisha Packaging, Kairish Innotech and Packwell Industries." The joint venture will definitely continue to supply its customers in India and abroad, says Eric LHeureux, the new Managing Director and former longstanding Head of Operations. We have significantly increased our production capacity in India. Over the last three years we have invested roughly Rs 600 crore to set up two new plants in Umarsadi, Gujarat and Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, and to secure uninterrupted supply in our existing facilities during the pandemic. Both Schott and SII plan to invest further in the business. On the packaging end, Schott has already exceeded its target to deliver vials for more than 2 billion doses through 2021. The company is providing glass vials globally to key vaccine manufacturers. The ongoing political unrest in may have huge economical impact on India's India offers quality medical facilities at a cheaper rate as compared to the US and other developed nations, for which scores of patients, including from Afghanistan, visit the country regularly. "Afghan patients and their friends and family members contribute around Rs 1.5-2 billion to the Indian economy," said Sanjay Agrawal, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For the Afghans, India is a cheap healthcare destination where hospitals offer quality treatment at reasonable rates. Out of the total medical tourists, around 54.3 per cent visited India from Bangladesh last year, followed by 9 per cent from Iraq, 8 per cent from Afghanistan, 6 per cent from Maldives and 4.5 per cent from African nations. "Around 30,000 medical visas are issued every year for Afghan nationals. We roughly estimate that around Rs 1.5-2 billion is at stake due to the political unrest in Afghanistan," Agrawal said. The government has introduced medical visas along with e-medical visas for 166 nations as part of its policy. Yoga and ayurveda tourism are also being promoted as an alternative form treatment. While India had invested nearly $3 billion in aid to rebuild Afghanistan, the present political instability in the war-torn nation would have an adverse impact on all the welfare programmes. According to the spokesperson of Max Healthcare: "There is already a dip in the footfall of patients arriving from overseas owing to the restrictions on commercial flight movement for the past 18 months. We anticipate a further decline in the number of patients arriving from "The Indian Embassy there is currently not functioning and the uncertainty over scheduled commercial flights will lead to delay in patient arrivals," said the spokesperson of private hospital in Delhi where many Afghan nationals come for treatment. "However, once the situation stabalises, we are hopeful that patients will be able to travel for medical assistance to India," he added. --IANS avr/arm (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government on Tuesday exempted fully vaccinated incoming people carrying the latest COVID-19 negative report from mandatory testing for the virus on arrival in the state. The order will come into immediate effect, but the exemption will not be applicable for symptomatic passengers, a notification issued by the Health and Family Welfare department said. All incoming passengers who have been vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be exempted from mandatory testing on arrival at airports, railway stations, road border points, etc, it said. The passengers must possess a negative COVID test report taken within 72 hours of their arrival in Assam, it added. However, passengers who are symptomatic shall have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR testing at their own cost on arrival at airports, railway stations, etc. in Assam," the notification. The exemption has been given in view of decreasing number of new COVID-19 positive cases in the country as well as the state and growing number of fully vaccinated people, it added. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Keshab Mahanta said there has been some requests regarding COVID-19 testing at airports and it was decided to do away with the mandatory test for fully vaccinated travellers. The government had on June 25 this year also issued an order exempting air and train passengers from mandatory testing if they were fully vaccinated. But the order was withdrawn on July 15 in view of detection of COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated people and testing was made compulsory once again. Continuous screening of all incoming passengers at airports and railway stations is being conducted in the state since the first wave of COVID-19 last year. Altogether 758 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the state on Monday, pushing the total number of infections to 5,79,899, while the death toll has reached 5,502 with 10 deaths in the last 24 hours. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state stands at 97.49 per cent. (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 on Tuesday said it will move Kolkata High Court next week for speedy disposal and time bound hearing by the speaker of BJP's objection to the appointment of its former vice-president as chairman of (PAC). Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari told reporters that Roy, who had turned up at the Trinamool Congress office days after being elected as BJP MLA from Krishnanagar North, has now sought one month's time from Speaker Biman Banerjee to reply to the charges of the saffron party that he has been illegally appointed as PAC chairman and should be disqualified under the anti-defection law. Roy, who had been asked by the speaker to reply to BJP's charges against him, Tuesday sent a letter to the speaker's office requesting he be granted a month's time to do so citing poor health. He was granted the time, an assembly secretariat official said. "Roy's letter is faulty. He merely said he is unwell and needed time till the middle of September to give his side of story. But that is not enough. The speaker's office agreed to the request. We cannot wait for this to drag on indefinitely in this way. "We will move the high court next week urging the court's direction in this matter. We are consulting lawyers," Adhikari said. Referring to Roy's comment to the media in the assembly premises that he was an MLA of BJP but was ready to work for TMC to increase the party's base in Tripura, Adhikari said "I had commented on it on that day itself." "TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is the only person to clarify which party belongs to. She and her nephew Abhisek Banerjee had embraced him with much fanfare at the Trinamool Congress office only sometime back," Adhikari said. Commenting on it, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said "Suvendu should first explain if anti-defection law shouldn't be used against his father Sisir Adhikari who is yet to step down as MP. He was elected on TMC ticket and pledged loyality to Amit Shah before assembly elections." After Roy was appointed PAC chairman in the first week of July, BJP MLAs had staged a walk out from the assembly and then submitted a memorandum to the speaker demanding his removal from the post. The saffron party lawmakers cited documents to support their demand, video clips of Roy's press meet at the TMC office and a screenshot of his tweet after returning to TMC. Roy, who had been with TMC since its inception, had left the party following differences in 2018 and joined BJP. He was nominated as BJP candidate in West Bengal assembly polls and won. But he returned to Trinamool Congress which was called 'Ghar wapsi' by the party. (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 will provide a financial package of Rs 1,300 crore to the Northeastern states to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Tuesday. Reviewing the COVID-19 situation with health ministers of all the Northeastern states in Guwahati, Mandaviya said the fund is being provided to purchase medicines, enhance oxygen supply, increase beds -- general, ICU and children -- at local and district-level hospitals. "The fund will also be utilised to speed up the vaccination drive by the states in the region. The Government of India is committed to provide enough vaccines to the states," he told a press conference following the review meeting. On the prolonged second wave of the pandemic in the Northeast, the minister said the peak in the region was seen much later than the rest of India and so it was taking time to decline. "In the last two weeks, the cases have started declining in the Northeast and this is a good sign. All the states took various steps to contain the second wave and it is ending now," Mandaviya 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.) Nowhere is safe. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in a recent report that and its consequences are here to stay, is there still an opportunity to mitigate some of the dangers and to get back to a place of relative safety for humanity? The challenge of surviving the next 50 years is now seen as a planet-wide existential crisis; we need to work together urgently, just to secure a short-term future for human civilisation. Global weather patterns are violently disrupted: Greece burns; the south of England floods; Texas has had its coldest weather ever, while California and Australia suffer apocalyptic wild fires. All of these violent, record-breaking events are a direct result of rapid heating in the Arctic - occurring faster than in the rest of the world. A warm Arctic triggers new ocean and air currents that change the weather for everyone. The only way to reverse some of these catastrophic patterns, and to regain a kind of stability in climate and weather systems, is climate repair a strategy we call reduce, remove, repair which demands that we make very rapid progress to net zero global emissions; that there is massive, active removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere; and, in the first instance, that we refreeze the Earths poles and glaciers to correct the wild weather patterns, slow down ice-melt, stabilise sea level, and break the feedback loops that relentlessly accelerate global warming. There are no either/or options. Reducing emissions About 70% of world economies have net zero emissions commitments over varying timescales, but this has come too late to restore climate stability. The IPCC has asked for accelerated progress on this trajectory, but whatever happens, current emission rates of atmospheric greenhouse gases imply global warming of 1.5-degree celcius by 2030 and well over 2-degree celcius above pre-industrial level by the end of the century a devastating outcome. In particular, melting ice and thawing permafrost are considered inevitable even if rapid and deep carbon dioxide emissions reductions are achieved, with sea-level rise to continue for centuries as a result. In every area of the world, climate events will become more severe and more frequent, whether flooding, heating, coastal erosion or fires. There are definitely important steps that can still reduce the scale of this devastation, including faster and deeper emissions reductions. However, this is not enough on its own to avert the worst. Together there is real evidence that the massive removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and solutions such as repairing the Earths poles and glaciers could help humanity find a survivable way out of this crisis. Removing greenhouse gases Taking carbon dioxide and equivalent greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, with the aim of getting back to 350ppm (parts per million) by 2100, involves creating new carbon dioxide sinks long-term stores from which carbon dioxide cannot escape. Sinks operate at many scales, with forest planting, mangrove restoration, wetland and peat preservation all crucially important. Very large projects, such as the restoration of the Loess Plateau in China demonstrate scalable carbon dioxide removal, with multiple add-on benefits of food production, bio-diversity enhancement and weather stabilisation. Habitat restoration can also make economic sense. In the Philippines, mangrove is the focus of a cost-benefit analysis. Mangrove captures four times more carbon than the same area of rainforest, provides numerous ecosystem services and protects against flooding, conferring socio-economic benefits and significantly reducing the cost of dealing with extreme weather events. Big new carbon sinks must be created wherever safely possible, including in the oceans. Interventions that mimic natural processes, known to operate safely in the wild, are a workable starting point. Promotion of ocean pastures to restore ocean diversity and fish and whale stocks to the levels last seen 300 years ago is one such possibility offering new sustainable food sources for humans, as well as contributing to climate ecosystem services and carbon sinks. In nature, sprinklings of iron-rich dust blow from deserts or volcanic eruptions, onto the surface of deep oceans, generating in a matter of months rich ocean pastures, teeming fish stocks and an array of marine wildlife. Studies of ocean kelp regeneration show the full range of real-life impacts, from increased protein sources for human consumption, to restoration of pre-industrial levels of ocean biodiversity and productivity, and extensive carbon sequestration. Extending the scale and number of ocean pastures could be achieved by systematically scattering iron-rich dust onto target areas in oceans around the world. The approach is intuitively scalable, and could sequester perhaps 30 billion tons per year of carbon dioxide if 3% or so of the worlds deep oceans were to be treated annually. Largescale carbon-sink creation of this kind is pivotal if the atmosphere is to return to pre-industrial carbon dioxide levels. A billion tons per year of sequestration is the minimum threshold coordinated by the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge given the intensity of the climate crisis. While the scale of intervention is sometimes called geoengineering, the approach is closer to forest planting or mangrove restoration. The aim is to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using natural means, to return us to pre-industrial levels within a single generation. Repairing the planet The immediate challenge is to stabilise the planet, achieving a manageable equilibrium that gives a last chance to shift to renewable energy and towards a circular global economy, with new norms in urban, rural and ocean management. Repairing systematically seeks to draw the Earth back from climate tipping points (which, by definition, cannot happen without direct effort), providing a supporting framework in which reduce and restore can happen. Political and societal will is needed. The most urgent effort is to refreeze the Arctic, interrupting a bleak spiral of accelerating ice loss, sea-level rise - and the acceleration of and violent global weather changes that they cause. Arctic temperatures have risen much faster (and increasingly so) than global average temperatures, when compared with pre-industrial levels. Figure 1 shows this clearly from 1850 to the present day. Melting Arctic ice embodies a powerful feedback force in White ice reflects the Suns energy away from the Earth before it can heat the surface. This is known as the albedo effect. As ice melts, dark-blue seawater absorbs increasing amounts of the Suns energy, warming increases, and ever-larger areas of ice disappear each summer, expanding the acceleration. Arctic temperatures govern winds, ocean currents and weather systems across the globe. A tipping point is passing: sea-ice loss is becoming permanent and accelerating; Greenland ice will follow and will eventually raise global sea-levels by over seven metres. Total loss may take centuries but, decade by decade, there will be relentless incremental impacts. By mid-century the melting will be irreversible, and sea-level rise alone will leave low-lying countries like Vietnam in desperate circumstances, with reductions to global rice production a certainty, many millions of climate refugees and no obvious pathway forward for such nations. Provided by Nerilie Abram using IPCC data, ANU, Australia, 2021 The rapid Arctic temperature increase is matched by the rapid and accelerating loss in minimum (summer) sea-ice volume (Figure 2), which further accelerates the temperature rise in a spiral of reinforcing feedback loops. Provided by Nerilie Abram using IPCC data, ANU, Australia, 2021 It is vital to pivot the world back from this ice-melt tipping point, and to repair the Arctic as rapidly as possible. Marine cloud brightening in which floating solar-powered pumps spray salt upwards to brighten clouds and create a reflective barrier between the Sun and the ocean, is known to cool ocean surfaces and is a promising way to promote Arctic summer cooling. It mimics nature, and can be scaled up or down in a flexible way. Studies of marine cloud brightening, its climate impacts and interactions with human systems, are underway. As with promotion of ocean pastures, such solutions must be critically analysed, but there is no longer any doubt of their crucial importance. What we do in the next five years determines the viability of humanitys future. Even if we narrow our aspirations to survival, fixing on a timescale of 50 years or so, the challenges are daunting. Humanity deserves better. We know what to do to be able to imagine thousands of years of human civilisation ahead, as well as behind us. David King, Founder and Chair, Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge, University of Cambridge and Jane Lichtenstein, Associate, Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge, University of Cambridge This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Chief Minister of on Tuesday inaugurated state's first waste-to-energy (WTE) project in Murthal, Sonepat, which is developed by JBM Group. This plant, developed by JBM Environment Management, is India's first integrated WTE project under the public private partnership (PPP) model, a statement by JBM Group said. Chief Minister inaugurated the project virtually via web conferencing earlier in the day, it stated. JBM Enviro's WTE plant has a power generation capacity of 8 MW and can process up to 750 tonnes of solid waste generated daily from the Sonepat-Panipat cluster. The project is developed by JBM Environment Management at an estimated investment of close to Rs 200 crore that entails door-to-door collection of waste, transportation, construction, operation, and maintenance of the power plant. JBM Enviro had signed the concession agreement with the Government of to build and operate the power plant in 2017. Nishant Arya, Vice Chairman, JBM Group said in the statement, "I believe this project will establish a new benchmark in the Indian solid waste management domain for its best-in-class infrastructure, global technology, uptime and efficiency. JBM Enviro has been engaged in the collection of door-to-door household waste in Sonepat-Panipat cluster for over three years now and caters to almost two lakh households daily in the four cities of Sonepat, Panipat, Gannaur and Samalkha. Around 400 vehicles secure the municipal solid waste each day, thereby, benefitting nearly 12 lakh citizens. JBM Enviro will be collecting over 7 million tonnes of waste during the project lifetime. (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 High Court was informed on Tuesday by the AAP government that DDMA has permitted all authorised weekly markets to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The high court reiterated that vendors operating at the weekly markets shall ensure that, if not vaccinated already, they get themselves vaccinated at the earliest. Justice Rekha Palli also expressed happiness in noting that the government has also proposed to take RAT and RT-PCR tests in these weekly markets. The high court noted that the grievance of petitioner Saptahik Patri Bazar Association has been redressed and disposed of the petition. It was informed by the government counsel that Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has now taken a decision to permit all the authorised weekly markets to operate in the national capital with effect from August 9. Before this, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Delhi government had allowed weekly markets to open but only with 50 per cent of vendors and one market in each municipal zone. The court had on August 2 issued notice to the Delhi government and asked it to respond to the association's petition challenging the authorities' decision to open malls and markets but not weekly markets. The petitioner's counsel had said restrictions on other activities were relaxed on June 13 and these vendors who belong to the poorest of poor class are suffering. The high court had earlier also said it was expected that street vendors will take proactive steps to get vaccinated so that the third wave of COVID-19 could be avoided and the national capital was not faced with a surge as witnessed recently. It had asked Delhi government to consider in a right perspective the issue of allowing more weekly markets to operate as there was a strata of society which only purchases things from these markets since they cannot afford other shops. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Tuesday reported a net decrease of 12,101 in active cases to take its count to 369,846. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 2.15 per cent (one in 46). The country is eleventh among the most affected countries by active cases. On Monday, it added 25,166 cases to take its total caseload to 32,250,679 from 32,225,513 an increase of 0.1%. And, with 437 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 432,079, or 1.34 per cent of total confirmed infections. With 8,813,919 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Monday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 554,730,609. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 31,448,754 or 97.51 per cent of total caseload with 36,830 new cured cases being reported on Tuesday. Now the eleventh-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 252,521 cases in the past 7 days. India now accounts for 2.15% of all active cases globally (one in every 46 active cases), and 9.85% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths). India has so far administered 554,730,609 vaccine doses. That is 1720.05 per cent of its total caseload, and 39.77 per cent of its population. Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (64660326), Maharashtra (54750414), Gujarat (44370857), Rajasthan (42849449), and Madhya Pradesh (41119684). Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (762409), Uttarakhand (702097), Gujarat (694680), Delhi (679289), and J&K (577230). Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 27 days. The count of active cases across India on Tuesday saw a net reduction of 12,101, compared with 3,389 on Monday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Jharkhand (22), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2), Haryana (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), and Gujarat (1). With 36,830 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.51%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.34%. The Indian sta0074es and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.72%), Uttarakhand (2.15%), and Maharashtra (2.11%). The rate in as many as 14 is higher than the national average. Indias new daily closed cases stand at 37,267 437 deaths and 36,830 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.17%. Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.1%. Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 887.9 days, and for deaths at 685 days. Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (12294), Maharashtra (4145), Tamil Nadu (1851), Karnataka (1065), and Andhra Pradesh (909). Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (94.83%). India on Sunday conducted 1,563,985 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 496.629,524. The test positivity rate recorded was 1.6%. Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR) percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases are Goa (15.23%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.72%), Sikkim (12.86%), Kerala (12.56%), and Maharashtra (12.51%). Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added are, Mizoram (50.79%), Meghalaya (27.27%), Kerala (14.04%), Manipur (12.6%), and Sikkim (6.62%). Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1320848), J&K (927219), Kerala (825701), Karnataka (607210), and Telangana (596451). The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6396805), Kerala (3702417), Karnataka (2930529), Tamil Nadu (2590632), and Andhra Pradesh (1994606). Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 4145 new cases to take its tally to 6396805. Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 12294 cases to take its tally to 3702417. Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 1065 cases to take its tally to 2930529. Tamil Nadu has added 1851 cases to take its tally to 2590632. Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 909 to 1994606. Uttar Pradesh has added 17 cases to take its tally to 1708965. Delhi has added 27 cases to take its tally to 1437118. The evacuation of the Indian embassy staff from was a "difficult and complicated" exercise, External Affairs Minister said on Tuesday, soon after a second military aircraft carrying around 150 people from the Afghan capital landed in Hindon completing a two-phase evacuation mission. While Jaishankar spoke to his American counterpart Antony Blinken, NSA Ajit Doval had a conversation with President Joe Biden's Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday evening on the evacuation of the Indian staff, people familiar with the matter said. In a tweet, Jaishankar, who is in New York on a four-day visit, said he thanked his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian for evacuating 21 Indian nationals from to Paris. It is learnt that both Jaishankar and Doval were involved in ensuring the smooth evacuation of around 190 Indian diplomats, officials and security personnel from the embassy in India completed the evacuation of its staff from Kabul, a day after the airport in the Afghan capital witnessed unprecedented scenes of desperate residents rushing into it while some people were even seen clinging to the side of a US military plane in an attempt to flee the country fearing the Taliban's brutality. "Movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from Kabul to India was a difficult and complicated exercise. Thank all those whose cooperation and facilitation made it possible," Jaishankar tweeted, giving a sense of efforts required to evacuate the staff. India brought back over 190 people including the Indian ambassador and its staff members from its embassy in Kabul in two C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. While the first aircraft evacuated around 40 staffers on Monday, the second one brought back around 150 staffers including the Indian ambassador on Tuesday. It is learnt that the people who were to return on the second aircraft on Monday could not board it due to the ground situation. "Discussed the evolving situation in with Foreign Minister @JY_LeDrian. We will continue to coordinate in the UN Security Council. Thank him for evacuating 21 Indian nationals from Kabul to Paris," Jaishankar said. Earlier, Jaishankar said he discussed the latest developments in with US Secretary of State Blinken. "Discussed latest developments in with @SecBlinken. Underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul. Deeply appreciate the American efforts underway in this regard," he tweeted at around 3 AM. The US military had taken control of the security at the Kabul airport on Monday following the unruly scenes with reports saying seven people were killed around its premises. In a series of tweets, Jaishankar also said that India is monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. "Monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. Understand the anxiety of those seeking to return to India. Airport operations are the main challenge. Discussions on with partners in that regard," he tweeted. "Significant UN Security Council discussions today on developments in Afghanistan. Expressed the concerns of the international community. Expect to discuss these during my engagements at the UN," 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.) India on Tuesday rushed back home its ambassador and staff from the embassy in in a military transport aircraft in the wake of escalating tension, fear and uncertainty gripping the Afghan capital after its take over by the two days back. The C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force carrying around 150 people, including diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians, landed at the Hindon airbase near the capital at around 5 PM after a brief halt at Jamnagar in Gujarat. It is the second evacuation flight as another C-17 aircraft brought back around 40 people from the Hamid Karzai International (HKI) Airport in on Monday as part of India's emergency evacuation mission that was carried out following coordination with relevant authorities including US officials handling security at the airport in the Afghan capital. It is the second time that India evacuated all its staff from the embassy in after a similar exercise was carried out in 1996 when the first captured power. Indian Ambassador to Rudrendra Tandon told media persons in Jamnagar that the situation in Kabul is complex and "quite fluid" now, and the remaining Indians stuck in the city will be brought back home when the commercial flight services resume. "Happy to be back home safely and securely. We are a very large mission. We are a mission of 192 personnel who were evacuated from literally within a period of three days in a very orderly fashion in two phases," he said. Tandon, who assumed charge as Indian ambassador in in August last year, said the embassy provided assistance and even shelter to many distressed Indians following the fast-changing situation in Kabul. "We are continuously monitoring the situation because there are still some Indian citizens who are there. That is why Air India will continue to run its commercial services to Kabul as long as the airport in Kabul functions," Tandon said. Tandon said India will remain in contact with the Afghan people and will continue to work for their welfare. "It's not that we have abandoned the people of Afghanistan, their welfare and our relationship with them is very much on our minds. We will try and continue our interaction with them. I can't say in what form as the situation is changing," he said. Tandon also thanked the Indian Air Force for the evacuation flights. "Your welcome has an impact on all of us. Thank you to the Indian Air Force who flew us out under conditions that are not normal," he said. Asked about the stranded Indians, he said the embassy extended help to many of them. "There are a lot of Indian citizens who found themselves in distress because of the fast-changing situation. So, our policy was that anyone who reached the embassy was taken into the embassy. I don't know how they managed inside the embassy but we were sure that they were safe and secure and there was an avenue for an exit," he said. The people who have returned on board the aircraft included two Delhi-based journalists who had gone to Afghanistan to cover the unfolding developments after the began capturing key provincial capitals. In the morning, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it was decided that the ambassador and his Indian staff will move to India immediately considering the circumstances in Kabul. "In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," Bagchi tweeted Officials said the two military aircraft flew into Kabul using the Iranian airspace while avoiding the route through Pakistani airspace. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in New York on a four-day visit, spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan. "Discussed latest developments in Afghanistan with @SecBlinken. Underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul. Deeply appreciate the American efforts underway in this regard," he tweeted at around 3 AM. It is learnt that Jaishankar was also involved in hectic discussions including with US officials on the evacuation of the Indian officials from Kabul. The US military had taken control of the security at the airport on Monday after thousands of desperate people converged there in the hope of getting on an evacuation flight and leave the country. Hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan on Sunday, the Taliban took control of Kabul, capturing power nearly 20 years after a US-led military invasion ousted it in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. In a series of tweets, Jaishankar also said that India is monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. "Monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. Understand the anxiety of those seeking to return to India. Airport operations are the main challenge. Discussions on with partners in that regard," he tweeted. "Significant UN Security Council discussions today on developments in Afghanistan. Expressed the concerns of the international community. Expect to discuss these during my engagements at the UN," he added. In another tweet, he said the government is in constant touch with the Sikh and Hindu community leaders in Kabul, adding their welfare will get its priority attention. "Given the Kabul situation, important we have accurate information about Indians there. Urge that this be provided by all concerned to the MEA Special Afghanistan Cell," he said. The contact details of the Cell are phone number: +919717785379 Email: MEAHelpdeskIndia@gmail.com. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the probable third wave jitters, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur has gone for the commercial production of its indigenously developed concentrators named Sanjeevani. In order to reach commercial scale for benefiting the public at large, the premier organisation on Tuesday transferred and licensed the technology to based Albot Technologies Pvt Ltd by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the company. Anticipating the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic and to maintain adequate supply of oxygen, a team of scientists had developed the O2 concentrator to generate the commodity at affordable cost whenever required and thus prevent a crisis situation. Equipped with advanced PSA (pressure swing absorption) technology, Sanjeevani works at a flow rate of 10 LPM (litre per minute) with an purity of 92% 3. The concentrator has an adjustable capacity of 1 to 10 LPM, and is suitable for use for both medical as well as personal applications. .@IITKanpur signed an MoU today in a virtual ceremony with Albot Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for the commercialisation of an advanced low-cost #oxygenconcentrator based on the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology.#madeinindia #atmanirbharbharat pic.twitter.com/Dv94aNy2DR Abhay Karandikar (@karandi65) August 17, 2021 Meanwhile, director Prof Abhay Karandikar said the proposed School of Medical Research & Technology will comprise a 400 patient bed hospital. He emphasised that the multifarious R&D activity in the campus will promote advanced research leading to development of innovative and cost effective medical devices. The incubator is actively working with several stakeholders for expediting the medical devices development ecosystem in the country, including Yamuna expressway development authority and some international partners, Professor In-Charge of Innovation and at IIT Kanpur Prof Amitabha Bandyopadhyay informed. Since last year, when the pandemic hit India, the IIT Kanpur has emerged with a range of innovative devices to help the country overcome such challenges. These include facemasks, concentrators, low cost ventilators, sanitisation chambers, online education aids, PPT kits etc. Some of the products were also developed by the IIT Kanpur incubated startups with the help of technical and financial support of its industry partners and sponsors. Over 25,000 fresh cases reported India reported 25,166 fresh infections on Tuesday, taking the cumulative caseload to 32.2 million, according to central health ministry data. The daily caseload is the lowest in five months. The country saw 437 more deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 432,079. The active caseload is at 369,846, while the total recoveries have surged to 31.4 million. As many as 554 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 8.8 million were given on Monday. Read more 53% parents polled in survey willing to send kids back to school About 53 per cent of Indian parents polled in a recent survey by LocalCircles support the reopening of schools in August or September, while 44 per cent of them are against the idea, a report in ThePrint said. In June, as many as 76 per cent of parents did not want to send their children to school. This amounts to a nearly 30 percentage point decrease in two months, the report said. Read more govt directs technical institutes to ensure Covid vaccination of staff The government has directed technical institutes to ensure complete first-dose vaccine coverage among all teaching and non-teaching staff within 15 days and the second dose for all eligible at the earliest, a report in The Indian Express said. All the teaching and non-teaching staff working in various institutions under DTTE have been at the forefront as Covid warriors in the governments fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. To maximise the health and safety of the education community, DTTE requires all the teaching and non-teaching staff of its institutions to be vaccinated, a circular from the government said. Read more Anti-phishing portal sees steep rise in cyber-crime complaints The anti-phishing portal set up by the Maharashtra Police department in 2019 for reporting cybercrime saw a four-fold rise in such complaints in 2020 amid the pandemic, a report in The Indian Express said. From March to December 2019, the portal received 790 complaints. In 2020 (from January to December), when online commerce and banking activity increased due to the lockdown, the complaints received on the portal shot up to 3,938. In 2021, as many as 1,368 complaints have been received so far. Read more K'taka forms district-level expert panels to beat potential third wave Anticipating a third wave of Covid, the government ordered the setting up of expert committees at the district level that would provide technical guidance to local administrations, a report in the Hindustan Times said. The government said the district-level Covid-19 Technical Expert Committees (TEC) were being formed on the recommendation of the state Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) based on experience from the first two waves of the pandemic. Experts say the third wave may hit the country between October and November this year, the report said. Read more The Kerala High on Tuesday directed the government to permit entry from here to that state of people in dire emergent situations, like death in the family or medical treatment, on the production of necessary documents in support of their respective claims and irrespective of the nature of vehicles used by them. A vacation bench of Justices Shaji P Chaly and A Badharudeen issued the direction while hearing two PILs, one by A K M Ashraf the IUML MLA from Manjeshwar, which have opposed government's decision to blockade borders of Kasargod and Mangalore, within that state. The petitioners have contended that this has resulted in people from Kerala being unable to enter for any emergent situations and therefore, it was totally illegal and violative of the fundamental rights of citizens. Ashraf also told the bench that people of Manjeshwar are dependent on Dakshin Kannada district/Mangalore city for their basic needs and they also rely entirely upon the medical facilities there and its adjacent areas, since it is the nearest medical hub available. The blockade was also causing disruption in trade, supply of food and other essential items and was interfering with the rights of the citizens to move freely throughout the territory of India, the two PILs claimed. Karnataka government's lawyer opposed the reliefs sought in the pleas saying that a fresh circular regulating entry of people from Kerala was issued recently in view of the pandemic situation and high number of COVID-19 patients here. He said the circular of July 31 also addresses the entry concerns of people with emergent cases, students and daily visitors to Karnataka by incorporating suitable conditions. The lawyer also said that the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the Karnataka government to strictly implement the July 31 circular and therefore, if at this stage of the proceedings, any directions are issued by the there could be a conflict in the orders by the two courts. He further said that since the blockade under challenge was created by Karnataka the High Court there would have the territorial jurisdiction to deal with the issue. He also sought time till August 25 to file a response to the two pleas. The petitioners said it would suffice for now if an interim direction is issued till August 25 permitting entry into Karnataka of people in emergent medical need or in case of death in the family irrespective of the vehicle used by them. The bench, after perusing the circular, said that one of its paragraphs makes it clear that certain categories of people are exempted which includes students and public visiting Karnataka daily for education, business and other reasons, on certain conditions. "That apart, certain categories are exempted from negative RTPCR certificate and they include constitutional functionaries and health care professionals, children below two years and the emergent situations like death in the family, medical treatment, etc, after undergoing the protocol prescribed thereunder," the court said. It further said that in view of the circular and the submission of the petitioners, "we think it is only appropriate that necessary directions are issued to the state of Karnataka to ensure that the situation taken care of in the revised circular dated July 31 is strictly implemented so as to avoid any inconvenience to the people of Kerala and thus avoiding complex situations as pointed out by the petitioners". The bench, thereafter, directed Karnataka government and its officials to ensure that the directions contained in the circular dated July 31 is strictly implemented and that the people in dire emergent situations like death in the family, medical treatment etc, "are permitted to enter the state of Karnataka on production of necessary documents to establish the respective case, irrespective of the nature of the vehicles used for the purpose". With the direction, the court listed the two matters for further hearing on August 25. (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 30-year-old man was arrested in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Tuesday for allegedly hacking the Election Commission's portal used for generating voter identity cards, police said. Mukesh Kumar was arrested from Karso village in Chaonpur police station area on a complaint from the EC, they said. He was interrogated by several officers, including Palamu's Deputy Commissioner Shashi Ranjan, officials said. A team of half dozen investigators, comprising police officers and civil officials, are probing the case, they added. The arrested is suspected to be part of a network that has links in several districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, officials said. The EC had informed the Palamau district administration that the URL used for generating voter identity cards from a Customer Service Point (CSP) in Chaunpur's Karso area was hacked and fake voter identity cards were made, they said. The EC had given the responsibility of making voter ID cards to a private company, giving it a URL and the tampering was done with that URL, officials said. However, the police are yet to find any evidence of the CSP's involvement in the hacking, they said. The arrested man told the investigators that the URL was given to him by a person from Ranchi, and the URL was also given to someone in Hazaribagh, they 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.) The UK's health regulator has approved Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 17 years, it said on Tuesday, weeks after Pfizer's shot was given the green light for deployment ahead of schools reopening. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed the vaccine, known as Spikevax, is safe and effective in this age group, it said. While most children develop mild or no symptoms with COVID-19, they are still able to spread the virus and some remain at risk of becoming seriously ill. Moderna's vaccine was recommended for use in adolescents by European regulators in July and is awaiting U.S. authorisation. It is already approved for people over the age of 18 in the UK. Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) gave the go ahead on Aug. 4 for 16 and 17-year-olds to get their first dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine ahead of the reopening of schools for the new education year in September. JCVI will make a decision on whether 12-17 year olds should be vaccinated with the shot made by Moderna as part of its deployment programme. The MHRA said it did not identify any new side effects with the vaccine and that the safety data was comparable with that for young adults, with adverse events being mostly mild and moderate and including sore arms or fatigue. The highly infectious Delta variant of the has become the dominant type globally, sustaining a pandemic that has killed over 130,000 in Britain. The vaccine, developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech's, got MHRA's nod for use in children aged 12 to 15 on June 4. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. State Department lowered its India travel advisory to the second-lowest level as the virus situation there eases following one of the worlds most lethal resurgences. The shift to advising Americans to exercise increased caution when visiting India came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the South Asian nation now has a moderate level of Covid-19. India was ravaged by the delta variant earlier this year, but reported cases have declined sharply since May, from hundreds of thousands a day to around 30,000. The U.S. has been adjusting its travel advisories to account for virus hotspots around the world, and the CDC raised its warning on travel to Turkey on Monday to a very high level of Covid. Travelers should make sure theyre fully vaccinated before visiting India, the CDC said, and it recommends wearing a mask and maintaining distance from others while there. The May wave saw India become a new Covid epicenter, with a swift surge in cases overwhelming under-prepared hospitals and leading to shortages of oxygen and vital drugs. It became emblematic of the crises facing poorer countries as they struggle to secure vaccine supplies amid demand from developed economies and are assailed by new variants. More than 4,000 people a day were dying in India at the height of the resurgence. Countries from the U.K. to Australia restricted entry of travelers from India, and parts of the world still remain off limits. Tuesdays shift in the U.S. doesnt apply to travelers from India. While cases have been tailing off, scientists expect India to see another virus wave before the end of the year, amid a slow vaccination rollout and difficulties in containing infections. The next surge could peak in October, though the wave is likely to be smaller than that seen in May, with cases peaking at around 100,000 to 150,000 a day, according to estimates by researchers led by Mathukumalli Vidyasagar and Manindra Agrawal at Indian Institute of Technology in Hyderabad and Kanpur respectively. Commerce and industry minister on Tuesday announced an 80-per cent fee reduction to all recognised educational institutions applying for patents, whether in India or abroad. In the past, they were available only to recognised educational institutions owned by the government. I think it is quite unfair that this is restricted only to innovation coming out of government institutions," said Goyal at a virtual event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. Total fee - filing, publication, and renewal - for an institute, which is around Rs 4.24 lakh now, will be reduced to Rs 84,900. I think this will be a great encouragement for universities. I do hope to see lots and lots of new universities and educational institutions participating in this. I would encourage all universities - both in India and abroad - to take benefit of this, the minister said. Goyal also said there is a need to bring an (IP) revolution for inclusive progress and strengthen rights (IPR) laws in the country to create more jobs, boost competitiveness and manufacturing. Today, we recognise IP as one of the most valuable assets in Indias ability to compete in the global economy. Our IPR must ensure whoever invents in India is not only protected but guaranteed to prosper. A strong IPR regime will empower expansion and energise the industry in challenging times, he added. The government has also worked towards making IPR filing procedures more compact, time-bound, and user-friendly for e-transactions. Comprehensive e-filing facility, electronic processing of patents, and trademark applications are bringing in transparency and simplifying access for IPR seekers, he added. The government on Tuesday announced the much-awaited guidelines and refund rates for the boosting scheme Remission of Duties and Taxes on Products (RoDTEP) for 8,555 items. The outlay for the scheme is Rs 12,454 crore in the current fiscal, with the refund rates ranging from 0.5 per cent to 4.3 per cent. The scheme was notified on January 1 and replaced the controversial Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) after a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling stated that it violated the provisions of the global trade body by giving export subsidies for a wide range of goods. RoDTEP aims to refund to exporters the embedded non-creditable central, state and local levies paid on inputs. These taxes were not being refunded till now. Even as the refund rates were announced eight months after the scheme was notified, the government said that the benefits will kick in from 1 January, 2021. The department of commerce and the finance ministry are working out the outgo for January-March (2020-21), which officials said will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. Commerce secretary BVR Subrahmanyam said the scheme is WTO-compliant and will not face any threat under any international dispute. Subrahmanyam further said that including the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL)-- a similar scheme for garments and made-ups--the total outgo from the Centre will be Rs 19,400 crore. At a time when the country is trying to come out of the Covid pandemic, Atma Nirbharta is the priority of the government. This is money being directly put into the pockets of exporters. A couple of more backlogs will also be cleared in the next few weeks, Subrahmanyam told reporters, adding that the government will soon clear arrears from three key schemes--Target Plus, Services Export from India Scheme (SEIS) and MEIS. Notifying the RoDTEP rates the scheme is expected to come as a huge relief for exporters and remove uncertainty from the minds of the trade and industry thereby forging new contracts with the foreigner buyers. The much-awaited rates will help in easing the liquidity of the exporters, ensuring predictability and stability thus helping competitiveness of exports over a long-time horizon. The RoDTEP coupled with GST refund and Duty Drawback ensure that our export products do not contain any incidence of taxes and duties, Sakthivel, President, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said. An official statement said that RoDTEP will boost Indian exports by providing a level playing field to domestic industry abroad. RoDTEP support will be available to eligible exporters at a notified rate as a percentage of Freight On Board (FOB) value. Rebates on certain export products will also be subject to value cap per unit of the exported product. Rebates will be issued in the form of a transferable duty credit/ electronic scrip (e-scrip) which will be maintained in an electronic ledger by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), the statement said. Abhishek Jain, Partner, EY, said that the export industry would hope for a seamless transition into a new scheme with equitable benefit. Employment-oriented sectors such as marine, agriculture, leather, gems and jewellery are covered under the scheme. Other sectors such as automobile, plastics, electronics, among others will also be covered. Besides, the entire value chain of the textile sector will get covered through RoDTEP and RoSCTL schemes. However, sectors such as steel, organic and inorganic chemicals, pharmaceuticals have not been included in the scheme. According to the Subhramanyam, these sectors have been doing well for themselves, which is the reason why they have not been included. Other ineligible sectors include exports by advance authorisation holders, SEZs, among others. It appears that the budgetary allocation played a major role in deciding the rates, as opposed to the actual component of non-creditable taxes. The RoDTEP benefit not being granted to large sectors and categories will have adverse impact on competitiveness of Indian exports and will send negative sentiment amongst the exporters, Rohit Jain, Senior Partner, Economic Laws Practice said. India is expected to withdraw sugar export subsidies from the new season beginning October as a sharp rise in global prices makes it easier for Indian mills to sell the sweetener on the world market, a top government official said on Tuesday. "The government is not considering any subsidy at the moment for next year," Sudhanshu Pandey, the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, told Reuters in an interview. "Under current circumstances, as we see the scenario, there appears to be no need to have the support of the subsidy. If exports can happen on their own, then it's also better for the global market that no subsidy is provided," he said. India, the world's biggest sugar producer after Brazil, incentivised overseas sales for three years in a row, helping New Delhi emerge as a significant, stable exporter of the commodity. Rival suppliers have often opposed India's sugar export subsidies. After protests from Brazil, Australia, and Guatemala, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2019 decided to set up panels to rule on complaints against India's export subsidies for sugar. India has maintained that its sugar export subsidies do not violate WTO rules. "The demand for Indian sugar is going to be higher, so (global) prices are expected to firm up. There may be no requirement of subsidy," Pandey said. On Tuesday, benchmark raw sugar prices in New York climbed to a fresh 4-1/2-year high, supported by fund buying against the backdrop of tightening supplies. Brazil's 2021/22 center-south (CS) sugar production is forecast to fall to 32.5 million tonnes from a June forecast of 34.1 million tonnes due to drought and frosts hurting the sugarcane crop, according to food trader Czarnikow. Cashing in on rising sugar prices, Indian traders for the first time have signed export contracts five months ahead of shipments as a likely drop in Brazil's production prompted buyers to secure supplies from India in advance. Indian mills have contracted to export around 725,000 tonnes of raw sugar and 75,000 tonnes of white sugar for shipments from November to January. "Overseas demand is very good as Brazil's production is being revised down. We can export 6 million tonnes in the next season," said Prakash Naiknavare, managing director of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd. In the current year to September 30, 2021, India is set to export a record 7.1 million tonnes of sugar, thanks to the subsidies to boost overseas sales. For the past many years, higher sugar production has hammered local prices, hitting mills' financial health and making it hard for sugar barons to make timely payments to cane farmers. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government on Tuesday notified the rates for export incentive scheme RoDTEP and its rules with an aim to boost exports. The government has decided to extend the benefit of Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme to all goods, with effect from January 1, 2021, according to a notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The rates for different sectors include 0.5 per cent, 2.5 per cent and 4 per cent. It has also notified guidelines for the scheme. "The Centre has today notified the RoDTEP guidelines and rates. The rates will cover 8,555 tariff lines (products)," the Commerce Ministry said in a statement. Under the RoDTEP, various central and state duties, taxes, levies imposed on input products among others are refunded to exporters to boost exports Government's new incentive scheme is compliant with World Trade Organization rules. The government plans to spend Rs 19,440 crore offering incentives to exporters under the scheme that would be effective from January 2021, a trade ministry official told reporters. "The scheme for zero rating of exports will boost our exports and competitiveness in the global markets. The rates of RoDTEP will cover 8,555 tariff lines," an official communique said. "It may be noted that Government is leaving no stone unturned to support domestic industry and make it more competitive in the international markets." According to the statement, export-centric industries are being reformed and introduced to better mechanisms so as to increase their competitiveness, boost exports, generate employment, and contribute to the overall economy. "This will go a long way in achieving our vision of building an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'." "RoDTEP is one such reform, based on the globally accepted principle that taxes and duties should not be exported, and taxes and levies borne on the exported products should be either exempted or remitted to exporters." India has set a target of $400 billion in merchandise exports for the current fiscal year ending in March 2022, compared to $291.2 billion in the previous fiscal year. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Heena*, who is in her forties, works under Kerala's Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (AUEGS) in Ernakulam's Maradu municipality. She has also worked under the national rural jobs programme when Maradu was a panchayat. Heena has supplemented the income of her family of five with the meagre earnings from these employment schemes, alongside other jobs. The fallout of the pandemic has exacerbated her difficulties, like it did for many of India's urban poor. "I have a loan for an under-construction house, my husband is unwell; my eldest son is the only real earning member. An urban employment scheme such as this [AUEGS] is helpful for poor women like me, but it needs improvements," she said. Since the onset of the pandemic and multiple lockdowns across the country, millions of people have been rendered jobless, have lost their savings and experienced reduced incomes and a fall in the quality of jobs. While the has shifted to men during the second wave, the first wave saw disproportionate among women in urban areas. In 2021, the number of employed women, globally, is estimated to be 13 million less than in 2019, while the number of employed men is expected to be the same as in 2019, said a July 2021 International Labour Organization policy brief. In India, only 15% of women employed in December 2019 were able to hold on to their jobs through the lockdown and afterwards as opposed to 60% of men, IndiaSpend reported. Urban women account for about 3% of total employment, but experienced 39% of total job losses in the first wave, according to a July 2021 report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. During the countrywide lockdown and the first wave of Covid-19 in April-June 2020, 26.6% of workers in urban India, and 40% of urban women, worked less than 36 hours a week, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2019-20. In the previous quarter (January to March) 11.3% of urban workers had worked less than 36 hours. Under the circumstances, has the time come for an urban employment guarantee scheme that can offer social security to the urban poor, particularly women? What's needed is an urban employment guarantee programme specifically targeted at women, which leverages existing administrative databases to expand the social security reach, experts have said. In this story, economists and researchers tell IndiaSpend how urban employment guarantee schemes can address the needs of the unskilled unemployed and educated unemployed, and how a well-designed scheme could be used as an opportunity to promote better facilities for women workers. We also list suggestions that can help design a gender-responsive urban employment guarantee scheme, based on a 2020 report by the Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE), an action-oriented research centre, which facilitates women's economic empowerment. Need for livelihood guarantee in urban areas In September 2020, media reports claimed that "discussions are at an advanced stage for a job programme aimed at urban and semi-urban areas" and that the Centre plans to extend the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) to smaller towns to tackle the fallout of the pandemic. MGNREGS provides 100 days of unskilled work for adult members of a rural household. In the same month, however, the government informed parliament (on September 17 and 22) that it neither plans to implement a national urban employment guarantee scheme nor extend the MGNREGS to urban areas. This was contrary to the recommendations of the Lok Sabha Standing Committee on Labour in an August 2021 report that noted that "there is an imperative need for putting in place an Employment Guarantee Programme for the urban workforce in line with MGNREGA". India needs national policy commitment to prevent urban workers from falling into poverty, noted a September 2020 analysis by the London School of Economics and Political Science. A survey conducted in May-July 2020 found that nearly 70% of urban workers in India had no guarantee of a minimum number of days of work in a year, and more than two in three among them "would like to have a guarantee of 100 days of work, primarily to overcome the livelihood insecurity from COVID-19", it said. "An urban employment guarantee makes even more sense during the pandemic when there is large unemployment," said Amit Basole, economist, at Bengaluru-based Centre for Sustainable Employment (CSE). In normal times, the objection to such a programme usually is that urban labour markets are unlike rural markets, where people are out of work or underemployed for significant periods of time each year. But underemployment may exist even in normal times and such a programme can address that issue, he said. States that stepped in to check pandemic fallout Governments in Odisha, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand initiated urban employment guarantee schemes in 2020, though these have no special provisions for women. The schemes were launched to fight the pandemic-related loss of income and livelihood in the urban population, high unemployment and migration of workers to their home state after the lockdown in 2020, according to a December 2020 report by IWWAGE. In February, West Bengal announced a 40% increase in daily wages--to Rs 202 (Rs 2 lower than the MGNREGS rate announced in March 2020)--for unskilled labour under its urban employment scheme, which was started in 2010. In Odisha, it is reported that 1.3 million persondays were generated for 350,000 urban poor, 40% of whom were women; while in Himachal Pradesh nearly three in four applications approved were of women. West Bengal did not specifically allocate work for women. "The number of days of engagement of an individual will be decided on the basis of experience and available opportunities of work," noted a 2011 West Bengal government notification. Until March 2021, nearly 90% of 242,272 job card registrations in Kerala were by women. It generated 3.3 million persondays in 2020, the highest since the launch of the scheme in 2010 and 21% more than in 2019, according to the AUEGS data. "Employment guarantee means that work is provided on demand, and that funds are available to meet the demand at all times," Jean Dreze, economist and social activist, told IndiaSpend, "For the guarantee to be effective, adequate efforts should be made to spread awareness of the scheme and ensure that the work application process is user-friendly." Himachal Pradesh may be meeting some of these conditions partially, but they are certainly far from being met in Jharkhand and Odisha, Dreze said. In September 2020, Dreze suggested 'decentralised urban employment and training' (DUET), which could move towards a demand-driven urban employment guarantee. Later, in March 2021, he wrote that a women's DUET "merits special consideration". While it would reinforce the self-targeting feature of DUET--because women in relatively well-off households are unlikely to go for casual labour at the minimum wage--it would also promote women's general participation in the labour force, he said. An employment guarantee for urban women, based on part-time work, may be feasible especially in smaller towns and "if it gives priority to women, the scheme would have much value in any case given India's abysmal levels of female workforce participation in urban areas", he added. The Kerala experience Kerala's AUEGS, launched in 2010, prioritises work for women in urban households by setting aside 50% of the total jobs available for them. Designed like the countrywide MGNREGS that was launched in 2006, AUEGS aims to provide 100 days of employment in a financial year, but for urban poor households. It currently equals the MGNREGS wage rate of Rs 291 per day. The promise of 100 days of employment is not being met, however. "I hardly got around 14 to 15 days [of work] last year and have never got 100 days of work," said Heena, under the rural or urban programmes. The workdays under Ayyankali scheme have been lower than received under MGNREGS, she added. While 85,208 women got some work under AUEGS, only 4,418 families received the full 100 days of employment in 2020-21, data show. Nevertheless, during 2021-22, AUEGS aims to provide 100 days of employment to 10,000 households. "Most of the workers are women from poor families and it [AUEGS] is a source of income even if it is only for a few weeks," said Fatima*, another worker in Maradu. The scheme's limited budget militates against providing more jobs, said an official in charge of the scheme who did not want to be identified. Kerala did generate 21% more persondays in 2020 than in 2019, as per AUEGS data, which the official said was due to an uptick in demand due to the pandemic, adding that government programmes had converged with the employment scheme to create more jobs. The scheme has been allocated Rs 100 crore for 2021-22, and an additional Rs 100 crore has been allocated for a proposed Ayyankali internship programme in private enterprises "where employment guarantee wages will be given to the entrepreneurs as subsidy", according to the 2021 state budget speech. Both Heena and Fatima are also part of the Kudumbashree programme, Kerala's women-centric poverty eradication mission, which has 4.5 million women members. In 2018-19, Kudumbashree brought together the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and the Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LIFE), a housing scheme for the landless and homeless in Kerala, with the AUEGS, which made it possible to provide 90 persondays of employment for constructing houses in urban areas. "More people are demanding work since the pandemic than the number of persondays available," Heena and Fatima said. If there are more people in a ward, there are fewer persondays to go around. "We last worked before the state assembly elections [in April] this year," said Fatima, whose coffee vending stall in the municipal office went out of business due to the pandemic. Offering similar wages (Rs 291 per day) for the AEUGS and the rural jobs programme in Kerala is inadequate, workers said, even though the rate is among the highest in the country. "We need an increase in wages to manage the high cost of living," said Heena. Typically, the low wages in Kerala's context make both urban and rural jobs programmes unattractive for men. In 2019, the Anoop Satpathy committee recommended Rs 430 per day as the national minimum wage, which included an additional house rent allowance averaging Rs 1,430 per month (Rs 55 per day) for urban areas. Low wages combine with other factors to make AUEGS less effective than intended. "Though AUEGS was claimed to be on par with MGNREGS, the poor design and implementation along with the political and administrative apathy has dented its popularity and spoiled its potential to some extent," noted an April 2021 analysis in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW). The municipalities and corporations do not have enough autonomy to decide on projects suitable to the local context (depending on the region, population, type of jobs, etc.), said Jos Chathukulam, one of the authors of the EPW analysis and director of the Centre for Rural Management. It is possible to attract more workers to urban employment schemes--without disturbing the existing labour arrangements--if they are targeted at women and there is demand for labour appropriate for women, said Basole. Designing urban employment guarantee programmes From a gender perspective, an urban employment scheme must ensure gender parity in wages, proximity to the place of work, flexibility in timings, provision of childcare facilities, and fair and safe facilities at the worksite to support women, noted the IWWAGE report. Women would benefit if safety concerns in urban spaces are addressed well. "[When] a programme is not specifically targeted for women, they are likely to get pushed out of it when the demand is high," said Rosa Abraham, senior fellow at CSE. Some of the works provided under AUEGS include cleaning of waterways, clearing and cleaning of roads, removal of plastic waste and lifting of heavy slabs, said Fatima, adding that sometimes men [colleagues] help with work that is physically demanding. Heena noted that sometimes when jobs are available in other wards in her municipality, workers are unwilling to go because the transport costs would make the income unviable. To ensure improvement in urban employment, a quota for women can be determined apart from creating multiple schemes, say experts. To determine a quota, the programme can consider the employment pattern in MGNREGS and take an average of women labour force participation rate in the last three employment rounds, said K. R. Shyam Sundar, professor at the Jamshedpur-based Xavier School of Management. In addition, the government could consider creating two schemes--one for the self-employed and the other for the wage employed--so that the latter space is not crowded, he suggested. But the roles of local elected bodies, state governments and the Centre--key to sustaining urban wage employment--must be clearly defined to ensure accountability. A 2019 CSE proposal to create a National Urban Employment Guarantee Programme suggested that the Urban Local Body (ULBs) should be entrusted with administering the programme, with state governments collating and approving the annual work plans and sending expense estimates to the central government. The current schemes run by most states are not large; these must be decentralised and given fiscal support by the Centre, said Basole of CSE. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor on Tuesday announced that retired Army man Ajay Kothiyal will be the party's chief ministerial candidate in the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly polls. Kejriwal said the decision to pick Kothiyal as the party's CM face was based on the feedback received from people who are fed up with politicians helming the state. Ajay Kothiyal (retd Colonel) will be the AAP Chief Ministerial candidate of Uttarakhand. Party will develop the State as a spiritual capital for Indians staying across the world. It will also provide employment to youth: AAP convener & Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, in Dehradun pic.twitter.com/TQTOMgKX4T ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2021 "People here want a break from politicians who have only looted the state. They now want an Armyman as CM who will not spend his tenure filling his coffers but serve them," the Delhi chief minister said. If voted to power, the Aam Aadmi Party, under the leadership of Kothiyal, will make Uttarakhand the global spiritual capital for Hindus and generate employment opportunities for the state's youth, Kejriwal 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.) In a partial relief to HDFC Bank, the largest private sector bank of the country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed the lender to issue new credit cards, sources in the bank said. In December last year, the banking regulator had directed not to issue new credit cards and halt all launches of its digital business-generating activities under its programme Digital 2.0. This came after several instances of outages in the banks mobile banking app and internet banking platform. The restrictions that were there on issuing new cards have been discontinued and the has now permitted the bank to undertake sourcing new credit cards, said a source, adding the other restrictions would continue. The ban on card issuance hit hard as its card base fell from 15.38 million in December to 14.82 million in June. is by far the largest issuer in the country, and remains so even after the ban. The ban resulted in the lender losing market share in a rapidly growing arena because some of its competitors occupied the space it vacated. ALSO READ: RBI allows HDFC Bank to issue new credit cards: Report In a media interaction in June, Parag Rao, the banks country head of the payments business and in charge of technology transformation, had indicated the bank had prepared an aggressive plan to come back to the business with a bang once the embargo was lifted. We are going to get back in the market with increased rigour, Rao had said. HDFC Bank has been sourcing liability customers aggressively over the past few months, to whom credit cards can be offered once the ban is lifted. While enforcing the ban, the regulator said the restriction would be lifted only after the banks compliance with major critical areas identified by the Following the ban, HDFC Bank had submitted a plan focusing on the immediate situation, short term, mid term, and long term to the regulator a couple of months ago. We will work with experts and the regulator to fortify the identified areas for improvement. Internally, we are looking at this as an opportunity to further improve ourselves and emerge stronger, Sashi Jagdishan, managing director and chief executive officer of HDFC Bank, had said after the ban was imposed. HDFC Bank has been making a lot of changes to its technology infrastructure after the outages it faced over the years. They are large-scale investment in the technology infrastructure, bringing in new talent, getting into cloud-native stacks, a shift from the traditional monolithic IT infrastructures, and working with strategic partners for better products and services. The index brought out by the is very timely and important as it attributes a number to everything we talk of on the subject. has been on the agenda of all governments and regulators and goes beyond the concept of providing a deposit account or loan. The index includes 97 attributes that are extensive and one assumes that they cover capital markets insurance and other services. The index is to be announced every July and as of now the tells us that the index is at 53.9 as on March 2021, compared with 43.4 in March 2017. It includes three main attributes: access, usage and quality. The dates chosen are interesting, as 2017 comes just as we came out of demonetisation, where people perforce had to go digital, which provided an impetus to digital This was also the time when there was widespread use of the Jan Dhan account, which has now become the conduit for channeling any cash transfers to beneficiaries. Therefore, there has been a big push given by the government to inclusion through this account. Hence it is expected that access and usage would tend to increase automatically as funds keep passing through these accounts. Also, with digital picking up fast, it would add weight to this index. It may be recollected that the government launched some rather aggressive insurance schemes for farmers and individuals, which means that there has been a tendency for greater coverage of the population under insurance. The PM health insurance scheme has been popular and actually enhances insurance coverage to all the needy people. This gets reflected in the score going up by around 10 points. The index has to be read as a number and is not linked to a base year. Hence a number of 100 would mean that based on the criteria used the entire population is included in the financial system. One can hope that this number only increases with time. The pace of increase will be important here. Some thoughts that come based on the limited information provided by the on the index are the following. First, in terms of banking we may have reached the optimal situation as incremental Jan Dhan accounts have been slow. Also with the currency situation normalising, the push to digitisation is less intensive. Second, for this number to increase, non-banking services have to increase. Here the population has to use more of mutual funds and insurance products. Will this really accelerate? Insurance companies and mutual funds have a challenge here as typically low income people are small-ticket customers and the cost of inclusion is high and may not be worth their while. Third, even for banking it would be interesting to see if the transactions being witnessed go beyond the forced Jan Dhan accounts which receive wages, pensions and transfers. People actually need to use these accounts for regular transactions and hopefully the detailed index should reflect this aspect of quality. Ideally it would be useful if the RBI would break this index up across various segments so that there can be concentration on the specific sector. The progress so far is impressive for sure, but there could be a bias towards banking and further to areas where the government has pushed financial products as part of its social development programmes. This is a very good start made by the RBI which should be monitored regularly to gauge the pace of progress as it will help future policy formulation in the right direction. Madan Sabnavis is chief economist at CARE Ratings. Views expressed are his own. Pakistan has emphasised the importance of an "inclusive" political settlement in as US Secretary of State spoke to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed the chaotic and rapidly changing situation in the war-ravaged country after the Taliban recaptured the Afghan capital of Kabul. Blinken's talks with Qureshi was part of the several outreaches made by him to many of his counterparts across the world, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday. "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Qureshi discussed and the developing situation there," Price said without giving any other details of the phone call. Pakistan's Foreign Office in a statement in Islamabad said Qureshi shared Pakistan's perspective with Blinken noting the significant change in the situation within a short span and the avoidance of violence. The two leaders discussed the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, according to the Foreign Office. He (Qureshi) stressed the importance of inclusive political settlement as the best way forward, it said. Qureshi underlined that Pakistan would remain closely engaged with the US and other partners in promoting efforts in support of a peaceful and stable He stressed that continued US economic engagement with Afghanistan was of crucial importance as well. Qureshi also apprised Blinken of Pakistan's efforts to facilitate the evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, organisations, media and others. Taliban insurgents swept Kabul on Sunday after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and President Ghani fled the country, bringing an unprecedented end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the war-ravaged nation. On Pakistan-US bilateral relations, Foreign Minister Qureshi underlined Pakistan's commitment to forging a broad-based, long-term and sustainable relationship with the US that was anchored in peace, deeper economic cooperation, and regional connectivity. Qureshi and Blinken agreed to remain in close contact to promote the shared objectives, Pakistan's Foreign Office said. Pakistan's high-level security huddle chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday endorsed US President Joe Biden's decision to pull American troops out of Afghanistan, saying the presence of foreign troops for a longer period would not have produced a different result in the war-ravaged neighbouring country. The National Security Council reiterated Pakistan's stance that the conflict in Afghanistan never had a military solution, saying that the ideal time to end the conflict through negotiations might have been when the US and NATO troops were at maximum military strength in Afghanistan. The participants reiterated that Pakistan was committed to an inclusive political settlement as the way forward, representing all Afghan ethnic groups. It was reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to work with the community and all Afghan stakeholders to facilitate an inclusive political settlement in the country. It was also stressed that the principle of non-interference in Afghanistan must be adhered to. The NSC noted positively that major violence had been averted thus far and called on all parties in Afghanistan to respect the rule of law, protect fundamental human rights of all Afghans, and ensure that Afghan soil is not used by any terrorist organisation or group against any country. Meanwhile, US Senator Lindsay Graham has urged President Biden to ask Pakistan and China not to recognise the government of Taliban in Afghanistan. "The bottom line is that we can contain the threat the Taliban face if we stand -- present to us, if we tell the world, don't legitimise this regime, Graham told Fox News. "I want President Biden to tell Pakistan and China that, if you recognise the Taliban, you're recognising a terrorist organization with blood on their hands regarding Americans, and we will hold you accountable, the Republican Senator said. "This is a time for presidential leadership. But the problem with President Biden is, he doesn't understand the nature of the war. He's like a deer in the headlights and he is unable to adjust. The worst thing at a time of crisis is to have a commander in chief who can't change their mind, Graham 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.) Facebook is proactively removing content A Facebook executive said the social media giant is proactively removing content from its platforms that promotes the The group is on the companys list of dangerous organisations so any content promoting or representing it is banned, Adam Mosseri, head of Facebooks photo-sharing app Instagram, said Johnson plans G7 meet on Afghanistan British Prime Minister Boris Johnson intends to host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders to tackle the deteriorating situation in and has stepped up efforts to evacuate UK nationals and from Germany ending development aid to Afghan Germany is ending development aid to in light of the Talibans takeover there, said German Development Minister Gerd Mueller. Qatar foreign minister meets delegation Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met a Taliban delegation in capital Doha led by Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar and discussed a peaceful transfer of power in Afghan leaders failed to stand up, says Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the Nato military alliance, has blamed the swift collapse of Afghanistans armed forces on a failure of leadership in the country. Russia: Taliban openness a positive signal Russia views recent Taliban statements signalling openness and inclusion as a positive signal, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tells forum in Kaliningrad. UN issues a non-return advisory for Afghanistan UNHCR has released yesterday a non-return advisory for Afghanistan, calling for a bar on forced returns of Afghan nationals, including asylum seekers who have had their claims rejected. These are surreal times In In a matter of hours, the old order had folded like nine pins and all that was left were the ruins of the last two decades.The new order is yet to emerge fully but the contours of that order can be discerned based on the past experience of the Afghan nation and the region. Even as the advance entered its final lap, the western intelligence was still predicting that Kabul could be taken in a matter of 30 days. But it took less than 30 hours for the fighters to reach the gates of the Presidential Palace in Kabul from where the incumbent, Ashraf Ghani, had already fled. The West was in any case cutting and running but the speed of advance meant that once again America had to live through the Saigon moment with diplomats being evicted by the helicopters and sensitive documents being destroyed. Despite the optics, the US policymakers still continue to insist that the Afghan mission had been successful. As late as last month, US President Joe Biden was pushing back against suggestions that the Taliban could swiftly conquer by arguing that the likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. And in less than a month western nations have been scrambling to evacuate their citizens and diplomatic staff even while acknowledging that there will be a new government in British government is underscoring the new ground realities when in matter of days its discourse has shifted from asking the Taliban to protect human rights to asking the West to work together to ensure that Afghanistan doesnt become a breeding ground for terror. After talking of freedom, democracy and human rights for the last two decades, there is little doubt that the West will be moving quickly towards accommodating the Taliban regime. As mostly happens in the rough and tumble of politics, pragmatism will have be the last laugh at the cost of significant social, economic, and political gains of the past 20 years. Those Afghans who believed in these ideals and worked for them, often risking their lives, today stand vulnerable to complete abandonment by those who at one time seemed the be having their back. The hard-won rights for women and minorities as well as for democracy have already been sacrificed at the altar reaching a modus vivendi with the Taliban.The West will be trying to preserve some shreds of dignity from the mess unfolding by telling the world that political reconciliation of some sort in Afghanistan is still possible. But for an outfit that has won this victory against the mightiest military power on the earth through the use of force, any talk of moderation will only be temporary. And in the territories that the Taliban have already captured, they have gone back to their good old-fashioned regressive agenda against women and ethnic and religious minorities that had so shocked the global conscience during their horrific 1996-2001 rule. From young girls being forced to marry Taliban fighters to decreeing oppressive dictates against women, from summary executions of soldiers and political opponents to banning music and television, there is hardly anything evolved in this Taliban 2.0.But western governments will tell their people that some form of accommodation with the Taliban, whether evolved or not, is important for the larger good of the Afghan people as this would mean Afghan taking ownership of their own future. While the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Afghanistan will be brushed aside, the strategic consequences of Talibans re-emergence will have to be reckoned with by the West for a long time. If, as is being suggested in some quarters, one of the reasons for the US withdrawing troops from Afghanistan is to focus attention squarely on the competition with China, then the credibility of western assurances as a security guarantor after the Afghan debacle are not worth the paper they are written on. The coalition of partners that the West is trying to construct to manage Chinas rise is likely to face greater fissures as western allies look at the Afghanistan car crash with a degree of foreboding.The limits of western power today are all too palpable and the embarrassment of Afghanistan is likely to constrain western strategic thinking for decades now. The West perhaps couldnt have built a nation in Afghanistan but the manner in which the withdrawal has unfolded casts a long shadow on the Western ability to manage the emerging, highly volatile global order. As the Taliban wait in glee to be embraced by the liberal West, those Afghans who decided to believe and stand by the values of democracy and human rights, only to be abandoned in the end, will always stand as a testament to the infirmities of the liberal global order. Its nothing but a sham! The author is Professor at Kings College London and Director of Research at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. President ignored his own administration's failures when he tried to explain why desperate civilians in Afghanistan's capital have been left stranded and in danger from the because of the swift U.S. departure. While asserting the buck stops with me, Biden on Monday blamed Afghans in large measure for the chaotic evacuation at Kabul's airport and conceded no missteps. A look at his remarks: BIDEN: I know there are concerns about why we did not begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner. Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier, still hopeful for their country. Part of it because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence. THE FACTS: This is a misleading explanation that skirts the U.S. failure to anticipate and prepare for the rapid fall of the Afghan government. While some Afghans may have wanted to stay in their country until the lightning takeover of the last several days plenty didn't. The United States as of last month had a visa application backlog of 18,000 Afghan translators and others who believed themselves to be in danger from the for their work with the Americans. Many had waited years for the U.S. to finish processing their visa applications. Non-government organizations complained that the U.S. continued to cling to its intensive paperwork process that requires years, bundles of documents and often repeated tries to work through. On Sunday, the State Department inbox for applications for those special visas for those Afghans was so full that it rejected them for some part of the day. Late Monday night, witnesses described hundreds of people trapped between U.S. forces trying to push them out of the Kabul airport and Taliban forces trying to keep them in. Thousands crammed the airport and tarmac earlier in a frantic rush to escape the Taliban, some clinging to a military jet even as it took off, falling to their deaths. U.S. officials said at least seven people died in the chaos. (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.) Chinas latest moves to tighten its grip on the nations internet giants helped trigger a fifth consecutive day of selling in the nations bellwether technology stocks. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 3.1%, after the market regulator issued draft rules banning unfair competition among the nations online platform operators. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. fell nearly 5% and was the biggest point-drag on the benchmark Hang Seng Index, which closed 1.7% lower. Losses accelerated in afternoon trade as issued separate rules to protect key network facilities and information systems, effective next month. Baidu Inc. and NetEase Inc. fell more than 5% while Tencent Holdings Ltd. dropped 4.1%. The declines followed Mondays selloff in Chinese online game firms in the wake of state media criticism of the sector. The wide-ranging proposals released Tuesday come after the tech-industry ministry launched a campaign last month aimed at rooting out a raft of problematic behavior. It follows moves by Beijing to rein in the countrys internet leaders in areas from antitrust to data security and ride-hailing. The draft covers protections for intellectual property and brand reputation as well as a ban against using algorithms or fake reviews to promote goods and services. Alongside expressly prohibited behaviors like forced exclusivity arrangements, companies will also not be permitted to use technical means to interfere with the operations of rival platforms or maliciously render those services incompatible with their own. The latter could force giants like Tencent and Alibaba to dismantle their walled-off ecosystems that had prevented users from accessing one companys services from the others platforms. Investors are concerned that regulatory reform is far from over and that policies will continue to be introduced, said Alvin Ngan, analyst at Zhongtai Financial Ltd. With risk appetite low, investors are thinking sell it first. On mainland markets, the CSI 300 Index fell 2.1%, with declines led by health care and consumer staples shares. In the weeks following a ban on profits in Chinas tutoring sector, stocks have gyrated on state media warnings on everything from gaming addiction, alcohol and e-cigarettes to over-marketing of infant formula. Mainland investors dumped another HK$4.7 billion ($603 million) worth of Hong Kong stocks on Tuesday, the fourth consecutive day of net selling of the citys shares, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The HSI Volatility Index jumped 11%, the most in three weeks. The Hong Kong dollar traded at its weakest level in 17 months. Chinas uncertain regulatory environment continues to cast a shadow on the tech sector. U.S. filings showed that other funds joined George Soross investment firm in dumping China-based companies with listings in the U.S. in the second quarter. Austrian cryptocurrency broker Bitpanda said on Tuesday it had raised $263 million at a valuation of $4.1 billion in a funding round led by Valar Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by billionaire Peter Thiel. The new round more than triples the broker's valuation from March, when it raised $170 million at a valuation of $1.2 billion. British hedge fund manager Alan Howard, REDO Ventures, LeadBlock Partners and Jump Capital also invested in the current round. While including Bitcoin witnessed vigorous price volatility, they are slowly getting adopted by bigger companies. That surge had pushed another crypto exchange Coinbase's valuation to as high as $112 billion when it made its market debut in April. The fintech space has seen a lot of crazy valuations as, there are not many good companies and investors don't want to miss out, Bitpanda Chief Executive Officer Eric Demuth said. "We are profitable for five years now, constantly, every year." Bitpanda, which currently has 3 million users and presence in eight European countries, plans to aggressively expand into other countries this year. Its platform offers users the flexibility to invest in a range of products such as fractional stocks, and precious metals a from as little as $1. Demuth said the company has no current plans to go public yet but when it decides it would prefer the direct listing route just like companies such Coinbase, RobinHood and Wise. "We will take our time in that regard." (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There were multiple rumours that directions to not fight were somehow coming from above, said Afghanistan's central bank governor, Ajmal Ahmady who also fled the country. Ahmady said this has been repeated by Atta Noor and Ismael Khan. These two were the warlords who had taken up the cudgels against Atta Mohammed Noor had earlier said about this conspiracy, "Despite our firm resistance, sadly, all the government & the #ANDSF equipment were handed over to the # as a result of a big organised & cowardly plot. They had orchestrated the plot to trap Marshal Dostum and myself too, but they didn't succeed." Ahmady said, it seems difficult to believe, but there remains a suspicion as to why ANSF left posts so quickly. There is something left unexplained. Ahmady, the central bank governor under the Ghani government posted a timeline on Twitter, outlining his final few weeks before the takeover. Ahmady has put the blame on the Afghan government for what has unfolded. "It did not have to end this way. I am disgusted by the lack of any planning by Afghan leadership," he wrote "I did not criticize them until now, but key figures Fazly & Mohib were too inexperienced in their roles, & it was President's failure that he never recognized such weaknesses. He himself had great ideas but poor execution. If I contributed to that, I take my share of the blame", Ahmady said. During last days, I feared not only risks related to Taliban, but fear of transition period once there is no chain of command. Once president's departure was announced, I knew within minutes chaos would follow. I cannot forgive him for creating that without a transition plan, he added. "It did not have to end this way. I am disgusted by the lack of any planning by Afghan leadership. Saw them at airport leaving without informing others. I asked the palace if there was an evacuation plan/charter flights. After 7 years of service, I was met with silence", he added. "Saw VP Danish leaving - reportedly for Qatar. By then it was rumoured that VP Saleh had left. Ministers and others were waiting for a Dubai & Emirates flights. Both were cancelled", he said. --IANS san/skp/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mining giant Plc acquired a stake in Britishvolt Ltd., allowing the U.K. battery maker to secure long-term supplies of key material cobalt. Britishvolt is building the U.K.s first giant battery factory in northern England. It will produce batteries for electric vehicles, with demand set to grow as the U.K. bans sales of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars by the end of the decade. This is a huge step in the right direction for Britishvolt, Chief Executive Officer Orral Nadjari said in a statement, without disclosing the size of Glencores stake or the financial terms. By partnering with Glencore, we are locking in supply and derisking the project. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government is trying to avoid falling behind in a transcontinental competition to chip away at the dominance of Asian and Tesla Inc. Johnson has committed 1 billion pounds ($1.4 billion) to help build factories that can produce batteries at scale. See also: U.K. Electric-Car Battery Startup Now Considering London Listing Britishvolts plant will be built in three phases, with a total capacity of 30 gigawatt-hours from the end of 2027. Its production capability will equate to enough cells for around 300,000 electric-vehicle battery packs a year. Sales of EVs -- both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models -- more than doubled in Europe last year to about 1.3 million units, topping China for the first time. By Brijesh Patel (Reuters) - Gold extended its winning streak to a fifth session on Tuesday, supported by a drop in U.S. bond yields and worries that a spike in the COVID-19 Delta variant cases could hinder a recovery in the global economy. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $1,793.85 per ounce by 0906 GMT, after hitting a peak since Aug. 6 in the session. U.S. gold futures rose 0.4% to $1,796. "Lower U.S. yields and the fact that equity are slightly softer on the back of the weakness in Asia is helping gold," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC UK. "Some governments are slightly over reacting to COVID-19 cases, raising concerns that there could be another economic slowdown," Hewson said, adding that it meant central bank policy tightening might not happen. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields dipped to a near two-week low, translating into reduced opportunity cost of holding non-interest bearing gold. [US/] A surge in COVID-19 cases in Asia and elsewhere sapped risk sentiment in wider financial markets. [.EU] [MKTS/GLOB] Concerns over China's regulations for its once-freewheeling internet sector and turmoil in Afghanistan also kept investors on the edge. Gold is considered a safe store of value during times of political and financial uncertainty. But analysts have said that the impact of the Afghan crisis on bullion has so far been muted. Focus now shifts to the U.S. retail sales data due at 1230 GMT as well as minutes of the Federal Reserve's July meeting on Wednesday, which will be scanned for clarity on the tapering timeline. Gold's strong daily close above $1,792 could open the doors towards $1,800 and $1,830, Lukman Otunuga, senior research analyst at FXTM, said in a note. Elsewhere, silver rose 0.2% to $23.87 per ounce, having hit a high since Aug. 9 at $23.95. Platinum eased 0.2% to $1,020.51, while palladium fell 0.5% to $2,591.76. (Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) (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.) Heavy rains lashed on Tuesday night, complicating rescue efforts and drenching thousands left homeless by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 1,419 people, as hopes dimmed for survivors. Tropical Depression Grace churned over the regions of southwest worst-hit by Saturday's quake of magnitude 7.2, whipping devastated towns with high winds and torrential rains, causing flooding in at least one area. The earthquake brought down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a major quake 11 years ago that killed more than 200,000 people. The latest disaster comes just over a month after was plunged into political turmoil by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7. Several major hospitals were severely damaged, hampering humanitarian efforts, as were the focal points of many shattered communities, such as churches and schools. Haitian authorities said on Monday that 1,419 deaths had been confirmed, with some 6,900 people injured. As hopes began to dim of finding significant numbers of survivors among the wreckage, the storm impeded rescuers in the seaside city of Les Cayes, about 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, which bore the brunt of the quake. The storm is expected to dump up to 15 inches (38 cm) of water on parts of Haiti, creating a risk of flash floods, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre. Rescue workers from across Haiti were digging alongside residents through the rubble on Monday evening in a bid to reach bodies, though few voiced hope of finding anyone alive. A smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air. "We came from all over to help: from the north, from Port-au Prince, from everywhere," said Maria Fleurant, a firefighter from northern Haiti. As heavy rain began to fall, emergency workers pulled a blood-stained pillow from under the rubble, followed by the corpse of a three-year-old boy who appeared to have died in his sleep during the earthquake. Shortly after, as the rain intensified, the workers left. TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE With about 37,312 houses destroyed by the quake, according to Haitian authorities, and many of those still unexcavated, the death toll is expected to rise. Vital Jaenkendy, who watched as a bulldozer shifted rubble from his collapsed apartment building, said eight residents had died and four were missing. Jaenkendy and have been sleeping under a tarpaulin on a dirt road nearby, and were hunkering down for the rains. "When the storm comes, we'll take shelter in car ports of the houses nearby, just until it passes, and then we'll return to our place in the road," he said. Doctors in battled makeshift tents outside hospitals to save the lives of hundreds of injured, including young children and the elderly. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was sworn in less then a month ago after Moise's assassination, vowed to disburse humanitarian aid better than in the wake of the 2010 quake. Though billions of dollars in aid money poured into Haiti after that quake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, many Haitians say they saw scant benefits from the uncoordinated efforts: government bodies remained weak, amid persistent shortages of food and basic goods. "The earthquake is a great misfortune that happens to us in the middle of the hurricane season," Henry told reporters, adding that the government would not repeat "the same things" done in 2010. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India as a key partner of the UK in the region and chair of the United Nations Sanctions Committee will have a very important role to play in dealing with the unfolding crisis in with the takeover of the Taliban, the UK government said on Tuesday. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the way forward would involve the creation of some form of "contact group" to ensure can never be used to launch terrorist attacks against the UK or its allies. I think it's incredibly important in all of this to be working with a wider group of not just like-minded countries but partners that can exercise maximum influence. And that will mean, difficult as it is, to engage with China and Russia as well as our closer partners like India, Raab told the BBC. The senior Cabinet minister, who faced some criticism for going ahead with his summer vacation plans as the Afghan capital of Kabul fell over the weekend, returned to London on Monday ahead of an emergency Parliament session on Wednesday. He admitted that the community was caught off guard and that the scale of the advances of the took us all by surprise. Now it is about how we use every lever we have at our disposal to try and moderate the influence of the regime that comes in. "The crucial thing will be working in the UN Security Council as a permanent member, using our G7 presidency, using not just with our NATO allies but with the key neighbouring and regional players and that will include difficult partners from China and Russia, to Pakistan; India is going to be very important in this, said Raab. In reference to actions planned in dealing with the regime, he added: Through concerted coordination on things like sanctions. India is very important in the UN, it chairs the Sanctions Committee. China is a difficult partner for the UK but we have a common interest as permanent members of the Security Council in working together on The minister also said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UK Home Secretary Priti Patel are working on a bespoke resettlement scheme for those most in need in Afghanistan. He indicated that the programme will be focussed on helping the most vulnerable and women and girls in particular. Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the in 2012 after becoming a target due to her campaigning for girls' education, has called on countries around the world to "open their borders" to Afghan refugees. Johnson is also this week attempting to use the UK's presidency of the G7 to push for a coordinated response to the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, following the rapid collapse of the country's Western-backed government since the US troop withdrawal from the region. He has held calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as part of this focus and Downing Street said calls with other world leaders is on his schedule. (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.) Prime Minister on Tuesday told an Afghan delegation, led by former vice president Muhammad Younas Qanooni, that was committed to support an inclusive government in The delegation of political leaders from arrived here on Sunday for talks amidst a whirlwind takeover of the country by the Taliban insurgents. Khan's Office said in a statement that he underlined that no other country is more desirous of peace and stability in than He highlighted the importance of all sides working to secure an inclusive political solution, it said. Khan assured of Pakistan's steadfast support for efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan but also added that in the current situation, great responsibility rested on the Afghan leaders to work constructively together to lead Afghanistan on the path of sustainable peace, stability and development, his office said. He also expressed a strong support and solidarity for the fraternal people of Afghanistan, linked to the people of through immutable bonds of faith, history, geography, culture and kin-ship, it said. The delegation members emphasised the multi-ethnic nature of Afghan society and the importance of an inclusive dispensation. The Afghan delegation also reiterated the desire to further strengthen the brotherly relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The delegation comprised Speaker Ulusi Jirga Mir Rehman Rehmani, Salah-ud-din Rabbani, Qanooni, Ustad Mohammad Karim Khalili, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Ahmad Wali Massoud, Abdul Latif Pedram, Khalid Noor and Ustad Mohammad Mohaqiq. The delegation arrived for a four-day visit to discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan and met Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday. (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 Moscow court on Tuesday fined Alphabet Inc's a total of 10.5 million roubles ($142,877) for violating Russian rules on banned content, the penalty coming amid a wider stand-off between and Big Tech has routinely fined social media giants for failing to remove prohibited content and is seeking to compel foreign technology to open offices in the country. Moscow's Tagansky District Court said had been handed three administrative fines of 4 million roubles, 1.5 million roubles and 5 million roubles respectively. A spokesperson for confirmed the first two fines, but gave no additional comment. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister on Tuesday said the Indian authorities are in touch with a group of taking shelter in a gurudwara near in after the Taliban takeover of the country, and that they will be brought to India as soon as possible. Puri who was approached by BJP MP Hans Raj Hans for help to the also discussed the issue with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. "We have been in touch with the Sikh leaders and those in They will be brought back safely as soon as possible," Puri told PTI. Hans who hails from Punjab said that around 250 of Indian origin are taking shelter in the gurudwara near and they are safe. "I met the Union minister Hardeep Puri Ji and requested for his help after which he talked to the external affairs minister and assured that the Indian origin Sikhs in will return to India after civilian flights restart," Hans told PTI. The Indian authorities are in touch with them and ensuring their safety and safe return, added the North West Delhi MP. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) successfully carried out a three-day evacuation mission to bring back 192 Indians stranded in what is now the controlled Providing a sigh of relief to those stranded in Afghanistan, the Indian Air Force (IAF) plane C-17, Globemaster, carried more than 150 Indian nationals from the Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul to Jamnagar on Tuesday. The aircraft evacuated several Indian Embassy officials working in After landing at the Jamnagar Airforce Base, Rudrendra Tandon, Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan, interacted with the media. "You cannot imagine how great it is to be back home. After two weeks of intense complicated situation, I had to take a decision on evacuation. I am very happy that the mission is over now and we are back home safely without any untoward incident or accident," said Rudrendra Tandon at Jamnagar IAF airbase. The ministry of external affairs planned this evacuation mission and carried it out in three days. "We had a very large mission. We had a mission of 192 persons that were evacuated from Afghanistan, in literally a period of just three days, in a very orderly fashion in two phases. Apart from the personnel of the embassy, there were also people from the public sector companies in and there were people from Air India, who also needed to be evacuated as the situation in Kabul city was rapidly changing. Then there were also Indian citizens who found themselves in distress due to the fast changing situation. But our policy was that anyone who reaches the embassy, would be taken into the evacuation mission and will have a safe and secure exit from the country," he said. "The program would not have been successfully possible without the help of all the wings of the embassy and the program was monitored from the highest end and minute to minute detail," added Tandon. The IAF plane will be refuelled and will head to Ghaziabad's Hindon Air Force Station from where they will leave for their respective states. It's not that we've abandoned people of Afghanistan, their welfare&our relationship with them is very much in our mind. We'll try & continue our interaction with them, I can't exactly say in what form as situation is changing: Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan in Jamnagar, Gujarat pic.twitter.com/WYtGnSfecR ANI (@ANI) August 17, 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.) A spokesman has pledged to honor women's rights, but within the norms of Islamic law. Zabihullah Mujahid made the comment Tuesday at his first news conference. For years, he had been a shadowy figure issuing statements on behalf of the militants. His assertion that the would protect women's rights comes after the Taliban's earlier rule saw women's lives and rights severely restricted. Mujahid also said the wanted private media to remain independent, but stressed journalists should not work against national values. Mujahid also stressed that would not allow itself to harbor anyone targeting other nations. That was a key demand in a deal the militants struck with the Trump administration in 2020 that led to the ultimate US withdraw under current President Joe Biden. He promised the insurgents would secure after they took over the country following a blitz that lasted over a week. He said the insurgents sought no revenge. Many Afghans have expressed fear that the Taliban will return the country the brutal rule they used when last in charge, and foreign officials have said they will wait to see if the insurgents make good on their promises. (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.) At just short of 20 years, the now-ending US combat mission in was Americas longest war. Heres a look at the US-led war in Afghanistan, by the numbers, as the in a lightning offensive take over much of the country before the United States August 31 deadline for ending its combat role and as the US speeds up American and Afghan evacuations. Percentage of US population born since the 2001 attacks plotted by al-Qaida leaders who were sheltering in Afghanistan: Roughly one out of every four Shares of hit a fresh 52-week low of Rs 728.50 as they fell 3.4 per cent on the BSE in intra-day trade on Tuesday. The stock of the pharmaceutical company has declined 12 per cent in the past three trading days after the company reported a disappointing operational performance in the June 2021 quarter (Q1FY22), amid a decline across the US market and antiretroviral (ARVs). The stock of the pharmaceutical company was trading at its lowest level since June 2020. In the past one month, it has lost 25 per cent, as compared to a 4.4 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. In Q1FY22, the companys profit after tax (PAT) was down 1.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) and 4 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) at Rs 770 crore. It was, however, in line with analysts' estimate on higher than expected other income and a lower tax rate. Revenue, meanwhile, de-grew 3.8 per cent YoY and 5 per cent QoQ to Rs 5,702 crore. US revenue in Q1FY22 declined by 1.5 per cent YoY to Rs 2,681 crore, accounting for 47 per cent of consolidated revenue. ARV business revenue for the quarter was at Rs 296 crore, down 30.3 per cent YoY, and accounted for 5.1 per cent of total revenue. Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) margins remained flat at 21.2 per cent. Separately, said the company has entered into definitive agreements under which the company will subscribe to fresh equity shares in Cronus Pharma Specialities India Private Limited (Cronus) amounting to Rs 420 crore. Cronus is a Hyderabad based generic veterinary pharmaceutical products company engaged in the development, manufacturing and sale of veterinary pharmaceutical products. Subsequent to this investment, the company will own 51 per cent of the equity share capital of Cronus, said. "The price erosion in the US was in high single-digit, but this would normalise, going forward (H2FY22). Aurobindos US pipeline provides good growth visibility with assets across injectables, biosimilars, vaccines and OTC products," analysts at HDFC Securities said in the result update. Its recent acquisition of Cronus Pharma (animal health business) and OTC/brands in the US are expected to accelerate growth, the brokerage said, adding that the potential value unlocking of the injectables business (disclosure in Q2FY22) and resolution of US FDA facilities are the key near-term triggers. "On the regulatory front, while a few other plants still remain under the USFDA scrutiny, the erstwhile clearance of a critical plant (Unit IV) indicates that the company continues to work towards stricter adherence. That said, the US generics scenario is anything but encouraging at the current juncture due to persistent base business price erosion and slower injectables ramp-up," analysts at ICICI Securities said. With floor price of Rs 155.58 per equity share Canara Bank has launched a QIP issue today, i.e. on 17 August 2021. The approved floor price is Rs 155.58 per equity share for the QIP. The Board of Canara Bank at its meeting held on 28 May 2021 had approved the QIP issue amounting up to Rs 2500 crore. The Capital Planning Process Committee of the Board of Directors of the Bank will meet on 23 August 2021 to consider issue price for the equity shares and the number of shares to be allotted to qualified institutional buyers, pursuant to the QIP. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dilip Buildcon announced that Dhrol Bhadra Highways, subsidiary of the company has received the financial closure letter dated 17 August 2021 from National Highways Authority of India for road project in Gujarat. Project details - Four Laning of Dhrol - Bhadra Patiya section of NH-151A (Between Ex. Km 5+700 to Km 13+600 of SH25) and Bhadra Patiya - Pipaliya Section of NH-151A (Between Ex. Km 73+000 to Km. 44+800 and Ex. Km. 38a350 to 24+000 of CSH-61 in Gujarat through Public Private Partnership (PPP) on design, build, operate and transfer (the "DBoT Annuity" or "Hybrid Annuity") basis. The bid project cost is Rs 882 crore. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The benchmark indices incurred small losses in afternoon trade. At 13:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, lost 32.40 points or 0.06% at 55,550.18. The Nifty 50 index shed 22.80 points or 0.14% at 16,540.25. The Sensex hit a record high of 55,688.50 while Nifty hit a record high of 16,591.40 in early trade. ICICI Bank (down 1.17%), HDFC Bank (down 0.84%) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) (down 1.62%) were major drags. The broader indices were trading almost flat. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.09%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.03%. Sellers outnumbered buyers. On the BSE, 973 shares rose and 2,110 shares fell. A total of 127 shares were unchanged. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,088.32 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 506.21 crore in the Indian equity market on 16 August 2021, provisional data showed. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 20,78,67,008 with 43,71,589 deaths. India reported 3,69,846 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,32,079 deaths while 3,14,48,754 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. More than 88.13 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. 55.47 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under nationwide vaccination drive. India reports 25,166 new cases in last 24 hours, lowest in 154 days. Active cases constitute 1.15% of total cases, lowest since March 2020. India's Active caseload currently 3,69,846, lowest in 146 days. Recovery rate currently at 97.51%, highest since March 2020. Gainers & Losers: Tech Mahindra (up 3.13%), Tata Consumer Products (up 2.59%), HCL Technologies (up 2.02%), Nestle India (up 1.65%) and Infosys (up 1.62%) were major gainers in Nifty 50 index. Tata Motors (down 2.83%), Coal India (down 2.57%), JSW Steel (down 2.44%), UPL (down 2.31%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) (down 1.82%) were major losers in Nifty 50 index. Global Markets: Shares in Europe and Asia declined on Tuesday, 17 August 2021. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and spread of the highly transmissible delta COVID-19 variant has rattled investors confidence. Oil prices erased earlier gains on Tuesday amid persistent worries about the outlook for global fuel demand. Investors are also monitoring the potential geopolitical implications following the Taliban's seizure of Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. U.S. President Joe Biden rejected blame for the scenes of turmoil and panic as thousands of people were seen at a Kabul airport desperately trying to flee. Biden described the anguish of those trapped in the country as "gut-wrenching" and conceded the Taliban's lightning offensive had occurred more quickly than expected. His comments came amid mounting criticism of his administration's handling of the situation. Investors continued to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Australia, with the country's largest cities currently under lockdown. In US, stocks ended at records Monday with the Dow and S&P 500 closing at record highs despite earlier losses tied to weaker-than-forecast Chinese economic data and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Investors will look ahead to U.S. retail sales data, set to be released Tuesday stateside by the Census Bureau. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Infosys said it will invest an additional sum of $0.45 million in TidalScale Inc, a software-defined-server technology startup. Till date, the IT major has invested $3 million, taking the cumulative investment to $3.45 million as of date (subject to necessary closing conditions). The announcement was made post trading hours yesterday, 16 August 2021. TidalScale Inc.'s software helps enterprises to virtualize server for faster deployment with reduced cost and improved in-memory compute performance in private/ public/ hybrid cloud environment. The enterprises who are experiencing exponential growth in data see significant value in TidalScale Inc.'s offering. The investment is intended to be utilized for Research & Department (R&D), business development and working capital needs. Infosys' consolidated net profit grew 2.3% to Rs 5,195 crore on 6% increase in revenue to Rs 27,896 crore in Q1 June 2021 over Q4 March 2021. Shares of Infosys rose 0.84% to Rs 1,719 on BSE. Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The main indices extended record closing spree on Tuesday. The Nifty managed to end above the crucial 16,600 mark. IT, FMCG and pharma stocks advanced while metal, banks and financial shares declined. As per the provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 209.69 points or 0.38% at 55,792.18. The Nifty 50 index gained 51.55 points or 0.31% to 16,614.25. The Sensex hit a record high of 55,854.88 while Nifty hit a record high of 16,628.55 in early trade. The gains were broad based. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.73% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.33%. Sellers outnumbered buyers. On the BSE, 1141 shares rose and 2,027 shares fell. A total of 120 shares were unchanged. IT major TCS was up 2.15% at Rs 3546.45. The stock hit a record high of Rs 3,560 in intraday today. The company's current market capitalisation stood at Rs 13,12,053.52 crore. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 20,78,67,008 with 43,71,589 deaths. India reported 3,69,846 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,32,079 deaths while 3,14,48,754 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. More than 88.13 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. 55.47 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under nationwide vaccination drive. India reports 25,166 new cases in last 24 hours, lowest in 154 days. Active cases constitute 1.15% of total cases, lowest since March 2020. India's Active caseload currently 3,69,846, lowest in 146 days. Recovery rate currently at 97.51%, highest since March 2020. Stocks in Spotlight: Infosys gained 2.13%. The IT major said it will invest an additional sum of $0.45 million in TidalScale Inc, a software-defined-server technology startup. Till date, the IT major has invested $3 million, taking the cumulative investment to $3.45 million as of date (subject to necessary closing conditions). Caplin Point Laboratories fell 2%. Caplin Steriles, a subsidiary of the company received approval from Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency ANVISA for its sterile injectable manufacturing site near Chennai, Tamilnadu. The approval grants access to the company to register and market its products in Brazil, the largest Pharmaceutical market in Latin America. Steel Strips Wheels (SSWL) hit an upper circuit of 5% at Rs 1,665.15 after the company said that its board will consider stock split on Friday, 3 September 2021. Fiem Industries was locked in an upper circuit of 20% at Rs 951.80 after the company said it is the sole supplier of headlamps, tail lamps, indicators, rear fender assemblies and mirrors for Ola Electric's newly launched scooters S1 and S1 Pro. The company said it sees a huge potential in the Indian two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) segment and going forward, and it is hopeful to capturing greater market share in this segment. Lupin rose 0.73%. The drug major announced that it has received tentative approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) Brivaracetam tablets, 10 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, and 100 mg, to market a generic equivalent of Briviact tablets, 10 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, and 100 mg, of UCB Inc. RailTel Corporation of India fell 0.7%. The company received two works of tunnel communication of Central Railway from Indian Railways with completion period of 12 months. The total anticipated project cost of the work is Rs 38.82 crore. Suven Life Sciences jumped 6.18% after the company announced phase three clinical trial of SUVN-502 (Masupirdine), an antagonist for treatment of agitation and aggression in Alzheimer's type dementias. The multi-center study (sites in the US and Europe) comprising about 387 patients is likely to be completed in about 36 months and the topline result expected by the end of year 2024. Global Markets: Shares in Europe and Asia declined on Tuesday. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and spread of the highly transmissible delta COVID-19 variant has rattled investors confidence. Oil prices erased earlier gains on Tuesday amid persistent worries about the outlook for global fuel demand. Investors are also monitoring the potential geopolitical implications following the Taliban's seizure of Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. U. S. President Joe Biden rejected blame for the scenes of turmoil and panic as thousands of people were seen at a Kabul airport desperately trying to flee. Biden described the anguish of those trapped in the country as "gut-wrenching" and conceded the Taliban's lightning offensive had occurred more quickly than expected. His comments came amid mounting criticism of his administration's handling of the situation. Investors continued to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Australia, with the country's largest cities currently under lockdown. Meanwhile, New Zealand has announced a snap lockdown after a man tested positive for Covid, the first case in six months. US stocks ended at record levels on Monday with the Dow and S&P 500 closing at record highs despite earlier losses tied to weaker-than-forecast Chinese economic data and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Investors will look ahead to U. S. retail sales data, set to be released Tuesday stateside by the Census Bureau. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The main indices continued trading with small gains in mid-morning trade. At 11:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 80.54 points or 0.14% at 55,663.78. The Nifty 50 index rose 20.4 points or 0.12% to 16,583.20. The Sensex hit a record high of 55,688.50 while Nifty hit a record high of 16,591.40 in early trade. In broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.55% each. The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1294 shares rose and 1663 shares fell. A total of 132 shares were unchanged. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 207,824,763 with 4,370,906 global deaths. India reported 369,846 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 432,079 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. More than 88.13 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. 55.47 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under nationwide vaccination drive. India reports 25,166 new cases in last 24 hours, lowest in 154 days. Active cases constitute 1.15% of total cases, lowest since March 2020. India's Active caseload currently 3,69,846, lowest in 146 days. Recovery Rate currently at 97.51%, highest since March 2020. Buzzing Index: The Nifty IT index surged 1.52% to 33,072.40. The IT index has added 4.4% in three days. Tech Mahindra (up 3.67%), Coforge (up 2.94%), L&T Infotech (up 2.08%), HCL Tech (up 1.94%), Mindtree (up 1.64%), Mphasis (up 1.4%) and Wipro (up 1.29%) were top gainers IT space. Global Markets: Asian stocks were trading lower on Tuesday as investors weighed a record-breaking run in the Dow and S&P 500 against concerns that the delta virus variant will choke global growth. Investors continue to monitor the Covid situation in Australia, with the country's largest cities currently under lockdown. In US, stocks ended at records Monday with the Dow and S&P 500 closing at record highs despite earlier losses tied to weaker-than-forecast Chinese economic data and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Investors will look ahead to U. S. retail sales data, set to be released Tuesday stateside by the Census Bureau. Stocks in Spotlight: Fiem Industries soared 14.67% to Rs 909.60 after the company said it is the sole supplier of headlamps, tail lamps, indicators, rear fender assemblies and mirrors for Ola Electric's newly launched scooters S1 and S1 Pro. The company said it sees a huge potential in the Indian two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) segment and going forward, and it is hopeful to capturing greater market share in this segment. Sadbhav Infrastructure Project (SIPL) and Adani Road Transport (ARTL) have entered into share purchase agreement for the sale of the equity shares of Maharashtra Border Check Post Network (MBCPNL). ARTL, which develops, constructs, operates and manages roads and highway projects in India, will acquire a 49% stake in MBCPNL at first, with an option to acquire additional stake subject to regulatory approval, the company said in a statement. ARTL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises. The transaction has an enterprise value of Rs 1,680 crore. The acquisition is expected to be completed by Q3 FY22. Shares of Sadbhav Infra were down 4.25% at Rs 21.40 on BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Steel Strips Wheels (SSWL) hit an upper circuit of 5% at Rs 1,665.15 after the company said that its board will consider stock split on Friday, 3 September 2021. The company's net profit increased 14.7% to Rs 51.08 crore in Q1 FY22 as against Rs 44.55 crore in Q4 FY21. Revenue from operations, however, declined 3.1% to Rs 678.12 crore in Q1 FY22 compared with Rs 699.87 crore in Q4 FY21. SSWL is engaged in the manufacturing of steel wheel rims catering to different segments of automobile industry. The firm operates in automotive wheels segment. Its geographical segments include India and overseas. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after Mahila chief Sushmita Dev quit the party and joined the Trinamool Congress, party interim chief on Tuesday appointed Netta D'Souza as acting president of the party's women wing. In a statement, General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said, " President has appointed D' Souza as acting president of Mahila Congress with immediate effect till a full-time President is appointed." The development comes a day after Dev, a former MP from Assam's Silchar resigned from the party. She later joined the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal's Kolkata. In her letter to Sonia Gandhi, Dev said that she was resigning from the primary membership of the party, but did not give any specific reason. "I cherish my three-decade-long association with the Indian Congress... I personally thank you for the guidance and opportunities you have given me," she said in her letter dated August 15. Dev resigned two days after she met and former party chief Rahul Gandhi along with the newly appointed Congress team in the capital. Dev is daughter of former Union Minister late Santosh Mohan Dev. She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Silchar parliamentary constituency in 2014. Her exit from the Congress is another big jolt to the grand old party in Ahead of the Assembly polls, there were rumours that she is quitting the party. However, she had rejected the charges of leaving the party then. In the last few days, the Assam Congress has seen several high profile desertions. --IANS aks/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda on Tuesday said the Congress leader is on political tourism in Nadda was speaking after virtually inaugurating newly constructed BJP's Kozhikode district committee office from the party headquarters here. "Rahul Gandhi's political tourism is also happening here in He lost from Amethi, so he ran to Wayanad. "Changing states doesn't change someone's behavioural patterns, intentions, and the dedication to serve people," Nadda said. Condemning the recent incident in which a nine-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped, murdered and then cremated by her attackers in West Delhi earlier this month, Nadda said, "First he politicised the issue then revealed the identity of the victim by sharing picture of parents. When law asked about it, he lied to everyone." Nadda further said that the revelation made by the victim's mother shows the low level of done by people at the top. Victim's mother reportedly said that no one in the family gave consent to to share their picture on social media. Twitter locked Rahul Gandhi's account for a few days for revealing the identity of victim. Hitting out on the LDF government in for Covid mismanagement, Nadda, "There are nearly 20,000 cases in Kerala on an average. At this point of time, 1.08 lakh cases are present in Kerala, contributing to almost 50 per cent of the total burden of Covid cases. This is gross management. It is a model of mismanagement." "The Central government wants to assist Kerala, but the present government is posing hindrances as far as development is concerned," he said. He said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has given a special package worth Rs 267.35 crore for strengthening healthcare and for preparing the state for the third wave. Blaming the Kerala government for not taking a proactive role, Nadda said, "70 per cent tests done were antigen tests! The real mode was RT-PCR, and this is why the burden of Covid has increased to this level. We also know that the proactive role that was to be taken by the government was not taken here in Kerala." Attacking the state government for the poor law and order situation, Nadda said, "Women are being targeted, children are being targeted and rapes are taking place. Police have been mere spectators." "Kerala is now being identified by terrorist modules operating in various shapes, gold smuggling, ISIS recruiting centres and thus, the state is having a lot of problems," the BJP chief said. --IANS ssb/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wearing oxygen masks and carrying placards, MLAs and MLCs on Tuesday protested against the BJP government outside the Uttar Pradesh Assembly here over its "mismanagement" of the COVID-19 situation, price rise and other issues. On the first day of the Monsoon session of the House, SP members also staged a dharna at the Chowdhury Charan Singh statue inside the assembly premises and raised slogans against the government. SP MLC Rajpal Kashyap told PTI, "We are protesting against the government that is anti-people. The SP always stands with the people and raises their voices. Unemployment, woes of farmers, women's security, price rise, corruption and mismanagement of the Covid situation are some of the issues that we are raising." An MLC was seen wearing an oxygen mask to highlight the government's alleged failure to provide oxygen to COVID-19 patients at the peak of the second wave of the pandemic in April-May. Some held small cutouts of LPG cylinders with the hiked price written on them, while others held mirrors in their hands to "show the truth" to the government. In a tweet in Hindi, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said, "We will tell everyone about the BJP's lies and show the mirror to BJP workers." The SP MLAs and MLCs later sat on a dharna at the Chowdhury Charan Singh statue in the assembly premises and claimed that the people were fed up with the government due to the price rise and crimes against women. Meanwhile, talking to reporters ahead of the assembly session, Chief Minister said his government is ready for discussion on all issues related to public interest, development, youth, women and villages. He said whatever happens inside the assembly sends out a message everywhere else in the country. "There should be a discussion on Covid control. UP is the first state to have tested 7 crore samples (for COVID-19). It has become the first state to administer six crore vaccine doses. If all the members support, those spreading rumours will be exposed," the chief minister 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.) I spent last week studying the 26,000 words of privacy terms published by eBay and Amazon, trying to extract some straight answers, and comparing them to the privacy terms of other online marketplaces such as Kogan and Catch (my full summary is here). Theres bad news and good news. The bad news is that none of the privacy terms analysed are good. Based on their published policies, there is no major online marketplace operating in Australia that sets a commendable standard for respecting consumers All the policies contain vague, confusing terms and give consumers no real choice about how their data are collected, used and disclosed when they shop on these websites. Online retailers that operate in both Australia and the European Union give their customers in the EU better privacy terms and defaults than us, because the EU has stronger privacy laws. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is currently collecting submissions as part of an inquiry into online marketplaces in Australia. You can have your say here by August 19. The good news is that, as a first step, there is a clear and simple anti-snooping rule we could introduce to cut out one unfair and unnecessary, but very common, data practice. Deep in the fine print of the privacy terms of all the above-named websites, youll find an unsettling term. It says these retailers can obtain extra data about you from other companies, for example, data brokers, advertising companies, or suppliers from whom you have previously purchased. Read more: It's time for third-party data brokers to emerge from the shadows eBay, for example, can take the data about you from a data broker and combine it with the data eBay already has about you, to form a detailed profile of your interests, purchases, behaviour and characteristics. The problem is the online marketplaces give you no choice in this. Theres no privacy setting that lets you opt out of this data collection, and you cant escape by switching to another major marketplace, because they all do it. An online bookseller doesnt need to collect data about your fast-food preferences to sell you a book. It wants these extra data for its own advertising and business purposes. STRF/STAR MAX/IPx/AP You might well be comfortable giving retailers information about yourself, so as to receive targeted ads and aid the retailers other business purposes. But this preference should not be assumed. If you want retailers to collect data about you from third parties, it should be done only on your explicit instructions, rather than automatically for everyone. The bundling of these uses of a consumers data is potentially unlawful even under our existing privacy laws, but this needs to be made clear. Time for an anti-snooping rule Heres my suggestion, which forms the basis of my own submission to the ACCC inquiry. Online retailers should be barred from collecting data about a consumer from another company, unless the consumer has clearly and actively requested this. For example, this could involve clicking on a check-box next to a plainly worded instruction such as: Please obtain information about my interests, needs, behaviours and/or characteristics from the following data brokers, advertising companies and/or other suppliers. The third parties should be specifically named. And the default setting should be that third-party data are not collected without the customers express request. This rule would be consistent with what we know from consumer surveys: most Australian consumers are not comfortable with companies unnecessarily sharing their personal information. There could be reasonable exceptions to this rule, such as for fraud detection, address verification or credit checks. But data obtained for these purposes should not be used for marketing, advertising or generalised market research. Cant we already opt out of targeted ads? Online marketplaces do claim to allow choices about personalised advertising or marketing communications. Unfortunately, these are worth little in terms of privacy protection. says you can opt out of seeing targeted advertising. It does not say you can opt out of all data collection for advertising and marketing purposes. Similarly, eBay lets you opt out of being shown targeted ads. But the later passages of its Cookie Notice state: your data may still be collected as described in our User Privacy Notice. This gives eBay the right to continue to collect data about you from data brokers, and to share them with a range of third parties. Many retailers and large digital platforms operating in Australia justify their collection of consumer data from third parties on the basis youve already given your implied consent to the third parties disclosing it. That is, theres some obscure term buried in the thousands of words of privacy policies that supposedly apply to you, which says that Bunnings, for instance, can share data about you with various related companies. Of course, Bunnings didnt highlight this term, let alone give you a choice in the matter, when you ordered your hedge cutter last year. It only included a Policies link at the foot of its website; the term was on another web page, buried in the detail of its Privacy Policy. Such terms should ideally be eradicated entirely. But in the meantime, we can turn the tap off on this unfair flow of data, by stipulating that online retailers cannot obtain such data about you from a third party without your express, active and unequivocal request. Who should be bound by an anti-snooping rule? While the focus of this article is on online marketplaces covered by the ACCC inquiry, many other companies have similar third-party data collection terms, including Woolworths, Coles, major banks, and digital platforms such as and Read more: Here's how tech giants profit from invading our privacy, and how we can start taking it back While some argue users of free services like and should expect some surveillance as part of the deal, this should not extend to asking other companies about you without your active consent. The anti-snooping rule should clearly apply to any website selling a product or service. With lockdowns barring many of us from visiting physical shops, we should be able to make purchases online without being unwittingly roped into a companys advertising side hustle. Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW, UNSW This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. on Tuesday said its focus on bringing innovative smartphones at different price points has helped the company log "profitable, hyper growth", and it aims to grow "at least in triple digits" in the Indian market over the coming quarters. Speaking with PTI, Executive Director (Asia-Pacific) Prashanth Mani said the pandemic has had varying impact on different industries. "For the whole (smartphone) industry and specifically for and Lenovo, I think we have seen a lot of hyper growth to our business overall. "Last quarter, we finished at 64 per cent revenue growth in Motorola globally and this has not just happened in one region or two, we have seen very high double-digit or triple-digit growth in all the geos across Motorola," he said. In Latin America, Motorola had about 21.2 per cent market share its highest ever. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific have registered five consecutive quarters of profitable growth. EMEA revenue grew 42 per cent year-on-year, while that from APAC was up 161 per cent y-o-y. "In India, we've had three consecutive quarters of more than 300 per cent y-o-y growth. Last quarter, we had a 349 per cent growth in revenue, profitable growth. "We've grown 235 per cent faster than the market, we call it premium to market that is a key metric for us," Mani said. In volumes terms, the company saw 351 per cent y-o-y growth in the June 2021 quarter. "We are seeing very strong performance across regions, across markets, specifically in India. "Our aim is to grow at least in triple digits, and obviously, I think we are saying that the market is not going to grow at triple digits. So, we will be gaining shares every month, every quarter," Mani said. He added that the company is focussed on growing much faster than the market and growing profitably. Asked about factors that have helped Motorola register such strong growth, Mani said the company is focussed on "bringing in innovations which are at different price points", which is the fundamental core belief of Motorola. Demand for smartphones and PCs have soared across the globe amid the pandemic as people embraced work and study from home. The April-June quarter saw the Indian smartphone market clocking 86 per cent year-on-year growth to reach about 34 million units. Xiaomi led the market with a 29.2 per cent market share, followed by Samsung (16.3 per cent), Vivo (14.8 per cent), Realme (14.5 per cent) and Oppo (11.6 per cent) in the June 2021 quarter, as per data from research firm IDC. Motorola, on Tuesday, also launched two new devices -- to strengthen its position in the mid-premium segment. These Made-in-India additions to the 'edge' franchise feature sleek and premium designs, powerful processors, 108 MP cameras, 10-bit AMOLED displays, up-to 135G band support and innovation through the 'Ready for' software platform. The 'edge 20 fusion' is priced Rs 21,499 onwards, while 'edge20' will be available for Rs 29,999. Both smartphones will be available in India later this month. (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.) Electronics was the world's largest curved monitor vendor in the second quarter of the year, a report showed on Tuesday, although its shipments decreased sharply from a quarter earlier. had a market share of 32 percent in the April-June period after shipping 1.09 million curved monitors, according to market researcher TrendForce. AOC/Philips, owned by TPV Technology Ltd., was the runner-up with a 12 percent market share with 410,000 units. Micro-Star International Co. and Dell Inc. took the third and fourth spots, respectively, with 10 percent and 8 percent market shares. Despite retaining the top position, Samsung's second-quarter curved monitor shipments were down 21 percent from a quarter earlier as its affiliate and the world's biggest curved monitor panel supplier, Display Co. (SDC), reduced the production of LCD monitors, TrendForce added. AOC/Philips, which also relies on Samsung Display's panel supply, saw a 36 percent on-quarter drop in its curved monitor shipments in the second quarter. The overall curved monitor shipments in the second quarter were down 6.1 percent from a quarter earlier to 3.41 million units, reports Yonhap news agency. On the other hand, companies like LG Electronics (LGE) Inc. and Acer Inc. saw their curved monitor shipments rise 110 percent and 47 percent, respectively. "LGE, in particular, did not procure panels from SDC at all," TrendForce said. "Instead, these aforementioned companies have mostly been sourcing panels from AUO or CSOT for their newly released curved monitors, meaning they will be relatively unaffected by SDC's shuttering going forward." TrendForce expected the global curved monitor shipments in 2021 to reach about 15.6 million units, up 10 percent from a year earlier. But its annual growth should be down from 37 percent in 2020. "As countries begin to lift pandemic-related restrictions following increased vaccinations in Europe and the U.S. in 2H21, consumer demand generated by the stay-at-home economy has undergone a noticeable slowdown as well," it said. --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.) New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI/NewsVoir): India's leading Cyber Security consulting firm, Panacea Infosec Private Limited along with Panacea Bioedge Private Limited partner with Healmed Solutions LLC, a leading Mental Health Care technology company from USA to launch India's first Artificial Intelligence based digital, touch-free, voice-enabled Mental Health Care technology platform 'Panacea Healmed'. Panacea Healmed's Mental Health Care assessments introduced for Health Care Institutions, Corporates, Educational Institutions and Social Enterprises in India through its proprietary technology platform, provides individuals with direct access to clinical assessments that support risk and diagnosis, provide an immediate connection to care that allows individuals to self-manage and create responsive coping mechanisms through the delivery of personalized therapeutic support. There is huge demand for Mental Health Care services in India. WHO estimates that the burden of mental health problems in India is 2443 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100 000 population and the age-adjusted suicide rate per 100 000 population is 21.1. The economic loss due to mental health conditions, between 2012-2030, is estimated at USD 1.03 trillion. A large segment of the population is struggling with mental or behavioural health issues associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including anxiety, depression, increased substance use, and suicidal thoughts. Panacea Healmed's Mental Health Care platform provides support around various mental health issues, personalized care pathways and valuable preventive insights for Health Care Institutions, Corporate and Social Organisations. This in turn provides better access to care, improved holistic treatment options to better manage mental health and wellness of the affected populace. Megha Sharma, Co-founder and CEO of Panacea Healmed has been on a mission to transform Mental Health Care delivery and make it accessible to the common man. She brings this innovative platform through a collaboration between Panacea Infosec, a leading Information Security Consulting firm in India and Healmed Solutions LLC, a US-based Mental Health Care Innovation company. The platform is currently utilized by Employers, Therapists and Educational Institutions and offers a continuity of care program that effectively blends the supported intervention with technology, artificial intelligence, and human touch. This is accomplished through a suite of proprietary digital tools that are designed by Clinicians and grounded in Artificial Intelligence that is proven to positively impact outcomes. Megha Sharma, Co-founder and CEO of Panacea Healmed stated, "We are pleased to announce the Joint Initiative of Panacea Infosec and Healmed Solutions LLC, to transform Mental Health Care delivery in India. Both the organisations have excellent track records in their respective domains and have created successful collaborations. We look forward to working together to unlock the huge potential in Mental Health Care services." Dr Nidhi Goel, Co-founder of Panacea Healmed and Founder & MD of Healmed Solutions LLC commented, "We have an aggressive multi-pronged Indian expansion plan for Mental Health Care services. We recognize the significant opportunity and need for mental health support in India and can support Health Care Organisations, Corporates, Educational Institutions and NGOs to better manage the mental health needs of the people. With Panacea Infosec's local presence, expertise and infrastructure in place, we expect to see significant growth in India as we continue with the integration of our solutions." Panacea Infosec, a winner of Deloitte Technology Fast 50 India 2020 Award, is a leading Information Security Consulting firm in India which has established itself as an authority in the field of cyber security consulting and auditing business. Panacea Infosec specializes in providing professional Information Security Services to Government and Private Organisations and is one of the 28 credible PCI QSA companies across the globe having representation at the PCI SSC GEAR Committee (Global Executive Assessor Roundtable). Panacea Bioedge Pvt Ltd is a Research and Development-based company working on a platform to understand psychology of human resources working in different sectors. The platform would enable corporates to understand and manage stress levels of individuals working in their organization. Healed Solutions is a leading US-based Mental Health Care company. As part of its mission to improve psychiatric care, Healmed has built and tested models for data-driven triage, treatment, decision-making, and outcomes to help Health Care Professionals and Patients manage their day-to-day challenges. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo: The Canadian Press A hospital in southwestern Haiti, where a powerful earthquake flattened homes, shops and other buildings over the weekend, was so overwhelmed with patients that many had to lie in patios, corridors, verandas and hallways. Then a looming storm that could bring heavy rains Monday night forced officials to relocate them as best they could given the hospitals poor conditions. Even those patients were somewhat fortunate. Haitis Civil Protection Agency on Monday raised the death toll from Saturdays earthquake to 1,419 and the number of injured to 6,000, many of whom have had to wait under the burning heat, even on an airport tarmac, for help. We had planned to put up tents (in hospital patios), but we were told that could not be safe, said Gede Peterson, director of Les Cayes General Hospital. It is not the first time that staff has been forced to improvise. The refrigeration in the hospitals morgue has not worked for three months, but after the earthquake struck Saturday, staff had to store as many as 20 bodies in the small space. Relatives quickly came to take most to private embalming services or immediate burial. By Monday only three bodies were in the morgue. The quake, centered about 125 kilometers (80 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, nearly razed some towns and triggered landslides that hampered rescue efforts in a country that is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti already was struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, gang violence, worsening poverty and the political uncertainty following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise when the earthquake sent residents rushing to the streets. And the devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Depression Grace, predicted to reach Haiti on Monday night with strong winds, heavy rain, mudslides and flash flooding. Rainfall could reach 15 inches (38 centimeters) in some areas, the agency said. We are working now to ensure that the resources we have are going to get to the places that are hardest hit, said agency head Jerry Chandler, referring to the towns of Les Cayes and Jeremie and the department of Nippes, which are in the countrys southwestern portion. Injured earthquake victims continued to stream into Les Cayes overwhelmed general hospital, three days after the earthquake struck. Patients waited to be treated on stair steps, in corridors and the hospitals open veranda. After two days, they are almost always generally infected, said Dr. Paurus Michelete, who had treated 250 patients and was one of only three doctors on call when the quake hit. Meanwhile, rescuers and scrap metal scavengers dug into the floors of a collapsed hotel Monday in this coastal town, where 15 bodies had already been extracted. Jean Moise Fortune, whose brother, the hotel owner and a prominent politician, was killed in the quake, believed there were more people trapped in the rubble. But based on the size of voids that workers cautiously peered into, perhaps a foot (0.3 meters) in depth, finding survivors appeared unlikely. As work, fuel and money ran out, desperate Les Cayes residents searched collapsed houses for scrap metal to sell. Others waited for money wired from abroad, a mainstay of Haitis economy even before the quake. Anthony Emile waited six hours in a line with dozens of others trying to get money his brother had wired from Chile, where he has worked since Haitis last quake. We have been waiting since morning for it, but there are too many people, said Emile, a banana farmer who said relatives in the countryside depend on him giving them money to survive. Efforts to treat the injured were difficult at the general hospital, where Michelete said pain killers, analgesics and steel pins to mend fractures were running out amid the crush of patients. We are saturated, and people keep coming, he said. Iran cement production capacity tops 88Mta in FY20-21 17 August 2021 Irans nominal cement production capacity totalled 88Mta in FY20-21, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade (MIMT). Meanwhile, total cement production over the last year was 69.3Mt, of which 15Mt was exported to Iraq, Afghanistan and some Southeast Asian countries and 64Mt was used locally, stated MIMT. More than 70 cement factories were operational in Iran, which produced 27 types of cement, of which Type II and V are the most popular. Published under BlueSky Tennessee Institute has chosen Melissa Graham to serve as student success manager for its program, a workforce development venture with East Tennessee State University offering a bachelors degree in computing in just over two years. Ms. Graham is a former middle and high school counselor and university student support expert who most recently served as coordinator of community schools for Hamilton County Schools. She brings more than a decade of successful student support and community engagement to this new role, with experience in team building and mentorship as well as outreach at both the secondary and college level. Our program will be challenging, and Melissa will take the lead on ensuring students thrive, Bradley Leon, executive director of the BlueSky Tennessee Institute, said. With her guidance, well help driven, talented students realize their dreams of a career in tech.A Scenic City native, Ms. Graham earned a bachelor of science in psychology and a master of education in school counseling from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She serves as a United Way volunteer advocate, a member of the Girls Leadership Summit steering committee and as a board member of the nonprofit GirlStance."BlueSky Tennessee Institute is designed to foster locally the advanced technology talent BlueCross needs to serve customers, communities and business partners," officials said. "And the need extends beyond BlueCross: state data shows theres roughly a 4-to-1 disparity in terms of jobs from employers that require an IT background compared to Tennessee college and university graduates with those degrees."Students will follow an accelerated version of ETSUs renowned computing curriculum while gaining real-world experience with internships and technology mentorships. Then, qualified graduates can earn a job offer from BlueCross."The program will welcome its first students to the BlueCross headquarters on Cameron Hill in summer 2022, and applications are open through Dec. 15." Learn more and access the application at etsu.edu/bluesky. When Cobra Kai brings Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) back for season 4, it will have almost everyone from The Karate Kid. Hilary Swank is the last one on the list. Of course, one important cast member died before Cobra Kai began. The show continues to honor Mr. Miyagi star Pat Morita, and even Griffith has fond memories of working with him. Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid | Columbia Pictures/Getty Images Griffith was a guest on the Cobra Kai Kompanion podcast on July 30 to preview his return in season 4. When the hosts asked him about working on The Karate Kid Part III, Griffith shared his memories of Morita. Before his Cobra Kai return, Pat Morita supported Thomas Ian Griffith in The Karate Kid Part III Terry Silver was an old Vietnam War buddy of John Kreese (Martin Kove). Silver helped Kreese get revenge on Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) for beating Cobra Kai in the All Valley Karate Tournament. Mr. Miyagi didnt want to train Daniel for a rematch, so Silver tricked Daniel into training with him. Miyagi eventually stepped in. Although they were adversaries in The Karate Kid Part III, Griffith said Morita welcomed him into the film. RELATED: Cobra Kai: Were Karate Kid Stars Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita Friends in Real Life? He was so kind, so generous and so welcoming, Griffith said. It just made me feel so at home. Funny as hell off set but really made it such a great experience. It was a great way to start, your first feature. Youre doing this over the top maniacal character but theres something that, that energy you get caught up in. They just, especially Pat was just go for it. He was so supportive. Like I said, super great guy. Thomas Ian Griffith did reunite with Ralph Macchio in Cobra Kai Griffith also told the podcast that he was the same age as Macchio in The Karate Kid Part III. Macchio was 27 still playing a high school kid, and Griffith was 27-28 playing a Vietnam veteran. Macchio has since expressed regrets over the second sequel, but Griffith recalled playing the over the top villain. We were laughing about what are we doing, how do we figure this out, how do we figure out this relationship? Griffith said. Then when cameras were rolling, we just went for it. Griffith wouldnt spoil their interaction in season 4, but confirmed they do have scenes together in Cobra Kai. Thomas Ian Griffith | Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images RELATED: Cobra Kai Season 4: Terry Silver Actor Thomas Ian Griffith Had Retired From Acting Before Reprising His Role Cut to 30 years later when I walked on set, because I hadnt seen Ralph, our paths havent crossed in all these years, Griffith said. To just see them on set at Cobra Kai was just so bizarre. Were just looking at each other smiling. The Karate Kid Part III was a good experience for Thomas Ian Griffith Griffith said he remembers more of the general feeling he had making The Karate Kid Part III than any specifics. He said that feeling returned when he appeared on Cobra Kai. You get this feeling that you go oh, this was a good experience with this person, Griffith said. I dont remember a lot but I remember this was a real positive thing. I walked away saying Im happy Im here. Karate Kid trilogy screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen also remained friends with Griffith. Griffith still remembers his costars well, though. To be working with people like Pat Morita and Ralph and Marty, I was the outsider and they were just so welcoming, Griffith said. It was like okay, we can do anything. Source: Cobra Kai Kompanion podcast Ina Garten is best known for her Food Network series of shows titled The Barefoot Contessa. However, when she began her career in the food industry, she was not the culinary superstar viewers of the long-running series have come to know and love. Garten had a completely different job before owning and operating a small storefront business located in the Hamptons, New York. She took a chance on buying the property, but not without some reservations. Ina Garten | Brad Barket/Getty Images Ina and Jeffrey Garten | Jim Spellman/WireImage Garten was living in Washington D.C. with her husband Jeffrey when she saw an ad for a small specialty food shop in The New York Times. She had recently completed a job working for the Office of Management and Budget on nuclear energy issues for The White House, according to Indie Bound, and was searching for a new challenge. After four years, I realized that although I was working on projects that were $20 billion in size, nothing had happened in four years. I needed to run something that I owned and that I could make my own decisions with, she said, looking back at her career twist. Ina Garten fell in love at first sight with the tiny shop Ina Garten | Jeff Neira/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images RELATED: Barefoot Contessa: Ina Garten Once Revealed the First Meal She Ever Made and Why She Chose Something So Difficult It was 1978 when the Stamford, Connecticut native, came across an ad in the Business Opportunities section of The New York Times, which advertised the property as up for sale. She and Jeffrey traveled to the 400 square foot specialty food store in Westhampton Beach, New York, to look at the property, reported People Magazine. There was one problem, Garten had no idea how to run a store. Nor did she have any professional food experience. It was terrifying, she admitted. While it wasnt $50 billion government budgets, it was only $50, but it was my $50. My financial life was on the line, and I loved that, Garten claimed of the decision to make a bid on the property. I love to jump off the cliff and figure out how to fly on my way down. Ina Garten put in a low offer and to her surprise and fear, it was accepted Ina Garten | Discovery Press Web RELATED: What Ina Garten Loved About Working at the Barefoot Contessa Store After seeing The Barefoot Contessa and deciding this was the next step in her professional career, Garten made a low offer for the property despite her fears of the uncertainty of owning and operating a food-based business. I had no idea at the time how to run a business or how to buy food wholesale, but I knew this was for me. I made what I thought was a low offer I believed Id have time to rethink while we negotiated and we drove back to Washington. The owner called the next day and accepted the offer! she exclaimed to Indie Bound. Forty-three years later, the names Barefoot Contessa and Ina Garten have become intertwined thanks to the popularity of the brand she has created as the author of a dozen cookbooks and as the host of a Food Network series of shows over the past 17 years. Ina Garten thought her first day was a disaster Ina Garten | Jeff Neira/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images In an Instagram post shared in May 2021, Garten honored the anniversary of her ownership of The Barefoot Contessa store. She posted a photograph of the tiny brick and mortar business and attached a lengthy caption where she spoke of her first day on the job. 43 years ago today, I started my career in food in this tiny (400 square foot!) specialty food store in Westhampton Beach, NY. OMG, its been a crazy and fun ride!! Garten penned. Thank you to all the friends and customers who taught me so much along the way. The first day in the store, we grossed $87 (before expenses!), and we thought it was a disaster. But Friday was Memorial Day weekend (in the Hamptons!), which turned out to be a very different story. We stayed up cooking and baking all night, and I remember thinking how happy I was!! she shared. Johnny Depp has had a rough few years. Since his now ex-wife Amber Heard accused him of severe domestic violence, hes sued both Heard for defamation and The Sun for referring to him as a wife beater. Now, in a new interview, hes accusing Hollywood of boycotting him. Amber Heard accused Johnny Depp of physical abuse in 2016 Johnny Depp arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England | Samir Hussein/WireImage Just one year into their marriage in 2016, Amber Heard filed for divorce from the Pirates of the Caribbean actor and accused him of domestic violence. According to Insider, the couple met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2009 and began seriously dating in 2012. They became engaged in 2014 and were married in a private island ceremony in 2015. It was, by all accounts, a gorgeous affair. Johnny Depps children with former love Vanessa Paradis, Jack and Lily-Rose, were in attendance, and Heard wore a dress by Stella McCartney. The ceremony was performed on the beach of Depps private island in the Bahamas. It was all over within a year, with a $7 million settlement (which, according to People, Heard donated to charity) and the two issuing a statement reading, Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love, the statement said. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. But the drama didnt end when the divorce was finalized in 2017. Heard published a 2018 piece in the Washington Post saying that she was abused (without naming Depp). Her op-ed was titled I spoke up against sexual violence and faced our cultures wrath. That has to change. It stated in part that she became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our cultures wrath for women who speak out. The Sun subsequently referred to Johnny Depp as a wife-beater, touching off a flurry of suits by Depp. One was a $50 million defamation suit against Heard herself, and the other was a UK libel suit against the publisher of The Sun. The proceedings opened up more opportunities for the allegations to continue, and Depp wound up accusing Heard of abuse. Depps lawyers argued that it was clear Heard was referring to Depp in her article and accused her of attempting to drum up publicity. Heard tried to have the defamation suit dismissed, but its still ongoing. The Sun prevailed in court, satisfactorily proving that their label for Depp was justified. In a recent interview, Johnny Depp accused Hollywood of boycotting him Shortly after the courts ruled against Depp in The Sun case, Depp was asked to resign from Fantastic Beasts 3. Which may be the very reasons he told The Sunday Times that Hollywood had waged a boycott against him. Referring to Hollywoods boycott of, erm, me, he appeared to have also explained how he is handling his current situation. One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years? he said to the newspaper. But, you know, Im moving towards where I need to go to make all that To bring things to light. Johnny Depp categorically denied Amber Heards allegations Throughout the six-year saga, Depp has categorically denied any abuse toward Amber Heard. In November, following his resignation from Fantastic Beasts 3, Depp took to social media to speak directly to the public. My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false, Depp wrote in part via Instagram. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time. Except, perhaps, for the moment in which Hollywood boycotted him. RELATED: HBO Documentary Series Exposes Harvey Weinsteins Villainous Character How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. TLCs Welcome to Plathville stars Kim and Barry Plath alongside their large brood of nine children. Kim and Barry are Christian fundamentalists, meaning they interpret the Bible very literally, leave their family size up to god, and are devout to their religious practices. Fans of Welcome to Plathville have raised questions over what Kim and Barry do for a living and how they are able to support their large family. While the Plaths portray themselves as living a humble Christian life, their lifestyle is a lot less humble than they try to let on. Read on to learn more about Kim and Barry and Barry Plaths net worth and whats on the horizon for the Plath family. Meet Kim and Barry Plath from TLCs Welcome to Plathville Kim and Barry Plath from TLCs Welcome to Plathville. | TLC Fans of Welcome to Plathville know Barry Plath as the head of the Plath family and Kim Plath as the neck that turns the head. These conservative Christian parents raise their large brood in rural Georgia. According to People, Barry and Kim have nine children, including: Ethan, Hosanna, Micah, Moriah, Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia, and Mercy. Sadly, their 10th child, Joshua, died in a tragic farm accident in 2008. Joshua was just 17 months old at the time of his death. Like many conservative Christian families represented on TLC, the Plaths are known for their very restrictive lifestyle. However, the restrictions they place on their children seem to shock even those in their own community. Some restrictions placed on the Plath children are that they are not allowed to watch television, are given very limited access to computers, and are not allowed to have sugary drinks. The Plaths oldest son, Ethan, is seen having his first-ever soda onscreen when he is on his honeymoon. Ethans, and some of the other older childrens, access to the secular world is a point of contention with Barry and Kim seen on many episodes of Welcome to Plathville. What is Kim and Barry Plaths net worth? "If you don't have it growing up, or if you can't have it, then you just want it really bad." Moriah is getting her first taste of freedom (and cotton candy) tonight at 10/9c on #WelcomeToPlathville! pic.twitter.com/jfqtKqzlMv TLC Network (@TLC) November 13, 2019 With such a large family, many fans of Welcome to Plathville instantly wondered how Kim and Barry have been able to support them all throughout the years. According to Screen Rant, Kim and Barry have made quite a good living for themselves, as they both had their own careers for most of their marriage. Barry has worked as a transportation planner for URS Transportation for over two decades, and Kim has worked as a naturopathic doctor for a number of years. While these incomes have allowed them to provide for their family over the years, Barry and Kim have been able to earn much more than their average salaries in recent years. While they still try to maintain the image of a humble Christian lifestyle, Kim and Barry Plath have amassed a net worth of over $3 million through their recent reality TV contracts. Along with their earned income and their reality TV money, Barry and Kim also make money by renting out their farmhouse, which sits on 55 acres, on Airbnb. While Barry and Kims finances arent as humble as they make them out to be, they havent let their newfound wealth go to their head either, as they both have maintained their jobs throughout filming for Welcome to Plathville. What should viewers expect from season 3 of Welcome to Plathville? The Plaths have experienced a multitude of changes since the first season of Welcome to Plathville began airing in late 2019. One of the biggest changes for Kim and Barry has been watching their older children move out and make their own life choices. While their oldest two children, Ethan and Hosanna, initially left the family home on good terms, things havent stayed peaceful as the older Plath children are no longer under their parents thumb. Along with Ethan and Hosanna out of the house, so are the next two oldest children Micah and Moriah. However, unlike Ethan and Hosanna, Micah and Moriah were kicked out of the Plaths home for rebelling against their parents. Season 3 of Welcome to Plathville, set to premiere on Aug. 17, 2021, is stacking up to be an entertaining season as the older Plath kids go head to head with Barry and Kim. RELATED: Are Ethan and Olivia Plath Getting Divorced? The Welcome to Plathville Stars Are Working Through a Lot Right Now Prince Andrew is facing a lawsuit from Virginia Roberts Giuffre in the wake of her sexual assault claims against him. Guiffres lawyers filed the civil suit in Manhattan federal court on August 9, marking the first time that she has taken legal action since making her allegations against the Duke of York, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell nearly two years ago. According to Giuffres filing, the royal raped her three times starting when she was a child. Prince Andrew, Duke of York | Christopher Furlong WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Andrew isnt above the law, says Virginia Roberts Giuffre According to Fox News, Giuffres lawsuit alleges that Andrew, 61, engaged in sexual acts with her knowing hold she was, and without her consent. She also claims to be a sex-trafficking victim and is suing under the Child Victims Act. Giuffre claims that this extreme and outrageous conduct continues to cause her significant emotional and psychological distress and harm more than 20 years after the alleged incidents took place. In this country, no person, whether president or prince, is above the law, and no person, no matter how powerless or vulnerable, can be deprived of the laws protection, the filing reads. Holding the Duke of York accountable In a statement, Giuffre says that the purpose of her lawsuit which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages is to hold Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to her. As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him, Giuffre wrote. I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. She hopes that other victims will see that its possible not to live in silence and fear. Instead, she says its possible to reclaim ones life by speaking out and demanding justice. I did not come to this decision lightly, Giuffre continued. As a mother and a wife, my family comes first and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down. Prince Andrew is facing disaster in Giuffres lawsuit, according to expert According to The New York Post, Prince Andrew cant be extradited to the United States to answer the lawsuit because this is a civil case, not a criminal one. However, legal experts say that the son of Queen Elizabeth is facing a final reputational ruin no matter how he responds. With his protection from extradition, the chances of Andrew returning to the United States on his own to face these accusations are nil, says royal commenter Richard Fitzwilliams. RELATED: Prince Andrew May Never Recover from the Jeffrey Epstein Scandal According to Royal Expert Melanie Bromley (Exclusive) This case will bring more embarrassment for him and for the royal family as is anything to do with Andrew and Epstein, Fitzwilliams noted. Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she was just 17 when it happened Giuffre who is now 38 says that when she was just 17 years old, the prince abused her on multiple occasions. During each act, she says she was given express or implied threats by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Andrew to engage in sexual acts with the prince. The lawsuit said that Giuffre feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying the trio because of their powerful connections, wealth, and authority. Giuffre claims that on one occasion, Prince Andrew raped her at Maxwells London home. She says that more abuse took place at Epsteins New York Mansion, as well as at Epsteins private island in the US Virgin Islands. Prince Andrew and Buckingham Palace have vehemently denied the allegations Neither the Duke of York nor Buckingham Palace has commented about the lawsuit. However, they have both denied Giuffres allegations in the past. It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts, the palace said in a statement. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation. RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Wont Consider Allowing Prince Andrew to Return to Royal Life For a Second Royal Experts Claim The statement continued: The Duke of York unequivocally regrets his ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. Epsteins suicide left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims. The Duke deeply sympathizes with those affected who want some form of closure. In September 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma struck Barbuda, forcing residents to evacuate to the neighboring island of Antigua and rendering Barbuda uninhabitable. Only ten days later, another hurricane, Maria, passed just south of Antigua, battering it with wind and rain on its way to also becoming a Category 5 storm. Antigua and Barbudas director of the Department of Environment, Ambassador Diann Black-Layne, told The New York Times that the carbon output of developed nations is a significant cause of the intense storms. But she said the island nation is too small to improve the problem on its own. Instead, she offered a surprising action plan. Black-Layne told reporter Michael Barbaro, We pray. We are God-fearing people, and we believe in forgiveness, and we believe in praying. And we believe that God will intercede on our behalf. Im telling you; prayer is powerful. The Lord does promise to hear her cries (Ex. 22:2124). And if God hears those cries, so should his people. Too many Christians (and non-Christians) think about climate change as primarily a political or an economic issue. But it is also a spiritual issue that requires a biblical approach. The Bible actually has a lot to say about human-caused climate change. The Old Testament, in particular, chronicles Gods efforts to order a societys energies to his glory and documents that societys failure to abide by that order. Biblical teaching should lead Christians to anticipate human-caused climate change. It should incline them to respect the evidence of todays climate crisis, even if they come to differing conclusions about how to interpret that evidence. And perhaps most importantly, the Bible teaches shows ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. Movements to legalize marijuana are spreading across the country, changing laws and causing millions of Americans to reassess their convictions. With pots popularity on the rise, what should Christians say in response? Todd Miles, professor of theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, tackles this complicated question in Cannabis and the Christian: What the Bible Says about Marijuana. Pastor and writer Nathaniel Williams spoke with Miles about the relevant moral principles and medical facts. Why did you write a book about marijuana? This is a pastoral issue that my church has faced. I am on the elder board, and shortly after marijuana was legalized in Washington State, one of our congregants asked, Is marijuana okay? We realized at that point that the typical answerNo, its against the lawwould no longer suffice. We knew we had to start thinking about the topic like Christians for a change. I put together some thoughts and presented them at a pastors conference, and the room was packed. This experience showed me that the church was really looking for wisdom and guidance. Since then, Ive given this presentation all over the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, and Ive also developed a talk on medical marijuana. In some peoples minds, the issues surrounding recreational and medical marijuana are basically the same. But others distinguish between them, and thats the approach I take. The marijuana legalization movement is spreading rapidly across the country. Why do you think this is happening? America is losing some of its traditional values and concerns over drugs like marijuana. Weve entered a confusing moment where some ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. A 23-year-old refugee from Syria was surprised when an aid worker told her that he had a special fund to help her. The Jordanian Christian said he could provide her with more than the mattress, coat, cookstove, and gas bottles that the others got from the local Christian and Missionary Alliance church. Maybe a washing machine. Or even a flat-screen TV. When he came to her home after midnight with a special delivery, she understood the man wanted something in return. He touched my hand and tried to kiss me, the woman said in an Arabic statement obtained by Christianity Today. I pulled back. . . . After that, there was no help from the church. The Jordanian churchs refugee aid program was given hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for seven years by more than half a dozen international Christian aid agencies and scores of North American churches. Neither the churches nor the aid organizations appear to have ever checked to see whether their local partner had any policies to protect vulnerable women against sexual exploitation. The church did not have a reporting mechanism for abuse complaints, unless refugees wanted to go to the pastor of the church, who is the brother of the accused man. Leaders at the church had been hearing this for years. Pastors did nothing for years, an American Christian woman who has worked in the area for more than a decade told CT. She spoke on the condition that her identity be concealed because she works for a Christian organization that hopes to continue partnering with the church. It got to be common knowledge amongst the Syrians. They would say, If you want help from the church, send your young, pretty girls, she said. ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. As voting rights take center stage in Americas national conversation, a new biography of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer speaks with special relevance. Walk with Me, written by historian and biographer Kate Clifford Larson, serves at once as a history of the civil rights movement and a rebuke to ballot-restriction efforts sweeping the nation. Accessible and moving, Larsons account offers historys best giftscontext and complexityto readers who want a better grasp of the trajectory of voting rights in our nations past. Americas civil rights story often reads as the tale of great leaders, extraordinary unity, and heroic corrective legislation. But Hamers story demands that we rethink these narratives. Her life highlights the role of sharecroppers, women, students, and poor people who wanted, in her words, to live as decent human beings. Rather than marching together in unity, they struggled through deep and ongoing disagreements about the best way to achieve their goals, and they endured unspeakable danger and harassment. As for corrective legislation, Larsons account demonstrates how new federal measures required unrelenting follow-up at the local level. Born to Mississippi sharecroppers in 1917, Hamer seemed destined for a life that differed little from that of her parents. With only a sixth-grade education, she worked as a timekeeper on a cotton plantation in Sunflower County, Mississippi. Inspired by young people working with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Hamer took the first courageous steps on a new trajectory when she and other Sunflower County Blacks tried unsuccessfully to register to vote in the summer of 1962. 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. As most Americans absorbed the shock of the Talibans full takeover of Afghanistan over the weekend, officials at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service followed the rapidly deteriorating situation with resignation, knowing it could have gone differently. In May, leaders at LIRS, one of several faith-based agencies contracted with the US government to resettle refugees in the United States, sent a letter to the Biden administration requesting it remove Afghan civilians (and their families) who have worked with the US before its planned troop withdrawal. Anyone familiar with the bureaucratic maze that is the countrys Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process knew the State Department visa office wouldnt be agile enough to respond to the urgent need for evacuations, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president and CEO of LIRS. Weve been screaming from the rooftops for months now that we need to get these allies to Guam or another US territory, Vignarajah said. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from RNS. The US began evacuating Afghans in the final stages of the SIV process about a month ago before canceling additional flights out of Kabul because of security concerns, according to Jenny Yang, senior vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, another one of the faith-based organizations that partners with the US government on refugee resettlement. In June, most of those organizationsincluding LIRS, World Relief, Church World Service (CWS), the Episcopal Church (which resettles refugees through Episcopal Migration Ministries), and HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society)urged President Joe Biden to implement plans to evacuate Afghan translators, soldiers, cultural advisers, embassy clerks, and others who have worked with American armed forces, media or nonprofits, and allies and to authorize as many SIVs as necessary to make that possible. But as the Taliban invaded the presidential palace in Kabul this weekend, two decades after it was ousted from the Afghan capital by the US military, many who remain in the country fear they will be targeted by the Taliban if it is discovered that they aided the US. Its not only devastating to witness, Yang said, but also disappointing to see how many people are left in a very vulnerable state because of the quick control of Afghanistan by the Taliban and the limited capacities we have as a government to be able to evacuate our allies. She said about 18,000 Afghans are still in the middle of the SIV process. About 2,000 Afghans eligible for such visas and their families so far have been evacuated through the US Operation Allies Rescue, Biden said Monday afternoon (August 16). In his address to the nation, the president said he was aware of concerns that the US did not begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner. Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave early, still hopeful for their country. And part of it is because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence, he said. In an email to RNS afterward, Vignarajah of LIRS called the claim that Afghans did not want to leave the country misleading at best. We have been in touch with countless SIV recipients who have been desperate to leave Afghanistan for months and have not been able to due to insufficient financial resources and inadequate flight accessibility through international organizations, she said. Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, expressed similar frustration with Bidens explanation. He is blaming the victim, Hetfield told RNS via text message on Monday. Most SIVs couldnt get through the 14-step, years-long bureaucratic obstacle course for SIVs. The process looks like it was designed to keep people out of the United States, not rescue them. And the [US government] had lots of time to put systems in place to facilitate refugee resettlement without sparking an exodus. They didnt make the effort and that is inexcusable. In a separate interview, Hetfield said he was sickened by the situation in Kabul and suggested there was plenty of blame to go around. This should have been planned for 20 years ago, he said. It was three successive administrationsand then a fourththat failed to put a plan in place to rescue people who are vulnerable because of their associations with allied forces. That to me is sickening and heartbreaking. Even so, the HIAS president noted he does not think the Biden administration should have rushed forward with a troop withdrawal without first developing a robust refugee evacuation plan. In addition, he argued that even as the White House took actions to aid Afghan refugees in recent weeks, their efforts were plagued with obstacles. State Department officials announced in early August that the agency would broaden Afghan access to the US beyond the restrictions of the SIV program, he said, creating a priority 2 or P2 designation that couldat least on paperinclude thousands of Afghans who worked for US-funded projects, nongovernmental groups and US-based media outlets. But the program does not offer evacuation flights: In order to access it, applicants must leave Afghanistan on their own before applying for US refugee status, a process that can take at least 12 to 14 months. Hetfield said getting out of Afghanistan was already challenging two weeks ago, and even if refugees made it out, they could land in Irana nation that has taken many Afghan refugees over the years but where the US does not have any capacity to process visa claims. It was impractical when it was introducedimpractical is a kind word for itand now its impossible, he said. Erol Kekic, senior vice president of CWSs immigration and refugee program, agreed. He equated the program to telling somebody that theres another way out, but its going to take forever for you to get there. Kekic added that its important to keep the P2 program in place but that it amounts to few realistic opportunities for those seeking passage out of Afghanistan and into the US. Challenges remain for faith communities willing to help, too: Some CWS sites have been overwhelmed by SIVs who have arrived all at once, partly because the US refugee resettlement apparatus was decimated under the previous Trump administration, he said. Still, support for the refugees among those communities is robust, according to Kekic. Bill Canny, executive director of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops office of Migration and Refugee Service, said his group has already helped resettle some 1,000 Afghans with SIVs in the US this year. In addition, representatives from his group, LIRS, CWS, and others have spent the past few weeks helping Afghan refugees at Fort Lee in Virginia, lending legal aid and medical assistance. World Relief has been ramping up its efforts to welcome arriving Afghans at its offices in Sacramento, Seattle, and elsewhere. And Bethany Christian Services, which resettles refugees across the country in partnership with a number of faith-based agencies, said in a written statement it is ready and able to welcome more Afghan refugees and SIV recipients. Meanwhile, planes abruptly stopped arriving at Fort Lee over the weekend, and while some of the visa processing work has shifted to Kabul, refugee groups say theyre unsure when flights to Fort Lee will resume. Biden has said the US mission now is to get its people and its allies out of Afghanistan as quickly and safely as possible, concluding the countrys military withdrawal and its longest war. But, Canny said, Its not clear who is going to be able to come outwith what status, if you willgiven the embassy is closed. Were still on call at Fort Lee to stand by for, hopefully, further flights. [ This article is also available in Portugues. ] Below is a selection of tributes for Andrew Walls from scholars of global Christianity in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, many of whom are former students of the Scottish historian of missions they knew and admired as Prof. Brian Stanley, professor of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh School of Divinity, Scotland: It is impossible to capture the extraordinary richness of Andrews long lifea life that was devoted to Africa, the world church, to his many graduate students, and to his collaborators in his multiple scholarly enterprises in the history of missions and world Christianity. There are many of us who can testify that it was Andrew who first gave us our vision for the work of chronicling, documenting, and interpreting the transformation of Christianity from its apparent status as a European-dominated religion to a faith that now finds its most vibrant expressions in the global south and in migrant churches in the northern hemisphere. He will be especially missed by those who studied under him in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Princeton, at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute in Ghana, elsewhere in Africa, and also at the Overseas Ministries Study Center in its then home in New Haven. We will remember him for those amazing lectures, rich in thematic texture and biographical detail, latterly read with considerable difficulty as Andrews sight deteriorated. We will remember him for his penetrating articles, covering a vast range of topics from every continent and strand of Christian tradition. We will remember him for his deep Christian faith, expressed through a life-long attachment to Methodism, but with sympathies that extended to those of every denomination and none. Above all, we have lost a companion on the journey, and a friend, faithful, modest, and witty. This is a very sad day, but I would suggest also a day for great thanksgiving that Andrew was preserved for us for so long. Thanks be to God for a faithful servant. Femi B. Adeleye, executive director, Institute for Christian Impact, Aburi, Ghana: Prof Andrew Walls has been my teacher, mentor, and friend for at least 28 years. We began correspondence in 1986 when Uncle John Stott encouraged me to consider studying at his feet at the University of Aberdeen where he then was. When we eventually met in 1993 at the start of my studies at the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World at New College in Edinburgh, I found him so personable, with his vast knowledge of Christian history and mission concealed in a gentle and caring demeanor. He would later supervise my doctoral studies at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute, where he was professor emeritus. Long before I read of it anywhere else, Prof was the first to articulate the significance of the rapid expansion of Christianity in the non-Western world with his now widely acknowledged prophetic declaration on the passing of the Christian Centre of gravity from the west to the south. He emphasized that more than half of the worlds Christians live in Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Pacific, and that the proportion doing so grows annually. Having lived and taught in various parts of West Africa including long residence in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, he not only recognized that departments of Religious Studies as we now know them in Britain were born in West Africa, the product of a plural society where religion is a massive, unignorable, fact of life, but also affirmed that the missionary movement is a connecting terminal between Western Christianity and Christianity in the non-Western world. Besides the demographics of Christian growth and mission is the sheer pleasure of sitting at his feet to understand and appreciate scholarship as a spiritual discipline. It is an understatement that a huge vacuum has been created by his departure. Prof was as much an African at heart as he was a global missiologist with the whole world being his parish as demonstrated by his global mileage. As recently as a month before his departure, Prof in a conversation with us expressed his desire to return to Ghana soon. Sadly, this is not to be on this side of eternity. Fare thee well gentle teacher, mentor, and friend, until we meet again! Dana L. Robert, director of the Center for Global Christianity and Mission, Boston University School of Theology: In 1982, I was writing my doctoral dissertation. My advisor pointed out a man working in the Day Missions Library at Yale Divinity School: See him? That is Andrew Walls, the greatest living historian of Christian missions. You need to meet him. And so I gathered my courage and invited him out for dinner, to Lenders Bagels. The dinner between two introverts was punctuated by long silences. But it was the beginning of a long friendship. Often when we met at conferences over the years, we joked that I had introduced him to the bagel. More than any other person, Andrew Walls founded the contemporary field of World Christianity. In 1989, a group of scholars gathered to consider how to mainstream mission studies into the broader academic world. I will never forget Andrews talk, Structural Problems in Mission Studies. He made the profound argument that the cross-cultural diffusion of the gospel was the foundation of scholarship on Christianity as a worldwide, multicultural religiona fact not yet appreciated by Western scholars. Walls dynamic vision launched a 10-year research program to move the study of Christianity beyond the captivity of Western frameworks. Eventually the term World Christianity was used to describe the realities he named. As I say farewell to my beloved friend and scholarly inspiration, I must quote Charles Wesley, founder of the Methodist faith that we shared: Finish, then, thy new creation; true and spotless let us be Changed from glory into glory, till in heavn we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise. Gillian Mary Bediako, deputy rector, Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission, and Culture, Akropong, Ghana: With the passing this past week of our beloved friend, inspirer, mentor, and advocate, we have all lost one of the great prophets of our time. For back in the early 1970s, through his deep, meticulous scholarship, combined with an equally profound evangelical spirituality and heart for mission, Andrew Walls read the signs of the times in what was happening to Christianity around the world and saw, before anyone else, that the heartlands of the faith were changing. Kwame [my late husband] and I first met Andrew Walls in 1975, as the keynote speaker at a mission conference at London School of Theology (then London Bible College). He blew our minds with his picture of the shifts in the centre of gravity of world Christianity, charting out what that would entail for emerging scholars and church leaders in the non-Western world. For his aim was not self-promotion in the presentation of new ideas, but to stir up those, like Kwame, searching out their calling into Christian service, toward the new paths in mission and ministry demanded by these realities. In the CT interview of 2007, the article described him as probably the most important person you dont know. It captures well the tenor of his gracious, servant spirit. From then on, he was an inspirer at almost every turning point in our lifes path. He pointed Kwame in the direction of the Apologists of the second century, as a way forward in answering the question of the nature of Christian identity in relation to African cultures, thereby securing for Kwames PhD research a historical perspective that set his quest in the mainstream of Christian tradition. He did likewise for me. He was always there as we worked to build Akrofi-Christaller Institute, as enthusiastic promoter, sounding board, advocate, and as mentor to the next generation of students who came along. Im sure this resonates with the experience of countless others wherever his travels took him. When at ACI, he was an unassuming yet wise presence, and a friend to all, whether support staff, office staff, or faculty. We all here mourn his passing and pray for family, especially his widow, Ingrid, whom he first met at ACI, for Gods comfort and support. J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, president of Trinity Theological Seminary in Legon, Ghana: We cannot talk about Africa without Christianity and Christianity without Africa. I heard variations of this statement from the late Prof. Andrew F. Walls on different occasions as he held students and other listeners spellbound with his incisive and engaging sense of the place of Africa in global Christianity. We cannot be wrong in calling Prof. Walls the doyen of the academic study of World Christianity. I first knew Prof. Walls as a mentor to one of my own academic and spiritual mentors, the late Kwame Bediako. World Christianity was for Prof. Walls not simply an exercise in the academic study of history, but a journey in the constant unveiling and understanding of what God was about in the world. In the history of world Christianity, Prof. Walls taught that Africa has moved from the margins to the center in fulfillment of the words of the Apostle Paul: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27). Prof. Walls commitment to the study of world Christianity with Africa at the center of it means that for years to come, it would be impossible to study that discipline, from whichever perspectivetheology, mission, history, pastoral care and counseling, or ecumenismwithout encountering the work and influence of Andrew Walls. He has left us an impressive heritage in faith and scholarship that will remain truly global and unparalleled for generations. Cathy Ross, head of Pioneer Mission Leadership Training, Church Mission Society, Oxford: Andrew Walls is a taonga. This is a Maori word from Aotearoa/New Zealand which literally means treasure but it is richer than that . It is a word associated with wisdom, with something or someone precious and cherished; an heirloom perhaps, land in the family for generations, a beautiful garment, a valued piece of jewellery, an elder or grandparent. To call something or someone a taonga is a tribute of the highest order. I first met Andrew shortly after we moved to Oxford to work with the Church Mission Society in 2005. Andrew was a great friend to CMSvery generous with his time he spent with us. He was a marvellous storyteller. Perhaps he picked up this gift of storytelling from his own roots or from his time in Africa. This was often how he communicated his great learning and scholarship. I remember him weaving a wonderful story about the desert fathers and their importance for mission and holding our staff entranced in a way I have not seen before or since! It was a privilege and honor for me to edit Mission in the 21st Century with him. I learned so much about mission and made so many new friends as a result of that collaboration. What I will treasure about Andrew is his understated learning and scholarship. He was a man of great humility, had a wicked twinkle in his eye and a lovely sense of humor. He radiated the gentle presence of God. He is truly a cherished and precious taonga. Allen Yeh, associate professor of Intercultural Studies and Missiology, Cook School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University, California: Although I knew this day would come eventually, it almost seemed unlikely given Prof. Andrew Walls indefatigability. The countless miles he logged (he really seemed to be everywhere globally at once), the penetratingly incisive lectures he gave (never did I sit under his instruction without coming away with some mind-blowingly fresh revolutionary insights), he was a giant from an age of legends. And yet so humble and gentle! Christianity Todaycalled him the most important person you dont know, so I always felt like I was a keeper of a great secret treasure, knowing him and his worth. From my earliest days in grad school, I have followed him: not just his scholarship (The Missionary Movement in Christian History is a masterpiece, particularly Chapter One), but quite literally to studying toward a masters degree at Edinburgh, and then choosing to read for a doctorate of philosophy at Exeter College, Oxford (Walls own alma mater). I could not drink enough from his well of knowledge and he, more than anyone else, inspired me to go into the fields of History of Missions and World Christianity. He was the founding father of this area of study, and with his departure he leaves a huge hole which can never be filled in such a way again. At the second annual Ralph D. Winter Memorial Lectureship series at the US Center for World Mission in Pasadena in 2011, Andrew Walls was the keynote speaker and I was the respondent to his talk. I was so nervous as a young scholar to be engaging with this venerated scholar, but he was so gracious to me. As a frequent attender of the Yale-Edinburgh conference of which he was a cofounder, I am glad that I got to hear and see his final closing remarks less than two months ago. The world church owes him a great debt for highlightingto slightly misquote Shakespearethe undiscovered countries as he now heads off to his own undiscovered country. Daniel Jeyaraj, director of the Andrew Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity, Liverpool Hope University, England: Professor Andrew Walls was the professor of History of Missions at Liverpool Hope University in England and also the chief supporter of the Andrew Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity. In July 2012, Liverpool Hope University conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. We at Liverpool Hope University are sad to lose a worthy benefactor; at the same time, we are glad to have a major portion of his legacy. He came to Hope with much experience in cross-cultural contexts and intercultural learning. He told me how his love for Gods mission took him to Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone. There he began understanding the importance of World Christianity of the Early Church through the brief text entitled Apostolic Tradition by Hippolytus (c. 215 CE). It formed the basis of Walls thesis at Oxford. It was originally written in Greek in Rome; soon it was translated into Egyptian, Ethiopian, Syriac, Gothic, and Latin languages. Though the Greek original was lost, Walls tried to reconstruct it via Latin, which itself was then an African dialect; this Latin text itself was based on the Gothic. Professor Walls profound realisation that Christians in and outside of the Roman Empire read this text formed the first turning point of his life and work. Secondly, he shared with me how his mother inspired him to develop his eloquent style of writing prose texts with well-considered words. We at Hope shall continue his legacy. An African proverb reads: When an old man dies, a library burns down to the ground. By contrast, Prof. Andrew Walls has not only contributed to the establishment of libraries in many places, but also entrusted his principles of exemplary Christian scholarship to the minds and hearts of his students in nearly every country. Now, we all together are the stewards of these principles. Emma Wild-Wood, codirector of the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh, Scotland: In 1987, Andrew Walls brought his study center from Aberdeen to the University of Edinburgh, complete with its expanding library and archive of grey materials that evidenced the growth of Christianity in the non-Western world. The center was a place where students from across the globe could study, meet one another, and share ideas. It was intended to educate the Western academy about vibrant Christian movements outside the West, and the theologies and spiritualities developed in response to different cultural and religious contexts that he had experienced first-hand in West Africa. Andrew always gave the utmost attention to his students. In 2018, the Yale-Edinburgh group conference, which he established with Lamin Sanneh, celebrated his 90th birthday. Tributes and photographs poured in from all over the world from the hundreds of people to whom he was a dear mentor, teacher, supervisor, and friend. Andrews great love of the African continent and his peoples, his ability to rejoice in fresh expressions of Christianity across the globe, his historical perspicacity, and his attention to primary sources are a matter of public record. Less well known, however, is his dwelling in the stories, songs, and poetry of Britain and his Aberdeenshire. For those who might appreciate it, there was often a Doric (the dialect of Aberdeenshire) turn of phrase on his tongue. This enabled him to hear the rhythm and music of cultures that had been marginalized in the modern era and to see them as central to the Christian movement in the 21st century. Alexander Chow, codirector of the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh, Scotland: Professor Andrew Walls once told me that, when he was still a university student, he had hoped to become a missionary to China. Those plans were dashed with the rise of the Chinese communist revolution and, in 1957, he went to teach in Sierra Leone and then Nigeria. This gave me, a scholar of Chinese Christianity, a few moments to imagine how differently the field of World Christianity would be today had one of its most significant architects worked in China as initially planned. Prior to taking up my post in the center he founded, I encountered few of Professor Walls writings. After arriving in Edinburgh, I read his works and heard his lectures on African Christianity, Kwame Bediako, and the relationship between the gospel and culture. I realized I had been studying Christianity, especially Chinese Christianity, in a myopic manner. I didnt have what he calls a World Christian consciousnessa way of looking at Christianity and the church mindful of its manifold expressions around the globe and throughout time. He was trained as a scholar of the early church. This equipped him to see how the contemporary African church was asking questions that echoed the concerns of the second-century church, as described by Justin and Clement, and the conversion stories recorded in the seventh and eighth centuries by Gregory of Tours and Bede. This training did not limit his incredible fascination with the global movements and adaptations of Christianity in the last 500 years. He is known for recognizing the 20th century gravitational shift in the world Christian population, from Western to non-Western peoples. However, for Professor Walls, this didnt simply have recent numerical significance. History testifies that the worldwide nature of Christianity has always been core to the religion, and should shape the way we understand it. World Christianity is normative Christianity. Professor Andrew Walls had a deep faith, an enormous vision, and a passion to communicate both to the world church. His impact on Christian scholarship will be felt for generations to come. His immense generosity and charming wit will be sorely missed by the many students and friends who knew him personally. Afe Adogame, professor of Religion and Society, Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey: The world has just lost one of the most important interpreters of Christianity and its missionary role in our time. This is very sad and painful indeed. Prof. Andrew F. Walls was a pioneering figure, intellectual giant, and erudite scholar who contributed immensely to the making and shaping of the interdisciplinary field of World Christianity. His encyclopedic knowledge, grasp, and thick description of the churchs transformation from Christendom to world Christianity transcends disciplinary boundaries of religious studies, history, theology, mission studies, biblical exegesis, and runs deep into the life and DNA of the church. Walls life, work, and mission in Africa is the background for understanding his unique contributions to the church and academy. The body of work that Walls has developed adumbrates a journey of humble listening and quest for empathetic understanding. He shows us a myriad of reasons why we live in a moment for the church that is filled with immense opportunity, challenges, and promises for witness and mission. Walls embodies genuine, ground-breaking scholarship, just as his generosity of spirit, time, intellectual energy, theatrical gifts, appreciation for literary works, and his sense of humor is robustly contagious. He touched numerous lives and I am a living testimony. Innumerable Christians of many traditions and all continents have much cause to be grateful to God for Walls. If you are looking for a model of a committed life, of scholarship in service of the church, then Walls is an exemplar for roads we have yet to travel or paths to tread. Unequivocally, Andrew Walls earns the esteemed status of Ancestor because he lived a good life, died a good death, and will be accorded a well-deserved, befitting transition into the other life. Sleep well Andrew! Joel A. Carpenter, senior research fellow, Nagel Institute, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Andrew Walls once called a book of his essays a ragbag of old mission stories. But by retelling them with new depth, Walls rewrote the history of the church and challenged many of the basic assumptions of Western theology. In the late 1950s, fresh from Oxford, Walls accepted a post at Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone. While he was teaching about second-century Christianity, he said, his students were reenacting it. His excitement about Africans embrace of the gospel lasted the rest of his life. Since the 1970s, Walls has taught that the heartlands of Christianity have shifted, making Christianity a predominantly non-Western religion. Humanists and social scientists have been working to understand what this shift means, but theologians still see Western theology as central and normative. Walls strove to change that. A typical lecture he gave this past year: Overseas Ministries and the Subversion of Theological Education. Walls was a master at shedding new light on large themes. A few examples: Missions were marginal to the Western church and were staffed by religious radicals; God used these earthen vessels to catalyze the greatest ever expansion of Christianity; Post-Enlightenment worldview Western theologians are too narrow to meet the spiritual needs of the worlds peoples; The Great Commission is for the conversion of cultures as well as individuals; Evangelicalism? A religion of protest against a Christian society that is not Christian enough. Tributes pour in from around the world, praising Walls and mourning his passing. What this humble man would prefer is for more fellow Christians to engage his ideas. Thomas Hastings, director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey, and editor of the International Bulletin of Mission Research: I first met Professor Walls here in the fall semester of 2000 at Princeton Seminary when I returned after teaching at Tokyo Union Theological Seminary. It was a memorable semester in so many ways, but more than all other gains, I came to realize that Prof. Walls carefully considered insights, which he delivered in his lilting Scottish brogue with eloquence and good humor, came out of his own crosscultural experience of teaching ordinands in Africa. I believe it was his love for and dedication to his students that led him to wonder about how to best understand and interpret post-colonial Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa. Prof. Walls brilliant lectures resonated deeply with my experience of teaching seminarians in the Japanese language while working with congregations of the United Church of Christ in Japan. Andrew is that rare scholar who has kept the church and academy as his twin audiences, never sacrificing one on behalf of the other. I still find his writing a breath of fresh air. Some may not know it, but under another name, Andrew is also a poet and playwright of some renown. When it came time to write my own dissertation in practical theology, Andrews Chalcedonian imagination, which joins together the so-called indigenizing and pilgrim principles in a beautiful dance, helped me present a thick case study of the work of a creative Japanese pastor and religious educator in Meiji, Japan. That pastor was Tamura Naoomi, the first Japanese graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (class of 1886), and Andrews work helped me immensely. Without overlooking the many failings of Western missionaries, Andrew has shown that Christians of other cultures are not passive recipients of the gospel message. Rather, like the recipients of the Letter to the Ephesians, they are equal citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God. That basic, humanizing, and, yes, theological insight helped launch the interdisciplinary field of World Christianity. This key insight, which was shared by Andrew and his late colleague and collaborator, Professor Lamin Sanneh, still has not been understood or heeded by many in the Western theological academy. I know Andrew is enthusiastic about continued growth in the field, but he is rightly concerned to see that World Christianity contributes something of significance and perhaps even transformative to the theological curriculum. Sam George, director of the Global Diaspora Institute, Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, and Lausanne Movement catalyst for diasporas: Upon hearing the sad news of the demise of Prof. Andrew F. Walls, many memories flooded my mind. From the lecture halls, libraries, and cafeterias of Princeton, New Haven, Edinburgh, and Liverpool, not to mention the numerous conferences in Asia, Africa, US, and UK where I have met him. Professor Walls was an exemplar teacher who made his students to see the world, themselves, and the Christian faith in a new light. A class at Princeton Seminary in 1999 totally changed the trajectory of my life and ministry. His teaching is like putting on a new pair of glasses that bring everything into focus that you have been missing or never seen before. He links numerous facts and figures of the Bible, history, and theology together in ways that you could have never imagined. His ability to discern across centuries and continents in a truly polycentric global manner is unparalleled. Prof modeled before us his deep devotion to the Lord as well as simplicity and humility in life. His teaching was so refreshing that students were emboldened in their faith and vocational callings. In June 2019, at the Lausanne Diaspora Consultation held in partnership with the Andrew Walls Center at Liverpool Hope University, I had the distinguished honor to present a Lifetime Kingdom Impact Award to my guruji (respected teacher) Professor Andrew Walls on behalf of the Lausanne Movement for his outstanding ministry of scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and modeling the gospel and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ to Christian leaders worldwide. His insights, passion, and legacy will live on. Rest in Peace. K. C. Wendell Tan, adjunct lecturer, Biblical Graduate School of Theology, Singapore: In Till We have Faces, C. S. Lewis says through Orual: I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, nor let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces? Inasmuch Orual will eventually discover the importance and beauty to live a life not hiding behind a veil or mask, we Christians must not hide behind a facade. We need to have our faces in Christ. This is the legacy of Professor Walls. His message of the Word made flesh, Christ tabernacling in every culture, ethnicity, and people group, has given usthe African, the Indian, the Chinese Christians, or perhaps more specifically the Nigerian, the Tanzanian, the Singaporean Chinese Christians and the likea face and a voice. In the footsteps of Christ, he has set scores of Christians free, to confidently walk in the indigenizing-pilgrim dialectics of their translated faith. Humbly and generously, Professor Walls poured his life equipping, encouraging, and empowering multitudes of little-known Christians like us to reclaim our heritage and Christian identity. This is not an impulse of postmodern individualism but a juggernaut into the Ephesian Moment. The prophet Micah says: And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (6:8). This is the Andrew Walls whom we know, honor, and remember. Emmanuel A. S. Egbunu, Bishop of Lokoja (Anglican Communion), Nigeria: Prof Walls exit from this sphere fills one with a great sense of loss, and yet thankfulness for his highly impactful life. I had first heard about him from my professor of church history in the late 1990s, who himself had been his student decades earlier. The article, The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture,was assigned early. With a background in literature where strong opinions about decolonization of literature were being expressed, that article was illuminating. Then a few years later, I finally met him as a visiting professor at the University of Jos, Nigeria. His vast knowledge was clearly intimidating, but he combined that with such simplicity, grace, and generosity of spirit that was never lacking in all the many other meetings with him over the years. He encouraged and supported my participation at the summer lectures and conferences at Liverpool Hope, which also exposed me to a wider and warm fellowship with senior and budding scholars. His ability to listen patiently to what could easily be considered the ramblings of an inexperienced mind, even with his own personal struggles, was astonishing. He inspired confidence without compromising his passion for thoroughness. Thanks be to God for the gift of such a broad-minded Christian who saw scholarship as a calling and gave valid identity to Christianity beyond the West. I shall treasure the autograph of his magisterial books on the missionary movement and the recorded lectures which have set him apart as a trustworthy pathfinder in World Christianity. J. Nelson Jennings, editor, Global Missiology; mission pastor, Onnuri Church, Seoul, Korea: The news of Andrew Walls passing was a heart stab like no other, because Prof has been a mentor like no other. Thanks be to God for the sure and comforting hope of our final resurrection in Jesus Christ. The historical sensibilities Prof Walls cultivated in so many no doubt will continue to reverberate over coming generations. Here are just some of my anecdotal, heart-warming memories: Prof took over an hour away from his precious research time in the YDS Day Missions Library to listen to and advise (in mind-bending 500-year periods) this unknown, babbling, aspiring PhD student 30 years ago. During those weekly afternoon seminars at the Edinburgh CSCNWW, how did Prof always wake up from his obvious dozing and help guest presenters who groped for a name, date, or event? Prof was a model mentor in how he patiently and attentively listened to my own groping students and acquaintances during his treasured visits to St. Louis, New Haven, Korea, and elsewhere. Profs lectures were always stimulating, and his Q&A comments were even better. Prof, rest well even as you groan with that host of fellow departed servants for the final resurrection. We are grateful beyond words for your kind, penetrating, and life-changing service. May we faithfully emulate you and our common Master as we carry on in your wide wake. Edward L. Smither, dean of the College of Intercultural Studies and professor of Intercultural Studies and History of Global Christianity, Columbia International University, South Carolina: Since I first read Andrew Walls assert that the gospel could be at home in every culture (indigenous) and pilgrim to every people (transformational), my theology of mission was wrecked for the better and Ive been trying to sort it out ever since. Professor Walls modeled for me the wonder of reading Scripture in the context of a beautiful, broken, and complicated world where the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14). From the storehouse of mission and church history, he brought further insights on people and theological developments, helping us make sense of world Christianity. Not a word was wasted in his lectures, papers, or published works. And he taught with kindness and humility. As I remember Andrew Walls work as a missionary scholar, I consider the outcome of his way of life and long to imitate his faith (Heb. 13:7). Samuel Cueva, Latin American missiologist, scholar, and promoter of two-way mission bridges: I first met Professor Andrew Walls during the 25th anniversary of the Oxford Center for Mission Studies in June 2007. We have lost a giant of mission history of world Christianity. He had an historical approach to make a missiological application to the context in order to unveil the reality of a Christian world that has changed by the influence of non-Western Christianity. He invented the idea of the new paradigm shift and the new center of the gravity for world Christianity. When he began teaching in Sierra Leone in 1957, he began to see the need for the creation of new spaces of theological and missiological thinking to bring in non-Western world perspectives to challenge the existing mission activity. His love, passion, admiration, and research for the African church began in Sierra Leone. He learned that the gospel is translatable from one culture to another. Professor Walls biggest contribution would be the challenge he made to the Western church to accept the paradigm shift in mission that the center of gravity has moved from the Western church to the non-Western church. I met Professor Walls again in 2019 at Liverpool Hope University, when together with other scholars we discussed the issues of diaspora mission theology. I have a deep admiration for this man who took into his heart the need to revitalize mission in Africa with a contextual approach to sharing the gospel. Rudolf Gaisie, director of the Centre for Early African Christianity at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute, Ghana: When I first saw the message of the passing of Professor Andrew Finlay Walls, it was somewhat a joyful sadness for a moment and my mind recalled the words of Hebrews 13:7. A week earlier, I had taught a class on Gospel and Culture and his article on the Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture was discussed. I knew he had been unwell, and I had hoped to ask him a question following the class discussions. I owe my sense of vocational path largely to the late Professor Kwame Bediako and Professor Walls. I remember sharing with him in the year 2008 at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute my struggles as I was processing my transition from prospects in a computing career to the discipline of theology. After sharing with me his own journey into academia as a Christian, he remarked, in his typical encouraging tone, well I did not have to make such a switch you are having to make. Professor Walls ideas on the process of conversion shaped the direction of my doctoral thesis and he encouraged and challenged me, after reading my submitted proposal, to prove the point that he saw in my thesis. Professor Walls graciously offered to write an endorsement for the published thesis. I had the privilege to discuss with him and Dr. Ingrid plans and ideas about ACIs Centre for the Study of Early African Christianity, established through his encouragement, at various times via video calls. I am grateful to God for the opportunity to meet and learn from Professor Walls. Dyron B. Daughrity, professor of Religion, Pepperdine University, California: I will never forget the first time I encountered the writing of Andrew Walls. It was early in my PhD program and I was doing research at Bishops College in Kolkata. The librarian there, Amlan Mondal, kindly gave me two books as gifts: The Missionary Movement in Christian History, and The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History. I was hooked. It speaks volumes that Christians in the Global South were onto the profoundness of Walls before many in the West were. I was amazed at Andrew Walls ability to think so Christianly about world religions and the history of missions, most importantly his Ephesian Moment idea which made the New Testament come alive for me in powerful ways. He was a trailblazer, and I was deeply thankful to meet him and hear him speak at Yale Edinburgh conferences. He had an unforgettable quality about him. I was in full agreement with Christianity Todays 2007 article that referred to Walls as ahead of his time and the most important person you dont know. I am truly grateful for those two gifts of Andrew Walls books. I pray his family, friends, and students will find solace in the fact that his ideas have now been disseminated far and wide. Let us preserve his memory. Joshua Robert Barron, Africa Inland Church, Kenya: I am one of the many former mentees and students (PhD in World Christianity program at Africa International University in Nairobi) of Prof. Andrew Walls. My own masters thesis advisor had already served as president of the American Patristic Society before meeting Prof Andrew; it changed his life and, consequently, mine, when my advisor introduced me to Walls writings. Had I immediately proceeded to doctoral work after my MDiv, no program other than Prof Andrews at Edinburgh would have done. Instead, after many years of field work in South Africa and then Kenya, during which I was privileged to meet him two or three times, I became his student at the Centre for World Christianity here in Nairobi. The two week intensive PhD seminar he taught in March 2018 remains a vocational highlight, as well as the high water mark of my formal education. A colleague of mine, Wakakuholesanga Chisola, a Zambian currently enrolled in the masters program at Akrofi-Christaller Insititute in Ghana where Prof was so deeply involved, was up late chatting about this news the night of the 12th; Ingrid had of course sent a text message almost immediately to Prof. Gillian Mary Bediako, and so those of us with connections to ACI were among the first to know. My colleague mentioned Profs great strength that always seemed stronger than the frailty of his age these last years, and concluded, But even Baobabs fall. That helped me to articulate, the next day, the depth of my grief; I was too sorrowful to sleep until well after 2 a.m. that night. So the poem Ive included is my tribute to the best of teachers and mentors I have ever had (note that Mosi-oa-Tunya is the local indigenous African name of Victoria Falls): The Baobab Has Fallen the Baobab is mighty the Baobab is strong the Baobab, well-rooted, reaches to the sky, giving shade and fruit and wisdom to all us passers-by the Baobab was mighty the Baobab was strong the Baobab, well-rooted, branches far and wide, shared his wealth of Christly wisdom to all, yes, even I but Baobab has fallen and we are are now bereft our thoughts are now uprooted Teacher, Mentor, Friend ! tears like Mosi-oa-Tunya cry our lamentation Prof Andrew well did teach us of agency and hope from Africa to Scotland falcon-swift he flew tears like Mosi-oa-Tunya flow from hearts now rended Prof Andrew well did lead us challenging for truth through polycentric story into faiths true girth thus from Accra to Nairobi with academic mirth Prof Andrew Walls has left us and we are now bereft yet he will rise eternal and we can rejoice he won his race and fought his fight his sorrow will now end Prof Andrew Walls has left us strong branches wide and fair in life he pointed upward now he upward flies asking who will foster forests new Baobabs to tend? Christian groups rush to aid Haiti as earthquake death toll rises, Tropical Storm Grace strengthens Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As the death toll rises across Haiti following Saturdays 7.2-magnitude earthquake, volunteers with Christian humanitarian organizations like World Vision are working tirelessly to provide physical, emotional and spiritual aid to those suffering. The earthquake hit Haiti pretty badly. World Vision is working with the government and NGO partners to assess needs," Fedorah Pierre-Louis, advocacy and external engagement director at World Vision Haiti, told The Christian Post. "And we have deployed a team right now on the field focusing on the areas of shelter, food assistance, child protection and also, of course, COVID prevention as we're still going through the pandemic over here. Pierre-Louis said the international humanitarian organization is asking for prayer to "ensure that vulnerable children and their families are protected during this time. The earthquake killed at least 1,419 people, injured at least 6,900 people and destroyed the homes of as many as 1.5 million Haitians across the southern peninsula as of Monday, according to Haitis Civil Protection Agency. The agency notes that the assessment remains "very partial." Numerous churches were leveled in the wake of the quake while hundreds of people remain missing. The quake also triggered landslides and damaged infrastructure, blocking roads and making it difficult for vital supplies to reach the impacted areas of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. And as Tropical Storm Grace hit the country with rain on Monday, the window to provide relief efforts is shrunk, Pierre-Louis said. Grace is expected to strengthen into a hurricane We need to act very, very fast. Time is very critical in making sure that we're providing relief efforts, she stressed. Were working to rescue people still trapped under the rubble and clearing out some roads as well to increase access to care. So far, the humanitarian agency has sent nutrition kits and hygiene items for 6,000 people, she said. Given the vulnerability in the country, were prioritizing nutritional and emergency response support to as many people as we can," she said. World Vision is planning to help as many as 240,000 people through clean water access, tents, food supply and child protection efforts. In addition to providing water, hygiene goods, nutrition and shelter, World Vision seeks to provide emotional and spiritual assistance to vulnerable families especially those with children. This kind of support, Pierre-Louis said, will be desperately needed in the coming days. She said that between the pandemic, worsening gang violence and political unrest stemming from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, Haitis 11 million people have endured unending trauma in recent months. Whenever there is a crisis, child protection is not necessarily prioritized on a government level, Pierre-Louis stated. World Vision tries to ensure that the well-being of kids is still protected. So we really want to raise awareness on that and continue to push for advocacy and the prioritization of child protection. Children, in particular, have witnessed a lot of traumatic events, she added. We provide them with psychosocial support for children to protect their physical and mental wellbeing. Other Christian organizations are stepping up to meet emerging needs in Haiti, including the disaster relief organization Convoy of Hope. In the coming days, the group plans to distribute 1 million meals to those impacted by the earthquake and hygiene kits and sheltering supplies. The Virginia-based Operation Blessing has also deployed a disaster relief team to assess the situation. The organization plans to distribute emergency supplies and provide clean drinking water in the Les Cayes area. The charity will also help provide medicine and medical supplies to doctors from L'Hopital General, the largest public hospital of Haiti. World Vision's Pierre-Louis applauded the United States government for its rapid response to the crisis. Hours after the earthquake struck, President Joe Biden authorized an immediate U.S. response, while USAID Administrator Ambassador Samantha Power announced the deployment of a Disaster Assistance Response Team. Were very, very grateful for the continued interest and concern, Pierre-Louis said. Rescue efforts will likely uncover many more bodies in the following days, she said. She urged Christians in the West to pray for Haiti, highlighting the need for unity among the global Body of Christ. It's extremely, extremely important to remain united in prayers, and to remain united in solidarity, because we as Christians are very stressed these days, Pierre-Louis emphasized. There are multiple crises going on right now. We need to remain united in prayers, in solidarity and in action to make sure that we feel like we're all part of one Christian family. We need to make sure that people know that they're not going through the crisis alone and that they have many people with them praying with them around the world. Click here to learn how to help World Vision deliver hope and practical help when disaster strikes. Another massive earthquake shook Haiti in 2010, which at the time was said to be the most devastating natural disaster in Haiti's history. In that quake, about 250,000 people died and 300,000 were injured. An estimated 1.5 million individuals were made homeless, living in makeshift displacement camps. Lawmakers slam Biden DOJ for dropping suit against hospital that forced nurse to help with abortion Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment More than 80 members of the U.S. Congress have signed a letter concluding that the Biden administration broke the law by dropping a lawsuit filed on behalf of a pro-life nurse forced to participate in the performance of an abortion in violation of federal conscience laws. A coalition of 21 senators and 63 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, all Republicans, signed a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra last Wednesday. They objected to the administration's move last month to drop a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against the University of Vermont Medical Center on behalf of a pro-life nurse who claims to have been coerced to assist with an abortion despite federal laws that protect the conscience rights of healthcare workers. Additionally, HHS dropped a 2019 notice of violation filed against the hospital. The lawmakers characterized the administrations handling of the case as a profound miscarriage of justice." They called the move "a rejection" of the administration's "commitment to enforce federal conscience laws for Americans of all religious beliefs," especially those who object to abortion. Your actions signal to employers all around the country that they dont need to comply with the law because your agencies will not enforce it, they added. They also signal that this administration would rather allow consciences to be violated at the behest of the abortion lobby [than] enforce the law and protect religious liberty. The letter is signed by Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, and others. On the House side, the letter was signed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, Andy Harris of Maryland, among others. The letter was also backed by several advocacy groups, including the American Center for Law and Justice, Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. As previously reported, the HHS' Office of Civil Rights filed a lawsuit against the University of Vermont Medical Center late last year, during the final months of the Trump administration. The department alleged that the hospital actually misled the nurse into believing that she was scheduled to assist in another unobjectionable procedure." "It was only when she arrived in the operating room that the physician performing the abortion turned to her and said, Please dont hate me for this.'" According to Claire Murray, who served as principal deputy attorney general at the Justice Department during the Trump administration, the nurse at the center of the lawsuit was included on the hospitals conscientious objectors list to abortion. It is alleged that the doctor performing the abortion knew the nurse was on the list. Even though nurses not on the list were available to assist in the abortion, the pro-life nurse was still forced to participate. The Trump administration had previously sent a violation notice to the UVMMC and filed the lawsuit after the institution refused to comply with federal law," the lawmakers note. The congressional letter echoed the Trump administrations claim that the medical school broke the law by violating the Church Amendments. The Church Amendments prohibit HHS grant recipients from discriminating against healthcare personnel who refused to perform or assist in the performance of [an] abortion on the grounds that his performance or assistance in the performance of the procedure or abortion would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions. The amendments enable healthcare officials to decline to participate in abortions without fear of adverse employment actions or loss of staff privileges. Since the UVMMC receives grants from HHS, the lawmakers argued that the institution must abide by the Church Amendments. The lawsuit contends that the medical center had developed a pattern of forcing healthcare workers to participate in abortions even though they hold moral and religious objections to the procedure. The Republican lawmakers lamented that the Biden administration reversed course. The DOJ did in fact voluntarily dismiss the case on Friday, July 30, 2021, without any binding settlement or requirement that UVMMC remedy its unlawful policies or make restitution to, or even acknowledge, the nurse whose rights it violated," the letter asserts. "Further, you withdrew this lawsuit knowing there are no additional legal remedies for victims of discrimination in this case. Although Congress has enacted more than 25 federal conscience laws, courts have not found protections like the Church Amendments to provide for a private right of action for individuals who have been discriminated against, they added. The lawmakers also accused Becerra of lying to Congress during his confirmation hearings to serve as HHS Secretary. They recalled how Becerra vowed to continue to provide protections for the civil constitutional rights of all Americans, including those that involve religion and promised multiple times to follow federal law as it relates to the issues of abortion, religious liberty, and conscience protection." HHSs actions in this case directly contradict those assurances," the letter states. The members of Congress asked the chairs of the two agencies several questions and requested responses to their inquiries by Aug. 27. One question asked whether HHS would continue to provide federal funding to UVM, which they described as an unrepentant violator of federal law. The lawmakers asked the administration to explain the reason for dismissing a case in which a plaintiff was known to be violating federal law and refused to comply with federal law as well as any new facts that may have motivated HHS decision to drop the lawsuit. They requested the agencies make public all communications between the administration and the UVMMC that discussed the relevant case and any correspondence with outside organizations. The dismissal of the lawsuit against the UVMMC is not the first example of the Biden administration taking action that is viewed as hostile to conscience rights. HHS issued a rule requiring medical facilities and health insurance companies to provide or cover sex reassignment operations regardless of whether their religious beliefs prevented them from doing so in good conscience. Last week, a federal judge struck down the mandate as a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden submitted a budget request to Congress that did not include the Hyde Amendment. This longstanding measure prevents the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions. His budget request is still subject to congressional approval. Teachers ask court to halt Va. school district policy forcing them to use trans pronouns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A pair of teachers are seeking to take a Virginia school district to court over a newly passed policy requiring, among other things, that staff uses the preferred names and pronouns of trans-identified students. Loudoun County High School history teacher Monica Gill and Smarts Mill Middle School English teacher Kim Wright filed an amended complaint to block the new policy passed last week by the Loudoun County School Board. By a vote of 7-2, the board passed Policy 8040: Rights of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students last week despite considerable opposition to the proposal from some teachers and parents. Gill and Wright propose to be added to a pre-existing legal challenge over the school district's treatment of Leesburg Elementary School teacher Bryon Tanner Cross, who was placed on leave after voicing his displeasure with the policy proposal during a school board meeting. Filed Monday, the amended complaint argues that Cross, Gill and Wright oppose the new policy because they believe it communicates that gender identity, rather than biological reality, fundamentally shapes and defines who we truly are as humans, that our sex can change, and that a woman who identifies as a man really is a man. The complaint further alleges that if the teachers were to comply with the policy, "they would be forced to communicate a message they believe is false." "[I]f they refer to students based on their biological sex, they communicate the views they actually believe that our sex shapes who we are as humans, that this sex is fixed in each person, and that it cannot be changed, regardless of our feelings or desires," the amended complaint states. The legal filing adds that the school district has "refused to find middle ground" and "made this case about far more than titles or pronouns." "[T]hey have taken a side in a national debate over competing views of human nature and compelled conformity to, and support for, only one view," the complaint charges. "Under the timeless free speech principles enshrined in the Virginia Constitution and laws, Defendants cannot compel one side to voice the others beliefs." Tyson Langhofer of the Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal nonprofit representing the teachers, said in a statement on Tuesday that he believes the teachers shouldnt be forced to promote ideologies that are harmful to their students and that they believe are false. Loudoun County Public Schools is now requiring all teachers and students to deny truths about what it means to be male and female and is compelling them to call students by their chosen pronouns or face punishment, stated Langhofer. Public employees cannot be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep a job. Freedom of speech and religious exercise includes the freedom not to speak messages against our core beliefs. Policy 8040 requires that school faculty and staff use the chosen name and pronouns of a student who identifies as gender-expansive or transgender. School staff shall, at the request of a student or parent/legal guardian, when using a name or pronoun to address the student, use the name and pronoun that correspond to their consistently asserted gender identity, the policy reads. The use of gender-neutral pronouns is appropriate. Inadvertent slips in the use of names or pronouns may occur; however, staff or students who intentionally and persistently refuse to respect a students gender identity by using the wrong name and gender pronoun are in violation of this policy. The policy allows students to use the restroom or locker room that corresponds to their consistently asserted gender identity, advising school administrators to consider adding gender-inclusive or single-user restrooms for more privacy. According to a frequently-asked-questions document, LCPS recommended that schools make efforts to eliminate gender-based practices to the extent possible, claiming that these practices can have the effect of marginalizing, stigmatizing, and excluding students, regardless of their gender identity or gender expression. Examples of practices that may be based on gender, and which should be eliminated, include grouping students for class activities, gender-based homecoming or prom courts, limitations on who can attend as couples at school dances, and gender-based events such as father-daughter dances, reads the FAQ document. The policy garnered national headlines when LCPS suspended Cross after he spoke out in his personal capacity against the policy at a school board meeting in May. My name is Tanner Cross, and I am speaking out of love for those who suffer with gender dysphoria, stated Cross at the time. I love all of my students, but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences. Cross sued the school district in response to the suspension, with a judge granting the Christian teacher a temporary injunction for his reinstatement in June while the lawsuit proceeds. LCPS is appealing the judge's decision. LCPS respectfully disagrees with the Circuit Courts decision to issue the injunction, and it is appealing this ruling to the Supreme Court of Virginia, stated LCPS back in June. Many students and parents at Leesburg Elementary have expressed fear, hurt and disappointment about coming to school. Addressing those concerns is paramount to the school divisions goal to provide a safe, welcoming and affirming learning environment for all students." Controversial Pastor Greg Locke's church vandalized: We will not be intimidated Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Controversial preacher Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, has said he will "not back down" or be "intimidated" after his church was vandalized by an unknown individual. In a post to his Facebook account on Sunday morning, Locke said an unknown assailant vandalized his church's property before being chased away by security around 2:30 a.m. He did quite a bit a damage before he was spotted, wrote Locke in his Facebook post, adding that it was all caught on our surveillance cameras. Kuddos to some of our peeps getting there and beginning to clean at 3:00am this morning," he continued. Locke posted photos of the vandalism, which included the declaration Your lies cost lives in red letters in one area, while the words FU were painted on the pulpit in the sanctuary. Locke said the vandalism of his pulpit not only grieves me the most, it fires me up to want to fight more," adding: WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN. WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED. As of Monday morning, Locke's post had received around 3,200 shares and well over 800 comments. Many of the comments expressed support for the pastor, though some were critical. Last month, Locke made headlines when he said that people who wore masks to protect themselves from COVID-19 were not welcome at his church. We are a place of faith, not a place of fear, stated Locke at the time, as reported by WSMV. I'm digging my heels in and I'm not changing my mind. Last year, Locke expressed firm opposition to wearing masks. During the height of the pandemic, the pastor said he would never mandate them for worship at his church. We call them safety precautions. No, what these are, these are gags, ladies and gentlemen, stated Locke in July of 2020, further claiming that masks were an idol to divide churches. These have become idols. These dont do anything whatsoever. They are the dumbest thing to have ever been created by humanity. They are scientifically proven to do Jack sprat! But Ill tell you, religiously what theyve done, theyve divided the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was last updated in May, studies have shown that community masking can reduce the spread of [COVID-19]. The prevention benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and wearer protection for the mask wearer, stated the CDC. Mask use has been found to be safe and is not associated with clinically significant impacts on respiration or gas exchange. Adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The story of almost 20 years of American involvement in Afghanistan has ended in unmitigated disaster. In fact, it would be difficult to imagine a worst-case scenario than the present one. But for now, here are 10 immediate reflections. 1. This is President Bidens darkest moment. Simply stated, when Biden is getting bashed by CNN and MSNBC, you know he has blundered terribly. Just look at these opening paragraphs from an op-ed on MSNBC. President Joe Biden addressed the nation about the state of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on Monday mainly, it seemed, to say he regretted nothing. . . . He blamed the Taliban's rapid advances across the country on Afghan security forces' failing to mount any real resistance to the Taliban. But the president had virtually nothing to say about what's on everyone's minds: how poorly prepared the U.S. was for the Taliban's blitz and the vulnerable position he has left so many Afghans in as a result. Not even MSNBC was in a mood to give the president grace for his dreadful decision. 2. No amount of words or excuses will remove the harrowing images from our memory. As for those images, Ill quote the same op-ed once more, Over the weekend, people hoping to escape the country swarmed runways, and some clung to departing U.S. military aircraft during takeoff sometimes for so long that they fell to their deaths. Images of the gut-wrenching scramble that have gone viral have been likened to the U.S.'s withdrawal from the Vietnam War. We will never unsee what we saw. 3. Bidens legacy will always be remembered in light of his statements last July. The words are a matter of public record: There is going to be no circumstance in which you are going to see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan. And, I trust the capacity of the Afghan military. Enough said. 4. Afghanistan is a staunchly Muslim country; the Taliban are just much more extreme and draconian. We fool ourselves if we think that the battle in Afghanistan was between a modernist, Western, democratic mindset and fundamentalist Islam. To the contrary, the battle is between degrees of Islam. As Robert Spencer noted, In our early years in Afghanistan, once the Taliban was toppled, we set about nation-building, initially with an eye toward establishing a Western-style constitutional republic in Afghanistan. But State Department foreign policy experts drastically underestimated the Afghan peoples attachment to Islamic law (Sharia), and disastrously discounted Sharias political aspects in the naive belief, fueled by Islamic apologists in the U.S., that Islam was a religion of peace that was perfectly compatible with Western secular models of governance." Accordingly, the Afghan Constitution that Afghanistans then-President Hamid Karzai formally ratified on January 26, 2004 ... is written in the name of We the people of Afghanistan, believing firmly in Almighty God, relying on His divine will and adhering to the Holy religion of Islam. The problem, then, is not that the Taliban are Muslims. It is that they represent a more extreme form of Islam, one that holds firmly to Sharia Law in its most draconian forms. 5. Perhaps we should follow the money trail. A colleague texted me today, raising a point that is rarely considered: My personal issue is the number of companies and individuals who became ultra-rich through defense spending at the cost of Afghan and American lives. I have a multi-decade relationship with a pastor in Arizona who happens to be a major executive at one of the largest defense contractors in the world. The stories he has told me about their lobbyists ..." According to Forbes, In the 20 years since September 11, 2001, the United States has spent more than $2 trillion on the war in Afghanistan. Thats $300 million dollars per day, every day, for two decades. ... In baser terms, Uncle Sam has spent more keeping the Taliban at bay than the net worths of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and the 30 richest billionaires in America, combined. Did everyone have altruistic motives in calling for our ongoing involvement in Afghanistan? 6. The swift victory of the Taliban will embolden Islamic terrorists worldwide. For Islamic radicals, this sends a signal that America, representing the West, is feeble and has no will to stand against the will of Islam, just as the triumph of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini triggered a spike in Islamic terror worldwide. Already in July, Sajjan Gohel, a security and terrorism analyst, told the BBC, The Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan makes a Taliban takeover inevitable and gives al-Qaeda the opportunity to rebuild its network, to the point where it could once again plot attacks around the world. 7. Atrocities are already taking place. A friend posted this chilling note on Facebook from the children of Christian missionaries living in Kabul: Just FaceTimed with them! They are hiding, surrounded by gunfire and bombs. Everyone is hiding in their homes. The Taliban are taking women, and slaughtering anyone who resists them. They will kill all foreigners and anyone who has worked with foreigners over the past 20 years. There is a reason why people were actually clinging to American military planes leaving the airport. 8. We cannot forget the women and girls of Afghanistan. Just take 45 seconds to watch this video, and never forget the tears. While specific individuals will be targeted by the Taliban (such as those just mentioned in the previous point), overall, no one will suffer more than the women and girls of this country. Their hopes of a better tomorrow have, for now, been dashed to the ground. 9. We need to do some serious soul-searching regarding our foreign policy philosophy. It is understandable that we attacked the Taliban in the aftermath of 9/11, 20 years ago. After all, they were harboring Osama bin Laden, and so, the friend of our enemy became our enemy as well. But with our misguided policies in Iraq leading to national instability, the genocide (or exiling) of hundreds of thousands of Christians (and Yazidis and others), and the rise of ISIS, and now with the total failure of our Afghan policies, we need to ask ourselves some hard questions. Do we really know what were doing? (It remains to be seen whether the Trump strategy would have ended better than the current ending.) 10. We must not forget the sacrifices made by so many Americans (and others) in Afghanistan. These are the stats as reported by AP News: American service members killed in Afghanistan through April: 2,448; U.S. contractors: 3,846; Afghan national military and police: 66,000; Other allied service members, including from other NATO member states: 1,144; Afghan civilians: 47,245; Aid workers: 444; Journalists: 72. (AP also notes 51,191 Taliban and other opposition fighters died during the conflict.) And what of all those who served and returned to America suffering physical and emotional wounds? And what of the cost to all the families? Somehow, someway, we must tell those who served and died that despite the dreadful outcome, they gave themselves for an important cause: wanting to better the lives of the people of Afghanistan and wanting to fight back against Islamic terror. Surely, there is nobility in the sacrifice, regardless of the end results. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment It is a video I will not forget. As airplanes took off from the Kabul airport, desperate Afghans clung to plane tires before plummeting from the sky to their deaths. According to U.S. officials, seven people were killed at the airport yesterday when crowds of Afghans swarmed the tarmac as U.S. military flights were preparing to leave. The Taliban have been in control of Afghanistan for only a few days but reports of horrific atrocities against women and girls are already emerging. Surrendered Afghan troops are being executed. According to one civil servant, Everyone is wondering, What will happen to our future? An article in the Atlantic is especially heartbreaking, describing the tragic consequences for many who helped us and are now being left behind. President Joe Biden addressed this escalating crisis in a speech yesterday afternoon, stating that he stands squarely behind his decision to withdraw U.S. forces and claiming that it is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistans own armed forces would not. Some are defending the presidents decision, while others are calling the fall of Afghanistan an indelible stain on his presidency and a defeat that will echo for eternity. The 'policemen of the world'? As a nonpartisan cultural commentator, my purpose today is not to take a partisan position on this issue. However, I do want to address a pressing biblical question raised by this tragedy: What is our responsibility to care for those who cannot care for themselves? In the context of the fall of Afghanistan, what role should America have played in defending those who were likely to become victims of the Taliban without our support? Are we to be the policemen of the world? If we are to risk our soldiers and invest our resources in Afghanistan, what should we do to help Haiti as it responds to another catastrophic earthquake and devastation from another tropical storm? The U.S. spent approximately $1 trillion over 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan; what impact could that money have made on crushing poverty in Haiti? On responding to escalating violence and the continuing coronavirus pandemic in America? In short, what would God want America to do to help hurting people in Afghanistan? 'Three pillars of equal standing' Cultural commentator David French wrote an article last Sunday in which he referenced a document called The Responsibility to Protect, a report produced by an International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) established by the Canadian government in the early 2000s. This report identifies three pillars of equal standing: the responsibility of each State to protect its populations (pillar I); the responsibility of the international community to assist States in protecting their populations (pillar II); and the responsibility of the international community to protect when a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations (pillar III). The question is, how are we to balance these three pillars? How are we to care for those abroad while caring for those at home? French cites the work of Australian ethicist Luke Glanville elevating the universal worth of human beings as created in the image of God. According to Glanville, the famed Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas taught that we should give priority to those more closely united to us, an approach known as the order of charity. But Thomas also insisted that the most important criterion is the degree of need. Glanville summarizes, Sovereign boundaries are morally relevant and it is right that states give some priority to the care of the vulnerable within their borders. Then he adds that states are also bound to care for the vulnerable beyond their borders in cases of extreme persecution and suffering if they can do so without excessive cost to themselves. Of course, the question is whether America could defend the Afghani people without excessive cost to themselves. Paul Miller, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and former national security staff member, asserts strongly that we could do so for an indefinite period. He points to important successes of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and claims that we could have enabled reconstruction and development to continue. David French agrees, asserting that we can stop a mass atrocity with a minimal exertion of our vast national might. Others, including Biden, claim that the swift fall of Afghanistan proves that the Afghan forces would never have withstood the Taliban no matter how long our forces remained before withdrawing. 'Rescue those who are being taken away to death' The purpose of this Daily Article is not to offer my personal opinion on this fraught and deeply emotional issue. Rather, it is to encourage us to think biblically about our responsibilities to those in need. On this point, I believe that the ICISS pillars of care are especially relevant. As pillar I states, it is the responsibility of each State to protect its populations. Americas Founders agreed, declaring that all men are created equal. Unlike civilizations and cultures that rank people according to royal status (dynastic kingdoms) or utility to the state (communist societies), we believe that every American possesses the same unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This commitment is actually a biblical mandate rising from the biblical commitment to the sanctity of every human life. We are each conceived in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Racial and class distinctions are immaterial to our Lord (Galatians 3:28). And we are to prioritize the care of those closest to us, remembering that if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). Pillar II, calling on the international community to assist States in protecting their populations, is also biblical. We are to care for those beyond our borders, recognizing our common humanity and the fact that every person on our planet is someone for whom Jesus died (Romans 5:8). In heaven, we will join people from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages (Revelation 7:9). We are to help meet their needs on Earth, knowing that our service to others is service to Jesus himself (Matthew 25:40). ICISSs pillar III, noting the responsibility of the international community to protect when a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations, is biblical as well. Consider this sobering text: Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, Behold, we did not know this, does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? (Proverbs 24:1112). A personal Acts 1:8 strategy Just as God loves each of us as if there were only one of us (St. Augustine), so should we love each person in the world as if there were only one person in the world. Our problem is that, unlike God, you and I have only a finite capacity to love others and to meet their needs. Resources invested in Afghanistan are not invested in Haiti or in Americas cities. Time you spend with your children and grandchildren is time you are not spending with other children and grandchildren in need. For this reason, it is vital that we seek our Fathers direction in responding to the needs of our world. His Spirit has already prepared the hearts and minds of those to whom He would direct us to share our witness and His Word. He knows the needs He has gifted and equipped us best to meet. He has a kingdom assignment, a mission field, for every believer. In fact, I am convinced that every Christian needs a personal Acts 1:8 strategy: a plan to serve those close to home (our Jerusalem), those further away (our Judea and Samaria), and those to the end of the earth. What is yours? 'No power on earth can keep intercession out' As we ask God to show us how best to balance the three pillars of care, we should pray for our leaders to do the same. The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) includes a profound prayer for those in positions of public trust, that they may serve justice and promote the dignity and freedom of every person. We should offer such prayer for our leaders daily (1 Timothy 2:12). And the BCP invites us to pray for others along the lines of the three pillars each day: For all who live and work in this community. For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; that they may be relieved and protected. And for our enemies and those who wish us harm, and for all whom we have injured or offended. The late Richard Halverson was a pastor, author and chaplain of the U.S. Senate. He rightly observed, Intercession is the truly universal work for the Christian. No place is closed to intercessory prayer: no continent, no nation, no city, no organization, no office. No power on earth can keep intercession out. Lets claim this fact today to the glory of God. Originally published at the Denison Forum. Alabama church involved in civil rights to become museum that celebrates Christian impact Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In recent years, a historic church building in Alabama with strong ties to the civil rights movement had fallen into disrepair. Now, it's one step closer to seeing new life as a museum that celebrates the Christian impact it has had on the community. Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church of Montgomerys 19th-century building, which witnessed and participated in key events in civil rights history, received two $500,000 grants to help restore and convert the facility into a museum. The current congregation of Mount Zion AME had moved in 1990 to a new space, due in part to interstate construction that led many of its members to relocate elsewhere in the city. The older property became known as Mount Zion AME Zion Church Memorial Annex, which received a $500,000 grant in 2018 and another in 2020 to help restore the rundown building. Charles P. Everett IV, a longtime member of Mount Zion AME who has been overseeing efforts to restore the annex, told The Christian Post in an interview Monday that the grant work should be done by August of next year. A year from now, we will be in a position to begin to have a museum that celebrates the Christian impact that Mount Zion AME Zion Church has had on Montgomery, Alabama, since 1866, said Everett, referencing the year when the church formed. It will convey the mighty movement of God and His provision for a church of people who were once enslaved. You got to remember that when we were organized, it was just a few months after the Civil War began to end. Everett continued: "We are a church that has survived through the Reconstruction period of the South and of course, we are a church that has members that served during the modern civil rights movement and there are members of the church who, once the laws of Jim Crow began to fall, answered the call to duty. We are hoping to celebrate in that museum the impact of Christian leadership through the ages, from 1866 to the present age, he added. Everett said that Mount Zion AME has a long history of civil rights activism, including deep involvement in the 1950s Montgomery bus boycott following the arrest of Rosa Parks. A group of activists and faith leaders met at the church in 1955, where they elected the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. head of the Montgomery Improvement Association, giving the 26-year-old minister his first official civil rights leadership role. When the Selma March occurred in 1965 to support voting rights, the historic church building was on the route and also served as a rest area for participants. Yet even before then, the congregation had also engaged in trolley boycotts during the early 20th century in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld institutional segregation. So Mount Zion, as far as civil rights is concerned, we are still in the midst of it, said Everett, noting ongoing civic participation by various members of the church. So, when we talk about Mount Zion and its history of civil rights, our roots run very deep to the soil of Montgomery. Atheist defends Christian evangelist amid arrest for publicly preaching on homosexuality Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Evangelist Ryan Schiavo, an American street preacher, was arrested last month in the United Kingdom after publicly preaching about his beliefs on homosexuality and his legal plight is raising some eyebrows. Schiavo was accused of violating Section 4A of the Public Order Act, a law intended to curb unpalatable behavior in the public square. [The law] bans people from causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress, Christian Post reporter Ryan Foley told The Christian Post Podcast. And the law declares a person guilty of an offense if he uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior or disorderly behavior or displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting. Among other aspects of the story, Foley also shared that, in the midst of Schiavos detainment, an atheist man who openly disagreed with Schiavos views stood up to defend him. Despite those efforts, Schiavo was detained. Read the full article on the matter and listen to the discussion: Listen to more Christian podcasts today on the Edifi app. And be sure to subscribe to the Christian Post Podcast on your favorite platforms: Edifi Anchor Breaker Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Pocket Casts RadioPublic Spotify Critics blast MSNBC host Joy Reid for comparing Christian right to Taliban militants Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An MSNBC host is drawing criticism for comparing Republicans and conservative Christians to the Taliban as the terrorist group continues to gain control of Afghanistan. Joy Reid, who hosts the nightly MSNBC program The ReidOut, shared her reaction to a tweet detailing life on the ground in Afghanistan Saturday. Yalda Hakim, a BBC reporter, declared that Women in #Herat, now under Taliban control are telling me when they tried to enter the grounds of their university today they were told to go home. Schools have been shut down. 60 percent of university students in Herat were women. Reid, who has established a reputation as an outspoken critic of Republicans and conservatives in the United States, described the situation in Afghanistan as the real-life 'Handmaids Tale.' According to Reid, the Taliban gaining ground in Afghanistan presents a true cautionary tale for the U.S., which has our own far religious right dreaming of a theocracy that would impose a particular brand of Christianity, drive women from the workforce and solely into childbirth, and control all politics. This is the real-life Handmaid's Tale. A true cautionary tale for the U.S., which has our own far religious right dreaming of a theocracy that would impose a particular brand of Christianity, drive women from the workforce and solely into childbirth, and control all politics. https://t.co/R1lSCSUVwv Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid ???? (@JoyAnnReid) August 14, 2021 Reid expounded on her comparison of the religious right to the Taliban in a lengthy Twitter thread Sunday: What we keep learning, forgetting, and relearning, whether in Afghanistan or here in the U.S., is that religious extremism, backed by a willingness to use violence to impose a particular sectarian belief system as governing law is incredibly dangerous -- anywhere in the world. What we keep learning, forgetting and relearning, whether in Afghanistan or here in the U.S., is that religious extremism, backed by a willingness to use violence to impose a particular sectarian belief system as governing law, is incredibly dangerous -- anywhere in the world. Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid ???? (@JoyAnnReid) August 15, 2021 In an attempt to compare the Christian right and the Taliban, Reids Twitter thread included links to articles emphasizing the Christian faith of the pro-Trump protesters who gathered in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, some of whom stormed the Capitol Building as Congress was certifying the votes of the 2020 presidential election. One of the articles, titled They Invaded the Capitol Saying Jesus is My Savior, included a picture of a Jan. 6 protester holding an In God We Trust sign. Another article Reid linked to was accompanied by a picture of a Jan. 6 protester clutching a Bible. The MSNBC host then reposted a tweet by someone who claimed, The Republicans are falling over themselves about what will happen to Afghan women, while in America they are actively working to strip women of their freedom to vote and make reproductive decisions. Theyre more in line with the Taliban than Democrats on womens issues. It is pretty remarkable, Reid replied in response to the comparison. Curtis Houck of the conservative media watchdog NewsBusters wrote that the comparison was hyperbolic: THIS is what Joy Reid thinks of conservatives and Republicans. We are JUST LIKE the Taliban. Ive said it before and Ill say it again. I dont believe the press is the enemy of the people, but far too many in the press (including Joy) think were enemies of the people. Reids tweets over the weekend were not the first occasions that she had compared Republicans or conservatives to the Taliban. Last month, Reid responded to Washington Post opinion columnist Jennifer Rubins allegation that a heartbeat bill that would ban abortions after six weeks gestation and allow private citizens to take legal action against those who perform and participate in abortions was a call for bounties on women who had abortions. The MSNBC host proclaimed on Twitter: This is Talibanism. She then asked, Are Republicans going to be spying on women of childbearing age and turning them in for the bounties? This is Talibanism. Are Texas conservatives going to be spying on women of childbearing age and turning them in for the bounties? Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid ???? (@JoyAnnReid) July 12, 2021 Reid is not the first person to compare Christians to terrorists. More than a decade ago, Robyn E. Blumner wrote a piece for the St. Petersburg Times arguing that the religious right has spent more than 20 years chipping away at the wall of separation between church and state, trying in Taliban-like ways to inject religion into public schools and the operations of government. In 2010, Markos Moulitsas of the liberal blog The Daily Kos wrote a book titled, American Taliban that compared religious conservatives in the U.S. to the Taliban. Four years later, Al-Jazeera America published an opinion piece headlined, What the Taliban and Christian Conservatives Have in Common. What does God think of the Taliban? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Talibans sweeping takeover of Afghanistan is dominating world news. Tomorrow, well examine Americas decision to withdraw through the lens of Scripture and Christian theology. For today, lets ask some prior questions: Who are the Taliban? What does God think about them? How should we respond biblically to them? Who are the Taliban? In my 2011 book, Radical Islam: What You Need to Know, I explained the origins of the Sunni Islamist group known as the Taliban (from the Pashto for students). According to the most common explanation, when two teenage girls were kidnapped and raped in 1994 by followers of a warlord in Afghanistan, a group of 30 students joined their village cleric, Mullah Muhammad Omar, in rescuing the girls and hanging the groups commander from a tank barrel. Their group grew in strength and popularity, eventually gaining the support of religious parties within neighboring Pakistan. In the chaos of post-Soviet Afghanistan, their enforcement of order and law was a welcome relief to the population. They conquered Kandahar, Afghanistans second-largest city, at the end of 1994. Two years later, they captured the capital city of Kabul. By 1998, they occupied 90% of the country. Before long, it became clear that the Taliban would enforce a puritanical version of Islam akin to Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. They provided sanctuary to Osama bin Laden and formed a crucial base for the rise of al-Qaeda. After 9/11, they refused to expel bin Laden and end their support for terrorism. In response, a U.S.-led coalition invaded Afghanistan to remove them from power. A new constitution was adopted in January 2004, creating a parliamentary democracy. However, charges of widespread corruption soon surfaced against the new government and have persisted in the years since. U.S. forces remained in the country as the Afghan government developed a military force intended to prevent the return of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Over two decades, more than 2,300 U.S. military personnel were killed in Afghanistan, with more than 20,000 wounded. The 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' Following prior announcements of troop drawdowns by Presidents Obama and Trump, President Biden said in April that the U.S. would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. In response, the Taliban have escalated their military engagement across the country in recent days. Yesterday, they seized the capital city of Kabul. They are planning a ceremony at the presidential palace renaming Afghanistan as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They are promising a new era of peace and normalcy in the country along with amnesty for those who have battled them for two decades. However, there are already indications of a return to the harsh version of Islam that Afghans lived under from 1996 until the Taliban were driven out of power in 2001. When they previously ruled Afghanistan, they banned television, music and cinema, and disapproved of girls over the age of 10 going to school. Women had to wear the burqa and had to be accompanied by a male relative whenever they went outside. The Taliban were accused of human rights and cultural abuses such as their destruction of the famous Bamiyan Buddha statues in central Afghanistan. Now there are reports of such atrocities again. Last month, according to the semi-official Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Taliban fighters went door to door in one province looking for people who had worked for the government, killing at least 27 civilians, wounding 10 others, and looting homes. In early July, Taliban leaders in two provinces ordered religious leaders to provide them with a list of girls over the age of 15 and widows under the age of 45 for marriage with Taliban fighters. 'Its end is the way to death' The Taliban follow Deobandi theology (named for a seminary founded in 1866 in the city of Deobond, India). This school excludes all traditions and studies not directly related to the study of the Quran. It rejects reinterpretation of Islamic precepts in accommodation to changing times and seeks to return to the purity of the Quran and the Sunnah (practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad). In line with this worldview, the Taliban believe religious edicts to have a divine source and thus view them as more authoritative than humanitarian laws stressing individual freedoms. In this sense, we can view the Taliban as religious zealots. While tribal and social issues are definitely influential for them, their passionate commitment to extreme religious legalism fuels their drive to create a purified Islamic culture. Gods Word is clear: There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (Proverbs 14:12). Like millions of people who follow false religions, the Taliban are deceived by Satan into believing that their religious zeal can save their souls. The atrocities they have committed in the name of their religion are in fact inspired by the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). And their treatment of women clearly violates Gods will (cf. Galatians 3:28). What should be our response? In this spiritual conflict (Ephesians 6:12), Christians should be praying for Gods protection for those endangered by the unfolding tragedy in Afghanistan. And we should pray passionately for Taliban leaders and followers to meet Jesus in visions and dreams, a miraculous phenomenon now reaching Muslims around the world. To this end, lets make Pauls prayer for his fellow Jews our intercession for the Taliban: My hearts desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to Gods righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:14). If you question whether God can answer such a prayer, consider the man who first prayed it. If Saul the persecutor could become Paul the apostle, this fact is clear: it is always too soon to give up on God. Originally published at the Denison Forum Texas CPS declares trans surgeries for minors 'child abuse' after governor's request Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment After a request from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the states Department of Family and Protective Services has declared that performing sex reassignment surgeries on minors with gender dysphoria constitutes child abuse. In a letter published Wednesday, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Jaime Masters asserted that genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery is child abuse, subject to all rules and procedures pertaining to child abuse. According to Masters, Such mutilation may cause a genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child. Masters agreed with Abbotts earlier assessment that this surgical procedure physically alters a childs genitalia for non-medical purposes potentially inflicting irreversible harm to childrens bodies. The state official clarified that when medically necessary, this surgical procedure may not constitute abuse. It may be warranted for the following conditions including, but not limited to, a child whose body parts have been affected by illness or trauma; who is born with a medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development, such as the presence of both ovarian and testicular tissue; or who does not have the normal sex chromosome structure for male or female as determined through genetic testing, she added. Masters outlined the legal requirements for professionals such as teachers, nurses, day-care employees, doctors and other state employees that work with children who have cause to believe that a child has experienced any form of abuse, including genital mutilation. Specifically, they must report that belief to DFPS within 48 hours of first suspecting the abuse. Failure to do so could result in a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine of up to $4,000. Masters vowed that allegations involving genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery will be promptly and thoroughly investigated and any appropriate actions will be taken. Earlier this week, the governor wrote to Masters requesting that her agency issue a determination of whether genital mutilation of a child for purposes of gender transitioning through reassignment surgery constitutes child abuse. Abbott announced in a tweet Wednesday that the determination and subsequent enforcement of Commissioner Masters conclusions are effective immediately. Masters determination follows an unsuccessful attempt by the Republican-controlled Texas legislature to pass a bill banning chemical and surgical sex change procedures for minors with gender dysphoria. While the Texas Senate approved the bill, it stalled in the states House of Representatives. "Genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery is child abuse..." - Commissioner Jaime Masters, @TexasDFPS The determination and subsequent enforcement of Commissioner Masters' conclusions are effective immediately.https://t.co/EVLp44zi41 pic.twitter.com/HSTc9T9hQA Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 11, 2021 Supporters of the effort to ban the genital mutilation of minors allege that pressure from corporate America caused Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives to derail the measure. Before the Senate approved the bill, nearly four dozen companies that do business in Texas expressed opposition to the effort to criminalize or ban best-practice medical care that is proven to save lives. The Republican-controlled Arkansas legislature passed a similar bill over the objections of the states Republican governor, but it was later struck down by a federal judge. Texas embrace of the idea that transgender surgeries for minors are a form of child abuse could put it on a collision course with the Biden administration. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit against the Arkansas law, indicating that it views efforts to restrict minors access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones as unconstitutional. Federal law bars the State of Arkansas from singling out transgender minors for specifically and discriminatorily denying their access to medically necessary care based solely on their sex assigned at birth, the department argued. Such action would violate the Equal Protection Clause. Critics of such legislative efforts claim that children are not undergoing sex reassignment surgeries as the Endocrine Society recommends not having surgeries until they at least hit the age of 18. Puberty-blocking drugs are not prescribed until minors start puberty. Critics contend that the recommendation for young children with gender dysphoria is to begin social transitioning. Members of the executive branch have explicitly expressed support for allowing minors to undergo gender transitions. When questioning Dr. Rachel Levine, who now serves as assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., noted that the trans-identified cabinet official had supported allowing minors to be given hormone blockers to prevent them from going through puberty as well as surgical destruction of a minors genitalia. Paul discussed the situation of Keira Bell, a 23-year old British woman who was confused with her identity and was prescribed puberty blockers in addition to having her breasts amputated. The senator explained that Bell later regretted making such drastic changes to her body, which she retrospectively characterized as a brash decision she made as a teenager. During the confirmation hearing, Levine refused to directly answer Pauls question about whether minors have the capacity to make such life-changing decisions. According to the American College of Pediatricians, additional side effects of puberty blockers include osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment and, when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility. Others who regretted undergoing gender transitions testified on a recent episode of the CBS newsmagazine program 60 Minutes that the operations they underwent made their mental health worse, not better. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Charles Haddon Spurgeon was undoubtedly one of the greatest preachers of 19th century Britain, and of the entire world. He was astonishingly prolific. He preached thousands of sermons, almost all of which were printed and circulated worldwide so that, at his death, some 56 million copies had been printed in nearly 40 languages. Yet Spurgeons achievement was not simply one of quantity. He was a godly man who preached Gods truth in a way that was serious and challenging, yet overflowed with warmth, passion, wit and humor. Spurgeons profound spiritual insight was often expressed in memorable sayings. Two of my favorites are: A Bible thats falling apart usually belongs to someone who isnt, and, The greatest joy of a Christian is to give joy to Christ. Spurgeon was born in Essex in 1834 into a Christian family. He had only an extremely basic education, but more than made up for it by his prolific reading. Although growing up amongst committed Christians, Spurgeon only came to a personal faith in Christ at age 15. From then on, his growth to Christian maturity was meteoric. At age 19 he was called to be the minister of a London Baptist church. Within months, Spurgeons attractive preaching was filling the church and as word spread, he was forced to move to successively larger venues. Finally, in 1861, Spurgeon acquired a purpose-built church, The Metropolitan Tabernacle, that seated over 5,000 people. There he stayed for the remaining 38 years of his life. He preached regularly to extraordinary numbers once to 24,000 people at Crystal Palace, without any modern-day amplification systems. In 1856, Spurgeon married Susannah Thompson, a woman who was to be an extraordinary source of support and strength to him. Both their lives, however, were blighted by illness. Susannah became an invalid and Spurgeon struggled throughout his life with depression and other ailments. As the years went on, he took to spending the winter months at Menton on the French Cote dAzur where he worked on writing sermons and meditations on Scripture. He finally died there in 1892 at the early age of 57. Spurgeon was such a uniquely talented individual that it is hard to do him justice. He was gifted with intelligence, stamina, memory, a remarkable voice and a wonderful way with words, all of which he nurtured through reading, prayer and fellowship with godly people. He was astonishingly energetic he often worked 18 hours a day. He was a man of both generosity and discernment in what he believed. Although a convinced Baptist himself, he had friends across denominations and rarely took sides on what he saw were unimportant differences in belief. Nevertheless, when it came to the essentials of the Gospel, he stood firm and fought long and hard for the historic faith. Spurgeon has been called the prince of preachers, yet his deep commitment to social action must not be overlooked. As he himself said, When our biographies shall come to be written, God grant that they may not be all sayings, but sayings and doings! He created and led several organizations, including those which trained theological students and helped church planters, as well as others that worked amongst the orphans, widows and prostitutes. He fought evil wherever he found it. For example, he thundered against slavery to such an extent that his books were burnt in the United States. Because Spurgeon was such a unique man at such a unique time, to seek to imitate him is either impossible or dangerous. Few of us have his voice, his memory or his energy. We can, though, all seek his love of Christ and the Bible, and his zeal to spread the Gospel. As an evangelist, however, there are four specific things that inspire me. There was appeal in his preaching. Spurgeon lived when many preachers preferred polite, comfortable discourses on morality to the challenge of calling people to turn to Christ. In contrast, Spurgeon proclaimed the Gospel with a passionate expectation of seeing men and women brought to faith. He preached not for praise, but for a verdict. There was authority in his preaching. In Spurgeons day, there was a great pressure to modify the Gospel in the interest of progress. Spurgeon would have nothing of this, standing firm with a confident authority that came from his trust in the Bible as Gods unbreakable Word, and Christ as the very heart of its message. He said: Whatever subject I preach, I do not stop until I reach the Saviour, the Lord Jesus, for in him are all things. There was an authenticity in his preaching. Spurgeon spurned the contemporary trend for polished pulpit speeches delivered with formality and calm dignity. Instead, he preached with boundless energy, wit, warmth and, above all, life. In his preaching, he was himself, a sinner who had been redeemed by grace, and who overflowed with his joyful knowledge of Christ. There was accessibility in his preaching. Spurgeon had grown up amongst country folk, and in London never neglected those who lacked education. He spoke to his hearers in simple words that they would understand and respond to. He used anecdotes and wit to grip them while he hammered in the truth. Spurgeon was widely sneered at as being vulgar, theatrical and undignified, yet he drew and held his hearers, moving them through both laughter and tears to transformed lives. Spurgeon spoke with spiritual power and life to his generation. By the grace of God may we do the same to ours. Pakistani Christian couple released from death row granted asylum in Europe Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Two months after being acquitted by a high court and surviving death threats, a Pakistani Catholic mother and her partially paralyzed husband, who were on death row for seven years on false blasphemy charges, have arrived in Europe. Shagufta Masih and her husband, Shafqat Emmanuel, faced death threats after reports of their acquittal by the Lahore High Court broke in early June. In 2014, a session court had sentenced the couple to death by hanging. We are so relieved to finally be free. The last eight years have been incredibly hard, but we are so happy to be reunited with our children, said Shafqat Emmanuel on behalf of the family, according to ADF International, a human rights group that supported the Christian couple. Although we will miss our country, we are happy to finally be somewhere safe, added Emmanuel, who was the watchman of a school in the Gojra area of Toba Tek Singh district in Pakistans Punjab Province. The Catholic couple was arrested in July 2013 under Pakistans blasphemy laws after a local imam accused them of committing blasphemy by sending him an offensive text message. Maulvi Mohammed Hussain, a leader at a local mosque, claimed that Emmanuel used his wife's cellphone to send an anti-Islamic text message. He later claimed other messages followed. Hussain said he was praying when he received the offensive text message from an unknown number. The Muslim cleric reportedly showed the text message to two other imams before approaching his counsel for legal proceedings. He and his lawyer later claimed they both received subsequent blasphemous messages. Masihs brother, Joseph, previously told the BBC that his brother-in-law had been tortured and forced to make a false confession. The text messages were also alleged to have been written in English. Aside from being illiterate, Shafqat and Shagufta are not familiar with the English language written or spoken. ADF Internationals Director of Advocacy for Asia, Tehmina Arora, said in a statement that their case is not an isolated incident but testifies to the plight that many Christians and other religious minorities experience in Pakistan today. The couples lawyer, Saif Ul Malook, said, These cases are very difficult to litigate, due to the concern for security. There is a very real threat to the life of the clients and the lawyers. Christians are often targeted by both Pakistans blasphemy laws meant to protect Islamic sensitivities and by hardliners who carry out violence and have killed scores of believers in the past several years. The blasphemy law, embedded in Sections 295 and 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code, is frequently misused for personal revenge. It carries no provision to punish a false accuser or a false witness of blasphemy. Islamist extremists also use the law to target religious minorities Christians, Shias, Ahmadiyyas and Hindus. While the right to religious freedom is protected by the Pakistani constitution, many face severe persecution and denial of their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly, Arora said. Hopefully, the blasphemy laws in Pakistan will soon be abolished, so others wont suffer the same fate as Shagufta and I, Emmanuel said. The couple's country of asylum has not been disclosed due to security concerns. Massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Haiti; over 200 killed, thousands feared dead Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Over 200 people have been found dead and that number is expected to rise after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck western Haiti on Saturday reduced buildings to rubble. Many fear thousands might have been killed. Haitis Office of Civil Protection, which manages disaster relief, said Saturday evening that at least 229 people have died. The U.S. Geological Survey warned residents to expect "high casualties" with the possibility that fatalities could reach into the thousands. The earthquake, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time, struck about 5 miles from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, which is 93 miles west of the capital Port-au-Prince, and was felt across the Caribbean. It was followed by a series of aftershocks, according to the USGS said. A civil protection coordinating organization said the death toll was at least 225 people. said the death toll was at least 225 people. The USGS issued a series of alerts Saturday: Red alert for shaking-related fatalities. High casualties are probable and the disaster is likely widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response. Orange alert for economic losses. Significant damage is likely. Estimated economic losses are 0-3% GDP of Haiti. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and adobe block construction. Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritans Purse, told Fox News Saturday that the humanitarian aid organization will be going to Haiti to provide water filtration units, tents and medical supplies. In a post on Facebook, Graham added: "Samaritan's Purse is deploying disaster response team members and airlifting emergency relief supplies including shelter material and two community water filtration units. We are also sending a medical team to help provide basic medical care. Pray for our teams as they deploy, and pray especially for this country in the wake of another devastating disaster." MANY COLLAPSED BUILDINGS & Homes Per Reports, First Pictures Of Haiti M7.6 Quake Damage 08/14/2021 pic.twitter.com/a3iUoXGFVR AwareMap (@AwareMap) August 14, 2021 A tsunami wave warning that had been issued was lifted by the afternoon, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System. Residents of the coastal town of Les Cayes said water had briefly flooded the area, which led some to fear a tsunami was imminent. Some locals had fled into the mountains for safety in preparation for a potential tsunami, local media outlets reported, Reuters reported. Saturday's earthquake hit farther away from the capital Port-au-Prince than the catastrophic 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 2010 that killed an estimated 300,000 people and left between 1.5 million and 2 million homeless. The earthquake "was strongly felt but did not appear to have caused major damage," Reuters reported Saturday afternoon. Haiti is now in the path of Tropical Storm Grace which could bring heavy rains in the coming days. The island nation was already struggling with political and ongoing humanitarian crises before the earthquake hit. On July 7, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, allegedly by a group of some 28 foreign mercenaries. Prior to his assassination, there had been calls for Moise to step down, including from the Bishops' Conference of Haiti, amid a dispute over when his five-year term should end and concerns that his push for constitutional changes that would grant Haitis leader immunity for any actions taken while in office would lead to authoritarian rule and threaten the nation's democracy. During his presidency, many raised concern about his connections to criminal gangs and used that power to repress political opponents, according to the U.S. government. Last year, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned two senior Haitian officials for allegedly planning the 2018 La Saline massacre," The Wall Street Journal reported. In that massacre, civilians, including children, were taken from their homes and executed in the streets. Their bodies were then burned and dismembered, the U.S. Treasury said. In 2019, Haitians took to the streets to demand Moise resign in light of allegations that the government misappropriated billions of dollars earmarked for reconstruction following the 2010 earthquake. The country was struck by another natural disaster in 2016 from Hurricane Matthew that killed hundreds and causing widespread devastation. With a Gross Domestic Product per capita of $1,149.50 and a Human Development Index ranking of 170 out of 189 countries in 2020, Haiti's economic and social development is hindered by political instability, governance issues and fragility, according to the World Bank. Haiti is the poorest country in the Latin America and Caribbean region and among the poorest countries in the world. In the last hours, a discussion began throughout Spanish-speaking Twitter and Facebook about which were the "normal Cheetos" : the crooked ones or the puffy ones. The users of the microblogging social network were divided between those who claim that the Blue Cheetos (the puffy ones) are the originals and those who claim that the Orange Cheetos (the crooked ones) are the authentic ones. , not found in media set The cheese-flavored potato chip entrepreneur The truth is that we are taking advantage of the trend to remember how an entrepreneur created these iconic snacks. The Cheetos Crunchy (the crooked ones) were invented in 1948 in San Antonio, Texas, by Charles Elmer Doolin , creator of the Fritos. Image: Fritolay.com Doolin was born in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1903. He worked as a manager at the Highland Park Confectionery in San Antonio where he purchased a corn chip recipe, a hand potato enricher, and 19 retail accounts from a corn chip maker for just $ 100, money he got by borrowing from his mother. The entrepreneur established his company, The Frito Company , in his mother's kitchen and with the help of his family produced corn chips called Fritos. Each day they produced 4.5 kilos of product that they sold for two dollars while driving his Ford Model T car. By 1933 Doolin already had lines of operation in Houston and Dallas and 10 years later it was established as a franchise as Frito National Company. In this way, Doolin chips were sold in 48 states of the American Union. In 1948 the Doolin company created a cheesy puffed cornmeal snack they called Cheetos. Doolin began marketing its Fritos and Cheetos, but in order to expand in the United States, it joined the entrepreneur Herman Lay , the creator of Lay's fries. The two entrepreneurs merged their companies in 1961, forming Frito-Lay . At that time the new firm reported revenues of $ 127 million a year. In February 1965 the multinational food company Pepsi-Cola merged with Frito-Lay and created what we know today as PepsiCo . So what are the "normal Cheetos"? It's not really that easy to say. Puffed cheese called "cheese puffs" are very typical of various cuisines and are known to have been patented by two companies in the 1930s in the United States: Edward Wilson in Wisconsin and the Elmer Candy Corporation in New Orleans. But it is an easy recipe to reproduce and its true origins are somewhat obscured by history (just visit any market on wheels in Mexico to find a version of this snack ). As far as we're concerned, the first Cheetos to be sold were the Crunchy ones (the oranges) in 1948 and they served to inspire the creation of the Chester Cheetos mascot. In Mexico, the Cheetos Puffs (the blue ones), would not be sold until 1990 through Sabritas, a Mexican snack company that at the time would also be acquired by Pepsico . Image: El Blog del Gordo via Facebook Whatever the origin, what are your favorite Cheetos? Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com MANISTEE The Manistee City Fire Department has a new machine on hand to assist responders during medical calls and it helps with CPR. Mark Cameron, Manistee fire chief, said the department was able to acquire the new Lucas 3 machine through a matching Manistee County Revenue Share grant. Because of COVID and the monies being thinner, we did a split we did a 50/50 match on this. It was a $16,000 piece of equipment and the city budgeted money and (matched with) $8,000. The machine does chest compressions. It relieves a person to do more critical tasks such as administer drugs, watch the cardiac monitor, deal with IV access, it frees that person up (who) would just be sitting there doing compressions, Cameron explained. A human actually gets tired after about two minutes (of compressions) So we are personnel limited very much, sometimes only responding with two. He said the Lucas devices give much better results for return of spontaneous circulation in patients. This adds a guy to our squad to just do CPR and they do it without flaw, Cameron said. We currently have a Lucas 2 and weve moved that to our reserve unit and now we have this new Lucas on our first unit. RELATED: Meet the Manistee Fire Department's newest firefighter-EMT With the new Lucas, the department is able to make use of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities to deliver data for the departments reports. This tells staff information on what time it was turned on, how many compressions it gave a patient and a list of other information. Cameron said having the two CPR devices is also beneficial since the department sometimes responds to calls outside the city and so they are able to have a reserve machine in the city in case it is needed. Staff have been trained in house on how to use the Lucas devices, he said. A compact between the state and Little River Band of Ottawa Indians requires a local revenue sharing board distribute 2% of electronic gaming profits from the Little River Casino Resort in the form of grants. RELATED: MHS grad returns to Manistee as firefighter-paramedic Cameron said over the years, the department has received about $1 million in grants toward purchases for equipment like $19,341 for a generator, as well as gear like helmets, boots and gloves. Gloves for fire departments can be about $100 per pair, he said as an example. So it gets pricey, especially for smaller stations that their budgets are thinner, he explained. I just cant say how thankful I am to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians for doing what they do with their (grants) because that is something that is just hard to budget. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) The family of an Albuquerque man killed in a car crash made a gruesome discovery when they went back to the scene to grieve. Relatives told KRQE-TV on Monday they found body parts that belong to 18-year-old Hector Sanchez, including his right hand and nose. BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) Lower College Street in Burlington will be closed to vehicles for a month starting Friday as railroad track improvements are made near the waterfront for the long-awaited extension of the Amtrak train service from Rutland to Burlington. The west side of the street will be closed to vehicles until Sept. 17 but pedestrians and cyclists will be able to travel to Waterfront Park during the closure, the Vermont Agency of Transportation said. The Burlington bike path between Main and Colleges will remain closed for several more months, the Burlington Free Press reported. CHESTER, Pa. (AP) A 13-year-old boy was killed and two adults wounded in a shooting in a southeastern Pennsylvania city near Philadelphia, authorities said. Chester police said officers heard gunfire while patrolling at about 10:30 p.m. Monday. When they arrived at the scene, they found the 13-year-old face down in the grass in front of a home. CHESHIRE A healthy infusion of $1.7 million in state and federal money this summer will be enough to complete the first phase of construction in which a former West Main Street factory complex is being converted into an arts and retail center. The plan now is to have the work on the first phase of Ball & Socket Arts center completed by early March, according to Ilona Somogyi, president and co-founder of the nonprofit. That will allow the first two commercial tenants, Sweet Claudes ice cream parlor and the Social Learning Center, to move into Building No. 2 of the old Ball & Socket Manufacturing complex, which is located at the intersection of Willow and West Main streets. Most of the money, $1.5 million, came from Urban Act funds, which are set aside in every state budget for urban renewal development projects, according to state Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire. There is a provision that allows for Urban Act money to be used to refurbish old buildings, Linehan said. So thats how they were able to get it. An additional $200,000 in federal relief money was directed to Ball & Socket Arts, which the help of the Democrat majority in the Connecticut legislature, she said. Ball &Socket Arts has raised $130,000 through individual donors contributing money for window restorations as well as $200,000 from a single, anonymous private donor, according to Somogyi. Sweet Claudes, currently located at 828 South Main St., will occupy the first floor of Building No. 2. The second level of the 6,600-square-foot building will be occupied by the Social Learning Center, which serves individuals with learning disorders. Phase One of the project also will include the opening of a second 1,800-square-foot building adjacent to Building No. 2, according to Somogyi. The rear building will be used for the offices of Ball & Socket Arts as well as gallery space, she said. The foot traffic those two businesses are going to generate will be an important part of the equation for the success of this project, Somogyi said. The revitalization of our site and that whole strip on West Main is going to be a tremendous spark to the neighborhood. When the three-phase, $22 million project is completed, the 63,00-square-foot factory complex will be converted into a facility that will include exhibition space for visual arts, dance and musical rehearsal space and other types of artistic endeavors. The area surrounding the former factory already had seen a surge in economic activity prior to the arrival of the pandemic. Brians Guitars at 453 W. Main St. and its sister business, West Main Street Music Academy, opened a few years ago, and nearby Fuoccos Pizza opened last year. The front of the complex is blocked with construction fencing as workers install a stormwater drainage system and the utilities for the first phase of the project. One that work is done, Somogyi said the entire front grounds of the building will be paved to serve as a parking lot for the center. Less visible, but equally important to the opening of the first two buildings is the restoration of windows in buildings one and two. Brickwork on the front of the complex facing West Main Street also is being restored, she said. We want to keep the original character of the buildings, Somogyi said. It will look much nicer than if we got new things. The main factory building opened in 1889 and the plants neo-Jacobean front office was added in 1914. Ball & Socket Manufacturing was in the business of making metal buttons before it ceased operations in 1994 and was sold to a local business, Dalton Enterprises. Somogyi and two former Cheshire High School classmates purchased the property for $725,000 in 2014. Somogyi said the leadership of the nonprofit had hoped to open the first phase of the complex earlier thus summer, but there was just a ton of complexity at the permitting end. We're still working out the details with state on both with the DOT and DEEP, she said. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com CHICAGO (AP) Chicago will require masks in all public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status as the number of COVID-19 cases rise, the city's top doctor announced Tuesday. The mandate, which takes effect Friday for everyone over age 2, is similar to rules in place for much of last year. It will apply to gyms, stores, common areas of apartment buildings and in restaurants, though people will be allowed to remove face coverings while eating and drinking. Masks are already required in schools under Gov. J.B. Pritzkers statewide order. ALBANY Andrew Cuomo continues to claim he stepped away because, gosh darn, it was just the honorable move to make. "I did the right thing for the state," Cuomo told New York magazine on Friday, in his first interview since announcing his resignation. "I'm not gonna' drag the state through the mud, through a three-month, four-month impeachment, and then win, and have made the state Legislature look like a ship of fools, when everything I've done all my life was for the exact opposite." Gee, what a noble fellow that Andrew is, sacrificing his own career to avoid embarrassing the Legislature. The man's a veritable saint, always looking out for ways to help others. Please. If you believe any of that claptrap, I've got a wonderful bridge to sell you, a span that the governor, in all his modesty, decided would carry his family's surname. It's a new bridge, and you can have it for a fair price! Just don't look too closely at its bolts. Of course, the real reason Andrew Cuomo decided to resign is that doing so was the best thing for Andrew Cuomo and whatever future political career he might envision. Once it became clear the Assembly was determined to move ahead with impeachment hearings, the governor was left with no other choice. Because while the recent report by the Office of the Attorney General, the one finding that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, was terribly damaging for the governor, it wasn't nearly as destructive as impeachment hearings would have been. Envision, if you will, the testimony we might have heard from the female state trooper cited in the AG report. She might have described how the governor's allegedly inappropriate touching included the time he ran his hand along her stomach, from her belly button to her right hip. She might have told us all the creepy things the governor said to her and how they made her feel. And we might have heard from other troopers who witnessed the behavior and corroborate the allegations. They might have also described why the woman's quick rise through the ranks of his protective detail was so unseemly. Even the most resilient politician can't recover from that kind of testimony and it would have been just the beginning. Cuomo's political future, such as it exists, would have vanished for good. It would have all been over, his disgrace final and complete. That's why it was an intolerable scenario the governor could not abide. By avoiding impeachment, Cuomo can continue to muddy the water with claims that he got into trouble because he's old-fashioned and just a little too affectionate for the modern workplace. He can keep insisting he took an interest in the female trooper simply because he's a big believer in diversity. "The lack of diversity on the State Police detail was an ongoing disappointment for me," he said during his resignation announcement, somehow keeping a straight face while recasting his awful behavior as righteous. He's a feminist, you see. Keep in mind that the Assembly's impeachment inquiry was about more than sexual harassment, also examining the governor's undercount of nursing home deaths and his use of state employees to produce a book that made him millions. We don't know what those investigations found or how damaging they might be. But Cuomo knows, and you can bet he wanted his resignation to foreclose additional revelations. That shouldn't be allowed to happen, especially since taxpayers have spent at least $10 million on the investigation. So, it's at least somewhat encouraging that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie tells us there will be a report on the findings. Now, a good skeptic may wonder just when we'll see the report and how illuminating it will be. After all, Albany's political class has often prioritized protecting its own. Should New Yorkers really trust the report will be a full and honest accounting? "I can't understand why they wouldn't," said Assemblyman Phil Steck, a Colonie Democrat, noting that Cuomo hasn't exactly endeared himself to many lawmakers. Steck is among those who believes impeachment legally can and should continue, with an eye toward barring the governor from again holding office. Another goal, he told me, is detailing how Cuomo manipulated power so New York avoids another imperial governor. As Steck and others have noted, Cuomo has $18 million in his campaign account, a sum that will allow the Democrat to remain a formidable force in New York politics. Don't be surprised if he wields that money like a weapon. Don't be surprised if he again runs for office, sooner rather than later. Andrew Cuomo's resignation kept that possibility alive, a ploy aimed at damage control. But the Assembly shouldn't play along. It should tell New Yorkers what it knows. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) A former correctional unit housing manager at a North Carolina prison is facing several drug-related charges after she was caught bringing marijuana into the prison, according to law enforcement officials. Vanessa Uniqua Spence, 29, of Elizabeth City was arrested last week and charged with possession of a controlled substance while in a prison facility and possession of drug paraphernalia, The Daily Advance reported. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Steven Olikara, a 31-year-old who has worked with young office holders to reach bipartisan solutions, announced Tuesday he is joining the crowded Democratic field for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin. Olikara is running his first campaign and is the 11th Democrat to get in the race for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who hasn't said yet whether he will seek a third term for the seat that is up in 2022. Johnson is a close ally of former President Donald Trump, who encouraged him to run again. Wisconsins Senate race is expected to be one of the most hotly contested nationwide, regardless of whether Johnson runs, in part because the state is so evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats and majority control of the Senate will be in play. The Democratic primary is just under a year away on Aug. 9. Olikara, a musician and former DJ, said he would bring his guitar on the campaign trail and play Johnny Cash songs while pitching a message emphasizing collaboration and consensus building. He said his message is designed to attract liberal Democrats who supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, politically homeless Republicans and disillusioned, disaffected independents. Olikara said he would model his campaign after winning ones run in Wisconsin by President Joe Biden in 2020 and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in 2018. Both of them did well with crucial independent voters in the swing state. Im really proud that we have a pretty wide coalition of people coming together as a motley crew of people," Olikara said. Barbara Lawton, who served eight years as former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyles lieutenant governor, endorsed OIikara on Tuesday. Olikara, who credits Doyle with sparking his interest in getting involved with politics and studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, launched his campaign with an event in Milwaukee. Olikara is the son of Indian immigrants and grew up in Brookfield. If elected, he would become the first person of Indian descent to represent Wisconsin in Congress. Im running because I think we need a fundamentally different business model and culture in our politics to solve the scale of the problems that were facing," Olikara said in an interview. And thats what Ive been practicing for the past decade to the organization I founded, Millennial Action Project, and what I hope to elevate in this race, which is a more inclusive, compassionate and honest form of politics. Olikara faces a packed field, which includes Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes;state treasurer Sarah Godlewski; Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson; and Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry. Others running include Milwaukee Ald. Chantia Lewis, Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Darrell Williams and Wausau radiologist Gillian Battino. Earlier this month, state Sen. Chris Larson quit the race and endorsed Barnes. Olikara is the fourth announced Democratic candidate who is in his 30s: Lasry is 33, Barnes is 34 and Godlewski is 39. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Authorities fought a northeastern Minnesota wildfire from the air and on the ground Tuesday, following the evacuation of about 75 residences in the Superior National Forest. The fire, which was first spotted Sunday near Greenwood Lake, had expanded to about 3.1 square miles (8 square kilometers) by Tuesday. The Minnesota National Guard is assisting in the firefighting efforts; warm weather and gusty winds from the south were forecast to continue for days. Full suppression tactics are being used to reduce fire spread, forest officials said in a statement. Two helicopters, one airplane, eight engines, two bulldozers, and two tracked vehicles were assigned to the fire Tuesday, with a dedicated incident management team scheduled to assume full command Wednesday morning. Lake County sheriff's deputies and emergency management personnel went door to door Monday to notify residents that they were in the evacuation zone near McDougal Lake, or left notes on doors if nobody was home. Many dwellings in the area, which is deep in the forest, are seasonal cabins. Superior National Forest officials said in a statement that about 75 homes have been evacuated. Two highways through the area were closed Monday as the firefighting effort picked up speed and the fire spread to the north. The cause of the Greenwood Lake fire has not been determined. The lake is located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Isabella, the nearest town. While the fire hasn't reached the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, the Forest Service on Tuesday closed a small portion of the wilderness area west of Isabella Lake. The Superior National Forest also continues to monitor or fight several smaller fires in remote parts of the Boundary Waters and near Ely, using tanker planes, helicopters and bulldozers. Meanwhile, the state Department of Natural Resources was fighting two other wildfires to the west that were detected over the weekend in remote parts of sparsely populated Lake of the Woods County, which had grown to 80 and 60 acres (32 and 24 hectares). Drought conditions from the western U.S. across the northern plains to Minnesota have raised wildfire risks across a broad swath of the country. Firefighters in California faced more dangerously windy weather Tuesday as they struggled to keep the nations largest wildfire from moving toward Susanville, a Northern California county seat, and other small mountain communities. The Dixie Fire is the largest of nearly 100 major wildfires burning across more than a dozen Western states. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Top Republican legislators in Kansas are accusing Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's administration of illegally spending at least $86 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds by not getting their approval first. Kelly's office on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a letter from Senate President Ty Masterson, House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. and the chairs of the House and Senate budget committees. In the letter sent Monday, the lawmakers threatened to explore all necessary legal actions if she does not seek approval from leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature before state agencies spend relief dollars. Their dispute centers on relief funds that agencies received before the state's current 2022 budget year began July 1. The four Republicans contend that a budget measure approved by lawmakers and signed by Kelly in May required an advisory committee's review and legislative leaders' consent for any spending starting July 1. Respect for the rule of law compels you to cease your attempt to circumvent the will of the people as expressed by the Legislature and approved by your own hand, the Republican lawmakers wrote. Kelly's office contends the spending in question falls under a plan legislative leaders approved in June 2020, allocating $1.8 billion in federal relief funds. The disagreement was first reported by the Sunflower State Journal. The GOP lawmakers said the June 2020 allocations allowed spending only through June 30. After that date, they said, Kelly's administration illegally spent at least $82.7 million on aid to cities and counties with fewer than 50,000 residents, $2.3 million on public-service announcements by the state health department and $1.5 million on consulting services for the health department. The Democratic governor and Republican lawmakers have sparred since early in the pandemic over the state's response to COVID-19. Top Republicans ended a state of emergency for the pandemic June 15 after Kelly argued for keeping it in place at least through this month. Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican running for governor next year, provided a brief legal opinion last month that Masterson, an Andover Republican, and Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, are using to bolster their arguments about spending. Schmidt said in a letter that the budget measure signed by Kelly in May set up a specific procedure for handling relief funds after July 1. A seven-member advisory board must review spending proposals, and the State Finance Council must approve them. The Finance Council handles budget matters between the Legislature's annual January-to-May sessions. The council is the governor and eight legislative leaders; six currently are Republicans, including the four signing the letter to Kelly. We have reviewed further provisions of law and so far discovered none that authorizes a different procedure, Schmidt wrote. New COVID-19 cases have increased in Kansas since late June because of the faster-spreading delta variant, with delta cases confirmed in 90 of the state's 105 counties as of Monday. The state health department reported an average of 1,170 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that 46.5% of the states 2.9 million residents were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The national figure was 50.8%. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) Republican lawmakers repudiated a statewide school mask mandate Tuesday as the Democratic governor warned that the delta variant is sparking Kentucky's worst COVID-19 outbreak, with more children getting infected and hospitals filling up with unvaccinated virus patients. A GOP-led legislative panel found the school mask regulation approved recently by the state school board to be deficient. Lengthy testimony before the party-line vote reflected deep divisions among Kentuckians over mask mandates to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The panel's action signaled the intent of the legislature but didn't invalidate the regulation. It meant the regulation went to Gov. Andy Beshear for review. The governor responded quickly, stating in a letter later Tuesday that he determined the regulation is in effect, regardless of the committee's finding. Beshear had already staked out his position, having signed a separate executive order last week requiring mask wearing in K-12 schools. The legislative review came on the same day the state reported 3,276 new COVID-19 cases and eight more virus-related deaths. The rate of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus neared 12.5%. Beshear on Tuesday called it the states most severe escalation of cases since the pandemic began, saying it ought to alarm everybody and get everybody on the same team to do the right thing. This version of COVID, the delta variant, is hitting people harder, they are getting sicker and they are younger, added Dr. Steven Stack, Kentuckys public health commissioner. The governor warned that children are at greater risk from the fast-spreading delta variant. Virus cases among Kentucky children skyrocketed by more than 400% in the past month, and pediatric hospital admissions due to COVID-19 are at their highest total. Children under age 12 arent eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. It is clear that unvaccinated, unmasked children are going to end up in quarantine and not be in school, the governor said at a news conference as the legislative hearing continued. Or worse, they end up with COVID. Or worse, they end up hospitalized. Lee County public schools in eastern Kentucky canceled classes for three days this week after several children and staff members contracted the virus. Lawmakers heard competing arguments while reviewing the school masking regulation. Opponents of the mandate said it infringed on individual liberties and local decision-making. Supporters called it a necessary preventive step to protect the health of students and school staff. If mask-wearing in schools was optional, "we would stand no fighting chance against COVID because some would choose comfort over safety, Frankfort High School student Audrey Gilbert said in supporting the mandate. Pragya Upreti, another student supporter who attends Lafayette High School in Lexington, said: Prioritizing the health and safety of young people should not be rooted in politics, but instead guided by informed decision making. Some parents warned that removing masks in schools would especially pose a risk to medically fragile children at greater risk from COVID-19. Rita Yates, who has grandchildren attending school in Lawrence County, said she considered it "abuse to send your children to school to breathe in a mask all day. Opponents also objected to a blanket approach to the school masking issue. Terri Conen, from rural McLean County, said imposing the same restrictions on rural areas as in cities was ill-considered. She called it an overreach of power by unelected members of the state school board. Republican Rep. David Hale, a panel member, said locally elected school boards and superintendents should decide on masking policies for their schools. Democratic Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, who voted against finding the school masking regulation deficient, referred to the meeting as political theater. This is about making sure our kids go to school and can stay in school, she said of the mandate. Asked about the committee hearing, Beshear told reporters: This is what happens when politics runs over public health or common sense. The governor added that individual liberty "does not exist to actively spread a deadly virus. Beshear reported an uptick in vaccinations, with more than 2.4 million Kentuckians having received at least one vaccine dose 55% of the state's population. The governor warned the state is likely to have more COVID-19 patients hospitalized by the end of this week than at any point during the pandemic. Beshear said hes not considering any form of shutdown" or capacity restrictions in response to the virus surge, but said whether to reinstitute a statewide mask mandate is under active consideration as he monitors hospitalization rates. If we run out of (hospital) beds for people who are injured or sick or have a heart attack, dont we have to do something ... to make sure weve got that capacity for everybody? he said. The legislative panel also found a regulation setting mask requirements in child care centers to be deficient. The governor said later Tuesday that he determined that regulation to also be in effect. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) A Florida judge refused Tuesday to close pretrial hearings to the media and public in the case of the man accused of killing 17 people in a 2018 high school mass shooting. Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rejected a motion by defendant Nikolas Cruz's lawyers claiming that intense media coverage jeopardizes his right to a fair trial. Scherer did not elaborate on her reasons for denial, saying she would detail them in a written order later. But Dana McElroy, attorney for The Associated Press, said it was the correct decision. It allows access to all of the hearings and filings in this case of great public concern, which is both contemplated and required by the Constitution, McElroy said after the hearing. Several media outlets, including the AP, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News and CNN had challenged the closure motion. Cruz's lawyers contended that open hearings might publicly reveal inadmissible evidence that will never be heard at trial and that news coverage could otherwise create bias among jurors. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that pretrial hearings are presumed to be open in most circumstances and can be closed only when there are no alternatives available except moving the trial elsewhere in the state. Prosecutors insist the trial must take place in Broward County. Cruz, 22, faces the death penalty if convicted in the Valentine's Day 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people were slain and 17 others wounded in that shooting. Cruz's lawyers have said he would plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence, but prosecutors are insisting that his fate be decided by a jury trial. A trial date has not yet been scheduled amid delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the sheer scale of the case, which includes interviews by lawyers of several hundred potential witnesses. Scherer set a series of hearings beginning next week for defense and prosecution motions to be considered. She also said Cruz's attorneys should disclose soon whether they intend to pursue an insanity defense. If you are, that needs to be filed forthwith, the judge said. Defense lawyers said all but one of their mental health experts has examined Cruz but no announcement was made on the insanity issue. Cruz, a former Stoneman Douglas student, had a well-documented history of mental problems prior to the shooting. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday upped the pressure on the growing number of public school districts defying a state ban on mask mandates as they try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Republican created a $163 million school grant program using federal virus relief funds he controls, but schools that have mask mandates or have to close because of COVID-19 outbreaks won't be eligible for the additional $1,800 per student. Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouraged mandates that place more stress on students and families arent, Ducey said in a statement. These grants acknowledge efforts by schools and educators that are following state laws and keeping their classroom doors open for Arizonas students. School districts with current mask mandates will have 10 days to rescind them or lose out on the money, Ducey spokesman C.J. Karamargin said. That's despite the fact that a law banning schools from enacting those rules does not go into effect for more than a month. Ducey also created a $10 million grant program that largely mirrors the state's private school voucher program by awarding parents $7,000 for each student if their public school required isolating or quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, or if it mandated masks or gave preferential treatment to vaccinated children. Our COVID-19 Educational Recovery Benefit will empower parents to exercise their choice when it comes to their childs education and COVID-19 mitigation strategies, he said. Arizona is one of eight states that have laws or executive orders banning mask requirements in public schools, with some landing in the courts. Education advocates have filed a lawsuit over Arizona's ban and several other state laws that restrict the power of local governments and school districts to impose COVID-19 requirements. At least one other state, Florida, is giving private school vouchers to parents who say a public school districts mask-wearing requirements amount to harassment of their children. Arizona's GOP-led Legislature this year rejected an expansion of the voucher program that now gives about 10,000 students public cash to attend private schools. Students who do not have special needs get 90% of the state funding, about $7,000 each, that would have gone to their local public school to pay for private school tuition or other costs. The governor's moves come as an increasing number of school districts defy the provision in the newly enacted state budget that bans mask mandates and instead follow recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding face coverings. Ducey and Republicans who control the Legislature crafted the state's restrictions. Democratic House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding said Ducey was creating his own Hunger Games" for Arizona schools with his actions. Its a sickening irony that hes doing this by dangling millions of federally provided funds for COVID-19 relief and forcing school districts to choose between the health and safety of kids and educators, or millions in additional funding that Republicans have withheld for years," Bolding said in a statement. With the delta variant running rampant and COVID-19 cases among children on the rise, its disgusting to put a bounty on spreading this illness to kids and punishing schools that try to operate safely. And Democratic U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in a tweet called Ducey's action the most absurdly dangerous and anti-science step (he) has taken. Until kids under 12 have access to the vaccine, what are parents supposed to do? she asked. Just hope their kids dont get sick and end up in the ICU? Arizona has seen coronavirus cases surge in the last six weeks, and numerous school districts have had large outbreaks. State health officials on Tuesday reported 2,661 cases and three deaths from the virus. In all, the Arizona Department of Health Services has reported more than 970,523 cases and 18,467 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began. Fifty-four percent of the 7.1 million Arizona people living in the state have been vaccinated. Five districts, two in metro Tucson and three in the Phoenix area, opted to require students and staff to wear masks after a judge ruled Monday that the budget law does not go into effect until Sept, 29. A teacher who filed a lawsuit challenging a mask mandate at a Phoenix district argued it took effect after lawmakers approved it in late June. In all, at least 16 districts in Arizona are requiring students and staff to wear masks while indoors amid fears over the delta variant. The districts collectively account for 198,000 students and nearly 300 schools, most in Tucson and metro Phoenix. Arizona has about 1.1 million public school students. The school board in Bullhead City in the state's northwest voted unanimously Tuesday night to instruct teachers and other school employees not to discuss their own or the children's COVID-19 vaccine status with students. Board members said such health questions belong exclusively to the students' families. Ducey's $163 million grant program that uses American Rescue Plan funds excludes any district or charter schools that do not follow all state laws as of Aug. 27 and that don't remain open for in-person instruction for the whole school year. The Phoenix Union High School District, which has 22 schools and about 28,000 students, was the first to defy the mask mandate ban on July 30 and was the defendant in the lawsuit. Asked for comment, a district spokesman pointed to a tweet from Superintendent Chad Gestson saying many state-level decisions are undermining efforts to safely provide in-person instruction. Today, I am worried about our children. All 1.1 million, Gestson wrote. But as for those in our care in PXU, we will continue to prioritize their health, safety and wellness. Karamargin said the governor's moves were not about penalizing schools that defy his will or their students, who will lose out on funding he is withholding. "This is about sending a clear message to those schools that are not violating the law about how important it is to follow the law," Karamargin said. Meanwhile, a western Arizona school district is considering an unorthodox proposal to ban any discussion between staff and students about vaccines and masks. The Colorado River Union High School's governing board was set to meet on the matter Tuesday night in Bullhead City. The measure would allow for disciplinary action to be taken against any district employee who speaks on anything related to vaccine status or encouraging/discouraging vaccines or mask with students. District officials did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment. According to the district dashboard, there are 18 active COVID-19 cases across the district. ___ Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud, Terry Tang and Anita Snow contributed to this report. NEW ORLEANS (AP) A Louisiana man sentenced to life without parole for stealing a wallet is free after serving 12 years. New Orleans prosecutors agreed to dismiss a habitual offender sentencing enhancement against 65-year-old Henry Phillips, and he was released on Monday, The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reports. WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Police are investigating a shooting death at a birthday party in south Wichita. Police say Robertino Gomez, 25, of Wichita, was killed at the party Sunday evening. A suspect, 42-year-old Marcello Ibarra, was arrested and is being held in the Sedgwick County jail. Gomez was shot after he went to check on Ibarra, who had decided to leave the party, police said. He died at the scene. Police are still investigating the motive, Officer Trevor Macy said. Ibarra, of Wichita, is facing possible charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, criminal possession of a firearm and a warrant out of Arizona, The Wichita Eagle reported. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina health officials said Monday that medically vulnerable residents with certain health conditions can get an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine, though some have already had a third Pfizer or Moderna shot after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it last week. The FDA signed off on the additional dose after emerging data suggested people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not necessarily build the same level of immunity as others who are not immunocompromised. Maura Wozniak, a 43-year-old Charlotte-area resident with cystic fibrosis, said she didn't develop any antibodies after receiving the first two Pfizer doses. After speaking with her pharmacist shortly after the FDA approved the additional shot, she got a third Pfizer dose Saturday in Huntersville. She hopes the third shot will give her more protection, especially against the more contagious delta variant. If nothing else, she said she'll feel less anxious about the pandemic. I'm hopeful that I do get some antibodies from it, Wozniak said. Psychologically, it's going to help a lot." The stay-at-home mother is excited to have her two 12-year-old kids return to school this month masked and in-person. But because she remains medically vulnerable and feels unsafe, she and her family will continue wearing masks indoors. Wozniak said she also has decided not to pursue as many school volunteer opportunities as she had hoped. When she got the vaccine in March after months of waiting because the state had prioritized healthy people in older age groups over younger people like her with chronic conditions, she never imagined transmission of the virus would be as severe as it is today. Did I ever think in a million years wed still be in this spot with school starting up? No, not at all," she said. Data from the state Department of Health and Human Services shows COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and the share of tests coming back positive at their worst levels in more than six months. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which is where Wozniak's kids will return this month, is one of several public school systems heeding the advice of health experts to require students to wear masks inside classrooms. Starting Wednesday, the city of Charlotte and unincorporated parts of Mecklenburg County will impose an indoor mask mandate. We need more people in our community to get vaccinated, which is the best way for us to get back to normal for the long-term, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said in a statement Monday. Unless we do better on getting shots in arms, this wont be the last time we have to mandate masks or other measures. Lack of demand for vaccines has contributed to tens of thousands of doses being thrown out. Since the beginning of vaccine distribution in December 2020, North Carolina has received more than 7.6 million doses among state providers, which excludes federal pharmacy program partners like Walgreens and CVS. Data the state health department shared with The Associated Press on Monday show more than 250,000 of the 7.6 million doses, or 3%, were unusable for any number of reasons, including nearly 52,000 expired shots, as of Aug. 2. Despite the worsening metrics and wasted doses, North Carolinians have recently gotten vaccinated in greater numbers amid delta variant fears, employer vaccine mandates and stronger financial incentives for receiving a first dose. More than 3 in 5 residents eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine because they are at least 12 years old have gotten at least one shot. Immunocompromised North Carolinians who are 12 and older can get a third Pfizer vaccine, while adults 18 and older qualify for an extra Moderna shot. ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak. ___ Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson. ___ Anderson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) A North Carolina state legislator was recovering at home Tuesday after he tested positive for COVID-19 recently and was hospitalized, a spokesman for House Republicans said. Rep. Keith Kidwell of Beaufort County and his wife both were diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to Stephen Wiley, the House Republican Caucus director. RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) Police in Rapid City are working to identify a person of interests in a homicide investigation. Authorities have already made one arrest in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Austin Freeman last Friday. A 31-year-old man is being held on probable murder and drug charges. Investigators said they are also looking for woman in connection with the case. Police Capt. James Johns said it appears Freeman was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was an innocent victim of violence associated with drugs. BEIRUT (AP) Syrian state media reported that Israel carried out a missile attack on southern Syria late on Tuesday, targeting an unspecified military position. There was no immediate comment from Israel. The state TV report did not specify if there were any casualties. It said two missiles were fired toward the military position near the southern town of Quneitra, on the edge of Syrias Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Florida's largest school district will likely require students to wear face masks when classrooms open next week, following the recommendation of a task force of medical experts and defying Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempt to block mandatory mask rules. The Miami-Dade County School Board is expected to approve the measure Wednesday. My mind is pretty made up on the way to move forward," Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. Students in neighboring Broward County will also be wearing masks when they return Wednesday, and people in both districts have been keeping an eye on the Tampa area, where classes started last week. The Hillsborough County School Board, which has not required masks in classrooms, scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday to discuss additional protections. Were at that place. Its unavoidable, board chairperson Lynn Gray said Monday. Hillsborough's COVID-19 case count stood at 731 at midday Monday, nearly 20 times higher than it was after the first week of fall classes in 2020. On Monday, the district reported 5,599 students and 316 employees either in isolation, having tested positive for COVID-19, or in quarantine which means they had close contact with a positive case. Miami-Dade has the nations fourth-largest school district with 334,000 students, while Broward is the sixth-largest district with 261,000 students. Both counties were hotspots before, but now the delta variant has spread across so much of Florida that the entire state is considered high-risk. On Monday, about 15,600 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Florida, nearly eight times more than in June, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As more districts consider defying DeSantis, the Florida Board of Education is threatening two school districts that are ignoring bans on mask mandates. Members voted unanimously Tuesday for Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to enforce an executive order by DeSantis and a state rule by the Florida Department of Health that requires school districts to allow parents to opt out of mask mandates. Based on the motions, school districts in Alachua and Broward counties could face possible loss of funding, removal of local officials and further action from the state Legislature. Superintendents from both counties said during the teleconference meeting that their districts were complying with state law and attempting to provide safe learning environments for students. In both districts, students can be exempted from wearing a mask with a doctors written recommendation. The state rules say students should be able to go maskless with the permission of a parent or legal guardian. President Joe Biden called school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona last week to praise them for doing the right thing" in defiance of executive orders from their governors. The Biden administration also promised federal money if DeSantis carries out a threat to withhold some state funds from districts imposing mask mandates. Carvalho said he came to his conclusion despite criticism from some parents, noting that a 13-year-old student and four district employees have died of COVID-19 in recent weeks. Two teachers and an assistant teacher died from the virus last week in Broward County. I dont know what the threshold of acceptable pain in this community is. I dont know what the acceptable threshold or statistical probability of a single child dying is in this community, he said. Just like I dont know what the threshold that anyone should accept as appropriate for teachers, custodial staff, police officers who may have underlying conditions ... who may be hospitalized, who may be intubated or who may perish. The Miami Herald reported that school board members met virtually Monday and appeared to agree with requiring masks. Our children will be fine, said school board member Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall. Were going to see to that. In Palm Beach County on Tuesday the county commission declared a state of emergency as the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 continues to strain hospitals. The unanimously approved order allows the county to obtain data from hospitals that includes the ICU capacity and number of beds available for COVID-19 patients. The daily reports will be posted online, which will also help the public understand the critical situation we are in right now, Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the countys state-run health department, told the commission. Commissioner Melissa McKinlay proposed the emergency order after all 12 ICU beds at Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade quickly filled up last week. The hospital was forced to transfer emergency room patients to hospitals in Miami and Orlando. Meanwhile, Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County announced Monday that it is offering $150 bonuses to employees who are fully vaccinated by Oct. 1, and that workers who don't comply will be required to wear masks and won't be allowed to eat in public spaces indoors, among other requirements. Memorial now has nearly 700 COVID-19 patients being treated in its six hospitals, a statement said. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. LA GARDE-FREINET, France (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron said firefighters have been able to stabilize the blaze that raced Tuesday through forests near the French Riviera, forcing thousands of people to flee homes, campgrounds and hotels in a picturesque area beloved by residents and tourists alike. It was the latest blaze in a summer of wildfires that have swept across the Mediterranean region, leaving areas in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Algeria and Spain in smoldering ruins. The wildfire started Monday evening, in the height of France's summer vacation season, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) inland from the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez. Fueled by powerful seasonal winds coming off the Mediterranean, the fire had spread across 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) of forest by Tuesday morning, according to the Var regional administration. Some 6,000 people were evacuated from homes and a dozen campgrounds while others were locked down in a holiday center for Air France employees. At least 22 people suffered from smoke inhalation or minor fire-related injuries and two firefighters were among the injured, officials said. Macron, who has been vacationing in a nearby coastal fortress, visited the fire zone on Tuesday. The worst has been avoided, Macron said, praising the efforts of over 900 firefighters and the deployment of 11 water-dumping planes. The destroyed landscape is "absolutely terrible in terms of biodiversity and of natural heritage ... but lives have been protected," he said. Water-dumping planes and emergency helicopters zipped back and forth Tuesday over hills lined with chestnut, pine and oak trees. Images shared online by firefighters showed black plumes of smoke leaping across thickets of trees as the flames darted across dry brush. Carlo Zaglia, spokesman for the regions firefighters, described a violent fire raging in the low mountain range of the Maures, making it very difficult for firefighters to reach the trees and battle the fire. One evacuee told France-Bleu that smoke enveloped his car as he returned to his campsite and he barely had time to grab his baby daughter's milk and basic belongings before fleeing. Another told BFM television about escaping as his hotel caught fire. Local authorities closed roads, blocked access to forests and urged caution. Officials warned that the fire risk would remain very high through Wednesday because of hot, dry weather. Temperatures have reached 40 degrees C (104 F) in recent days. Such extreme weather is expected happen more frequently as the planet is warming. Climate scientists say there's little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms. Intense heat and wildfires have also struck other Mediterranean countries in recent weeks, with fires killing at least 75 people in Algeria and 16 in Turkey. In Greece on Tuesday, hundreds of firefighters backed by water-dropping planes were battling a large forest fire that forced the evacuation of a nursing home and several villages northwest of Athens. Hundreds of wildfires have burned across Greece t his month, fueled by the countrys longest and most severe heat wave in decades. Also Tuesday, Israeli firefighters worked for a third consecutive day to contain a wildfire that has consumed a large swath of forest west of Jerusalem. Worsening drought and heat linked to climate change have also fueled wildfires this summer in the western United States and in Russias northern Siberia region. ___ Charlton contributed from Paris. ___ Follow all AP stories on climate change developments at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Gov. Dan McKee as well as top state public health and education officials are urging eligible Rhode Island schoolchildren to get vaccinated against the coronavirus before the start of the school year. The state Department of Health in conjunction with the Department of Education and community partners have coordinated more than 100 back-to-school and community-based COVID-19 clinics through mid-September, the Democratic governor said in a statement Tuesday. Youth as young as age 12 are eligible to receive the Pfizer shot. Getting vaccinated and making sure that the eligible children, young adults, and adults in your life are vaccinated too is the single best thing you can do right now to protect yourself and your family from the delta variant, the more contagious strain of COVID-19, Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said in a statement. The more Rhode Island students who get vaccinated, the healthier Rhode Island will be and the fewer disruptions to in-person learning students and teachers will experience, officials said. ___ SUPERINTENDENT MASK RECOMMENDATIONS Rhode Islands school superintendents are calling for consistency in school masking policies, which McKee has so far left up to individual districts. That has led to some tense school committee meetings as those for and those against masks make their cases. Were such a small state, so our hope would be that we would end up with a state protocol that would apply to everybody rather than ending up with 36 different approaches to this, Thomas DiPaola, executive director of the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association told WLNE-TV. DiPaola says his organization follows medical expert advice and most of the advice theyve gotten leans toward masks in the classroom. ___ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DATA Three key metrics used by the state Department of Health to measure the spread of the coronavirus have risen in the past week. The state's percent positive rate has gone up from 3.3% to 3.6% as of Saturday, the department announced Tuesday. The new hospital admissions by week has jumped to 108 for the week that ended Saturday, from 70 the previous week. The new cases per 100,000 population has risen to 177 for the week that ended Saturday, from 146 the previous week. The number of people who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in Rhode Island has climbed to more than 671,000. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) A witness to an incident last week involving MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell says he saw no reason for Lindell to claim he was attacked at a South Dakota hotel. Lindell, who was in Sioux Falls hosting an election fraud symposium, told The Associated Press on Tuesday his encounter with a man seeking a photo late Wednesday left him doubled over in pain. Lindell said he has filed a report of an assault with the Sioux Falls Police Department and is conducting his own investigation into how the photo-seeker could have shoved an object between his ribs, leaving him unable to move his right arm. However, the conference attendee who was taking the photo, Jeff Buongiorno, said, There was no attack. Buongiorno, a Republican congressional candidate in Florida, said he and two other conference attendees were shooting the breeze at the hotel bar late Wednesday when they spotted Lindell making his way through the lobby. They approached him and asked if they could take a photo with Lindell, a businessman who has become an ally of former President Donald Trump. As Buongiorno finished taking the photos, another man Buongiorno did not know approached the group and asked if he too could have a photo with Lindell. Buongiorno offered to snap the photos with the man's phone. Lindell's recounting of the incident last week matched much of Buongiorno's description, except that Lindell said the second man wrapped his arm around him and shoved an object into his side. He pointed to a photo that showed the man had a yellow object in his hands. It happened pretty fast, but the guy knew what he was doing, Lindell said, adding that it was one of the worst attacks on me Ive ever had." However, it appeared Lindell waited until Thursday to file a police report after the Sioux Falls Police Department sent an officer to meet with Lindell. He told the conservative talk show FlashPoint last week that he believed the man used his finger. But this week he also said he was checked by medics for puncture wounds. Buongiorno said nothing he saw could be described as an attack that would leave Lindell in pain. He added Lindell showed no indication anything was amiss as he walked to the glass elevator and rode it to the 6th floor. Lindell defended his account, saying Buongiorno would not have seen the assault from where he was standing to take the photo. Lindell added that he was scared that saying anything would have escalated the situation and that he doubled over in pain as soon as the elevator doors closed. Buongiorno, who said he supported law and order," was concerned Lindell's claim would take up police time and resources. He was also worried that the photo-seeker was falsely accused. The Sioux Falls police said last week it was investigating the assault report. Police spokesman Sam Clemens has declined to identify the victim, citing Marsys Law, a state constitutional amendment that protects crime victims. Lindell announced the symposium in July, saying he hoped hundreds of cyber-forensics experts would attend and back up his claims that voting machines were hacked to flip votes for Trump to President Joe Biden in 2020. Almost all of the legal challenges casting doubt on the outcome of the election have been dismissed or withdrawn and many claims of fraud debunked. State and federal election officials have said theres no evidence of widespread fraud. But Lindell said he has not given up on trying to prove the election was fraudulent, casting his effort as a patriotic quest to prove the election was the victim of a cyber attack. When you attack an election, you never get your country back again ever," he said. LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) Business quickly returned to normal in Zambia Tuesday, a day after veteran opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was declared president-elect and the incumbent president Edgar Lungu conceded his election defeat. Citizens brushed aside concerns of violent chaos that had been prevalent in the tense days before and after voting day last week. Traffic was busy in the capital, Lusaka, while businesses and markets reopened. Many residents are still marveling at the southern African country's rapid return to normal. When Aahil Phiri saw a convoy of police and military vehicles zoom toward Hichilemas residence, he didn't know what to make of it. I thought Oh my God, they're going to arrest him again! Then I thought No, they cant arrest him using those luxury cars. Thats not how they took him in the past, he said. I was confused. But the convoy was carrying security commanders going to pledge allegiance to Hichilema, the man who had been arrested several times and once charged with treason. Several other low-ranking police officers had already taken their place at Hichilemas palatial residence on the outskirts of the capital, Lusaka, to be in charge of security for the 59-year old businessman turned politician. Zambia has established a reputation as one of Africa's stable democracies, with regular elections and peaceful transfers of power since founding president, the late Kenneth Kaunda, introduced multi-party democracy and subsequently accepted defeat in 1991. However, fears of a reversal of those gains emerged recently as Lungu closed some media houses and detained critics, such as Hichilema. Lungu had deployed military onto the streets and had signaled that he would contest the results in which he lost by a large margin to Hichilema. But hours later he conceded, even calling Hichilema my brother. Later the two rivals were pictured together, smiling. Zambia's peaceful transition from one leader to another, from one political party to another is a major shot in the arm for democracy not just in Zambia but well beyond its borders, said Nic Cheeseman, professor of politics at the University of Birmingham. Along with Malawi, Zambia is now one of the only countries in the world that managed to move towards democracy during the pandemic, he told The Associated Press, referring to the neighboring country where an opposition leader was also recently elected. As a result, Africa is leading the way when it comes to good news stories and that will inspire activists and pro-democracy groups across the continent, said Cheeseman, who was in Zambia to follow the elections. Zambia has shown the world that after all, Africa is capable of handling its own affairs, tweeted Ernest Bai Koroma, former president of Sierra Leone, who led the African Union's mission observing the elections. Opposition supporters in Zimbabwe, Zambia's southern neighbor, are watching enviously. "I salute the Zambian army, police, intel (intelligence) and the electoral commission for the exemplary professionalism and independence. Africa leads! Zimbabwe, you are next, tweeted Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwe's main opposition leader. Zimbabwe has a history of disputed polls and the same party has ruled the country since it achieved independence in 1980. Some analysts are cautious though, noting that unlike some African countries, Zambias institutions have a history of respecting vote outcomes. In the meantime, Zambians are just happy that the countrys democracy has passed a stern test. This is the Zambia we want, the Zambia we know!" said Gift Nyirongo, one of scores of street vendors who are again out on Lusakas busy streets selling everything from food to clothes, kitchenware and medicines. "We can now start looking for money to feed our families without fear of bloodshed. Native Jamaican Davianna Duncan loves Midland; however, she said she sometimes misses her family, the ocean and the bold flavors of the island cuisine. My older sister is a lawyer who has been in the United States for several years, Duncan explained. I have always admired her, and I decided to branch out from Jamaica to experience a new culture as she did. Duncan said that she graduated from high school in Jamaica in 2017 and took culinary arts training. She then worked at a Sandals Resort in Jamaica; however, she had wanted to be a nurse since childhood. Living in Jamaica with tourism being the main industry, learning a trade like culinary arts seemed the appropriate thing to do when I graduated from high school, she said. I always enjoyed cooking and still do, but my dream is to be a nurse. My parents always told us to first learn a skill in order to earn a living and then follow our dreams. Thats exactly what I did. I have to thank my family for pushing me to become a nurse and for always supporting my dreams. I would not be here without them. My sister and I were surfing the internet looking for nursing schools one day, and an ad for Midland College appeared, Duncan stated. It was like a sign. In January 2020, Duncan moved to Midland and began taking prerequisite courses toward admission into Midland Colleges Associate Degree Nursing program. She also obtained a job at Midland College, working as a clerk in the residence halls. Everyone at Midland College has been so friendly and supportive, Duncan said. Right after I registered for classes, I had to have my picture taken for my student ID. The lady taking the picture, Jan Johnston [secretary to dean of Student Life], was super nice and asked if there was anything she could do for me since I was a long way from home. She still looks out for me. My hall manager Peggy Lee [OShaughnessy Residence Hall manager] looks out for me as if I am her granddaughter. She is always there to encourage and support me; she has been my home away from home. People in Midland are very friendly, warm and kind. I have met and gained some wonderful friends. I feel very blessed. Duncan has also met many friends through Bible study classes at Stonegate Fellowship. It was through Stonegate that she was also recommended to assist an elderly woman at her home while she was recuperating from an illness. Mrs. Cramer, whom I helped until she felt better, is still a good friend, Duncan said. I visit with her occasionally, and we bake cookies together. We enjoy swapping recipes and stories with one another. On May 24, Duncan became one step closer to her dream of a nursing career when she began working as a patient care assistant at Midland Memorial Hospital. Working at the hospital will give me hands-on training in caring for patients, she explained. Next week, Duncan will begin her second semester in Midland Colleges Associate Degree Nursing program and train to become a registered nurse. She said that she wants to pursue pediatric nursing and eventually get a bachelors degree in nursing, preferably from Texas Tech. I plan to stay in Texas, Duncan said. My older sister has recently moved to Houston, and we both love Texas. The weather is a little weird, but I sure do like the people. -- Rebecca Bell is the executive director of Institutional Advancement at Midland College. Ten-year-old Addison Johnston has always been fascinated with the planets. Shes been studying the stars for as long as she can remember. So when the family learned of a unique summer opportunity for her to spend a week at a NASA campus learning alongside other kids who share the same interests, it seemed a perfect fit. In July, Addison and her family piled into their family vehicle and took a 14-hour road trip to Alabama where she learned a little more about the science behind observing the planets, built model rockets, learned the importance of teamwork inside Mission Control and met a real astronaut, among other activities, at NASAs George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Sitting at a table at The Creamery across from her younger sister, Alexandra, and beside her father, Jeff Johnston, Addison clad in her blue space camp uniform spoke about her experience while enjoying an ice cream cone. It was very big, like huge, she said of the NASA campus she visited. Huntsville is home to the team that built the Saturn V moon rocket, according to the Space Camp website. Known as The Rocket City, Huntsville is a space science hub. She didnt see too much of the actual campus but she learned a lot. It was a competition-driven week with team-oriented activities. It was fun, she said, and she made a few friends! The days began at 6 a.m. and lights out were at 9 p.m. The mornings began with two different activities before breakfast followed by even more throughout the day. One of my favorite parts was the simulators, Addison said. She enjoyed experiencing the Five Degrees of Freedom simulator that helps train astronauts to retain control of their body movements in space. According to the camps website, participants get to train on that and other simulators like astronauts. Other exercises included planning out the logistics to design and construct a colony on Mars. She kept so busy and had so much fun, she almost forgot to miss her family, she joked. Shes always been interested in space, Jeff said of his daughter. They chose to send her to this particular camp because it was affiliated with NASA. They filed the application months ahead of time and initially landed on a wait list. They found out in June that Addison got in. NASAs Space Camp is a unique experience with what some might consider a daunting price tag ($1,299). It focuses a lot on a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum and draws in participants from all over the world. According to the camps website, a majority of camp graduates have gone on to pursue careers in STEM fields and an elite 10 have gone on to become astronauts through NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), commercial space industry professionals or cosmonauts. While Jeff is proud of his daughter and her experience, he wants others who may be interested to know the program offers financial assistance. Both he and Addison said they just want to inspire more local families to try to go and/or encourage more local kids to pursue dreams that could lead them beyond the atmosphere. It was a memorable experience for Addison, a new 5th grader who loves books and all things space. After the experience, Addison said she wants to work in Mission Control when she grows up. NASA offers a variety of other programs for each age group. While shes only been back home for a few weeks, the family (especially Addison) is already looking forward to next summers possibilities. "Turn around, don't drown." We've all seen the signs encouraging drivers to avoid certain roads during heavy rains, but flash flooding remains the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service. Flash floods are "the most dangerous kind of floods," according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, and result in the highest fatalities. In densely populated urban areas like Houston, this type of flooding is most severe, the National Weather Service reports. Houston's abundance of concrete structures including roads, highway underpasses and parking lots increase the likelihood of flash floods because water runoff is increased compared to natural terrains. Even the city's numerous bayous are lined in concrete, a move officials say helps move water to the coast but critics challenge as harmful. The first step to avoiding flash flooding danger is to avoid being out in flash floods altogether but these floods occur in the minutes to hours after heavy rain and are characterized by their sudden nature. Here's what to do if you find yourself driving during a flash flood. JERRY LARA / San Antonio Express-News Turn to NOAA Weather Radio Here in Houston, tune in to KGG-68 at 162.400 MHz, or use this statewide list to find the NWR station for your area. The station will keep you abreast of flood warnings and aware of the severity of the situation. Many flash floods occur at night and during low visibility, making warnings even more significant. Never risk driving on even a shallow flooded road, as the road bed can wash away and create extremely dangerous conditions that may strand or trap the vehicle. Avoid even shallow water Drivers of cars both large and small should always avoid flooded areas, even when they appear to be shallow. The NWS reports even large cars such as SUVs or trucks can stall in just six inches of water, while two feet is enough to carry away most vehicles. Avoid bridges, highway dips and low areas. Climb to higher ground The NWS warns that a difference of just seconds may determine whether you can save yourself from floodwaters, so leave for higher ground if you see a flash flood warning. If you're at work or elsewhere that's not prone to floodwaters, stay put. Never drive on flooded roads, around barricades or through flowing streams. Don't park your vehicle near streams or washes. And don't attempt to walk or swim through water unless trapped, as even shallow fast-moving water can sweep you away. Kelsey Walling/Associated Press Leave a stalled vehicle immediately As the NWS warns, vehicles can stall easily when confronted with even inches of water. If you find yourself in a stalled automobile due to rising water, abandon the vehicle immediately and get to higher ground. The biggest risk in this situation is the car being engulfed or swept away, drowning occupants. Nearly half of all flash flooding fatalities are auto-related, the NWS reports. Escape a flooding vehicle (and keep this tool handy) If you're ever at the critical point of needing to escape a vehicle trapped in floodwaters, keep calm. The Houston police recommend not calling 911, as you'll have 30 seconds to on minute to exit the vehicle. First, unbuckle your seatbelt and make sure to open the window as soon as you hit water. Open the door immediately water pressure from the outside will build in seconds, making it nearly impossible to open. Shatter the window if you can't open it or the door, and swim out of the car. Police recommend keeping an emergency tool on hand to assist with breaking out of your vehicle, specifically one with a hardened steel tip and recessed seatbelt cutter. You'll be able to cut your setbelt off and shatter tempered glass (but not laminated) windows. Know what to look out for Most of us receive push notifications regarding extreme weather on our smartphones, but do you know what each designation means and the order of severity? When it comes to flash flooding, the NWS says to look (or listen) for: A flash flood watch, which indicates flooding is possible in a specific area. A flash flood warning, which means flooding has already been reported or is impending. Take precautions. Urban and small stream advisory, which refers to ongoing flooding of streets, small streams, storm drains, railroad underpasses and low-lying areas. When it comes to flash flooding , the NWS summarizes its advice as "Head for higher ground and stay away from flood waters!" After the event, use this guide from Chron to best deal with flood-damaged vehicles. Just remember, it's better to be wet and even car-less than to risk your life. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Nearly 40,000 immigrants welcomed by Canada in July 2021 Canada has welcomed over 184,000 new permanent residents this year. Nearly 40,000 immigrants welcomed by Canada in July 2021 Canada has welcomed over 184,000 new permanent residents this year. Nearly 40,000 immigrants welcomed by Canada in July 2021 Canada has welcomed over 184,000 new permanent residents this year. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canada remains on track to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, according to Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino. In a new interview with Reuters, the federal government revealed that Canada welcomed about 39,500 new immigrants in July, even more than the 35,700 admitted in June. Find Out if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration Under the Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023, Canada is aiming to welcome 401,000 new immigrants each year beginning in 2021. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic this annual target was set at 341,000 newcomers. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is pursuing the most ambitious immigration plan in Canadian history as it seeks to welcome more newcomers to support Canadas post-COVID economic recovery. All told, Canada has admitted some 184,000 newcomers so far this year. The levels welcomed in July and June are higher than usual and are among the highest monthly totals in Canadian history. They are a reflection of Canada needing to play catch-up if it wants to achieve its target this year. To achieve the target, IRCC will need to land an additional 217,000 newcomers in the remaining five months of 2021, which is an average of 43,400 per month. Find Out if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration Admitting this figure on a monthly basis to close 2021 will be difficult, but there is a chance it can be done. Before the pandemic, Canada welcomed an average of 25,000 to 35,000 new immigrants each month. IRCC has several things going for it that makes it possible to achieve its levels goal or come close to it by the end of the year. First, there are some 23,000 additional Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders that can now move to Canada following the easing of travel restrictions on June 21st. Moreover, anyone else newly approved for permanent residence can now move to Canada. Six new permanent residency streams were launched in May for some 90,000 international student graduates and essential workers living in Canada to become immigrants. IRCC hopes to process 40,000 of these applications by the end of this year. Third, IRCC has been holding major Express Entry draws throughout 2020 and this year as it prioritizes Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates since some 90 per cent of them are living in Canada. IRCC should complete the permanent residence landing process of a significant number of such candidates by the end of 2021. Conversely, the fluid nature of the pandemic could disrupt IRCCs plans. Nevertheless, the increased momentum in permanent resident arrivals should at least see Canada come close to its 401,000 newcomer goal. Even if IRCC manages about 40,000 monthly landings to close the year it will fall narrowly short of its target by welcoming 385,000 immigrants which would still be the second highest total in Canadian history. The record stands at 401,000 immigrants welcomed in 1913. Find Out if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Mercury Marine has been making world-class outboards and sterndrives for more than 80 years. The company, which started in a small machine shop in Wisconsin, has grown into the worlds largest builder of marine propulsion systems.[i] Today, Mercury Marine is number one on the water, and the company didnt get there by sitting still. Its always pushing forward. This legacy of leadership continues today as Mercury Marine pushes forward with the new Mercury V12 600hp Verado Outboard, an engine that elevates the standards of premium design and engineering. With game-changing innovations like a steerable gearcase and automatic two-speed transmission, the V12 Verado delivers an incredibly refined outboard-driving experience. Virtual design and testing To deliver breakthrough innovations like those in the V12, the engineers at Mercury Marine rely heavily on computer-aided engineering simulations that use software tools for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA). The use of computer-driven simulations allows Mercury Marines engineering teams to greatly accelerate the process of evaluating different design alternatives in comparison to the costly and time-consuming process of developing physical prototypes, according to Arden Anderson, a specialist in engineering simulations for Mercury Marine and its parent company, Brunswick Corporation. Were running physics simulations on computer models, Anderson explains. A very simple way to put it would be to say its virtual testing. Its not requiring a physical prototype or physical part to do the testing, but were doing it numerically in a computer. Realizing the benefits The benefits of virtual design include reduced product-development costs, faster testing and better time to market, Anderson notes. Before we jump into a new technology, we can check out ideas digitally, he says. We can digitally look at a hundred design iterations in the amount of time it might take to do one physical iteration. Virtual testing also brings important benefits in terms of innovation and product durability, Anderson notes. With virtual testing, we can test edge conditions, or very challenging conditions, on a product that might be tough to test in real life, he says. For example, an engineering team might test how a particular design alternative will work under extremely cold conditions, such as those found in the Artic Circle. In the physical world, that sort of testing would be extremely complex, costly and time-consuming. Bursting for hydrodynamics To carry out computer-aided engineering simulations quickly and efficiently, Mercury Marines engineers need access to massive amounts of high performance computing power. At times, their computational requirements can exceed the limits of the companys in-house systems, so to meet these peak demands, they leverage HPC on demand from R Systems, a Dell Technologies partner. R Systems provides HPC cluster resources and technical expertise to commercial and institutional research clients through the R Systems brand and Dell Technologies. It owns and operates bare-metal and virtualized clusters and offers a variety of options to meet each clients specific HPC needs. These offerings include lease time on clusters for bursting as well as for short-term and long-term projects, all available at highly competitive prices. To meet Mercury Marines peak computing needs, R Systems provides on-demand access to Dell EMC Ready Solutions for HPC, Dell EMC PowerEdge servers with Intel Xeon processors, Dell EMC PowerSwitch and InfiniBand networking with Dell EMC PowerVault and PowerScale storage. Weve got a base level of computational availability on hand that we own, Anderson says. We push work to R Systems in cases when the workload outmatches the capacity of our existing system. R Systems lets us address the peaks though bursting capabilities. Many of the Mercury Marine jobs running on the Dell EMC HPC systems in the R Systems cloud environment focus on hydrodynamics, or the way in which the forces of water interact with a boat and its propulsion system. With HPC on demand from R Systems, Mercury Marines engineers can cut the time required to run a series of hydrodynamic simulations from 48 hours on in-house systems down to just two hours. Time-savings like these help the company bring breakthrough innovations to market in less time innovations like the industrys first steerable gearcase and a dual-propeller design that helps harness the full potential of the Mercury V12 600hp Verado Outboard. For the full story, see the Dell Technologies case study Cloud bursting for engine speed and the video Riding the waves of HPC on demand with Mercury Marine engines. Administratorii portalului nu poarta raspundere pentru continutul postarilor si materialelor plasate de utilizatorii site-ului. Utilizati informatia din acest articol pe propriul risc. Background The Green Cities project (GCP) is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with 2,719,726 USD, with an implementation period of five years (2017-2022) and the objective of the project is to catalyse investments in low carbon green urban development based on integrated urban planning approach, by encouraging innovation, participatory planning and partnerships between a variety of public and private sector entities. The strategy of the project is to create, launch and support a new institutional mechanism called Green City Lab (GCL) as a vehicle for encouraging and supporting new innovative measures and approaches in addressing the urban development challenges and barriers. The project therefore will support the design, launching, and establishment of the Green City Lab to become the leading knowledge management and networking platform, clearing house, an facilitator of financing various green urban development projects, and a source of innovations and expertise to catalyse sustainable low carbon green city development in Moldova with a mission to transform Chisinau and other cities/towns in Moldova into modern green and smart European cities with improved quality of life for their citizens, while also demonstrating opportunities for sustainable economic growth. The Green City Lab will be set up during the first two years of the project however it is expected to transition to an independent self-sustaining entity, operating on a commercial basis, that does not rely on technical assistance funding alone, so that by the end of the project it can continue to operate and grow. To achieve this status, the Green City Lab will need to forge new partnerships and alliances and generate revenues and carbon savings from other sources, beyond this project. The direct global environment benefits of the project are expected to reach at least 200,000 tons of CO2eq, resulting from the concrete pilot/demonstration projects in the building energy efficiency, transport and waste sectors. These are complemented by projects indirect GHG emission reduction impact at the estimated amount of 2.4 million tons of CO2eq by scaling up, replicating and mainstreaming the project results and activities, including those of the Green City Lab. In this respect, close co-operation with the key stakeholders of the project, including Chisinau municipality, relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction and the entities hosted by them, the State Chancellery and other related projects and initiatives such as the UNDP Social Innovation Hub project and the E-Government Center is sought from the very beginning. In addition, the GCL will seek to form strong partnerships with banks and with international financing institutions such as the EBRD, the World Bank, and the EIB. The projects objective will be achieved through three key outcomes as follows: Outcome 1: Fully operational and sustainable Green City Lab recognized by the key stakeholders as the leading innovation, knowledge management and networking platform and a source of expertise for catalyzing sustainable low carbon green city development in Moldova with secured funding to continue its operation after the UNDP/GEF project closure. Outcome 2: Successfully completed pilot/demonstration projects facilitated by the GCL (described in details in the project document) with related monitoring, reporting and verification of the results in the areas of: integrated and participatory urban land use and mobility planning; residential building energy efficiency and renewable energy use; low carbon mobility; and iv) resource efficient waste management. Outcome 3: Knowledge management and M&E to facilitate learning, scaling up and replication of project results. Beside the standard UNDP M&E procedures and requirements, this component encompasses monitored and evaluated overall results of the project and lessons learnt with compiled KM materials, recommendations for the removal of the identified complementary barriers, including institutional and regulatory improvements, and related public outreach and TA to scale up, replicate and mainstream the project results. Under the overall guidance and supervision of UNDP Green City Project Manager, the Communication outreach and marketing Officer contributes to the effective and efficient implementation of GCP and GCL objectives. The incumbent applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations. The Project Officer/Communication outreach and marketing works in close collaboration with GCP and GCL teams, as well as other project teams in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and resolving complex programme/project-related issues and information delivery. The Project Officer will coordinate a team of short-term experts and contractors. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems. Duties and Responsibilities The Project Officer/Communication outreach and marketing will be responsible for managing the successful implementation of communication, outreach and marketing activities of the GCP and GCL. The incumbent will ensure the provision of development services and products (commensurate with the scope of the projects) of the highest quality and standards to national counterparts and clients. More specifically, the Officer will perform the following functions: Be responsible for the development and implementation of the Project annual work plan related communication, outreach and marketing activities (Projects communication plans), according to indicators, for achieving planned results, as well as for the overall management of the Project in accordance to prevailing UNDP rules, regulations and procedures; Identify appropriate suppliers for the provision of goods and services for activities under the communication plan; Write TORs for short-term experts and service providers to be hired to deliver Communication and Visibility services, coordinate and evaluate their work; Assume full responsibility for and manage effectively and efficiently all GCL communication, outreach and marketing activities and resources (human, financial, physical/material assets, etc) in order to meet expected results; Contribute to development and implementation of communication and marketing strategies and plans for the GCL; Conduct market research to identify opportunities for promotion and growth of the GCL portfolio. Conduct market research to determine present and future market requirements; Coordinate and clear all communications, outreach and marketing -related activities; Develop and distribute press-releases, success stories, blog posts, photo essays, newsletters related to GCP and GCL activities; Coordinate development of a wide range of promotional materials: visual, audio and video, edit photos, take stock of all photos of the projects and maintain database of GCL subscribers; Develop GCP and GCLs online community, by engaging with stakeholders via social media and other channels; Manage GCP and GCLs social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Medium, SlideShare, Flickr, YouTube and websites: to ensure consistency of both language versions based on corporate requirements and maintain the content up to date; Provide analytical, and administrative support in the delivery of events, workshops and seminars; Maintain the evidence of workshops and seminars delivered in support of GCLs concepts, Government counterparts and UNDP colleagues; Support UNDP E&E cluster lead in mainstreaming innovation and green economy into UNDP programming; Ensure compliance with all corporate rules and regulations of UNDP and GEF in the field of communication and visibility promotion and reporting; Respond to queries from the Government, UNDP and GEF with respect to communication and visibility aspects of the project; Coordinate and clear all communications-related activities with UNDP Moldova CO Communications Analyst; Contribute to UNDP Moldova social media and web presence; Elaborate, implement and continuously monitor a communication and visibility plan in promotion of the visibility of project results including appropriate feedback mechanisms, impact and monitoring tools; Other tasks and responsibilities as requested by the Project manager. Competencies Required skills and competencies: Demonstrates commitment to UNDPs mission, vision and values. Exerts strict adherence to corporate rules, regulations and procedures. Familiarity with the internal control framework and results-based management tools is a must. Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. Desired additional skills and competencies: Knowledge Management and Learning Shares knowledge and experience; Focuses on tasks/activities which have a strategic impact on programme and capacity development activities and implement them on request time and date; Promotes a supportive environment to enhance partnerships, leverages resources and build support for UNDPs/ GCLs strategic initiatives; Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills; Strong research and networking skills; Intellectual curiosity; Job Knowledge Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines; Aware of the latest trends in digital marketing (soft, social networks, non-traditional tools, etc.); Good understanding of market research techniques, statistical and data analysis methods; Solid knowledge of marketing techniques and principles; Excellent writing skills and good presentation skills; Adaptation and application of knowledge/innovation in different context; Excellent communication skills and good coordination skills; Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit; Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally; Interested in social entrepreneurship, ideas and innovation; Creative flair and originality; Knows how to work with online tools such as: mailchimp, basecamp, canva, piktochart, photoshop the basics; Active in groups, forums, etc.; Basic knowledge of photography/live video streaming/video making; Development and Operational Effectiveness Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to Results-Based Management, including planning and implementation of Programme, managing data, reporting; Ability to obtain, evaluate and interpret factual data and to prepare accurate and complete reports and other documents; Ability to write and communicate orally with accuracy and professionalism, as well as sensitively across different constituencies; Capacity to implement the strategic vision and programmatic goals as laid down in the Project Document; Ability to engage with various partners and stakeholders at different levels, to establish and maintain contacts with senior-level officials of the host government and represent UNDP in national and regional fora; Proven performance in organizing and coordinating major initiatives, events or challenging inter-organizational activities; Adapts flexibly to changing situations, overcomes obstacles and recovers quickly from set-backs; Self-Management Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback; Ability to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high-quality standard throughout; Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive and collaborative attitude; Tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively; Ability to show initiative and work independently; Demonstrated organizational and planning skills; Critical thinking and self-motivation; Fast learner and encourage the learning of others; Informed and transparent decision making. Required Skills and Experience Min. academic education: Masters degree or equivalent (University Degree with 5 years of studies) or in communications, social studies or other related discipline. Min. years of relevant work experience: At least five (5) years of professional experience at national or international level in the development programmes, communication, civic or private engagement, marketing or digital communications; Experience in the design and delivery of lectures, workshops or seminars is an advantage; Experience in working with the public sector (Government and local public institutions), private sector, academia and NGOs is a strong asset; Records of writing reports, researches, articles and/or blogs; Experience in the usage of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), as well as multimedia tools. Required language(s) (at working level): Fluency in both oral and written Romanian and English is required. Working knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Russian, Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language would be an asset. Disclaimer Important applicant information All posts in the N-PSA categories are subject to local recruitment. This is a local position, therefore only citizens of the Republic of Moldova or others legally authorized to work in the country are eligible to apply. UNDP is an employer committed to gender equity and to providing equal opportunities to both male and female. UNDP is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply. Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted. Applicant information about UNDP rosters Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience, and educational requirements. Scam warning The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names, and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web. Online applications can be submitted by registered users only. Self-registration link is available at the next page and requires candidates to provide a valid email address. Please note that the person selected for this position will be offered a contract with UNDP under National Personnel Services Agreement (N-PSA) modality. The UNDP Service Contract (SC) modality is phasing out over the coming year. More information about the N-PSA is available here https://bit.ly/341OFXC Deadline: 31 August 2021 To apply please address the link: https://bit.ly/37R8wuI Last Monday, the United Nations released an alarming report on climate change, warning the problem is widespread, rapid, and intensifying and code red for humanity. CNN covered the story in eleven reports spanning thirty-three minutes. But it all occurred outside of primetime hourswhen most viewers are tuned in. When the report was released at 4am on the East Coast, CNNs chief climate correspondent, Bob Weir, was on standby to summarize the findings. Each show between 4am and 11am did a segment on the UN report. The last full segment on the subject aired during the 1pm hour, though the 3pm-hour host, Victor Blackwell, discussed the report during one of his interviews. Then the coverage dropped off. From 3:30pm up through almost midnight, no host focused on the report: not Erin Burnett, nor Anderson Cooper, nor two hours of Wolf Blitzer. At 9pm, with Chris Cuomo on vacation, CNN aired an interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; it was most likely pre-taped, so they didnt discuss the UN report, nor did they discuss the Green New Deal, the congresswomans signature bill. At 10pm, Don Lemon tucked a segment on the report at the end of his second hour, starting around 11:45pm. It was a stark divide between day and evening. Across the cable news sphere, primetime morphs into opinion and polarizing narratives, while dayside presents more news and facts. On Monday, if you were able to watch CNN during the day (not a luxury open to many), then you would have learned about the climate report, Covid hotbeds throughout the country, Taliban gains in Afghanistan, and the Dixie fire in California. Conversely, during primetime, nearly every show led with the same topic: CNNs foil-du-jour, Ron DeSantis. The Republican governor of Florida, as CNN said over and over, is fighting mask mandates. Criticism of this policy is merited, but repetitive coverage has a polarizing effect. I know, I knowits the lifeblood of cable news, which thrives on nighttime opinion. Nonetheless, it stands out in contrast to the dayside shows, which do not emphasize easy political narratives. Primetime resorts to opinion at night because its the most competitive time of day when they can charge the most for advertisements. Theyre scraping for eyeballs. And since television is a visceral mediumTV audiences arent necessarily logicalits easier to keep them watching with material that makes them angry (politics), rather than depressed (melting ice caps). Sign up for CJR 's daily email In 2018, Chris Hayes tweeted that climate change is a palpable ratings killer. so the incentives arent great. (And he would know: in 2016, Hayes produced an Emmy-nominated series on the subject.) But the audience numbers show, disturbingly, how few viewers theyre fighting over. Fox News sits comfortably at number one most nights, so CNN and MSNBC battle it out for the number two spotand their margins are tight. The last week of July, the average difference between CNN and MSNBC was only about 7,000 in the key demographic (ages 25-54). But CNNs total audience in primetime averaged 706,000. In other words, theyre sacrificing their integrity as a news organization to cling to as little as one percent of the total audience. Recently, MSNBC renamed dayside from MSNBC Live to MSNBC Reports; you could argue the effort is paltry, as if the audience will understand that its supposed to signify fact-based reporting, rather than opinion. But on CNN, there is not even an effort to make that distinction. While audiences may be savvy enough to intuit the difference, most people dont know what theyre missing. That was certainly the case last Monday, when the network omitted the report about our warming planet. Daytime producers fighting to put news on the air should be credited. At the same time, they prove that CNN understands how to do their joband that sometimes, they choose not to. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Ariana Pekary is the CJR public editor for CNN. She was an award-winning public radio and MSNBC journalist for two decades. Now she focuses on the systemic flaws of commercial broadcast news. She can be contacted at publiceditors@cjr.org. Eleven days ago, I wrote in this newsletter about the threats to press freedom as US troops withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban advanced. Many Afghan news organizations had shuttered, while others were transformed into vectors for Taliban propaganda; many Afghan journalists had censored themselves or quit the profession, while others fled captured cities and provinces for the relative safety of Kabul. The day I wrote, Taliban fighters in the capital killed Dawa Khan Menapal, who had been in charge of press relations for the Afghan government; two days later, suspected Taliban militants killed Toofan Omar, who managed the Paktia Ghag Radio station, while he was traveling into Kabul from a nearby province, and also kidnapped Nematullah Hemat, a reporter for Gharghasht TV, in Helmand province. A week later, and Kabul itself had fallen. Reports have since emerged of Taliban militants going door to door and searching journalists homes. This is a game changer for us all, Mustafa Kazemi, of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a US-funded broadcaster, tweeted yesterday. Many have started counting their final hours of life in Kabul. Nobody knows what happens next. Pray for us. Afghanistans women journalists, in particular, have had much to fear from the Talibans surge. Many have received death threats. In recent weeks, The Guardian has spoken with dozens of female reporters about their experiences, and published a series of articles reported by Rukhshana Mediaan outlet, named for an Afghan girl who was stoned to death after she fled a forced marriage, that was founded last year with the goal of amplifying womens voices in a patriarchal media ecosystemtelling the stories of a female district governor and divorced women, among others. I will try to keep it going for as long as I can, Zahra Joya, Rukhshanas founder, said of the outlet. I see it as a source of hope for many women. Yesterday, The Guardians Kate Banville spoke with female journalists in Kabul, one of whom said she and her colleagues had been frantically trying to send their identity documentation and work to embassies before destroying any trace of their existence, physically and online. The Fuller Project, which has also recently worked with Rukhshana, spoke with female journalists in Kabul, too. One reported making it to the airport despite being robbed at gunpoint en route. Others reported that they were staying. If we die, we die, one said. If we dont, we will have survivors guilt. Related: Journalism failed in Afghanistan too Two weeks ago yesterday, the Biden administration announced, following an appeal from a coalition of media organizations, that it would create a visa program allowing Afghans who worked for US-based news outlets, NGOs, and other projects to resettle in the US. The program, however, was not without complications: Afghans would have to be referred into it by a qualifying news organizations top leader, and would have to make their own way to a third country and apply from therean increasingly difficult ask. Yesterday, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal wrote again to Biden seeking facilitated and protected passage to the airport and then out of the country for their Afghan colleagues; Fred Ryan, the Posts publisher, also emailed Jake Sullivan, Bidens national security adviser, to ask that some two hundred of the papers staffers and their family members, who were already at the airport, be escorted from its civilian side to its military side, which the US controls. The Committee to Protect Journalists is also working to help hundreds of endangered Afghan journalists. A week ago we were talking about safe houses. Now were talking about how to get people out, CPJs Maria Salazar told Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo. Without help from the US and NATO governments that can support the evacuation, and support these journalists outside of their country, theres very little we can do. (US officials told CNN that theyve been in regular contact with news outlets about their Afghan staff, and that they will continue to be a priority.)As Ben Smith, of the Times, reported on Sunday, more than a hundred journalists who work for US state-funded broadcastersincluding Voice of America and Radio Azadi, an affiliate of RFE/RLare also still stuck in Afghanistan. Yesterday, one Radio Azadi reporter told his network that he is staying put for now. (As with other Afghan journalists quoted in this article, the reporters identity has been protected for security reasons.) How would I go to the airport? he asked. I just dont want to take this risk of going out and then facing somebody. Despite their precarious situation, many Afghan journalists, including at Radio Azadi, have continued to report on the developing crisis. TOLOnews, Afghanistans first twenty-four-hour news channel, has broken important stories, including the flight of Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistans president, out of the country. At one point, Taliban representatives entered TOLOs compound and confiscated guards government-issued firearmsalthough, according to Saad Mohseni, the director of the channels parent company, they were polite and almost professional, and allowed the guards to keep other weapons before leaving. Mohseni told NPR that TOLO hasnt been told to stop reporting yet, but he expects restrictions to follow soon; for now, hes trying to work out how best to protect his journalists and maintain TOLOs coverage in a climate that, in addition to being scary, remains highly uncertain. Its like being confronted by an alien army, he said, of the Taliban. Were not sure exactly how theyre going to react to things. Sign up for CJR 's daily email That, Mohseni said, includes the future of the networks female correspondents. Weve actually told them to stay home for a couple of days until things become a little bit more clear, he said. But they do want to work. Theyre insisting on it. Earlier today, TOLOs Hasiba Atakpal and Zahra Rahimi reported live from the streets of Kabul; in the studio, their colleague Beheshta Arghand interviewed a Taliban spokesperson. Observers noted that, while historic, the interview was consistent with a broader, image-softening PR campaign that the Taliban has run in recent months. It was clearly inconsistent with the death threats faced by other journalists who now cant leave their homes for fear of their lives. For all the follies of the last two decades, Afghanistan does at least now have a free press. If it doesnt survive the Talibans resurgence, it wont be for want of trying on the part of the countrys remaining independent journalists. Below, more on Afghanistan: Some news from the home front: Today, Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism, in partnership with CJR, will release the final episodes of How We Got Here, a new podcast for journalists exploring how history and identity shape narrative. In the podcast, six Columbia journalism professors have examined how race, gender, class, immigration, and American empire impact the stories we cover and how we tell them. In the fifth episode, Nina Alvarez speaks with Mae Ngai about immigration coverage and the invention of the term illegal alien. In the sixth episode, Alisa Solomon speaks with Jack Halberstam and Zach Stafford about coverage of genders and sexualities. You can find out more, and listen, here. Other notable stories: ICYMI: A depressing vacuum in Afghanistan coverage, as Kabul falls Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) The bill seeking to legalize absolute divorce in the country made a significant progress at the House of Representatives. The unnumbered substitute bill was approved by the House Committee on Population and Family Relations during its hearing on Tuesday. The proposed Absolute Divorce Act provides an option for each of the marital spouse to file for divorce and allow them to re-marry. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the bill's authors, emphasized that the marital union of a couple will be deemed void under an absolute divorce. "It is hard to believe that all the other countries collectively erred in instituting absolute divorce in varying degrees of liberality and limitations," Lagman said in his sponsorship speech. Under the measure, the current grounds for a legal separation, annulment of marriage, and nullification of marriage based on psychological incapacity under the Family Code will be incorporated as justifications for an absolute divorce. Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas said in her manifestation speech that the bill will give Filipino wives an accessible and affordable option to escape from their abusive husbands. "It is about time that we offer spouses, especially wives, the added legal option to exit toxic and abusive marital relationships," Brosas said. Aside from Vatican City, the Philippines remains the only country in the world where divorce is illegal. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) Children with COVID-19 cases that are not severe or critical could be managed at home provided certain conditions are met, the Health Department said Tuesday. "Ang mga batang nagpositibo po sa COVID-19 at walang sintomas o di kaya may mild or moderate na sintomas ay maaari munang alagaan sa ating bahay basta titiyakin po natin na nasusunod ang mga gabay for home isolation," Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a Palace briefing. [Translation: Kids who test positive for COVID-19 and don't have symptoms or have mild or moderate symptoms may be cared for in our homes provided we can assure guidelines for home isolation are being met.] Home management can be done for patients cleared by doctors as long as they have their own rooms and bathrooms and are regularly monitored by health professionals and the local government unit. Meanwhile, pediatric patients who need to be brought to a hospital or isolation facility should be accompanied by an adult family member or relative, Vergeire said. RELATED: PGH: Most children with severe COVID-19 recover "Kung hindi po ito pwede mangyari ay maaaring sa bahay na lang po mag-quarantine or isolate ang ating mga kabataan," she added. [Translation: If this cannot be observed, our kids can quarantine or isolate in their homes instead.] Reintegrating kids positive for COVID-19 Vergeire also said the criteria observed for allowing children who contracted the disease back into society is similar to the ones used for adult patients. This means, symptomatic patients with mild symptoms may be allowed to interact with loved ones again 10 days after the onset of their symptoms, plus 24 hours of being clinically recovered or showing no symptoms. Those with moderate, severe, or critical symptoms may be reintegrated after 21 days from the onset of symptoms, plus 24 hours of being clinically recovered. Immunocompetent cases with no symptoms will be allowed back into their communities 10 days after they tested positive for COVID-19, while the period lasts for at least 14 days from date of exposure for close contacts who remain asymptomatic. The country currently has over 1.76 million COVID-19 cases, with tens of thousands of new infections logged in the past days as Filipinos grapple with the threat of the feared Delta variant. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) The "deficiencies" pointed out by state auditors in the Department of Health's handling of pandemic response funds only refer to pending documents and compliance with procedures, not lost funds, a DOH official said Tuesday. Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said there were 13 deficiencies pointed out in the 2020 annual audit report of the Commission on Audit. Of this number, five were already complied with, five were partially complied with, and three are in various degrees of compliances. "We are given 60 days and we'll be able to present the necessary documents needed to support whatever COA findings there are," he said. Vega added that the DOH is "really upfront" in handling the budget for COVID-19 response. "We still have time to rectify it because this is an AOM (audit observation memorandum) and if this is just a submission of documents or compliance, then we can easily rectify it," he said, "But what is most important is that the deficiencies noted is not really a deficit or there was a loss in funds." State auditors earlier reported that there were 67.3 worth of "deficiencies" in the Health Department's pandemic response funds. The report also raised concern on other alleged irregularities in the procurement processes in various contracts entered into by the DOH. The agency also reportedly failed to spend over 59 billion from its 2020 budget, COA said. Vega acknowledged that the COA was only doing its mandate when it published its annual report. "It's really part of [their] territory. I mean, that's how it is ever since. I think it has always been the measure of COA (Commission on Audit) in terms of how best to address the different agencies including their processes," he said. READ: Duterte hits COA on DOH audit report, defends health agency on deficiencies over COVID-19 funds In his public address aired on Monday evening, President Rodrigo Duterte also said the deficiencies pointed out by COA are "really in producing the necessary documents." He also noted that incomplete documentary requirements can be expected of big government projects. Former COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, in her Facebook post on Tuesday, said the deficiencies should not be downplayed. "Hindi po pwedeng sabihin papeles lang at walang kwenta," she said, adding that they are "accountability documents" that must be looked into to find out if they were intentionally not submitted. [Translation: You cannot say that these paperworks do not matter] "Sa tinatawag pong Risk Management, ang mga audit findings po gaya ng mga deficiencies na nabanggit ay pasok sa tinatawag nating compliance risk! Pag tumaas po ang level of compliance risks, dumadami po at tumitibay ang opportunities for corruption," she noted. [Translation: In Risk Management. audit findings like the deficiencies mentioned fall under what we call a compliance risk. When the level of compliance risks increases, there are more opportunities for corruption.] The House of Representatives is currently investigating the DOH in relation to COA's audit findings. The Senate will hold its own probe on the matter on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Vega affirmed that Health Secretary Duque III still has a "solid support" since President Rodrigo Duterte trusts him despite calls for his resignation. RELATED: Duterte won't let Duque resign: 'You did nothing wrong' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said China has not asked for anything in return when it donated COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines except for one thing. "No strings attached ang China. Until now, walang hiningi 'yang China sa akin maski ball pen. Walang pinakiusap, wala lahat. Except that their boats are there," he said in his weekly public address. [Translation: No strings attached to China's donation. Until now, they did not ask for anything from me, even a ball pen. They did not ask for any favor. Except that their boats are there.] The Philippines' first supply of COVID-19 vaccine was donated by China. The Asian superpower gave one million doses of Sinovac and 10,000 shots of Sinopharm. Duterte said he responded to the presence of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea by sending the Philippine vessels to the contested waters. "Sabi ko, 'I want my ships also there.' I do not want war with anybody, not with China, lalo na Amerika kasi nandito sila sa lupa natin," he said. "Pero as a feature or semblance of our claim, mayroon tayong mga barko diyan at saka hindi ko na papaalisin 'yan." [Translation: I said, 'I want my ships also there.' I do not want war with anybody, not with China, especially America because they are here on our land. But as a feature or semblance of our claim, our boats are there and I will not make them to leave.] The Philippines has filed multiple diplomatic protests against China over the presence of the latter's vessels in the disputed waters despite the 2016 arbitral ruling in The Hague favoring Manila and invalidating Beijing's claims over the West Philippine Sea. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion is pushing for malls, restaurants and other establishments in Metro Manila to only allow fully vaccinated people in their premises to create "safer bubbles" that could control the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. "For example, dining areas with fully vaccinated restaurant crew serving fully vaccinated dine-in customers," said Concepcion in a statement on Tuesday. He cited places such as Jakarta in Indonesia which opened malls partially to those who have completed their vaccine doses. However, Indonesia has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia. Concepcion also noted that Singapore is giving vaccinated individuals freedom to move around without requiring them to wear masks. Concepcion added that the movement of unvaccinated individuals should also be limited. But the official clarified that the suggested restrictions should be implemented only when there have been significant breakthroughs in the country's vaccination efforts. "We are aware that we need to vaccinate more people before we drastically do this," he said. "That is why we are aggressively rolling-out our vaccination program in the country especially here in NCR even during the current lockdown." Several areas in the country including Metro Manila are on lockdown due to a surge in new cases, which have climbed to over 10,000 daily in the past 11 days, exerting pressure on health facilities. The National Task Force Against COVID-19 reported that as of Aug. 15, some 27.8 million vaccine shots have been administered to Filipinos across the nation, including over 12.5 million that were second doses. The year-end goal is 70 million. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Department of Health to prioritize paying the benefits and allowances of medical frontliners if there is enough budget to fund it. "Itong frontliners unahin mo na lang. If there is enough money, bayaran mo," he said in a televised meeting attended by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega on Monday. [Translation: Prioritize the frontliners. If there is enough money, pay for it.] Several groups of healthcare workers have threatened to go on mass resignation and work stoppage over unpaid COVID-19 pandemic-related benefits. RELATED: Health workers to stage mass protest on DOH neglect of their plight The DOH said it released the 9 billion Special Risk Allowance fund last June to its regional offices and hospitals, but health workers insisted not one of them received a single centavo from the grant. Health Undersecretary Vega on Monday explained that 306,314 health workers received their special risk allowance under Bayanihan 2 Law from Sept. 15 to Dec. 19, 2020, while around 359,501 got theirs from Dec. 20, 2020 to June 30, 2021. He added 384,159 health workers obtained their hazard pay under Bayanihan 2 and 23,081 of them secured sickness and death benefits. About 1.3 billion worth of meals, accommodation, and transportation allowances have also been disbursed to health workers. But hospital officials denied receiving the mandated allowance. You tell the media that health workers in the private sector have been given benefits. What are the benefits? We havent even received those included in the DOH Administrative Order 2020-0054, lamented Jao Clumia, president of the St. Luke's Medical Center Quezon City Employees Association. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is scheduled on Wednesday to investigate the reported non-issuance of benefits to healthcare workers. "In this case, meron kang testigo na sinasabi hindi kami nakakuha. So, the focus of the investigation will be on that... Delay or non-delivery or where did the money go and who's responsible for the delay," Senator Richard Gordon said on Monday. [Translation: There is a witness saying they did not receive anything, so the investigation will focus on that. We will look into the delay or non-delivery of the money, where it went, and who is responsible for the delay.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) A research group monitoring the country's pandemic trends said Tuesday it is not in favor of a nationwide lockdown to control the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. OCTA Research fellow Guido David said local governments should strengthen border controls instead. "Iyong total lockdown, hindi naman kailangan sa buong bansa," David said in a briefing. [Translation: Total lockdown is not needed for the entire country.] "Mahalaga, especially sa regions na hindi pa nagkakaroon ng transmission nitong variants, ay i-protect ang kanilang borders," he added. [Translation: The important thing is for regions, especially in areas where there is no transmission of variants yet, to protect their borders.] He added that local governments should continue to impose granular lockdowns if necessary. The country so far has 1,765,675 cases, with 105,787 currently ill. The Department of Health recorded 14,610 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the third consecutive day the tally surpassed 14,000. Cases are still increasing in a number of areas, including the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao, according to David. David also said it will take at least four weeks after the enhanced community quarantine period in Metro Manila to determine its effects in the region. The NCR stays under ECQ until Aug. 20, unless extended by the government. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) The Philippines is willing to accept refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan after Taliban forces took over their government, Malacanang said. "Since time immemorial, the Philippines has had juris prudence even before the convention on refugees welcoming asylum seekers. Sabi nga po ng Korte Suprema (According to the Supreme Court), the Philippines will not hesitate to admit individuals fleeing their homelands because of fear of persecution," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a briefing on Tuesday. Taliban regained control over Kabul almost two decades after American troops drove them from Afghanistan's capital. Roque recalled that the country also accepted "White Russians" who escaped from a socialist revolution in 1922. There were also European Jews who sought refuge in the country to escape Nazi persecution during World War II. "Lahat po ng kinakailangan ng kalinga, dahil sila ay pine-persecute sa kanilang bayan, meron kayong lugar dito sa Pilipinas," said Roque. [Translation: Everyone who seeks refuge because they are being persecuted in their own country, they have a place here in the Philippines.] According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, at least 35 Filipinos from Afghanistan were evacuated to Doha, Qatar and they joined a chartered flight to Manila. They arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Tuesday. There are 132 Filipinos residing in Afghanistan. The DFA assured that it is working on the repatriation of remaining Filipinos in Kabul. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) The Philippine Consul in New York urged Filipino victims of anti-Asian violence in the United States to stay vigilant and to report attacks against them to authorities for proper actions. "We are urging our kababayans to be more vigilant when outside their residences," Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato told CNN Philippines on Tuesday. "Panawagan natin palagi is kung may nangyari sa kanila (Our plea is if anything happens to them) please inform us so we could put together all the data so we could inform our kababayans on the real situation and what they could do about it," Cato added. Citing data from the New York Police Department, hate crimes against Asians rose by 375% this year, of which 18 were directed to the consulate, Cato said. However, he believes there are still more because Filipinos usually do not report such attacks to the consulate. Two Filipinos were recently assaulted in New York - a Filipino woman distributing face masks to fellow subway passengers, and Filipino stage actor Miguel Braganza, who was attacked while on the way to his apartment in the Upper West Side. The consul general said the spike occurred after the COVID-19 outbreak, noting many Americans blame Asians for the health crisis. Most of the attacks were against the Chinese, followed by Koreans, then Filipinos. However, Cato pointed out that most of the cases of Filipinos are "unprovoked, spontaneous incidents" involving homeless individuals with mental issues. To support efforts of the NYPD to address the crimes, he said they earlier issued an advisory informing Filipinos to call 911 or reach out to the consulate through their hotline to inform them of any anti-Asian hate crime. Webinars and self-defense workshops were also conducted to educate Filipinos on how to protect themselves when outside of their residences, Cato added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 17) The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation still has more than 86 billion of unpaid claims to hospitals from January 2020 until June 30, 2021. During the House Committee on Health hearing on Tuesday, Dr. Jaime Almora of the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) showed the breakdown of the amount: - 25.6B are still being processed; - 46.6B were returned to hospitals due to documentary issues; and - 13.8B worth of claims were denied. PhilHealth has already paid hospitals 165.9B during the same period. "Arbitrary denial of payment resulting to losses to hospitals is not only unlawful but also morally wrong. Constant and escalating loss to hospitals will ultimately lead to collapse and failure of health care delivery system. And ultimately to the detriment of the whole country," Almora said during the hearing. PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Dante Gierran said they are now working on ways to expedite the payment of claims like the streamlining and fast tracking of claims processing, boosting the agency's information technology capacity, additional manpower, inter-regional virtual assistance in claims processing, and constant reconciliation meetings with health care institutions. COVID-19 claims Lawmakers also questioned PhilHealth's retroactive implementation of a memorandum circular that separates benefit packages for probable and actual COVID-19 claims. Based on the state health insurer's Memorandum Circular 2021-008 dated June 17, 2021, patients initially treated for COVID-19 but gained negative RT-PCR test results and with 18,000 to 38,000 in hospital bills will be shouldered by PhilHealth depending on the severity of the case. But for confirmed COVID-19 patients through swab testing, PhilHealth will shoulder 43,000 for mild cases and up to 786,000 for critical cases. These amounts were paid prior to the said circular for both probable and actual COVID-19 cases. Lawmakers said creating separate packages for probable and actual COVID-19 cases seems to make sense, but what they don't understand is its retroactive application beginning November 2020. "Bakit hindi siya prospective from June 2021 kung saan doon nila sinabi at ipinaalam sa hospitals at mga miyembro na ito na ngayon ang coverage ng ating COVID-19?" asked House Health Committee Chairperson Helen Tan. [Translation: Why was it not effective prospectively, beginning June 2021 when hospitals and members were informed that this is now the new COVID-19 coverage?] PhilHealth explained that it was in November 2020 when the board approved the policy on separate packages. But it took management seven months to implement it due to what it describes as unavoidable circumstances. "We will not provide excuses, Madame Chair. It's just that there were several circumstances Madame Chair that went beyond our control. It's already late when the circular was published. And for this Madame Chair, I take responsibility," said Atty. Eli Santos, the acting PhilHealth Chief Operating Officer. But lawmakers insisted hospitals and patients should not suffer due to management problems within the agency and suggested to scrap the retroactive implementation of the circular right away. PhilHealth has no readily available data on the possible financial impacts of the possible removal of the retroactive implementation provision of the memorandum circular to its funds. "Hindi naman pwedeng nagkamali ang ating management, may kahinaan sa pag-implement, ganon-ganon na lang. Gusto naming malaman, ano ang impact niyan sa pondo. Kasi as we all know, lahat tayo nagko-contribute sa PhilHealth. Pera yan ng taumbayan," Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo said. [Translation: We cannot just let the management's shortcomings in implementation slide. We want to know its impact on the fund. Because as we all know, we all contribute to PhilHealth. It's a public fund.] Gierran said he would tackle the matter with the board, chaired by Health Secretary Francisco Duque, in their Aug. 25 meeting. "I would certainly recommend to the board, being the highest authority in the corporation, to have this matter be taken for consideration and favorable action," said Gierran. Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate meanwhile called for accountability on the side of PhilHealth's management on the issue. "Ang mali ng agency, hindi dapat ang magsa-suffer ang publiko," Zarate said. [Translation: The public should not suffer from the mistakes of the agency.] (CNN) -- By the time images of desperate Afghans clinging to American warplanes began emerging from Kabul on Monday morning, President Joe Biden had conceded to aides he had little choice but to interrupt his stay at Camp David to return to the White House. He had been facing calls, even from his political allies, to speak out on the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. His top aides had begun publicly admitting they were caught off guard by the speed with which the Afghan military would collapse but wanted the situation in Kabul to stabilize before Biden addressed the nation. And his own words from earlier this summer describing a Taliban takeover as "unlikely" were aggravating the sense of a commander-in-chief caught badly off guard. During briefings, the President quizzed his team about how they could have misjudged the time it would take for the Afghan army to collapse, according to people familiar with the matter. He has also voiced dismay at the failure of Ashraf Ghani, the ousted Afghan president who fled the country on Sunday, to adhere to a plan he laid out in the Oval Office in June to prevent the Taliban from taking over major cities. Throughout the weekend, Biden had remained at the presidential retreat, receiving briefings on screens or over the phone while sitting alone at conference table. Advisers huddled separately to discuss when and how he should address the situation. When he returned to the White House midday Monday, many of his aides assumed he would at least spend the night. Yet almost as soon as Biden touched down in Washington, word went out that his stay at the executive mansion would be brief. After his 18-minute speech, Biden quickly decamped again for the mountains. As advisers worked feverishly on Monday to calibrate the President's speech, there was far less worry about the predictable criticism from Republicans than about how Biden's own words and calculations over the last several months had been so wrong. The episode puts into sharp relief two of Biden's most marked political traits: A stubborn defensive streak and a fierce certainty in his decision-making that allows little room for second-guessing. Those traits led to an air of defiance hanging over the White House on Monday, but remarkable images of the chaos in Kabul -- which the President called "gut wrenching" -- stood as irrefutable evidence of failure. The task of what to do next will be left to Biden. Scenes in Kabul are 'way worse than Saigon' Inside the White House and national security agencies, there has been fierce debate over how the current catastrophe unfolding in Afghanistan came to be. Officials who have built entire careers on issues related to the country have found it hard to fathom the blunt end to the 20-year conflict. But the defiant message in Biden's Monday speech reflected conversations he had with advisers over the last 48 hours. Officials were aware the situation that ultimately unfolded was possible -- the Taliban overwhelming the civilian government in Kabul once US forces left -- but had counted on it being unlikely. Biden's top aides have been candid this week in admitting they did not expect it to happen so quickly. "It is certainly the case that the speed with which cities fell was much greater than anyone anticipated," Sullivan said Monday on NBC's "Today." At the same time, Biden has been confronted with his own past statements downplaying the notion the Taliban would overrun Kabul and outright rejecting the prospect the US embassy there would be evacuated. Part of that approach -- to downplay the prospect of the Taliban taking control of the country -- was meant to avoid further erosion of morale among the country's defense forces, one adviser said. And Biden said during his remarks that the now-deposed Afghan government had encouraged the United States to hold off on orchestrating a mass exodus "to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence." Still, in retrospect, Biden's comments about how the war would end -- including a rejection of comparisons to the fall of Saigon in 1975 -- appeared badly misguided. "For the administration to say this isn't going to be Saigon as we look at those sorts of images -- well maybe they're right. Because they're way worse than Saigon," said Ryan Crocker, who served as ambassador to Afghanistan under former President Barack Obama. Questions left unanswered Biden has long exuded self-assurance both in his foreign policy views and political strategy, honed over his many years in Washington. Aides say while he welcomes dissenting views and robust debate, he is most likely to abruptly shut down a conversation if he feels his knowledge of a situation -- particularly on international affairs -- is being questioned. That stubbornness was on fully display in his speech from the East Room, during which the President devoted far time defending his decision to withdraw American troops than acknowledging his administration's admitted miscalculations. While briefly acknowledging that the Taliban's advance and the collapse of the government took place "more quickly than we anticipated," Biden made clear that his intent to end the war hadn't changed. "I am the President of the United States of America," Biden said. "The buck stops with me." Yet if that truly is the case, Biden left unanswered a myriad of questions about how events spiraled out of control so swiftly, saying only that the process of withdrawing troops had been "hard and messy." He has not shown any sign -- publicly or, aides say, in private -- that he believes his own decision to pull troops from Afghanistan helped cause the current crisis. Instead, he has placed the blame elsewhere: the Afghan military for falling apart, former President Donald Trump for agreeing to a deal with the Taliban and his predecessors for expanding a mission in a country without any consideration of how to end it. He lashed out sharply at Ghani, saying the Afghan leader "flatly refused" Biden's advice on seeking a political settlement with the Taliban and was "wrong" on the strength of the Afghan military. "I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision onto another president of the United States," he said in his speech. While he walked out of the East Room without answering questions from reporters, key members of Congress signaled their intent to get to the bottom of the crisis. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the Democratic chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said he and other lawmakers had "tough, but necessary questions about why we weren't better prepared for a worst-case scenario involving such a swift and total collapse of the Afghan government and security forces." "We owe those answers to the American people," Warner said, "and to all those who served and sacrificed so much." Doubling down Since the moment he walked into the Oval Office seven months ago, Biden was determined to see that his presidency would do what his three predecessors did not: end America's longest war. He surrounded himself with top advisers who shared that core belief, which now raises a question even among some Democrats about whether their loyalty kept them from taking seriously the warnings about the consequences of a swift withdrawal. "No one disagrees with the decision to leave Afghanistan -- literally almost no one," a former Obama national security official told CNN on Monday. "But executing that decision was their responsibility and they were blindsided." In the White House, few advisers are closer to Biden than Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, both of whom have spent years working for him. They appeared on television this week to defend their boss' decision to end the war. Other advisers, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, have spent less time in Biden's orbit. When the President was weighing an Afghanistan decision in the spring, Milley was among the loudest voices advocating for a continued US force presence in Afghanistan. Biden rejected that view, even as generals warned of the potential for a Taliban takeover. Whether it was a miscalculation, a failure of intelligence or some combination of both, the President now faces a credibility crisis on one of his strongest calling cards: foreign policy. "You cannot defend the execution here," said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama who participated in deliberations on Afghanistan early in that administration. "This has been a disaster and everybody -- anybody with a beating heart -- watching these scenes of people desperately swarming the airport trying to get out ahead of the slaughter that they anticipate from the Taliban, you know, it is heartbreaking. It is depressing. And it's a failure." "He needs to own that failure," said Axelrod, who is a CNN senior political commentator. "He's the commander in chief." Officials say driving the President's thinking is an overriding belief that, like him, most Americans are tired of the prolonged conflict in Afghanistan. His advisers have been confident over the past months that the American public was behind him in his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. An ABC News/Ipsos poll in July found 55% of US adults approved of the way Biden was handling the withdrawal; in a May Quinnipiac University poll, 62% of US adults approved of Biden's decision to bring home all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. Some White House officials have also privately noted that as the country continues to battle Covid-19 and the economy shrugs off the lingering effects of the pandemic, events unfolding thousands of miles away are hardly at the forefront of Americans' minds. This story was first published on CNN.com "Inside Biden's defiant Afghanistan response" A bipartisan trio from Colorados congressional delegation is working with Broomfield Army veteran Scott Henkel to save an interpreter he worked with while deployed in Afghanistan. CBS4 reported Hinkel is being aided in his efforts to evacuate the interpreter from Kabul in the wake of the Taliban takeover of the country by Reps. Joe Neguse, D-Lafayette, Jason Crow, D-Aurora, and Ken Buck, R-Windsor. We cannot leave this hero behind, Buck said in a tweet. I am working closely with @RepJoeNeguse and @RepJasonCrow to save Colorado Army veteran Scot Henkels interpreter from Afghanistan. We cannot leave this hero behind.https://t.co/zsh8J9KOVw Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) August 17, 2021 According to the CBS4 story, Henkel has been trying to win visas for the interpreter, his wife and their four young children for a decade. But the urgency to get the family out of Afghanistan ratcheted up in recent days as Taliban forces stormed through Afghanistan, capturing the countrys major cities in the wake of the U.S. troop withdrawal. We deployed hundreds of times together, in conditions that were extreme heat and extreme cold, as well as extreme danger, Henkel told CBS4 in an interview. The United States of America committed to him and other interpreters that we will take care of you, that we will be there for you. The story indicated Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, both Denver Democrats, are involved in the effort to rescue the interpreter and his family. Buck also tweeted the email hotline his office set up to help Americans and those who aided American forces in Afghanistan has been busy over the last 24 hours. During that period, Buck said his office had been notified of seven cases of Americans trapped in Afghanistan and an additional 10 cases of family members of those granted visas for their worked with the U.S. Armed Forces who need help fleeing the Taliban. +9 Biden says he stands 'squarely behind' Afghanistan decision WASHINGTON Striking a defiant tone, President Joe Biden said Monday that he stands square +2 Biden draws criticism from fellow Democrats over deadly Afghanistan withdrawal Congressional Democrats aren't sparing a president from their own party of criticism over th Gov. Jared Polis plans to rewrite Colorado history during a ceremony to sign an executive order Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the state Capitol. His signature will "rescind proclamations by Territorial Governor John Evans that shamefully targeted and endangered the lives of the American Indians," the governor's office told reporters Monday evening. Evans was Colorado's second territorial governor, holding the office during three years of the Civil War, from 1962 to 1865. He is the namesake of Mount Evans and the town of Evans. He also has a blemished past fighting the natives on the new frontier. He resigned after being held accountable for the Sand Creek Massacre, when cavalry under his order slaughtered a tribe of peaceful Indians, mostly women, children and old people. At the time, fear was rampant in Denver that the emerging frontier would be overrun by Indians. Polis will be joined by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, members of the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, and other members of Colorado's American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong! Columbia, MO (65201) Today Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. 08/17/2021 Photo (c) mphillips007 - Getty Images There are now four more countries on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) travel warning list. The four destinations added to the agencys Level 4: COVID-19 Very High list are Dominica (an island in the Caribbean that shouldnt be confused with the Dominican Republic), Jersey (near the coast of north-west France), Montenegro (part of the Balkans in Southeastern Europe), and Turkey. The CDC advises that all travelers should avoid travel to these destinations. If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel. While the CDC added those four nations to its highest travel advisory level, it also moved five countries to its "Level 3: Covid-19 high" category. Those countries include Chile, Mozambique, and Uruguay -- which moved down from Level 4 -- and Kosovo and North Macedonia -- which moved up from Level 2. Much like the higher levels, the CDC says consumers should avoid nonessential travel to locations on its Level 3 list. Travelers who must go to these areas are also urged to get vaccinated before departing. "Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread Covid-19. However, international travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers might be at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading some Covid-19 variants," the agency said. An ever-evolving list If theres ever been any doubt about how quickly travel advisories can change, the new CDC update puts that to rest. The prime example in the new advisory is Dominica. In the agencys last update, it was listed as a low-risk, Level 1 destination. But within two weeks, the countrys 7-day average of positive cases moved from 1 to 81. Turkeys designation has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride. In mid-April, the countrys 7-day average of cases was around 60,000. That number had plummeted to 5,000 by mid-June, but it rose again to nearly 24,000 over the weekend. Montenegro went from a 7-day average of 17 in mid-June to nearly 400 on August 16, and Jersey went from a 7-day average of zero cases in early June before rising to 259 by the end of July. 08/17/2021 Photo (c) weerapatkiatdumrong - Getty Images Computers owned by Memorial Health System were hit by an attack from the Hive ransomware group on Sunday, causing a system outage. Memorial Health announced that it suffered an information technology security incident in the early morning hours this morning, August 15, 2021. As a result, we suspended user access to information technology applications related to our operations, the non-profit health system said in a statement. The company is still struggling to get operations back to normal. In the meantime, medical personnel have been forced to rely on paper records and cancel radiology exams and non-urgent surgical cases. The organization said it didnt believe patient records were stolen in the attack. "At this time no known patient or employee personal or financial information has been compromised," said Memorial Health System president and CEO Scott Cantley. "We are continuing to work with IT security experts to methodically investigate to precisely understand what happened and are taking the appropriate actions to resolve any and all issues." Hive ransomware group Memorial Health System represents 64 clinics, including the Marietta Memorial, Selby General, and Sistersville General hospitals in the Marietta-Parkersburg metropolitan area in West Virginia and Ohio. The party that carried out the attack is allegedly the Hive ransomware gang, a group that began targeting businesses this summer. Although Memorial Health officials said they didnt believe any information was compromised, Hive typically links to data stolen from its victims. Like most ransomware gangs, Hive has a leak site called HiveLeaks and hosted on the dark web, where they published links to data stolen from almost two dozen victims that did not pay the ransom, reported Bleeping Computer. Most of the businesses listed on the leak site appear to be small to medium sized, many having around or less than 100 employees. Anoits.ru scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 5 Mar 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the anoits homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the anoits homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the anoits homepage on Twitter + the total number of anoits followers (if anoits has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the anoits homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if anoits has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the anoits homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. Basic Information PAGE TITLE A - DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS avril lavigne, adriana, avril, lavigne, christina, adriana lima, charlize theron The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE WINDOWS-1251 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER nginx/0.7.61 OPERATIVE SYSTEM Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of anoits.ru as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for anoits.ru by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND 100% Website coordinatedcarehealth.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery and Boostrap. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 334243 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 160576 bytes (156.81 kb uncompressed) and 17014 bytes (16.62 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-08-17, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Congratulations, strobemagazine.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Strobemagazine.com scored 94 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 4.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 5 Jul 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Add a widget like this on your site: click here The total number of people who shared the strobemagazine homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the strobemagazine homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the strobemagazine homepage on Twitter + the total number of strobemagazine followers (if strobemagazine has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the strobemagazine homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the strobemagazine homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if strobemagazine has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Strobe Magazine: The most beautiful bikini models in the world DESCRIPTION Strobe Magazine showcases the most beautiful bikini models in the world, all in life size HD pictures. KEYWORDS bikini models, lingerie models, strobe magazine, michelle baker OTHER KEYWORDS strobe magazine, about us, 2013 jan, strobe, magazine, about, issue The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE HTML 4.01 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English ISO-8859-1English DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache/2.2.22 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.22 OpenSSL/1.0.0-fips DAV/2 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 (PHP/5.2.9) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. The language of strobemagazine.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for strobemagazine.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Strobe-Magazine/145647318783313 DESCRIPTION LIKES PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT PAGE TYPE TIMELINE PAGE NO TIMELINE The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The URL of the found Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK FOUND TWITTER PAGE twitter.com/#!/StrobeMagazine DESCRIPTION ACCOUNT CREATED ON LOCATION TWEETS FOLLOWERS LISTED Editor's note: Following the June 2021 Asia-Pacific Regulatory Update published in Cosmetics & Toiletries, Angelita Hu, of ChemLinked, provides this look at recent changes in China's cosmetic regulations. While the previous update covered the Asia-Pacific region from late 2020 through early 2021, here Hu focuses on China, from March through August 2021. China introduced a series of new and key regulations, indicating the full implementation of its new cosmetic regulatory framework. Following are brief updates. See related: Asia Update; Label and Claim Rules, CBD, Microbeads, Naturals and Men's Cosmetics Cosmetic Pre-market Approval System Introduced On May 1, 2021, China formally implemented a new cosmetic and new cosmetic ingredients (NCI) pre-market approval system by putting seven crucial regulations into effect. The seven regulations include: Administrative Measures on Cosmetics Registration and Notification: This regulation is primarily designed to specify the basic requirements for the administration of cosmetic and new cosmetic ingredient pre-market approval, such as the procedures of registration and notification, the obligations of registrants and notifiers, etc. Provisions for Management of Cosmetic Registration and Notification Dossiers: This regulation details the documentation requirements for the application, modification, renewal and cancellation of cosmetic registration/notification. More importantly, it specifies that imported general cosmetics can be exempted from animal testing from May 1, 2021, under certain conditions. Provisions for Management of New Cosmetic Ingredient Registration and Notification Dossiers: This regulation details the requirements for registration dossiers for high-risk NCI, notification dossiers for low-risk NCI and NCI's safety status report. It also specifies that data from animal testing alternative method for NCI registration/notification can be conditionally accepted. Cosmetic Classification Rules and Catalogs: This regulation specifies that a coding system will be adopted for the classification of cosmetics. The system has five layers: efficacy claim, application area, target user, dosage form and application method. Standards for Cosmetic Efficacy Claim Evaluation: This regulation clarifies the efficacy claims that require efficacy evaluation and lists requirements for evaluation test methods and reports, evaluation institutions and evaluation abstracts. Technical Guidelines for Cosmetic Safety Assessment 2021: This regulation clarifies the detailed requirements for conducting safety assessments, qualification for safety assessors and the content necessary in the assessment reports. Inventory of Existing Cosmetic Ingredients in China 2021: The IECIC 2021 includes a total number of 8,972 existing cosmetic ingredients in China. Starting from May 1, 2021, cosmetic companies must submit their application dossiers for cosmetic and new cosmetic ingredient registration and notification in accordance with the seven regulations. Imported general cosmetics can be exempted from animal testing from May 1, 2021, under certain conditions. Amended Cosmetic Prohibited Ingredient Inventories On May 28, 2021, China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released and implemented the finalized Inventory of Prohibited Ingredients for Cosmetics and Inventory of Prohibited Plant (Animal) Ingredients for Cosmetics. From the implementation date, cosmetic registrants and notifiers are not allowed to produce or import products containing prohibited ingredients stipulated in the new inventories. The main amendments include adding 24 prohibited ingredients, amending the names and CAS numbers of prohibited ingredients, and classifying and merging prohibited drug ingredients. Among the 24 newly prohibited ingredients, CBD and three other Cannabis sativa-derived ingredients are included, which means CBD cosmetics are prohibited from being produced and imported in China. Finalized Requirements for Cosmetic Labeling On June 3, 2021, China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released the finalized Administrative Measures on Cosmetics Labeling. The measures spell out the requirements for the labeling and prohibited claims of cosmetics (including cosmetics provided to consumers in trial, gift, exchange, etc., forms) under China's new cosmetic regulations. As per the measures, cosmetic labels shall bear the following information: Chinese product name and special cosmetic registration certificate number; The name and address of registrant or notifier; The name and address of manufacturing enterprise; The product executive standard number; Full ingredients listing; Net content; Durability; Application method; Necessary safety warnings; and Other content prescribed by laws, administrative regulations and mandatory national standards. The measures are scheduled to be implemented on May 1, 2022. Starting from the implementation date, all cosmetics to be registered or notified shall comply with these measures. For cosmetics that have been registered or notified before May 1, 2022, but do not comply with the measures, the registrants or notifiers must update the labels by May 1, 2023. CBD cosmetics are prohibited from being produced and imported in China. Regulations on Children's Cosmetics On June 18, 2021, China's NMPA released the draft Supervision and Administration Provisions on Children Cosmetics for public consultation. The draft introduces stricter requirements for children's cosmetics, including the use of ingredient, safety assessment, packaging design, production and operation, registration and notification, and post-market surveillance. Noteworthy points include: Children's cosmetics are not allowed to use functional ingredients for freckle-removing, whitening, anti-acne, depilating, deodorant, anti-dandruff, anti-hair loss, hair dyeing and hair perming agents. If the above ingredients are used for other purposes, the necessity and safety of their use in children's cosmetics should be accessed. Stakeholders are required to submit toxicological testing reports and safety assessment reports during registration and notification of children's cosmetics, meaning that animal testing is still mandatory for children's cosmetics. Children's cosmetics should be labeled with the NMPA designated children's cosmetics logo in a prominent position on the display surface, and the executive standard number directly below the logo. The technical review of children's cosmetics notification documents is retained, focusing on production safety documents. Products with non-compliant documents will be disposed severely. The NMPA will formulate guidelines specifically for the review of special children's cosmetics and strictly review the registration documents according to the guidelines. Stakeholders are required to submit toxicological and safety assessment reports for children's cosmetics, meaning animal testing is still mandatory for these products. Regulations on Cosmetics Manufacturing and Operations Finally, on Aug. 2, 2021, China's State Administration for Market Regulation released the finalized Supervision and Administration Measures on Cosmetics Manufacture and Operation, which will come into force on Jan. 1, 2022. The measures consists of seven chapters with 66 provisions, detailing cosmetic manufacturing and operation management. Highlights include: Optimizing production license management system; Refining and clarifying the production management requirements; Refining and clarifying the operation management requirements; and Strengthening the supervisory responsibilities of the administration department. In addition, detailed requirements have been made for issues of concern, such as the responsibilities and qualification requirements for the person in charge of quality and safety, the requirements for operators in e-commerce platforms, etc. It should be noting that these measures are more applicable for domestic cosmetic companies rather than international companies. See related: China Issues Standards for Cosmetics Safety and Efficacy Claims Close (Photo : Healthcare Workers: In need of Mental Health Support) There are over 140 research studies taking place, around the world, regarding the effects of COVID-19 on people's mental health. One of them showed that half of the healthcare workers in Spain, suffered from symptoms of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder back in the Spring of 2020, when the coronavirus arrived for the first time. When you are part of the first line of defense, how can you protect yourself? Here are some solutions. A Global Issue Mental health has been one of the victims of COVID-19. To understand how deep the anguish was, when the pandemic arrived, you have to look at stats and facts. One that says a lot about the world's state of mind, is that back in March 2020, 3.4 million people went on Google and searched: "Am I having a panic attack?" Normally, this anxiety should have disappeared by now, but it has remained much more stable than anyone could have predicted; or so the studies show. Those facing directly this pandemic have suffered the most, right from the start. Today, symptoms of exhaustions and profound distress, are common with healthcare workers. When you work as much as they do, continuously, the energy leaves you and it is difficult to get it back. With the lack of time, it is important for these men and women to count on food supplements, that will help them to boost naturally the energy created by the body itself. Elevant supplement capsules have the capacity to do so. This super nutrient comes in to activate the NAD+ inside the body, providing inner energy, that lasts throughout the day. Not over yet Psychologists, around the world, warn that the vaccine will not solve health problems, that these workers are suffering from. They look back at the 2008 financial crash, when the psychological effects of the crisis were fully felt, only one year later, as the suicide rate rose by more than 4 % (in Europe only). Therefore, healthcare institutions have got to raise their level of awareness, about their employee's mental health status. More has got to be done internally, to make sure that they have the necessary means to externalize their feelings and get the help they require. Plans have got to be put in place, to provide space and time, for these workers to move away from the tension and stress of the situation, so that they can recuperate. This will enable them to continue providing their services to the population, who still needs them, more than ever. Only by offering them a chance to breathe, will we save these workers from exhaustion and other mental health problems. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare In 2014, a Korean Airlines flight turned around and headed back to the gate at JFK airport, at the direction of one passenger dissatisfied with the service. You might be surprised any of the crew would obey her, but this passenger happened to be a Korean Airlines VP, the daughter of the chairman, and heiress to the company. Heather Cho was flying first class, and for refreshments pre-takeoff, the crew served her macadamia nuts. The problem (according to Heather) was they didnt serve the nuts in a glass bowl, like a first class passenger deserves. They just handed her a sealed plastic snack pack. So Heather complained to the stewardess. Then when the chief steward showed up and failed to rectify matters, Heather jabbed him in the chest with the safety manual and allegedly made him kneel and apologize. She ordered the taxiing plane to turn around so they could kick him off. Later, she fired the steward. The other week, when the crew on a Frontier Airlines flight duct taped a passenger to his seat, many of us wondered just what staff are supposed to do when a passenger becomes unruly. Is duct tape appropriate? Are handcuffs a better choice? Should they at least have a plan of some kind figured out in advance? Turns out no plan really works when the screaming passenger happens to be your boss. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Up to this point in Heather Cho's story, she sounds like someone extremely entitled who got her way. But while your average bad passenger story ends when the flight does, Heather had to face repercussions afterward. She'd redirected a plane, against the airport's instructions, which is something no regular drunk passenger manages. And so, back home in South Korea, she was put on trialand found guilty. She later managed to appeal the charge for violating plane safety, but she was still convicted of assaulting the crew. And so she spent four months in prison. The fired steward received $90,000 in compensation and left the travel agency to take up a career in politics. Also, right after the original incident, sales of macadamia nuts in Korea reportedly tripled. Continue Reading Below Advertisement This fact came from the new One Cracked Fact newsletter. Want 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 For more on the pains of air travel, see also: 7 True Stories That Prove The Airlines Hate You 5 Easy Ways Airlines Could Make Flying Suck Way Less The 7 Worst Things Airline Pilots Have Done Mid-Flight Follow Ryan Menezes on Twitter for more stuff no one should see. Top image: Jonathan Palombo U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Sunday called for an expanded effort to help evacuate Afghanistan residents who sided with Americans during the war, describing the situation there as a humanitarian nightmare. I think the situation is heartbreaking. It's a humanitarian nightmare that our nation contributed to making, Blumenthal said in an interview. We have an obligation to protect the Afghan interpreters, guards, and others, who helped save American lives by working with us. The Taliban took control Sunday of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, as the government collapsed, according to the Associated Press. Afghans, including the president, rushed to leave the country in fear the Taliban could reimpose the kind of rule that all but eliminated womens rights there, the AP reported. Commercial flights were suspended after gunfire erupted at times at the Kabul airport and helicopters evacuated personnel from the U.S. Embassy. The U.S. Embassy suspended operations and warned Americans to shelter in place and not try to get to the airport. Blumenthal said there were an estimated 60,000 Afghan people, including the families of interpreters and others who protected American troops, in need of help leaving the country. He said he would work with a bipartisan coalition to expand the number of Special Immigrant Visas available. Afghans could also be eligible for temporary protective status or parole, he said. Gov. Ned Lamonts office could not be reached Sunday for comment on whether the state was engaged in an effort to help. Anne OBrien, director of community engagement at Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, said Friday that six families, an estimated 20 people, have come to New Haven, as part of the first wave to escape the war-torn country and receive final processing at Fort Lee in Virginia. Some 70,000 Afghans have re-settled in the U.S. under the special visa program since 2008, according to the Richmond Free Press. Blumenthal said while he advocated for a firm plan for the evacuation process, he was unsure whether one was in place. I question whether there was a plan to address this kind of humanitarian nightmare, Blumenthal said. And I hope there is, and I hope it's pursued. Blumenthal said he hoped the Taliban would heed the messages being conveyed by American representatives help evacuate visa holders and any action to put troops at risk would be met with a swift and strong response. He said he hoped U.S. armed forces and intelligence would be vigilant in watching for any threats from terrorist groups like Al Qaeda or ISIS, which would need to be met sternly and strongly if they seek to do harm to our country. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Renters, like home buyers in Connecticut, are facing a tough market in 2021 with rising rents and limited inventory. But for those scouring the rental listings, there are certain things to know about renting in the state that can help renters navigate their next move. From withholding rent to understanding squatters' rights, here's what you need to know about renting in Connecticut. Navigating rent increases Connecticuts guidelines detailing the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants states that rent increases cannot be imposed by landlord during the period of a written lease unless both parties agree to the change. Outside of the lease term, no price cap or limit on rental costs can be instituted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in particular region's real estate market, according to Rhonda Siciliano, a public affairs officer for the New England region of HUD. However, according to Connecticut law (CGS 7-148b), any city or town can establish a fair rent commission, which can "receive and investigate rent complaints," and can "order landlords to reduce rents for specific reasons," according to the nonprofit Connecticut Law Help. Complaints can be filed with a fair rent commission if a rent increase seems too high, if the rent seems unreasonable due to health or safety concerns or rent was increased following a complaint. In order to file a claim with a fair rent commission to dispute a rent increase, a tenant has to live in unit for at least three months. The following cities and towns, for example, have fair rent commissions established: New Haven, Torrington, Middletown, Norwalk, Stamford, Danbury and Bridgeport. Security deposits Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media According to the State of Connecticut Department of Banking, landlords in the state cannot require more than two months of rent as a security deposit, and renters over the age of 62 cannot be charged more than one month of rent. Landlords must put the security deposit in an escrow account on behalf of the tenant, according to the state, in which the landlord pays an annual interest on the sum on the anniversary date of a tenancy. This interest can be paid either directly to tenants or as a credit towards the next month's rent. If a tenant is late paying rent, the state notes that the interest on their security deposit can be forfeited for any months when they are more than 10 days late paying their rent. However, if there is a late fee for overdue payments specified in the rental agreement, then interest cannot be withheld. Renting from a landlord versus a rental company According to Vincent Averaimo, partner at Barton Gilman Law in Milford, both a landlord and a rental company are held in the same legal standing when it comes to landlord-tenant law. There is no difference in the eyes of the law between renting from a landlord or a rental company, he said. Both must follow the current housing laws should they seek to evict a tenant or enforce a lease agreement. Why do some rentals have move-in fees? Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Averaimo said move-in fees are more common in large, high-rise apartments because it is usually a fee for the landlord or management company to set up the elevators for moving in in addition to other items the landlord might have to address before the tenants arrival. While he said they are negotiable, Averaimo noted they are less likely to be negotiated downward or removed entirely when theres high demand for a specific complex or for rentals in general. When to withhold rent Of course, issues can arise once renters are occupying the space on a daily basis. Whether its a noise issue or a safety concern such as pest or rodent problems Averaimo said the first step is to always communicate with the landlord on the issue at hand. But renters shouldn't just stop paying rent altogether, according to Averaimo, if ever the issue goes unresolved. What renters should do if such a concern is left unattended is first review the facts of the issue at hand with an attorney before deciding to withhold rent. In all instances if a decision is made to withhold rent, that doesnt mean just not paying, Averaimo said. What it means is taking that money and putting it into an escrow account so when the time comes when the judge asks 'What you done with the money that you were supposed to be paying in rent?, you can show your good faith intent to by virtue of the fact that youve paid the rent. Youve had the capability to pay the rent you just paid it into an escrow account until this agreement can be rectified. Notice to Quit, a.k.a. Eviction Notices According to the State of Connecticut Judicial Branchs Landlords Guide to Summary Process (Eviction), the court must provide a notice to quit to any landlord seeking to evict a renter. The form, more commonly known as an eviction notice, is filled out by the landlord with the tenants address, apartment number and the names of each adult tenant to be evicted. The eviction notice must list at least one reason for eviction, the guide states, which could include non-payment of rent and termination of lease by lapse of time. Landlords are also encouraged in the guide to keep a copy of the filled-out notice. When the landlord delivers the notice to the tenant, the guide states that the tenant must be allowed three full days to move. This means there must be three full days between the date the notice is delivered to the tenant and the last day listed on the notice for the tenant to leave the unit. However, the guide notes that the first and last days are not counted in computing the three days, and the tenant has until midnight on the last day to vacate the premises. However, Averaimo noted that Gov. Lamonts executive order 12D has been extended through Sept. 30, mandating that a landlord must provide a tenant with at least 30 days before the time specified in the notice to vacate a property, regardless of the reasoning for the eviction. Existing protections and procedures for tenants and landlords as outlined by the state provide a legal course of action should either party need it. Does Connecticut have squatters' rights? According to Averaimo, while they arent officially called squatters' rights, handling such a situation comes down to whether there is a trespass and the police department treats it as a trespass, or if it will be a civil matter. If its a civil matter, Averaimo noted that the next step is to determine if the person has tenancy rights or transient rights. A state of Connecticut research report states that occupancy in a hotel, motel or similar lodging for less than 30 days is considered transient, except if it is being occupied as the primary residence from the start of their stay. A person can also have transient status if they stay in a hotel, motel or other lodging if they do not occupy the space as their primary residence, and they stay for 90 days or less. Typical landlord-tenant laws do not apply to those with transient rights, according to the state of Connecticut report. Instead, the length of stay, existence of a lease or other special contract for the room, degree of control over the space, whether the person has another residence and if the person has made the space their home in that time are considered when determining transient status. Averaimo said there are some cases in which the length of a stay in combination with other of the aforementioned factors can convey tenant rights to a person and kick off a formal eviction. If someone is occupying a residence that requires an eviction to have that occupant removed and there is no lease, you would commence an eviction action claiming that the occupant once had the right or privilege to occupy the premises, but no longer has the right or privilege to occupy, he said. This infers no lease exists, Averaimo said, and such action comes into play when the occupant wrongfully gained occupancy to the living space. If new tenants of this space have signed a lease and are waiting for the old tenant to leave in order to move in, Averaimo said the new tenant could lose the lease. The reason is simply because the unit will not be ready for occupancy, he said. The new proposed tenants can wait until occupancy is availablebut if the old tenant has to be evicted, the process can take quite a while and it probably behooves the new tenant to move on elsewhere. Inspecting the unit prior to signing Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media With a busy real estate market, prospective renters may jump at the first apartment that meets their needs and their wallets. But Averaimo said renters should bring a critical eye to a tour of an available unit. As much as it may seem to be unnecessary, they should really inspect the unit almost like they would inspect the purchasing of a home, he said. However, the inspection should include more than just appliances or other household utility items, Averaimo suggested. What Im talking about is kind of inspecting the unit under your own volition that can relate to things like water leaks in the basement, roof leaks, any mold on the walls, mice, vermin, [or] insects, he said. A lot of these things can be identified early on. If you walk into a unit and take a look at everything, and you have questions as to the things that youve seen with your own eyes, and theyre not answered to your satisfaction, move on. Reviewing the rental agreement If the apartment passes this impromptu inspection and renters are ready to sign a lease, Averaimo said it doesnt hurt to have lease agreement reviewed by an attorney prior to signing. Its important because what youre doing is youre not only signing to take occupancy of the property, but youre also basically perpetuating a liability unto yourself, he said. You want to know what youre signing. This includes knowing if your security deposit is being held in a separate account in accordance to state laws and how the landlord will handle the interest that accrued with your deposit. But more importantly, Averaimo said its about having the terms of your lease in writing. Everyone has to realize especially when it relates to real estate, like a lease or purchase and sale agreement: if its not in writing, it doesnt exist, he said. It doesnt matter what kind of conversations you had with the landlord beforehandYou need to protect yourself and you need to know your liability, and you also need to know what the landlords responsibilities are. But Averaimo noted that because a legal course of action can get expensive, the best policy for any renter is do their research ahead of touring a property and signing a lease. The upfront, sweat equity of the tenant in evaluating things, knowing what your rights are and knowing what your responsibilities are, but also knowing what your landlords responsibilities are by virtue of the terms of the lease are so very important. WASHINGTON (AP) The Taliban have agreed to allow safe passage from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Biden's national security adviser said Tuesday, although a timetable for completing the evacuation of Americans, Afghan allies and others has yet to be worked out with the country's new rulers. Jake Sullivan acknowledged reports that some civilians were encountering resistance being turned away or pushed back or even beaten as they tried to reach the Kabul international airport. But he said very large numbers were reaching the airport and the problem of the others was being taken up with the Taliban, whose stunningly swift takeover of the country on Sunday plunged the U.S. evacuation effort into chaos, confusion and violence. Pentagon officials said that after interruptions on Monday, the airlift was back on track and being accelerated despite weather problems, amid regular communication with Taliban leaders. Additional U.S. troops arrived and more were on the way, with a total of more than 6,000 expected to be involved in securing the airport in coming days. The White House said 13 flights Tuesday airlifted 1,100 U.S. citizens, permanent residents and their families from the Kabul airport, adding that the pace was expected to pick up Wednesday and through the week. The State Department said it was sending John Bass, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, to manage the evacuation operation in Kabul, and the Pentagon said it will send Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Donohue, a special operations officer and current commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, to take command of airport security operations. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby disclosed that U.S. officers were speaking with Taliban commanders "multiple times a day" about avoiding conflict at the airport. This suggested that the new rulers of Afghanistan, who swept to power after 20 years of war against the U.S.-supported Kabul government, plan not to disrupt the evacuation. Kirby would not discuss details of the Taliban arrangement, and Sullivan said the question of how much time the Taliban will give the evacuation was still being negotiated. Biden has said he wants the evacuation completed by Aug. 31. Sullivan declined to say whether that deadline would hold. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command and overall commander of U.S. troops in Kabul, made an unannounced visit to the Afghan capital Tuesday. In a written statement, he said he found that military air traffic controllers and ground handlers were rapidly scaling up airlift operations. McKenzie on Sunday negotiated the safe passage agreement with Taliban leaders in talks held in Doha, Qatar. I cautioned them against interference in our evacuation, and made it clear to them that any attack would be met with overwhelming force in the defense of our forces, McKenzie said. The protection of U.S. civilians and our partners is my highest priority and we will take all necessary action to ensure a safe and efficient withdrawal. At the White House, Sullivan said U.S. officials were engaged in an hour by hour process of holding the Taliban to their commitment to allow safe passage for civilians wishing to leave the country. Asked whether the Biden administration recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, Sullivan said it was too soon to say and that the Taliban's record of adhering to international human rights standards has not been good. Overnight at the airport, nine Air Force C-17 transport planes arrived with equipment and about 1,000 troops, and seven C-17s took off with 700-800 civilian evacuees, including 165 Americans, Army Maj. Gen. William Taylor told a Pentagon news conference. The total included Afghans who have applied for Special Immigrant Visas and third-country nationals, he said. The goal is to ramp up to one evacuation flight per hour by Wednesday, with 5,000 to 9,000 evacuees leaving per day, Taylor and Kirby said. Taylor said that more than 4,000 U.S. troops are now at the airport. That number is expected to top 6,000 in coming days more than twice as many as in all of Afghanistan when Biden announced in April he would be ending the U.S. war and pulling out all troops. On Monday the airlift had been temporarily suspended when Afghans desperate to escape the country breeched security and rushed onto the tarmac. Seven people died in several incidents. The Air Force said Tuesday that its Office of Special Investigations is investigating an incident Monday in which a C-17 transport plane taking off from Kabul airport was swarmed by desperate Afghan civilians, some of whom died. The Air Force said human remains were found in the plane's wheel well when it landed in Qatar. Kirby said U.S. commanders at the airport are in direct communication with Taliban commanders outside to avoid security incidents. He said there have been no hostile actions by the Taliban, and that several hundred members of the now-defeated Afghan army were at the airport assisting in the evacuation. Kirby said during television interviews that plans were being made to house up to 22,000 evacuated Afghans and their families at three U.S. Army installations in the continental United States. Those locations are Camp McCoy, Wisconsin; Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Lee, Virginia. Biden returned to the White House Tuesday night from the Camp David presidential retreat. On Monday, he had rejected blame for chaotic scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. military planes in Kabul in a desperate bid to flee their home country after the Taliban's easy victory over an Afghan military that America and NATO allies had spent two decades trying to build. Biden called the anguish of trapped Afghan civilians gut-wrenching and conceded the Taliban had achieved a much faster takeover of the country than his administration had expected. The U.S. rushed in troops to protect its own evacuating diplomats and others at the Kabul airport. But the president expressed no second thoughts about his decision to stick by the U.S. commitment, formulated during the Trump administration, to end America's longest war, no matter what. I stand squarely behind my decision to finally withdraw U.S. combat forces, Biden said. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Matthew Lee, Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) A Chinese citizen journalist serving a four-year sentence after reporting on the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Wuhan is in ill health after staging a long-running hunger strike, according to a lawyer who spoke with her family. Zhang Zhan was hospitalized on July 31 and now weighs less than 40 kilograms (90 pounds), according to a message sent by Zhang Zhan's mother to a group on Chinese social media. Authorities notified the family that she was in poor health and told them to come to the prison, said Peng Yonghe, a lawyer who spoke with Zhang's mother about the visit. Her parents and brother went to Shanghai on August 2 but were only permitted to speak with her over the phone. We just hope that she can get out of jail, because her hunger strike is really worrying, said Peng. Hospitals in Chinese prisons under generally poorly equipped, said Jane Wang, an activist with Humanitarian China, a U.S.-based group founded by Chinese dissidents. Wang helped share Zhang mother's message more widely. Its not a proper medical facility, said Wang. Publication of her case has brought expressions of support for Zhang, including from Tan Binlin, who held a one-person demonstration on Aug. 4 in his town in Hunan province. Tan called on authorities to let her seek proper medical treatment. Zhangs mother could not be reached for comment. A Shanghai court sentenced Zhang last December over accusations of picking fights and provoking trouble," a vaguely defined charge often used in political cases. Zhang early on went on hunger strike, then began taking some food after her health declined, Wang said, citing one of Zhang's lawyers. Calls to the office at Shanghai's Prison Administration went unanswered Tuesday. Authorities detained Zhang in May of last year as China stepped up censorship to control the narrative about the pandemic, which was first detected in Wuhan. The government has faced accusations that it covered up early missteps and delayed the released of critical information that would have helped slow the spread of the virus. Zhang had traveled to Wuhan shortly after the city was placed under strict lockdown in February last year, with millions of residents forbidden to leave. She uploaded dozens of short, shaky cell phone videos to YouTube, showing deserted streets and other signs of life under lockdown. One documented her visit to a police station where Dr. Li Wenliang had been reprimanded for spreading word about the outbreak where she tried to ask about his case. Another shows a security guard repeatedly batting away her phone and threatening her as she filmed a dispute. A third dose of the COVID vaccine will be available to Connecticut residents who have medical conditions that limit their immune system as the states positivity rate and hospitalizations have reached their highest point since the spring. The move by the state comes after the Food and Drug Administration modified the emergency authorizations for the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to allow this small group of people to receive a third shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quickly followed by endorsing this nationwide. The Connecticut Department of Public Health will work with providers and the public to ensure that individuals who need a third dose can get one, Gov. Ned Lamont said in announcing that Connecticut would follow the federal recommendation. Our vaccine providers stand ready to provide COVID vaccines in line with these updated recommendations. As Connecticut plans to provide a third dose to some residents, COVID cases have continued to increase across the state. Through the weekend, the positivity rate for new COVID tests was 3.55 percent, the highest since early April. Hospitalizations continued to climb by a net of 26 patients for a total of 285 statewide, the highest level since early May. The state does not have an estimate of how many people will be eligible for the third shot, which will be the same as the first two doses the person received. Health officials consider the shot to be an added step in the vaccine series for these individuals and it is not considered a booster. Heres what you need to know about the third shot: Who is eligible for a third dose? The recommendation, from the CDC and the state, limits those who are eligible for a third shot to people who have moderately to severely compromised immune systems. The conditions that would make someone eligible include: Treatment for a solid tumor or hematologic malignancies Solid-organ transplant recipient taking immunosuppressive therapy CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient Those with moderate to severe primary immunodeficieny An advanced for untreated HIV infection Those receiving treatment that includes high-dose corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory. Eligibility includes anyone with these conditions who 12 years old and older, officials said. When can an eligible person get a third dose? State officials said they are coordinating with providers to implement the new policy, and some providers have said they are working to schedule these appointments. Officials said eligible individuals should be able to receive a third dose from any clinic or provider in the state. DPH said Monday residents who believe they are eligible should contact their physician for next steps and to schedule an appointment. The CDC and other health agencies say individuals must wait 28 days after they received a second dose to get a third shot. Will you need to prove you are immunocompromised? It appears people do not need to provide proof they have one of the eligible conditions to get a third dose of the vaccine. In announcing the state would follow the CDCs recommendation, officials said a prescription or referral is not required to get a third dose. Why are officials recommending a third dose? Health officials are recommending a third dose after reviewing recent studies that show certain immunocompromised individuals do not build up the same level of immunity as someone who is not immunocompromised would after two doses of the vaccine. Some small studies have shown that immunocompromised individuals who are fully vaccinated have comprised a large portion of the breakthrough COVID-19 cases, the CDC said. This recommendation comes as cases are continuing to increase in Connecticut and across the country amid the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. At a time when the delta variant is surging, an additional vaccine dose for some people with weakened immune systems could help prevent serious and possibly life-threatening COVID-19 cases within this population, the CDC said in a statement. Will Connecticut be able to meet the demand? Vaccine supplies have not been a major issue in Connecticut since the general demand for the vaccine dropped off sharply in June and July. Given that state officials believe the number of people eligible for a third dose is relatively low, there are no concerns about whether there will be enough doses. This recommendation will apply to a relatively small number of individuals in Connecticut and we do not anticipate any challenges with adequate vaccine supply, DPH Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford said. We have a broad and strong network of vaccine providers, including approximately 400 pharmacy locations alone, across the state that are ready to administer additional COVID-19 vaccine doses in line with these recommendations. What if you received a single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine? The recommendation for an additional dose doesnt extend to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at this time, according to state and federal officials. The CDC, in its latest guidance, said there is not enough data to determine whether individuals get an improved antibody response with an additional dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Should you stick with the same vaccine? Health officials said those eligible should continue to get the same vaccine they were initially administered in the first two doses. However, they said if one mRNA vaccine is not available, they could get another dose of a separate mRNA vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines use mRNA, while Johnson & Johnson does not. What if you arent eligible? Top health experts say only those who are immunocompromised should get a third dose of the vaccine at this time. Boosters and potential additional doses have been discussed, but no decision has been made by top regulators. Pfizer-BioNTech has said it will seek approval for a booster. Some experts believe it is likely that a booster will be needed in the future. "Hi guys! I'm going to jail!" Over the shoulders of Coco Briscoe's fuzzy white bathrobe, in the hallway outside her Arlington apartment, two uniformed police officers appeared. RELATED: Behold the butt scooter, the most dangerously fun ride in Houston It was not the kind of content one might expect from a TikTok series called "Dating D.C." What Briscoe launched as a light romantic drama has become a serious legal one, with allegations of slander and harassment both by and against her. The 39-year-old, whose legal name is Crystal Nicole Briscoe, has gathered thousands of followers on TikTok as she chronicles her attempts to find love as a recent D.C.-area transplant. Gradually, she has focused less on the men she's seeing and more on a group of Arlingtonians, including two local bartenders, who she says made demeaning comments about her and shared her personal information in a large group text chat. The bartenders say Briscoe was the one stoking harassment with inaccurate videos watched by hundreds of thousands of people. People on both sides of the dispute, which largely played out on social media, said it led to anonymous messages that left them frightened. One of the bartenders has twice gone to Arlington County General District Court and secured restraining orders barring Briscoe from referencing her on social media, saying the TikTok videos spurred a wave of insults online and by phone that led her to flee her apartment and send her son to his father. A judge dismissed the protective order Wednesday, and two legal experts said such blanket bans on speech violate the U.S. Constitution. Yet Briscoe, who has filed her own police report, could still be guilty of a misdemeanor, in a case that shows how social media disputes can run out of control and into the First Amendment. It started with a date that wasn't. Briscoe says that earlier this summer she was stood up by a local chef, then rescued by a bartender who bought her drinks - a saga she relayed to her fans first with excitement and then through tears. She said on TikTok that someone showed her a group text chat that led her to believe the entire incident was staged to mock her. Members of the text chain called her a whore and endorsed violence against her; one posted a video of her biking home and the name Crystal, which she said she had not shared. "That's when this all became scary," she said in one TikTok video. In an interview, Briscoe said she learned of the texts when a member of the group showed her parts of the conversation, which Briscoe screenshotted and shared with The Washington Post. She said the bartender who had joined her for drinks appeared in the text group, along with a female bartender at another local bar she patronized. Briscoe has made claims on TikTok that she concedes she cannot substantiate, including that the two bartenders and their bars were behind a wave of offensive comments on her page and that one of them gleaned her address from her credit card to file the first protective order. That order initially listed Briscoe's address as "unknown." While at first she was vague in her videos, eventually she shared the bartenders' first names - Charlotte and Nic - and their workplaces. Both establishments were flooded with negative reviews on Google and Yelp, referencing harassment against women. And both bartenders say they personally got nasty messages. "I'm terrified," the female bartender, who sought the protective orders, testified in court Wednesday as she asked for the second order to be extended. "I'm not sleeping. I'm not eating. I haven't slept in days. I'm suffering, my hair's falling out." She said she had left her apartment and sent her son to stay with his father. She acknowledged in court that there had been no direct threats from Briscoe or anyone else. A judge dismissed her petition, saying there was no basis for it. Protective orders "can only be issued if there is evidence of an act of violence, force or a threat to make such an act," Judge Richard McCue said. "There has not been any evidence that supports that." MORE LIFESTYLE: These are the best hotels in Houston, according to Yelp reviewers The woman did not provide further comment to The Post. Nicholas Grey, the other bartender Briscoe accused, said he got more than 100 obnoxious calls at his bar the night Briscoe was arrested. "I'm fearful for who is going to come in," he said. "This is going to get crazy." It was Grey who Briscoe accused of taking her out with the intention of humiliating her, a charge he denies. It was just a casual get-together, he insists, that he offered to pay for because he gets a discount at the bar where he works. He barely uses social media, he added, and had no role in any anonymous comments. "I'm none of the things she says I am," he said. While "some derogatory things were said about Ms. Briscoe" in the group chat, Grey acknowledged, "the only time her location was ever discussed was for people to avoid her. Whether right or wrong, that's what it was. She's trouble." The female bartender likewise admitted taking a video of Briscoe biking and sharing it with the text group, but she said it was to warn other bars that Briscoe might be coming. Briscoe says she never behaved inappropriately at any bar and insists she is the victim. She was the first to go to authorities, filing a police report on July 19. "I fear for my safety," she wrote in the report. "I no longer feel safe in my neighborhood." The next day, Briscoe said, she was served by four police officers at 4 a.m. with a protective order mandating that she "not discuss" the female bartender "or related matters on social media." She stayed off TikTok for three days. When she came back, she told her followers the dispute was behind her absence. If anyone had guessed someone from the group chat "filed a restraining order against me . . . you would be correct," she said. Up to that point, she had not named any establishment and had used only the bartenders' first names. She said that her followers convinced her that if she really felt the bars were dangerous she should warn others, and that she no longer trusted the police because the female bartender had described her boyfriend as an Arlington cop. She named the bars where Grey and the female bartender work and added, "Don't support these places; they're garbage people." Both establishments were flooded with negative reviews on Google and Yelp, referencing harassment against women. The next morning, this time at 5 a.m., police officers appeared at Briscoe's door with a new restraining order. She told them to wait outside, then brushed her teeth and posted another video naming the female bartender and the bar where she worked. "In retrospect, not the right decision," she said in an interview. But in the moment, she said, she couldn't believe she could be put in jail for something so "ridiculous." Less than an hour later, she was. The police were "really unkind," she said in the interview; "it was a horrible experience." A spokeswoman for the Arlington police said there was no record that Briscoe had made a complaint. During her three hours in jail, Briscoe appeared by video before a magistrate who told her she could go to prison if she kept violating the order. "I said, 'Really? For making a TikTok?' " Yes and no, says Eugene Volokh, a legal scholar at UCLA who has been tracking these kinds of protective orders. "An order that says 'stop talking about this person' is unconstitutional, no matter who you are," he said. Yet he has identified more than 200 such injunctions, which are often hard to find because they are not available on searchable databases. The bartenders could seek a protective order to stop direct threats, he said, but not negative commentary. If she's making false accusations, he said, they could sue Briscoe for libel, but even if they won at trial they might not be able to bar her from making similar statements. "While speech to someone might, in certain circumstances, properly be deemed harassment if it is unwanted, the same doesn't hold true for speech about someone, even if it's unwanted," Vera Eidelman, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, agreed in an email. "And that's for good reason: any number of people - from racist cops to corrupt politicians to too-busy parents - might want to silence speech about them, especially if it's critical, but the Constitution doesn't allow that outside of very specific, narrow circumstances." Briscoe said she tried to get a protective order herself and was denied. MASK WARS: Republicans take to mask wars as virus surges in red states Even though the judge dismissed the order against her, Briscoe is still facing a misdemeanor charge for violating it. Called to the stand Wednesday, she invoked her right to remain silent, on the advice of her attorney. "I need a glass of wine and a nap," she told her followers after court. She has another hearing in September. HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong will tighten entry restrictions for travelers arriving from the United States and 15 other countries beginning Friday, extending the quarantine period to 21 days. Previously, the 15 countries, which also include Malaysia, Thailand, France and the Netherlands, were classified as medium-risk, with travelers able to stay only seven days of quarantine if they were fully vaccinated and tested positive for antibodies prior to leaving for the city. A resurgence of coronavirus cases in these countries due to the delta variant led the to be recategorized as high high-risk and stricter measures imposed, as the government sought to uphold the local barrier against the importation of COVID-19, it said in a statement. The changes come after a domestic worker who had returned to Hong Kong from the U.S. earlier this month tested positive for the coronavirus, despite receiving two shots of vaccine and testing positive for antibodies. The mandatory quarantine period was extended from seven to 14 days for fully vaccinated travelers with a positive antibody test arriving from Australia, now categorized as medium-risk. Quarantine requirements for New Zealand, which is the only country considered low-risk, remain at seven days for fully-vaccinated passengers. Hong Kongs zero-COVID strategy has seen authorities impose strict border restrictions and ban flights from extremely high-risk countries, in the hopes that no local community spread would allow it to re-open borders with mainland China. The city had nearly two months of no cases within the local community, but its streak was broken earlier this month when a 43-year-old construction worker with no travel history was found to have antibodies in his blood despite not being vaccinated - indicating that he was probably infected some time ago. Hong Kong has recorded a total of 12,037 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, with 212 deaths. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: Also Tuesday, Australias most populous state reported its third-highest number of daily infections of the pandemic, but the government leader said the spread of the delta variant in Sydney, the country's largest city, had not yet peaked. There were 452 new infections recorded in New South Wales, down from 475 on Monday and 466 on Saturday. An unvaccinated woman aged in her 70s had died in a Sydney hospital on Monday, bringing the death toll from the outbreak discovered in mid-June to 53. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she expected daily infections counts to remain high. We are assuming that case numbers will go up. Now, I say that only as a realist because when you have cumulative days of high case numbers, there is a tipping point where case numbers go up, Berejiklian said. But our challenge is to make sure that we keep vaccination rates up, she added. About half of New South Waless population has had at least one injection of the two-shot Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. The government wants 80% of the population fully vaccinated before it eases Sydneys lockdown, which began on June 26. New Zealand is going into a strict lockdown for at least three days after announcing Tuesday it had found its first case of community transmission since February. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern invoked some of the stirring rhetoric she used early in the pandemic by urging the full population to go hard and early in trying to eliminate the latest outbreak. She said Auckland, where the infected man lives, and Coromandel, where he had visited, would go into a full lockdown for seven days and the remainder of the country for three days while health experts tried to find the source of his infection. Ardern had been warning that the contagiousness of the delta variant would likely require more drastic action than previous outbreaks. Its not known if the man is infected with the delta variant but they are assuming he does. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga officially expanded and extended the nations coronavirus state of emergency on Tuesday, as government advisers recommended legal changes that would allow penalties for violations. The measures, approved by a government task force, add seven prefectures to the six areas already under a state of emergency and extend it to Sept. 12. Ten other prefectures were put under a quasi-emergency, which had previously encompassed six prefectures, bringing about two-thirds of the nation under some form of emergency. The government has taken pride in avoiding compulsory measures or a lockdown, but some experts and critics are wondering if voluntary measures are enough. Shigeru Omi, the nations top medical adviser, said the task force is considering legal changes which are needed to institute penalties or declare a lockdown. The following is a summary of one of many cases across the country compiled in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of sexual abuse connected in some way to local affiliates of Boys & Girls Club of America, their staff, volunteers, members and/or attendees. Boys & Girls Club of America said that it does not keep a public list of sexual abuse incidents connected to clubs. If you have a story to share, or have information related to this or other incidents, contact us here. A former camp counselor of the Boys Club of New York allegedly sexually abused two boys at a summer camp run by the club in the 1970s, according to two separate lawsuits filed in New York Supreme Court. Several counselors at the club-sponsored Camp Harriman in Southfields, New York, allegedly gave minor campers candy in exchange for oral sex, according to a lawsuit filed in September 2020 under the New York Child Victims Act. The act has provided a limited window extending statutes of limitations in sexual abuse cases. Database: Child sexual abuse tied to Boys & Girls Clubs William Miltie allegedly sexually abused a 10-year-old boy during two weeks at the camp in the summer of 1975 and then threw black pepper in the victim's face to prevent him from identifying Miltie, according to the lawsuit. Two years later, Miltie allegedly sexually abused a 12-year-old boy at Camp Harriman and at the clubs main location on East 10th St. in New York City, according to a second lawsuit filed in April 2021. The 12-year-old boy was also abused at Milties house by another club employee, identified only as Mack, according to the lawsuit. A third club employee, identified only as Papi, allegedly began abusing the boy in 1976, when the victim was only 11, the lawsuit claims. Both lawsuits claim the Boys Club of New York had inadequate policies to protect children at the time and was negligent in its failure to prevent the assaults. The club knew about a complaint against Miltie in 1975 but took no action, according to the newer lawsuit. Sarah Danzig Simon, chief advancement officer at the Boys Club of New York, said the club is deeply saddened by the allegations from decades ago and takes them very seriously. We work hard in the communities we serve to create a supportive and safe environment that nurtures the talent and spirit of the next generation of leaders and engaged citizens, she said. The care of our members is our top priority, and we have well-developed policies and protocols in place to ensure their safety. In court filing in response to both lawsuits, the Boys Club of New York has denied any wrongdoing. A charter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for more than 20 years, the Boys Club of New York club parted ways with the national organization in 2005. Miltie could not be reached for comment as there is no public listing for a person with his name in New York and no address provided in court documents. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Tuesday she will be reinstating a mask mandate for all public indoor spaces in New Mexico as vaccination rates remain stagnant and infections increase. Her latest public order also will require that more people get vaccinated, such as workers at hospitals, nursing homes, juvenile justice facilities, residential treatment centers and other places that the state deems as high-risk. All workers at private, public and charter schools in New Mexico also must be either vaccinated or otherwise submit to weekly testing under the new rules being rolled out. Lujan Grisham already requires the same of all state government employees. The governor recently said that all options would be on the table when it comes to curbing the spread of the virus, leaving residents and business owners anxious about the possibility of resuming some of the restrictions that had been enacted for much of the pandemic. Lujan Grisham said during a virtual briefing that she was making tough but necessary decisions now in hopes that infections level off in September and start to decline at least by November or December. Modeling by the state has shown that daily case totals could top 1,000 by late August or early September. This surge is a terrifying indicator of moving absolutely in the wrong direction, and hospital systems around the country are failing," she said, adding there are not enough health care workers or hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients or others with unrelated conditions. New Mexico Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said ahead of the briefing that everyone wants the pandemic to be over but that the virus has its own timeline. He also noted that the delta variant is spreading up to four times more rapidly than the strain of the virus that was more prevalent last year. While vaccines help to prevent serious illness and death from a COVID-19 infection, Scrase said the bad news is that the virus is still spreading. New Mexico has outpaced neighboring states and the nation as a whole when it comes to getting people vaccinated. About two-thirds of residents 18 and older have been fully vaccinated, but state health officials warned again Tuesday that evidence shows inoculated people can still become infected and spread the virus. The state Health Department did not immediately provide details about the number of breakthrough cases recorded so far. The overall uptick in cases comes as New Mexico prepares for large public gatherings such as the state fair and the international balloon fiesta, which normally draws thousands of spectators and pilots from around the world. As part of the latest public health order, proof of vaccination will be required for anyone attending the state fair and the governor said she is encouraging organizers of the balloon fiesta to consider similar requirements and other precautions. Lujan Grisham stopped short of saying New Mexico would require vaccine passports. However, she encouraged local governments and private businesses to set their own indoor mask mandates and vaccination requirements, saying the two tools can help slow down transmission. The state Health Department has recorded more than 221,000 COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began. While the daily case totals remain far below the peak seen in the winter, state data shows there has been a 4.5% increase in confirmed cases since the beginning of August. Scrase said the positivity rate among those getting tested also has increased from just 2.5% in July to 9% as of Monday. Some Republican lawmakers criticized the governor's latest health order, saying the vaccine mandates could result in the loss of more health care workers at a time when there already are shortages, especially in rural communities. The last thing we need is a forced shortage of health care workers and possible hospital closures due to a lack of staff," state Sen. David Gallegos of Eunice said in a statement. "In an effort to solve a health care scare, the governor may in fact be creating another health care crisis. A bed shortage is not as severe as a doctor, nurse and hospital shortage. Lujan Grisham argued that she's trying to ensure our health care system doesn't fall apart by limiting infections. State officials said Tuesday there are about 340 people hospitalized due the virus. That's nearly double the number two weeks ago. BRIDGEPORT Councilman Alfredo Castillo, already under investigation for allegedly threatening the citys acting public facilities director, is now the subject of a harassment complaint filed with police Friday by his opponent in next months primary. That way he will never do it again to nobody, Carmen Nieves said of her decision to go to the authorities after Castillo allegedly made a derogatory comment about her figure last Thursday in the Margaret E. Morton Government Center on Broad Street. Nieves is a temporary seasonal staffer for the health department, helping encourage residents to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In both her police report and during a subsequent interview with Hearst Connecticut Media, Nieves said she was in the government center for a work-related meeting when, during a break, Castillo happened to be in the hallway and allegedly shouted a comment about her backside. Nieves also told police the incident was witnessed by a colleague. He shouldnt be talking to me like that, Nieves told Hearst Connecticut Media. He thinks he can do things like that. ... I felt uncomfortable when he said it. Nieves said she first approached the labor relations office about Castillos behavior, and was advised to speak with City Council President Aidee Nieves, who is not related to her. She did contact me, Aidee Nieves confirmed. I told her ... I have no purview over what council members do outside of their council responsibilities and if she had a complaint she had to file it with the proper authorities. Castillo when reached by phone hung up after being asked about Nieves complaint. Mayor Joe Ganims office did not return a request for comment about whether labor relations would have the authority to probe the matter and if council members are defined as municipal employees. Castillo and his 19 colleagues do not earn salaries and instead receive stipends to reimburse expenses. Carmen Nieves recently collected enough signatures to force a Sept. 14 primary against Castillo for his seat representing the 136th District. Castillo was first elected to represent that center-of-the-city neighborhood, dubbed the Hollow, in 2013. Asked if her complaint was at all politically motivated, Nieves insisted, it was because of how Castillo made her feel and embarrassed her. I couldnt sleep, she recalled. What made him feel he could talk to me like that? Castillo has similarly refused to comment on the police complaint filed against him Aug. 4 the day before the alleged incident with Nieves by Acting Public Facilities Director Craig Nadrizny. Nadrizny alleged that Castillo asked him to meet outside of the city-owned, privately-managed Wonderland of Ice rinks According to Nadriznys statement to police, Castillo wanted to know when the city was going to repair the buildings exterior doors and, after the public facilities chief said per the lease that was not the tenants responsibility, the councilman yelled at him. Nadrizny told police Castillo subsequently stood in front of him as he tried to climb back into his vehicle to leave, pumping his chest and threatening Nadrizny. Aidee Nieves had called Nadriznys claims disturbing and, following Carmen Nieves accusations, added this week, As elected officials we should always measure our words, whether in official duty or not. Theres never a time you turn it on and off when youre elected, Aidee Nieves continued. We are supposed to be model citizens because we are leaders in our community. This is Americas darkest hour since September 11, 2001. Just weeks before the 20th anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the U.S. has been humiliated in the eyes of the world. For once, the fiercely partisan domestic media is united in condemnation of President Joe Bidens surrender to the Taliban. Even Fox News and CNN, normally diametric political opposites, are singing from the same hymn sheet. Americans awoke yesterday to television pictures of desperate refugees falling to their deaths from departing U.S. transport aircraft. It was a chilling echo of the heartbreaking images of those bodies plummeting to earth from the Twin Towers two decades ago. The chaotic scenes at Kabul airport evoked memories of the last helicopter to take off from the roof of the American embassy in Saigon when the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in April 1975. For the second time in half a century, the worlds once undisputed military superpower has been routed by a ramshackle army of irregulars. The sacrifices of those who fought and died to rid Afghanistan of Al Qaeda and deny terrorists a safe haven from which to launch further attacks on America now seem worthless. The only recent photograph of the President showed him hunkered down at his Camp David rural retreat, staring at an array of giant TV screens. Pictured: Biden meets virtually with his national security team and senior officials for a briefing on Afghanistan on Sunday Desperate Afghan nationals tried to run onto RCH 885 as it took off from the airfield on Monday. Some were crushed by the C-17's wheels and others clung to the fuselage as it took off Footage published by Afghan outlet Asvaka showed three stowaways falling to the deaths after clinging on to the wheels of a military plane as it took off from Kabul airport Yesterdays powerful Page One headline in the Daily Mail summed up the horrified reaction on both sides of the Atlantic: What the hell did they all die for? The U.S. lost 2,300 servicemen and women in Afghanistan, almost as many people as died on 9/11. Many more were gravely injured and traumatised. For the past 20 years, their mission was successful. There hasnt been a comparable attack on America since 9/11. Yet now Afghanistan is again open house for Islamist terrorists. There are already reports that British jihadists are heading there, fresh from fighting with Isis in Iraq and Syria. As the enormity of the consequences of Americas withdrawal sank in yesterday, Biden, nominally Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, was nowhere to be seen. Sleepy Joe has been asleep at the wheel. Until he was forced to address the nation last night, Biden hadnt said a word in public for more than six days. The only recent photograph of the President showed him hunkered down at his Camp David rural retreat, staring at an array of giant TV screens. No doubt he kept pressing the remote control, hoping for a different result, like the simpleton Chauncey Gardner, who rises to become a presidential adviser in the Peter Sellers movie Being There. Bidens deputy, the hapless, giggly Kamala Harris has been missing in action, too. Until he was forced to address the nation last night, Biden hadnt said a word in public for more than six days As one Republican senator said: The lights are on at the White House but nobodys home. Veterans and the families of those killed in Afghanistan are incandescent with rage. Its not as if no one saw this abject humiliation coming. The U.S. military had long been making withdrawal preparations, in the full knowledge that the American people have no real appetite for a never-ending war halfway around the world. Presidents Obama and Trump both spoke of bringing the troops home, yet thought better of it. The generals drew up a worst-case scenario but, according to former Tory minister Rory Stewart, an Afghan expert: The option to leave like this was not put to Trump by military and civilian advisers because they were worried hed choose it. They put it to Biden and to their horror he said yes. No one in the U.S. military thinks this is sensible. Despite some lame attempts by Democrats to lay the blame on Donald Trump, who opened talks with the Taliban when he was still in the White House, this debacle is down to Biden. He managed to convince himself that the 300,000-strong Afghan army was capable of keeping the Taliban at bay. After all, America has spent a trillion dollars training and equipping them. He said it was highly unlikely the country would be overrun. But the moment the Americans pulled out, the Afghan army melted away like the snow in summer on the Tora Bora mountains. Biden also promised: We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit. Well do it responsibly, deliberately and sensibly. And he added, rashly: Theres going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of the embassy. No, theyre being plucked from the tarmac at Kabul airport. While the blame is Bidens, there has also been a massive malfunction on the part of Americas lavishly funded intelligence services. When everything began to unravel last week, they predicted that it would be at least 90 days before the Taliban would reach Kabul plenty of time for the Afghan security forces to make adequate preparation to defend their capital city. In the event, it took a matter of days. The Taliban didnt even wait until the last U.S. citizen had left. The flag was lowered at the American embassy and the ambassador and his staff forced to retreat to the airport. The Afghan president Ashraf Ghani beat them to it, fleeing the country but not before stuffing several suitcases with money. The Taliban actually control more of Afghanistan now than they did before the Coalition invasion. The Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces Be in no doubt, this is a shameful defeat for America, a country responsible for 40 per cent of the worlds total military expenditure. While the U.S. is capable of devasting displays of shock and awe and rolling over enemies in double-quick time, it hasnt won any major war convincingly since 1945. Korea, Vietnam and now Afghanistan all proved a bridge too far. Iraq is a bloody quagmire almost two decades on. How badly misjudged George W. Bushs vainglorious Mission Accomplished posturing looks now. Biden was in favour of getting out of Afghanistan back when he was Obamas vice president in 2010, regardless of the fall-out. Be in no doubt, this is a shameful defeat for America, a country responsible for 40 per cent of the worlds total military expenditure When he became President in January he was determined to bring the troops home before the 9/11 anniversary in September. He is said to believe that it would boost his flagging popularity ratings in advance of next years mid-term Congressional elections. If hed managed to pull it off without handing victory to the Taliban, he might have got away with it. But the shocking images of Americans fleeing the Taliban will inevitably come back to haunt him, just as the broken-down helicopters in the desert during the abortive mission to free U.S. hostages held in Tehran destroyed the presidency of Jimmy Carter. The TV footage of Taliban fighters hustling round Kabul in captured U.S. Army Humvees and armoured cars has already been greeted with disgust in Middle America. If the U.S. does ever have to return to Afghanistan, soldiers will have to face weapons America has left behind. Certainly, the American public is heartily sick of war without end. But they were also well aware that stationing troops in Afghanistan, the crucible of the 9/11 attacks, was intended to take the fight to the enemy, and had protected the homeland for two decades. They are also fiercely proud of their country and will be wounded by the global shame visited upon them by this debacle. Rolling TV news shows and radio phone-ins have been inundated with critics of Biden expressing their revulsion. Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on Monday Theres a growing sense of unease especially on the Right, but also among floating voters who backed Biden over Trump that the administration expends far too much energy worrying about wokery and culture wars than concentrating on what really matters. And what really matters to Americans apart from the economy, stupid is national security. As well as hunting down terrorists, the military has been diverted towards nation building, imposing liberal Western values on unreceptive foreign societies. Yes, its marvellous that the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan freed women and girls from oppression. But that wasnt why America with Britain riding shotgun went in there in the first place. The mission was to kill terrorists, smash the Taliban and deny them a base from which to attack the West, not turn Afghanistan into a land fit for Guardianistas. Yet in June, the U.S. embassy in Kabul put out a press release on Twitter urging Afghans to celebrate LGBTI Pride Month. I bet that went down a storm with hardline Islamists. There werent many rainbow flags flying from the Talibans pick-up trucks over the weekend. Aside from the humiliation, what concerns most people is the fact that it appears America can no longer be trusted on the international stage. Having abandoned Afghanistan, why would any country side with the U.S. in future? The big winners here are Russia and especially China, which is already buttering up the Taliban as it seeks to extend its influence via Afghanistan and Iran into the Persian Gulf. Taliban fighters patrolled Kabul on Monday as chaos continued at the city's airport as thousands try to flee the fundamentalist group Senior US military officials said troops shot and killed two armed Afghans among those trying to get onto the jet while US citizens were evacuated in two separate incidents Biden has always prided himself on his foreign policy expertise. In which case, you might have expected him to order a more considered withdrawal and at least leave behind sufficient troops and advisers to assist the Afghan army in keeping the lid on the Taliban. No wonder many people, not just in the Republican Party, are asking whether the 78-year-old President retains the mental acuity to make such sensitive executive decisions. Its fair to say he has demonstrated bouts of, lets say, absent-mindedness over the past few months. Before he travelled to Camp David, he was last seen in public failing to find his way from his helicopter, Marine One, on the White House lawn, to the Oval Office. Despite an aide giving him directions, Biden wandered off into the shrubbery. Following the fiasco in Kabul, his more vociferous critics will be asking if Sleepy Joe can be trusted as Commander-in-Chief. After all, who could have predicted that having expended so much blood and treasure fighting terrorists the 20th anniversary of 9/11 would be marked by a U.S. president handing back Afghanistan to the Taliban, the murderous ideological allies and enablers of Al Qaeda who carried out those deadly attacks? A plus-size woman has called out a party bus service in Miami for turning her away because of weight, saying it was a 'humiliating' experience. Fallon Melillo, 27, from San Antonio, Texas, shared her horrifying story on TikTok last week, explaining that she was on a trip with her friends when they decided to go to a pool party at DAER Dayclub at the Hard Rock Hotel on July 31. The body positivity advocate, who has nearly 50,000 followers, said one of her friends contacted a promoter to get them tickets to board the Spring Break Miami Party Service bus for transportation. Scroll down for video Say what? Fallon Melillo, 27, from San Antonio, Texas, has claimed that Spring Break Miami Party Service denied her entry onto its party bus because she is plus-size Calling them out: The body positivity advocate shared her horrifying story on TikTok, saying the way the party bus treated her was 'downright awful and rude and humiliating' However, the night before, she saw a worrisome disclaimer that Spring Break Miami Party Service had posted on Eventbrite. 'Sorry, no big girls for this party!' the message stated. 'The doorman is very strict on appearance. If you have had problems getting into exclusive clubs before, then this is not for you! 'Please don't waste your time nor ours thinking that we can get you inside if you do not meet the qualifications.' Melillo said the promoter never mentioned anything about these conditions, and when they reached out to DAER Dayclub, they were assured that the club does not discriminate against weight. How it started: Melillo said she was on a trip with her friends when they decided to go to a pool party at DAER Dayclub at the Hard Rock Hotel on July 31 Disclaimer: The night before the event, she saw that the bus company had posted a message on Eventbrite that said: 'Sorry, no big girls for this party' She noted in her TikTok that the club doesn't have anything to do with Spring Break Miami Party Service Bus, which is a third-party service. Melillo said that when they arrived at the party bus, a male staff member told one of her friends that she wasn't allowed to board. 'Being turned away in front of other people because of how I look and my size was absolutely humiliating,' she told BuzzFeed. 'I was embarrassed and shocked, to say the least. 'Even though I know I am beautiful on the inside and out, this moment made me feel helpless. This is what every plus-size person fears being turned away from an event because of how we look.' Melillo shared a similar sentiment in her TikTok video, saying that being turned away at the door because she is plus-size was 'downright awful and rude and humiliating.' Discrimination: Melillo claimed that when they went to board the bus, they were turned away because she is plus-size and were refunded their money Making the best of it: The TikToker, who has nearly 50,000 followers, said they found alternate transportation and had no problem getting into the pool party at DAER Dayclub Think twice: Melillo begged viewers to 'look for a different company that doesnt discriminate against marginalized bodies in societyl 'They did refund our money, but it was very embarrassing going there and them telling us we can't go,' she added. She and her friends ended up taking alternate transportation to DAER Dayclub, and they had no problem getting into the pool party. In her TikTok video, she asked viewers to boycott Spring Break Miami Party Service and find alternate transportation. 'I really urge and hope that people do not use this service,' she said. 'If you see this video, I am begging you, take an Uber, look for a different company that doesnt discriminate against marginalized bodies in society.' A rep for Spring Break Miami Party Service told NBC 6 that the post was written by a third-party contractor that doesn't run the party bus. In a statement, the company said the post was 'hurtful, offensive, inappropriate, and never shouldve run in the first place.' Hmm: In a follow-up video, Melillo said the events on Spring Break Miami Party Service's Eventbrite page were removed and speculated the company may be going by a different name Just as bad: Melillo pointed out that she found a similar listing on Eventbrite that stated 'a model look is encouraged' 'DAER Nightclub/Dayclub swiftly terminated its relationship with this independent event promoter after an internal investigation,' the Hard Rock wrote in a statement shared with the local news station, adding that 'this promoters actions do not reflect Hard Rocks culture of inclusivity.' In a follow-up video, Melillo explained the events on Spring Break Miami Party Service's Eventbrite page were removed, and she speculated that the company may be going by a different name following the backlash. She pointed out that she found a similar listing on Eventbrite that stated 'a model look is encouraged.' 'As much as we would like to welcome everyone, admission to this exclusive event is very selective and we reserve the right to deny service,' the company warned. Hard to handle: Melillo said she 'lost a significant amount of weight' this past year and was feeling 'a lot better about herself' when she was hamulated by the party bus Call to action: Melillo said the treatment of plus-size people needs to change, especially in 'popular places where body image is important' It's unclear if the post was from the party bus that denied Melillo entry or another service, but she stressed that this coded message is just as problematic. She said the disclaimer really means: 'If youre a bigger girl, they reserve the right to deny you. So, whats gonna happen is, instead of blatantly showing their discrimination online, you have to go in person to be embarrassed and denied at the door because youre bigger and plus-size.' After reflecting on her own experience, she told BuzzFeed that the treatment of plus-size people needs to change. 'I knew things like this may happen, but never thought it would be towards me,' she said. 'This past year, I actually lost a significant amount of weight and was feeling a lot better about myself. Only to go to Miami to be ostracized. 'Not only Miami, but other popular places where body image is important. The culture needs to change especially in places such as Miami, LA, and Vegas.' A chilling video has shown the devastating effect of swallowing a lithium coin battery - and what parents can do to save their child's life. The infographic, from Duracell, illustrates how these batteries start to burn through the oesophagus as little as 30 minutes after being ingested, causing life-long injuries and in some cases, even death. If your little one has swallowed a coin battery, experts say you should go to the emergency department immediately without allowing the child to eat or drink and - if possible - providing medical staff with the serial number from the battery pack. They say the worst thing you can do is it force your child to vomit as this can cause more damage to the throat and insides. This chilling time-lapse experiment involving a battery and a chicken fillet shows what just one button battery can do if a child swallows it - after 30 minutes (left) and four hours (right) The small, shiny batteries are commonplace in Australian homes, used in gadgets including TV remote controls, watches, calculators and kitchen weighing scales. More than 20 Australian children are hospitalised each week after accidentally swallowing batteries. Three have tragically died since 2013, including Gold Coast toddler Brittney Conway who passed away on July 28, 2020, three weeks after swallowing a battery and enduring significant medical procedures to save her life. Duracell are now offering a solution with the launch of its first-ever range of coin batteries covered in a non-toxic coating of Bitrex - the most bitter substance on Earth. The transparent film is said to provoke an 'instinctive reaction' that causes children to spit out the battery if they place it in their mouth. The bitter-tasting batteries, which will be stocked in Coles and IGA in sizes 2032, 2025 and 2016, also come in a 'double blister' packaging which can only be opened with scissors - further reducing the risk of toddlers getting their hands on them. What should you do if your child swallows a battery? * Head to emergency immediately. Tell the doctors that you suspect your child has swallowed a battery and it was coin-sized. * If possible, provide the medical team with the identification number found on the batterys pack. * Do not let the child eat or drink until an X-ray can determine if a battery is present. * Do not induce vomiting. Source: Battery Controlled Advertisement Top heart surgeon Dr Nikki Stamp is calling on parents to be aware of the dangers lurking in plain sight at home, a plea that has never been more relevant with 14 million Australians - almost half the country - currently in lockdown. Dr Stamp, who has operated on a child who swallowed a lithium battery, said more Australians need to be aware of the dangers of leaving the objects lying around. 'It's so important we continue to look for methods that can decrease the risk of ingestion, in addition to keeping these batteries, and devices that contain lithium coin batteries away from children,' she added. Founding director of CPR Kids Sarah Hunstead agrees, saying she knows of many families who aren't even aware of the risks. 'Children are innately curious, and it is a normal part of their development to put everything in their mouth,' Ms Hunstead said. 'That's why it is of utmost importance to ensure that lithium coin batteries are kept away from young children.' Back in 2019, Ms Hunstead demonstrated the dangers of lithium batteries with an experiment on a chicken fillet. After placing a battery inside the meat, she closely monitored progress over the following hours, noting a small amount of burning had already occurred around the 30-minute mark. By the time four hours had elapsed, the burn marks were clear and more pervasive. Those at greatest risk are aged under four years old, and there are currently around 20 children presenting to the emergency department with injuries each week (stock image) The effect on the chicken flesh is reflective of what happens inside a child's body. Battery Controlled report when a coin-sized lithium button battery gets stuck in a child's throat, 'saliva triggers an electrical current' that sparks a chemical reaction which can 'severely' burn the oesophagus in as little as two hours. 'If this has happened to your child, they will likely start coughing, drooling or complain about discomfort,' the website reads. Ms Hunstead's experiment quickly drew stunned responses after it was shared online, with some horrified but more grateful to have been educated on the issue. 'My son swallowed one when he was three, [it was] the size of a 10c coin,' one person wrote. 'The coin stayed in him the next day until we got sent to the children's hospital. It had burnt his stomach lining and his oesophagus went through hell. Now mothers, I don't leave any batteries in the house.' Another added: 'I don't understand why they haven't stopped button batteries being put in children's toys'. A foodie has gone viral on TikTok after adding a dash of Bailey's Irish cream liqueur to her McDonald's frappe. When Melbourne was plunged into another lockdown, mum Jay decided to turn her frappe into an alcoholic treat and shared the idea on TikTok. 'McBaileys Frappe... You can thank me later,' Jay captioned the short video. Scroll down for video When Melbourne was plunged into another lockdown, mum Jay decided to turn her frappe into an alcoholic treat and shared the idea on TikTok Bailey's is a popular alcoholic drink flavoured with cream, cocoa and Irish whiskey and is owned by Diageo. The video has since gone viral and been watched more than 285,000 times, with many wanting to make the alcoholic frappe for themselves. 'Yep on my way to Macca's now! Thank you!' one person wrote. 'I'm definitely going to try this,' another said. 'That would be cool but with red velvet cupcake flavour Baileys,' a third suggested. Adding alcohol to the frappe no longer makes the drink suitable for anyone under the age of 18 to consume. According to the Australian Government Health Department, adults should limit their alcohol consumption and consume no more than ten standard drinks per week or no more than four in any one day. Alcohol also increases the heart rate, dehydrates the body, impairs sleep and cognitive function and hinders muscle growth. A Kmart shopper has been left in hysterics after the towel she ordered online through the budget retailer came wrapped in protective packaging in a large box. The Sydney woman posted a picture of the package, which came in a huge Kmart branded box, on a Facebook page where she thanked the company for its 'safe delivery'. She then showed off a picture of the inside of the box showing layers of protective bubble wrap. A Kmart shopper has been left in hysterics after receiving the towel she ordered online through the budget retailer cam wrapped in protective packaging in a large box The Sydney woman posted a picture of the package, which came in a huge Kmart branded box, on a popular Facebook page The single teal-coloured bath towel did arrive safely, but other Kmart lovers were not so impressed by the huge amount of packaging used to get it to her door. 'All that plastic to protect a towel, how sustainable, not,' complained one woman. Another admitted they found the post funny but were frustrated by Kmart's overuse of packaging. 'What a waste of plastic so ridiculous. They do this with my orders too and it's so annoying and pointless,' one woman said. Others laughed at the irony after having their fragile purchases from online stores arrive damaged. 'When I buy fragile items they arrive smashed to pieces,' one woman wrote. The huge box contained one single bath towel worth just $5.75 'My socks came bubble wrapped but my breakables came in a box with no packing and all totally smashed,' another fumed. One woman said she ordered a pack of 30 balloons expecting them to arrive in an envelope but they too arrived in a huge box. While some told those complaining to 'have a giggle and move on'. 'It isn't nearly as bad as what some people are going through today,' she raged. Despite the excessive packaging in this example, Kmart has been focusing on a more sustainable approach of late and by the end of 2023 plans to have 100 per cent of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable and contain an average of 30 per cent recycled material. The company is also a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, which is a co-regulatory, not-for-profit organisation partnering with government and industry to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have a 'secret' christening for daughter Lilibet in the US, a royal expert has claimed. The Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 40, who are currently living in their $14 million Santa Barbara mansion having stepped back from royal duty last year, are currently on parental leave having welcomed their baby in June. In recent weeks there have been reports the couple were hoping to christen Lilibet at Windsor in front of the Queen, 95. However royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliam told the Express the couple will 'do things their own way' with Lilibet, adding: 'It seems certain that her christening will be in Meghans home state and with the secrecy but without the controversy that surrounded Archies christening.' Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle, 40, will have a 'secret' christening for daughter Lilibet in the US, a royal expert has claimed The couple have never released an image of their daughter to the public, with royal commentator Richard saying the decision shows the Duke and Duchess are acting on their own terms. Sources had suggested in recent weeks that the couple were planning for Lilibet to be christened at Windsor in front of the Queen. Insiders told Eden Confidential: 'Harry told several people that they want to have Lili christened at Windsor, just like her brother. They are happy to wait until circumstances allow.' However royal biographer Angela Levin said Prince Harry was putting the Queen in a 'difficult position' by expecting her to attend his daughter Lilibet's christening. Richard Fitzwilliam suggested the ceremony would be akin to Lili's brother, Archie's christening, which took place amid unprecedented secrecy at St George's Chapel, Windsor, in 2019 (pictured) She described Harry's expectation that his grandmother to attend as unreasonable, given she has missed christenings of other royal children in recent years. According to Levin, the Queen sometimes isn't present at such events because 'they're not close enough to the Crown'. The Duchess herself was christened in the UK in a private ceremony shortly before marrying Prince Harry. Although Meghan attended a Catholic high school, she was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in a private ceremony at the Chapel Royal conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. The intimate 45-minute service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Chapel Royal in 2018 and was a closely-guarded secret with only a handful of royal aides involved. Royal biographer previously Angela Levin said Prince Harry is putting the Queen in a 'difficult position' by expecting her to attend his daughter Lilibet's christening Meghan followed partly in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cambridge, who was baptised as an infant but had a private confirmation after her engagement to Prince William. The service observed the full ritual of the Church with holy water from the River Jordan from the private Royal Family font poured on Meghan's head. Meanwhile Lili's brother, Archie, was christened by the Archbishop amid unprecedented secrecy at St George's Chapel, Windsor, in 2019. The 25 invited guests - which did not include the Queen - arrived discreetly on the day through a back entrance to the grounds. Although details of royal babies' godparents have always been made public in the past, Harry and Meghan refused to confirm any names. Although details of royal babies' godparents have always been made public in the past, Harry and Meghan refused to confirm any names Godparents of royal babies are traditionally announced beforehand - often on the morning of the christening - and conventionally elderly or foreign relatives were selected. The couple faced significant backlash over their insistence that the 25-person ceremony would remain private and the identities of Archies godparents would not be revealed at the time. The Dean of Chelmsford, Nicholas Henshall, previously told the BBC: Baptism should never be private. Its a public demonstration of Gods love. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge allowed the media to cover each of their childrens christenings, as well as releasing family photographs afterwards. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has said that the early negative reactions to his Changing Rooms made him realise 'taste is subjective' - but he insisted fans wrote in to say how much they liked them. Ahead of Channel 4's upcoming Changing Rooms reboot which airs tomorrow night, the presenter, 57, appeared on ITV's This Morning where he discussed many of the memorable moments from disappointed and upset homeowners. 'In the early days in the first series, it was absolutely extraordinary,' he said, speaking to presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes. 'Changing Rooms was the first ever reality show where that was allowed to happen. I absolutely remember the first couple of very negative responses.' 'The children were very young, we were just starting out and I wasn't very keen on being on television in first place and feeling a bit grumpy. Of course, this was before social media and we had huge, huge amount of letters of people writing in saying, "well they may not have liked it but we did." Suddenly you start to realise that taste is absolutely subjective.' The presenter (pictured), 57, appeared on ITV's This Morning where he discussed how he coped with some of the more negative responses to his DIY work when Changing Room first launched Clodagh and daughter Julia, from Wandsworth, South-West London, were both left devastated when an innovative hanging shelving unit came crashing down - along with their prized 6,000 teapot collection He added: 'There's no such thing as a blanket good taste which fits everybody. And actually I thought well in that case I'm going to use what I do on television to encourage people to do it their way.' 'I'm not saying my way is great - it's probably a lot better than the way they were going to do it themselves.' Eamonn Holmes went on to question the presenter on whether he reveals in the fact that he's 'different.' 'What an incredibly good question because yes,' said Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. 'I love the fact that people's expectations, when I walk into the room to be done...they know it's going to be taken somewhere they never would have taken it to themselves. That might be a nice journey...but then it might not!' Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen went on to admit that he reveals in the fact that he's 'different.' Pictured, on today's show Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (pictured) also told how he feels the show, which is returning to our screens after twenty years, feels like it's never been away The interior designer was then asked about the disasters on the show - perhaps the most memorable moment being when Clodagh and daughter Julia, from Wandsworth, South-West London, were both left devastated when a floating suspended shelf unit came crashing down - along with their prized 6,000 antique teapot collection. 'Actually, funnily enough I take a moment to try and lay the ghost of the teapots just to see if we can move on,' Laurence said. 'Again, this is the joy of the show. It's all about the experience of what people are doing.' He continued: 'For the last 25 years I've been doing this all over the world and it's always so manicured and choreographed and you float down and everything goes right. Changing Rooms is so rock 'n' roll, naughty and dirty, that actually if the paint doesn't dry, or the teapots breaks, that's at the centre of the show.' 'What channel 4 decided to do was to do room that were a bit aspirational, a bit glossier than before. Let's face it the rooms before were like a crossroads set. You'd lean on a bookcase and go like that [arm falls]. 'Now, they are practically indestructible and this is one of the things that coaxed me back to the show. It's the idea that we could create things that have a bit of longevity to it. Whether you like the idea or not, there's no excuse for shoddy workmanship.' 'Oh my God, I am really sorry I put you under this stress', Linda apologised, to which the owner replied: 'That's all our teapots...I'm crying now.' Pictured, the collection before it was ruined Ruth went on to ask whether there have been any disappointed homeowners so far. 'It is the most extraordinary series,' he said. 'I have never seen reactions like it. I think with the original series, sometimes people would be a bit tepid when they walked into the room. 'After 25 years of longing for it to come back, so much attached to it, and also these people are massive Changing Room fans, so they are not holding back on any level and that's constructively or less constructively. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen also told how he feels the show, which is returning to our screens after twenty years, feels like it's never been away. 'When it started and got going it was like being an elderly retired warhorse which hears the cavalry charge. You know, I reared up, my mane was in the breeze and it was like Vrooooom, straight out there.' 'I did take a lot of coaxing out of he stable though. It was going on for quite a while.' He went on to say that his doubts stemmed from the fact he believed he was 'too old.' 'Last time I was paining ceilings I was 37 - now I'm 57,' he said. 'The idea was that I was going to be the supervisor but the minute we started I couldn't leave anything alone.' 'I wanted to be a part of it. It always had that phenomenal sense of camaraderie and we were all building something together/ Everyone, particularly his time round because of Covid, we were going from one to another. It was like a rock 'n' roll tour - or freak show more like.' A detective who investigated the murder of newlywed Anne Lock admits he was devastated when their prime suspect - Railway Killer John Duffy - was acquitted due to a lack of evidence after police took nine weeks to find her body. Ms Lock, 29, a secretary at London Weekend Television, was abducted and brutally murdered by Brookmans Park railway station in Hertfordshire on May 18, 1986. Due to a miscommunication during the search, police didn't find her body until it was badly decomposed, which severely hindered the investigation as DNA evidence could not be found on her body. The fact she had been strangled and that her body was found near a train station indicated she might have been killed by the same man who murdered 19-year-old Alison Day on December 29 the previous year in Hackney Wick, and Dutch teen Maartje Tamboezer, 15, found dead in Surry in April 1986. This suspect was identified as John Duffy, who was eventually convicted of those murders, as well as four rapes, in 1988 and sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, mid-proceedings, the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to try Duffy in the case of Ms Lock, and asked the jury to acquit him of her murder. Duffy later admitted to being involved in the crime, after implicating accomplice David Mulcahy in 1997, who was convicted of three murders and seven rapes and handed three life sentences. However Duffy could not be re-tried due to double jeopardy, which prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same or similar charges following an acquittal in the same jurisdiction. In the second episode of the docu-series The Railway Killers, airing tonight on Channel 5, Detective Paul Dockley, who worked on the case, says he deeply regrets how long it took to find Anne's body. Anne Lock, 29, was murdered on 18 May 1986 by Brookmans Park railway station, Hertfordshire, a week after returning from her honeymoon. Pictured on her wedding day with her best friend and bridesmaid Lesley Campion. Speaking in the docu-series The Railway Killers, Lesley said the news of Anne's death had been 'shattering' Pictured: The Railway Killers John Duffy, left and David Mulcahy, right. Duffy was trialled in 1988, while Mulcahy was trialled and sentenced 12 years later in 2000 Meanwhile Anne's best friend Lesley Campion tells how hearing Anne would never get justice was 'difficult'. Detective Dockley says: 'I was pretty devastated. I understood how the judicial system worked, I knew that because of double jeopardy, we couldn't ever charge John Duffy with the murder of Anne Lock ever again.' Crime correspondent Jeff Edwards says the nine-week delay in finding Anne's body had 'huge consequences' in the outcome of the investigation. 'Due to a major error in planning the search, there was a breakdown in communication between the Hertfordshire police and the Metropolitan police,' he explains. 'Both thought each other was going to cover this 200m section of embankment and it didn't get searched.' Police detective Paul Dockley says he was 'devastated' when he heard that the judge ordered the jury to acquit John Duffy Detective Dockley says his heart dropped when they found her body, because he couldn't help but think why didn't they find her earlier. 'Imagine how far forward we would have been if we had found Anne's body within a week,' he reflects. 'The body [had] deteriorated significantly, any chance of recovery of any sample was reduced to nil.' Forensic pathologist Professor Peter Vanezis was invited to Anne's post mortem examination. He says if she'd been found sooner, they would have had 'every chance' of getting 'traces evidence' which they needed. 'Anne Lock's body was in a very decomposed state, she'd been dead for some time. Her clothing was falling off her because underneath, she was mostly skeletonised,' he explains. Professor Vanezis adds that it was evident Anne hadn't died of natural causes, and that whoever had attacked her had used a ligature on her neck, tied her hands and used a sock to gag her. Laurence Lock, pictured left, shared desperate pleas during the search for Anne. His father suffered a heart attack in front of the Old Bailey and died on arrival at the hospital during the trial The judge's decision regarding Duffy came after Anne's husband Laurence Lock testified at the Old Bailey. While he was questioned by the defence, his father, who was waiting outside court, suffered a heart attack and collapsed. Laurence rushed out of the courtroom and to the hospital, where his father was pronounced dead on arrival - yet another tragic blow for a man who had just lost his wife. The grieving groom had shared desperate pleas during the search for Anne. The couple had just returned from their honeymoon, and a devastated Laurence was filmed in tears saying: 'I love you, I want you to come home.' The judge's decision to acquit Duffy was a devastating blow for her loved ones. Close friend Lesley, whose father gave Anne away on her wedding day, says she had to take a moment to 'let the news sink in'. Anne, pictured on her wedding day, was buried three months after her wedding in the same church with the service conducted by the same vicar, her best friend Lesley says Leslie says she felt Anne, pictured, didn't get justice when the judge declared there was not sufficient evidence to charge John Duffy with her murder 'I heard it on the radio, I had to pull over,' she recalls. 'That was difficult to deal with, because our Anne hadn't got any justice, it felt like. Having to then deal with that as well on top of losing her, and then the fact that it's just open-ended was very difficult.' Lesley says Anne's funeral, which took place three months after her wedding, was a surreal experience. 'People who had been at her wedding were at her funeral, in the same church, with the same vicar,' she recalls. 'Three months before he had stood there and married her, and now here we are at her funeral and that's just hard for everyone to deal with.' Duffy went on trial in February 1988 and was convicted of two murders and four rapes, and was given a minimum tariff of 30 years by the judge, later extended to a whole life tariff by the Home Secretary. Anne's murder was similar to the murders of Alison Day and Maartje Tamboezer, but the judge in charge of the case, Justice Ferguson, said the prosecution's theory that this meant they must have been committed by the same man was 'unjustified'. Left: Alison Day, 19, was raped and killed by Hackney Wick station in December 1985, her body was found in the canal weeks later. Right; Maartje Tamboezer, 15, was raped and murdered and found dead shortly after in Surrey in April 1986 Following his conviction, Duffy revealed to a forensic psychologist that he had not attacked the women alone, but he didn't implicate school friend Mulcahy until 1997. After a period of police surveillance, father-of-four Mulcahy was arrested and stood trial in 2000. Duffy appeared at the Old Bailey as a witness against Mulcahy and gave detailed evidence over two weeks - the first time a highest-category prisoner had given evidence against an accomplice. During his chilling testimony, Duffy said the two men planned their attacks meticulously and would go out 'hunting' for victims. In 2000, the Telegraph reported Duffy told the court: 'We used to call it hunting. We considered it a bit of a joke, a bit of a game. It added to the excitement. Duffy didn't reveal the identity of his accomplice David Mulcahy before 1997. After a period of police surveillance, Mulcahy was brought in, charged, tried and sentenced to three consecutive life sentences with a minimum of 30 years behind bars 'We would feed off each other's emotions. We never thought we would get caught. We were playing a game with the police and generally making it fun. We would put a tape on and sing along to it. A favourite which we played most times was Michael Jackson's Thriller.' Mulcahy was found guilty of the murders of Anne Lock, Alison Day and Maartje Tamboezer as well as for seven rapes charges in 2001, finally bringing justice for Anne's murder, 15 years after her death. Duffy was convicted of 17 more rapes and received a further 12 years. Neither man is expected ever to be released from prison. Police suspect them of countless other sex attacks, some dating back to the mid-1970s, while Mulcahy is also suspected of attacks which took place after Duffy was jailed. The Railway Killers part two airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark showed a message of support to the LGBTQ community as she stepped out holding a rainbow umbrella today. The Australian-born royal joined Lars Henriksen, the representative for Copenhagen Pride, for the second day of the Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum where Princess Mary gave the opening speech yesterday. Mary, 49, opted for a stylish pair of tailored pink flare trousers teamed with a silver belt and white blouse with oversized sleeves for the event. The mother-of-four - born Mary Donaldson in Hobart, Tasmania - paired the look with matching pink heels, a brown leather handbag, dainty gold hoops and matching bangles. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark showed a message of support to the LGBTQ community as she stepped out holding a rainbow umbrella yesterday The Australian-born royal joined Lars Henriksen, the representative for Copenhagen Pride, at the Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum Crown Princess Mary, who wore her brown hair down in a loose blow-dry, opted not to wear a face covering to the event and was seen chatting and laughing alongside the Pride chairperson. The conference takes place in connection with WorldPride and EuroGames and sees activists, elected officials, academics, media and Pride organisers come together to tackle issues facing the LGBTQ community. Sharing an image of Mary delivering her moving speech yesterday, a caption on the Danish royal family's Instagram read: 'Human rights, love and world goals were in focus when Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess gave the opening speech at the Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum in the UN city of Copenhagen on Monday afternoon. 'Copenhagen 2021 is the common name for the LGBTI + events WorldPride and EuroGames, which take place in Copenhagen on 12-22. August, and the purpose of the Human Rights Forum is to put human rights and inclusion in relation to LGBTI + people on the agenda. Crown Princess Mary, who wore her brown hair down in a loose blow-dry, opted not to wear a face covering to the event and was seen chatting and laughing alongside the Pride chairperson Mary, 49, opted for a stylish pair of tailored pink flare trousers teamed with a silver belt and white blouse with oversized sleeves for the event 'The 14-year-old winner of the British Embassy's Ambassador for a day 'competition, Alice Meregalli, presented a bouquet of flowers to the Crown Princess. '"Ambassador for a Day" is a competition that encourages young people to become the leaders and representatives of change of the future. 'In connection with the human rights conference, Her Royal Highness attended a number of panel debates with the participation of both activists and senior representatives of international organisations. 'The opening of the Human Rights Forum was held jointly by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Copenhagen 2021, both of which have the Crown Princess as patron. The conference takes place in connection with WorldPride and EuroGames and Mary made a moving opening speech yesterday at the event Human rights, love and world goals were in focus when Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess gave the opening speech at the conference Mary is patron of Copenhagen 2021 as well as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and has been an advocate of LGBTQ rights for years. In 2016, on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, Mary gave a speech on LGBT rights at a forum in Copenhagen hosted by the Danish government calling for an end to discrimination against LGBTQ people. In January 2018, she delivered her speech about LGBTQ+ equality at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In April the same year, she became the first ever member of the royal family to attend the Danish Rainbow Awards after being invited to present an award. Mary is patron of Copenhagen 2021 and was seen laughing as she walked alongside Lars Henriksen of Copenhagen Pride The mother-of-four - born Mary Donaldson in Hobart, Tasmania - paired the look with matching pink heels, a brown leather handbag, dainty gold hoops and matching bangles Mary is the wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, 53, and the couple share children Prince Christian, 15, Princess Isabella, 14, Prince Vincent, 10, and 10-year-old Princess Josephine. Last month Mary was made a regent by her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, meaning she can perform duties as head of state when the Queen is otherwise engaged. Mary was the fourth member of the Danish royal family to be named regent after Frederik, his brother Prince Joachim, and the Queen's sister Princess Benedikte, who are all official stand-ins for the monarch. The Crown Princess will become Queen of Denmark when Frederik ascends to the throne, following the death or abdication of his mother. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have said the Taliban's advance in Afghanistan has left them 'speechless' and 'heartbroken' in a wide-ranging statement that also addresses the Covid-19 crisis and the humanitarian disaster in Haiti. The lengthy statement, released via the couple's slick Archewell Foundation website, calls on followers to support organisations including the World Central Kitchen, but failed to say how much they would be personally donating or details of how they will help. But the couple have been slammed by a royal expert who called it 'another attempt to form an alternate woke royal family' and by social media users who branded the statement 'vague publicity seeking word salad' and said it was 'irrelevant' as it doesn't mention how they personally will be helping in the crisis. Prince Harry's biographer Angela Levin told FEMAIL: 'I think Harry and Meghans grandiose, comfy and caring comments about the situation in Afghanistan, the disaster in Haiti and new Covid variants is another example of them trying to set up some sort of alternate woke royal family. 'Like most of their "compassionate" gestures there is no indication about what they themselves will do and whether any donations will be going through Archewell Foundation. 'Their comment that they want to "alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet that will prove our humanity," sounds so similar to their recent comment we must be compassionate "to those we know and those we dont know" that makes it sound equally phoney.' It comes a day after the Duke of Sussex, 36, who spent 10 years in the British Army and performed two frontline tours of Afghanistan, released a statement via the Invictus Games Foundation to urge veterans to 'reach out to each other and offer support'. Amid scenes of frightened Afghans trying to flee a return to brutal misogynistic rule after the Taliban captured the capital city Kabul, Harry and Meghan's statement, which uses US spelling, says: 'The world is exceptionally fragile right now. As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have broken their silence on the situation in Afghanistan to say they are 'speechless' Prince Harry spent 10 years in the British Army and performed two frontline tours of Afghanistan as a air controller with the Blues and Royals on the frontline in Helmand province, and as an Apache attack helicopter pilot during the two-decade Western intervention. Known as Captain Wales in the army, he is pictured in 2012 in Camp Bastion 'As we all watch the growing humanitarian disaster in Haiti, and the threat of it worsening after last weekend's earthquake, we are left heartbroken. 'And as we all witness the continuing global health crisis, exacerbated by new variants and constant misinformation, we are left scared. 'When any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realize it or not. And though we are not meant to live in a state of suffering, we, as a people, are being conditioned to accept it. It's easy to find ourselves feeling powerless, but we can put our values into action together. 'To start, we encourage you to join us in supporting a number of organizations doing critical work. We also urge those in positions of global influence to rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues that are expected to take place this fall at multilateral gatherings such as the U.N. General Assembly and the G20 Leaders' Summit. Meghan and Harry are pictured on their AppleTV series earlier this year. Last year, he and Meghan were accused of wading into the US election when they urged voters to 'reject hate speech' in a message that was widely interpreted as an attack on Donald Trump and tacit support for Joe Biden's campaign Harry and Meghan's statement on Afghanistan in full A Message from The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: The world is exceptionally fragile right now. As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless. As we all watch the growing humanitarian disaster in Haiti, and the threat of it worsening after last weekend's earthquake, we are left heartbroken. And as we all witness the continuing global health crisis, exacerbated by new variants and constant misinformation, we are left scared. When any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realize it or not. And though we are not meant to live in a state of suffering, we, as a people, are being conditioned to accept it. It's easy to find ourselves feeling powerless, but we can put our values into action together. To start, we encourage you to join us in supporting a number of organizations doing critical work. We also urge those in positions of global influence to rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues that are expected to take place this fall at multilateral gatherings such as the U.N. General Assembly and the G20 Leaders' Summit. As an international community, it is the decisions we make now to alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet that will prove our humanity.' THE DUKE & DUCHESS OF SUSSEX The Archewell Commitment Like many of you, we are closely watching the crises happening across the world right now, and we are heartbroken. Archewell is committed to putting our values into action, and we hope to do what we can to meet the moment by offering support to the military community and the troops who served in Afghanistan, as well as to the Afghan people facing violence and terror. We are also supporting the emergency response in Haiti with our partner World Central Kitchen, which is working with local organizations that are helping with recovery efforts to save lives and preserve the health of those on the ground. Finally, against this backdrop, we are acutely aware that the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant has jeopardized the health and safety of families around the world. We are working to support vaccine equity through our commitment to combating the spread of misinformation, as well as our ongoing partnerships with Vax Live and Global Citizen. We recognize that many of you may feel helpless right now as you watch the state of the world spin rapidly. It can feel disorienting and defeating, but we have faith in the power of shared purpose, action, and commitment to our collective well-being. Below, please find resources where you can learn about how to help those affected by these global emergencies. You'll also find resources for your own mental health, which we hope you'll use as you navigate whatever comes up for you during this critical time. Take care of yourselves, and let's keep taking care of each other. Thank you, The Archewell Team Ways to Help WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN Join us in supporting World Central Kitchen's efforts to provide meals to people impacted by the earthquake in Haiti. WOMEN FOR AFGHAN WOMEN Donate to provide safe shelter, resources and aid to displaced women and children in Afghanistan. AFGHANAID Help provide urgent, life-saving assistance to men, women and children who have been affected by the conflict in Afghanistan. MERCY CORPS Support on-the-ground efforts delivering immediate humanitarian aid to Haitian communities. INVICTUS Support the work that Invictus Games Foundation is doing to inspire recovery and support for wounded veterans. Mental Health Resources NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS Find mental health resources and support systems near you by tapping into the largest mental health organization in the United States. THE LOVELAND FOUNDATION Support resources and financial assistance for women of color seeking mental health services, or sign up for support yourself. PROJECT HEALTHY MINDS Ask for help, or support work being done to eliminate barriers that prevent people from getting the mental health resources they need. Advertisement 'As an international community, it is the decisions we make now to alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet that will prove our humanity.' A second section, signed from 'The Archewell team' and titled the 'Archewell commitment' adds: 'Like many of you, we are closely watching the crises happening across the world right now, and we are heartbroken. 'Archewell is committed to putting our values into action, and we hope to do what we can to meet the moment by offering support to the military community and the troops who served in Afghanistan, as well as to the Afghan people facing violence and terror'. 'We are also supporting the emergency response in Haiti with our partner World Central Kitchen, which is working with local organizations that are helping with recovery efforts to save lives and preserve the health of those on the ground. 'Finally, against this backdrop, we are acutely aware that the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant has jeopardized the health and safety of families around the world. 'We are working to support vaccine equity through our commitment to combating the spread of misinformation, as well as our ongoing partnerships with Vax Live and Global Citizen. 'We recognize that many of you may feel helpless right now as you watch the state of the world spin rapidly. It can feel disorienting and defeating, but we have faith in the power of shared purpose, action, and commitment to our collective well-being'. It adds a list of charities to help those affected in Afghanistan and Haiti - as well as 'resources for your own mental health, which we hope you'll use as you navigate whatever comes up for you during this critical time'. It ends: 'Take care of yourselves, and let's keep taking care of each other. Thank you, The Archewell Team'. Many social media users questioned the statement, with one writing: 'Harry and Meghan have released a statement on Afghanistan calling on the public to support charities working in the region. 'Although they do not mention how they will be helping Perhaps they will give Afghans 40 minute mentoring sessions,' referring to the Duchess of Sussex 40 x 40 initiative. 'More publicity seeking word salad from Meghan and Harry,' said another. A third wrote: 'What does Meghan know about Afghanistan? Unless Prince Harry told her bedtime stories from his experience,'. A fourth added: 'Is there nothing that those two wont cling to, to try and find relevance?' Yesterday, Prince Harry issued a statement via the Invictus Games Organisation saying he and other Afghanistan War veterans should 'reach out to each other and offer support' as he described the scenes from Kabul as ones that 'resonate' in a message to his charity for wounded veterans. The charity statement did not offer any views on Joe Biden's decision to abandon the Afghans he fought alongside, or the chaotic execution of the withdrawal that saw the Taliban re-take the country in days following 20 years of war. Last year, Harry and Meghan, 40, were accused of wading into the US election when they urged voters to 'reject hate speech' in a message that was widely interpreted as an attack on Donald Trump and tacit support for Joe Biden's campaign. Harry has known President Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, for several years, and both have been publicly supportive of the duke's Invictus Games. At least 12 military flights took off from Kabul Airport today, including three UK planes as the Ministry of Defence aim to up to 7,000 people out of the country. Some 370 UK embassy staff and British nationals were flown out by the MoD on Sunday and yesterday, while 289 Afghan nationals were taken out last week - and a further 350 British and Afghans will be taken out of the country in the next 24 hours. The UK could give refuge to tens of thousands of Afghans in total after the Taliban takeover as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab vowed the UK Government's response will be 'big-hearted'. It comes after pandemonium yesterday as thousands of desperate people rushed the runway and clung to the wheels of departing US jets - with one horrifying video appearing to show how one man was crushed to death in the landing gear of a C-17 transport plane. The footage, which emerged today, shows what appears to be a man's legs protruding from the side of the jet and failing against the side of the aircraft. A US official later confirmed that human remain were found in the landing gear of a jet, which made an emergency landing after declaring a mid-air state of emergency. There are at least 56,000 people who need evacuating from Afghanistan - including some 22,000 flying on US special immigrant visas, 4,000 British nationals, 10,000 refugees that Germany has said it will accept, and 20,000 bound for Canada. In reality, that number is likely to be far higher once diplomatic staff from dozens of countries which had relations with Afghanistan's former government are taken into account. The US said it may issue up 80,000 special immigrant visas to those who helped with combat operations and are likely to face revenge attacks from the Taliban, while 7,500 troops currently guarding the airport - including 6,000 Americans and smaller numbers of British, Turkish and Australians - will also need to leave. At least 6,000 people have already managed to flee the country on evacuation flights that began on Sunday, with a dozen departing today - most of them flying to neighbouring Middle Eastern countries before continuing their journeys west. Spain, France and India confirmed their diplomatic staff were evacuated today. Amid scenes of frightened Afghans trying to flee a return to brutal rule after the Taliban captured the capital city Kabul, Harry and senior figures from the Games said: 'What's happening in Afghanistan resonates across the international Invictus community' Prince Harry is pictured in 2008 arriving in the UK after returning from active service in Afghanistan A British soldier stands guard as hundreds of civilians are loaded on to an evacuation flight at Kabul airport on Monday, after the tarmac was cleared of thousands of people desperately trying to flee Russia and Indonesia said their embassies will be partially evacuated, with the EU mission has said staff including its ambassador Andreas Von Brandt is still in the country and will need to leave. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to convene a meeting of G7 world leaders at the 'earliest opportunity' as he looks to co-ordinate the international response, as Mr Raab said the UK would have to work with 'challenging' partners on how to deal with the Taliban. During the Taliban's rule in 1996 to 2001, women could not work and punishments such as public stoning, whipping and hanging were administered. The Taliban have said there will be no retribution against opponents and promised to respect the rights of women, minorities and foreigners, but many Afghans are sceptical and fear old enemies and activists will be rounded up. Meghan Markle's information on the Royal Family's official website has been updated to acknowledge she is a mother-of-two - months after she gave birth to her daughter Lilibet. The profile for the Duchess of Sussex, 40, who now lives in her $14 million mansion in California with her two children and husband Prince Harry, 36, having stepped back from royal duty, wasn't updated when Lili was born earlier this summer. Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child, was born on June 4 in Santa Barbara, California, and is eighth in line to the throne. However in recent weeks, the 'About' section has been updated to read: 'The Duke and Duchess have two children, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor." Meghan Markle's information on the Royal Family 's official website has been updated to acknowledge she is a mother-of-two - months after she gave birth to her daughter Lilibet The profile for the Duchess of Sussex, 39, who now lives in her $14 million mansion in California with her two children and husband Prince Harry , 36, having stepped back from royal duty, wasn't updated when Lili was born earlier this summer The 'About' section for Meghan previously read: 'The Duchess of Sussex, born Rachel Meghan Markle, married Prince Harry at St George's Chapel, Windsor in May 2018. The Duke and Duchess have one child, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.' Lilibet was finally added to the Royal Family's line of succession on the official website seven weeks after her birth. The update to royal.uk came days after the omission was highlighted by royal experts, who pointed out that Prince Andrew was still listed as eighth in line. Harry and Meghan's trusted journalist friend Omid Scobie, the Harper's Bazaar US royal editor, tweeted in June: 'The line of succession on the @RoyalFamily website has just been updated to include the Sussexes second child: Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, who is eighth in line to the throne. She was born on June 4.' However in recent weeks, the 'About' section has been updated to read: 'The Duke and Duchess have two children, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor" The 'About' section regarding Meghan (pictured) previously read: 'The Duchess of Sussex, born Rachel Meghan Markle, married Prince Harry at St George's Chapel, Windsor in May 2018. The Duke and Duchess have one child, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.' The name of Lilibet's two-year-old brother Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was added to the royal.uk list just 15 days after he was born in May 2019. And as for her cousin Prince Louis, who is the second son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, his name was added to the list just 12 days after he was born. Zara and Mike Tindall's son Lucas, who is 22nd in line to the throne, has been listed on the website since his birth in March. Lilibet was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and named after the Queen's childhood nickname, while her middle name Diana was in tribute to Harry's late mother. The omission in the line of succession was spotted by ITV Royal Editor Chris Ship, who suggested on the Royal Rota podcast that the House of Windsor was 'making a point'. He said: 'You have got to ask what has taken them so long. All they have got to do is hit the paragraph button and put in a different number. Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor has now been added to the royal line of succession after the website was updated. Harry and Meghan's daughter is eighth in line to the throne The line of succession on the Royal Family website is shown as it was before the update earlier this week 'They must have done it before. They did it for Archie. Clearly they did it for Louis when he was born. 'And they have done it for some of the other children like August that have been born as well. So where's Lilibet? I can forgive them a week or two but a month?' Mr Ship suggested the omission after such a lengthy period of time was 'a little petulant'. He added: 'Is it them saying, 'We will get around to it when ready?' It does feel like to me, maybe, they are making a point.' A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Royal Family website is 'updated periodically'. Advertisement A luxurious eco-powered beach house situated on an island off Australia's Great Barrier Reef has gone on the market for $AUD 7million. The two-bedroom villa with an accompanying one-bedroom bungalow is perched on 4,000sqm of the white sand coastline of Bedarra Island, within the Family Islands National Park off the coast of North Queensland, and is known as East Bedarra Resort. Listed with Christie's International Real Estate, the property was built by music mogul Gene Pierson, 75, who launched the rock band AC/DC, after he bought the land from Australian artist Noel Wood in 1996. Wood had spent decades living and painting there in an art studio built out of bamboo and tin, earning himself the nickname Island Crusoe. A luxurious eco-powered beach house situated on an island off Australia's Great Barrier Reef has gone on the market for $AUD 7million The two-bedroom villa with an accompanying one-bedroom bungalow is perched on 4,000sqm of the white sand coastline of Bedarra Island (pictured) Listed with Christie's International Real Estate, the property was built by music mogul Gene Pierson, 75, who launched the rock band AC/DC, after he bought the land from Australian artist Noel Wood in 1996 The open-plan villa which replaced the ramshackle studio has been carefully designed to make the most of the expansive ocean and island views, with a 150sqm covered deck area which floats above a natural granite tidal pool. East Bedarre - aka the Jewel of the Reef - boasts a gourmet chefs kitchen, king suite with a rain shower and a queen suite with spectacular views of the coral reef. It also comes completely furnished, having been kitted out with interiors from Bali. The bungalow is usually occupied by caretakers and features an office and kitchen offering sweeping views across to the mainland. It's completely self-sufficient, with 100 per cent solar power as well as spring and captured rainwater. Pierson, who currently rents out the property for most of the year, invested $AUD 3.5million in building the home - which is flanked by two private beaches - to fit seamlessly with the topography of the island. East Bedarre - aka the Jewel of the Reef - boasts a gourmet chefs kitchen, king suite with a rain shower and a queen suite with spectacular views of the coral reef The island is within the Family Islands National Park off the coast of North Queensland, and is known as East Bedarra Resort The open-plan villa has been carefully designed to make the most of the expansive ocean and island views, with a 150sqm covered deck area which floats above a natural granite tidal pool The bungalow is usually occupied by caretakers and features an office and kitchen offering sweeping views across to the mainland. It's completely self-sufficient, with 100 per cent solar power as well as spring and captured rainwater Pierson, who currently rents out the property for most of the year, invested $AUD 3.5million in building the home - which is flanked by two private beaches - to fit seamlessly with the topography of the island 'It's the only location in Australia that is built over the Great Barrier Reef,' he told the Financial Times. 'You can shuck oysters from the deck. At high tide, an old cave fills up and becomes a natural saltwater pool.' From this little piece of paradise, which is 4km from Mission Beach, a small coastal town between Cairns and Townsville, you can swim, snorkel or scuba off the beach into a coral wonderland, ocean kayak to secluded coves for a picnic, or sail amongst the many tropical islands. The island itself is a mecca for wildlife, with coves which are a breeding ground for sea turtles and colourful birdlife including yellow-bellied sunbirds, wompoo fruit doves and sea eagles. Pierson is selling his island home to move to the south of France, where he's keen to purchase a vineyard. He also wants his teenage daughters to experience French culture. 'Now theyre growing up, they prefer going to parties to visiting Bedarra,' he told the publication. 'And I can live anywhere in the world. I own around 4,000 music tracks and the royalties come in overnight.' A Minnesota mother-of-four who was reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 said she decided to get her shots after he son convinced her. Sheletta Brundidge, from Cottage Grove - 20 miles southeast of Minneapolis - said her past experience with doctors had led her to be distrustful of the healthcare system and she was 'adamant' she wouldn't get vaccinated. But when her oldest son, Andrew, turned 15 last month, he said his only birthday wish was for Brundidge to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Last week, she received her first dose of a vaccine with her son holding her hand the entire time, reported the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Brundidge - a host of WCCO Radio and a podcast called Sheletta Makes Me Laugh - is now using her experience to help convince more people of color to get vaccinated, especially with rates among minority communities lagging behind white communities. Sheletta Brundidge, from Cottage Grove, Minnesota, who was hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 last week after being convinced by her son. Pictured: Brundidge gets vaccinated on Friday while holding the hand of her oldest son, Andrew Brundidge said she wasn't planning on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 due to distrust of the medical community. Her oldest son, Andrew, turned 15 last month and said it was his only birthday wish for her to get vaccinated. Pictured: Brundridge holds Andrew's hand prior to get vaccinated, left; Brundridge and Andrew speak to Gov Tim Walz after getting the vaccine; right Black people currently make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population but only 10 percent of those who have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By comparison, white people account for 72 percent of the population and 58 percent of people who received at least one dose. Yet, according to CDC data, blacks are about 1.5 times more likely to contact the virus than white Americans and about three times more likely to die. There are reasons for these stark disparities, such as access to healthcare and lack of transportation to get to appointments. Butt here is also distrust because, in the past, racist health policies have preyed upon America's communities of color. One of the most well-known examples are the Tuskegee experiments from 1932 to 1971, in which black men were used to track the progression of syphilis. However, the study was run without their consent and they never received treatment to cure the sexually transmitted infection. Brundidge, who has four children, said she had difficult births and that she didn't feel her concerns were addressed. 'I almost died. I had a high fever, and I was talking to the clinicians, and they just didn't really pay attention to what I was saying, and they didn't care,' she told the Pioneer Press. 'It was like they almost didn't care whether I made it out of the hospital or not.' She said that doctors ignored her symptoms multiple times, which led to a general feeling of distrust of medical professionals. 'I wasn't seen as a human being. And so I was like: "You know whatI'm just going to take my vitamins, try to be healthy and, you know, stay safe and not get sick because I can't count on the health care system,"' Brundidge said. Andrew's three youngest siblings are autistic and he said he was worried that if his mom died of COVID-19 that no one would be around to take care of them. Pictured: Brundridge (far left) with her husband and her four children Brundidge got her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last week and now wants to use her experience to help convince other black Americans to get vaccinated. Pictured: Brundidge (center) with Gov Walz after getting vaccinated Instead of deciding to get the vaccine, she wore a mask at all time and followed social distancing guidelines, reported the Pioneer Press. But, in July, she asked Andrew what he wanted for his birthday and he told her he had one birthday wish for her to get vaccinated. Andrew said not only did his research the increased risk of severe disease or death in the black community but also voiced his concerns about the family. Andrew's three youngest siblings are both autistic and he said he was worried that if his mom contracted COVID-19 the family would be motherless. 'I asked: "Who's going to take care of us if something happens to you?" he told the Pioneer Press. 'So she finally decided to give in and get the vaccine.' Last week, Brundidge got her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with her son holding her hand. The event was even attended Gov Tim Walz by her side. Brundrige said that on the day of her appointment she was 'extremely nervous' but, after it was over, she felt relieved. 'It felt really good. Like I had done something for my family,' she told the Pioneer Press. 'If you're on the fence and you think you want to do it and you're waiting for more data, these ICU beds are filling up, and our kids are going back to school. We all want the same things. 'We want our way of life back. And the only way that we can do that is if we come together and make some sacrifices.' Advertisement Coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country as some states report record hospitalizations and others prepare for a spate of deaths. On Monday, officials recorded 210,168 new cases of COVID-19 - the second time in the last six months cases have surpassed 200,000 - with a seven-day rolling average of 133,910. This represents a 286 percent increase from the seven-day average of 34,682 recorded one month ago, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. Every state but three - Arkansas, Nebraska and Vermont - and the District of Columbia have seen infections rise or hold steady over the last week, the analysis found. Deaths are also trending upward with 686 virus-related fatalities recorded on Monday and a seven-day rolling average of 683. This is a 146 percent spike from the average of 277 reported four weeks ago and the highest number seen since May 27. The figures show how the pandemic in America has spiraled out of control after the White House claimed it had curbed the crisis around the Fourth of July. States such as Florida and Louisiana are currently reporting record-high numbers of new COVID-19 patients being admitted to hospitals as wards run out of beds. Meanwhile, state officials in Texas have requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government due to an anticipation of a spike in Covid deaths. On Monday, the U.S. recorded 210,168 new cases of COVID-19 with a seven-day rolling average of 133,910, which is a 286% increase from the seven-day average of 34,682 recorded one month ago There were also 686 virus-related deaths recorded on Monday with a seven-day rolling average of 683, which is a 146% increase from the average of 277 reported four weeks ago Every state but three - Arkansas, Nebraska and Vermont - and the District of Columbia have seen infections rise or hold steady over the last week Florida continues to be America's COVID-19 epicenter with 151,764 new cases reported last week with a record-high seven-day average of 21,681 cases per day. According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the state has the highest hospitalization rate in the country with 65 COVID-19 patients per 100,000 people - triple the national rate, according to CNN. What's more, half of all ICU beds in Florida are occupied by Covid patients, HHS data show. '[Staff are] mentally, physically and spiritually exhausted and when they have all these patients in front of them sick with COVID-19 and they see the mortality that's unnecessary, it's demoralizing, Maggie Hansen, Chief Nurse Executive at Memorial Healthcare System, told NBC Miami. 'They're sad and frustrated because something can be done. Get vaccinated so they can get back to the business of health care.' In late July, Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order preventing mask mandates in schools - which has already resulted in some consequences. Hillsborough County Public Schools - which contains Tampa - said that nearly 6,000 students and employees either tested positive for COVID-19 or may have been exposed to the virus. Florida continues to be America's COVID-19 epicenter with 151,764 new cases recorded last week as hospitals report a record-high number of hospitalizations In Louisiana, average cases have increased by 266% over the last month from 1,425 per day to 5,229 per day In Texas, the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases has risen 348% in a month to 12,478 per day from an average of 2,783 per day As of Monday, 5,599 students and 316 staff members are either in isolation or in quarantine, according to a statement from the district. And in Lee County, where Fort Myers is located, the school district says 585 students and staff are in quarantine with one school reporting 14 teachers who are out, according to WINK News. In Louisiana, average cases have increased by 266 percent over the last month from 1,425 per day to 5,229 per day, Johns Hopkins data show. On Monday, the state recorded 2,956 total hospitalizations, the highest number since the pandemic began and marking the 14th day in a row that the record has been broken. It's also a 315 percent increase from the 711 hospitalizations seen one month ago, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health. Dr Garland Anderson, a family medicine specialist at Our Lady of the Angels hospital in Bogalusa - 70 miles north of New Orleans - says the hospital doesn't have enough beds for patients and can't even get ill people transferred to other hospitals because they are also operating capacity. 'The system is so packed that people who come in with a stroke, with a heart attack, with life-threatening conditions, we are unable to deal with it,' Anderson told NOLA.com. 'We are unable to transfer patients to any hospital in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Missouri. There are no beds anywhere.' Texas officials have requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government because state officials are expecting a rise in COVID-19 deaths. Pictured: A refrigerated trailer that the San Antonio health authorities acquired to store bodies in Bexar County, Texas, July 2020 Three of the five trailers will arrive in Texas on Friday and the remaining two on Saturday, according to FEMA. Pictured: El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office staff lock-up the mobile morgues before moving bodies that are in bags labeled Covid from refrigerated trailers into the morgue office in El Paso, Texas, November 2020 In Texas, the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases has risen 348 percent in a month to 12,478 per day from an average of 2,783 per day. The state expects that a rise in deaths will soon follow with officials requesting five mortuary trailers from the federal government, reported NBC News. The trucks will be sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and distributed around Texas. Texas is currently averaging 80 Covid-related deaths per day, a figure not seen since mid-March 2021. Doug Loveday, a spokesperson for the Department of State Health Services, told NBC News that officials requested the trailers on August 4 after models projected an increase in COVID-19 fatalities. 'We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as Covid cases and hospitalizations continue to increase,' Loveday said. A spokesperson for FEMA confirmed the request and said three of the five trailers will arrive in Texas on Friday and the remaining two on Saturday. 'FEMA and HHS continue to work closely with the state of Texas to provide needed resources,' the spokesperson told NBC News. Some skeptical unvaccinated Americans are refusing life-saving blood transfusions from vaccinated donors. They fear that the blood from someone who has received a COVID-19 is 'tainted' in some way, and could even contain a microchip or ingredients necessary for human cloning, according to a report by Kaiser Health News. Because of these fears, which are founded on misinformation, some anti-vaxxers are asking physicians to give them blood from an unvaccinated person. But doctors say this is a request that is often impossible to fulfill because many blood centers do not even keep records of which blood bags are from vaccinated individuals. With a majority of Americans vaccinated at this point, a majority of the available blood is coming from the vaccinated as well. Some Americans are turning down life-saving blood infusions using blood from a vaccinated person, fearing the vaccinated blood could place a microchip within them. Pictured: A bag of blood plasma collected from a COVID-19 patient in Seattle With more than 70 percent of American adults being at least partially vaccinated, a majority of the blood donation centers are receiving is from a vaccinated person. Pictured: A woman in Aberdeen, Maryland, receives a COVID-19 vaccine A majority of Americans are now vaccinated against COVID-19 with 60 percent of the U.S. population and 72 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With this, a majority of the blood available is from people who have received the shots. 'We are definitely aware of patients who have refused blood products from vaccinated donors,' Dr Julie Katz Karp, director of the blood transfusion program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia, told Kaiser Health News. 'If for some reason we didn't want vaccinated people to donate blood, we'd be in a real problem, wouldn't we? Please believe us when we tell you it's fine.' Baseless claims about COVID-19 vaccines being able to alter a persons DNA or containing microchips have often circulated social media in the months since the vaccine became available. While claims are often easily dismissed by many, both are believed by around ten percent of Americans, a recent study found. Around 20 percent of Americans believe at least one piece of misinformation about the vaccines, the same study found. The idea that the vaccine itself is contagious, just like the virus, has also circulated in recent months. Baseless claims that proteins can shed protein molecules from a vaccinated person to an unvaccinated person - effectively infecting the unvaccinated person with vaccination the same way a person can be infected with a virus - also became common on social media. The Centner Academy, a private school in Miami, Florida, told vaccinated teachers that they will not be allowed to return to the classroom in April fearing that their vaccine could cause infertility in students by mere proximity. There was also a swell of previously anti-mask Americans suddenly donning the masks, not to protect from the virus but instead the vaccines. These fears have presented challenges to blood centers, as many Americans who believe these lies decline blood they need to survive. 'A lot of people think there's some kind of microchip or they're going to be cloned,' Dr Geeta Paranjape, medical director at Carter BloodCare, told Kaiser Health News. She said that some parents have become worried about their child receiving needed blood transfusions from vaccinated people. Neither the COVID-19 virus nor the vaccine can be transmitted by blood. There have been no reported cases of the virus spreading via blood transfusion, and experts consider to risk to be near-zero. The vaccine also can not spread via blood, as the components of the vaccine are expelled in the process of the vaccine creating antibodies. Even antibodies within the blood have no effect on a transfusion recipient, providing no additional protection to the virus, even in unvaccinated people. There are also not many people left without any COVID-19 antibodies in their blood. The combination of 70 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated, and more than 36 million Americans having contracted the virus at some point, a vast majority of the U.S.are carrying some antibodies at this point. 'Less than 10 percent of the blood we collect does not have antibodies,' Dr Michael Busch, director of the Vitalant Research Institute, told Kaiser Health News about the samples his team has studied. An pregnant woman in Texas now requires an oxygen machine to breathe and a wheelchair to get around after a two-month stint in the hospital due to a bout of COVID-19. Carolina Martinez, 32, of Bastrop, Texas, was not vaccinated when she contracted the virus in April. Her condition quickly deteriorated, and she was taken to Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin, where she remained for two-and-a-half months before finally being released in July. Martinez says she regrets not being vaccinated and is now urging others to get vaccinated to avoid a fate like her own. Carolina Martinez (pictured), 32, of Bastrop, Texas, was hospitalized for two months for COVID-19 after contracting the virus in April She was on a ventiator and struggled to breathe throughout her hospital stay (pictured) Martinez (left) said she was misinformed about the vaccine by things she had seen on social media like Facebook 'Had I gotten vaccinated, I wouldn't be in this position that I am now,' she told KXAN. 'If you can use me as an example as to how not to do things, please do and go get vaccinated if you can for you and your family.' Martinez pointed to misinformation on social media for the reason many like herself do not get vaccinated. 'I think that there's a lot of misleading information out there,' she said. 'People need to really do their own research and listen to healthcare professionals rather than people posting things on Facebook that might not be true. 'I thought Covid wasn't going to affect me. So I didn't take the measures that I needed to take in order to stay healthy. And then here I am.' Pregnant women like Martinez are considered to be at an increased risk of complications from COVID-19. While the vaccines are eligible to pregnant women, before last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told expecting mothers to discuss getting vaccinated with their doctor before receiving the shots due potential long term concerns. New guidance from the CDC, now urging expecting mothers to get jabbed, comes as cases among pregnant women are surging. Carolina Martinez (pictured) now requires an oxygen machine and wheelchair to go through daily life Dr Jeny Ghartey, the maternal medical director at Ascension, told KXAN that her hospital has seen many pregnant women arrive extremely ill. 'They're needing oxygen right away as opposed to coming in with some of the more milder symptoms at first,' she said. Ghartey also said that all pregnant women who have been admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19 were unvaccinated. According to official CDC data, only 23.3 percent of pregnant women are vaccinated. The figure is dwarfed by the general population, where 70 percent of eligible Americans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. 'The last couple of weeks, I have seen a tremendous increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations, especially young, healthy pregnant women all unvaccinated,' Dr Madeline Kaye, an OB-GYN at Renaissance Women's Group in Austin, told KXAN. 'I am seeing (and feeling) tremendous burnout among healthcare workers with this new surge in cases. It is entirely preventable. It is incredible that scientists were able to develop such an effective vaccine and so disheartening that so many people will not take it. 'It feels like this pandemic will never end because we will never reach herd immunity and will just keep getting new variants.' The recent surge of cases is being felt across the country, not just by pregnant women, and it is largely fueled by the Indian 'Delta' variant. Cases in the United States have grown by 616 percent since the start of July, with the country now averaging 141,000 new cases every day. Martinez was released from the hospital in July after having been admitted since she contracted COVID-19 in April. Pictured: Martinez checks out of Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas. Martinez is pregnant and is expected to deliver in the coming weeks. Pictured: Martinez celebrates her return home with her family in Bastrop, Texas This is the highest average the country has reached since February 2, when the U.S. was on the backside of the largest Covid surge the nation has yet faced. The surge in cases is causing many hospitals around the country to run short on capacity to deal with patients like Martinez. After her experience in the hospital, Martinez chose to get vaccinated to protect herself from even being besieged by the virus again. She now requires an oxygen machine to breathe and uses a wheelchair or a walker to get around. Martinez expects to give birth in the coming weeks, but said she fears her experience in the hospital could have negative effects on the baby and on herself. 'Every day is a challenge. It's not easy,' she told KXAN. 'Now everything is a challenge - brushing my teeth, my hair, getting from the living room to the kitchen table. It's been hard, but I'm alive. 'And I'm so grateful to be here. And so I'm happy. I'm extremely happy to just be here with my family and have the opportunity to see them.' UK customers made 58 million more orders on Just Eat in the first half of the year after the group struck new partnerships with multiple prominent brands, including Starbucks and Costa Coffee. The London-listed business began tie-ups with 90 more food and drink businesses, including Leon, Le Pain Quotidien and Chipotle, which helped it add 8,000 more restaurants to its portfolio by the end of June. Its orders jumped by 76 per cent to 135 million in the UK as more consumers were encouraged to order their meals online due to harsh lockdown restrictions that forced many hospitality venues to shut their doors. Lockdown winner: Just Eat's orders jumped by 76 per cent to 135 million in the UK as more consumers were encouraged to order their meals online due to harsh lockdown restrictions Revenues also climbed by about 250million to just over 500million while gross transaction value (GTV) - a standard measure in the food delivery industry - rose by 63 per cent to 3.05billion. Just Eat deliveries jumped 700 per cent during the period and tend to be more profitable to the business, as it can usually charge a higher premium for drop-offs by its own couriers rather than just acting as an ordering platform. Strong revenue growth was further recorded in all the Amsterdam-based company's other markets. Its German division experienced a 76 per cent rise, while they rose by half in the Netherlands and by 39 per cent in Canada. But despite soaring sales, the firm plunged to an underlying loss of 190million compared to a 205million profit the same time last year because of costs associated with investment in marketing and expanding restaurant supply. Its UK division was one of the contributing factors, recording a loss of 71million against a 127million profit last year, but the business additionally had higher head office expenses. In London, Just Eat said it saw a 10 per cent increase in its market share following a significant investment programme as the delivery market heated up while restaurants were shut. New Partners: Just Eat began tie-ups with 90 more food and drink sellers during the period, including Chipotle (pictured), Leon and Le Pain Quotidien More restaurants are also using Just Eat's riders, some of whom were recently offered worker status rather than the industry's preferred gig-economy contracts, to make deliveries rather than their own staff. Shares still rose 2.9 per cent to 63.10 on Tuesday, though their value has fallen by about a quarter so far in 2021. Just Eat's results come about a week after rival food delivery giant Deliveroo recorded huge first-half losses even though orders through its app and website doubled to almost 150 million. Deliveroo, which had a disastrous public listing on the London stock market earlier this year, was helped by a new tie-up with Sainsbury's and the expansion of its partnership with Waitrose, as well as the start of the Euro 2020 football tournament. No profits: Last week, food delivery giant Deliveroo recorded huge first-half losses even though orders through its app and website doubled to almost 150 million But it warned that it did not expect the skyrocketing increase in orders to continue in the second half of the year following the lifting of lockdown restrictions leading to the reopening of pubs, bars and restaurants. Its shares fell by 6 per cent on the day it announced its results. However, their price has now rebounded, and yesterday, they reached their IPO level for the first time since going public five months ago. Julie Palmer, a partner at corporate restructuring firm Begbies Traynor, said that 'as restaurants open up and restrictions disappear many consumers, starved of the experience of eating out, no longer need to order in to get the food they want. 'In this instance, the delivery company is in danger of being seen as a middle man powered by the pandemic. To keep delivery apps orders high, it must make sure that it is seen as an essential partner to restaurants that they cannot do without. 'Even though its strong logistics network, investment and sponsorships put it in front of its competitors, Just Eat isnt immune to the volatile market and shift in consumer patterns. 'With its rocky relations with investors and disappointing share price, Just Eat will need to accelerate change or the delivery business risks delivering cold dinner to already lukewarm investors.' A controversial telecommunications firm with only one employee has paid 11 Conservative party MPs a total of 31,500 in just 20 days. Broadband company IX Wireless Ltd, which is based in Preston, Lancs, has donated money to politicians' campaigns and groups linked to them. The MPs range from one of the Prime Minister's trade envoys to a member of the Public Accounts Committee. IX Wireless is controlled by a company called Cohiba Communications Limited, which holds at least a 75 per cent stake. One of Cohiba's directors is Tory peer James Wharton. Most of the MPs are based in the north west of the country and all declared the donations between June 6 and July 19 this year. Seven of their constituencies are geographically near to where the firm has its networks. Labour party chair and shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds questioned the decision to pay these specific MPs and why. She told MailOnline: 'Every day seems to bring fresh revelations about the murky way money is flowing into the Conservative party, and to what end. 'The Conservatives clearly have questions to answer here. Why is a company controlled by a Tory donor funnelling cash to backbench MPs in certain parts of the country, and what is it expecting to get in return? The 11 MPs, their constituencies and where IX Wireless has launched its own networks This is the business park in Preston, Lancs, where IX Wireless is based and registered in papers Tory peer James Wharton, former MP for Stockton South, is a director of a company called Cohiba Communications Limited, which holds a controlling stake of shares in IX Wireless 'This isn't the first time James Wharton has been in the spotlight for his activities, and voters have a right to know what is going on. There can't be one rule for high-ranking Conservatives, and another for everyone else.' All of the amounts listed in the Register of Members Financial Interests are at least 1,000 but most cases do not explain how the money was used. Of those that do, 2,000 donated to Andrea Jenkyns went to her campaign fund, as did a total of 3,500 to James Daly. The sum of 2,500 declared by Richard Holden went to his local association, while 2,500 under James Davies' name was put in his community account. All the other donations listed by Alexander Stafford, David Mundell, Simon Fell, Mark Jenkinson, Damien Moore, Matt Vickers and Christian Wakeford were not specified. They are described as 'Support linked to an MP but received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation'. None of the MPs would explain why they had received the donations after being contacted by MailOnline. And the company itself which is based in an office park in Preston did not respond when quizzed about the money and it went to those specific politicians. MP Andrea Jenkyns had 2,000 donated to her which went to her campaign fund James Daly, the MP for Bury North, had two donations totalling 3,500 for his campaign fund Labour party chair and shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds called the donations 'murky' Donations declared by the 11 Tory party MPs This is the 31,500 declared as having been donated by IX Wireless Limited. Richard Holden - 2,500 Andrea Jenkins - 2,000 David Mundell - 2,500 Alexander Stafford - 3,000 total James Daly - 3,500 total James Davies - 2,500 Simon Fell - 3,500 total Mark Jenkinson - 3,500 total Damien Moore - 2,500 Matt Vickers - 2,500 Christian Wakefield - 2,500 Advertisement IX Wireless's directors are Michael Ellwood, 60, and Philip Walker, 62. Both are involved in another internet firm called 6G Internet Limited. Their website proudly features an endorsement from Oliver Dowden CBE, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Talking about the launch of a network in Blackburn he described it as 'game changing'. But it is currently locked in a dispute with families in Hyburn, Lancs, who do not want them to put up telegraph poles to run its network. IX uses wooden posts, which support fibre cables above in the air in contrast to those normally underground. One local councillor said: 'It feels like residents and the council have been removed from the process. We appreciate people want faster broadband speeds. However, in Hyndburn we have one of the fastest. This isn't just one signal tower; this is the infrastructure, the telegraph poles. Certain areas have no mobile signal, but are not having these poles.' The firm, whose latest accounts show net assets of 28million also has broadband networks near to seven of the 11 MPs' constituencies. Its most recent accounts papers say it only has one employee on its books. IX Wireless Limited director Philip Walker, 62, at the launch of a Blackburn network this year Cohiba Commincations Limited hold an over 75 per cent stake in IX Wireless Limited James Wharton, former MP for Stockton South, and now Peer is a director of Cohiba The MPs it has donated money to include some of the Conservative party's up and coming stars. Mr Holden, who is the MP for North West Durham, serves on the Public Accounts Committee, which holds the Government to account for spending taxpayers' money. Ms Jenkins, the MP for Morley and Outwood, is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Mr Mundell is the MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale and is a former Secretary of State of Scotland. MP for Rother Valley Alexander Stafford is a champion of environmental causes and is working to promote a national hydrogen strategy. Mr Daly is the MP for Bury North while Dr Davies represents MP for the Vale of Clwyd and serves on the influential 1922 committee. Mr Fell is the MP for Barrow and Furness and Mr Jenkinson is the MP for Workington. Mr Moore is the MP for Southport and is currently the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Tunisia and Libya. Mr Vickers is MP for Stockton South and has recently announced a 20million levelling up bid for his area, while Mr Wakeford is the MP for Bury South. All 11 MPs declined to comment. IX Wireless Limited did not answer questions put to it. Lord Wharton did not respond to a request to comment. Court filings reveal Josh Duggar allegedly kept a trove of child pornography on an HP desktop computer at his used car dealership, Wholesale Motorcars, in Springdale Josh Duggar kept his trove of child pornography on his work PC hidden behind a screenshot of his family, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com. Cops seized the HP laptop from Duggar's office when they raided his Arkansas car dealership in 2019 to search for evidence of illegal downloads. The computer's home screen featured a wholesome family portrait of 33-year-old Duggar, his pregnant wife Anna and their six children, federal prosecutors reveal in a new filing. But when experts delved into the device's hard drive they soon uncovered sickening images of prepubescent engaged in sex acts, it's alleged. Duggar - best known for being a part of his family's hit reality show, 19 Kids and Counting - is charged with downloading and possessing pornographic images of children under 12 years old, which he denies. In court papers obtained by DailyMail.com, prosecutors have revealed new details of the two-year cyber sting that led to the reality star's April arrest. Duggar was arrested on federal child porn charges on April 29, and could face 40 years in prison. He is pictured being released from jail on bail on May 6 Duggar has not been allowed to return home since his release on bail to his wife and children, who live on his parent's property. Duggar's wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child Duggar is said to have been active on BitTorrent, an online peer-to-peer file sharing network where users search and download files from other members while simultaneously making their own files available for sharing. In May 2019 Detective Amber Kalmer of the Little Rock Police Department accessed the network with specialist police software as part of an undercover online investigation to unmask perverts using it to trade images. The filing explains that Kalmer searched for material officers had previously identified as containing child abuse. She was able to locate two files: a zip folder containing 65 image files of naked girls aged between seven and nine, and a two minute video of a similarly-aged girl being raped by an adult man. As the files downloaded, the officer was able to identify the source - an IP address based in Northwest Arkansas - which she passed on to FBI Special Agent Gerald Faulkner. Faulkner, who specializes in investigating internet crimes against children, served a federal summons on internet provider Ozarks Go demanding the account details associated with the IP address. According to the filing, the account was registered to Duggar's used car dealership, Wholesale Motorcars, in Springdale. An undercover agent from Homeland Security Investigations visited the business in November 2019 posing as a customer and spotted Duggar using an iPhone and a computer. Court papers obtained by DailyMail.com reveal new details of the two-year cyber sting that led to the reality star's April arrest. Investigators are said to have traced child porn material to an IP address associated with Duggar's used car dealership (pictured) in Springdale Investigators returned later that month with a warrant to search the dealership and seize Duggar's devices. 'Agents encountered the defendant and two other men standing outside on the car lot,' the filing states. 'Inside the small building on the lot, which operated as the business's main office, law enforcement located an HP Desktop Computer with an image of the defendant and his family on its screen. 'A subsequent forensic examination of that device and other devices seized from the defendant and the car lot pursuant to the warrant uncovered evidence demonstrating that the defendant used the HP Desktop to download from the internet and, subsequently, possess multiple files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.' Based on forensic evidence found on those devices, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Duggar with downloading and possessing child pornography. Duggar spent seven days in jail after his April 29 arrest before being fitted with an ankle monitor and bailed into home detention. He was barred from returning to his family property to live with kids Mackynzie Renee, 11, Michael James, 10, Marcus Anthony, seven, Meredith Grace, five, Mason Garrett, three, and Maryella Hope, 20 months. But Judge Christy Comstock of the Western District of Arkansas said he could instead stay with LaCount Reber and his wife Maria, longstanding church friends of Duggar patriarch Jim Bob and his wife Michelle. The Rebers agreed to keep their internet pin-protected and remove their rifles and six pistols from the house. Duggar was released on bail and has been permitted to stay with longtime church friend LaCount Reber and his family in Elkins, Arkansas, until his trial The Duggar family in 2014. Their show, 19 Kids and Counting, ran from 2008 until 2015 They are required by law to tip off authorities if the father-of-six breaches his bail conditions. Duggar's attorneys succeeded in pushing the trial back until November and last month filed a motion asking a judge to compel the government to disclose further evidence. They point out that the materials already provided to them suggest that, in addition to Kalmer, two more officers downloaded material from Duggar's IP address. But the government insists it has no obligation to provide further details of their activities because these officers were not involved in the Duggar inquiry and simply stumbled across his files while doing unrelated investigations of their own. 'The other officers who downloaded CSAM (child sexual abuse material) from the user of the defendant's IP address, as the United States has also already advised, played no part in the investigation of this case and did not provide the prosecution team with any materials related to their activity,' prosecutors say in the reply. 'The officers' downloads therefore in no way informed the magistrate judge's determination that there was probable cause to search his car lot, nor did they provide the basis for any of the charges in this case. 'In short, the information the defendant now seeks, to the extent it even exists, is immaterial to all aspects of this case. The Government has complied with and will continue to comply with all pertinent discovery obligations.' Duggar, who has previously confessed to having a pornography addiction, faces up to 25 years imprisonment on each count if he's found guilty. Australian borrowers can get up to $5,000 back from their bank if they refinance their loan. RateCity research director Sally Tindall said 25 lenders were offering cash backs ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, even on mortgages with rates under 2 per cent. 'A low ongoing rate used to trump a one-off perk such as a cash back, almost every time, but banks are now increasingly offering both low rates and cashback deals,' she said. Twenty-one of the 25 lenders offering cash back for refinancing are offering mortgage rates under 2 per cent. Australian borrowers can get up to $5,000 back from their bank if they refinance their loan. RateCity research director Sally Tindall (pictured) said 25 lenders were offering cash backs ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, even on mortgages with rates under 2 per cent ING is offering $3,000 for those who refinance a loan, with a mortgage rate of just 1.84 per cent. Someone with a $500,000 mortgage, on an average variable rate, would save $14,200 over two years by switching to this rate and getting cash back. BCU, also known as Bananacoast Community Credit Union, is offering up to $5,000 cash back for new loans and refinancing, and a two-year fixed rate of 1.99 per cent. The major banks are a mixed bag with Westpac, St George, Suncorp, Bank of Melbourne, ME Bank, Bank of Queensland, BankSA and MyState Bank offering $3,000 cash back. ANZ is matching that but only via a broker, with a two-year fixed rate of 1.94 per cent. The Commonwealth Bank and NAB are offering $2,000 and a 1.99 mortgage rate, fixed for two years. Ms Tindall said borrowers considering cash back offers needed to consider the fees. 'Cash back deals can potentially work in a person's favour if they commit to finding the best deals and refinance regularly,' she said. ING is offering $3,000 for those who refinance a loan, with a mortgage rate of just 1.84 per cent. Someone with a $500,000 mortgage, on an average rate, would save $14,200 over two years by switching to this rate and getting cash back 'However, anyone who doesn't look past the lure of instant cash could potentially shoot themselves in the foot if they're not careful. 'It all comes down to your personal circumstances, including the type and size of your loan, the rate you're switching to, any fees, and whether you're likely to refinance regularly.' The Reserve Bank of Australia in November cut the cash rate to a record low of 0.1 per cent and on Tuesday again indicated it would stay there until 2024. It said the Delta outbreak in Sydney and accompanying lockdowns meant there would be a 'high degree of uncertainty to the outlook for the second half of 2021'. BCU, also known as Bananacoast Community Credit Union, is offering up to $5,000 cash back for new loans and refinancing and a two-year fixed rate of 1.99 per cent 'Members observed that economic activity and employment were expected to decline in the September quarter,' the RBA said in the minutes of its August meeting, released on Tuesday. 'The high transmissibility of the Delta variant raised the possibility that a more gradual reopening of the economy in affected areas would be needed compared with earlier episodes of lockdown restrictions.' Westpac economists Andrew Hanlan and Bill Evans are forecasting a 2.6 per cent contraction in the September quarter as a result of the Sydney lockdowns, now in week seven. They are predicting Sydney's lockdown will continue until the end of October when, in a best case scenario, 80 per cent of the population aged 16 and over is fully vaccinated. Premier Gladys Berejiklian is predicting 70 per cent of working-age and adult residents in New South Wales would have received two doses by that date. Disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner has stepped down from his role as CEO of a Brooklyn-based glass company. In a lengthy LinkedIn post, the convicted sex offender said his company IceStone is transitioning into a cooperative owned by its workers, and therefore he's no longer needed as CEO. 'The IceStone workers cooperative will not happen all at once and right away, but one thing it does not need is a Chief Executive Officer,' he wrote Friday. 'I have stepped aside to turn my seat over to the men and women who will now be making the decisions,' he added. 'But I will be keeping my IceStone hard hat. That may come in handy.' Weiner has held this position since May 2020, but his involvement was only made public in the fall. Disgraced former Congressman and convicted sex offender Anthony Weiner has stepped down as CEO of a Brooklyn-based glass countertop manufacturer this week Weiner said in a lengthy LinkedIn post that he is stepping down as the company is becoming a cooperative run by its workers. 'The IceStone workers cooperative will not happen all at once and right away, but one thing it does not need is a Chief Executive Officer,' he wrote According to its website, IceStone champions itself as an employer committed to giving 'second chances' beyond its factory and products. The company says it hires the homeless, refugees and even helps to train the formerly incarcerated, while ensuring 'everyone gets paid a living wage and has access to subsidized health insurance and a voice in the company.' In his post, Weiner said, 'From its founding, IceStone has been more than a company that makes beautiful and sustainable solid surfaces for countertops, vanities and outdoor kitchens. It has been a laboratory for showing how a smart and socially conscious American small business can do big things by treating its workers as partners and as members of its family. IceStone owner Del LaManga (pictured) has been friends with Weiner for years and will now head the company 'Being a worker's cooperative is exactly how it sounds a company that is managed from the factory floor up and not the top down. It gives each employee a voice in policy and practices; a stake in the progress; and a share of the gains.' The company will now be run by IceStone owner Del LaMagna and Lisa Bowen. LaMagna told DailyMail.com, 'I was the CEO and a year or so ago I needed to stop and retire. Anthony stepped in and he actually did the job that I wasn't doing. He turned around our website and made a lot of good contribution. He showed up every day, which was last year during the pandemic, and it was very needed.' 'Obviously a worker's co-op doesn't need a CEO so he stepped aside. He'll advise us and advise me when I need it, but we're taking it to the workers.' LaMagna said the move to a co-op is a big 'shake up' but said he doesn't know Weiner's next career move. 'We have a tendency and a reputation to hire people who need a second chance - who are homeless or formerly incarcerated - and obviously Anthony is an example of that,' LaMagna added. Weiner stepped down from his seat in New York's 9th congressional district in 2011, after the then-married Democrat accidentally tweeted a crotch-shot of himself in his underwear to the public, on his official page. He attempted to revive his political career two years later in a 2013 run for New York mayor. He surged to first place in the polls before his campaign suffered a spectacular blow when a second sexting scandal surfaced. Weiner has held this position since May 2020, but his involvement was only made public in the fall According to its website, IceStone champions itself as an employer committed to giving 'second chances' beyond its factory and products (a promotional shot of a product is seen above) Weiner, still married to Hillary Clinton's aide Huma Abedin at the time, was found to be exchanging lewd messages online under the alias 'Carlos Danger'. But the successive scandals were eclipsed four years later in 2017, when Weiner admitted to sexting with a 15-year-old girl, following a DailyMail.com investigation. For months, Weiner and the minor exchanged sexually graphic text messages, spoke over several social media platforms and he sent her photographs of himself in various states of undress, sometimes posing with his son. After DailyMail.com exposed Weiner, he admitted to knowing that the victim, from North Carolina, was underage at the time of their exchanges. Weiner was arrested by FBI agents in May that year. He admitted one count of transmission of obscene material later that month, weeping in court as he entered his guilty plea. 'I have a sickness but I do not have an excuse,' he said, after the judge told him that he would have to register as a sex offender. He was then sentenced to 21 months in prison that September, but was let out three months early on good behavior. LaManga told the New York Post in September that he has known Weiner for a long time, having met him a number of years ago after an launching his own unsuccessful Congressional bid. He said he also visited Weiner a number of times while he was in prison. 'I knew him from the political world. He talked me out of running for mayor, which was good, and we developed a relationship,' he said. 'And then he got sucked into that whole thing. I wanted to help him any way I could. He served his time and coming out is tough. And so I said, 'Can you work for Ice Stone?' because he knows everybody in the city and the company is in Brooklyn.' For months, they exchanged sexually graphic text messages, spoke over several social media platforms and he sent her photographs of himself in various states of undress, sometimes posing with his son In 2017, Weiner admitted to sexting with a 15-year-old girl, following a DailyMail.com investigation (pictured above with then-wife, Huma Abedin) The 75-year-old said the company has 'never been successful' and he hired Weiner last May in an effort to turn its fortunes around. LaManga, who made his fortune as the founder of the Tweezerman brand of beauty tools, was originally an investor in the company but later took control and when the owner ran into financial difficulties. 'He's just methodically going through and reinventing every aspect. The first thing he did was rebuild the website so it works betterHe took over supervising the factory, so he shows up there and he's a fanatically organized person, and he's cleaned all that up.' He voiced confidence that he's 'completely moved on' from his troubled past. 'He's doing extremely well He's very bright. I like him, my wife likes him.' The US was duped into letting Osama bin Laden flee its clutches three months after 9/11, after foolishly believing Taliban commanders would hand him over in exchange for a ceasefire, a new book has claimed. US military leaders took the Taliban for their word when they 'promised that bin Laden would personally surrender' if the US called off airstrikes. At the time, the notorious Al-Qaeda leader had been cornered in the remote Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan where a bomb landed on his bunker. His followers had become worried and 'desperate,' and bin Laden even told his men to surrender if they wanted. US officials dropped the ball in capturing Al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden in December 2001, when they cornered him in Afghanistan, according to a new book by journalist Peter Bergen Three months after the September 11 attacks, the US dropped a 15,000lb bomb known on Al-Qaeda's positions in Tora Bora, inflicting catastrophic damage. Pictured: Then president George W. Bush surveys the destruction at the Pentagon in the aftermath of 9/11 But after America agreed to a temporary truce, the terrorist was able to escape under the cover of darkness and fled to Pakistan where it would take another ten years to track him down. It was arguably the biggest blunder by America in Afghanistan before last week when the Taliban took back the country following US troops pulling out. The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden, by journalist and CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen, was released August 3 President Joe Biden is now scrambling to explain how the country fell to the Taliban in a matter of days after two decades of American support. The details of bin Laden's escape are revealed in a new book, The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden, by Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst and one of the world's leading experts on the terrorist. He writes that in December 2001 bin Laden was cornered in a cave system in Tora Bora in what would prove to be the best chance to catch the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. On December 9, a US bomber dropped a 15,000lbs bomb known as a Daisy Cutter on Al Qaeda's positions, inflicting catastrophic damage. That night a bomb landed on bin Laden's bunker and his followers were 'worried their leader had been killed.' But he was not there and dreamed about a scorpion descending into the trenches his men had dug for him and moved several hundred feet away. 'But now bin Laden's followers were desperate. The caves they were sheltering in were at 9,000ft, where the temperature was ten degrees below freezing,' Bergen writes. In December 2001, bin Laden was cornered in a cave system in Tora Bora in what would have been the perfect chance to capture the terrorist who was wanted after the 9/11 attacks. He is pictured in the mountainous region years earlier in 1996 One of Bin Laden's hideaways in the complex was made mud and stone and propped up by wooden struts 'The siege was tightening. There was no water because it was frozen. Snow was falling steadily while a barrage of bombs was landing on them around the clock.' Bin Laden addressed his men and said: 'I am sorry for getting you involved with his battle. If you can no longer resist, you may surrender with my blessing.' But out of the darkness came a lifeline from the unlikeliest of places - the Americans. Bergen writes that Al-Qaeda officials offered a ceasefire with the pledge that bin Laden would 'personally surrender.' Bin Laden took this as a 'sign of Allah's favor that his enemies accept this truce', that took place between December 12 and 13. A stunned bin Laden considered it nothing less than a 'miracle', Bergen writes. At 11pm on December 12, bin Laden and his followers 'took advantage of the truce' to leave Tora Bora. He and two of his sons sneaked out in what Bergen calls 'one of history's great disappearing acts.' They initially fled to Northern Afghanistan before moving to Pakistan where bin Laden would be tracked down and killed by a Navy SEAL team a decade later. According to Bergen, former President George W. Bush blasted CIA deputy director Mike Morrell (left) for the fiasco when news of bin Laden's escape reached the White House Now, President Joe Biden is scrambling to explain how Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in a matter of days after two decades of American support When news of bin Laden's escape reached the White House, former President George W. Bush, who rarely raised his voice, was angrier than anyone had ever seen. He screamed at Mike Morrell, his CIA briefer: 'How the hell could he have possibly eluded you?' Bush got his other top advisers on the line and demanded: 'What the hell is this? Michael just told me something about bin Laden getting away'. So began bin Laden's decade on the run during which time he released videos taunting Bush and celebrating Al Qaeda attacks like the London bombings in 2005 which left 52 dead. Bergen writes that Bush's top officials tried to claim there was no evidence that bin Laden was in Tora Bora. In fact there was 'considerable intelligence' of his location and Vice President Dick Cheney even talked about it on ABC News. That was far from the only failing which allowed 9/11 to happen and just one of the 33 meetings of the National Security Council in the Bush administration was about Al Qaeda. Obama administration officials receive an update during the SEAL Team 6 mission to kill bin Laden in 2011 Bin Laden was killed in his Abbottabad compound during a raid by US special forces on May 3, 2011 Among the attacks planned by bin Laden were the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, which claimed the lives of 17 US sailors. Incredibly the White House did not respond and by then the CIA had already bungled several opportunities to kill bin Laden. They included bin Laden joining some Arab princes for a hunting trip in 1999 in Afghanistan but the air strike was called off because officials did not want to risk killing members of the Emirati Royal family. Gary Schroen, the CIA station chief in Pakistan at the time, got a phone call at home years later from a man who said he was the falcon handler for the camp the men were at. The man said that bin Laden had been there and the CIA 'should have taken the shot'. This is the moment an armed police officer blasted a paedophile with a rubber bullet after he brandished a fake assault rifle outside a village pub. Police bodycam video shows the officer and his colleague being confronted by Simon Tait, 38, pointing a fake M16 assault rifle at them when they arrived at the Coldham Hall Tavern in Surlingham, South Norfolk. Tait was wearing military-style clothing and the officers could easily have shot him dead as they had no way of knowing if his gun was real or fake. But the male officer who jumped out of the driver's seat of the car shot him with a rubber bullet instead of reaching for his Heckler & Koch carbine. Tait dropped his rifle when he was floored by the rubber bullet striking his leg as a female officer ran over to him with a police taser in her hands before he was arrested outside the pub on the Norfolk Broads. It later emerged Tait's gun was a harmless replica and he had been trying to provoke police to shoot him dead in a potential 'suicide by cop' scenario while he was being investigated for possessing indecent images of children. This is the moment an armed police officer blasted a paedophile with a rubber bullet after he brandished a fake assault rifle outside a village pub Police body cam video shows the officer and his colleague being confronted by Simon Tait, 38, pointing a fake M16 assault rifle at them when they arrived at the Coldham Hall Tavern in Surlingham, South Norfolk The incident happened on May 23 after he turned up at the pub with the gun and threatened to shoot people, causing some to flee and others to hide. Tait of Surlingham, who later attacked another officer while being treated in hospital, was jailed for four years and four months at Norwich Crown Court last week. He had earlier admitted possessing a replica gun, making a threatening call to the pub, assaulting the office and possessing indecent images of children. The officer told how he had faced an 'armed officer's worst nightmare' by looking down the barrel of Tait's gun without knowing if it was real or fake. He said in a victim impact statement read to the court: 'I know as part of my role I may have to make life and death decisions and put myself in harm's way to protect others. I also know that in the event of any incident, my actions would be scrutinised in the months and years afterwards to ensure the action taken was necessary. Tait of Surlingham, who later attacked another officer while being treated in hospital, was jailed for four years and four months at Norwich Crown Court last week 'My shift prior to the incident had been fairly normal. I have a dual working as a roads policing officer in downtime, so had been doing patrols and had dealt with a man for public order offences and was doing paperwork for this matter when the call came in regarding Tait. 'I could immediately sense from the nature of the call and the way the information was being relayed over the radio that Tait was serious about his intention to provoke a police shooting. 'At the time, I didn't think about the consequences, I just focussed on the job in hand and putting all my training into action. I had armed myself with an AEP launcher (baton round). 'When we arrived, I could see that Tait was holding what appeared to be an M16 style assault rifle. While the chances of Tait having access to a genuine weapon and ammunition are extremely rare, I can't tell whether it's imitation until it's in my hands. 'I was faced with any armed officer's worst nightmare, potentially looking down the barrel of a weapon that could kill me or looking at a plastic toy. 'The weapon that Tait had looked very much a genuine weapon and I'm afforded the right to assume it is a viable firearm. It is a daunting prospect knowing that I am about to get out of a car with a less lethal option facing a potentially lethal firearm because I want to do everything I can to not kill or seriously injure him. 'After we arrived on scene with Tait, I was so relieved he stumbled as we pulled into the car park. That action probably saved his life because it gave me just enough time to get out of the car and discharge the AEP as he levelled the firearm at me. 'The shot was effective, we were able to safely detain Tait. I was relieved we'd been able to bring the situation to a safe conclusion. Tait was wearing military-style clothing and the officers could easily have shot him dead as they had no way of knowing if his gun was real or fake But the male officer who jumped out of the driver's seat of the car shot him with a rubber bullet instead of reaching for his Heckler & Koch carbine Tait dropped his rifle when he was floored by the rubber bullet striking his leg as a female officer ran over to him with a police taser in her hands before he was arrested outside the pub on the Norfolk Broads 'The extreme nature and the serious risk of Tait's actions could have had fatal consequences that day. Thankfully this is not the sort of incident that me or my colleagues face on a regular basis.' The officer, who did not wish to be identified, added: 'I've been a police officer for more than 12 years. I've had a varied career working in various roles from a frontline response officer, drug disruption team and within the Police Support Unit, dealing with large scale disorder. 'I've been deployed all over the country as part of this role and have dealt with conflict on a regular basis throughout my career. I've been assaulted countless times, including almost being run over intentionally by a driver while I was helping a victim who had been assaulted. 'I've also been first on scene at a murder, where I tried in vain, to save the victim. The incident on 23 May 2021 was by far the most challenging. 'I became an Authorised Firearms Officer in 2017 and later qualified as an Armed Response Vehicle operator, providing spontaneous firearms response to incidents that require it. I'm proud to have achieved this role and the responsibility that comes with it.' Norwich Crown Court heard how police were called after Tait telephoned the pub, saying: 'I will come into the pub in a minute, I will be armed'. Customer could then see Tait in the car park 'holding what looked like a weapon'. It later emerged Tait's gun was a harmless replica and he had been trying to provoke police to shoot him dead in a potential 'suicide by cop' scenario while he was being investigated for possessing indecent images of children One regular told Tait to 'put the weapon down' which he did before later picking it up and pointing it at him. The drinker recalled how he felt 'scared like he never did before' and 'genuinely thought he was going to die'. The court was told how the police officer had just enough time to select a non-lethal baton round as Tait had slipped as the police car pulled up in the car park. Tait was taken to hospital due to the baton round injury to his leg, but he was difficult with medical staff and became more aggressive. The court heard he assaulted the police officer who was with him by grabbing and twisting his wrist and trying to spit at him. The incident happened three months after police investigating an image which had been shared online carried out a search warrant at Tait's home. Several devices were seized, and police found more than 1,000 indecent images of children on his mobile phone. Judge Andrew Shaw told Tait that he had become 'completely unstable' due to earlier events that caused him to 'want to end your life'. He said Tait was 'clearly intending a fatal action' by provoking police and accused him of creating a very serious risk of severe psychological harm to those present as well as a high risk of his own death. Damien Moore, defending Tait, praised the 'remarkable bravery' of the police officers, He added: 'All of this was to end his (Tait's) own life'. Mr Moore said: 'He wanted to be shot dead. He had no intent to injure the attending officers or indeed anyone else'. He added that Tait was a 'completely broken and desperate man' who had been abused as a child and had hit 'rock bottom' and had attempted to take his own life previously Mr Moore described him as being 'completely unstable' and 'emotionally blind to his actions'. Tait was also given a ten year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and put on the sex offenders register for 10 years. But the Prosecutor's General's office in Uzbekistan said that the Afghan military plane had colined with an Uzbek plane and later retracted the statement Uzbekistan's Defence Ministry told RIA Novosti that the country's air defence system had downed the plane But the Uzbek authorities on Monday issued conflicting reports on the cause The Afghan military plane crashed in southeastern Uzbekistan over the weekend An Afghan military plane crashed in Uzbekistan over the weekend, and Uzbek authorities on Monday issued conflicting reports on the cause. The wreckage came as dozens of Afghan military aircraft carrying hundreds of servicemen reportedly reached Uzbekistan, among the thousands fleeing the country after the Taliban recaptured the Afghan capital of Kabul. The plane crash in southeastern Uzbekistan, in the Surkhandarya region on the border with Afghanistan, was first reported by local media. Uzbekistan's Defence Ministry initially said it was studying videos and reports of the crash, then confirmed that the plane did crash, without elaborating. Later Monday, Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti reported that it was told by the Uzbek Defense Ministry that Uzbekistan's air defense system had downed the plane and 'averted an attempt by an Afghan military plane to illegally cross Uzbekistan's air border.' Two pilots, the agency said, were hospitalized in serious condition. Within hours, the Prosecutor General's office in Uzbekistan issued a statement saying that an Afghan military plane had collided with an Uzbek plane that was scrambled to escort it to the airport at Termez, a city in Surkhandarya. The office later retracted that statement, which also alleged that 22 warplanes and 24 military helicopters from Afghanistan carrying 585 servicemen 'illegally crossed' into Uzbek airspace over the weekend and were forced by Uzbek authorities to land at Termez. The Prosecutor General's office later apologized for a 'hasty' statement on the messaging app Telegram and said it was not based 'verified data from the relevant authorities.' An Afghan military plane crashed in Uzbekistan over the weekend, and Uzbek authorities on Monday issued conflicting reports on the cause. Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti reported that two pilots were hospitalized in serious condition. Video appears to show one of the pilots injured in the crash One image posted on Twitter appears to show the wreckage of the Afghan military plane This image appears to show another pilot of the aircraft being helped after he crashed The Associated Press couldn't immediately reconcile all the conflicting reports or independently verify them. Reports of the plane crash in Uzbekistan appeared Monday as thousands of Afghans packed into the Kabul airport, rushing the tarmac and pushing onto planes in desperate attempts to flee the country a day after the Taliban overthrew the country'sWestern-backed government. U.S. troops fired warning shots as they struggled to manage the chaotic evacuation. Caroline Tabler, a communications director for U.S. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, said the GOP lawmaker's office was working urgently to support Afghan pilots fleeing from the Taliban to Uzbekistan. She appeared to confirm that at least some Afghan military personnel had reached Uzbekistan. 'We're working with an intermediary who's been in touch with the pilots,' she told the AP. 'We have not heard from them since last night (Washington) time. We know Uzbekistan has taken their cellphones. Our primary concern is making sure Uzbekistan does not turn them over to the Taliban. 'We are frantically reaching out to the State Department on this case and trying to get them asylum and literally can't get a response.' The Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces A plane carrying more than 100 Afghan servicemen landed in Tajikistan on Monday, the Tajik Foreign Ministry said. Officials told Russia's state news agency Tass that Tajikistan received an SOS signal and allowed a plane bound from Afghanistan to land at an airport in the Khatlon province, which borders both Afghanistan and Uzbekistan's Surkhandarya region. On Sunday, Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry reported that 84 Afghan servicemen crossed the border into Uzbekistan, asking for assistance. The group was detained by border guards and included three wounded soldiers who needed medical help. The men were offered food and temporary accommodation in Uzbekistan, and the ministry said it was in touch with Afghan officials regarding the return of the Afghan soldiers. Both Uzbekistan and neighbouring Turkmenistan have held high-level talks with the Taliban touching on security and the future of regional infrastructure projects. It comes after thousands of Afghans rushed into Kabul's main airport on Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban that they held onto a military jet as it took off and plunged to their deaths. At least seven people died in the chaos, U.S. officials said, as America's longest war ended with its enemy the victor. Desperate Afghan nationals tried to run onto RCH 885 as it took off from the airfield on Monday. Some were crushed by the C-17's wheels and others clung to the fuselage as it took off The crowds came while the Taliban enforced their rule over the capital of 5 million people after a lightning advance across the country that took just over a week to dethrone the country's Western-backed government. There were no major reports of abuses or fighting, but many residents stayed home and remained fearful after the insurgents' advance saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Across the nation, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that thousands had been wounded in fighting. Elsewhere, security forces and politicians handed over their provinces and bases without a fight, likely believing the two-decade Western experiment to remake Afghanistan would not survival the resurgent Taliban. The last American troops had planned to withdraw at the end of the month. 'The world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead,' warned United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. As the U.S. military and others continued evacuation flights, Afghans swarmed over the international airport's tarmac. Some climbed into aircraft parked on the taxiway, while others dangled precariously off a jet bridge. Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on Monday Desperate Afghan families trying to escape Kabul scale the walls of the airport on Monday The US Embassy has been evacuated and the American flag lowered, with diplomats relocating to the airport in scenes reminiscent of the evacuation of the embassy of Saigon in 1975. Other Western countries have also closed their missions and are flying out staff and civilians after the Taliban walked into Kabul's presidential palace U.S. troops took positions to guard the active runway, but the crowd stormed past them and their armored vehicles. Gunshots rang out. As one U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III tried to take off, a helicopter did low runs in front of it to try to drive people off the runway. Videos showed a group of Afghans hanging onto the plane just before takeoff and several falling through the air as the airplane rapidly gained altitude over the city. FALL OF KABUL: A TIMELINE OF THE TALIBAN'S FAST ADVANCE AFTER 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT Feb. 29, 2020 Trump negotiates deal with the Taliban setting U.S. withdrawal date for May 1, 2021 Nov. 17, 2020 Pentagon announces it will reduce troop levels to 2500 in Afghanistan Jan. 15, 2020 Inspector general reveals 'hubris and mendacity' of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan Feb 3. 2021 Afghan Study Group report warns against withdrawing 'irresponsibly' March Military command makes last-ditch effort to talk Biden out of withdrawal April 14 Biden announces withdrawal will be completed by Sept. 11 May 4 - Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces May 11 - The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country June 7 - Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country's 34 provinces June 22 - Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts July 2 - The U.S. evacuates Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night July 5 - The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August July 21 - Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country's districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance July 25 - The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops 'in the coming weeks' with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks July 26 - The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009 Aug. 6 - Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north Aug. 13 - Pentagon insists Kabul is not under imminent threat Aug. 14 - The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps Aug. 15 - The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul Taliban insurgents enter Kabul, an interior ministry official says, as the United States evacuate diplomats from its embassy by helicopter Advertisement Senior American military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation, told The Associated Press that the chaos left seven dead, including several who fell from the flight. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said U.S. forces killed two people he described as carrying weapons in the melee. He said 1,000 more U.S. troops would be deployed to secure the airfield and back up the 2,500 already there. All flights at the airport - both military and civilian - were halted until Afghan civilians can be cleared from the runway, Kirby added. Late Monday night, hundreds of people remained trapped between American forces trying to push them out of the airport and Taliban forces trying to keep them in, witnesses said. An Associated Press journalist also saw what appeared to be an airstrike target two vehicles near the airport. Shafi Arifi, who had a ticket to travel to Uzbekistan on Sunday, was unable to board his plane because it was packed with people who had raced across the tarmac and climbed aboard, with no police or airport staff in sight. 'There was no room for us to stand,' said the 24-year-old. 'Children were crying, women were shouting, young and old men were so angry and upset, no one could hear each other. There was no oxygen to breathe.' After a woman fainted and was carried off the plane, Arifi gave up and returned home. Other Afghans, like Rakhmatula Kuyash, are also trying to leave through land border crossings, all of which are now controlled by the Taliban. 'I'm lost and I don't know what to do,' said Kuyash, who crossed into Uzbekistan on Sunday after leaving his children and relatives in Afghanistan. 'I left everything behind.' Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani, who earlier left the country, faced Russian allegations he fled Kabul with four cars and a helicopter full of cash. His whereabouts remained unclear. The U.S. Embassy has been evacuated and the American flag lowered, with diplomats relocating to the airport to help with the evacuation. Other Western countries also closed their missions and were flying out staff and their citizens. In interviews with U.S. television networks, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan blamed the Afghan military for the Taliban's rapid takeover, saying it lacked the will to fight. However, the ease with which the Taliban took control goes beyond military prowess, the Texas-based private intelligence firm Stratfor wrote. 'The speed of the Taliban's final advance suggests less military dominance than effective political insurgency coupled with an incohesive Afghan political system and security force struggling with flagging morale,' it said. The Taliban offensive through the country stunned American officials. Just days before the insurgents entered Kabul with little if any resistance, a U.S. military assessment predicted it could take months for the capital to fall. The rout threatened to erase 20 years of Western efforts to remake Afghanistan that saw tens of thousands of Afghans killed as well as more than 3,500 U.S. and allied troops. The initial invasion in 2001 drove the Taliban from power and scattered al-Qaida, which had planned the 9/11 attacks while being sheltered in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, which ruled in accordance with a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, women were largely confined to their homes and suspected criminals faced amputation or public execution. The insurgents have sought to project greater moderation in recent years, but many Afghans remain skeptical. Journalists so far have been able to work, though Taliban militants visited the private satellite channel Tolo TV looking for 'government-issued weapons,' said station owner Saad Mohsini. Some militants put on Afghan military uniforms and began doing patrols, arresting suspected robbers. Filippo Grandi, the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees, separately described interactions with the Taliban as 'relatively positive.' On Monday, Nillan, a 27-year-old resident of Kabul who asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of reprisals, said she did not see a single woman out on the streets during a 15-minute drive, 'only men and boys.' 'It feels like time has stopped. Everything's changed,' she told the AP. She added: 'It feels like our life and our future has ended.' More known or suspected terrorists than recorded in previous years have crossed the southern border in the midst of Joe Biden's migration crisis, according to a video from the outgoing Border Patrol chief. National security is more at risk than just the humanitarian crisis, Rodney Scott warned his 19,000 agents before retiring on August 14 in a video message obtained by the Washington Examiner. 'Over and over again, I see other people talk about our mission, your mission, and the context of it being immigration or the current crisis today being an immigration crisis,' Scott said. 'I firmly believe that it is a national security crisis.' 'Immigration is just a subcomponent of it,' he added, 'and right now it's just a cover for massive amounts of smuggling going across the southwest border to include TSDBs at a level we have never seen before. That's a real threat.' TSDB, or Terrorist Screening Database, is used to refer to known or suspected terrorists identified in the FBI's system. The number of these individuals has drastically increased in the midst of the border crisis, which has seen a 21-year high in encounters with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with illegal immigrants. While Border Patrol did not deny that the number of terrorist encounters has increased, they did assure that there are systems in place to make sure these individuals are stopped from crossing in the first place. Recently resigned Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott warned his 19,000 agents that the 'real' crisis at the southern border is human smuggling and known and suspected terrorists entering the country by land crossings DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas revealed Thursday that CBP encountered 212,672 migrants in July a 13 per cent increase from June and 21-year month high 'Our border security efforts are layered and include multiple levels of rigorous screening that allow us to detect and prevent people who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the United States,' a CBP spokesperson said in a statement to DailyMail.com 'DHS works with our international partners to share intelligence and other information, including to prevent individuals on the terrorist watchlist from entering the United States,' the spokesperson continued. 'CBP adjudicates individuals encountered at and between our ports of entry against several classified and unclassified databases to determine if they pose a threat to national security, consistent with the law.' 'While encounters of known and suspected terrorists at our borders are very uncommon, they underscore the importance of the critical work our agents carry out on a daily basis to vet all individuals encountered at our borders.' CBP told members of Congress in January that federal law enforcement stopped four people on the terror watchlist from Serbia and Yemen, which is greater than the average total seen in recent years. Thousands of people are denied entry into the U.S. at airports each year because they are on the watchlist. It is, however, unusual for the same individuals to be encountered while crossing at U.S. land borders. A news release about the four encounters was taken down from CBP's website hours after it was published, which made Republicans question the transparency of DHS under Biden. Thousands of migrants continue to cross the U.S.-Mexico border each day. Here a raft of migrants arrives in Roma, Texas by way of the Rio Grande River on August 13 as they prepare to turn themselves over to Border Patrol for processing Scott, who served under Donald Trump for one year starting on January 24, 2020 and retired over the weekend, is worried the Biden administration is focusing too much on migrant families and unaccompanied minors crossing illegally rather than the terrorist threat posed by the vulnerable southern border with Mexico. 'Your peers or you are taking criminals, pedophiles, rapists, murderers, and like I said before, even TSDB alerts off the streets and keeping them safe from America,' Scott said in his video message. 'Even if we processed several thousand migrants that day and even if thousands of them were allowed into the U.S., you still took those threats off the street, and I think that's worth it,' he continued. 'So please don't ever undersell how important your mission is.' Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited the southern border last week, where he announced in July Border Patrol encountered a record-breaking 212,672 migrants in July a 13 per cent increase from the 188,829 illegal immigrants encountered in June. Reports emerged in June that Biden officials were forcing Scott to resign, retire or move away from headquarters in Washington after 16 months as Border Patrol chief. 'I did choose to retire,' Scott said in his video this month, 'but I am not retiring to run away from this crisis.' 'I'm just going to fight for you from a slightly different angle,' Scott said, but did not elaborate on his future plans. 'I am asking each one of you to look in the mirror and remind yourself, and if you haven't thought about it before, think about the fact that you are not immigration police and our job is not immigration on the border,' Scott said. 'Our job is to know who and what comes in this country and then to filter it out based on the rules applied by Congress and by law. That's critically important, and when you put it in the context of immigration only, I think you miss the bigger fight. This job is extremely important. Your mission's very important.' Border Patrol pulled more than 40 per cent of its agents from the field to help instead with mitigating the crisis after crossings occured, which included transporting, processing and caring for the record number of migrants in federal custody. This redirection left several gaps in agents' abilities to patrol the border for national security threats. Advertisement Hundreds of Afghan-Americans protested outside the White House on Sunday, chanting 'Biden you betrayed us' and 'You sold out our people' after the Taliban took over the conflict-ridden country now named the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. President Joe Biden addressed the nation late afternoon Monday, defending the US troop withdrawal after a barrage of criticism for remaining at Camp David while US embassy personnel were evacuated by helicopter and burned valuable documents to keep them out of Taliban hands. 'We will continue to support the Afghan people, we will lead with our diplomacy,' he said in his first public address since the Taliban's takeover. 'We'll continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people - for the rights of women and girls.' 'No amount of military force would ever deliver a stable and secure Afghanistan called the Graveyard of Empires.' Biden also pledged the US would continue to 'speak out' for human rights - but that may not be enough for those who know the Taliban's brutal tactics. 'We've been handed over back to savages,' one woman told Fox News on Sunday. Afghans and Afghan-Americans gathered in Washington, DC to demonstrate on Sunday Hundreds of people demanded Biden take responsibility for the botched evacuation and levy sanctions on Pakistan for financial support for the Taliban People chanted 'save Afghanistan' and 'Biden, you're responsible' on Sunday Another broke down in tears, telling the outlet 'My family is there. All my people is there. Theyre killing all my people.' One woman told Fox, 'They're raping our women, they're killing our children. They have no mercy on anyone.' 'We will not trust you! You abandon allies! You made a deal and sold out Afghanistan!' crowds chanted this weekend. The Taliban made a stunning advance across much of Afghanistan in the last week as US troops left in time for Biden's August 31st deadline. On Sunday they took Kabul and promised a peaceful transfer of power along with retribution for those who helped the US. Biden defiantly defended his decision in remarks at the White House on Monday Taliban insurgents took Kabul at the end of a lightning fast offensive that ramped up in the final weeks of the US and NATO withdrawal Hundreds of Afghan civilians were left trapped with nothing to do but wait at Kabul airport for a flight out of their war-torn homeland VIDEO: "Biden, you betrayed us!" chanted Afghan Americans protesting outside the White House this afternoon as the Taliban completed its takeover of Afghanistan. "Biden, you're responsible!" "Save Afghanistan!"#Afghanistan #AfghanistanBurning #SaveAfghanLives pic.twitter.com/cGdWDCBzW3 Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) August 16, 2021 But reports from Kabul roughly a day later paint a different picture with insurgents looting homes and performing targeted killings. At least eight people have died amid chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport as Afghan civilians and foreigners try desperately to escape. Two armed Afghans were shot by US soldiers and three people who held onto military planes as they took off plunged to their deaths. Others are still attempting to rush to the airport for safety after the Taliban took every border crossing and left the facility the only remaining NATO-held area. One young adult speaker in DC Sunday told the crowd that three of his uncles, all journalists and government workers, were killed by the Taliban in the last year. Young Afghan Americans led chants and shared their families' stories in DC Emotions ranged from outraged to devastated as many wondered what would happen to their families back in Afghanistan Some were in tears over concerns for relatives and friends trapped in Afghanistan One young man said three of his uncles - journalists and government workers - were killed by the Taliban in the last year He said his remaining uncle is choosing to stay in Afghanistan to take care of his deceased brothers' children. 'That's how every single youth in Afghanistan is. They got the courage,' the man said. His speech was met with demands from the crowd to sanction Pakistan, calling the country 'terrorists.' Crowds demanded Biden sanction Pakistan for what they called its 'proxy war' over some Pakistani entities providing funding for the Taliban. 'Were all incredibly disappointed in President Biden and the administration for pulling out all the troops from Afghanistan literally overnight,' one woman said. Another speaker said Biden failed his oath of office by failing Afghans. Speakers took turns expressing their anger, fear and resentment at the US government's hasty evacuation 'They're raping our women, they're killing our children. They have no mercy on anyone,' one woman said of the Taliban US officials said they are currently working to continue their evacuation and will get as many people as possible out of the country Many people gathered in DC Sunday worried for the future of women and girls under the Taliban's brutal rule 'What happened, Joe Biden? It was not so long ago you took that oath. Today, you are betraying that oath,' he said, adding that he fought in Operation Enduring Freedom - the government's official name for the War on Terror from 2001 to 2014. 'I was there on the front line. We were fighting. What happened?' Demonstrators marched through the US capital, chanting 'Free, free Afghanistan' and demanding Biden take accountability. 'Our women, our children, where is US aid? All this money, where is this aid? They're burning us!' one woman can be heard shouting. Both Democratic and Republican officials joined Afghans' criticism of the US evacuation - while many agreed with the decision to withdraw troops after 20 years, thousands of deaths and more than $80 billion spent, the hasty retreat while leaving hundreds of helpless civilians and thousands of Afghans who worked with the US military and now have targets on their backs behind drew outrage. A Burka-clad CNN reporter in Kabul said the taliban 'seem friendly' while standing in front of a group of jihadists chanting 'death to America' and ordering her to move because she's a woman. Just a few days ago, Clarissa Ward gave her report with her hair and neck uncovered, but on Monday, she wore a black shawl wrapped tightly around her head as per the Islamists' demands. Ward was surrounded by fighters after the Afghan capital fell to the terrorists who the U.S. and Nato fought for two decades after the 9/11 attacks. 'They're just chanting death to America, but they seem friendly at the same time,' she said. 'It's utterly bizarre.' Senator Ted Cruz mocked the broadcast, tweeting: 'Is there an enemy of America for whom CNN WONT cheerlead? (In mandatory burkas, no less).' The Republican was roundly criticised, particularly by Ward's colleagues, who commended her exceptional bravery in reporting under such hostile conditions. Former New York Times Opinion Editor Bari Weiss called Cruz's tweet an 'appalling statement about a reporter showing real courage. Of a piece with so many glib takes trying to turn the Afghanistan catastrophe into parochial culture war issue. 'This is about the decline of American power, influence and will,' she wrote. 'Not press bias.' Ward was seen wearing a burka in the news segment, as Taliban fighters told her to step aside because she is a woman Just days ago, Clarissa Ward gave her report with her hair and neck uncovered (pictured: on Friday, left, and on Sunday night, right) On Monday, Senator Ted Cruz criticized CNN's reporting from Kabul, where a female reporter said: 'They're just chanting death to America, but they seem friendly at the same time' Bari Weiss later retweeted his comment saying the reporter, Clarissa Ward, was 'showing real courage' in her reporting ;of a piece with so many glib takes trying to turn the Afghanistan catastrophe into parochial culture war issues' Clarissa Ward attends the launch of The Art of Empowerment hosted by UN Women at Brown's in Mayfair, London, in November 2018 In a longer version of Ward's segment in Kabul, which has been overrun with Taliban forces since the president fled, she said: 'As soon as we leave our compound, it's clear who is now in charge. 'Taliban fighters have flooded the Capitol, smiling and victorious - they took the city of 6 million people in a matter of hours.' She added that people were coming up to them to pose for photos chanting 'death to America,' with some saying they support the insurrection as United States forces had been in the country for 'too long.' Meanwhile, as Ward was trying to do her job, she said: 'They just told me to stand to the side because I'm a woman.' Just one day before, Alexi Kudej pointed out on Twitter, she was reporting from the city without a head covering. Just the day before, Alexi Kudej pointed out on Twitter, Ward was not wearing a head covering in the city Her change in style comes after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's airport trying to flee the group's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule. It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces trained for years and equipped by Britain, the United States and other Western nations at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away. As the militants declared victory and claimed peace had been brought to the country, at least eight people were killed at Kabul Airport. Two armed men were shot by US forces, three were crushed to death under the wheels of a departing American military plane, and three who managed to cling on to a plane fell to their deaths afterwards. After police and other government forces gave up their posts in Kabul on Sunday, Taliban fighters took over checkpoints across the city and entered the presidential palace and the Afghan parliament building. Videos from the city on Monday showed Taliban fighters driving armored vehicles and pickup trucks through the streets, with armed militiamen standing on the rear - some with mounted heavy machine guns. Militants with rifles slung over their shoulders were also seen walking Monday through the streets of the Green Zone, the formerly heavily fortified district that houses most embassies and international organizations - the staff from which that are in the process of being evacuated at the city's airport. The Taliban sought to reassure the international community that Afghans should not fear them, and they will not take revenge against those who supported the US-backed alliance. In a message posted to social media, Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar called on his fighters to remain disciplined after taking control of the city. 'Now it's time to test and prove, now we have to show that we can serve our nation and ensure security and comfort of life,' he said. Taliban fighters are seen on the back of a vehicle patrolling Kabul on Monday The group had managed to take control of the city, the nation's capitol, in just a matter of hours The Taliban's capture of the capital had occurred, as in many other cities, without the bloodshed that many had feared, but there were desperate scenes at Kabul's airport as people tried to board the few flights available. People were pictured scaling the barbed wire-lined walls around the airport's perimeter as people frantically tried to board flights and escape the city now under the militant's control. On the tarmac, people were seen trying to climb a moving US military evacuation plane, while others were shown sitting on top of a commercial jet. One witness said he had seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle. Another witness said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede. 'We are afraid to live in this city,' a 25-year-old ex-soldier said as he stood among huge crowds on the tarmac. 'Since I served in the army, the Taliban would definitely target me. U.S. troops, who are in charge of the airport, earlier fired in the air to scatter the crowd, a U.S. official said, but officials were not immediately available to comment on the deaths. Meanwhile, refugees have been massing at the borders as people desperately try to flee Afghanistan before the Taliban's brutal rules are implemented, with pictures from the country's border with Pakistan showing hundreds of people lining up in an attempt to leave. 'It will be years before the stain of 2021 can be erased': Ex-National Security Adviser HR McMaster blasts Joe Biden over Afghanistan withdrawal and warns 'there is much more suffering and violence ahead' Former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster has slammed President Joe Biden over the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan Former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster has slammed President Joe Biden over the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan after Kabul fell to the Taliban. 'We heard, again and again, that there was no military solution to the war in Afghanistan. But the Taliban clearly had one in mind,' McMaster wrote in a guest essay for Bari Weiss on Monday. 'There is much more suffering and violence ahead. It will be years before the stain of 2021 can be effaced,' continued McMaster, a retired Army general and former top official in the Trump administration. 'We hear that the consequences of this lost war can be managed. But self-defeat based in incompetence and lack of will should be cause for grave concern,' he wrote. McMaster's scathing assessment came as the Taliban took complete control of Kabul, with all U.S. diplomatic staff and NATO allies sheltering at Hamid Karzai International Airport and awaiting airlift to safety. McMaster's scathing assessment came as the Taliban took complete control of Kabul. Above, Taliban fighters stand beside the belongings of Afghan security soldiers in Kabul on Monday The complete collapse of Kabul has drawn comparisons to the Fall of Saigon and Biden has been furiously criticized over how the withdrawal was conducted The shocking scenes from Kabul are reminiscent of the Fall of Saigon in 1975, a disastrous few days where US Air Force helicopters flew thousands of Americans and Vietnamese civilians out of the city as the war there ended in a humiliating defeat for America. Nikki Haley, Trump's former ambassador to the United Nations, joined in the criticism in an essay for the newsletter of Weiss, a former New York Times opinion editor. 'There are many barbaric regimes in the world. It is not America's duty to police them. Afghanistan, however, is different,' Haley argued. 'Twenty years ago, the terrorists bred in that country came for us. Now they are getting what they wanted,' she wrote. 'Just a month ago, President Biden assured us it was 'highly unlikely' this would happen. America is now begging the Taliban to let us remove our embassy personnel. It's a humiliating sight,' wrote Haley. Meanwhile, shocking scenes emerged from the airport in Kabul, where thousands of desperate Afghans seeking a flight to safety poured onto the runway, disrupting flight operations. Bari Weiss, the former New York Times opinion editor, hosted a number of essays criticizing Biden's troop withdrawal on her newsletter Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on Monday Afghan Taliban fighters are seen on a US-made military vehicle in Kabul on Monday Several Afghans clung to the side of a U.S. military plane at Kabul's airport on Monday as it taxied through crowds of people desperate to flee the Taliban-controlled capital, a video widely shared on social media showed. At least eight people died as the chaos mounted at the airport. Three stowaways fell hundreds of feet to their deaths after climbing onto the fuselage of a departing US Air Force C-17 plane as it took off from at Hamid Karzai International Airport, while hundreds of other desperate people tried to cling onto planes as they taxied down the runway. Senior US military officials said troops shot and killed two armed Afghans among those trying to get onto the jet while US citizens were evacuated in two separate incidents. A further three people were caught under plane wheels amid scenes of anarchy as the country slips into Taliban control. A Pentagon official said that US troops had come under fire at the airfield and grounded all flights while soldiers cleared the airfield with Apache helicopters and fired 'warning shots' to disperse the crowds. Flights resumed after 90 minutes but were suspended again after a security breach on the civilian side of the airport, a Pentagon spokesperson said. Taliban fighters stand guard along a roadside near the Zanbaq Square in Kabul on Monday, as the Taliban were in control of Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country Afghan passengers sit as they wait to leave the Kabul airport in Kabul on Monday, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war U.S. troops fired warning shots to stop people getting on flights taking out diplomats and embassy employees, and two gunmen were also shot at the airport, U.S. officials said. The evacuation flights were later halted because of the chaos. Germany said it had to divert its first of three planned evacuation flights to the Uzbek capital Tashkent because it could not land due to the throngs of people on the tarmac. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said U.S. forces were working with Turkish and other international troops to clear Kabul airport to allow evacuation flights to resume. He said several hundred people had been flown out so far. Videos and photos posted on social media showed hundreds of civilians invading the airport's single runway, jostling to climb stairs onto overhead gangways and sitting on the top of passenger jets in the hope of getting a flight out. 'This is our airport but we are seeing diplomats being evacuated while we wait in complete uncertainty,' Rakhshanda Jilali, an Afghan human rights activist who was trying to get to Pakistan, told Reuters in a message from the airport. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said all embassy personnel, including Ambassador Ross Wilson, had been transferred to the airport to await evacuation. One video showed a military helicopter flying low to pave a path for a plane trying to take off through crowds of people. An Ohio mother has admitted to abandoning her three young children in a park and killing her six-year-old son when he desperately tried to get back in her car and was dragged as she drove away. Brittany Gosney, 29, of Middletown, Ohio, pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering children and one count of unclassified murder on Monday. Prosecutors said the mother of four brought three of her children to a park in Preble County on February 26 with the intention of abandoning them. As she sped away from the kids her six-year-old son, James Hutchinson, grabbed for the car door handle and fell, suffering a fatal blow to the head. Gosney returned to the park 40 minutes later to find the boy dead. She then took his body, and her other two kids aged seven and nine, home. Two days later Gosney's boyfriend, 43-year-old James Hamilton, allegedly helped her dump the child in the Ohio River, weighted down with a concrete block. Brittany Gosney, 29, (pictured) of Middletown, Ohio, pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering children and one count of unclassified murder on Monday James Hutchinson, six, (pictured) was left at a park in Preble County with two of his young siblings and was fatally injured after he hit his head as he held onto the door of his mother's van on February 26 Gosney is due back in Butler County Court for sentencing on September 13. She faces 15 years to life in prison for murder and 36 months for each child endangerment charge. 'I think she obviously understands the significance of the decisions she made,' defense attorney David Washington told WLWT on Monday. 'I think that shes going to have to deal with this the rest of her life and her children are going to have to deal with it the rest of their lives.' Gosney initially faced 16 felony charges related to involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of endangering children, abduction and kidnapping. She originally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in April but still stood in court after a psychological evaluation. Gosney and her boyfriend James Hamilton, 43, dumped Hutchinson's body in the Ohio River after she left it in their Middletown home for two days Hamilton pressured Gosney to get rid of her children multiple times, including a failed attempt for Gosney to get the custody of her children relinquished Gosney is pictured during her arraignment in March After bringing James' body home Gosney held it in a spare room for two days before dumping it in the Ohio River near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, with the help of her boyfriend Hamilton, prosecutors said. A concrete block was used to weigh the boy's body down as is body was thrown into the river, according to WXIX. Nearly six months later James' body still has not been found. The Middleton Police Department did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment about progress on the search. A memorial was held for James in front of his former home as the Middletown community honored him with balloons and stuffed animals. The reasoning behind the children's abandonment was based on pressure from Hamilton and she previously attempted to relinquish custody of them with no success, prosecutors said. Gosney and Hamilton were indicted together on a 31-count charge with more than half relating to an incident where one of her children was hog-tied The couple were previously indicted together earlier this year on a 31-count charge, 18 of them relating to an incident in which one of Hutchinson's siblings was hog-tied. 'We have two living children who have already been through trauma that no child should ever experience and this guilty plea prevents them from going through further trauma, at least as it relates to a case against their mother,' said Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Heile, according to WLBT. Hamilton also appeared in court and still faces 15 charges for corpse abuse, tampering with evidence, endangering children, kidnapping and abduction. Hamilton still faces 15 charges for corpse abuse, tampering with evidence, endangering children, kidnapping and abduction. He plead not guilty and is due to appear in court again this month as well as a jury hearing on Oct. 4 He plead not guilty to the judge and is due to appear in court again later this month with a jury trial also scheduled for October 4 if he does not take the plea. Hamilton is currently being held on a $750,000 bond. The other children were removed from the home and were placed in foster care or with Child Services, according to authorities. Posts from Gosney's multiple Facebook accounts indicate that she has four children: two daughters and two sons. Gosney described herself on social media as 'Full Time Mommy!' and regularly shared photos of her smiling children and Hamilton, whom she referred to as her 'husband' and her 'everything.' Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said in a statement: 'She gave up the right to be called anything but a defendant in this office - not mom or mother.' A BBC presenter brought up in Sydney found herself with a stunning exclusive when she received a call from a taliban leader while live on air. Yalda Hakim, who went to school in western Sydney and studied journalism at the city's Macleay College after fleeing her native Afghanistan as a child, received the call from Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen on her mobile phone on Sunday. She quickly put the phone next to a guest microphone so that viewers could hear Shaheen claim victory as the Taliban recaptured the Afghan capital of Kabul after 20 years in exile. 'OK, we have got the Taliban's spokesman Shail Shaheen on the line,' a composed Ms Hakim said. 'Mr Shaheen, can you hear me?' Yalda Hakim received the call from Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen on her mobile phone Suhail Shaheen, the Afghan Taliban spokesman who called Ms Hakim while she was live on air 'There should not be any confusion, we assure the people of Afghanistan in the city of Kabul that their properties and their lives are safe,' Shaheen responded. 'There will be no revenge on anyone. We are the servants of the people and of this country. 'Our leadership has instructed our forces to remain at the gate of Kabul, not to enter the city. We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power.' Shaheen said that transfer involved handing over the country to the 'Islamic Emirate' of Afghanistan. Ms Hakim continued to ask questions for 30 minutes, with Shaheen revealing Islamic government under Sharia law was the aim of the resurgent Taliban. He also refused to rule out the former regime's former brutal repression methods, such as public executions and removal of limbs. 'I can't say right now, that's up to the judges in the courts and the laws,' he replied. 'The judges will be appointed according to the law of the future government.' Shaheen refused to rule out the former regime's former brutal repression methods, such as public executions and removal of limbs The resurgent Taliban recaptured the Afghan capital of Kabul after 20 years in exile Ms Hakim attended Sydney's Macarthur Girls High School in Parramatta before attending Macleay College to study journalism Praise for Ms Hakim's handling of the Taliban spokesman flowed quickly on social media. Fellow broadcaster Aasmah Mir called her 'an absolute boss' for the 'mindblowing' interview. Reporter David Shukman said she showed 'phenomenal skill' and the BBC's Australian correspondent Shaimaa Khalil said the interview was 'must watch'. Ms Hakim attended Sydney's Macarthur Girls High School in Parramatta before attending Macleay College. She then worked for SBS before landing her role with the BBC in 2012. in 2015 she told ABC's The Drum how her family used people smugglers in order to leave Afghanistan and seek asylum in Australia. 'I see myself as a woman who's Australian, who works for an international organisation but I'm Australian, I'm a product of this society,' she said. A Utah reptile center employee is recovering after an alligator yanked her into its enclosure during a presentation at a birthday party, thrashing her around before a fast-acting visitor leapt inside and helped free her from its jaws. Video taken Saturday by a guest shows an unidentified handler at Scales & Tails in Salt Lake City talking to some adults and children about the alligator when it bit her hand, dragged her into the water and pulled her into a death roll. One of the guests, Donnie Wiseman, 48, jumped into the water and climbed on top of the reptile in an effort to assist the handler. Shane Richins, the company's owner, said in an interview Monday that the handler was opening the enclosure to feed the alligator as usual, but this time the reptile 'got a little extra spunky.' A Utah reptile center employee is recovering after an alligator yanked her into its enclosure during a presentation at a birthday party, thrashing her around before a fast-acting visitor leapt inside and helped free her from its jaws Video taken Saturday by a guest shows Donnie Wiseman, 48, (pictured in yellow shirt) jumping into the water and climbing on top of the reptile in an effort to assist the handler Richins said the center normally has a strict policy for a second handler to be nearby when employees are working with the alligators. However, that hasn't been enforced in recent years if the worker isn't planning to enter the enclosure, he said. 'We still enforce it strictly whenever somebody gets in with the gator but, of course, going forward, we will be back to strictly enforcing it with any interactions with the gator for that very reason,' Richins said. After pulling the handler into its pen, the alligator began whipping around and kept its jaws clamped on her as she struggled to break free. That was when Wiseman sprang into action to help the handler. 'I'm just like, "What do I do? What do I need to do,"' Wiseman told Gephardt Daily. 'And I got on him, just like in all the movies and documentaries I've seen.' Another bystander ushered the children, all six or younger, away as they cried, the video showed. Wiseman got the alligator pinned, and the handler calmly gave him and another man, Todd Christopher, instructions to help her escape from the pool The entrance of Scales and Tails Utah is shown on Monday in West Valley City Wiseman got the alligator pinned, and the handler calmly gave him and another man, Todd Christopher, instructions to help her escape from the pool. Wiseman stayed on top of the reptile until the woman was freed. 'I'm glad he wasn't any bigger,' Wiseman said, with a laugh. 'We would have been in trouble. I would say he was about seven feet. I'm 6'3', and he had me beat by a bit.' Christopher's wife, who has a background in nursing, then began performing first aid before emergency crews arrived at the scene. Richins said the handler underwent surgery and is taking antibiotics. The West Valley City business said Sunday she is 'doing well and is in recovery.' According to its website, Scales & Tails Utah is a family-run operation that provides educational presentations on reptiles, birds, spiders and scorpions. 'These gentlemen could have stayed in the safety zone as most of us would, but instead jumped into the situation, of their own volition, and helped secure the alligator,' the company said in a statement. 'Their help, combined with the training of our staff member, probably saved her life and her limbs.' Gun owners' medical records could be vetted by a commercial company in the wake of the Plymouth massacre. The Home Office is understood to be drawing up plans to allow shooting enthusiasts' records including mental health concerns to be released in confidence by their GP. Records would only be disclosed with the agreement of anyone who applies for a firearms or shotgun certificate, it is understood. The proposed scheme is designed to bypass a reluctance by some GPs to produce reports for gun licence applicants. Gun owners' medical records could be vetted by a commercial company in the wake of the Plymouth massacre. Pictured: Jake Davison who murdered five people with a pump-action shotgun A consultation paper produced by the Home Office two years ago said some GPs cite a 'conscientious objection to private gun ownership'. Others decline to take part citing a lack of expertise in mental health, while others charge large fees. A Home Office source said: 'This idea of third party access to medical records is being looked at very closely at the moment. It is a way of taking GPs out of the equation because some of them refuse to become involved at all.' The proposal could be part of new guidance to be issued to police forces which will be published by Home Secretary Priti Patel in the next few weeks. No decision has yet been made on whether police will for the first time be compelled to obtain a medical report on gun licence applicants. But it emerged yesterday that new checks by police will include reviews of social media posts in a bid to weed out those who may be unstable. It followed widespread concern that Devon and Cornwall Police were unaware of online rants by Plymouth gunman Jake Davison, who murdered five people with a pump-action shotgun last week. The force's Chief Constable, Shaun Sawyer, said officers do not look at the social media activity of gun licence applicants because it would be 'an invasion of privacy'. Davison, 22, was stripped of his shotgun licence in December after being involved in an assault. But he was handed it back just weeks before Thursday's horrific killing spree. All 566,000 holders of firearms or shotgun certificates in England and Wales now face additional security checks although timescales have yet to be confirmed. Police forces are currently not obliged to follow Home Office guidance on how to run firearms licensing in their area. But the proposed new guidance which will have to be approved by Parliament would be compulsory. A young Chinese woman has claimed she was held for eight days at a secret detention centre run by her country in Dubai with at least two Uyghur Muslims. It may be the first evidence that China is operating a black site or secret jail where prisoners are not usually charged and have no legal protection beyond its borders. Wu Huan, 26, was on the run in Dubai trying to avoid extradition to her home country because her fiance is considered a dissident there. Wus claims were reported by the Associated Press news agency, which said it had not been able to confirm or disprove them independently Miss Wu said yesterday she was abducted from a hotel in the emirate and detained by Chinese officials at a villa converted into a jail. While there, she said she saw or heard two other prisoners, both members of the largely Muslim Uyghur minority which is heavily persecuted in China. She was questioned and threatened in Chinese and forced to sign legal documents incriminating her fiance Wang Jingyu, 19, for harassing her, she said. She was released on June 8 and is now seeking asylum with Mr Wang in the Netherlands. Miss Wu and Mr Wang are not Uyghurs but Han Chinese, the majority ethnicity in China. Mr Wang is wanted by China because he posted messages questioning Chinese media coverage of the Hong Kong protests in 2019 and Chinas actions in a border clash with India. Black sites are common in China but Miss Wus account is the only evidence known to experts that Beijing has one in another country. Miss Wu and Mr Wang are not Uyghurs but Han Chinese, the majority ethnicity in China Its existence would reflect how China is increasingly using its international clout to detain or bring back citizens it wants from overseas, whether they are dissidents, corruption suspects or ethnic minorities such as Uyghurs. Miss Wus claims were reported by the Associated Press news agency, which said it had not been able to confirm or disprove them independently. She could not pinpoint the exact location of the black site. Chinas foreign ministry denied her claims, saying: The situation the person talked about is not true. The authorities in Dubai did not respond to requests for comment on claims of a foreign black site there. Radha Stirling, a lawyer from the group Detained in Dubai, said she has worked with about a dozen people claiming to have been held in villas in the United Arab Emirates, including citizens of Canada, India and Jordan but not China. The benefits of coronavirus vaccines far outweigh a very rare risk of Bell's palsy, a study suggests. Bell's palsy is the sudden onset of one-sided facial paralysis, and in the majority of cases the condition resolves itself within six months without treatment. Research suggests a small number of cases have been reported in clinical trials of some Covid vaccines, but analysis of the link has come to conflicting conclusions. In the US, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) did not consider there to be a clear link with the two mRNA vaccines - the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs. Acute partial facial paralysis has been reported by the European Medicines Agency as a rare side effect of both vaccines, which are being used in the UK. Meanwhile current prescribing information for China's CoronaVac jab, which is not being used in the UK, does not list Bell's palsy as a rare adverse event - but new findings mean warnings will now be included on the potential association. In the new research, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, researchers analysed cases of the condition related to the two approved vaccines in Hong Kong - CoronaVac and the Pfizer jab. Meanwhile current prescribing information for China's CoronaVac jab, which is not being used in the UK, does not list Bell's palsy as a rare adverse event - but new findings mean warnings will now be included on the potential association Bell's palsy cases were included in the analysis if they occurred within 42 days of a first or second vaccine dose. Researchers also conducted a case-control study using electronic health records databases including 298 Bell's palsy cases and 1,181 matched controls. Between February 23 and May 4 this year, 28 clinically confirmed cases of Bell's palsy were identified among the 451,939 people who received at least a first dose of CoronaVac. What is Bell's palsy? Bell's palsy is a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles in one side of the face. It is a rare condition which is believed to affect around one in 5,000 people each year. It is is believed to occur when the nerve that controls the muscles in your face becomes compressed. The exact cause is unknown, although it's thought to be because the facial nerve becomes inflamed, possibly due to a viral infection. Variants of the herpes virus may be responsible. Around seven out of 10 people with Bell's palsy make a complete recovery, with or without treatment. Most people notice an improvement in their symptoms after about two to three weeks. However, a complete recovery can take between three and six months. Advertisement Sixteen cases were identified among the 537,205 individuals who received at least a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Experts analysed data from 2010-20, and estimated the background risk of Bell's palsy in Hong Kong - around 27 cases per 100,000 people per year. The case-control study found that receiving CoronaVac was associated with 2..4 times increased risk of Bell's palsy, whereas the Pfizer jab was not associated with a significantly increased risk. The researchers concluded that for every 100,000 people vaccinated with CoronaVac, an additional 4.8 people may develop Bell's palsy. For the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, the increased risk was equivalent to an additional two cases per 100,000 people. The researchers said more studies are needed to evaluate the association between Bell's palsy and the Pfizer vaccine. Lead author Professor Ian Chi Kei Wong, from the University of Hong Kong, said: 'Our study suggests a small increased risk of Bell's palsy associated with CoronaVac vaccination. 'Nevertheless, Bell's palsy remains a rare, mostly temporary, adverse event. 'All evidence to date, from multiple studies, shows that the beneficial and protective effects of the inactivated Covid-19 vaccine far outweigh any risks.' The mechanism by which vaccination, in very rare instances, leads to Bell's palsy remains unclear. Further analyses are also needed to understand whether the risk varies by sex or age, the experts said. She cited Tennessee's mature minor doctrine, which has been in law since 1987 It gave information allowing teens over 14 to get jab without parental permission Fiscus believes she was fired for publishing a letter in support of Fiscus believes she was fired for publishing a letter in support of teenagers getting vaccinated against COVID-19 Fiscus on Monday maintained that she did not mail it to herself Fiscus on Monday maintained that she did not mail it to herself But an investigation by Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security traced the package back to a credit card in Fiscus' name Fiscus alleged the package - which had no note - was meant to intimidate her Shortly before her firing, Fiscus claimed someone anonymously sent a dog muzzle to her state office through Amazon Tennessee's top vaccination official has been accused of lying about mailing a dog muzzle to herself before she was fired for publishing a memo supporting children over the age of 14 getting a COVID-19 vaccine without parental permission. Shortly before her firing, Dr. Michelle Fiscus claimed someone anonymously sent a dog muzzle to her state office through Amazon in the mail in an attempt to intimidate her. During a recent appearance on CNN, Fiscus told Anderson Cooper there was no note to accompany the package, and that Amazon refused to reveal the sender when she contacted them. 'At first, I thought that was a joke and contacted a few friends, and then, when no one claimed it, I realized that that was something that was sent to me as some kind of a message,' Fiscus said. Fiscus said she reported the incident to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, which conducted an investigation and discovered the package containing the muzzle traced back to a credit card in Fiscus' name. Following questions from investigators, Fiscus provided information for an Amazon account in her name which was a different account than the one used to purchase the muzzle. However, officials concluded 'the results of this investigation that purchases from both Amazon accounts were charged to the same American Express credit card in the name of Dr. Michelle D. Fiscus.' Fiscus refuted the investigation's findings in a tweet on Monday, saying: 'Hold tight. No I did not send it to myself.' Shortly before her firing, Dr. Michelle Fiscus (pictured) claimed someone anonymously sent a dog muzzle to her state office through Amazon in the mail in an attempt to intimidate her During a recent appearance on CNN, Fiscus (right) told Anderson Cooper (left) there was no note to accompany the package, and that Amazon refused to reveal the sender 'At first, I thought that was a joke and contacted a few friends, and then, when no one claimed it, I realized that that was something that was sent to me as some kind of a message,' Fiscus said of the muzzle (pictured) Fiscus maintained that she did not mail the dog muzzle to herself in a tweet on Monday In July, Fiscus said she was presented with a letter of resignation and a letter of termination amid scrutiny from Republican state lawmakers over her department's outreach efforts to vaccinate teenagers against the virus. Fiscus, who was the medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the Tennessee Department of Health, chose to be fired and said she was not given a reason for her ouster. But the expert added that she believes her termination came because she sent out information on May 10 about the mature minor doctrine, according to News Channel 5. Dr Michelle Fiscus was fired Monday after she published a memo supporting teenagers over the age of 14 getting a Covid-19 vaccine without parental permission In July, Fiscus said she was presented with a letter of resignation and a letter of termination amid scrutiny from Republican state lawmakers over her department's outreach efforts to vaccinate teenagers against the virus 'I was told that I should have been more 'politically aware' and that I 'poked the bear' when I sent a memo to medical providers clarifying a 34-year-old Tennessee Supreme Court ruling,' Fiscus said. 'I am not a political operative, I am a physician who was, until today, charged with protecting the people of Tennessee, including its children, against preventable diseases like COVID-19.' The doctrine is a rule of law in the US and Canada arguing that an unemancipated minor may have the maturity to choose or reject health care treatment without the knowledge of their parents, and should be allowed to do so. Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee's administration and the Health Department declined to comment on the firing, citing personnel matters. In a June committee meeting, Republican lawmakers criticized the letter that she was told had been 'blessed by the governor's office'. The firing of Fiscus comes amid scrutiny from Republican state lawmakers over her department's efforts to vaccinate teenagers against COVID-19. Pictured: Boy, 12, is given COVID jab on May 13 An expert added that she believes her termination came because she sent out information on May 10 about the mature minor doctrine, according to News Channel 5 Tennessee has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Only 38 percent of the state's nearly seven million residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Republican lawmakers also admonished her agency for its communications about the vaccine, including online posts. One graphic, featuring a photo of a smiling child with a Band-Aid on his arm, said: 'Tennesseans 12+ are eligible for vaccines. Give COVID-19 vaccines a shot.' During the hearing, Republican Rep. Scott Cepicky held a printout of a Facebook ad touting eligibility for teens and called the agency's advocacy 'reprehensible,' likening it to peer pressure. Asked about the hearing last month, Gov. Lee said generally that the state will 'continue to encourage folks to seek access - adults for their children, and adults for themselves to make the personal choice for vaccine'. WHAT IS THE MATURE MINOR DOCTRINE? Mature minor doctrine is a legal principle which allows a minor to make decisions about his or her health and welfare, if they can show that they are mature enough to make a decision on their own. This prevents the usual necessity for parental consent from becoming a barrier to treatment about which children may be reluctant to inform parents. Not all states recognize the common-law mature-minor doctrine. In the states where it exists, the mature minor doctrine takes into consideration the age and situation of the minor to determine maturity, in addition to factors and conduct that can prove maturity. This doctrine has been consistently applied in cases where the minor is sixteen years or older, understands the medical procedure in question, and the procedure is not serious. Application of the doctrine in other circumstances is more questionable. Source: US Legal Advertisement Two weeks after the hearing, the Health Department told county-level employees to stop vaccination events aimed at teens and to halt online outreach to them, The Tennessean reported, citing emails it obtained. Fiscus said that issues on vaccine communication first arose last fall, before the shots were federally authorized. She said health officials asked for permission to start messaging about how COVID vaccines would be safe, effective and well-studied - which was denied. The governor's office then controlled communication, while Fiscus added that the state's public messaging began this May. 'When the vaccines did finally become available, the messaging that came from the governor's communication team was, 'Talk to your doctor to see if COVID-19 vaccine is right for you',' Fiscus said. 'We tried to explain that this is not a foot powder. This is the life-saving tool that we have to fight this pandemic and that we should be strongly encouraging people to get vaccinated.' Following the scrutiny from Republican state lawmakers, Fiscus said she was given both a resignation letter and a termination letter on Monday, but chose to be fired claiming she 'didn't do anything wrong'. Fiscus then penned a blistering 1,200-word response to the decision in which she fumed that she is ashamed of Tennessee's leaders and afraid for her state. 'I don't think they realized how much of an advocate I am for public health and how intolerant of injustice I am,' Fiscus told The Associated Press on Tuesday. She said she was 'angry for the amazing people of the Tennessee Department of Health who have been mistreated by an uneducated public and leaders who have only their own interests in mind.' Fiscus also claimed that the Tennessee Department of Health has halted all outreach efforts around any kind of vaccines for children, not just COVID ones, which confirmed through department documents. The decision to end vaccine outreach and school events came from Health Commissioner Dr Lisa Piercey, according to the publication. The Health Department will still send postcards reminding adults to get their second dose of the COVID vaccine, but teenagers will be excluded from the mailing list so it is not interpreted as 'solicitation to minors'. Tennessee's health department reportedly told county-level employees to stop vaccination events aimed at teenagers. Pictured: Woman is given COVID vaccine July 9 in Los Angeles Some Democrats criticized the firing, with state Sen. Raumesh Akbari alleging that Fiscus was 'sacrificed in favor of anti-vaccine ideology.' House Speaker Cameron Sexton was one of few Republicans to weigh in, saying through a spokesperson that health officials made the decision internally. Sexton's spokesperson, Doug Kufner, said: 'While members have expressed concerns about the department's recent vaccine marketing strategy, Speaker Sexton will not speculate on the factors that went into this decision. 'However, Speaker Sexton does believe that those who have voiced their dissent agree with yesterday's outcome.' Meanwhile, Republican state Sen. Richard Briggs, a physician, said he's unsure why Fiscus got fired, but added that 'it would be wrong if the reason for her firing was because she had a campaign to try to get our children vaccinated'. He said he doesn't want to second-guess the department, but 'because of the way it at least looks superficially without the details being known, there probably needs to be some clarification'. A single Sydney mum has claimed she was 'shamed' by her daughter's school for sending her into the classroom during the city's Covid-19 lockdown. The mother took her eight-year-old daughter to the Brighton Le-Sands Public school in Sydney's south on August 3 only for her child to return home with a letter asking parents to keep their children at home unless they are 'essential workers'. 'We are aware that some families are bringing their children to school because 'it is too hard to keep them at home'. If this is you, please keep your child at home,' the letter said. The mother - who asked to remain anonymous - said she was outraged at the response as she has to care for a toddler at home while trying to launch her own architecture business. The mother took her eight-year-old daughter to the Brighton Le-Sands Public school in Sydney's south on August 3 only for her child to return home with a letter asking parents to keep their children at home unless they are 'essential workers' 'I got very upset because they had clearly discussed the letter with my daughter at school and she came home saying, ''Mummy, I have a very important letter''. Then she told me she didn't want to go to school anymore,' she told news.com.au. The school said 15 per cent of students had been going into the classroom, which was well above the state average during lockdown and had concerned the local community. 'We are receiving complaints from our community regarding students who are in attendance while neither parent is working or where there are parents working from home,' the note continued. The mother said she shares the custody of her children with her former partner and needed to work in order to get paid. 'They almost shame the children as well as the parents and that's what upset me the most,' she said. The letter said that the school was open to children of essential workers and parents needed to keep their kids at home if a parent was present She said parents shouldn't have to explain their motives for sending their kids to school during the city's lockdown. With her extended family living overseas, the single mum said she has little support around her. 'I have a young son who is a toddler and I work for myself. I don't survive if I have to sit up and work all night and then care for the kids in the day,' the mother said. A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said the letter did not mean to cause offence or shame the parents of the school. 'The letter from Brighton Le Sands Public School does not intend to shame parents, is not directed at any one parent and re-emphasises the current health advice that parents and carers in Greater Sydney should keep their children at home if they can,' they said. 'This advice from NSW Health is aimed at reducing transmission of the virus. Parents with children at schools under level four restrictions must keep them home if they can. 'Schools and outside of school hours care (OOSHC) services remain open for any child who need it, example if their parent or carer is an essential worker, and no child will be turned away. 'The wellbeing and safety of students and staff is our priority, and overwhelmingly, parents have not been sending their children to school, and we thank them for their efforts.' Brighton Le-Sands was recently added to the list of LGAs in Sydney that have come under tougher restrictions. Those in the area must only leave home if they have a reasonable excuse and must stay within 5km and carry a mask at all times. New South Wales recorded 452 locally acquired cases on Tuesday. A Texas murder suspect was released from jail on Monday after his trial was postponed when Dallas police revealed they had lost a massive amount of criminal data. Jonathan Pitts wore a face mask and an ankle monitor as he walked from the Frank Crowley Courts Building adjoining Dallas County's main jail. The release of Pitts, who is charged in the January 2019 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Shun Handy, was ordered as authorities race to determine how many cases may have had evidence, including photos, videos and case notes, vanish in the eight-terabyte data loss. Prosecutors told state District Judge Ernie White last Thursday that they needed more time to work with police to audit the materials in Pitts' case to determine if anything was lost. Jonathan Pitts, a murder suspect, walks out of court in Dallas on Monday after being released over Dallas Police Department's massive evidence loss A judge let Pitts go without bail because prosecutors were not ready for his trial last week White granted Pitts release without having him post bail because state law requires a person be freed if prosecutors are not ready at the time of the trial, his defense attorney, George Ashford III, told the Dallas Morning News. A Dallas police spokesman had said no evidence was lost in Pitts' case. Still, the lead detective said he could not be sure that nothing was missing until a city audit was completed, according to an email exchange between the detective and prosecutor. In a statement last week, the Dallas County District Attorneys Office said the data loss occurred in early April as the Dallas Police Department performed a data migration from a computer network drive. About 14 terabytes of the 22 terabytes lost were recovered, but the remaining eight terabytes are believed lost forever, according to the statement, and would have to be restored by new investigative work. Most up-to-date personal computers have hard-drive memory capacities ranging from a half-terabyte to two terabytes. City information technology officials became aware of the problem on April 5. The police and city IT departments did not reveal it to the district attorneys office until August 6, after prosecutors inquired why they could not find computer files on pending cases. 'My office is now working with the DPD to determine how many cases are affected by the citys data loss in April. It is possible that much of the missing evidence had already been uploaded to this offices data portal prior to April 5, which would have a limited impact to cases,' District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement. However, 'at this time, it is too soon to estimate how many cases will be affected and what the impact will be on those individual cases,' he said. The lost data included images, video, audio, case notes and other information gathered by police officers and detectives, according to a Dallas Police Department statement. A city IT employee was migrating the files, which had not been accessed for the previous six to 18 months, from an online, cloud-based archive to a server at the citys data center. 'While performing the data migration, the employee failed to follow proper, established procedures, resulting in the deletion of the data files,' according to the police statement. Pitts (left) is charged in the January 2019 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Shun Handy (right) Prosecutors have been instructed to verify that all investigating detectives had shared evidence and files on cases with the District Attorneys Office before disposing of the case, Creuzot said. Prosecutors would then disclose in writing any files that were missing, as communicated by the police department. The police statement said the city has assured new measures have been implemented to prevent a repeat of the data loss. Creuzot said he and Police Chief Eddie Garcia 'have been in constant communication on this over the past few days and are committed to ensuring justice is served on each case.' Dallas defense attorney Amanda Branan, the president of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said she was thankful for the disclosure so defense attorneys could request trial postponements and other accommodations. 'It is concerning that it took four months for the Dallas Police Department to inform the district attorney of the loss of the data, she said. In its statement, the police department said it wanted 'to fully evaluate whether the data was recoverable or not to know the full extent of the problem, if any,' before going public. Branan also said she was concerned that evidence that might strengthen defendant defenses might have been lost, so the police department needed to identify which cases the data loss affects so investigators can retrace their steps and restore the lost evidence. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said he was blindsided by news of the data loss, adding that residents now deserve an explanation. Spirit Airlines revealed on August 16 that the cancellation of 2,800 flights that occurred over a 11-day period cost the company about $50million in lost revenue and caused spending to 'literally' soar. The airline said the service meltdown that started in late July and a rise in COVID-19 cases are causing more last-minute cancellations and softer bookings. Spirit said that it will reduce flights - it called the moves 'tactical schedule reductions'- for the rest of the quarter, which ends September 30. With all the cancellations, and now fewer flights for the next six weeks, Spirit estimated that its third-quarter revenue will range between $885million and $955million, or 4% to 11% below the same quarter in pre-pandemic 2019. Spirit said the cancellation of more than 2,800 flights over an 11-day stretch this summer cost the budget airline about $50 million in lost revenue and caused spending to soar on August 16 Spirit's cancellation numbers have returned to more normal levels. However, the airline said that recovering from the crisis caused expenses to climb. The airline said it paid to put some stranded passengers on flights operated by other airlines, and covered their hotel stays. It also incurred higher labor costs, such as overtime. Spirit forecast that its third-quarter operating expenses will be slightly above $1billion - an increase of up to 20% over the third quarter of 2019. The Miramar, Florida-based airline made the disclosures in a regulatory filing after the stock market closed Monday. The airline's shares fell more than 2% in after-market trading. Spirit said it canceled 2,826 flights from July 30 through August 9 as it dealt with 'overlapping challenges' including bad weather, airport staffing shortages and crews being stranded far from their assigned flights. On some days during that stretch, the cancellations amounted to more than 60% of the airline's schedule. CEO Ted Christie apologized for the disruptions, which affected tens of thousands of customers around the country, while portraying them as out of character for the airline. 'We believe the interruption was a singular event driven by an unprecedented confluence of factors and does not reflect systemic issues,' Christie said. He said Spirit has made investments 'to be one of the most efficient and reliable airlines in the U.S. industry' and is taking steps 'to make sure we maintain that standard.' Spirit CEO Ted Christie apologized for the inconvenience the airline caused as it affected tens of thousands of people around the country In recent years, Spirit has scored in the middle of the pack or better for on-time arrivals, as tracked by the federal government. It was third-best last year, behind only Hawaiian Airlines and Delta Air Lines. However, Spirit has struggled with a high rate of consumer complaints for many years. In 2019, it had the highest rate of complaints among 16 airlines in rankings compiled by the Transportation Department. However, it improved to 12th out of 16 last year. Earlier this month, Spirit received a massive string of complaints after flights were being continuously canceled, including some on social media. One user tweeted: 'So my @SpiritAirlines cancelled my flight for tomorrow, and with that, those flights of my party of 9 passengers a youth team heading to Ultimate Frisbee Nationals in Minnesota. 'There's something ironic that we won't be taking Spirit to an Ultimate Tournament.' Another user said: '@JeffBezos Please buy Spirit Airlines, so I can get to my destinations as fast as I get my packages! @SpiritAirlines I had to borrow 700.00 I don't have for a flight all because you failed to let me @ know in time of the cancellation.' Spirit Airlines has received the highest number of complaints among 16 other airlines according to a 2019 ranking compiled by the Transportation Department Angered customers took to social media to express their distaste for Spirit after their flights were unexpectedly cancelled Other horror stories include those of seven months-pregnant Robin Wilson, who on Wednesday was left to fend for herself. 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. 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.' Scrapping free prescriptions for over-60s would be a kick in the teeth for older people and the NHS, a charity has warned. Age UK says 2.4million more Britons would have to pay the 9.35 charge if ministers press ahead with plans to raise the qualifying age from 60 to 66. It fears many will be unable to afford the cost, so will forgo their drugs and become more ill placing a bigger burden on the health service. Scrapping free prescriptions for over-60s would be a kick in the teeth for older people and the NHS, a charity has warned. Picture: Stock It added scrapping free prescriptions for this age group is likely to exacerbate existing health inequalities and have a devastating impact on older peoples health. Caroline Abrahams, Age UKs charity director, said: This proposed policy is a kick in the teeth, both for poorly older people and the NHS. 'It is also extremely ill-judged because the money the Government will save will almost certainly be outweighed by the additional costs to the NHS, if people fail to take their medication because they cant afford it and become ill. The Department of Health wants to bring the free prescription age in line with the state pension age which is currently 66. It fears many will be unable to afford the cost, so will forgo their drugs and become more ill placing a bigger burden on the health service. Picture: Stock It is estimated the move could bring in 300million for the NHS by 2026/27. A health department spokesman said the age people received free prescriptions in England had not changed since 1974 for women, and 1995 for men. He added: We continue to protect the most vulnerable and support is available for those on a low income and on certain benefits. Located between Orkney and Shetland, it is Britains most remote inhabited island with more puffins than people. Now Fair Isle is looking for a new head teacher to join its 60-strong community. In a role described as a once in a lifetime opportunity, the head will join two support staff at Fair Isle Primary School, which currently has three pupils. He or she will work 35 hours a week and receive a salary of 56,787 a year, plus an annual payment of 2,265 under the Scottish governments Distant Islands Allowance, to encourage qualified workers to take jobs on remote islands. Fair Isle, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, is around 25 miles south of the Shetland mainland and 25 miles north of North Ronaldsay in Orkney. Fair Isle is looking for a new head teacher to join its 60-strong community It can by reached by a two-and-a-half-hour ferry trip or 25-minute flight from Shetland. Unsurprisingly, expenses will be paid to those attending the interview for the new head and a relocation package will be offered to the successful candidate. The job advert says: As well as the relevant qualifications and experience, qualities we are looking for are: a can-do attitude, vision, energy, initiative, good communication skills and self-discipline. Susannah Parnaby, of the Fair Isle Primary School Parent Council, said: There are lots of opportunities for creative teaching. Fair Isle is a great place to live. The island which is roughly three square miles is known for its natural beauty, knitwear and seabirds including around 10,000 puffins at the last count. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has blasted 'evil' bigots for anti-Semitic hate campaigns over the allegedly illegal Melbourne engagement party. The comments came after a backlash against the city's Jewish community following the weekend's suspected Covid super-spreader party with 69 guests in St Kilda. Six people who were at the party now have Covid with four more testing positive on Tuesday, health department deputy secretary Kate Matson revealed. One female support staff worker at Royal Melbourne Hospital has been sacked for posting a disturbing anti-Semitic threat on Facebook. Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to repeat the offensive post. Victoria Premier Dan Andrews, pictured, has blasted 'evil' bigots for anti-Semitic hate campaigns over the allegedly illegal Melbourne engagement party Other similar comments online sparked a furious reaction from Mr Andrews at Tuesday's press conference, who branded it 'pretty appalling commentary'. Friends and family of the couple at the centre of the row said they were 'not doing well at all' under the strain of the vitriol. 'Everyone makes mistakes, and some people do break the rules, but the abuse they have been subjected to is indefensible,' the friend told the Herald Sun. The groom-to-be's mother begged the anti-Semitic abusers to back off after being bombarded by vicious hate messages online and by voicemail. Their businesses are also being targeted with fake one star reviews, including the father of the bride-to-be's medical practice now rated just 1.1 stars. 'We did wrong but the hate coming our way is just so mean,' she said. 'Look into your heart and try to find forgiveness,' The premier called for the abuse to stop immediately and said: 'Anti-Semitism is unacceptable and evil. We have a zero tolerance approach to that in our state. 'There's no sense that anyone needs to be harassing anybody and there is never, ever, a place in Victoria for anti-Semitic behaviour or language, it's simply evil. 'We called out some bad behaviour yesterday, we didn't call out a community, because that would be simply unfair and wrong. In shocking footage shared online by someone at the party, huge groups of friends and family are seen mingling without masks at the party held mid-week in Melbourne He added: 'The event was not was not a function of being Jewish. It was a stupid function. It was an illegal function. There was not an act of faith or culture. 'Those people are being dealt with them breaking the rules, it was not a reflection on the Jewish community. 'Anti-Semitism is just pure evil. If you want to try it and that sort of stuff will then there'll be consequences for you too, because it's just not on.' Mr Andrews said he had met with Jewish community leaders in the wake of the party who had also spoken out to condemn the engagement party. ' Medics at the party are also now under investigation after they were reported to the the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. A newly engaged couple are at the centre of the scandal in Melbourne after footage emerged (pictured) showing the groom-to-be joking about the gathering during lockdown Footage from the gathering showed the unmasked guests openly mocking the lockdown laws they were flouting. The groom-to-be is seen in the clip bragging about the party's shady status. 'Clearly this is legal because this is a group therapy session,' he jokes, standing next to his bride-to-be as the packed room erupts in laughter. 'That's why my father's here!' One of the revellers shouts: 'He's a mental health clinician!' Mr Andrews, pictured, said he had met with Jewish community leaders in the wake of the party who had also spoken out to condemn the engagement party Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said police were investigating the engagement party and expected to fine every adult attendee. He added: 'If you take off a few for each child, that's going to be over $350,000 worth of fines. That's an expensive engagement party.' The alleged illegal engagement party drew more than 69 guests, with video revealing them laughing at the lockdown laws they were flouting. Royal Melbourne Hospital, pictured, confirmed it had sacked a worker over her 'abhorrent and disgraceful' comments about the party online Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed it had sacked a worker over her 'abhorrent and disgraceful' comments about the party online. 'The Royal Melbourne Hospital is aware of a hospital support staff member who made an abhorrent and disgraceful anti-Semitic comment,' a statement said. 'The comment does not reflect the Royal Melbourne Hospital and our values. We do not tolerate racial or religious hatred, contempt or ridicule. 'The staff member is no longer an employee of the hospital and we apologise for the hurt and anger this has caused. The engagement party and a 200-street party in Northcote saw a 9pm-5am curfew put in place on Monday and Victoria's lockdown extended for another two weeks. Seen here is a woman exercising in St Kilda on Monday 'We stand with and support our Jewish staff members, patients and community.' At least two medical professionals are understood to have attended the engagement party, which is also being investigated by police. 'We are aware that Victoria Police have stated that they intend to take action with respect to individuals who attended the event,' an APHRA spokesperson told AAP. 'We will liaise with them in relation to any registered health practitioners who were present.' Six people who were at the St Kilda engagement party now have Covid with four more testing positive on Tuesday, Health department deputy secretary Kate Matson revealed. Seen here are two women exercising in The Tan on Monday The newly elected president of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Daniel Aghion, called for calm and said anyone concerned about exposure should contact authorities. 'We are disappointed to learn that a small group have not been following mandatory lockdown restrictions,' he said in a statement. 'We too feel the immense frustration at the current situation, and are focusing our support on significant efforts being made to contain the virus.' The Rabbinical Council of Victoria also urged the community to follow restrictions. Victoria has recorded another 24 coronavirus cases on the first day of its hardest lockdown since its deadly second wave a year ago. A woman is pictured here running in St Kilda 'We implore anybody considering flouting the law to refrain from doing so. We unreservedly condemn such actions, which bring risk and shame to the entire community,' the council said. The function and a 200-street party in Northcote prompted a 9pm-5am curfew to be put in place on Monday and Victoria's lockdown extended for another two weeks. Victoria has recorded another 24 coronavirus cases on the first day of its hardest lockdown since its deadly second wave a year ago. Just 10 of the new cases were in isolation during their infectious period, and three were mystery cases not yet linked to known infections. They were diagnosed from 31,519 tests and 25,742 vaccine doses were administered on Monday. Real estate heir Robert Durst's defense team wrestled on the ground in court yesterday in a bizarre re-enactment of his neighbor's murder. Durst is on trial for the execution-style killing of his best friend Susan Berman, who was found dead in her Beverly Hills home in December 2000. On Monday, the court heard how 10 months after her death, Durst shot dead his neighbor, Morris Black, and dismembered his body. He was acquitted of that murder after claiming self-defense. As Durst described how he shot Morris, his defense team, Dick DeGuerin and David Chesnoff, re-enacted the scene by wrestling each other to the floor with a fake gun in hand, prompting laughs from the judge and the jury. 'That's a full-service law firm,' Durst said. 'This is my favorite part of the whole trial so far,' said Judge Mark Windham, according to Law & Crime. 'I know who to root for here,' said prosecutor John Lewin. Police claimed at the time that Durst killed Black because he discovered the real estate heir was hiding out in Texas after Berman's death. The murder trial of real estate heir Robert Durst took a strange turn when his defense lawyers re-enacted how he accidentally shot dead his neighbor months after Susan Berman was executed. Dick DeGuerin (portraying Durst) and David Chesnoff (portraying Black) acted out the struggle that led to Robert Durst killing his neighbor Morris Black in 2001 'That's a full-service law firm,' Durst said in response to the re-enactment Durst, 78, has denied killing Susan Berman. Prosecutors allege Durst killed Berman because she knew too much about the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen, in 1982. Durst has never been charged in connection to her disappearance. The timeline that led police to suspect Robert Durst was a serial killer - and how he was unmasked January 31, 1982: Kathleen McCormack, Durst's first wife, is last seen by someone other than Durst 1999: A New York State Police investigation into the disappearance of McCormack, now declared legally dead, is re-opened December 24, 2000: Susan Berman, a friend of Durst who facilitated his alibi in McCormack's disappearance, is found murdered execution-style at her Los Angeles home October 9, 2001: Durst is arrested in Texas after body parts of his elderly neighbor, Morris Black, are found floating in a nearby bay November 11, 2003: Due to a lack of forensic evidence, Durst is acquitted of Black's murder December 21, 2004: Durst pleads guilty to two counts of bail jumping and one count of evidence tampering. He is sentenced to five years in prison but receives credit for time served July 15, 2005: Durst receives parole and is released from prison. He briefly returns to prison after violating parole and is released again in March of 2006 February 8, 2015: HBO's The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, premieres. The show investigates the deaths of McCormack, Berman and Black March 16, 2015: The day after The Jinx finale airs, in which Durst off-handedly rambles to himself that he 'killed them all, of course,' Durst is arrested on first-degree murder charges in Berman's death March 2, 2020: After years of postponements, Durst appears at trial for Berman's murder May 17, 2021: Westchester County DA reclassifies McCormack investigation as a murder June 14, 2021: Following delays due to the pandemic and Durst's failing health, the trial is reconvened Advertisement With the Los Angeles County Superior Court jury in his latest murder trial aware of Durst's past, the defense team again called him to testify, as he has done for several days in a wheelchair and county jail uniform. He later will be cross-examined by prosecutors. Durst described on the stand on Monday how he left both the scene of Morris' and Berman's murders. In each case, he said he had made an initial attempt to call 911 emergency number before abandoning the scene of each murder. In the case of Susan Berman's murder, Durst said he discovered her body in a bedroom after arriving at her home, seeing the back door open, and entering the house. He said he first tried to call 911 from Berman's line, but the cordless phone was dead. He then drove to a pay phone and called 911 and reached an operator, but hung up rather than give his name. So he wrote a letter instead to police that said only 'cadaver' and listed her address, an admission that came after lying about the letter for years. 'I decided that instead of calling 911 I would send police a letter telling them that Susan was dead in her house,' Durst said. He then sent the note. Durst said he didn't remember the details of writing the note because he was in a fog after taking an opioid pain-reliever the night before for a migraine headache. Durst said he had always denied writing the note - including to documentary filmmakers who confronted him with a letter he once sent Berman with nearly identical handwriting and the same misspelling of Beverly. His lawyers acknowledged Durst sent the note before the trial started and have left it up to Durst to explain his actions directly to jurors. Durst denied killing Berman and said he had no motive to kill her. He denied that Berman, who was in financial trouble and had been supported by him over the years, had been blackmailing him. 'Why? Because it's a very difficult thing to believe. I mean I have difficulty believing it myself. That I would write the letter had I had not killed Susan Berman,' Durst said. Shortly after Berman's death, Durst took an apartment in Galveston, Texas, where he befriended Black. But the relationship became strained after Black fired a gun inside Durst's apartment, he claimed. Durst said he came home one day to find Black there, and discovered his gun was missing from its hiding place in the oven. Durst said Black had it and as Black, and as his neighbor wheeled toward him, Durst grabbed the gun before they wrestled to the floor, and the gun went off. The bullet struck Black in the face. A Texas jury acquitted Durst of killing Black after he testified it was in self-defense, although he admitted to evidence tampering for chopping up his body with an ax and dumping it in Galveston Bay. He was later found guilty of evidence tampering, and reached a plea deal with prosecutors where he served three years in jail. Durst, 78, is on trial for the execution-style murder of his best friend Susan Berman.Prosecutors allege Durst killed Berman because she knew too much about the disappearance of his wife two decades earlier Kathleen McCormack, Durst's first wife, was last seen by someone other than Durst on January 31, 1982 Durst's cases have received new attention since the Emmy-winning HBO series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst aired in 2015. On the day after the finale, Durst was arrested in connection with Berman's murder. The disappearance of Durst's first wife, Kathleen, was reopened as a murder case in May of 2021. She was last seen by someone other than Durst on January 31, 1982. David Chesnoff is one of the attorneys representing Durst in the Berman murder trial An Australian mother whose husband is stuck in war-torn Kabul with his sick parents has relived the heartbreaking moment her young son left his father a voice message asking if he was 'going to die in Afghanistan?' Zarghona Barez's husband Baser Rasikh flew from Sydney to the Afghan capital in early July to try and move his mother and father to a neighbouring country for medical care. When the Taliban stormed the city on Sunday and barred nationals from leaving the country, the 31-year-old father realised he wouldn't be able to go back home to be with his young six-year-old son and one-year-old daughter. Ms Barez, who lives in Blacktown in Sydney's west and works as a teacher, told Daily Mail Australia that 'stressed' and 'uncertain' don't even begin to describe how she is feeling. Pictured: Zarghona Barez, her husband Baser Rasikh and their six-year-old son, who asked if his father was 'going to die in Afghanistan' Thousands of Afghans rush to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul after the Taliban took over on Sunday Families have been torn apart as the Taliban barred Afghan nationals from leaving the country. Pictured: People arriving in Italy on an evacuation flight 'He's in the very heart of Kabul but he doesn't want to leave his parents and little brothers behind,' the 31-year-old said. 'The day-to-day safety of people in Kabul is uncertain, but even if he had the chance to chance to come back he wouldn't because he can't leave them there.' She explained that the Taliban have so far allowed for a peaceful transition of power and 'there are no gun shots going off', Afghani nationals fear the situation could take a dire turn. 'That could be a tactic they're using for now - they could turn around and start doing what they did 20 years ago,' she said. The Taliban is a Sunni Islamist organisation that captured Kabul in 1996 and enforced a range of strict rules, preventing women from working, studying, travelling alone, and forcing them to cover themselves from head to toe. TV, music and non-Islamic holidays were also banned, and punishments such as stoning, whipping and hanging were implemented. US troop took over after the 9/11 terror attacks and prevented the Taliban from regaining power for two decades, until Joe Biden's government started removing US forces from the Middle Eastern nation in July. Pictured: Taliban fighters stand guard in a vehicle along the roadside in Kabul on August 16 after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war. Some Australians have been left stranded Ms Barez said the next few days will be a 'critical' indicator as to how the Tliban will run Afghanistan. Pictured: People struggle to cross the boundary wall of Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee the country As the terror group regains control, Ms Barez said: 'The next few days are critical and will give a good indication about what's going to happen.' 'But what do I do if my husband says he doesn't want to return unless he's not sure that his family is safe? she asked. 'When I listen to the news, I don't know what to believe. People are literally clinging to life. The government saying they're going to get citizens and it's given me hope, but his family are still there.' Ms Barez has tried explaining the situation to her son by saying there are 'good police and bad police', but the youngster left a four-second voice message to his dad last week asking if he was 'going to die' in Afghanistan. A statement from the Taliban said they would allow safe passage to any foreigners intending to leave, but Afghan nationals would be barred from departing. On Monday, harrowing scenes showed people swarming Kabul's airport to try and get on military evacuation flights - with some people so desperate to flee they clung to planes as they took off, and fell to their deaths. Countless Australians who were born in Afghanistan have lost contact with family members stranded in the capital, and are now forced to sit back and watch in horror as the extremist group tear the country apart. Pictured: A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The flight landed in Qatar Australians and citizens from countries all over the world are now scrambling to leave the Middle Eastern nation. Pictured: Afghans gather around the area of Kabul Airport A 22-year-old Adelaide woman who was born in Afghanistan was so desperate to see her fiance that she tried to book a flight to Kabul on Friday before the airport closed, 'just to stay with him in whatever circumstance,' she said. They met at a wedding at the age of 15 and have not physically seen each other since - maintaining a relationship via telephone for seven years. Her fiance's parents, siblings, nieces and nephews are all living in Australia, but he is not a citizen and was not able to travel to South Australia last year, as planned, due to Covid-19 border closures. As tensions in Afghanistan intensified, the 23-year-old man applied and was rejected for travel exemption to Australia about nine times. He is now stuck in the Taliban-ruled nation indefinitely and does not know if he will ever be able to see his future bride again. Pictured: Taliban fighter mans a machine gun on top of a vehicle as they patrol along a street in Kabul on August 16 During one of their last conversations, the young man asked his fiancee: 'Will we ever see each other again? Will you get married to someone else once I am gone?' She has registered him for emergency evacuation from Kabul, but the government said it cannot guarantee him out as he is not an Australian and they are not married yet. One Melbourne man, who did not want to be identified to protect his family, is stuck in Kabul after flying over in June to bring his Afghani wife and daughters back to Australia. His wife applied for her Australian visa more than a year ago, but it was not granted before the extremist group raised the Taliban flag at the Presidential Palace on the weekend. On Monday, the father told Daily Mail Australia that he was so terrified he couldn't sleep. 'It has been absolutely scary being here in Kabul where it gets more dangerous by the hour,' he said. Australian authorities say they will try and evacuate people from Afghanistan. Pictured: Afghani nationals arriving in Italy 'I am very worried about my family as I am not able to leave them behind in this situation. 'I would like to urge the government to kindly process the visa and allow us to travel with our family.' Members of a private Facebook have been asking him whether he is okay over the past 24 hours, but he has not responded. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has authorised plans for troops and equipment to help evacuate citizens still in Afghanistan. 'That's where we'll stage from, but we'll work with the Americans and others including the Turks to make a very difficult, tragic situation the best it could be,' he said. More than 250 Australian defence personnel will be deployed to support three RAAF aircraft to evacuate citizens and visa holders under a US-led operation. The government will help citizens working with NGOs, contractors and dual nationals, who had stayed since Australia shut its embassy in May. 'We'll provide assistance to withdraw them and that will take some time,' Mr Dutton said. Anthony Albanese has been accused of 'deliberately creating vaccine hesitancy' by not explicitly encouraging Australians to get the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Labor leader, who has received two doses of the Pfizer jab, has encouraged Australians to get vaccinated but critics say he often avoids mentioning AstraZeneca in his press conferences and hasn't promoted the jab on his social media pages. This stands in stark contrast to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and even other Labor frontbenchers who frequently celebrate the Oxford University designed vaccine, which is abundant in Australia and can help us return to normal life. Anthony Albanese (pictured getting the Pfizer jab in February) has been accused of 'deliberately creating vaccine hesitancy' by not explicitly encouraging people to take the AstraZeneca vaccine On Monday, for example, Mr Albanese urged Australians to take a Covid vaccine but did not name AstraZeneca, which is made in Melbourne and licenced for over 18s. 'The best vaccine is the one in your arm. We need to make sure that that occurs,' he said. Australia's top medical experts say the AstraZeneca jab is safe and effective, despite an extremely low risk of blood clotting, which has made many Australians hesitant to take it. Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes said Mr Albanese's apparent lack of enthusiasm for AstraZeneca was undermining the government's vaccination program. 'Vaccination rates are increasing exponentially, no thanks to Mr Albanese and his deliberate efforts to create vaccine hesitancy. He can barely say the word AstraZeneca,' she told Daily Mail Australia. A spokesman for Mr Albanese strongly refuted the claim he had undermined the vaccination rollout, saying there was 'no evidence' to support it. Just over 10 million Australians have been vaccinated with at least one dose - but the country's rollout is still way behind Western nations. Pictured: The Olympic Park vax hub in Sydney Liberals maintain that Mr Albanese could be doing a lot more to promote the jab and say other Labor frontbenchers have led the way. Pictured: Former leader Bill Shorten promotes the jab In a press conference on June 29, Mr Albanese declined to endorse the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying: 'Politicians shouldn't be the ones giving health advice. Medical experts should.' In four separate media interviews on August 3, the Labor leader backed the jab and mentioned it by name when prompted. 'For people who can get AstraZeneca, they certainly should,' he told the ABC. But his endorsements often carried the caveat that people should 'take their doctor's advice. I'm not a doctor.' And critics say he still hasn't promoted the jab on his Facebook page which has more than 166,000 followers, instead only naming it in negative posts criticising the government. Liberal and National MPs maintain that Mr Albanese could be doing far more to promote the jab and say other Labor frontbenchers have led the way. Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes has slammed Mr Albanese for not promoting AstraZeneca Regional Health Minister David Gillespie told Daily Mail Australia: 'It's essential for all political leaders to instill faith in the vaccine.' On July 30 former leader Bill Shorten visited the CSL factory in Melbourne where the vaccine is being made and wrote on Twitter: 'Made in Australia. Can save Australia. 'Excellent to meet the CSL workers who make AstraZeneca locally. I got the AZ jab. You should too.' He followed this up on August 3 with another post, saying: 'Have now had my second AZ jab. Very happy to be fully vaxxed. Doherty Institute has confirmed the AZ is as effective as Pfizer. Time to get those jabs in arms, friends.' Education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek has also promoted the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying on the same day: 'Just received my second dose of AZ. Feeling grateful that in a few weeks' time I'll be better protected against Covid-19.' There are no such celebrations of the jab on Mr Albanese's social media pages - and critics say he has only once posted a link to the Department of Health's Covid vaccination website. Liberals also point out that UK Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly promoted the AstraZeneca Vaccine, saying it was 'saving thousands of lives' - and are disappointed that no such bipartisan spirit is shown by Mr Albanese. Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek has promoted the AstraZeneca vaccine on social media UK Labour leader Keir Starmer has actively promoted the AstraZeneca vaccine. Liberals want Mr Albanese to do the same Senator Hughes also slammed the Labor leader over the pre-selection of Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah, a prominent critic of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as the candidate for Higgins at the next election. 'If [Mr Albanese's efforts to create hesitancy were] not bad enough, he's now recruiting anti-vaxxers as candidates,' Senator Hughes said. Dr Ananda-Rajah has insisted she is not an anti-vaxxer and blamed people's hesitancy on 'the government's poor handling of changing health advice'. Government scientists in April recommended AstraZeneca for over 50s and then changed the age bracket to over 60s in June due to rare incidents of blood clots. Mr Albanese has not condemned Dr Ananda-Rajah who claimed on Q&A a rollout with AstraZeneca was a 'population-level experiment' and said Australia was being 'short-changed with an inferior vaccine'. He also declined to speak out against Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young who spread fear about AstraZeneca when she said in a press conference: 'I don't want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness, who if they got Covid, probably wouldn't die.' When asked about Dr Young's alarmist comments earlier this month, the Labor leader simply said: 'Look, I'm not going to join in a pile-on.' Senator Hughes made her comments in response to a scathing op-ed in which Mr Albanese criticised Mr Morrison's management of the Covid-19 pandemic. With 14million Australians in lockdown due to outbreaks of the Delta strain, the Labor leader said Mr Morrison 'has no agenda, simply occupies space' and 'refuses to take responsibility' when things go wrong. He said Mr Morrison had 'bungled' the vaccine rollout which has only jabbed 26.24 per cent of over 16s, well below the rate in other Western countries. President Joe Biden on Monday said that the United States government had been taken by surprise by the speed of the taliban's capture of Afghanistan - but veteran observers of the country were asking how they could have been shocked. Biden, in his address to the nation, said that he did not regret his decision to withdraw US troops. 'The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,' he said. He pointed the finger of blame at Afghan leaders who 'gave up and fled the country' and Afghan forces who 'collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight.' 'We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future,' Biden said. On July 8, the president said: 'The jury is still out, but the likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.' As recently as last week, Biden publicly expressed hope that Afghan forces could develop the will to defend their country. But privately, administration officials warned that the military was crumbling, prompting Biden on Thursday to order thousands of American troops into the region to speed up evacuation plans. Joe Biden on Monday afternoon said that he stood by his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan - but admitted that they had been taken aback by the speed of the Taliban advance Members of the Taliban are seen inside the presidential palace in Kabul, in images shown on Al Jazeera on Monday A Taliban fighter on top of an armored vehicle loads a gun outside the airport in Kabul The United States has, over the last 20 years, poured $978billion into the country, according to an analysis by Brown University. The bulk of the money spent in Afghanistan has been on counter-insurgency operations, and on the needs of troops such as food, clothing, medical care, special pay and benefits. Most of American spending on reconstruction has gone to a fund that supports the Afghan Army and police forces - through equipment, training and funding. Afghanistan's national army and police forces, theoretically numbering 350,000 men - trained and equipped at huge cost by the US and Western allies - were supposed to be a powerful deterrent to the Taliban. The Taliban, by contrast, only had 80,000 fighting men. 'Given how much we have invested in the Afghan army, it's not ridiculous for analysts to believe that they'd be able to put up a fight for more than a few days,' said Chris Murphy, a Democrat senator for Connecticut and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has backed the Biden administration's strategy. 'You want to believe that trillions of dollars and 20 years of investment adds up to something, even if it doesn't add up for the ability to defend the country in the long run.' In the upper ranks of Biden's staff, the rapid collapse in Afghanistan only confirmed the decision to leave: If the meltdown of the Afghan forces would come so quickly after nearly two decades of American presence, another six months or a year or two or more would not have changed anything. Anthony Blinken, the Secretary of State, said they were taken aback by the strength of the Taliban, and the comparative weakness of the Afghan forces. 'We've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated,' he told CNN on Sunday. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US was not able to give Afghan forces the 'will' to fight for their country. 'We could not give them the will, and they ultimately decided that they would not fight for Kabul and they would not fight for the country,' he told NBC's Today show on Monday. 'The speed with which cities fell was much greater than anyone anticipated.' Anthony Blinken, the Secretary of State, admitted they were surprised at the speed of the Taliban advance Jake Sullivan on Monday told Today (pictured): 'The speed with which cities fell was much greater than anyone anticipated' Thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in Kabul on Monday, desperate to flee the country. Children are pictured being lifted over the walls to try and escape their homeland Hundreds of people run alongside a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves down a runway of the international airport, in Kabul on Monday. Several people were killed as they tried to cling to the plane as it took off Thousands of Afghans have rushed onto the tarmac at the airport, some so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto the American military jet as it took off and they plunged to their deaths The evacuation operation at the international airport in Kabul has been thrown into chaos, with all civilian and military flights halted as satellite images show desperate Afghans storming the tarmac in an attempt to flee Yet many Afghan experts said that the US administration should have known that the Taliban were poised to rapidly overrun the country. In February 2020 the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Taliban that called on all US forces and contractors to leave by May 2021. Yet, given repeated previous promises from US presidents, many did not expect that the Americans would actually leave. Haneef Atmar, the Afghan foreign minister, told The Wall Street Journal that the February agreement did not give them enough time to focus their energies on protecting strategic assets. 'Politically it was suicide to leave certain regions, and to concentrate on certain others, and that made the Afghan army overstretched and critically dependent on close air support for logistics, medevac and combat operations,' he told The Wall Street Journal. 'We did not have enough transition time to move from that arrangement to a new arrangement, to bring back forces from areas that are difficult to defend and to concentrate on the main population centers.' Hundreds of Afghans are seen inside RCH 871, which took off from Kabul on Monday Andrew Watkins, senior analyst for Afghanistan at the International Crisis Group, told the paper that the end of American airstrikes - part of Trump's February 2020 deal - gave the Taliban valuable time to fortify their troop numbers. 'The Doha agreement bought the Taliban a one year reprieve,' he said. 'They were able to regroup, plan, strengthen their supply lines, have freedom of movement, without fear of American bombardment.' Journalist Bill Neely, who was with NBC News before he retired, tweeted that there were multiple reasons - all predictable - for the collapse of momentum of the Afghan forces. 'I covered fall of Taliban in 2001. Cities fell often without a fight,' he said. '1.Afghans know momentum is with 1 side, not the other & switch. Less bloodletting. '2.Much of AFSF are just names on paper. '3..US & allies no longer strongest 'tribe' on battlefield. '4. People sick of corruption.' Indeed, one Afghan police officer told The Washington Post: 'Without the United States, there was no fear of being caught for corruption. It brought out the traitors from within our military.' Many members of the police and army had not been paid for months and, demoralized at the U.S. walking away, felt they had little reason to fight the inevitable. Retired Army Gen. Douglas E. Lute, who led Afghanistan strategy at the National Security Council for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told The New York Times on Saturday he was shocked that the Biden administration did not predict the chaos. 'The puzzle for me is the absence of contingency planning: If everyone knew we were headed for the exits, why did we not have a plan over the past two years for making this work?' he said. Doug London, a former senior CIA officer who ran counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan before he retired in 2018, told NBC News that the intelligence community knew Kabul could fall within weeks if the US withdrew the bulk of its military and intelligence assets. A Western intelligence official told the site: 'There absolutely was intelligence reporting that it could happen this fast. This was not a surprise.' Gladys Berejiklian has doubled down on her alarming lurch to near-zero-Covid by warning masks and other restrictions will stay long-term. Australia's roadmap out of the coronavirus pandemic calls for lockdowns to largely end at 70 to 80 per cent and Covid to eventually be treated like the flu. But as the NSW premier announced another 452 Covid cases on Tuesday, she again broke ranks with the National Cabinet agreement. 'Because even countries around the world with 80 per cent double-dose vaccination still rely on QR codes, mask wearing in certain settings,' she said. Gladys Berejiklian has moved the goalposts on the citizens of New South Wales again, revealing there will still be stark restrictions even after achieving high vaccination rates 'We know that whilst the Delta variant in particular is very active around the world, there will always be a level of protection we need to have. 'I am not about to make any decision... which is going to either impact our case numbers or risk life.' Ms Berejiklian's comments were an attempt to clarify her position after longwinded answers on Monday, but amounted to confirming Sydneysiders' worst fears that she intended to keep restrictions well into 2022 to avoid outbreaks. 'We will need to live with restrictions so long as Delta is around... even if we had zero cases and we were at 80 per cent double dose, you would still have to respect rules that exist... around social distancing, around mask-wearing,' she said on Monday. 'So long as Delta and deadly Covid is around, we will always need to live with a measure of restriction.' Pictured are lines of masked Sydney residents outside a vaccination centre at the city's Olympic Park on Monday New South Wales recorded another 452 cases of the virus overnight and one death - a woman in her 70s who died at western Sydney's Westmead Hospital The premier also all but dashed hopes Sydney's lockdown, now in its 53rd day, would end at 70 per cent vaccination without drastically fewer Covid cases. She said the Doherty report, on which the path out of the pandemic is based, linked 30 to 40 cases a day to that milestone. 'You can live life more freely than what you are today, but the extent of your freedom depends on case numbers,' she said. 'If you have 500 cases a day at 80 per cent, that is dangerous still to say "let it rip". You can't let it rip.' Ms Berejiklian's comments were a marked departure from her promise over the past few weeks to slightly ease lockdown next month if NSW hit six million jabs, and get us out of lockdown at 70 to 80 per cent in October or so. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is in strong opposition to the zero-Covid position, calling it 'absurd' and 'extreme'. '[Lockdown] cost the economy more and it doesn't get the health effects because once you get to 80 per cent, you can treat it like the flu,' he told the ABC. 'We don't go and shut down the whole country because of the flu every year. And so that is what the medical advice says.' Ms Berejiklian identified mandates remaining including QR codes, masks in public and limitations on venues as methods the government as discussing even after achieving high vaccination rates A Sydneysider in Centennial Park wears a mask as she picks up coffee on Tuesday morning. The whole of New South Wales is now living under a strict stay-at-home lockdown to curb the spread of the state's Delta outbreak Mr Morrison was responding to Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan's declaration that he would use lockdowns to keep his state Covid-free even after 80 per cent of residents were vaccinated. The NSW premier was also rebuked by 2GB Healthy Living host Ross Walker, who said her claim was 'ridiculous' and leaders need to give hope to those stepping up to be vaccinated. 'If you're vaccinated, your hairdresser, people running a restaurant, and those in retail, why on earth can't we go back to some degree of normality?' he said. As Covid-19 is a respiratory virus, Dr Walker said it will always be in circulation and countries 'have to learn to live with them'. 'Why don't we lock the state down every year for influenza?' he said. Ms Berejiklian did give some hope of a slight easing of restrictions in some areas next month once six million vaccine jabs are administered. 'Our key aim is keeping people out of hospital and keeping people alive. that's why the vaccination rate helps with that,' she said on Tuesday. 'In the next two or three weeks, that means two or three weeks after they've been vaccinated they're less likely to contract and transmit the virus. 'When we get to six million jabs [chief health officer Kerry] Chant will decide what we can do. There'll be opportunities to do with what we can do in September and October, which will be our most challenging months.' A leading doctor earlier hit out at Gladys Berejiklian's (pictured) warning on Monday some Covid restrictions will remain in force even once 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated Residents will have to get used to restrictions even post 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates as Gladys Berejiklian moves the goalposts again She again pointed the finger at other states, saying they were evidence of what can happen even post-vaccination if people 'do the wrong thing'. Ms Berejiklian said 54 of the new cases were out in the community for all or part of their infectious period, but the isolation status of 297 cases is still under investigation. The embattled leader said the relentless spread of the outbreak in NSW had reached the point where she now assumed transmission rates would continue to climb. 'I say that only as a realist because when you have cumulative days with high cases, there is a tipping point where the numbers keep going up,' she said. Of the new cases, only 129 infections are linked to a known cluster - meaning the source of 323 cases is still a mystery to the state's contact tracers. A desperate father who pleaded with the Australian government to help his family escape war-torn Afghanistan has been trolled online by a vile racist who called him a 'maggot' and said 'the Taliban are coming for you'. The Victorian dad, who asked not to be identified to protect his family, is stuck the Afghan capital Kabul after it was stormed by Taliban troops on Sunday. He flew to the Middle Eastern nation in June to be with his Afghan wife and daughters while they waited for their Australians visas to be approved, but approval didn't come before the terror group invaded. The man said in a Facebook group on Monday that he was too terrified to sleep at night, and asked other Australians for advice. 'I am stuck in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban have entered the city and the President has fled. Looks like getting out of here is almost becoming impossible,' he wrote. An Australian man who is terrified for his life while stuck in Afghanistan has been trolled (pictured) The vile troll called the father a 'maggot' and said 'the Taliban are coming for you' 'I am urging the government to speed up the evacuation plan (if there is any) before it is too late.' While many sent heartfelt comments of support and encouragement, one man sent him a series of hate-fuelled private messages. 'You will not be getting asylum here,' the troll replied, even though the said multiple times that he is an Australian citizen and is not seeking asylum. 'You are not welcome in Australia ... The Taliban is coming for you.' The father said he studied in Australia, has lived in Victoria for many years and is trying to escape terrorism, but the troll ignored his explanation. 'You are stealing Australian jobs get out of the country maggot,' he said. The troll told the father he is 'not welcome in Australia', even though he lives in Victoria Pictured: A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The flight landed in Qatar 'You will be stuck there for a long time Taliban are not going to let you out.' He then tried to FaceTime the father seven times. Horrified people in the social media group apologised for the troll's actions and tried to issue messages of support. 'Hope you and your family get out of there safely,' one user wrote. 'If the bloke had even half a brain, he could have checked your FB profile to see your connection to Melbourne, Australia.' 'You are more Australian than that a***hole. Block him concentrate on you and getting on the evac flights,' another added. In a message to Daily Mail Australia, the father said the situation in Kabul is 'getting more dangerous by the hour'. The Taliban stormed Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday. Pictured: A Taliban fighter mans a machinegun on top of a vehicle as they patrol along a street in Kabul on August 16 'I am very worried about my family as I am not able to leave them behind in this situation. Videos have emerged of people swarming Kabul's airport to try and get on military evacuation flights. Footage has shown people clinging to planes taking off, with some seen falling to their deaths. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has authorised plans for troops and equipment to help evacuate citizens still in Afghanistan. 'That's where we'll stage from, but we'll work with the Americans and others including the Turks to make a very difficult, tragic situation the best it could be.' More than 250 Australian defence personnel will be deployed to support three RAAF aircraft to evacuate citizens and visa holders under a US-led operation. Pictured: Taliban fighters on Monday More than 250 Australian defence personnel will be deployed to support three RAAF aircraft to evacuate citizens and visa holders under a US-led operation. The government will help citizens working with NGOs, contractors and dual nationals, who had stayed since Australia shut its embassy in May. 'We'll provide assistance to withdraw them and that will take some time,' Mr Dutton said. Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said Afghan people in Australia on temporary visas would be supported and none made to return to their home country for now. Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong criticised the government's efforts as too little, too late. We have both Australian citizens, but importantly, people who have helped us, who have not yet been able to have their visas considered, who are still in Afghanistan, who are still in Kabul,' she said. 'That is something that has been on the cards for a long time 'Our national interest is in ensuring those who helped us are helped.' Since April, 430 Afghan employees, as well as their families, have been brought to Australia. More are expected to be evacuated in coming weeks. An illegal engagement party has already sparked fears of a Covid outbreak beyond its 69 guests, with six shops exposed by infected attendees. The lockdown-busting gathering was held in St Kilda last Wednesday but footage only surfaced over the weekend. Six people at the party have so far tested positive to Covid - with a busy Coles supermarket visited by one linked case for four hours. The Haymisha Bakery (pictured) at Balaclava has been listed as an exposure site following the illegal party Locations issued alerts including the Coles Supermarket at Balaclava - which is listed as a Tier 1 site between 12.45pm and 4.20pm on Friday. The Haymisha Bakery and Lichtenstein's Bakehouse also at Balaclava have been included, as has Otoro restaurant at Port Melbourne. The 7-Eleven and 7 Apples Gelato in St Kilda were also put on the exposure site list after infected guests visited. Footage of the party sent to police shows the groom-to-be joking about flouting lockdown restrictions as those in attendance laugh and cheer. A video of the event shows dozens of people who aren't wearing masks gathered in what appears to be a private residence, listening to a man give a speech. 'Clearly this is legal as a group therapy session. That's why my father's here,' the man jokes. Another guest adds: 'He's a mental health clinician.' The Coles at Balaclava (pictured) was visited for four hours on Friday by a confirmed Covid case who was at the illegal gathering Video from the party (pictured) shows guests not wearing face masks and packed shoulder to shoulder Police intend to fine every adult $5,000 who attended the engagement party for breaching the chief health officer's directions - to an expected total of more than $350,000. Victorian health department deputy secretary Kate Matson on Tuesday confirmed a further four people have tested positive following the event, held by a prominent Jewish family in Caulfield North last week. She said three of the new cases were at the event, while the fourth person is a work-related contact. A total of 69 guests from the party are self-isolating and only two test results remain outstanding. Several connected exposure sites have also been listed across Balaclava, Caulfield North, Elsternwick and St Kilda. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency is also investigating, after complaints medical professionals attended. Melburnians (pictured) are experiencing their sixth lockdown to battle a Covid outbreak FIND THE LATEST VICTORIAN EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU: There are multiple media reports that the family has been bombarded with threats and racial abuse. A Royal Melbourne Hospital worker has been sacked after posting anti-Semitic remarks about the event on Facebook. AAP has seen the woman's comment but has chosen not to republish it. The Royal Melbourne Hospital took to Twitter to say the comment does not reflect the hospital's values. In St Kilda, the 7 Apples Gelato bar (pictured) has been listed as an exposure site 'We do not tolerate racial or religious hatred, contempt or ridicule,' the hospital said. 'The staff member is no longer an employee of the hospital and we apologise for the hurt and anger this has caused. 'We stand with and support our Jewish staff members, patients and community.' Premier Daniel Andrews called out anti-Semitic attacks over the cluster, describing them as 'unacceptable and evil'. 'The event that we spoke about at some length yesterday was not a function of being Jewish. It was a stupid function. It was an illegal function,' he told reporters. The man who callously kicked the head of tradie Cam Smith after he was fatally stabbed in Melbourne last year has been jailed. Liam Casley, 19, was handed an eight-month prison sentence on Tuesday - less than the time he's spent in custody. But he won't walk free straight away. Casley is being held on remand on unrelated charges. Liam Casley (pictured), 19, was handed an eight-month prison sentence for kicking Cam Smith in the head after Smith had been fatally stabbed Mr Smith, 26, and his girlfriend had dinner on the Seaford foreshore on November 25 last year and as they returned to the beach they were approached by a group who were upset over a drink mix-up at a New Year's Eve party nearly a year earlier. Among the group were Casley and Scarlett Taylor, 21. Both pleaded guilty to charges of affray. Abuse was hurled at Mr Smith's girlfriend and he defended her. One of the group punched Mr Smith and despite his girlfriend's urging to not get involved because he was outnumbered, he fought back only to be stabbed in the chest by another man. Cameron Smith (pictured) was defending his girlfriend when an altercation arose, leading to Smith being stabbed in the chest by another man Supreme Court Justice Michael Croucher said while Mr Smith appeared initially unaffected by the blow, within seconds the blood stain on his shirt grew and he slumped to the footpath. "Mr Casley moved in and kicked the defenceless Mr Smith to the head. Worse still the kick was so hard that part of Mr Smith's body lifted off the ground," he said. "It's sickening to see." The blow was described by Mr Smith's father Michael as "despicable", a conclusion the judge said he agreed with. Cam Smith's father Michael (pictured with his family) described the blow by Casley as being 'despicable' Justice Croucher said the group, including Casley and Taylor, scurried away "like rats", adding to the disgrace of what had happened. He accepted Casley didn't know Mr Smith had been stabbed and was bleeding when he kicked the tradie, but said by the time he had slumped to the ground it was plain to see he was in a bad way. "It was still a nasty and morally reprehensible thing to do to kick him while defenceless and when he was so heavily outnumbered," Justice Croucher said. The court heard Casley had a troubled and deprived early life, subject to family disruption and troubling mental health, with behaviour issues exacerbated by drugs and alcohol. The court heard that Casley had been subject to family disruptions and troubling mental health. Justice Croucher said it was still a 'nasty and morally reprehensible thing to do' As part of his sentence Casley will also be required to be supervised for eight months, undergo testing for drug and alcohol abuse or dependency and mental health assessments and treatment. Ms Taylor's case is due to return to court in October. Another man has been charged with Mr Smith's murder and is due to face trial. A girl taken from a Sydney park, drugged and raped during a nine-hour ordeal is plagued by nightmares and doesn't smile anymore, her mother has told a court ahead of her attacker's sentencing. Brett John Callaghan was arrested after the 12-year-old was found at his Dural home at 1.15am on April 29 last year, hours after he had taken her from a Thornleigh park the afternoon before. The 39-year-old has pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including two aggravated counts of having sexual intercourse with a child and supplying a prohibited drug to a child. Brett John Callaghan (pictured), 39, was arrested in April last year after a 12-year-old girl was found at his home in Dural in Sydney's west He had taken the girl from a Thornleigh park (pictured) and drugged and raped her during a nine-hour ordeal In a sentencing hearing before the Parramatta District Court on Tuesday, the girl's mother detailed the "catastrophic" impact of the "abhorrent" attack. Her daughter's personality has been fundamentally changed, she doesn't feel safe and has difficulties trusting people, she said through a victim impact statement read to the court. "I look at photos now and the thing that stands out is that she doesn't smile in any photos anymore. In a victim statement, her mother says they attack at Callaghan's home (pictured) has had a catastrophic impact on her daughter's life, remarking she doesn't smile anymore "That's extremely difficult and upsetting to see because she used to be such a happy, free-spirited child. "She's a lot more serious, and finding that little spark of happiness is a lot harder." The classroom reminds her of police interviews, so getting her to attend school is a constant challenge. The girl's mother also stated that her daughter's personality has fundamentally changed since she was attacked by Callaghan (pictured), that she has trouble sleeping and going to school So is getting her to sleep, as she suffers from nightmares. "The impact has been catastrophic." Also tendered to the court was a handwritten apology letter from Callaghan. His defence lawyer argued he had demonstrated genuine remorse for his offending, and that should factored into his sentence. Judge Robert Sutherland will sentence Callaghan on September 10. Sunscreen sold in Australia will be tested for cancer-causing chemicals after studies in the US raised concerns. The Therapeutic Goods Administration is investigating if brands sold across Australia could contain the carcinogens benzene and benzophenone. The regulator said it was testing samples containing benzene or octocrylene 'for the presence of benzophenone and compliance with existing standards'. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) confirmed sunscreens sold in Australia will undergo testing for carcinogenic substances The alarm was raised in June when US company Valisure tested generic medicines for purity and found nearly 80 sunscreens contained the carcinogen benzene. Another American laboratory found most sunscreens that contained the approved chemical octocrylene had another carcinogenic substance benzophenone. The study found that overtime octocrylene - an anti-ageing cream found in sunscreen - degraded to produce the cancer causing chemical benzophenone. The TGA said it conducted routine laboratory testing and reviewed the safety of Australian sunscreen products, but did not regularly check for carcinogens. Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, an American testing laboratory, wrote to the US Food and Drugs Administration requesting it pull all sunscreens containing octocrylene from shelves. American researchers also found octocrylene degraded into benzophenone which 'may act as a reproductive toxicant' by interfering with hormones. Food or food packaging containing benzophenone are banned in the US. US company Valisure found nearly 80 sunscreen brands contained the carcinogenic substance benzene However, in the US octocrylene is approved for use in sunscreens, lip balms, moisturisers, and anti-ageing products. Popular brands found to contain the carcinogenic substances were Coppertone, Banana Boat, Neutrogena, Garnier, LaRoche and L'Oreal. Aware of the findings in the US, the TGA noted some sunscreen products sold in Australia contain the active ingredient octocrylene but only at a maximum concentration of 10 per cent. Based on available data the TGA said it does not consider octocrylene, at the permitted concentration, to present an 'unacceptable safety risk'. The medical regulator has also noted trace amounts of the cancer causing chemical benzophenone in products which contain in octocrylene. 'The TGA is actively monitoring the available data about the carcinogenic potential of benzophenone,' it said. 'There is currently insufficient information to conclude that sunscreens that are compliant with existing requirements for product stability and impurities, such as benzophenone, are unsafe.' Sydneysiders are now at risk of being fined for mourning their loved ones following the NSW government's controversial decision to close the city's biggest cemetery amid the Covid-19 lockdown. Rookwood Cemetery, in Lidcombe, in the city's west was closed to visitors last week after NSW Police declared that visiting the grave of a loved one would not be considered an essential reason to leave home. However, the space is still allowed to be occupied for funerals of up to ten people, while police patrol the gates of the largest cemetery in the southern hemisphere. Georgia Maria Strazzeri is one of many that have been left devastated by the closure having lost her mother in 2015 and other friends and family since. Georgia Maria Strazzeri is one of many that have been left devastated by the closure of the Rookwood Cemetery having lost her mother in 2015 and other friends and family since Rookwood Cemetery, in Lidcombe, in the city's west was closed to visitors last week after NSW Police declared that visiting the grave of a loved one would not be considered an essential reason to leave home She has visited the cemetery several times a week for the last six years and sees it as a place of 'respite' and a spot to clear her mind. 'I just think (the closure) is nonsensical,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I can go to Officeworks and buy things that I don't think are essential but I can't see my mum. 'I just think that maybe they (the government) need to understand that some things are essential and others are not.' Ms Strazzeri, who is a support worker, said some of her friends, such as one who lost her teenage daughter, visit Rookwood everyday and were equally as distressed and frustrated at the sudden change in rules. She said the closure of such a communal and popular cemetery would push people to travel to other potentially more risky places to get out of their house. Ms Strazzeri said she has visited the cemetery several times a week for the last six years and sees it as a place of 'respite' and a spot to clear her mind 'I can understand if there was a large congregation gathering there, but I wasn't doing that,' she said. 'Somewhere like Rookwood offers a place of respite and gives people the psychological feeling of being with their loved ones.' Another local, Angelique Jasli, has since taken it upon herself to create a petition calling on the cemetery to be open for visitors. She said some other sites around the city were still allowing residents to pay their respects. 'In a time where people in our community are the most vulnerable, afraid and isolated that they have ever been before to CLOSE Rookwood Cemetery for visits has an enormous impact on the mental health of people who have lost loved ones and find peace only by visiting and caring for their graves,' she said. 'Imagine having recently lost an immediate family member, having to bury them with the current restrictions and now being locked out of the cemetery where you have just laid their body to rest. 'Entry to visit should be granted on compassionate grounds at the very least.' Under current Covid restrictions Sydney residents can attend a funeral or memorial service with a maximum of ten people. NSW Health and NSW Police have been contacted for comment. Coronavirus is rapidly spreading in vulnerable Aboriginal communities of western NSW with at least a dozen new cases and worse yet to come. Vaccinations rates are particularly low among indigenous Australians, but elders were making headway convincing locals to roll up their sleeves. Dubbo, about 500km northwest of Sydney, is the epicentre of Australia's first major outbreak among the indigenous population. The dangerous Delta strain is affecting young indigenous people particularly badly with half those infected being children. Nearly 40 percent of the cases in Western NSW's Aboriginal community are kids aged between 10 and 19 Dubbo recorded 16 new cases on Tuesday, after recording 33 new cases the previous day. A further two cases were detected in Bourke and one in Broken Hill. There are now 118 cases in the Western NSW Health District, including 107 in Dubbo, the vast majority, more than 100, of whom are indigenous. Local MP Dugald Saunders warned the outbreak was just getting started and a serious concern as Covid affects Aboriginals worse than other groups. 'There is no doubt the Dubbo situation is going to get worse before it gets better,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday. 'We'll continue to [see cases] grow in the foreseeable number of days. Most of the positive cases have been infectious in the community.' However, federal Indigenous Minister Ken Wyatt said vaccination rates in the community were improving thanks to 'straight talk' by elders. He said eligible recipients in Indigenous communities getting their first vaccine dose had hit 30 percent, while 15 percent were now fully vaccinated. 'The strength of our community in all of these initiatives has been tremendous,' he said. 'They have, of their own initiative, said, "we want to protect our elders". 'The young ones are joining in by saying, "we need to keep our knowledge keepers". Federal Indigenous Minister Ken Wyatt said vaccination rates in the community were improving thanks to 'straight talk' by elders Western Area Health staff at new testing location in West Dubbo as positive cases grow in the area, with 35 new cases recorded in Dubbo and Walgett on Monday 'In some places they thought that they would be fairly distant from what was happening in capital cities. 'There is now a realisation that this virus can travel anywhere because of the movement of people.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said extra resources were being sent to the region. 'We do see it as a serious situation, and we're moving quickly to work with the NSW government to address it,' he said. Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said a collaborative effort between the Royal Flying Doctor Service, local Aboriginal medical services, NSW Health and the Defence Force vaccinated 'literally thousands' in towns including Walgett, Bourke and Orana. Western NSW Local Health District chief executive Scott McLachlan said the outbreak, which jumped from western Sydney to regional NSW, was hitting the area hard. 'The vast majority of cases are Aboriginal and we've got nearly 40 percent of the cases are kids between 10 and 19, so this is a really serious warning for parents and kids running around,' he said. 'There is no doubt the Dubbo situation is going to get worse before it gets better,' Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders told Daily Mail Australia Local Aboriginal leaders are urging the community to stay home despite and not see extended family members Just 15 per cent of indigenous Australians are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, and are statistically more likely to become seriously ill. Of 6,600 people across the Walgett and Bourke local government areas, 13 per cent were fully vaccinated and 34 per cent received one dose. Mr Saunders said ensuring Covid public health messages about distancing, masks and vaccinations were relayed to the local Aboriginal community was one of the most difficult scenarios facing authorities. 'We've worked collaboratively with health, council and community leaders to provide messaging around that and to reach areas that don't usually receive mainstream media,' he said. The Dubbo MP said Aboriginal community liaison officers and NSW Police were going door-to-door to help with safety messaging around Covid transmission. 'Our Aboriginal health team have also been out doing in-home testing for those who can't or won't go to testing clinics,' he said. 'For now we actually want people to get tested ahead of vaccination because a lot of people are possibly unwell, and you don't want to jab people when they're unwell.' Residents queue to be tested at new testing location in West Dubbo - the city entered a snap seven-day lockdown on August 11 More than 25,000 people had been tested in Dubbo in the past five days, Walgett and Brewarrina Aboriginal Medical Service's acting chief executive Katrina Ward warned the area's primary health network was running short of masks. 'The community is fearful (about the vaccines) and there still is some reluctance, but they are realising that this is the best means of protection we've got,' she told ABC radio. 'I'm very concerned.' Mr Saunders said if infections rapidly increased in areas such as Bourke and Walgett, people would need to be transported to Dubbo. 'The Royal Flying Doctor Service is geared up and ready to go, and is based here in Dubbo,' he said. 'The hospital in Dubbo is set up and incredibly well resourced so we think we have the facilities to cope.' Brendon Cutmore, Western NSW Local Health District Director of Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing, told 9News Aboriginal people had to change their usual reaction to a crisis. 'Normally our community response and our family response is that we gather together,' he said. 'We normally take care of each other in the way of pulling everybody together, you know, at nan and pops' house, or at aunty and uncles' home, but right now we've got to do this in a very different way. 'I really need to encourage everybody to stay in their home... Don't go down to nan and pops' house or to aunty and uncles' house to drop anything off to people or to check in. Use the phone, send a text.' Dubbo entered a snap, seven-day lockdown on August 11. More than 60 exposure sites had been identified, most in Dubbo but also in Bourke, Walgett, Gilgandra and Narromine. Former President Barack Obama briefly suspended comments on his Instagram page on Monday after it was overwhelmed with followers demanding he do something to help the Afghan people following the Taliban's sudden takeover of their country. Visitors to Barack Obama's Instagram together with his wife Michelle's page for about two hours were greeted with the message: 'Comments on this post have been limited'. Obama has not yet issued a public statement about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Comments were turned off for several hours on Barack Obama's Instagram page on Monday His most recent social media clip was concerning voting boundaries in various constituencies. 'Afghanistan needs your help. Please please help Afghanistan,' one commenter wrote. 'The blood of the #Afghan people is on the hands of those who have remained silent in the face of oppression and have made friends with the Taliban,' wrote another. 'History will not forget your crime.' 'What did we accomplish in Afghanistan if we turn tail and run now?' asked another. 'They need us! That is not the American way! We do not surrender and run! We stay and fight and until the issues are resolved which is true independence!' Those posting comments added hashtags #help_afghanistan and #afghanistanisbleeding, among others, but they were soon cut off. Instagram users began flood former President Barack Obama's page with pleas for help in Afghanistan A similar suspension of comments was also noted on former first lady Michelle Obama's Instagram page. A spokesperson for the Obamas told Fox News there was 'no intentionality on our side', nor was any explanation provided as to why it happened. The spokesperson added the former president had 'no further comment' on Afghanistan and noted his remarks in April praising Biden 'bold leadership' in his decision to withdraw. 'It has been a long and arduous struggle in Afghanistan, rooted in our response to the deadliest terrorist attack on the U.S. homeland in our history,' Obama said, adding that troops and diplomatic workers 'can take pride in their efforts to deliver justice for 9/11, destroy al Qaeda's safe-haven, train Afghan Security Forces, and support the people of Afghanistan.' In an address on Monday, President Biden said he stands by his decision to pull out American troops and cast blame on the Afghan government for failing to defend the country In an address on Monday, President Biden said he stands by his decision to pull out American troops and cast blame on the Afghan government for failing to defend the country. The Taliban's siege leaves Afghan women and girls in a vulnerable position with the possibility of losing hard-won rights to education, employment and everyday freedoms. The Biden administration has faced sharp criticism over its response to the rapid collapse and the US's chaotic evacuation effort. President Biden criticized Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during his address to the nation on Monday, stating Ghani was 'wrong' in his assessment of Afghan forces' ability to fight the Taliban. 'When I hosted the president Ghani and chairman of Abdullah at the White House in June, and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed, to clean up the corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people. We talked extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically. They failed to do any of that,' Biden said. 'I also urged them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban. This advice was flatly refused. Mr. Ghani insisted that the Afghan forces would fight. But obviously he was wrong,' Biden added. Yet another in a series of anti-lockdown protests is currently being hatched for this weekend in Sydney, as police warn residents not to attend. Almost three weeks after the original Freedom Rally in the city's CBD, NSW police say they are aware of another illegal demonstration being planned. 'Police are aware of unauthorised protest activities planned for this weekend. Do NOT attend,' the NSW Police Force posted on Facebook on Tuesday. 'Public safety is our first priority and you will be fined or arrested if you turn up #StayAtHome.' Almost three weeks after the original Freedom Rally in the city's CBD, NSW police say they are aware of another illegal demonstration being planned (pictured, a protest is arrested at Sydney Town Hall during the Freedom Rally on July 24) 'Public safety is our first priority and you will be fined or arrested if you turn up #StayAtHome' the NSW Police Force said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday The threat comes after police received more than 15,000 CrimeStopper tip-offs from residents who knew one of the 3500 people who attended the first rally. On July 24, anti-lockdown protesters marched in the Sydney CBD in objection of the coronavirus lockdown and in a blatant disregard of public health orders. The protest, which saw copycat events in Melbourne, Brisbane and South Australia, was planned on social media weeks in advance by online conspiracy theorists. Police had been monitoring encrypted messaging platform Telegram as early as May before the protests erupted. Plans for a rally then gained momentum on Facebook and Instagram where word began to circulate in fringe social media groups that are rife with conspiracy theories and anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination sentiment. The efforts resulted in horrifying footage that showed angry protesters attacking police and hurling pot plants at officers on horseback at the rally in Sydney. Health officials feared the protest had the potential to become a superspreader event, with the state now recording daily cases that average in the 400's. 'What we saw today was 3,500 very selfish boofheads - people that thought the law didn't apply to them,' NSW Police Minister David Elliott said in the wake of the protest. More than 250 public infringement notices have been issued following the protest on July 24 (pictured, police patrol Victoria Park in Glebe) NSW Police received more than 15,000 Crime Stopper tip-offs from residents who knew one of the 3500 protestors who attended the original rally (pictured, people at Sydney's CBD) 'The fact that we have had nearly two (to three) reports for every person who attended last week's rally suggests to me that there is zero tolerance out there for people who want to do the wrong thing. 'Just assume that when you're involved in this sort of activity that's putting your health at risk, one of your mates is going to dob you in.' The hard-line Police Minister added that Australia is not a nation of dobbers, but a nation of 'family lovers'. 'We are a nation of people that want to make sure their communities and families remain safe.' NSW Police swiftly set up Strike Force Seasoned to track down all attendees at Saturday's protest, which is now being feared by health officials to be a coronavirus super-spreader event. Strike force detectives are also trawling through footage from social media, CCTV and police-worn body cameras to identify more. More than 250 public infringement notices have already been issued, helped by the Crime Stopper calls that identified around 200 attendees. Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) vowed to respond with a heavy police presence when rumours began to swirl of a second rally planned for the following weekend Police Commissioner Mick Fuller vowed to respond with a heavy police presence when rumours began to swirl of a second rally planned for the following weekend. Can I just put this warning out now to everyone that will be heavily policed, we will be taking the ground very early,' Mr Fuller said on July 26. 'You will be arrested.' 'The community has spoken about that behaviour. The premier has spoken about that behaviour and it won't be tolerated again.' He believes 'anarchists' are behind the rallies, who, unlike Black Lives Matter protesters who took to the streets in June last year, did not formally register the protest. 'There are no organisers that we can take to the Supreme Court to stop the protests happening which means they're a bunch of anarchists which means in terms of the police response, it will be significant, on Saturday if it is planned to go ahead,' Commissioner Fuller added. People in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, have endured nearly eight weeks of lockdown as the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) announced the state had recorded 452 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday People in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, have endured nearly eight weeks of stay-at-home orders as NSW recorded 452 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday. A staggering 529 fines were handed out across NSW for breaches of the public health order on Saturday, with 29 people charged. They included 31 youths busted gathering on a cliff top in Sydney's eastern suburbs, ten people who attended to a barbeque lunch at Blacktown, and eight people who went to a house party in Newcastle. Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing said it was 'disappointing' to see some members of the community flouting the rules. 'I would love to go to a barbecue lunch with my friends and family, but now is simply not the time,' Deputy Commissioner Willing said on Sunday. 'We are faced with a situation with the Delta variant that spreads across young people, so it is particularly disappointing to see young people involved in breaches of the public health order.' On Monday, tougher lockdown restrictions including jacked-up fines and travel limits were rolled out across Greater Sydney as officials battle to bring the region's spiralling Covid crisis under control (pictured, two Sydneysiders walking in Bondi) On Monday, tougher lockdown restrictions including jacked-up fines and travel limits were rolled out across Greater Sydney as officials battle to bring the region's spiralling Covid crisis under control. Residents are banned from travelling more than five kilometres from their home without a reasonable, with officers able to impose fines up to $5000 for breaching public health orders. Sydneysiders will also need a permit to travel to regional NSW and single people will need to register their 'singles buddies'. In locked down regional areas, people must only leave their residence for an essential reason. Everyone must carry masks at all times, no visitors are allowed in the home unless for carers' responsibilities or for compassionate reasons, and those in a relationship. Former US President George W. Bush said he and former First Lady Laura Bush feel 'deep sadness' over the events unfolding in Afghanistan. In a statement issued late on Monday night, the former president and his wife said their 'hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much.' Bush had criticized the planned withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan just last month, warning that civilians would be left to be 'slaughtered' by the 'brutal' Taliban and women and girls would face 'unspeakable harm.' The former Republican president was responsible for the initial US onslaught against the Taliban when he deployed troops to Afghanistan in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center. Former U.S. President George W. Bush said he and former First Lady Laura Bush feel 'deep sadness' over the events unfolding in Afghanistan Bush had criticized the planned withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan just last month, condemning the decision as a 'mistake' Almost 20 years ago, the former president announced that the US and Britain had started bombing Afghanistan from the Treaty Room of the White House on October 7, 2001 After expressing his condolences, the former president asserted his confidence that the United States Armed Forces (USAF) would be able to carry out an effective evacuation plan of the remaining Americans and Afghan refugees. Bush and his wife went on to recognize the veterans who had served in Afghanistan, lauding their accomplishments and recognizing the wounds, both visible and invisible, suffered by those who were embroiled in the conflict. Their statement read 'in times like these, it can be hard to remain optimistic', but echoed the sentiments of Dr. Sakena Yacoobi of the Afghan Institute of Learning who declared 'the Taliban cannot crush a dream.' The former president and his wife rounded off their statement by offering their support and that of the Bush Center, a complex which houses Bush's presidential library, policy institute and the George W. Bush Foundation. In an July interview with Deutsche Welle, Bush said: 'It's unbelievable how [the Afghan] society changed from the brutality of the Taliban and how all of a sudden, sadly, I'm afraid Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm.' 'I think about all the interpreters and the people that helped not only US troops, but NATO troops and it seems like they're just going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people, and it breaks my heart.' The full statement from George W. Bush and his wife Laura was issued by the former president late Monday night Bush said in July that the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan was a 'mistake' and warned civilians were being left to be 'slaughtered' by the 'brutal' Taliban in an interview with Deutsche Welle The Taliban swept into the Afghan capital on Sunday after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country 'to avoid bloodshed', bringing a stunning end to a two-decade effort in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the country. Almost all major checkpoints in Kabul were under Taliban control even before Bush had issued his statement on Monday evening. The US Embassy was officially closed and evacuated along with the flag on Sunday evening, with ambassador Ross Wilson and other diplomats relocating to the airport in embarrassing scenes reminiscent of the evacuation of the embassy of Saigon in 1975. Meanwhile, Taliban officials promised civilians would not be harmed and announced everyone would be allowed to return home from Kabul airport if they decided to stay in the country. The Taliban previously said westerners would be allowed to leave the country but that Afghans would be barred from departing. A forlorn soldier clutches the hastily rolled American embassy flag as it is loaded onto US air force transport and flown out of Afghanistan in a scene reminiscent of the 1975 evacuation of Saigon There are thought to be at least 40,000 people who need evacuating from the country - including 30,000 US diplomats, visa holders and Afghans they have promised sanctuary, 4,000 Britons and an unknown number of other westerners including Spanish, French, Germans and Poles. America is hoping to fly out some 5,000 people per day and the UK 1,200 - though both managed just a few hundred on Monday, meaning the operation is likely to drag on for weeks, if not months. Politicians in both the US and UK have urged their government to be 'generous' with granting asylum to Afghans who helped in the war effort, but there are fears that thousands will be left behind amid the chaos. US President Joe Biden, in his address to the nation on Monday, said that he did not regret his decision to withdraw US troops. 'The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,' he said. He pointed the finger of blame at Afghan leaders who 'gave up and fled the country' and Afghan forces who 'collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight.' 'We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future,' Biden said. On July 8, the president said: 'The jury is still out, but the likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.' As recently as last week, Biden publicly expressed hope that Afghan forces could develop the will to defend their country. But privately, administration officials warned that the military was crumbling, prompting Biden on Thursday to order thousands of American troops into the region to speed up evacuation plans. A young couple whose illegal lockdown engagement party shocked Melbourne are the children of a prominent psychologist and a cancer specialist doctor. Six people have now tested positive after the get-together to celebrate Michal Franck and Yoni Rubin's upcoming marriage, and authorities fear it could become a superspreader event. Video of the party shows the fathers of the Melbourne pair packed inside a narrow room during the event in city's south-east on Wednesday. Michal's father Dr Mark Franck, 52, is a skin cancer expert, while law student Yoni's father is Kalman Rubin, 68, a Victoria Legal Aid chairman and celebrated psychologist, Daily Mail Australia can reveal. The couple and their families were bombarded with abuse after Victorian Premier Dan Andrews slammed them for their 'selfish choices' during his Covid press conference on Monday, and have now 'gone to ground' according to family friends. The party was also condemned by St Kilda Rabbi Ronnie Figdor, who said the couple 'should have known better' and his community was upset and disappointed. Michal Franck (left) and Yoni Rubin (right) sparked outrage after hosting an engagement party for 69 people inside a Melbourne home in direct breach of the city's lockdown rules. Six people who attended have since tested positive to Covid Law student Yoni's father is Kalman Rubin, 68, a Victoria Legal Aid chairman and celebrated psychologist while his mother Timmy (together left, and right at engagement party) runs a ritual bathhouse for married Jewish women Now the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has launched an investigation, with the power to suspend the licences of negligent medics. 'We are aware that Victoria Police have stated that they intend to take action with respect to individuals who attended the event,' said an APHRA spokesperson. 'We will liaise with them in relation to any registered health practitioners who were present.' Dr Franck and his photographer wife Chana, 49, were both present at the party along with almost 70 other guests. In video footage from the night, guests can be seen crammed into a small room as Yoni Rubin mocked the lockdown laws they were flouting. The groom-to-be is seen in the clip bragging about the party's shady status. 'Clearly this is legal because this is a group therapy session,' the part-time teacher jokes, standing next to his bride-to-be as the packed room erupts in laughter. 'That's why my father's here!' One of the revellers shouts: 'He's a mental health clinician!' The groom-to-be mocked Victoria's lockdown laws, saying: 'Clearly this is legal because this is a group therapy session'. He then pointed out his father, who is a psychologist, as another reveller jeered 'he's a mental health clinician' Michal's father Dr Mark Franck (above), 52, is a skin cancer expert. He laughed as his future son-in-law made a joke about Victoria's lockdown Dr Franck stands nearby leaning against a wall during the wisecracks, before the camera swings round to show Mr Rubin and his wife Tamara, known as Timmy, 65, laughing along with other guests. Ms Rubin is a prison chaplain and runs Melbourne's main mikvah, a ritual bathhouse for married Jewish women. Police have now vowed to trace every one of the guests and fine them $5,000 each for flouting Melbourne's strict lockdown laws. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton warned the final bill would come in at around $350,000. Further charges have not yet been ruled out. The families are said to be distraught over the backlash from the public over the party. 'We did wrong but the hate coming our way is just so mean,' Ms Rubin begged, according to the Herald Sun. 'Look into your heart and try to find forgiveness.' Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said the families had made 'selfish, s***ty choices' to host the celebration in lockdown, but slammed anti-Semitic attacks directed at them. 'Anti-Semitism is unacceptable and evil,' he said. 'We have a zero tolerance approach to that in our state. 'There's no sense that anyone needs to be harassing anybody and there is never, ever, a place in Victoria for anti-Semitic behaviour or language, it's simply evil. 'We called out some bad behaviour yesterday, we didn't call out a community, because that would be simply unfair and wrong.' St Kilda Rabbi Ronnie Figdor admitted the couple 'should have known better' Rabbi Ronnie Figdor, CEO of the nearby St Kilda Hebrew Congregation, said his offices had also received furious phone calls about the party. 'This unfortunately has a big impact and that's what upsets me and many others,' he said. 'They should have known better. 'Dr Franck is no doubt a very good doctor. but I'm not sure I would ask his advice about Covid. 'We are one big Jewish family, so we're embarrassed when something like this happens, whether we personally know them or not. 'Are we disappointed? Yes. This was a wake up call. People become a bit cavalier because you think it's not going to affect you. Well, good morning, it does.' He said he always warned people to behave as if their actions could end up on the front page of a newspaper. 'Unfortunately in this case, it is on the front page of the paper,' he said. 'I'm one of these goody two shoes - if I'm told to do something I just do it. 'I suspect that a week ago, had they known that this would be the outcome of their actions, they wouldn't have acted that way. We're all wiser after the event. 'What we can expect now is a sincere apology and a commitment to do better.' St Kilda federal MP Josh Burns added: 'The reports and footage of gatherings that we have seen over the weekend is deeply disappointing. 'It is completely unfair to everyone who has done the right thing. Those who have done the wrong thing will be dealt with by authorities and rightly suffer the legal consequences.' Daily Mail Australia has sought comment from the parents. Around 55,000 pregnant women in the UK have been vaccinated There are also no signals that the jabs affect people's ability to have children There is no evidence so far to indicate Covid vaccines affect fertility or the ability to have children, according to the UK's medical regulator. There is also no pattern so far to suggest that any of the vaccines used in the UK, or reactions to them, increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said. It said the numbers of reports of miscarriages and stillbirth are 'low in relation to the number of pregnant women who have received Covid vaccines to date'. It comes after England's chief midwife last month called on pregnant women to get vaccinated. Figures revealed the vast majority of pregnant women hospitalised with Covid were unvaccinated. At the beginning of the inoculation rollout last December, the jabs were not routinely offered to pregnant women due to a lack of data on how safe the injections were. But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Government on jabs, later concluded it was safe to vaccinate pregnant women. Mothers-to-be are given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines eight weeks apart. The MHRA says data from 90,000 pregnant women around the world who have been vaccinated against Covid revealed no increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or fertility issues Women who contract COVID-19 while pregnant can increase the risk of a premature birth by up to 60%, study finds Contracting COVID-19 while pregnant can increase a woman's risk of giving birth prematurely, a study found. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, concluded pregnant women who test positive for virus were more likely to deliver their baby 37 weeks or earlier. Researchers, who published their findings in The Lancet Regional Health, gathered data from more than 240,000 birth from July 2020 to January 2021. Nearly 9,000 women had tested positive for the virus at some point during their pregnancy, while the rest made up a control group. For every one very preterm birth by a woman who had never contracted the virus, 1.6 were found among those that did, or a 60 percent increased risk. Researchers also found 1.4 preterm births (32 to 37 weeks) among women from the Covid group for every one in the control group - or a 40 percent increase. For every one early term birth (37 to 39 weeks) in the control group, there were 1.1 found in the COVID-19 group - a 10 percent increase. Premature birth can have short and long-term negative effects on a child. These include not having fully developed organs , leading to heart and brain problems and difficulty breathing. Later in their life, they are more at risk to develop cerebral palsy, asthma and other conditions. Advertisement In its update yesterday, the MHRA said the numbers of reported miscarriages and stillbirth are 'low in relation to the number of pregnant women who have received Covid vaccines to date and how commonly these events occur in the UK outside of the pandemic'. The regulator added: 'There is no pattern from the reports to suggest that any of the Covid vaccines used in the UK, or any reactions to these vaccines, increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. 'There is no pattern from the reports to suggest that any of the Covid vaccines used in the UK increase the risk of congenital anomalies or birth complications.' 'Pregnant women have reported similar suspected reactions to the vaccines as people who are not pregnant,' it added. The MHRA said it is currently reviewing reports of suspected side effects of menstrual disorders and unexpected vaginal bleeding after being vaccinated. But it has so far found nothing to support a link between changes to menstrual periods and related symptoms and coronavirus jabs, adding 'the menstrual changes reported are mostly transient in nature'. Pregnant women have the same risk of catching the coronavirus as everyone else, but the MHRA says they may be an increased risk of becoming very ill, especially if they get infected in their third trimester or have underlying health problems. Pregnant women who do get symptomatic Covid are two to three times more likely to give birth to their baby prematurely. It comes after analysis of hospital figures by the University of Oxford last month showed the number of pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid has jumped seven-fold since May from 28 per week to 200. Some 99 per cent of these Covid victims are unjabbed and fewer than one in 12 pregnant women have come forward for their jabs, according to the researchers. England's chief midwife, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, wrote to maternity staff stressing the need to encourage mums-to-be to come forward. She said healthcare staff have 'a responsibility to proactively encourage pregnant women' to have a jab. Experts and campaigners have accused NHS maternity staff of spreading 'misinformation' about vaccines and underestimating the risk of the virus to pregnant women who are ten times more likely to be hospitalised than the average person. Annastacia Palaszczuk has expressed fears locked down NSW residents may be forced to spend Christmas holidays under stay-at-home orders. The Queensland Premier foreshadowed the grim possibility as she warned struggling tourism operators in the Sunshine State to prepare for the worst, ahead of the lucrative summer holiday period. It comes as NSW reported a record high 478 coronavirus cases on Monday, followed by a further 452 infections on Tuesday. While the thought of being stuck at home unable to see loved ones on Christmas and New Years is a miserable one for NSW residents, it's also just as painful for many businesses north of the border whose livelihoods rely on the annual influx of holidaymakers. Other premiers have warned that locked down NSW residents may be forced to spend Christmas holidays under stay-at-home orders. Pictured: Sydney's CBD is seen almost empty on August 14 While the thought of being stuck at home unable to see loved ones on Christmas and New Years is a miserable one for NSW residents, it's also just as painful for many businesses north of the border whose livelihoods rely on the annual influx of holidaymakers. Pictured: Cairns in Queensland 'Our tourism industry is going to face some of its toughest days if NSW is in locked down for months,' Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on the Gold Coast after Queensland reported two new locally-acquired Covid cases. 'We're hoping everyone can come out before Christmas because our tourism industry relies on that. 'So many people from NSW and Victoria come to Queensland over the Christmas holidays, and fingers crossed that everything goes well and that they're able to get on top of that Delta outbreak.' Equally pessimistic about NSW emerging from its state-wide shutdown was Victorian leader Daniel Andrews who said it's going to take 'months' for restrictions to ease. The Premier told Victorians, now in their sixth lockdown since the pandemic began, to hold firm after 24 new transmissions were reported this morning. Sydneysiders wait in line outside a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park on August 16, 2021 Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (left) foreshadowed the grim possibility of NSW remaining in lockdown over the Christmas holidays, as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian reiterated September and October will be 'most challenging months' for the state Ms Palaszczuk said the Queensland tourism industry is going to face 'some of its toughest days if NSW is in locked down for months.' Pictured: Queensland's Whitsunday Islands 'I know people are weary and I know people are sick and tired of this, but each of us have to find it in ourselves to make good choices for these next couple of weeks, to drive down these case numbers, and to be in a position so that we can reopen,' he said. 'I don't want us to finish up like Sydney, where it has fundamentally got away from them. They are not reopening any time soon. 'They are locked in until they get pretty much the whole place vaccinated. That will take months.' 'We have an option, we have an opportunity to do differently and to do better than that but we can't do it on our own. We need every Victorian to play their part in that.' FIND THE LATEST EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU Virgin Australia terminal at the Brisbane domestic Airport in Brisbane pictured empty on March 25, 2020 Gladys Berejiklian admitted at her daily media conference that September and October will be the 'most challenging months' for NSW as the state rushes to vaccinate its population against the virus. 'I want to make this very, very important point life will be much freer than what it is today once we get to 70 and 80 per cent,' she said. 'It doesn't mean we'll be completely free. It doesn't mean that we will let the virus be rampant in the community but it will be freer than it is today.' Eddie Betts believes the AFL is not a safe environment for indigenous players, having vowed to continue fighting racism beyond Saturday's swan song. Carlton great Betts has announced he will retire after playing his 350th game, joining Adam Goodes and Shaun Burgoyne as the only indigenous players to celebrate the milestone. Betts says he is most proud of his five children and efforts to call out racism, rather than any of the countless highlights, 638 goals or 166 wins spread across 16 seasons. Eddie Betts, 34, is set to retire from Carlton after playing his 350th game The 34-year-old, who last week implored Australians to help tackle racism in a powerful speech following Taylor Walker's remark, admitted on Tuesday there is much to be done within the AFL. 'I don't feel like it's safe at the moment,' Betts said. 'I feel like there's still a lot of racism. 'This year there has been a lot of racism. It's been draining and it's been tiring. 'Every year we've seen myself and the other Aboriginal boys standing up, trying to call it out, trying to make a stance. 'Speaking to Gil (AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan) recently, we've got to be stronger, we've got to somehow catch these people. 'And keep them accountable for what they say online or over the fence.' The AFL star will join the likes of joining Adam Goodes and Shaun Burgoyne as the only indigenous players to celebrate the 350 game milestone Betts noted it was Goodes' activism that helped him find his own voice and 'believe in myself, that I had the strength and courage to stamp out racism'. Goodes was routinely booed by crowds throughout his final few seasons, with the AFL belatedly apologising for its lack of action during an unfitting end to the champion's 372-game career. Betts, who revealed plans to launch his own foundation to help 'Aboriginal kids achieve their goals, dreams and be leaders in whatever aspect they want to', and Goodes spoke for approximately half an hour last week. 'Just getting some advice and seeing how he dealt with it and how he felt,' Betts said. 'I told him I'm going to hang up the boots. He gave me some support and guidance and said, 'mate, the next chapter of your life is going to be pretty special'.' The AFL, responding to Walker's suspension, has flagged plans to beef up sanctions and player education while forcing every club to employ a full-time Indigenous liaison officer. Betts says he is most proud of his five children and efforts to call out racism Amid his retirement announcement Betts said he believed AFL was not a safe environment for indigenous players, 'this year there has been a lot of racism, It's been draining and it's been tiring,' he said Betts is among several AFL players to have been targeted with racist abuse by trolls on social media during recent seasons. 'I'm not the one that's going to make change. It's not on Aboriginal people here in Australia ... we need everyone to chip in,' he said. 'Because nobody is born racist. Everyone's learned it along the way somewhere or heard it. 'I'll still call it out, even when I'm not playing footy. I'll still use my voice. 'I'm still going to be there for the rest of the Aboriginal boys who are playing. I'm still going to help them, going to be their support, shoulder to lean on.' What does new CCTV code say it has to do? Take into account any potential adverse impact on protected groups; Be justified and proportionate; Quickly delete any unused biometric data collected; Follow an authorisation process; Set out and publish the categories of people sought on the watch-list and the criteria on which the decision to deploy is based. Advertisement Britain faces a 'dystopian' future with facial-recognition AI cameras turning public spaces into 'open air prisons', privacy campaigners have warned. They slammed proposed new CCTV guidance given to police and councils in England and Wales to compare camera footage with a watch-list. Former CCTV watchdog Tony Porter branded the changes to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice 'bare bones' and said they offered unclear guidance. Two campaign groups also blasted the tweak - the first in eight years - and called for the practice to be scrapped. But the Home Office hit back, saying it empowered police and maintained public trust. The new code would be used by the local council and police and says it would take into account any impact on protected groups. It said that it would be justified and proportionate and would delete unused biometric data after an authorisation process. It added it would publish the categories of those traced on the watch-list and why they would use the technology. Privacy campaigners slammed proposed new CCTV guidance given to police and councils in England and Wales to compare camera footage with a watch-list (file photo) Campaigners say the use of the technology (file image) is a step too far towards a police state Six steps behind facial recognition technology The Metropolitan Police uses facial recognition technology called NeoFace, developed by Japanese IT firm NEC, which matches faces up to a so-called watch list of offenders wanted by the police and courts for existing offences. Cameras scan faces in its view measuring the structure of each face, creating a digital version that is searched up against the watch list. If a match is detected, an officer on the scene is alerted, who will be able to see the camera image and the watch list image, before deciding whether to stop the individual. Advertisement Mr Porter, the former Surveillance Camera Commissioner, said the proposals were 'bare bones'. He told the BBC: 'I don't think it provides much guidance to law enforcement, I don't really it provides a great deal of guidance to the public as to how the technology will be deployed.' The chief privacy officer for a facial-recognition supplier said it would not cover huge firms such as Transport for London but would small councils. Liberty lawyer Megan Goulding said: 'One year since our case led the court to agree that this technology violates our rights and threatens our liberty, these guidelines fail to properly account for either the court's findings or the dangers created by this dystopian surveillance tool. 'Facial recognition will not make us safer, it will turn public spaces into open-air prisons and entrench patterns of discrimination that already oppress entire communities.' Big Brother Watch added the technology should be scrapped and the code legalised 'invasive surveillance technology'. Earlier this year, figures showed facial recognition cameras scanned 13,000 people's faces but only helped make one arrest. The Met Police used facial recognition technology three times in London last year - but campaigners said it was 'dangerously inaccurate and a waste of public money'. During a search for a suspect in Oxford Circus, cameras scanned 8,600 faces against a list of 7,200 suspects. Eight people were singled out by the technology, but seven of them were innocent, while a woman, 35, was arrested in connection with a serious assault. Civil rights campaigner wins Court of Appeal case against the police over facial recognition technology Last August the Court of Appeal ruled facial recognition technology deployed by South Wales Police interfered with privacy and data protection laws. Civil rights campaigner Ed Bridges, 37, brought a legal challenge against South Wales Police arguing their use of automatic facial recognition (AFR) had caused him 'distress'. Civil rights campaigner Ed Bridges (pictured), 37, brought a legal challenge against South Wales Police arguing their use of automatic facial recognition caused him 'distress' He had his face scanned while he was Christmas shopping in Cardiff in 2017 and at a peaceful anti-arms protest outside the city's Motorpoint Arena in 2018. Three Court of Appeal judges ruled the force's use of AFR was unlawful, allowing Mr Bridge's appeal on three out of five grounds he raised in his case. In the judgment, the judges said that there was no clear guidance on where AFR Locate - the system being trialled by South Wales Police - could be used and who could be put on a watchlist. It ruled that 'too much discretion is currently left to individual police officers'. Advertisement In February 2020 the cameras scanned 4,600 faces against a list of 6,000 people who were wanted in Stratford, East London. Not a single suspect was identified. The technology was used again in Oxford Circus in February, but the operation was stopped due to a technical fault after scanning an unknown amount of faces. Facial recognition software works by measuring the structure of a face, including the distance between features such as the eyes, nose, mouth and jaw. Police are alerted if a match is found, and officers then decide whether to speak to the potential suspect. Meanwhile last August the Court of Appeal ruled facial recognition technology deployed by South Wales Police interfered with privacy and data protection laws. Civil rights campaigner Ed Bridges, 37, brought a legal challenge against South Wales Police arguing their use of automatic facial recognition caused him 'distress'. He had his face scanned while he was Christmas shopping in Cardiff in 2017 and at a peaceful anti-arms protest outside the city's Motorpoint Arena in 2018. Three Court of Appeal judges ruled the force's use of AFR was unlawful, allowing Mr Bridge's appeal on three out of five grounds he raised in his case. In the judgment, the judges said there was no clear guidance on where AFR Locate could be used and who could be put on a watch-list. It ruled 'too much discretion is currently left to individual police officers'. In October it was revealed there were around 1,000 AI scanners monitoring social distancing between pedestrians and cyclists - having originally been installed to monitor traffic in the Capital. The Home Office said the proposed changes to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice empowered police and kept the public safe. A spokesman said: 'The Government is committed to empowering the police to use new technology to keep the public safe, whilst maintaining public trust, and we are currently consulting on the Surveillance Camera Code.' 'In addition, College of Policing have consulted on new guidance for police use of LFR in accordance with the Court of Appeal judgment, which will also be reflected in the update to the code.' The officer shot 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker (pictured) in Yuendumu, NT in 2019 A policeman's long-awaited trial for allegedly murdering an Indigenous man during an outback arrest has again been delayed by Covid-19. Constable Zachary Rolfe, 29, is accused of murdering Kumanjayi Walker, 19, who was shot three times in the remote Northern Territory community of Yuendumu in November 2019. Rolfe was supposed to stand trial in the NT Supreme Court on Wednesday but it was postponed after Darwin was locked down amid fears of a Delta variant outbreak. 'Due to the developing Covid-19 situation in the NT the trial of Zachary Rolfe is now scheduled to commence on Monday, August 23,' an NT Courts spokesman said. About 150,000 people in the Top End were plunged into a three-day lockdown at midday on Monday after an infected US man travelled from Sydney to Darwin. Hundreds of close and casual contacts have since been identified after the man in his 30s flew via Canberra on Thursday to the NT for work. NT Police Constable Zachary Rolfe, 28, (pictured receiving 2018 Clarke Medal from then Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrovewas) was charged with one count of murder over the shooting but has plead not guilty Rolfe's trial was previously postponed in July when the Crown's interstate prosecution team found themselves unable to travel to the NT from virus-ravaged Sydney. It was later rescheduled to Wednesday when prosecutor Philip Strickland SC agreed to fly to Darwin to undertake two weeks' quarantine at Howard Springs. The trial is expected to run for three weeks in Darwin, which is about 1,500km north of Yuendumu. New Zealand has been plunged into a snap lockdown after a single mystery Covid case was found in Auckland, the nation's first locally-acquired case since February. The entire country will enter a three-day Level Four lockdown from 11.59pm Tuesday, while Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula will suffer under the rules for at least a week. Kiwis will be locked in their homes for all but essential reasons, with businesses forced to shut and masks mandatory whenever a person leaves the house. A 58-year-old Auckland man, who is unvaccinated, tested positive on Tuesday and is believed to have been infectious for the last five days. He had travelled with his wife to Coromandel which is on the east of the North Island at the weekend. The case is being assumed to be infected with the highly contagious Indian Delta strain until genome testing results come back on Wednesday. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged the country to follow the rules 'to the letter' amid fears the highly-transmissible variant could undermine New Zealand's brutal 'zero-Covid' strategy. She referred to neighbouring Australia's difficulty in controlling the spread of the virus when she addressed the nation on Tuesday night. The strain is already piling pressure on hospitals in Australia, which has deployed a similar economically-crippling elimination strategy. Politicians claim the situation is the worst the nation has faced since the start of the pandemic even though it is much less severe than the darkest spells of outbreaks in Britain and America. New Zealand's sluggish vaccine rollout leaves it particularly susceptible to a deadly outbreak, with only 17 per cent of the entire population fully vaccinated. Australia is also lagging behind (21 per cent). New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern (pictured addressing the nation) has announced the country will go into lockdown from 11.59pm Tuesday New Zealand and Australia have seen very few Covid cases per capita, one of the benefits of pursuing 'zero Covid' policies - despite leaving multi-billion dollar holes in their economies. But there are signs Australia's crisis could spike in the coming weeks amid the spread of the viciously infectious Delta variant, which has raised fears in New Zealand But the nations have lagged behind the West in terms of vaccinations, with New Zealand only fully inoculating 17 per cent of its population compared to 21 per cent in Australia. The UK, on the other hand, has seen more than 60 per cent of the total population jabbed. Note: The percentage totals look at the entire populations, even children who are not being routinely vaccinated The tough and controversial 'zero Covid' policy adopted by the Australasian countries have, however, resulted in very few deaths 'Delta has been called a game changer and it is, it means that we again need to go hard and early to stop the spread,' she said. 'We've seen elsewhere what can happen if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance.' 'We have made the decision on the basis that it is better to start high and go down levels rather than to go low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly.' NEW ZEALAND'S LEVEL FOUR LOCKDOWN - EXPLAINED *From 11:59pm Tuesday, Kiwis can only leave home to shop for groceries, get medical care, get a COVID-19 test, exercise in their local area or go to work if they're an essential worker or cannot work from home. *Can only have physical contact with those in their household bubble and keep a minimum two metre distance from others when leaving the house *If you live alone, you may arrange with another person living alone or a household to be part of your household bubble *Those over-70s or have underlying health conditions should stay at home and ask others to pick up supplies for them *Supermarkets, dairies, pharmacies and petrol station will remain open but all non-essential services will close, including bottle shops and takeaway outlets * All schools and early childhood education centres are closed *Covid-19 vaccinations have been suspended for the next 48 hours *If you are travelling away from home, you have up to 48 hours to get home Advertisement 'We've seen the dire consequences of taking too long to act in other countries, not at least our neighbours. 'I'm asking the team of five million to unite once more to defeat what is likely the more transmissible and deadly variant of the virus. 'Remember to always act like you have Covid-19, stay clear of others; don't put them in harm's way in the same way you would expect that they don't put you in harm's way.' Under the highest Level Four restrictions, Kiwis can only leave their homes for exercise in their neighbourhood, getting groceries, medical care or getting a test. They must wear a mask whenever they leave the house and keep a two metre distance from those other than household members. 'The simplest thing New Zealanders can do to reduce the spread of virus is to stay at home. Beating Delta means lifting our game,' Ms Ardern said. All schools and non-essential businesses such as supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations will shut down for the duration of lockdown, while Covid-19 vaccinations have been suspended for the next 48 hours. The announcement sparked chaos in supermarkets the country as Kiwis scrambled to the shops to stock up on essentials. Kiwis travelling in other parts of the country have been given 48 hours to return home. Health officials are now trying to identify how the man from Auckland's north shore became infected, which at this stage shows there is no immediate link to any high-risk settings. He was unvaccinated but was in the process of booking an appointment to get the jab. 'A link between the case and the border or managed isolation is yet to be established,' the Ministry of Health said. 'While we collect more specific information all New Zealanders are reminded of the basic public health measures of mask wearing and hand washing.' The level lockdown will last for at least seven days in Auckland, where the mystery case emerged. Pictured is a testing clinic in Auckland NZ Health officials are now scrambling to identify the new case which at this stage has no immediate link to any high-risk settings (pictured, masked pedestrians in Auckland) The Coromandel Peninsula (pictured) will be in lockdown for seven days after the infected man visited the region last weekend New Zealand's Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the government's response to an outbreak of the Delta variant is likely to be 'swift and severe' (pictured, medical staff test people in their car at drive-through clinic in Wellington) Ten Auckland exposure sites have been listed with another 13 in Coromandel, which is 180km away from the main city.. The new case is the first New Zealand has recorded since February. University of Auckland COVID-19 modeller Professor Shaun Hendy urged Aucklanders to take precautions and assume they have been exposed to the virus. 'If there is a link to the border, then there is a chance we've caught this outbreak at an early stage. If not, then there will be more cases out there. In either case we should be prepared for an Alert Level change in Auckland, if not other parts of the country,' Hendy tweeted. New Zealand has reported just 26 deaths and 2,570 cases of Covd-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020. Ms Ardern announced an eight week suspension of New Zealand's travel bubble with the entirety of Australia on July 23, after the NSW outbreak began to spread to other states. She will announce a further update on Wednesday afternoon. New Zealand and Australia were hailed as the 'envy of the world' after seemingly managing to suppress the virus and pursue a 'zero Covid' strategy. In doing so the countries had to enforce some of the strictest border measures in the world, leaving a multi-billion dollar hole in their economies and the tourism industry in ruins. But it allowed their populations to continue life largely as normal while the rest of the world lost their basic freedoms - with restaurants, bars, nightclubs and sporting events operating at full capacity. However, the success of the zero Covid strategy could now be undermined by abysmal vaccine rollouts in both Australia and New Zealand and the Delta variant. The low vaccination rates have given the highly-infectious Delta variant - more than twice as virulent as the original Covid virus - the opportunity to spread with free reign, with cases rising fivefold in Australia in recent weeks. Commonwealth Bank customers are being urged to check their bank accounts after fraudulent transactions popped up in hundreds of accounts. Payments ranging from $8.00 to $8.19 have been reportedly been paid to American streaming service Shudder, even though customers had never heard of the site. While Shudder is a legitimate online streaming service, Commonwealth Bank confirmed that a payment issue had been detected. Commonwealth Bank said that if you have seen a similar transaction, your account may be compromised. Customers of Commonwealth Bank may have had their accounts compromised, after charged ranging from $8 to $8.19 popped up in hundreds of customers history 'We encourage any customer that notices unusual activity on their account to contact us immediately,' a Commonwealth spokesperson said. 'We offer our customers the benefit from our 100 per cent guarantee against online fraud where they are not at fault'. Shudder is a streaming service focused on the horror genre, and on their website it says to contact them immediately if any unauthorised transactions come out of your account. The payments were made to US streaming service Shudder, without the customer ever having heard of the website (stock) 'If you do not recognise charges coming from Shudder, please contact us immediately,' the website reads. 'We take fraud, identity theft, and other unauthorised access very seriously. We can immediately cancel the account so that no further charges are billed to your card. 'We ask that you refrain from processing a dispute with your bank/credit card company as we can, in many cases, work directly with you to resolve the issue'. Shudder, a horror based online streaming service, knew of the fraudulent transactions and urged anyone affected to contact them so the account can be closed and the issue be fixed (stock) Reviews flooded in to the websites review page on TrustPilot, with many outraged at the unwarranted fees. 'Have received about 4-5 notifications on my CBA app in the last 2 weeks or so saying I have spent about $8.13 at Shudder, but have never even heard of them before,' one commenter wrote. Another added: 'I am another victim of this Shudder Scam. My CBA was charged $8.13 without my consent of knowledge. Do you think there could be a security breach with CBA?' Boris Johnson is preparing to unveil a 'big-hearted' resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees as Tories urge him to welcome tens of thousands. The PM is set to give details of the arrangements as he runs the gauntlet of MP fury in a statement to the recalled parliament tomorrow. It is expected to be 'modelled' on the scheme that has allowed more than 20,300 Syrians to flee to the UK over the last seven years. Women and girls whose rights are feared to be in severe peril under the new Taliban regime will get special priority under the programme. Britain is likely to work closely with UN agencies to identify those most in need, and accept from either inside Afghanistan or countries in the region they might have fled to. However, there are concerns that not enough local councils will volunteer to take new arrivals and help them start their new lives. Mr Johnson could also confirm that the UK's aid spending on Afghanistan will rise 10 per cent as the security assistance previously received by Kabul is axed. Teeing up the statement, Dominic Raab told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We will reconfigure our aid budget. We of course will not give the security capacity building money that we previously gave to the government to the Taliban.' But he added: 'I expect that we will increase our aid budget for development and humanitarian purposes, probably by 10 per cent is what I have in mind on last year. 'We want to try and make sure it won't go through the Taliban, but make sure that we can alleviate the humanitarian suffering.' Women and girls, whose rights are feared to be in severe peril under the new Taliban regime, will get priority under the programme, it is understood. Pictured: Yesterday's evacuation Dominic Raab said Boris Johnson would set out the details of the Afghan resettlement scheme 'in due course' - with more information due to emerge when the PM addresses the recalled Parliament tomorrow British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan being relocated to the UK Afghan aid spending is set to rise 10%, says Dominic Raab The UK's aid spending on Afghanistan is set to rise 10 per cent after the Taliban takeover. Dominic Raab said the support would be boosted as the security assistance previously received by Kabul is axed. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We will reconfigure our aid budget. We of course will not give the security capacity building money that we previously gave to the government to the Taliban.' But he added: 'I expect that we will increase our aid budget for development and humanitarian purposes, probably by 10 per cent is what I have in mind on last year. 'We want to try and make sure it won't go through the Taliban, but make sure that we can alleviate the humanitarian suffering.' Advertisement Downing Street said it is in 'everyone's interest not to let Afghanistan fail'. 'That means providing whatever support we can to the Afghan people who have worked so hard to make the country a better place over the last 20 years and who are now in need of our help.' He added: 'We'll be speaking to other world leaders about how we can take a unified approach. 'I think it's clear no one country has the capability to deal with this alone and we want to work together on that.' Cabinet ministers including Mr Raab and Priti Patel are finalising details of the scheme before handing them to Mr Johnson. The PM yesterday led the Cobra emergency committee as it held its third meeting in four days. He is seeking to host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders, including US President Joe Biden, as soon as possible. He spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday and ministers are hoping for a meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in the coming days. Mr Johnson will update Parliament tomorrow when MPs are recalled early from their summer break for the first time in eight years to debate the crisis. A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The UK team in Afghanistan is working around the clock in incredibly difficult circumstances to help British nationals and as many others as we can get to safety as soon as possible.' Former Conservative immigration minister Damian Green called on the Government to take in any Afghan with a legitimate claim. Former Conservative immigration minister Damian Green (pictured) called on the Government to take in any Afghan with a legitimate claim How does the Syrian resettlement scheme work? The Afghan refugees could benefit from arrangements similar to the Syrian resettlement scheme. That was set up in 2015 to help those in the greatest need, including people requiring urgent medical treatment, survivors of violence and torture, and women and children at risk. With an aim to bring 20,000 Syrians to the UK by 2020, it was the largest resettlement scheme in Europe. The government worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify particularly vulnerable candidates. It deliberately targeted those who were still in the region, giving them a direct safe and legal route to the UK. Local authorities and community sponsor groups were asked to volunteer to support people as they settled into a new life. Advertisement He said: 'There are times and places where we should be strict with asylum applications. Afghanistan today is the exact opposite. We should take anyone who can make a case.' Chairman of the Commons defence committee Tobias Ellwood said the numbers accepted by Britain should run 'at least' into tens of thousands. The former British Army captain told news website PoliticsHome: 'All Nato countries who participated in Afghanistan need to work together to coordinate efforts in order to facilitate arrival of what will be hundreds of thousands of families fleeing the country.' Former Cabinet minister Lord Hammond described the situation as a 'terrible failure of Western strategy' warning of not just a 'humanitarian crisis but no doubt in time a counter-terrorism crisis for the West'. Shadow Foreign Office minister Stephen Kinnock warned the intake 'needs to be a bold and ambitious and generous offer'. Mr Kinnock told Today the new plan 'needs to be a bold and ambitious and generous offer'. Asked if 20,000 people would be about right, he said: 'We need to see an offer that is also backed up with the capacity to process it. 'As you pointed out, the situation on the ground there is so difficult at the moment that we have got to ensure that we don't open up an offer that we can't actually deliver on. 'So we need to see the detail of the plan from the Government, but it is absolutely right that we make an ambitious and bold offer.' Asked if that means tens of thousands of people rather than a few thousand, he said: 'I would have thought so, yes, yes - we, of course, need to see the detail, but I think this needs to be a significant offer.' Last night British legal bodies called for female Afghan judges and lawyers to be given priority, amid concern over their safety under Taliban rule. The Bar Council and the Law Society said in a joint statement they were 'gravely concerned' about the 'perilous future' they were facing under the Taliban. Shadow Foreign Office minister Stephen Kinnock warned the intake needs to be a bold and ambitious and generous offer' Meanwhile, Mr Johnson hopes to convene a meeting of world leaders at the 'earliest opportunity' as he looks to co-ordinate the international response to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. The Prime Minister is pushing for a virtual G7 meeting to be arranged, raising the idea with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a call on Tuesday and doing the same during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. And in a signal that Mr Johnson wants to draw together a broad coalition, Downing Street confirmed the UK wants the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) - which, as well as Britain, includes the US, China, France and Russia - to meet this week. The gathering would extend even further than the G7 alliance of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US, with the Prime Minister keen for leading economies to act together on choosing how to broach relations with a Taliban-led state in Afghanistan. A Downing Street spokeswoman said Mr Johnson and Mrs Merkel agreed that 'global co-operation was crucial'. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed the UK would have to work with 'challenging' partners on its approach to dealing with the Taliban following their capture of Kabul. UK relations with Moscow have been strained in recent years, particularly since the Salisbury Novichok attack in 2018, while Beijing and London have been at loggerheads over China's growing technological influence amid security and spying fears. Mr Raab, who admitted that the speed of Afghanistan's fall took the Government by surprise, told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'We'll need a contact group I believe, of not just like-minded Western countries, but countries with direct influence even if we find it challenging dealing with them. 'The permanent members of the Security Council, including China and Russia, will need to be, I think, part of the solution, so it's not going to be easy.' Mr Raab said he thought the international community must 'test' the Taliban's resolve to hold to promises previously made in their Doha agreement with the US, including ensuring terrorists do not take hold again in Afghanistan and leading a more 'inclusive' government. Banning phones in class will make pupils anxious and lead to them behaving badly, a teaching union warned today as it criticised Gavin Williamson's bid to make schools 'mobile-free' zones. The Education Secretary announced in June that he wanted to bring in a ban on phones in schools and launched a consultation on the plans, which could see pupils asked to leave their devices in lockers at the start of the day. In response, the Association of School and College Leaders (ACSL) accused Mr Williamson of becoming obsessed about phones and suggested restrictions would 'trigger poor behaviour' among pupils. Gavin Williamson announced in June that he wanted to bring in a ban on phones in schools and launched a consultation on the plans Director of Policy Julie McCulloch said: 'School and college leaders are slightly mystified about the education secretary's fixation with banning mobile phones in classrooms because they have been dealing with the practicalities of this issue for many years now.' She added: 'Our view remains that schools and colleges already have strong tried-and-tested policies and they are best placed to make their own decisions.' Mr Williamson has called phones in the classroom as 'distracting' and 'damaging'. He said: 'I want to put an end to this, making the school day mobile-free. In order for us to help pupils overcome the challenges from the pandemic and level up opportunities for all young people, we need to ensure they can benefit from calm classrooms which support them to thrive.' The ACSL has also pointed out the practical impacts of a ban, including young carers being unable to support their parents and pupils with special needs using them as a support tool in class, such as by taking photos of lesson instructions. The move could come into effect as early as the New Year or after the Easter holidays to help create 'calm classrooms'. Mr Williamson believes the handsets can be distracting and potentially 'damaging' when misused. It comes amid growing concerns that pupils are using phones to bully each other on social media or for sexual harassment. The Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has supported the plan. She told the i newspaper: 'The new move is helpful. I think it's generally a positive thing, it's something lots of us have been doing for a while and I think there is a general groundswell of support for it. 'If you look at France, they've had a mobile ban in place for three years and I think it's gone very well. It's a bit of a non-issue and I'm pretty sure that's how it will be for here.' The Association of School and College Leaders (ACSL) accused Mr Williamson of becoming obsessed about phones and suggested restrictions would 'trigger poor behaviour' among pupils She said that any ban in England would likely be along the same lines, with 'Wi-Fi connectable smartphones to be left at home, or not used or taken out of the bag during school hours'. Dame Rachel suggested that parents might want to buy children an old-fashioned 'brick phone' instead of smartphones in future. Banning phones in school would also 'take away the pressure a bit from parents, with younger and younger children having to be bought these handsets that are not cheap', she added. Some headteachers have objected to Mr Williamson's position as an infringement of their autonomy, while others have argued there is a role for phones in schools to enable staff to teach young people how to use them responsibly. A DfE spokesman said: 'Mobile phones can be distracting if used in the classroom, but when misused or overused, they can have a damaging effect on a pupil's mental health and wellbeing. 'Looking at how schools and colleges are making the day mobile-free is just one part of our behaviour call for evidence, which asked teachers and school leaders about a range of ways to help students focus on their education and create calmer schools which is especially important due to the impact of the pandemic.' Advertisement Sean Hannity blasted US President Joe Biden on Monday for what he saw as a repeat of the events of April 1975 in Ho Chi Minh City - then named Saigon - when the U.S embassy in Vietnam was evacuated as the North Vietnamese army descended on the presidential palace. 'Joe Biden has frankly humiliated the United States on the world stage. Saigon circa 1975 on steroids,' said Hannity. 'Thanks to the ill-fated actions of our derelict, low-functioning president, the absolute worst-case scenario has been playing out before our eyes.' Hours earlier, in his address to the nation President Biden had defended his decision to bring home U.S. troops before blaming Afghan leaders for their failure to prevent the country collapsing. Biden's address was the first time the president had spoken publicly about the unfolding crisis in six days, after he left his retreat at Camp David and returned to Washington. Hannity blasted Biden in his opening monologue for what he saw as a repeat of the events of April 1975 in Ho Chi Minh City - then named Saigon - when the U.S embassy in Vietnam was evacuated as the North Vietnamese army descended on the presidential palace 'Thanks to the ill-fated actions of our derelict, low-functioning president, the absolute worst-case scenario has been playing out before our eyes,' said Hannity Disturbing footage released on Monday shows a sea of desperate Afghans attempting to cling onto a US air force plane as it takes off from Kabul Airport The footage circulating on social media shows the swift exit of US forces and personnel from Afghanistan Hannity went on to say that Biden appeared to ignore the warnings against a rapid evacuation from Afghanistan by his team of military commanders and advisers, and criticised the president over claims he had dismissed intelligence assessments from the region when deciding to pull out US troops and personnel. 'Now Afghanistan has fallen to the Islamic extremists, the Taliban, in record time. [The administration] just said last week it would be 90 days at the earliest and it was overrun in a matter of hours,' said Hannity. 'Taliban fighters are now in control of a massive stockpile of Joe Biden-U.S. Taxpayer paid-for weapons, ammo, vehicles, other supplies abandoned during Biden's hasty retreat. 'He wasn't even smart enough to take our munitions out.' Hannity laid into Biden over the hasty evacuation and said 'he wasn't even smart enough to take our munitions out' New images appear to show stockpiles of weapons, munitions and equipment abandoned in Kabul Hannity continued to criticize Biden for the chaos at Kabul airport where hundreds of Afghan civilians desperately clung to a USAF C-17 plane. The host showed graphic video of some of those refugee-hopefuls later falling from the sky as they lost their grip on the fuselage as the plane gained altitude. The host further reported that half a dozen people were also crushed by planes attempting to take off amid the panic. The United States has, over the last 20 years, poured $978billion into the country, according to an analysis by Brown University. The bulk of the money spent in Afghanistan has been on counter-insurgency operations, and on the needs of troops such as food, clothing, medical care, special pay and benefits. Most of American spending on reconstruction has gone to a fund that supports the Afghan Army and police forces - through equipment, training and funding. Yet despite this, Biden insisted on Monday that he had never supported counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan and repeatedly criticized the Afghan government and military. 'I've argued for many years that our mission should be narrowly focused on counterterrorism not counterinsurgency or nation building. 'We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future.' At least three Afghan civilians allegedly plunged to their deaths as they failed to hold on to the US air force plane that took off from Kabul airport 'The buck stops with me' said Biden on Monday as he defended his decision to make a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after returning from his retreat at Camp David to the White House 'I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces', said Biden President Biden did not hold back, laying the blame for the deteriorating situation at the feet of the Afghan government. 'I stand squarely behind my decision,' Biden said. 'After 20 years I've learned the hard way. That there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. 'I am president of the United States of America,' he said. 'And the buck stops with me.' 'The truth is - this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. So what's happened? Afghanistan's political leaders gave up and fled the country.' In his remarks, Biden insisted the rapid collapse of the country only reinforced his belief that bringing troops home was the right thing to do. 'American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,' he said. After delivering his speech, Biden dismissed the press' questions and immediately returned to the presidential retreat. Former President Trump hit back at Biden. 'It's not that we left Afghanistan,' he said in an emailed statement. 'It's the grossly incompetent way we left!' Vandenberg Coalition chairman and former senior State Department official Elliott Abrams said it was a 'disgraceful performance.' He added: 'The president never addressed the real questions: why would he not leave a few thousand troops to provide air power? 'Why did he not understand that his decisions would create chaos?' Only last month, Biden had shrugged off concerns that the Taliban were poised to return to power, saying the Afghan military had the advantage in men and arms. 'The likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely,' he said. The past week has proved him wrong and plunged his presidency into crisis. At least eight people were killed during chaos at the Kabul airport on Monday, as thousands of Afghans traveled to the airfield in hopes of escaping the Taliban. Meanwhile, Taliban fighters are going door to door to find Afghan special forces who fought alongside the U.S., Fox News reported. Dominic Raab today admitted 'in retrospect' he would not have gone on holiday amid the Afghan crisis - as he insisted the 'distressing' situation at Kabul airport is 'stabilising'. The Foreign Secretary insisted 'real progress' is being made in evacuating UK nationals and other refugees, after the Taliban took charge. After cutting his holiday short on Sunday amid a wave of criticism, Mr Raab conceded he would not have taken a break abroad had he known what was going to happen. But he said the whole world had been 'taken by surprise' by the speed of the collapse of the Afghan government following the withdrawal of Western troops. Tens of thousands of Afghans could be granted asylum in Britain under emergency plans being drawn up by ministers. Women and girls whose rights are feared to be in severe peril under the new Taliban regime will get special priority under the programme, it is understood. The Afghan resettlement project is expected to be similar to one that has allowed more than 20,300 Syrians to flee to this country over the last seven years. Mr Raab said he was not able to confirm how many refugees would be coming to the UK, stating that Prime Minister Boris Johnson would 'set out the details in due course'. He said the question is whether to have a 'bespoke' process for asylum in the UK for Afghans. 'We've done them in the past, so you can look at Syria, for example,' he said. 'I think it's right to consider it for Afghanistan but, as I said, let us come forward with the full details rather than drip feed out bits of this without being properly scrutinised so we can get the right balance.' Dominic Raab insisted 'real progress' is being made in evacuating UK nationals and other refugees, after the Taliban took charge Women and girls whose rights are feared to be in severe peril under the new Taliban regime will get special priority under the programme, it is understood Afghan aid spending is set to rise 10%, says Dominic Raab The UK's aid spending on Afghanistan is set to rise 10 per cent after the Taliban takeover. Dominic Raab said the support would be boosted as the security assistance previously received by Kabul is axed. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We will reconfigure our aid budget. We of course will not give the security capacity building money that we previously gave to the government to the Taliban.' But he added: 'I expect that we will increase our aid budget for development and humanitarian purposes, probably by 10 per cent is what I have in mind on last year. 'We want to try and make sure it won't go through the Taliban, but make sure that we can alleviate the humanitarian suffering.' Advertisement Mr Raab said 'hearts go out' to the citizens of Afghanistan and described the footage of people at Kabul airport on Monday as 'distressing'. The Foreign Secretary told BBC Breakfast: 'Our hearts go out to the Afghan people, who now face what feels like a pretty wholesale Taliban takeover. That's why we've been there, not just to protect the United Kingdom and our allies from insecurity but to try and improve the lives of ordinary Afghans. 'Those scenes are distressing, but we've got to make sure that airport is stabilised and secure, precisely so, at least in the short term, we get our nationals out and we allow secure safe passage to those served us so loyally over the last 20 years.' Mr Raab admitted he would not have gone on holiday if he had known what was about to happen, but stressed he returned 'as soon as the situation deteriorated and demanded it'. He said: 'Everyone was caught off-guard by the pace, scale of the Taliban takeover.' He said all foreign secretaries, 'when we are abroad, whether it's travel for work or for holiday, we are there able to respond to events. So I was engaged in Cobra, talking to foreign counterparts, directly speaking to the head of our team here in London, I was doing that on an hour-by-hour basis and, of course, I left as soon as the situation deteriorated and demanded it'. He added the situation in Afghanistan was being monitored, and 'from my point of view, at any point in time, I will have eight to 10 simmering issues that can bubble up'. He said: 'We didn't predict that we would be doing this on this scale because of the Taliban takeover. But look, in retrospect of course I wouldn't have gone on holiday if I had known that would be the case. 'Equally, after 18 months and two years of a very gruelling, demanding schedule, I think it is right that people in those positions try and take some leave, but we are always ready, I'm always ready, to come back. 'And even when I was away, frankly I wouldn't have gone away if I would have known that, I was constantly handling and managing meetings, talking to foreign counterparts, and because of technology, of course, able to engage in every one of the Cobra meetings.' A Downing Street source said it was in no-one's interests for the Afghan state to fail. 'That means providing whatever support we can to the Afghan people who have worked so hard to make the country a better place over the last 20 years and who are now in need of our help.' He added: 'We'll be speaking to other world leaders about how we can take a unified approach. I think it's clear no one country has the capability to deal with this alone and we want to work together on that.' Cabinet ministers including Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Home Secretary Priti Patel are finalising details of the scheme before handing them to Boris Johnson, who yesterday led the Cobra emergency committee as it held its third meeting in four days. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has led the Cobra emergency committee over the last four days, and is seeking to to host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders, including US President Joe Biden The Prime Minister is seeking to host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders, including US President Joe Biden, as soon as possible. He spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday and ministers are hoping for a meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in the coming days. Mr Johnson will update Parliament tomorrow when MPs are recalled early from their summer break for the first time in eight years to debate the crisis. A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The UK team in Afghanistan is working around the clock in incredibly difficult circumstances to help British nationals and as many others as we can get to safety as soon as possible.' Former Conservative immigration minister Damian Green called on the Government to take in any Afghan with a legitimate claim. 'There are times and places where we should be strict with asylum applications. Afghanistan today is the exact opposite,' he said. British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan being relocated to the UK British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan being relocated to the UK 'We should take anyone who can make a case.' Chairman of the Commons defence committee Tobias Ellwood said the numbers accepted by Britain should run 'at least' into tens of thousands. The former British Army captain told news website PoliticsHome: 'All Nato countries who participated in Afghanistan need to work together to coordinate efforts in order to facilitate arrival of what will be hundreds of thousands of families fleeing the country.' Former Cabinet minister Lord Hammond described the situation as a 'terrible failure of Western strategy' warning of not just a 'humanitarian crisis but no doubt in time a counter-terrorism crisis for the West'. Former Conservative immigration minister Damian Green (pictured) called on the Government to take in any Afghan with a legitimate claim The resettlement scheme will offer an escape route to thousands of people, but any upper limit on numbers was still being finalised last night. Last night British legal bodies called for female Afghan judges and lawyers to be given priority, amid concern over their safety under Taliban rule. The Bar Council and the Law Society said in a joint statement they were 'gravely concerned' about the 'perilous future' they were facing under the Taliban. An abusive boyfriend who beat up, bullied and isolated his girlfriend from her friends breached the terms of his restraining order after he was spared jail. Ella Crowe, 19, was left wanting to take her own life after she was physically and emotionally abused by 34-year old Liam Mountford during a ten-month relationship. In one incident Mountford offered to set up a noose so the teenager could hang herself and he also threatened to burn her mother's house down. During their relationship he also threatened to post naked pictures of Miss Crowe online and broke her phone to stop her contacting friends. Last June, Mountford, of Leigh, Greater Manchester, faced jail after admitting coercive behaviour but was given a suspended jail sentence and banned from contacting Miss Crowe under the terms of a two year restraining order. Just nine days later the father-of-one sent her a 'love heart' emoji via Snapchat and he was re-arrested. Miss Crowe was said to be so terrified at getting the emoji she moved to a secret address in Wales in a bid to get away from him. Liam Mountford (left and right), 34, of Leigh, Greater Manchester, beat up, bullied and isolated his girlfriend from her friends during their ten-month relationship Ella Crowe, 19, said her self-esteem hit 'rock bottom' and she left wanting to take her own life after she was physically and emotionally abused by the father-of-one On Monday at Bolton Crown Court, Mountford admitted breaching a restraining order but was spared prison for a second time and given another two month jail sentence suspended for 18 months. He was also given an extra 30 hours to the 120 hours unpaid work he had already been ordered to complete and pay 420 costs. He has served a total of just nine weeks in jail over his terror campaign against Miss Crowe - which he completed whilst he was on remand. Miss Crowe has now gone public to condemn the doubters who told her to 'sit down and shut up' when she decided to report him to police. In her Facebook post Miss Crowe said: 'Even though his sentence is absolutely shocking for what he's put me through over the past year, at least now I can finally stand here knowing that all you people that were in denial of his actions, everyone who said it was my own fault, everyone who told me to ''sit down and shut up'' and everyone who wasn't there for me when I needed you the most and called me a liar now feels stupid. 'The amount of pain and emotional torture this man has put me through has by far been the worst thing I've ever had to endure. 'From the start to the end of the relationship I was controlled, bullied, isolated, abused and made to feel absolutely worthless. 'He damaged me in so many ways, destroyed me as a person, humiliated me, bullied and traumatised me, stripped me of my personality. What 34-year-old man would want to do that to a 19-year-old girl? 'I was powerless and defenceless against him he completely overpowered me and time and time again people allowed it to happen before their own eyes. And now after finally plucking up the courage which took me a very long time to speak out and do something about it, this is the outcome I get. 'The system has absolutely failed me. So now I will still be looking over my shoulder everywhere I go, whilst this woman beating scumbag walks the streets.' Mountford's relationship with Miss Crowe started in June 2020 but he became possessive and and whenever she tried to visit friends or family, he would falsely accuse her of cheating on him. He would video-call her and insist she show him around wherever she was in order to prove to him she was not with other men and broke her phone to stop her contacting friends. On one occasion Miss Crowe walked away from Mountford but he began screaming at her as he followed her down the street. Passers-by intervened but Mountford returned in a van and forced his girlfriend to get in and crouch in the footwell. Mountford admitted breaching a restraining order but was spared prison for a second time and given another two months jail suspended for 18 months The father-of-one, who has served a total of nine weeks in jail, was also given an extra 30 hours to the 120 hours unpaid work he had already been ordered to complete On another occasion, Miss Crowe woke up in bed to find Mountford 'in her face' telling her he had checked messages on her new phone and 'wasn't happy with what he'd found.' He told her to leave but as she gathered her clothing and other belongings, he told her: 'If you walk out that door I'll drag you back in by your hair and burn your mum's house down.' Mountford then threw the items onto the roof from a shed and as she tried to leave again, he bundled her into furniture, which caused bruising to her legs and feet. He spat at her multiple times and called her a 'sl**', a 'tramp', and a 'liar', before telling her that he 'hoped she died a long and painful death'. Mountford then picked up some weights and held them above her head, which made the woman think that he was going to attack her. She later went to her parents' house and she told them about the abuse. Mountford was subsequently sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years and complete 120 hours unpaid work on June 28 this year. But on July 7 Miss Crowe uploaded a selfie to Snapchat to which Mountford posted the love heart emoji. She was said to be 'shocked' and police were alerted. She was initially too scared to give a statement but agreed after she felt it was the 'best way to feel safe.' In a statement to police she said: 'I fear Liam will attempt to find me - I am currently staying with a friend in Wales as I do not fell safe living in Leigh. I was scared and shocked at the latest incident.' An offender management report on Mountford said there were 'limited controls' in place to manage him in the community particularly if he was residing with women. Mountford had 39 offences on record including GBH, racially aggravated assault and numerous breaches of court orders. In mitigation defence counsel Paul Treble said: 'This is not worst breach of a restraining order. She was on Snapchat and looking at his photos and that's why he sent the emoji. He hasn't tried to contact her again.' Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Michael Maher increased the length of the restraining order to five years and told Mountford: 'It is said you belittled her, isolated her and controlled her phone and demonstrated jealous possessive tendencies and yet you showed a complete disregard for the court's orders. 'She now thinks the restraining order is not long enough and has moved to Wales in order provide herself with a sense of security. It could be said this emoji might have been the preface for more threatening contact but none has been more forthcoming. Take the message - stop contacting her, you have run out of chances.' This is the chilling moment a taliban leader called up a BBC news presenter live on air and claimed people in Afghanistan were 'safe' and there would be 'no revenge'. BBC World News anchor Yalda Hakim received the call from the terrorist group's spokesman Suhail Shaheen on her mobile phone during her show on Sunday. She quickly put the phone next to a guest microphone so viewers could hear Mr Shaheen claim victory as the Taliban recaptured Kabul after 20 years in exile. He said: 'We assure the people of Afghanistan particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe, there will be no revenge on anyone.' Mr Shaheen described the Taliban as the 'servants of the people and of this country' and said the group's leaders were 'awaiting a peaceful transfer of power'. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen (pictured in March 2021) spoke to BBC News on Sunday US soldiers stand guard along a perimeter area at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan yesterday Ms Hakim, who joined the BBC in 2012, fled her native Afghanistan as a child before being brought up in Sydney where she went to school then studied journalism. The extraordinary 30-minute interview, which has been widely shared, began with Ms Hakim saying: 'Mr Shaheen, can you hear me?' Mr Shaheen replied, saying: 'Yes.' BBC interviews the Taliban: Yalda Hakim talks to Suhail Shaheen Here is a transcript of the first few minutes of Yalda Hakim's interview with the Taliban's Suhail Shaheen on BBC World News on Sunday: Yalda Hakim : 'Mr Shaheen, can you hear me?' : 'Mr Shaheen, can you hear me?' Suhail Shaheen : 'Yes.' : 'Yes.' YH : 'Er, OK, we've just got you on the phone, so we're just going to see if we can put you on speaker. Can our viewers hear that? Can you speak sir, can you just introduce him?' : 'Er, OK, we've just got you on the phone, so we're just going to see if we can put you on speaker. Can our viewers hear that? Can you speak sir, can you just introduce him?' SS : 'Yes, I'm Muhammad Suhail Shaheen, member of the negotiations team of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and spokesman of the Taliban.' : 'Yes, I'm Muhammad Suhail Shaheen, member of the negotiations team of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and spokesman of the Taliban.' YH : 'Is that fine? Can our viewers hear that? OK. Mr Shaeen, there is a lot of chaos and confusion in Kabul at the moment. Can you just help us understand what the Taliban plan to do at present, and next?' : 'Is that fine? Can our viewers hear that? OK. Mr Shaeen, there is a lot of chaos and confusion in Kabul at the moment. Can you just help us understand what the Taliban plan to do at present, and next?' SS : 'Yes. There should not be any confusion in Kabul, we assure the people of Afghanistan, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe, there will be no revenge on anyone. We are the servants of the people and of this country. Our leadership have instructed our forces to remain at the gate of the Kabul, not to enter the city. We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power.' : 'Yes. There should not be any confusion in Kabul, we assure the people of Afghanistan, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe, there will be no revenge on anyone. We are the servants of the people and of this country. Our leadership have instructed our forces to remain at the gate of the Kabul, not to enter the city. We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power.' YH : 'When you say peaceful transfer of power, what do you mean? What is actually likely to happen?' : 'When you say peaceful transfer of power, what do you mean? What is actually likely to happen?' SS : 'It means that the city and the power should be handed over to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and then in future we will have an Afghan inclusive Islamic Government in which all Afghans will have participation.' : 'It means that the city and the power should be handed over to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and then in future we will have an Afghan inclusive Islamic Government in which all Afghans will have participation.' YH : 'When you say participation, do you mean one vote, one person? What do you mean by participation' : 'When you say participation, do you mean one vote, one person? What do you mean by participation' SS : 'No, participation means that we will have in the Government other Afghans. They will be part we will have them in the future Government.' : 'No, participation means that we will have in the Government other Afghans. They will be part we will have them in the future Government.' YH : 'But it will all fall under the umbrella of the Government of the Taliban, the Islamic Emirate as you describe it?' : 'But it will all fall under the umbrella of the Government of the Taliban, the Islamic Emirate as you describe it?' SS : 'Yes, there will be, as I said, an Afghan inclusive Islamic government.' Advertisement Working out how she was going to get him on air, Ms Haki, said: 'OK, we've just got you on the phone, so we're just going to see if we can put you on speaker. Can our viewers hear that? Can you speak sir, can you just introduce him?' Mr Shaheen, who is based in Qatar, said: 'Yes, I'm Muhammad Suhail Shaheen, member of the negotiations team of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and spokesman of the Taliban.' Ms Hakim continued: 'Is that fine? Can our viewers hear that? OK. Mr Shaeen, there is a lot of chaos and confusion in Kabul at the moment. Can you just help us understand what the Taliban plan to do at present, and next?' And he replied: 'Yes. There should not be any confusion in Kabul, we assure the people of Afghanistan, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe, there will be no revenge on anyone. 'We are the servants of the people and of this country. Our leadership have instructed our forces to remain at the gate of the Kabul, not to enter the city. We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power.' Ms Hakim said: 'When you say peaceful transfer of power, what do you mean? What is actually likely to happen?' And Mr Shaeen said: 'It means that the city and the power should be handed over to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and then in future we will have an Afghan inclusive Islamic Government in which all Afghans will have participation.' Continuing to press him, Ms Hakim said: 'When you say participation, do you mean one vote, one person? What do you mean by participation' And Mr Shaheen: 'No, participation means that we will have in the Government other Afghans. They will be part we will have them in the future Government.' Ms Hakim asked him: 'But it will all fall under the umbrella of the Government of the Taliban, the Islamic Emirate as you describe it?' And Mr Shaheen said: 'Yes, there will be, as I said, an Afghan inclusive Islamic government.' Ms Hakim then asked: 'Will there be a delegation going to Doha tomorrow to speak with Mullah Baradar, as there are a lot of rumours that he has arrived in Kabul, and the current president Ashraf Ghani has handed power over to him?' But Mr Shaheen replied: 'Mullah Baradar is here in Doha, he has not gone to Kabul, these are just rumours.' Mr Shaheen also revealed Islamic government under Sharia law was the aim of the resurgent Taliban. He also refused to rule out the former regime's former brutal repression methods, such as public executions and removal of limbs. 'I can't say right now, that's up to the judges in the courts and the laws,' he said. 'The judges will be appointed according to the law of the future government.' The BBC's Yalda Hakim fled her native Afghanistan as a child and was brought up in Sydney Taliban fighters take control of the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday The BBC's Ms Hakim fled her native Afghanistan as a child before being brought up in Sydney Praise for Ms Hakim's handling of the Taliban spokesman flowed quickly on social media. Public face of the Taliban: 'Surprisingly courteous' former newspaper editor is 'spokesman' for regime Muhammad Suhail Shaheen is presented as the public face of the Taliban and has been carrying out interviews in recent days to defend the terrorist group's surge to power in Afghanistan. He was educated at the International Islamic University in Islamabad and Kabul University, and is the former editor of the English-language, state-owned Kabul Times. Mr Shaheen was also Deputy Ambassador at the Afghan Embassy in Pakistan but is now a spokesman for the Taliban based in Qatar. He described himself on BBC World News on Sunday as a 'member of the negotiations team of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and spokesman of the Taliban'. Former BBC India correspondent Andrew Whitehead, who interviewed Mr Shaheen after the 9/11 attacks, said he was 'everything that you don't expect a Taliban representative to be - calm, courteous, composed, and willing to answer questions and enter into conversation rather than simply ram home a message'. Mr Shaheen has had a Twitter account since February 2019 and now has more than 340,000 followers. Advertisement Fellow broadcaster Aasmah Mir called her 'an absolute boss' for the 'mindblowing' interview. Reporter David Shukman said she showed 'phenomenal skill' and the BBC's Australian correspondent Shaimaa Khalil said the interview was 'must watch'. Ms Hakim attended Sydney's Macarthur Girls High School in Parramatta before attending Macleay College. She then worked for SBS before landing her role with the BBC in 2012. In 2015 she told ABC's The Drum how her family used people smugglers in order to leave Afghanistan and seek asylum in Australia. 'I see myself as a woman who's Australian, who works for an international organisation but I'm Australian, I'm a product of this society,' she said. Today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil a 'bespoke' resettlement scheme for vulnerable Afghans as efforts to get British nationals and other support staff back to the UK continue. No 10 said Mr Johnson would give more information about the refugee scheme in the coming days, with the policy anticipated to be focused on helping women and girls. In Afghanistan, British armed forces numbers are to be bolstered to 900, with a further 200 announced by the Ministry of Defence yesterday. They will be involved in the push to bring UK nationals home and secure the safety of selected Afghans, an effort that has intensified since the Taliban took Kabul following their lightning offensive which has shocked the West. The decision to send in additional troops follows frantic scenes at Kabul airport that left seven people dead, including some who fell from a departing US military transport jet. However, in a defiant statement, US President Joe Biden said he stood 'squarely behind' the decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, vowing not to let the war enter a 'third decade'. Despite Allied intentions to withdraw armed forces entirely by next month, both the US and the UK are sending in further troops to assist with evacuation efforts, a move that armed forces minister James Heappey said would make controlling Kabul airport easier. A care home group and its manager have appeared in court after a convicted rapist sexually assaulted a dementia-suffering fellow resident. Robert Carpenter, then 65, was placed at HICA-owned care home Raleigh Court in Cambridge Street by Hull City Council as an emergency placement after electrocuting himself at his home. The attack, in June 2018, was spotted when staff were looking for the elderly female victim, who had dementia, as it was time for her to go to bed. Staff walked into a room used as a communal area and saw Carpenter, whose trousers were pulled down his thighs, sexually assaulting the woman as she sat in a chair. Robert Carpenter (pictured), then 65, was placed at HICA-owned care home Raleigh Court in Cambridge Street by Hull City Council as an emergency placement after electrocuting himself at his home Hull-based HICA care group, whose head office is based in Freetown Way, and the care home manager Katie Daysley, from Kirk Ella, are jointly charged under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Both denied one charge of failing to discharge a duty resulting in avoidable harm to a service user from abuse and improper treatment when they appeared at Hull Magistrates' Court on Friday. HICA referred itself to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after Carpenter's conviction for the attack. He already had 48 offences on his record dating back to 1968, including the brutal rape of a stranger in Scunthorpe 40 years ago. Carpenter was jailed for seven and a half years for his care home attack, and it emerged during the court case that staff were told of his criminal past. Staff walked into a room used as a communal area and saw Carpenter, whose trousers were pulled down his thighs, sexually assaulting the victim as she sat in a chair He told police he suffered from depression, had problems with his memory, but he did not have Alzheimer's or any mental health problems, Hull Crown Court heard in 2019. The court heard how Carpenter raped a stranger on a desolate footpath, forcing a scarf into her mouth to stop her screaming, breaking her jaw before raping her and throwing her over a fence. He was jailed in 2010 for six-and-a-half years for the rape, after DNA advances made a prosecution possible, but sadly his victim did not live to see justice done. After the 2018 care home attack, the victim's husband spoke in a statement of the anger and guilt he felt for his wife of more than 50 years. Hull-based HICA care group, whose head office is based in Freetown Way, and the care home manager Katie Daysley, from Kirk Ella, are jointly charged under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Pictured: Raleigh Court care home He said: 'I feel utter and total disgust and anger that a man such as Robert Carpenter, who has capacity, has committed such a horrible act to my poor wife - someone who has never been with anyone else but me. 'I still continue to feel so guilty. [She] is the love of my life. It was my role to protect her and I feel I've let her down so badly. 'It is something I think about every day and it keeps me awake at night.' The case relating to HICA and Ms Daysley was adjourned at Hull Magistrates' Court until October 14. A newly promoted policeman has been kicked out of the force for drunkenly abusing female paramedics - on a night out celebrating becoming an officer. PC Dominic Godbold, of Aldershot in Hampshire, was celebrating with family and friends after being promoted when he was found lying next to a puddle of his own vomit in a city street by two ambulance workers. When the pair tried to help the off-duty officer, he became 'aggressive' and verbally abused them before leaving them 'very frightened' inside their ambulance as he banged on its doors. But Godbold's career as a constable was short lived, after the officer was dismissed from Hampshire Constabulary for his shocking outburst last year. A Hampshire Constabulary Misconduct Hearing was told Godbold subjected the paramedics to the nasty outburst in the early hours of December 10, 2020, in Portsmouth, Hants. 'Drunk and disorderly' Godbold, based in Aldershot, Hants, hurled personal insults at the medics, then became 'physical', prompting the paramedics to call the police. The disgraced officer was arrested, taken to a custody centre and interviewed, then in January this year accepted a conditional caution for the public order offence. PCSO Dominic Godbold (right) admitted he was 'difficult and obnoxious' at a misconduct hearing where he was dismissed over his 'abusive' behaviour towards two paramedics Barrister Stephen Morley, who prosecuted on behalf of the Professional Standards Department, warned that this was 'a very serious case'. He said: 'He was drunk and behaving in a disorderly manner as a police officer and was behaving in the sort of way that response officers wearily deal with day in, day out. 'The two female ambulance technicians were just doing their job when they found PC Godbold on the floor with a puddle of vomit next to him and went to help him. 'He was aggressive and abusive towards them and PC Godbold became personal in his abuse, calling them names. 'It became physical and he tried to pull open the ambulance door while they were inside. After, he was banging on the door and seen banging on the glass. 'The ambulance technicians were both very frightened, they both wanted to get away, and as soon as they could get away from there they did. '[One of the paramedics] said she is used to a little bit of abuse but found this particularly difficult to deal with.' The court heard Godbold admitting he was 'difficult and obnoxious'. Mr Morley said a member of the public would be 'horrified' by Godbold's behaviour. 'Police officers who behave like that bring their career to an end, in my respectful conclusion', Mr Morley added. In mitigation, barrister Chris Hopkins said Godbold was 'seriously grieving' the loss of his father and that the incident occurred close to the second anniversary of his death. Mr Hopkins said: 'He was deeply affected by the loss of his father... He never fully come to terms with the death, he tried to bottle it up and carry on with work. 'His father was someone who had a huge influence on his life and was his best mate.' Mr Hopkins said on the night of the incident Godbold succumbed to a 'melting pot of emotions', with alcohol making the situation worse. 'There was a much greater level of alcohol than he's ever drunk before', he said. He added: 'Police officers are human beings, they lose family members and they have crises as well. 'He fully accepts it was wrong for someone who has done the job on the streets of Aldershot to then be the one dishing it out.' 'Drunk and disorderly' Godbold, based in Aldershot police station (above) hurled personal insults then became 'physical' - prompting the paramedics to call the police. [File picture] Godbold fully admits his behaviour, is 'extremely remorseful', has written apology letters to the paramedics, and has received counselling to help deal with his grief, it was heard. Godbold said: 'I've cut down my consumption of alcohol, not just on nights out but across the board.' But, Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary, Olivia Pinkney, dismissed Godbold due to the severity of his gross misconduct. She said: 'Ambulance personnel have a higher bar than most when it comes to abuse but they were so shocked they called the police and were even more shocked when they realised it was a police officer. 'For the public to suffer at the hands of one of our officers, it dents us all. All other officers must know when we say we are officers on and off-duty, that we mean it. 'I have no doubts that this was an aberration and he was under a range of stresses, but this behaviour fell so far short of what was to be expected that you [Godbold] are dismissed without notice.' Godbold, wearing a blue suit and tie, kept a blank face as he was dismissed. A couple looking to take the perfect holiday photo in front of a pristine glacier lake ended up getting photobombed - by their dog riding a paddleboard. Kelsey Pearce, 27, set up the shot looking out over the waters of Lake Jade in Washington state. But as he she and her partner prepared to pose, they turned around to spot Rayleigh, Kelsey's Black Labrador, drifting out onto the water on a paddleboard. The couple, who were enjoying a hiking trip through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area, gasped and raced to water's edge but were too late catch the dog without getting their feet wet. The hilarious video then shows Kelsey's boyfriend plunging in to the freezing waters to drag the pooch back to shore. 'I'm so sorry, I know you're really annoyed with my dog right now,' she can be heard saying before the soaked boyfriend exclaims: 'Rayleigh, get off!' Kelsey, a maths teacher, posted the video on TikTok with the tagline: 'When you forget that you need a human to paddleboard properly' Kelsey Pearce, 27, and her boyfriend had set up a rather badly framed holiday photo on the edge of Lake Jade in Washington state when they were photobombed by her dog Rayleigh on a paddleboard Kelsey, a maths teacher, posted the video on TikTok with the tagline: 'When you forget that you need a human to paddleboard properly' It has since gone viral with over 530,000 views and thousands of likes. Speaking about the hilarious incident, Kelsey said: 'My boyfriend and I were backpacking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness with my pup, and he had carried up a paddle board too! 'My Apple Watch had died so we couldn't take timed photos, so we decided to set up a video and then screenshot from it afterwards. The hilarious video then shows Kelsey's boyfriend plunging in to the freezing waters to drag the pooch back to shore 'Unfortunately my setup was poor so my boyfriends face wasnt in frame, but we set up our poses, talked about whether to wear sunglasses or not, and then smiled. 'Little did I know my dog had hopped on the paddleboard that was sitting in a cove and had pushed her way out onto the glacier lake! 'This led to a panicked dog mom (me) and a wonderful boyfriend who saved the day!' Kelsey frequently posts about her hiking expeditions, and has taken Rayleigh on several trips to Arizona, Oregon and other parts of Washington state. Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was found lying dead with a fatal injury inside an east London graveyard. Forensics officers have been scouring Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park after the victim, aged around 50, was found unresponsive early yesterday morning. Paramedics could not revive him and called police at around 1am. A post-mortem examination will take place soon, while police are working to inform his family. The site is considered among the 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries - an informal term referring to seven large private graveyards that were established in the Victorian period. Formerly called Bow Cemetery by locals, it is now surrounded by a mixture of Victorian and post-war housing, in addition to modern low-rise flats. Forensics officers have been scouring Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park after the man aged around 50 was found by an ambulance crew at around 1am yesterday Today police officers stood guard at a cordon blocking all entrances to the park. Further cordons have been set up inside, along with a blue forensic tent. Some nearby residents said they had seen forensic investigators coming and going with evidence bags. One man, who did not want to be named, said: "It's a very open, expansive park and it's used by various people of the community. "I use it for jogging. It's basically a nature reserve. You do get youths hanging around there and you get a cross-section of the community. "To find out there was a murder yesterday is shocking. There hasn't been any sort of crime as far as I'm aware. It's been being used as an arts event place. "There are lots of areas that are so quiet. It's shocking. It's surreal something like that has happened. "It's made me quite anxious to traverse the park. Generally, I'm going to have to keep myself vigilant. "It's generally a quiet and respectful area so this had probably disrupted that feeling of safety. A lot of people keep themselves to themselves here." A young woman, who lives close by, added: "I've always thought that was a nice park. "I've only ever seen people going in dog walks or anything. I wouldn't be scared to, even at night." The victim could not be revived and a post-mortem examination will take place soon, while police are working to inform his family. Pictured: A police officer standing guard yesterday Detective Chief Inspector Claire Hine, of the Met's specialist crime command, said detectives are looking for whoever is responsible and appealed for anyone with information to come forward. She said: 'The discovery of a body in these circumstances will understandably cause concern in the local community. 'I would like to reassure them that an investigation is already under way, led by specialist homicide detectives. 'We are determined to find out what happened and to identify the person or people responsible. 'At this early stage, we are keeping an open mind as to what has caused this fatal head injury. 'I would urge anyone who saw or heard anything unusual in the vicinity of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, either this morning or last night, to come forward. 'Any information, no matter how small, could be extremely important to our investigation.' Superintendent Daniel Rutland, from the central east command unit, which covers Tower Hamlets, said: 'Local officers will also be in and around the area in the coming days' Superintendent Daniel Rutland, from the central east command unit, which covers Tower Hamlets, said: 'Local officers will also be in and around the area in the coming days. 'If you have concerns or have information that could assist this investigation then please speak to one of these officers or call police.' No arrests have been made as enquiries continue. Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting reference 1277/16. A Formula 1 boss and her lesbian lover have been shot dead by her husband after he found them in bed together, before he then turned the gun on himself. Nathalie Maillet, 51, was found dead alongside her lover Ann Lawrence Durviaux, 53, at her home in Gouvy, Belgium, on Sunday. The pair were allegedly shot dead by Maillet's husband Franz Dubois, who phoned the police and then turned the gun on himself. Police said they were treating the deaths as a double murder and a suicide, but could not confirm infidelity as the motive. Dubois was aware of Maillet's lesbian relationships and her sexuality was an open secret, according to DH Sport. Formula 1 boss Nathalie Maillet and her lesbian lover have been shot dead by her husband after he found them in bed together in Gouvy, Belgium Maillet and her lower were allegedly shot dead by her husband Franz Dubois (pictured) who then turned the gun on himself Maillet (not pictured) and her lover Ann Lawrence Durviaux (right) were found dead in Gouvy, Belgium, on Sunday The news was confirmed after Maillet's colleagues raised the alarm when she failed to turn up for the last day of the Ypres Rally event, part of the World Rally Championship, on Sunday. Maillet has been the CEO of the Spa-Francorchamps F1 circuit since 2016 and was involved in the modernisation of the circuit, which hosted its first Grand Prix in 1925. Dubois was also a well-known figure in the world of motorsport both as a team owner and as the co-founder of the VW Fun Cup series. The pair were married for 17 years and both spent brief spells as racecar drivers - Maillet more successfully than Dubois. Maillet competed in seven 25 Heures VW Fun cup races and stood on the podium five times, winning the event in 2006. The public prosecutor said in a statement: 'At 00:10, the bodies of two women and one man were discovered by the police in a house in Gouvy, all three presenting gunshot wounds. 'According to our information, the male individual voluntarily used his firearm to kill both women, including his wife, before killing himself.' The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is the site of the Belgian Grand Prix, set to be held at the end of August The winding track in Belgium is home to the Uniroyal Fun Cup 25 Hours of Spa, one of the longest motor races in the world Maillet was a successful racecar driver. She competed in seven 25 Heures VW Fun cup races and stood on the podium five times, winning the event in 2006 Melchior Wathelet, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, said: ' My thoughts are with Nathalie's family, her parents, her relatives but also her teams. 'I know how this news will upset her staff and I wish on behalf of the entire Board of Directors to offer my sincere condolences to the entire Circuit team. 'Today we are losing a very great lady, a motorsports lover and enthusiast, a true leader who will be sorely missed. Nathalie had become the face of the circuit, she embodied this passion for racing that we all share.' Former F1 boss Jean Todt also paid tribute to Maillet, writing on Twitter: 'She embodied this high place of motorsport. All my thoughts and solidarity go out to her family, friends and the Spa-Francorchamps teams.' An investigation involving forensic teams and ballistics experts was ongoing. Tucker Carlson has attacked Joe Biden's defense that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was necessary by saying that he did it in the 'ugliest possible way.' 'They couldn't even secure a single runway,' he said on Fox last night. 'And that's the main lesson of the fall of Kabul. We are led by buffoons. They have no idea what they're doing, we know that now. They're imposters.' There was chaos at Kabul airport on Monday as Afghans in their utter despair clambered onto USAF jets as they took off, with videos showing stowaways plunging through the sky to their deaths. At least two armed men were shot dead by US forces who were scrambled back to Afghanistan to help evacuate thousands of American and allied citizens still in the country. 'They couldn't even secure a single runway,' Tucker Carlson said on Fox . 'And that's the main lesson of the fall of Kabul. We are led by buffoons. They have no idea what they're doing, we know that now. They're imposters.' US soldiers take up their positions as they secure the airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021 Three stowaways are believed to have plunged to their deaths, with footage showing bodies falling from the underside of a hulking USAF transport jet as it climbed into the skies over the fallen city on Monday President Biden last night defended the withdrawal, saying that 'if Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now,' then it wouldn't be able to if the troops withdrew in 'one more year, five more years or 20 more years.' While Carlson did not completely refute that, he argued: 'Just because something is necessary doesn't mean you get to ignore the details of it. 'If you learned you needed an emergency appendectomy, would it matter to you who performed the operation a surgeon with a scalpel or a drunk guy with a pocket knife? 'Yes, it would matter to you. But it didn't matter to Joe Biden, apparently. He barely mentioned the withdrawal,' he added. 'Biden did the necessary thing in the ugliest possible way.' The host referred to the 'final humiliating scene' of desperate Afghans running after a USAF C-17 transport jet, with some in their utter despair clinging to the fuselage as it took off. At least three stowaways died on Monday, their bodies shown in harrowing footage tumbling towards the ground from an American transport aircraft. Carlson said that this failure to organise an 'orderly retreat' was an embarrassment to the nation. The Fox host said that Biden had turned his back on US citizens by failing to secure the airport and allowing the security situation in Kabul to deteriorate so rapidly. He likened it to the migration crisis at the Mexican border which has grown into a humanitarian disaster since Biden took office. President Joe Biden defended leaving Afghanistan during remarks at the White House Monday, saying he had learned there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces As soon as he finished his address to the nation, Biden got on Marine One and headed back to Camp David 'So our government's official position is that American lives are not more valuable than the lives of foreigners,' he said. 'But you already knew that because you've seen our southern border.' He went on to add that Afghan refugees would soon start pitching up in the States. 'First we invade and then we're invaded,' he said. 'It is always the same.' 'Why did the Taliban win? How did the sixth-century triumph over the 21st century?' Carlson asked. 'Maybe it's possible we failed in Afghanistan because the entire neo-liberal program is grotesque. It's a joke.' A picture showing a US soldier forlornly clutching the American Embassy flag as he loaded it into a plane to be flown out of Afghanistan has emerged, symbolizing America's failed campaign in the country. The US Embassy was officially closed and evacuated along with the flag, with ambassador Ross Wilson and other diplomats relocating to the airport in embarrassing scenes reminiscent of the evacuation of the embassy of Saigon in 1975. The diplomates were flown from Kabul via chinook helicopters on Sunday evening according to US State Department spokesperson Ned Price. 'We can confirm that the safe evacuation of all Embassy personnel is now complete. All Embassy personnel are located on the premises of Hamid Karzai International Airport, whose perimeter is secured by the US Military,' he said. The Taliban swept into the Afghan capital on Sunday after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country 'to avoid bloodshed', bringing a stunning end to a two-decade effort in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the country. A forlorn soldier clutches the hastily rolled American embassy flag as it is loaded onto US air force transport and flown out of Afghanistan Chinook helicopters landed at the US Embassy on Sunday to begin evacuations as the Taliban entered Kabul Almost all major checkpoints in Kabul were under Taliban control by Monday morning and Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority issued an advisory saying the 'civilian side' of the airport had been 'closed until further notice' and that the military controlled the airspace. Meanwhile, Taliban officials promised civilians would not be harmed and announced everyone would be allowed to return home from Kabul airport if they decided to stay in the country. The Taliban previously said westerners would be allowed to leave the country but that Afghans would be barred from departing. Evacuation flights from Kabul airport are set to resume on Tuesday after eight people were killed on Monday amid chaos on the runway. Two armed Afghans were shot dead by US troops, while three civilians were run over by taxiing jets and three more plummeted to their deaths. The stowaways fell hundreds of feet after climbing onto the fuselage of a departing US Air Force C-17 plane as it took off from at Hamid Karzai International Airport, while hundreds of other desperate people ran after the planes as they taxied down the runway. Taliban fighters have swiftly occupied the territory abandoned by US forces as they make their way towards the US Embassy Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US Embassy that was abandoned by American troops just two days before Hundreds of desperate Afghans attempted to run after and cling onto the fuselage of the C-17 US air force plane as it taxied down the runway in Kabul Three civilians plummeted hundreds of feet to their deaths as they failed to cling to the plane A Pentagon official said that US troops had come under fire at the airfield and grounded all flights while soldiers cleared the airfield with Apache helicopters and fired 'warning shots' to disperse the crowds. Flights resumed after 90 minutes but were suspended again after a security breach on the civilian side of the airport, a Pentagon spokesperson said. A C-17 plane can carry 171,000 pounds of cargo but its interior is designed to carry fewer than 150 soldiers. However, US air crew managed to cram 640 Afghan civilians into one evacuation flight on Monday as the refugees - including many women and young children - ran onto the plane's half-open ramp before take-off. 'The crew made the decision to go', taking them with them, an unnamed defense official said. A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees who ran up the half-open ramp while US forces were preparing for take-off, according to an unnamed defense official cited by Defense One on Monday US troops keep watch at the airport on Monday amid pandemonium at the airport that saw eight people killed, including three who tumbled out of planes as they took off There are thought to be at least 40,000 people who need evacuating from the country - including 30,000 US diplomats, visa holders and Afghans they have promised sanctuary, 4,000 Britons and an unknown number of other westerners including Spanish, French, Germans and Poles. India confirmed today that it had closed its embassy in Kabul and flown its diplomatic staff to safety, while Russia and Indonesia have announced partial evacuations - though said some diplomatic staff would remain. Nepalese diplomatic staff were also seen loading on to buses bound for the border. America is hoping to fly out some 5,000 people per day and the UK 1,200 - though both managed just a few hundred on Monday, meaning the operation is likely to drag on for weeks, if not months. Politicians in both the US and UK have urged their government to be 'generous' with granting asylum to Afghans who helped in the war effort, but there are fears that thousands will be left behind amid the chaos. The success of the operation now depends upon troops being able to keep the runway open, and on officials being able to locate all those who have been promised a ticket home and get them to the airport. Some 6,000 American troops have now encircled the airport, using barbed wire and armoured vehicles to keep people off the runway, but so has the Taliban - which now controls 90 per cent of the country. A beer-swilling father who fell out with his teenage daughter when she converted to Islam now pokes fun at their unusual relationship on TikTok - to show 'people can change their views at any age'. Leena Brookes, from Sheffield, South Yorks, became a Muslim when she was just 13 despite having gone to a Church of England primary school and clashed with him and her Thai mother as a result. Father Stuart Brookes was adamantly against his daughter's decision and didn't speak to her for several years, fearing she had been brainwashed into the decision after reading about ISIS and grooming gangs in the news. However the demolition worker, 52, soon learned that changing her religion hadn't changed Leena and after getting to know her husband-to-be Jamal Eldeen Saeed's family too, he accepted her decision. Leena, 19, now has a much closer relationship with him and the duo make amusing videos poking fun at their differences to share on to their near-50,000 TikTok followers, racking up millions of views. Clips feature Stuart enjoying his 'morning bacon' or 'afternoon beer' while Leena wears her headscarf or even both stood in awkward silence as they note they now have nothing to argue about anymore. Stuart even says he has learned lots himself from his daughter's religion and he hopes that sharing the videos shows others that you are never too old to change your views. Leena said: 'It's something we laugh at now - hence the TikToks. People look at my dad and think he looks like a stereotypical English guy. Leena Brookes, 19, with her husband Jamal Eldeen Saeed, 21, are both Muslim believers Father Stuart Brookes was adamantly against his daughter's decision but has now come round Leena, pictured here with daughter Almayasa Gmaleldeen Saeed, and mother Jinita Brookes 'I always joke with my family about our weird situation and that carried over onto TikTok. From that, I noticed a lot of converts to Islam reaching out to me. 'So I figured I would post some funny stuff with my dad to show other people that things can get better. 'A lot of people who reach out to me have very similar family situations, and I remember when I was going through it, it felt like it'd be that way forever. 'I wanted to show them that these family relationships can get better. 'On TikTok, I do get some troll comments. Not so much about Islam, it's mainly about my dad. 'They'll say I'm trying to brainwash my dad into being a Muslim, that I don't agree with him being white, all sorts of weird stuff. 'I don't think twice about it, but my dad can sit there reading the comments for hours. I always tell him that he shouldn't pay any notice.' Leena's father Stuart has come to see that Leena's newfound faith has been a good thing for her and believes he has learned from her being a Muslim. The former Church of England primary school pupil's conversion caused rows at home Leena and her father make amusing videos poking fun at their differences on the TikTok site Leena Brookes, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, became a Muslim when she was just 13 Stuart said: 'I am very proud of my daughter as I think she could be doing much worse things at her age; she is an amazing mum and I feel this religion has taught not only her but me a lot. 'It has been a blessing in disguise and has brought me my beautiful granddaughter and an amazing relationship with my daughter. 'In the beginning a lot of her TikToks were posted without me knowing. However, it has shown others how even at my age people can change their views.' For Leena, who was raised by an English dad and a Thai mum, converting to Islam wasn't something that she had anticipated would happen to her. Leena said: 'When I was younger, I went to a predominantly white Church of England school. 'Because my mum's Thai and my dad's English, I got quite a bit of bullying growing up for not being full English. 'But my area was full of Muslims. My best friend growing up was Muslim, so going to school always made me feel out of place. 'By the time I got to secondary school, I was in a multicultural environment. Islam really started to intrigue me, as all of my friends were Muslim. 'That led to me asking questions about why they couldn't eat pork, why they prayed five times a day, and my friends explained it to me. 'As more and more of the religion was explained to me, I fell in love with it. 'It was a gradual process. I was studying it for about two years before I actually converted. 'My mum said that when I'd always come asking her if she believes in God, so she wasn't too surprised when I became Muslim. 'Up until my conversion, my mum knew I was learning about Islam, fasting and visiting mosques. 'I was doing everything a Muslim clearly does. But as soon as I told her I wanted to change my religion, she wasn't happy about it. 'She wasn't happy because there was a lot in the news at the time about girls joining ISIS or grooming gangs, so all of this was in her mind. 'She just couldn't grasp why I, as a young girl, would become Muslim when it's viewed as really restrictive. 'For the longest time, me and my dad didn't speak very much. Even when my mum came around to accepting it, she said to me 'Don't tell your dad'. 'My dad found out about a year later, when I was 14, when he offered me a sip of alcohol. When I said no, he questioned why. 'He was saying 'Why not? When I was your age, I was drinking at the park with my friends'. I accidentally said, 'Muslims don't do that' and nearly outed myself. 'Then afterwards, my family would see me on social media wearing my headscarf and tell my dad. It's at that point he put it all together. 'His first initial reaction was that he didn't want to speak to me ever again. He thought I was being brainwashed. 'It took him a really long time for him to come around. When I was 17 going on 18, he started speaking to me. 'In those years in between, I'd be sending gifts along with my brother when he went to visit. I think I'd demonstrated that being Muslim hadn't changed me from being his daughter. 'He wasn't accepting, he was tolerating it. Then, when I decided I wanted to get married, he had to make a decision about whether he was going to allow me to get married. 'My dad got to know my husband's family too and realised that Muslims aren't how he initially perceived though.' Advertisement The US media blasted Joe Biden today for his 'blame shifting' over the Afghanistan crisis after the President criticised Afghan leaders and military for refusing to fight while defending his decision to withdraw troops. The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial that Mr Biden 'refused to accept responsibility for the botched withdrawal while blaming others' and the 'one group he conspicuously did not blame was the Taliban'. A Washington Post editorial said he could have listened to the 'many seasoned hands' giving him alternatives to withdrawal, adding that him blaming others was 'unseemly' given that 2,448 US service members died in 20 years. An editorial in the New York Post pointed out that no US soldiers have died in Afghanistan in 18 months, and 'he alone is responsible' for the Taliban takeover which is an 'utter catastrophe, for Afghans and for world security'. Meanwhile an opinion piece in the Left-leaning CNN by a retired soldier said Afghanistan's collapse was 'wilful abandonment' and that the withdrawal of US forces 'left the tribes of Afghanistan little choice but capitulation'. However, other US media defended Mr Biden today, including the New York Times which said the 'calamity cannot be laid alone at President Biden's feet' and that his decision to pull out all US troops took 'courage and wisdom'. An opinion piece in USA Today said the President 'bears some of the blame for the catastrophic collapse' but 'there is plenty to go around', adding that Mr Biden was 'dealt his losing hand by Bush, Obama and Trump'. In The Atlantic an opinion article said 'no critic of Biden's or Trump's withdrawal decisions has offered a coherent alternative plan beyond indefinite American occupation', adding that the withdrawal was 'not a strategic failure'. And a Los Angeles Times opinion piece said Mr Biden made the 'tough and correct choice to withdraw and end a losing effort in search of an unattainable goal' and that he was 'right to stand by his decision' to end the mission. It comes after Mr Biden's blunt address to the US nation last night, in which he said he 'stood squarely' behind the withdrawal despite the Taliban retaking the country in a matter of days following the collapse of Afghan forces. There are at least 40,000 people who need evacuating from Afghanistan, including some 30,000 Americans and 4,000 Britons. America is hoping to fly out some 5,000 people per day and the UK 1,200 - though both managed just a few hundred yesterday, meaning the operation is likely to drag on for weeks, if not months. How the US media reacted to Joe Biden's 'blame shifting' Wall Street Journal editorial 'Mr Biden refused to accept responsibility for the botched withdrawal while blaming others. He blamed Donald Trump's peace deal with the Taliban and falsely claimed again that he was trapped. He blamed his three predecessors for not getting out of Afghanistan. He blamed the Afghans for not fighting hard enough, their leaders for fleeing, and even Afghans who helped us for not leaving sooner. The one group he conspicuously did not blame was the Taliban, who once harbored Osama bin Laden and may protect his terrorist successor.' Washington Post editorial 'In short, the president could have listened to the many seasoned hands inside and outside his own administration who advised him that there were alternatives to precipitous, unconditional withdrawal. Mr. Biden instead set an arbitrary deadline - August 31 - for a full US pullout. Yes, the Afghan military's demoralization and failure to fight came as a rude disappointment, as the president emphasized, but it's fair to ask why, if he was sure the cause was lost, their quick surrender came as such a surprise to him.' New York Post editorial 'Biden claims whatever horrors are taking place there now could've happened any time we pulled out, whether years from now or years ago, and America simply couldn't continue to spend blood and treasure on an endless war. The choice, he asserted, was between ramping up and fighting the Taliban all over again or withdrawing with all the chaos and misery that entails. Wrong.' CNN opinion piece by Retired Lt Col Jason Amerinel 'As I communicated with the terrified families of former allies trying to flee the country this week, I felt the sickening resignation one has when visiting a loved one in hospice. But Afghanistan's collapse was not pre-ordained. It was willful abandonment.' Fox News opinion piece by Rebecca Grant 'There's been a horrifying narrative that the chaos in Kabul proves Biden was right to leave. Don't buy it. The real chaos escalated just days ago. The time to secure the airport and plan evacuations was before the Taliban showed up on their motorbikes. Biden's departure for Camp David, the August timing of the drawdown, the failure to support Afghan forces with airstrikes after last week or to secure the airport: it all reeks.' New York Times editorial 'The responsibility lies with both parties. President George W. Bush launched the war, only to shift focus to Iraq before any stability had been achieved. President Barack Obama was seeking to withdraw American troops but surged their levels instead. President Donald Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban in 2020 for a complete withdrawal by last May.' USA Today opinion piece by James S. Robbins - 'The fundamental problem was mission creep. As President Biden rightly pointed out, the United States achieved its original strategic objectives quickly, disrupting al Qaida and punishing the Taliban for giving global terrorism a safe haven. But we then took on a nation-building mission which was not suited to the complex, decentralized, tribally based politics of Afghanistan.' Los Angeles Times opinion piece by Charles A Kupchan 'Biden is right to stand by his decision to end the military mission in Afghanistan, because doing so is consistent with the will of the electorate. Most Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, have lost patience with the 'forever wars' in the Middle East. The illiberal populism that led to Donald Trump's election (and near reelection) emerged in part as a response to perceived American overreach in the broader Middle East.' The Atlantic opinion piece by David A. Graham 'The American departure may be a moral catastrophe, then, but it is not a strategic failure. The occupation failed years ago. As I wrote in 2019, America's leadersDemocrat and Republican; civilian and military; elected, appointed, and career civil servantall knew for years that the U.S. was losing in Afghanistan, and they continued to say we were winning. While the endgame of the American exit was clearly botched, no critic of Biden's or Trump's withdrawal decisions has offered a coherent alternative plan beyond indefinite American occupation.' Advertisement As the US media reacted to Mr Biden's statement on the crisis, a Wall Street Journal editorial today said that the President 'refused to accept responsibility for the botched withdrawal while blaming others'. The piece added: 'He blamed Donald Trump's peace deal with the Taliban and falsely claimed again that he was trapped. He blamed his three predecessors for not getting out of Afghanistan. 'He blamed the Afghans for not fighting hard enough, their leaders for fleeing, and even Afghans who helped us for not leaving sooner. The one group he conspicuously did not blame was the Taliban, who once harbored Osama bin Laden and may protect his terrorist successor.' The editorial also said: 'Instead of taking responsibility, Mr Biden played to the sentiment of Americans who are tired of foreign military missions. It's a powerful point to speak of sending a child to risk his life in a foreign country, and no doubt it will resonate with many Americans.' Meanwhile in the Washington Post's editorial today, the newspaper said Mr Biden 'could have listened to the many seasoned hands - inside and outside his own administration - who advised him that there were alternatives to precipitous, unconditional withdrawal'. It added that the 'blame-shifting is especially unseemly given that some 66,000 Afghan fighters have given their lives in this war during the past 20 years, alongside 2,448 US service members'. The newspaper continued: 'Mr Biden said he stands by his decision, and takes responsibility. Well and good: He must now turn his attention to limiting the damage starting with the obligation the United States owes to those Afghans who trusted America's commitment to their country and staked their personal futures on it.' The New York Post was scathing of the president, saying: 'The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan over the past few weeks was an utter catastrophe, for Afghans and for world security and he alone is responsible.' It added in its editorial that Americans do back a withdrawal, after 20 years of maintaining soldiers in Afghanistan, but said there was 'no urgent crisis demanding an immediate, haphazard pullout that leaves Afghans at the mercy of monsters and America less safe'. It also pointed out that 'the cost in US lives and money wasn't terribly high in recent years', saying 'not a single American soldier has died in Afghanistan in the past 18 months'. Over on CNN, an opinion piece by Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jason Amerine, who served in the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, said that he 'felt the sickening resignation one has when visiting a loved one in hospice', but added that Afghanistan's collapse 'was not pre-ordained - it was willful abandonment'. He also wrote: 'The arguments we're hearing from officials about the inevitability of this collapse seem self-serving. The notion of inevitability removes blame or accountability.' And on Fox News, an opinion piece by Rebecca Grant said: 'There's been a horrifying narrative that the chaos in Kabul proves Biden was right to leave. Don't buy it. 'The real chaos escalated just days ago. The time to secure the airport and plan evacuations was before the Taliban showed up on their motorbikes. Biden's departure for Camp David, the August timing of the drawdown, the failure to support Afghan forces with airstrikes after last week or to secure the airport: it all reeks.' However, the commentary in today's American media was not one way - with other outlets either defending Mr Biden or pointing out that they felt others were responsible for the chaos in Afghanistan. Among these were the New York Times which said in an editorial: 'This calamity cannot be laid alone at President Biden's feet, but it is incumbent on the current administration to make right what has gone wrong with the withdrawal plans. 'The US military is, if nothing else, a logistical superpower, and it should move heaven and earth and anything in between to rescue those people who have risked everything for a better future.' The editorial also explained how the newspaper felt previous presidents were also responsible for the situation, saying: 'President George W. Bush launched the war, only to shift focus to Iraq before any stability had been achieved. President Barack Obama was seeking to withdraw American troops but surged their levels instead. President Donald Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban in 2020 for a complete withdrawal by last May.' It added that Mr Biden's decision to remove all US troops was one which 'took courage and wisdom', adding: 'The president knew full well what his critics would make of it - what they are already making of it.' Meanwhile in USA Today, an opinion from James S. Robbins defended him, saying: 'President Biden bears some of the blame for the catastrophic collapse of the security situation in Afghanistan, but there is plenty to go around.' It added: 'Biden was dealt his losing hand by Bush, Obama and Trump. This defeat was not two weeks in the making but two decades. The fundamental problem was mission creep. As President Biden rightly pointed out, the United States achieved its original strategic objectives quickly, disrupting al Qaida and punishing the Taliban for giving global terrorism a safe haven. 'But we then took on a nation-building mission which was not suited to the complex, decentralized, tribally based politics of Afghanistan. The United States could create stability, for a price, but could not transform a country shaped by centuries of ingrained traditions. Nor should we have tried.' And a Los Angeles Times opinion piece by Charles A Kupchan said that Mr Biden 'made the tough and correct choice to withdraw and end a losing effort in search of an unattainable goal'. It added: 'Biden is right to stand by his decision to end the military mission in Afghanistan, because doing so is consistent with the will of the electorate. Most Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, have lost patience with the 'forever wars' in the Middle East. 'The illiberal populism that led to Donald Trump's election (and near reelection) emerged in part as a response to perceived American overreach in the broader Middle East. Against a backdrop of decades of economic discontent among U.S. workers, recently exacerbated by the devastation of the pandemic, voters want their tax dollars to go to Kansas, not Kandahar.' US soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan yesterday as the chaos in the country continues President Joe Biden speaks about the Afghanistan crisis from the East Room of the White House in Washington DC yesterday A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city in Afghanistan And in The Atlantic, an opinion piece by David A. Graham said: 'The American departure may be a moral catastrophe, then, but it is not a strategic failure. The occupation failed years ago. As I wrote in 2019, America's leadersDemocrat and Republican; civilian and military; elected, appointed, and career civil servantall knew for years that the U.S. was losing in Afghanistan, and they continued to say we were winning. 'While the endgame of the American exit was clearly botched, no critic of Biden's or Trump's withdrawal decisions has offered a coherent alternative plan beyond indefinite American occupation.' It came as interpreters who had helped UK forces pleaded for British troops to help them escape Kabul. As Taliban fighters tightened their grip on the Afghan capital, many translators were forced to take refuge in basements to escape the bloodthirsty militants Meanwhile, there were scenes of utter chaos at Kabul airport where panic at the Taliban's takeover triggered thousands of desperate Afghans to rush on to the runway in a bid to board a plane to escape. Speaking for the first time after a wave of criticism from around the world, Mr Biden admitted the Taliban's march to power had happened 'more quickly than we anticipated'. But he blamed Afghanistan's political leaders who 'gave up and fled the country' and the Afghan army which 'collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight'. Mr Biden said it was 'gut churning' to see the chaos in Afghanistan, especially for US soldiers who fought in the country. But he said it was 'wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan's own forces would not', and said he had would deliver on ending America's 'longest war'. 'I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years I've learned the hard way there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.' And while he blamed both the Trump administration and Afghanistan's leaders, he admitted 'the buck stops with me'. He also threatened to respond with devastating force if the remaining US troops in the country were attacked in any way. Cabinet Ministers in Britain were said to have watched Mr Biden's speech last night in 'genuine disbelief', according to Politico. It quoted multiple government officials saying the Ministers were stunned by 'his refusal to acknowledge any mistakes' and what they described as his 'callous tone in attacking the Afghans'. One Cabinet insider suggested to Politico that the events had shown 'Biden is a lot more like Trump than he'd want to admit, and we're a lot more like the Europeans than we'd like to admit.' Writing for Politico, Matthew Karnitschnig wrote: 'Until Sunday, Europe thought Joe Biden was an expert on foreign policy. Now, the American president's decision to allow Afghanistan to collapse into the arms of the Taliban has European officials worried he has unwittingly accelerated what his predecessor Donald Trump started: the degradation of the Western alliance and everything it is supposed to stand for in the world. 'Across Europe, officials have reacted with a mix of disbelief and a sense of betrayal. Even those who cheered Biden's election and believed he could ease the recent tensions in the transatlantic relationship said they regarded the withdrawal from Afghanistan as nothing short of a mistake of historic magnitude.' On the same website, Politico's John Harris and Ryan Heath wrote that 'the fall of Afghanistan has painful implications for President Joe Biden', adding: 'It is hard to imagine events that could more vividly underscore the gap between American aims and ability to achieve its aims than the breathtakingly rapid fall of Kabul after two decades of U.S. military combat and diplomatic toil.' Footage at Kabul Airport yesterday showed Afghans trying to jump aboard the fuselage of a US C-17 transport plane in a bid to cling to its side. Several stowaways were later seen falling from underneath the plane as it took off. At least seven people were said to have died at the airport amid a scramble by US soldiers to reclaim control. Last night, it emerged that Britain is sending an additional 300 Special Forces troops and officials to Kabul in a frantic bid to help secure the airport and rescue the remaining British citizens and eligible Afghans. There are thought to be almost 1,000 UK passport holders still in Kabul, including the British ambassador, as well as hundreds more Afghan special forces and others who may be eligible for evacuation. Dramatic footage showed the moment a drug trafficker was tackled to the ground by sunbathers after he landed on shore with boat packed with up to 800kg of cannabis. Sunbathers in Sorvilan in the southern province of Granada, Spain, unexpectedly became involved in a tense pursuit of an alleged drug smuggler on Saturday afternoon. Video footage showed a patrol boat chasing a suspicious vessel off the coast from Melicena beach before it began to quickly flee straight towards the shore. In the video, the maritime police's sirens could be heard blaring as the boat crashed on to the popular beach at speed, knocking one beachgoer cleanly off their feet. Sunbathers in Sorvilan in the southern province of Granada, Andalusia, unexpectedly became involved in a tense pursuit of two alleged drug smugglers on Saturday afternoon Video footage showed a patrol boat chasing a suspicious vessel before two suspects tried to flee on foot on Melicena beach. One man was pinned to the ground by beachgoers (pictured) Two alleged drug smugglers jumped out of the boat and attempted to escape on foot, but dozens of brave sunbathers sprung into action and chased one of the suspects. The first suspect was eventually tackled to the ground by the crowd of crime-fighting beachgoers as he attempted to make a run for it across the sandy beach. The fearless crowd stopped soaking up the rays and managed to pin the suspect to the ground, until Civil Guard officers arrived on the scene just minutes later to arrest him. Sunbathers kept an eye on the whereabouts of the second suspect, who had fled on foot in the opposite direction before disappearing behind a rock. The first suspect was eventually tackled to the ground by the crowd of crime-fighting beachgoers (pictured) as he attempted to make a run for it across the sandy beach In the footage, beachgoers later crowded around the abandoned boat (pictured) to see what was on board, and to their surprise, they discovered more than two dozen brown packages It was later confirmed that more than 800kg of cannabis divided into 25 packages (pictured) were found in the stranded boat, according to local news site 20Minutos After police officers detained the first suspect, the other man was reportedly arrested by police near the beach. In the tense footage, beachgoers later crowded around the abandoned boat to see what was on board, and to their surprise, they discovered more than two dozen brown packages. It was later confirmed that more than 800kg of cannabis divided into 25 packages were found in the stranded boat, according to local news site 20Minutos. Civil Guard association Jucil later praised the actions of the crime-fighting sunbathers, tweeting: 'Thank you all, because without you, it would not be possible.' Police later confirmed that one of the beachgoers who had intervened was an off-duty police sergeant. Police are continuing to investigate where the drugs came from and where they were being delivered. Critics have accused Boris Johnson of marking an 11am one-minute silence for the Plymouth shooting victims late after spotting that his wristwatch said the time was 11.14am. A photograph was posted to the Prime Minister's official Twitter page which said Mr Johnson observed a minute's silence at 11am as a mark of respect for the five people killed by Plymouth shooter Jake Davison last week. But eagle-eyed social media users were quick to point out that, although the clock in the background said 11am, Johnson's wristwatch showed the time was 11.14am. Boris Johnson came under fire after a photo showing him taking part in silence for Plymouth shooting victims revealed his wristwatch said 11.14 when the mark of respect took place at 11 The discrepancy prompted a wave of criticism from social media users with one writing: 'Someone forgot to photoshop his watch or are you going to tell us he likes to put his watch 14 minutes fast.' Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker added: 'Absolutely incredible scenes as Boris Johnson's watch gives away that this wasn't actually taken at 11am, despite the clock in the background.' Another added: 'And at 11.14am (according to his watch), he wound the clock back and paused for this photo op.' A Downing Street official has insisted the Prime Minister's watch was running fast and that the minute's silence was held at 11am yesterday. Others agreed it was possible Mr Johnson's watch ran fast, with one adding: 'Erm maybe hold off on the silly comments. Many people set their watches fast, I do.' Writer Tracy King added: 'I would go with 'the prime minister sets his watch 15 minutes late to ensure he is early for meetings.' Twitter users were quick to point out the discrepancy between the times on social media There has been a heartfelt plea for change as hundreds gathered in Plymouth to pay their respects to the five people killed in one of the UK's worst mass shootings. Civic leaders, religious figures, politicians, emergency service workers and the military joined around 200 people outside the Guildhall in Plymouth city centre to hold a one minute's silence. They gathered to mourn and reflect on last week's devastating events when gunman Jake Davison, 22, launched his murderous spree in the Keyham area of the city. Davison shot his 51-year-old mother Maxine Davison, also known as Maxine Chapman, at a house in Biddick Drive before he went into the street and shot dead Sophie Martyn, aged three, and her father, Lee Martyn, 43. Silence fell over Plymouth yesterday morning as hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to the five people who were killed in the UK's worst mass shooting in a decade Pictured: Grieving families joined local leaders and around 200 mourners outside the city's Guildhall at 11am yesterday for a moment together in between tribute services and vigils Mourners fell silent as five gongs, to represent each of the victims, were sounded and everyone paused for the minute's silence. A further five gongs were then sounded yesterday In the 12-minute attack, Davison then killed Stephen Washington, 59, in a nearby park before shooting 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who later died at Derriford Hospital. In Keyham people gathered in North Down Crescent park, the scene of Friday's night vigil, to hold their own tribute. Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously branded the attack 'absolutely appalling', while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also took part in the silence and stood with police officers in Wolverhampton. Later, around a hundred people gathered on the bank of the River Tamar in nearby Saltash, Cornwall to hold a two-minute silence. Pictured: Gunman Jake Davison, 22, launched a horrific killing spree in the Keyham area of the city last week, shooting and killing five people before turning his shotgun on himself Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds stood beside police officers in Wolverhampton to honour the minute's silence held at 11am yesterday Some brought candles and others used their mobile phones as torches. Meanwhile, the Government has announced firearms applicants will be subject to social media checks. Questions are continuing to mount over how Davison, who took his own life after the shooting spree, was able to obtain a firearms licence. All police forces in England and Wales are being asked to review their current firearm application processes, as well as assess whether they need to revisit any existing licences. Social media usage by Davison suggested an obsession with 'incel' culture, meaning 'involuntary celibate', as well as an interest in guns and the US. An investigation is already under way by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into Davison's possession of a shotgun and a firearms licence. It will look at why Devon and Cornwall Police returned Davison's gun and firearms permit to him last month, after it was removed following an allegation of assault in September last year. A teenager who claimed he got food poisoning so bad it gave him kidney failure while on holiday is fighting TUI for over 500,000 compensation. Marshal Brunt, 19, from Hampstead, north London, believes under cooked burgers and chicken at the five-star Jaz Aquamarine Resort in Egypt made him ill. He was struck down with acute food poisoning on the third day of the trip and was flown by air ambulance to hospital nine days later with kidney failure. The boy's lawyers claimed it was caused by an infection from the virulent Shiga Toxin bacteria (STEC). They say he needed 38 days of dialysis and suffered extensive physical damage from the sickness. Mr Brunt wants 500,000 from travel giant TUI as he claims resort staff failed to ensure all food and drink was safe for consumption. Marshal Brunt (pictured), 19, from Hampstead, north London, believes under cooked burgers and chicken at the five-star Jaz Aquamarine Resort in Egypt made him ill The teenager was 15 and was building up to his GCSEs when his family booked the week-long all-inclusive holiday to Egypt in October 2016. His lawyers said the resort offered 'an array of restaurants and facilities in a self-contained complex' as well as 18 pools and three water parks on the Red Sea. But they claim he got sick from the food and suffered 'severe neurological complications' including a seizure in November 2016, and temporary blindness. Mr Brunt says he has to live with 'irreversible' damage to both kidneys, while his overall kidney function has been slashed by 60 per cent. His lawyers say his work prospects have been dented by his 'life changing injuries' and medics predict he will develop advanced chronic kidney disease. He is suing TUI UK for over 500,000 claiming staff failed to ensure all food and drink was safe for consumption. Mr Brunt's barrister Robert Hunter said if his kidney failure was not caused by a food or water-borne bacteria it must have been an infection from one of the pools. He said in claim papers: 'The contraction of STEC - alternatively, illness resulting from an alternative food or water-borne bacteria that was contracted in the resort - is an event that cannot normally happen without negligence on the part of the defendant or its suppliers or servants. 'The ''instrument'' that caused the illness, loss and damage, namely the resort and its kitchen, alternatively the resort and its swimming pool, was at all times in the management and control of the defendant and its suppliers.' He was struck down with acute food poisoning on the third day of the trip and was flown by air ambulance to hospital nine days later with kidney failure. Pictured: The Resort Compensation is being claimed for the impact on all aspects of Mr Brunt's life - including that his schooling was derailed by his illness and his GCSEs suffered. TUI accepts the teenager was taken ill and hospitalised while on holiday but disputes food poisoning was the source of his illness. The firm also questions the extent of his injuries and the amount of compensation claimed, court documents showed. TUI's barrister David Boyle denied negligence by the travel giant or the resort's operators. He said the company intends to call evidence from experts in the fields of microbiology, public health, psychiatry and renal disease. No date has yet been fixed for the full trial. An expert has offered a glimmer of hope for long suffering Sydneysiders desperate to be freed from lockdown, saying hard restrictions could see cases plummet within months. NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has apparently given up hope of cases returning to zero as the state recorded 452 coronavirus cases on Tuesday - the fourth consecutive day over 400. Instead, Australia's roadmap out of the pandemic calls for lockdowns to largely end when 70-80 per cent of the adult population will be vaccinated, based on the Doherty modelling report, along with just 30-40 cases a day. The Premier this week all but dashed hopes Sydney's lockdown would end at 70 per cent vaccination without drastically fewer Covid cases. While epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely has higher hopes for Melbourne and the ACT in terms of declining infections, he believes NSW can significantly drop to as few as 30 cases a day by mid-October under a 'hard lockdown' of tough restrictions. Cases in NSW could plummet to 30 a day by October under a 'hard lockdown' (pictured, Bondi beachgoers enjoying the winter sunshine on Tuesday) 'It will take until about mid-October under really hard lockdown under modelling we are releasing tomorrow, or February under a soft lockdown,' Professor Blakely told The Project on Tuesday night. 'So it will take a long time to get those case numbers down to that level. So this is really challenging stuff. It is more about a bridge over towards October, November, when the vaccination coverages get up and seeing how we go at that point. It is challenging.' He had difficulty describing the current state of Sydney's 53-day lockdown when asked if it was a 'soft' lockdown unlikely to decrease cases. 'I don't know what they are in, to be honest,' he conceded. 'A hard lockdown would take until October to get to about five cases a day. Melbourne is suffering an even harsher lockdown including a 9pm-5am curfew (pictured, closed parks in the city on Tuesday) Infections won't significantly drop in NSW for another six months under a 'soft' lockdown. Pictured is a deserted George Street in Sydney's CBD 'Everybody in NSW now knows they are living with Covid, so the trick now is as the rates go up and they plateau, what you want is to hold that and minimise mortality, and have a somewhat pleasant life with the lockdowns and the economic impact of that.' He said NSW's biggest challenge now is ensuring cases don't break the 500 mark under the tough new restrictions ramped up this week. 'Will they [stay lower than 500], I hope so,' he said. Professor Blakely was more hopeful about Victoria, where Melburnians will remain in their sixth lockdown until at least September 2. He gave his home state's chances of returning to zero cases as 'better than 50/50' after Premier Daniel Andrews ramped up restrictions on Monday. But he believes Victoria will eventually live with Covid similar to NSW. 'From the Victorian perspective, I think it is one last shove,' Professor Blakely said. 'There is a lot of fatigue out there with lockdown at the moment, myself included. 'We were not achieving it before. We were seeing the numbers static at five mystery cases per day and eight or 10 infectious cases in the community so something more had to happen. 'These measures will hopefully be enough just to tip it in our favour and will drive it down to zero.' The ACT has had its seven day lockdown extended by another two weeks after 17 new cases on Tuesday. Professor Blakely said it will be touch and go as to whether the nation's capital can get infections under control. He suggested they should, but added it wasn't a guarantee. 'They've got - they have not had it before, so they are all fresh, they should be enthusiastic about their lockdown, at least more than we are and they should give it a good nudge,' he said. 'They are surrounded by NSW. So, they must feel somewhat enclosed, if you like.' Professor Blakely described Victoria's chances of returning to zero cases as 'better than 50/50'. Pictured is Melbourne's Bourke Street on Monday as lockdown was extended ACT's lockdown has also been extended after 17 new cases on Tuesday. Pictured is a resident exercising along Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin His comments after the NSW Premier announced another 452 Covid cases on Tuesday, where she again broke ranks with the National Cabinet agreement over an end to lockdowns when vaccination rates reach 80 per cent. 'Because even countries around the world with 80 per cent double-dose vaccination still rely on QR codes, mask wearing in certain settings,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'We know that whilst the Delta variant in particular is very active around the world, there will always be a level of protection we need to have. 'I am not about to make any decision... which is going to either impact our case numbers or risk life.' A day earlier, Ms Berejiklian confirmed Sydneysiders' worst fears that she intended to keep restrictions well into 2022 to avoid outbreaks. The NSW Premier this week all but dashed hopes Sydney's lockdown would end at 70 per cent vaccination without drastically fewer Covid cases. Pictured are Sydneysiders queueing at the Sydney Olympic Pak vaccination hub on Tuesday 'We will need to live with restrictions so long as Delta is around... even if we had zero cases and we were at 80 per cent double dose, you would still have to respect rules that exist... around social distancing, around mask-wearing,' she said on Monday. 'So long as Delta and deadly Covid is around, we will always need to live with a measure of restriction.' The premier has also all but dashed hopes Sydney's lockdown, now in its 53rd day, would end at 70 per cent vaccination without drastically fewer Covid cases. She said the Doherty report, on which the path out of the pandemic is based, linked 30 to 40 cases a day to that milestone. 'You can live life more freely than what you are today, but the extent of your freedom depends on case numbers,' she said. 'If you have 500 cases a day at 80 per cent, that is dangerous still to say "let it rip". You can't let it rip.' A shocking video shows the moment a prototype Russian military transport plane crashes and explodes today on a test flight with three people feared dead. Footage shows the aircraft had right-side engine trouble before suddenly tilting and falling onto a forest almost one mile from the runway at Kubinka airport, Moscow, on Tuesday. A huge fireball and column of smoke rose from the crash site. A rescue operation was underway on Tuesday with the fate of the three crew onboard unclear. A shocking video shows the moment a prototype Russian military transport plane crashes and explodes today on a test flight with three people feared dead Footage shows the aircraft had right-side engine trouble before suddenly tilting and falling onto a forest almost one mile from the runway at Kubinka airport, Moscow, on Tuesday Reports said the aircraft was being piloted by Nikolai Kuimov, 63, a legendary test pilot, and decorated Hero of the Russian Federation who had flown more than 35 different aircraft types. Also on the plane were first class test pilot Dmitry Komarov, 51, and first class test flight engineer Nikolai Khludeev, 56. The crash involved the advanced Russian-made Ilyushin Il-112V military transport plane, seen as a key plank in Vladimir Putin's massive military modernisation now underway. 'The aircraft exploded after the fall and is now completely destroyed,' said an emergency services spokesman. Reports said the aircraft was being piloted by Nikolai Kuimov, 63, a legendary test pilot, and decorated Hero of the Russian Federation who had flown more than 35 different aircraft types The crash involved the advanced Russian-made Ilyushin Il-112V military transport plane, seen as a key plank in Vladimir Putin's massive military modernisation now underway 'A prototype Il-112V crashed on Tuesday during flights in the Moscow region,' said a defence sector source. The plane is a new-age light and versatile transport plane for troops or cargo which was due to be unveiled at Russia's upcoming Army 2021 Forum, according to United Aircraft Corporation, part of the country's hi-tech development giant Rostec. Mr Kuimov was honoured by Vladimir Putin for 'his courage and heroism during the testing of aviation equipment'. He is believed to have steered the burning plane away from residential areas in his final act of heroism. Mr Kuimov was honoured by Vladimir Putin for 'his courage and heroism during the testing of aviation equipment' Also on the plane was first class test pilot Dmitry Komarov, 51, and it is said the aircraft exploded and was destroyed First class test flight engineer Nikolai Khludeev, 56, was onboard the aircraft, which is a new-age light and versatile transport plane for troops or cargo The first flight of the Il-112V was on March 30, 2019, and design changes were made to the aircraft after this. But its makers were preparing serial production of the plane which was due to go into service with the Russian military. Only yesterday United Aircraft Corporation hired the plane's expected appearance at the Army-2021 show. The pilot is believed to have steered the burning plane away from residential areas in his final act of heroism. The plane was seen as a key plank in Vladimir Putin's massive military modernisation now underway 'This is an important event for our factory and for the entire domestic aircraft-building industry,' said a statement. 'We are proud that the first Il-112Vmilitary transport plane prototype built at the Voronezh Aviation Enterprise will take part in the country's key annual military event, the Army-2021 international military-technical forum. 'The participation in the forum is another serious stage in implementing this programme.' Afghanistan's vice president and the son of a dead military commander are rallying anti-taliban forces in the last stronghold less than 100 miles from Kabul. Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the son of his former mentor and famed anti-Taliban fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud, are putting together a guerilla movement in the Panjshir Valley - the only region not controlled by the Taliban. It comes after the Taliban swept to power with a lightning conquest of Afghanistan culminating on Sunday when the group overran the capital Kabul, sparking widespread panic as thousands tried to flee. Saleh said on Tuesday he was in Afghanistan and the 'legitimate caretaker president' after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country as it emerged he was massing troops and planning a counter offensive against the Taliban. Footage that emerged on Tuesday showed Massoud, accompanied by a heavily armed entourage, boarding an Afghan air force Mi-17, a Soviet designed military helicopter. At least 15 people boarded the flight and were seen helping each other climb on to the military helicopter, thought to be taking off from within the Panjshir region. Several of the group sported military uniforms, while others were seen in pakols - traditional round-topped woolen hats favoured by Ahmad Shah Massoud. Son of late military commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, Ahmad Massoud, (right) was spotted massing troops to launch a counter offensive against the Taliban from the Panjshir valley, north east of Kabul Massoud was seen surrounded by at least ten heavily armed men as he plans a counter offensive against the Taliban from the Panjshir valley Massoud was seen boarding a Afghan Air Force Mi-17, purportedly in the Panjshir valley The last stronghold against the Taliban is Panjshir - a valley region famed for its natural defenses - only 93 miles outside Kabul The Panjshir Valley, 100 miles northeast of Kabul, is the last stronghold against the Taliban and has never been captured by the group It was not immediately clear in the grainy footage if Saleh was on the flight with Massoud, though they were later pictured meeting in the Panjshir region to plan a counter offensive. Saleh, who is from the northern Panjshir valley, fled to his hometown on Sunday. The region is known as a mountainous redoubt tucked into the Hindu Kush that never fell to the Taliban during the civil war of the 1990s or was conquered by the Soviets a decade earlier. He has vowed not to surrender to the extremist group, writing on Twitter on Sunday: 'I won't dis-appoint millions who listened to me. I will never be under one ceiling with Taliban. NEVER'. In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Saleh said that it was 'futile' to argue with US President Joe Biden, who has decided to pull out US forces. He called on Afghans to show that Afghanistan 'isn't Vietnam & the Talibs aren't even remotely like Vietcong'. A video of desperate Afghans trying to clamber on to a U.S. military plane as it was about to take off bore evoked a photograph in 1975 of people trying to get on a helicopter on a roof in Saigon during the withdrawal from Vietnam. Saleh said that unlike the United States and NATO 'we haven't lost spirit & see enormous opportunities ahead. Useless caveats are finished JOIN THE RESISTANCE.' Saleh, who is believed to be in the Panjshir Valley, said that he would never 'under no circumstances bow' to 'the Talib terrorists.' He said he would 'never betray' Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance who was assassinated by two al Qaeda operatives just before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. It came as reports claimed Panjshir residents had raised the flag of the Northern Alliance - a united military front that fought a defensive war against the Taliban between 1996 and 2001. 'We will not allow the Taliban to enter Panjshir and will resist with all our might and power, and fight them,' one resident told AFP on condition of anonymity. Saleh told a security meeting chaired by Ghani last week that he was proud of the armed forces and the government would do all it could to strengthen resistance to the Taliban. Afghanistan's vice president Amrullah Saleh (pictured on August 4, 2021) and the son of a dead military commander have rallied anti-Taliban forces in the Panjshir valley Ahmad Massoud, the son of famed anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, is rallying forces with Saleh to launch a counter offensive against the extremist group from Panjshir Legendary commander Ahmad Shah Massoud was affectionately the Lion of Panjshir for his role defending the valley, in the 1990s Such a battle would be the latest in Saleh's long struggle against the Taliban as a onetime insurgent turned spy chief and later vice premier. Orphaned at a young age, Saleh first fought alongside guerilla commander Massoud, in the 1990s. Massoud, affectionately dubbed the Lion of Panjshir for his role defending the valley, was assassinated two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks. Saleh went on to serve in his government before being chased out of Kabul when the Taliban captured it in 1996. The hardliners then tortured his sister in their bid to hunt him down, Saleh has said. 'My view of the Taliban changed forever because of what happened in 1996,' Saleh wrote in a Time magazine editorial last year. 'I havent seen or heard anything to make me believe they have truly changed their ways. Resisting their brutal rule is a noble fight, not a conquest for power but in defence of humanity. 'For me, the fight has been justified on grounds of societal, cultural, political and historical values, not just abstract intellectual reasoning.' A day after the fall of Kabul, pictures surfaced on social media of Saleh (right) meeting with Massoud (centre, left) - the pair sat between a picture of legendary dead military commander Ahmad Shah Massoud Other reports said Panjshir residents had raised the flag of the Northern Alliance - a united military front that fought a defensive war against the Taliban between 1996 and 2001 After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Saleh - then a part of the anti-Taliban resistance - became a key asset for the CIA. The relationship paved the way for him to lead the newly formed Afghanistan intelligence agency, the National Security Directorate (NDS), in 2004. As NDS chief Saleh is believed to have amassed a vast network of informants and spies inside the insurgency and across the border in Pakistan, where Pashto-speaking agents kept track on Taliban leaders. The intelligence Saleh gathered provided what he alleged was proof the Pakistani military continued to back the Taliban. Saleh's rise, however has not been without its share of dramatic stumbles. In 2010, he was sacked as Afghanistan's spy chief following a humiliating attack on a Kabul peace conference. Exiled into the political wilderness, Saleh maintained his fight against the Taliban and Islamabad on Twitter, where he fired off daily tweets taking aim at his longtime foes. A return to favour came in 2018 when he briefly oversaw the interior ministry after sealing an alliance with president Ashraf Ghani, who has now fled to Oman. A return to favour came in 2018 when he briefly oversaw the interior ministry after sealing an alliance with president Ashraf Ghani, who has now fled to Oman Saleh went on to become the former leader's vice premier. His most recent political revival came as the US was preparing to exit Afghanistan and coincided with a series of assassination attempts on Saleh by the Taliban. His latest close call came last September when a massive bomb targeting his convoy killed at least 10 people in Kabul. Within hours of the attack, Saleh appeared in a video with his left hand bandaged, promising to fight back. 'We will continue our fight,' he said at the time. A group of parents - including two Gold Star moms - who lost their sons in Afghanistan have shared their anger and anguish after the Taliban retook the country in the wake of Joe Biden's withdrawal. Retired Army Colonel Dave Brostrom, who lost his son, Jonathan, in 2008, is blaming President Joe Biden for abandoning Afghanistan and leaving the country in disarray. He said: 'It's a disgrace to this country to depart like this.' Jill Stephenson, whose only child, Army Ranger Ben Kopp, died in July 2009 while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan said the the militant group's takeover of Kabul this weekend came as a gut punch. She worries that many Americans will now lose sight of the service of the nearly 2,500 members of the U.S. military killed during the 20-year conflict. 'I hope their sacrifice doesn't get forgotten,' said Stephenson. 'Here we are 20 years later, and so you do question why did we even bother?' Another mother, Jean Durgin, echoed Stephenson's claims saying 'people mustn't forget them'. Her son, Russell Durgin, a sniper leader, was killed in 2006 by small arms fire in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Retired Army Colonel Dave Brostrom (pictured), who lost his son, Jonathan, at the Battle of Wanat in 2008, has called the withdrawal 'disheartening' and a 'disgrace to this country' Lt. Jonathan Brostrom (pictured) was among nine US soldiers killed on July 13, 2008 when more than 200 enemy fighters swarmed a small, remote combat outpost near Wanat The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a two-decade war. The insurgents stormed across the country and capturing all major cities in a matter of days. Now, US defense officials are working to evacuate as many as 40,000 Americans from the country. Brostrom, who lost Jonathan at the Battle of Wanat in July 2008, told CBS News: 'It's a disgrace to this country to depart like this. This is very disheartening.' Brostrom feels as if Jonathan's death was for nothing, saying: 'You know, my son died trying to protect his fellow soldiers, but for the ultimate cause of stabilizing the country and establishing a good government, yes, it was a sacrifice that was for naught.' Jonathan died on July 13, 2008 in what was at the time the 'single deadliest attack since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan,' the Military Times reported. According to the newspaper, more than 200 enemy fighters swarmed a small, remote combat outpost near Wanat outnumbering US soldiers by at least 2 to 1. Nine US soldiers were killed and 15 others were wounded in the attack. Stephenson (pictured) says she copes with the loss of her son by focusing on the blessings of his life and his organ donations Jill Stephenson holds a photo of her son, Army Ranger Ben Kopp who was fatally shot during a July 2009 firefight with Taliban forces in Afghanistan. As the militant group has gained power in the country, Stephenson is questioning if Kopp's sacrifice was worth it The Taliban triumph occurred just over 12 years after Kopp, 21, saved six fellow soldiers during a battle in southern Helmand Province in which he was fatally shot in the leg. He suffered cardiac arrest on the operating table in Afghanistan and was left brain dead. Eight days after he was shot, Kopp was taken off life support. His heart, kidneys, liver, skin, bone and tissue were donated and helped save the lives of four people. 'It's an amazing gift,' said Judy Meikle, 69, who was the recipient of Kopp's heart. Meikle was diagnosed with congenital heart disease a few months before Kopp died. Stephenson says she copes with the loss of her son by focusing on the blessings of his life and his organ donations. 'I believe Ben's mission was completed in the time that he was here and he would not have been able to fulfill that mission had he not been an Army Ranger, had he not deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, had things not turned out the way they did and him becoming an organ donor,' she said. Kopp was 13 when the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, and he vowed that evening to become an Army Ranger. He was eventually deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Kopp (seen in a photograph held by his mother) vowed to become an Army Ranger when the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. He was 13 at the time According to his obituary, Kopp distinguished himself with the Army Achievement Medal with two awards, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge and the Ranger Tab. Posthumously he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, The Meritorious Service Medal and a Purple Heart. Like Stephenson, other Gold Star parents have chosen to speak out about the sacrifice of their loved ones as the as the Taliban continues to conquer Afghanistan. Many have also found themselves pondering the lessons of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Jean Durgin, 82, was saddened to watch the Taliban retake Afghanistan, but says her main message is one of remembrance. 'It's our sons and daughters and husbands who have gone there to fight, and so many have lost their lives. So many have returned with the war still battling in their minds,' she explained. Her 23-year-old son, Army Sergeant Russell Durgin, a sniper leader, was killed by small arms fire on June 13, 2006 in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. He had completed a combat tour in Iraq before heading to Afghanistan. Army Sergeant Russell Durgin, a sniper leader, (seen in photograph held by his brother) was killed by small arms fire on June 13, 2006 in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. He had completed a combat tour in Iraq before heading to Afghanistan Durgin also sympathizes with the Afghan people and questions the US mission there. She said when her son died, she questioned his commanders: 'Why wasn't there more cover? How could you leave him up on that mountain with no cover?' She said she was told they didn't have sufficient numbers because fighters had been diverted to Iraq. 'That made me angry,' she said. 'Well, I was already angry. But that added to it.' 'If we didn't have the numbers, why didn't we leave?' she said, adding that she believes US troops should have been pulled out of Afghanistan before her son was deployed there. In April, as he announced America's withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said the Afghan people must decide their own future and that the United States should not have to sacrifice members of another generation in an unwinnable war. Durgin, like Stephenson, said her son's death was not in vain. 'It was Russell's life. He made that decision I believe out of love for his country and because he believed we were doing the right thing,' she explained. 'His life is not wasted because he lives on. People remember him. I'm surrounded by memorabilia, things people have sent me, things people do.' Joe Kelley (pictured), whose son was killed in combat said he was experiencing 'mixed emotions' about the withdrawal from Afghanistan and called the decision a 'slap in the face'. Army National Guard Sgt. Michael Kelley (pictured) died in combat in June 2005 Joe Kelley, whose son, Army National Guard Sgt. Michael Kelley, died in combat in June 2005, said he was experiencing 'mixed emotions' about the withdrawal from Afghanistan and called the decision a 'slap in the face'. 'I'm in shock,' he told WBZ Monday night at a candlelight vigil in Boston remembering Massachusetts' fallen veterans. 'What's really upsetting to me is there's an army of over 300 Afghanistan soldiers that left. They didn't even defend their own country, and my son died for their country. He was killed in action. So that's a slap in the face to me.' While he is upset, Kelley also believes that his son's efforts were not in vain. 'I believe that the Afghan folks have actually seen what freedom is all about and I believe that my son and others the thousands of people that didn't come back planted the seeds of freedom, and we hope those seeds will spawn someday,' he said. The father also shared that there is a school in Afghanistan named after Michael Kelley. It houses 600 students, 200 of whom are girls. 'We are praying that the Taliban will not stop that,' he said. Historically, the Taliban has expressed issues surrounding the education of women. Wyatt Martin (pictured) was killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device while alongside his sergeant. His father, Brian Martin, says in wake of the Taliban's insurgence, Wyatt's death 'feels like a waste' Brian Martin, who lost his son, Wyatt, in December of 2014, echoed Kelley's frustrations. 'No, we're not happy. I mean, we gave a big sacrifice here and we want it to mean something,' Martin told AZfamily.com. Wyatt, a combat engineer on patrol, was killed by an improvised explosive device alongside his sergeant. His father said he was one of the last two official KIAs for Operation Enduring Freedom. Brian Martin said it feels as if 'things are going backwards in Afghanistan and his son's efforts were wasted. 'It feels like in waste some ways. Why didn't we stay there? We had a commitment to do it right. I know Wyatt would have wanted us to stay there and do it correctly,' Martin shared. He added: 'We left literal blood over there.' Gretchen Catherwood (left), who lost her son (right) in the war, has described the last few days as being 'a rollercoaster of emotions' Alec Catherwood, (pictured) was killed in combat in October 2010, just three weeks after his unit arrived in Afghanistan. His mother, Gretchen, wants all the military members who fought in Afghanistan to realize the difference they made on the nation Another parent has described the last few days as being 'a rollercoaster of emotions'. '[I've] been sad, and angry, and disappointed, and scared, and numb. It's like losing my son all over again. It's all of those things wrapped up into one,' Gretchen Catherwood told Yahoo News. Her son, Alec Catherwood, was a lance corporal in the Marine Corps. He was killed in combat in October 2010, just three weeks after his unit arrived in Afghanistan. Gretchen Catherwood wants all the military members who fought in Afghanistan to realize the difference they made on the nation. 'I really pray that the men and women who came home don't feel like they were there for nothing, because it wasn't for nothing. It just wasn't,' she said. 'I will never believe that and I will never believe my son died in vain.' Catherwood said Alec became a Marine because he wanted to make the world better. 'Before he left, my niece, who was 10 years old, asked him why he had to go, how come other people couldn't go, and he said he had to go because he wanted to make sure little girls in Afghanistan could go to school like she could. And he believed that. He really, deep down in his heart, believed that he was going to make a difference,' Catherwood explained. She notes that Alec 'died doing what he believed in' and that although his actions did not change the outcome of the war, they definitely impacted the lives of Afghan citizens. Krista Keating-Joseph (left) said she fears for the Afghan families who will loose their children like she did. Her son, Charlie (right), was a Navy SEAL who was killed in action Speaking to Fox News on Monday, another Gold Star parent, Krista Keating-Joseph, said she feared for the Afghan families who would lose their children like she had. Her son, Charlie Keating IV, 31, was killed in May 2016 in a firefight with ISIS. He was awarded the Silver Star award several days after his death for coordinating US and allied forces in a defense against over 100 enemy fighters in Iraq, the Citrus County Chronicle reported. Keating-Joseph claimed Charlie was motivated to become a Navy SEAL after thousands of Americans lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. 'He went in there to do his job he did his job. In matter of fact, because of him and others who have died, he saved a Christian village, he helped those people, he started stabilizing their area,' she explained. 'It's sad because those Christian families and those mothers are going to lose their children like I did...It's over for them.' Similarly, David Horton expressed concern for the safety of Americans with the Taliban in power. Chris Horton (pictured) was killed fighting in Afghanistan. His family members say they are saddened by the withdrawal from the nation and how things were left in 'such a disarray' 'My son laid down his life. He was killed in action. Chris was fighting for what he believed in, to protect our freedoms here,' Horton told Fox News. 'A secure Afghanistan made our nation more secure. So, we're just sad to see this. I agree, we had to leave, we didn't have to leave this way and with things in such a disarray.' Army Specialist Chris Horton, 26, was a sniper killed in action on September 9, 2011 while serving in Afghanistan with the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. According to his obituary, he was killed when his unit was attacked with small arms fire in Zormat, Paktia Province. Meanwhile, the US military announced Tuesday that it was stepping up its evacuation from Afghanistan and that the Taliban were not interrupting operations at the Kabul airport. Major General Hank Taylor said that US military officials at the airport had been in communication with commanders of Taliban forces in recent days and that they were confident that the removal of thousands of US citizens and Afghans fleeing the country on US military aircraft would continue over the coming days. 'We have had no hostile interactions, no attack and no threat by the Taliban,' said Taylor, a senior official with the Pentagon' Joint Chiefs of Staff. Taylor said that since the airport was reopened early Tuesday following an hours-long closure for security problems, the US military has evacuated close to 800 people, among them 165 Americans, on seven flights. The US Department of Defense has poured troops into the airport since Saturday to protect the exodus as the Taliban insurgents entered Kabul after a lightning siege across the country and seized power. Taliban fighters are now controlling the entry to the airport and have seized all of the access points leading to it in Kabul. It forces NATO troops to rely on them to allow evacuees into the airport to board flights Afghan security guards try and maintain order as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. There are now 'three rings' around the airport and the Taliban controls the outer ring Officials in charge of the evacuations said they would fly 5,000 a day out of the Taliban stronghold, despite only managing to get 1,400 out in the three days since the city fell and while as many as 40,000 may remain stranded including in remote parts of the country. The Taliban is fast encroaching on the airport in Kabul. Its fighters are now in charge of every access point on the way from the city to the airport, and they have set up guard at the airport's entrance which means NATO troops are relying on their cooperation to safely get foreign nationals and Afghan refugees through the gates and onto planes. The situation at the airport was decidedly calmer on Tuesday than on Monday, when eight Afghan nationals were killed by clinging onto moving US jets or jumping on their exteriors before they took off in a desperate attempt to escape. Two people were shot dead by US troops who resorted to using apache helicopters and firing warning shots to disperse crowds of thousands of frenzied Afghans on the airfield. Footage from the airport depicted hundreds of Afghans on the runway trying to impede a giant C-17 transport and clinging to it. Videos appeared to show two people falling to their deaths from the aircraft after it took off. Another was later found dead in a wheel well. A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The Afghan nationals ran on board while the ramp was open and the US troops in charge decided to take off. The same planes are still being used to evacuate but only 100 or so people per flight are being boarded and it's unclear why, when thousands remain in need of rescue The body of an Afghan man is trapped in the wheel arch of a C-17 transport plane that took off from Kabul Airport on Monday Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said those incidents were being looked into by the US Air Force. Taylor did not provide any figures on how many people, US citizens or other nationals, or Afghan citizens, were currently in the airport seeking to leave. He revealed Tuesday morning that 700 people were flown out of the region overnight on seven C-17 jets. The number includes 165 US citizens and the rest were for foreign nationals. The United States has pledged to accept tens of thousands of people such as translators who worked for US forces and their families, as they fear retribution from the Taliban. More than a thousand have been evacuated since the operations began three days ago. Kirby estimates between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans remain in Kabul alone. An RAF veteran died after eatong cannabis while celebrating his birthday and suffering a 'psychotic' episode before falling from a window, an inquest heard. A&E nurse Julian Garvey Vines Lewis had taken 'edible' cannabis chocolate on a birthday night out with friends and family on August 16 last year. An inquest into his death heard that before he fell, Mr Lewis had been acting unusually, including pacing the landing of his home and talking to people who weren't there. Mr Lewis died in Salford Royal Hospital after sustaining an 'unsurvivable' head wound in the fall from his flat window. Manchester Coroner's Court heard Mr Lewis, who worked at Wythenshawe Hospital, had served in Afghanistan as an RAF medic. He had been out celebrating his birthday with his girlfriend of 10 years Amie Maughan, his brother Robert, and several other family and friends at a restaurant in Prestwich the night before he died. RAF veteran Julian Lewis (pictured, right, with girlfriend Amie Maughan) died from falling out a window after ingesting edible cannabis and suffering a psychotic episode an inquest heard Before the meal, fitness fan Mr Lewis had climbed Mount Snowdon and had planned to go on another hike the following day. Those who were with Mr Lewis said he was acting 'normally' when they convened at Robert's flat before heading to the restaurant. Ms Maughan told the inquest: 'He was very happy. He seemed to have a really good time. Everyone seemed to have a great time. It was really nice.' While at the restaurant, several members of the party took some 'edibles' - chocolate infused with cannabis. After the meal, the friends re-convened at Robert's flat nearby, but Ms Maughan and Mr Lewis did not stay for too long as the Julian seemed 'really tired'. However, Mr Lewis, who was born in Rochdale, started acting out of character on their way home to his flat. As Ms Maughan brushed her teeth, she noticed her partner 'pacing the landing', and said he was 'against the wall, like he was trying to turn off a light'. During the inquest, senior coroner Nigel Meadows asked Ms Maughan if Mr Lewis 'had a look of terror in his eyes?' Pictured: A&E nurse Julian Lewis, from Rochdale, had served in Afghanistan as an RAF medic Ms Maughan replied: 'Yes. I have never seen him behave like that.' Mr Lewis's actions continued to be erratic, the inquest heard. Ms Maughan said: 'He was stood on his side of the bed. I was on the edge of my side. 'He had his arms out and I thought he was going to flop onto the bed but he jumped across and wrapped his arms around me and we fell to the floor. 'It was very unexpected. I was shocked by it.' Throughout this time, Ms Maughan said Mr Lewis, who had not displayed any mental health issues in the past, had started to speak to people who weren't present. As his behaviour became increasingly worrying, Ms Maughan made the decision to leave the home, and contacted one of Mr Lewis's cousins, who she knew had been driving. Ms Maughan said: 'I thought I was doing the best by allowing Julian to sleep whatever it was off. The coroner was told Mr Lewis began acting strangely while walking home with his girlfriend 'We had a hike planned in the morning with his mum. I thought he would sleep it off. He had settled in bed by the time I left.' Sadly, just moments later, a 999 call was made. Det Insp Chris Maddox, of Greater Manchester Police, said a neighbour in the flat below Mr Lewis's reported seeing a 'silhouetted' figure of a man standing by his window roughly two minutes after Ms Maughan left the property. Shortly after, the neighbour reported hearing a loud noise, and saw a man on the floor outside. When paramedics arrived, Mr Lewis was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, but a CT scan revealed the injuries he sustained to his head that were 'too severe' to operate on. A medical report into his condition said the injuries were 'unsurvivable'. Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Mr Meadows said: 'I am satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, he was suffering from a psychotic or delusional episode from the consumption of cannabis. 'He may have been responding to something he thought was real but, objectively, [was] not there. Girlfriend Amie left Julian sleeping but police were called later that night and found Mr Lewis had fallen from the window and suffered catastrophic head injuries that were 'unsurvivable' 'He died from the unintended consequence of a deliberate human act. 'The loss of Julian at such an age in these circumstances is too much to bear for the family.' After last week's inquest, Mr Maughan paid tribute to Mr Lewis on the first anniversary of his death. Ms Maughan, a nurse in Birmingham, said: 'What a remarkable human being you were. 'You sparked interest in others wherever you lay footprints in this world. People wanted to know you, be your friend and share their most precious memories but also create them with you. 'I will never take for granted having almost ten years of a relationship with you. They were the best ten years of my life. 'You guided me through the most difficult times, was on the sidelines waiting to cheer me on through every achievement and shared so many adventures with me. 'I can only imagine if you were here now where we would be going this year and what we would be seeking together. At an inquest held at Manchester Coroner's Court (pictured), a coroner ruled that Mr Lewis died of misadventure after ingesting cannabis and suffering a psychotic or delusional episode 'You served your country and all humankind. You saved so many lives, touched so many lives and made so many lives better just for being you. 'You were so selfless and saw the best in everyone even if they didn't see it themselves. 'I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the best friend, the wind up merchant, the curious soul, and incredible boyfriend that you were. 'You were so intelligent, every time we engaged on conversation I felt like I was being absorbed in a spectacular documentary. I learned so much from you as I'm sure others did also. 'I could talk about you for hours, days and years because you were that amazing, not that you'd ever take any credit! 'Thank you for being you, for saving me when I needed it most. For pushing me and for making me see how beautiful life truly is.' Advertisement The Taliban may be trying to convince the world this will be a far more tolerant regime than last seen in 2001, but the leaders who will take over Afghanistan remain a group of veteran jihadists with a blood-stained history. Many founders of the original Taliban are still in leadership positions today as the militants take control of Afghanistan, while others are the sons of founders who have since died or were killed in action. After the deaths of former chief Mohammed Omar and his successor Akhtar Mohammad Mansour in less than 12 months, the leadership is held by Haibatullah Akhundzada. Dubbed 'Leader of the Faithful', the Taliban's Supreme Commander who has the final word on its political, religious and military policy. Despite being the now-obvious choice, there is speculation that Akhundzada may not become the front-facing leader of the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - the full name of Afghanistan under the new Taliban rule. Under Akhundzada sits three deputies. In addition to Mullah Yaqoob, there is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Sirajuddin Haqqani, with the three being described be one Western official as 'the just-about-OK, the bad and the very, very ugly'. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar - who arrived back in Afghanistan today after 20 years in exile - is perhaps the most well-known and senior. He was the co-founder of the Taliban along-side Mullah Omar - who bestowed the title 'brother' upon him as a sign of affection. Some have suggested he may take up a prime-ministerial role under the new regime. Sirajuddin Haqqani heads up his late-father's group - the Haqqani Network - a US-designated terror cell responsible for a number of brutal killing throughout Afghanistan, including a bombing that killed seven children. After a meteoric rise to power following his father's death, Mullah Yaqoob heads up the Taliban's military, and was likely responsible for the recent incursion that has seen Afghanistan fall under the group's control once more. In addition to the deputy leaders, there are other senior figures among the Taliban who were key in negotiations with the Afghan government and foreign countries as they tried to find a way back into power. Now, after assuming control of the country, it is not immediately clear what the leadership structure will look like. Below, we look at the senior Taliban figures likely to be vying for power in the weeks and months to come. Supreme Commander Haibatullah Akhundzada, future Emir of Afghanistan and 'Leader of the Faithful,' the Taliban's Islamic figurehead - Became leader in 2016 ahead of other senior figures after predecessor was killed in a U.S. drone strike Akhundzada became head of the Taliban's council of religious scholars after the US invasion and is believed to be the author of many of its fatwas (Islamic legal rulings) Age: 60 years old Rank: Supreme Commander Joined: 1994 Haibatullah Akhundzada, the 'Leader of the Faithful,' is the Taliban's Supreme Commander with the final word on its political, religious and military policy. Akhundzada is expected to take the title of Emir of Afghanistan under the new Taliban regime. Believed to be around 60 years old, he is not known for his military strategy but is revered as an Islamic scholar and rules the Taliban by that right. He took over in 2016 when the group's former chief, Akhtar Mansour, was killed in a US drone strike on the Pakistani border. After being appointed as a surprise leader, Akhundzada secured a pledge of loyalty from Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the religious scholar with praise - calling him 'the emir of the faithful'. This helped to seal his jihadi credentials with the group's long-time allies, after securing the title in favour of other more senior figures. Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a militant movement that briefly fractured during a bitter power struggle following the assassination of his predecessor, and the revelation that the leadership had hid the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar for years. The leader's public profile has been largely limited to the release of annual messages during Islamic holidays. Akhundzada was born around 1959 to a religious scholar in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar Province. His family were forced to flee their home during the Soviet invasion and he joined the resistance as a young man. He was one of the first new Taliban recruits in the 1990s and immediately impressed his superiors with his knowledge of Islamic law. When the Taliban captured Afghanistan's western Farah province, he was put in charge of fighting crime in the area. As the Taliban seized more of the country, Akhunzad became head of the military court and deputy chief of its supreme court. After the US invasion in 2001 he became head of the Taliban's council of religious scholars and is believed to be the author of many of its fatwas (Islamic legal rulings), including public executions of murderer and adulterers and cutting the hands off thieves. Two attempts have been made to assassinate Akhundzada, one in 2012 and another in 2019. Afghan intelligence agency took responsibility for the first, while the second - which killed a number of Akhundzada's family including his father and brother - was claimed by the High Council of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate. Before being named the new leader he had been preaching and teaching for around 15 years at a mosque in Kuchlak, a town in southwestern Pakistan, sources told Reuters. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder and head of the political office of the Taliban - Held for eight years in Pakistani prison before being released on orders from the U.S. government Pictured: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder and deputy leader of the Taliban, makes a video statement on August 16 following the fall of Kabul Age: 53 years old Rank: Co-founder, head of political office Joined: 1994 Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the co-founders of the Taliban, was freed from jail in Pakistan three years ago at the request of the U.S. government. Just nine months ago, he posed for pictures with Donald Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to sign a peace deal in Doha which today lies in tatters. On Sunday, his forces seized Kabul and he is now tipped to become Afghanistan's next leader in a reversal of fortune which humiliates Washington. While Haibatullah Akhundzada is the Taliban's overall leader, Baradar is head of its political office and one of the most recognisable faces of the chiefs who have been involved in peace talks in Qatar. His name Baradar means 'brother', a title which was conferred by Taliban founder Mullah Omar himself as a mark of affection. The 53-year-old was deputy leader under ex-chief Mullah Mohammed Omar, whose support for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. Baradar arrived in Kandahar Province on Tuesday, landing in the insurgent group's former capital just days after they took control of the country. A Taliban spokesman said on Twitter that Baradar and a high level delegation 'reached their beloved country in the afternoon' from Qatar. Born in Uruzgan province in 1968, Baradar was raised in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement. He fought with the mujahideen against the Soviets in the 1980s until they were driven out in 1989. Afterwards, Afghanistan was gripped by a blood civil war between rival warlords and Baradar set up an Islamic school in Kandahar with his former commander Mohammed Omar. The two mullahs helped to found the Taliban movement, an ideology which embraced hardline orthodoxy and strived for the creation of an Islamic Emirate. Fuelled by zealotry, hatred of greedy warlords and with financial backing from Pakistan's secret services, the Taliban seized power in 1996 after conquering provincial capitals before marching on Kabul, just as they have in recent months. Baradar had a number of different roles during the Taliban's five-year reign and was the deputy defence minister when the US invaded in 2001. He went into hiding but remained active in the Taliban's leadership in exile. In September 2020, Baradar was pictured with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who 'urged the Taliban to seize this opportunity to forge a political settlement and reach a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire,' the US said in a statement In 2010, the CIA tracked him down to the Pakistani city of Karachi and in February of that year the Pakistani intelligence service (ISI) arrested him. But in 2018, he was released at the request of the Trump administration as part of their ongoing negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar, on the understanding that he could help broker peace. In February 2020, Baradar signed the Doha Agreement in which the U.S. pledged to leave Afghanistan on the basis that the Taliban would enter into a power-sharing arrangement with President Ashraf Ghani's government in Kabul. He was pictured in September with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who 'urged the Taliban to seize this opportunity to forge a political settlement and reach a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire,' the US said in a statement. Pompeo 'welcomed Afghan leadership and ownership of the effort to end 40 years of war and ensure that Afghanistan is not a threat to the United States or its allies.' The Doha deal was heralded as a momentous peace declaration but has been proved to be nothing but a ploy by the Taliban. The jihadists waited until thousands of American troops had left before launching a major offensive to recapture the country, undoing two decades of work by the US-led coalition. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad - Head terror group that has admitted to plotting a number of attacks, including a suicide bombing that killed seven children in a nearby school Sirajuddin Haqqani Age: Mid-forties Joined: 2000s Rank: Deputy leader, head of Haqqani network Sirajuddin doubles as both the deputy leader of the Taliban movement while also heading the powerful Haqqani network. The Haqqani Network is a US-designated terror group that has long been viewed as one of the most dangerous factions fighting Afghan and US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan during the past two decades. His father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, was the founder of the powerful force of fighters spanning the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, who are seen as a Pakistan-based Taliban. The group is infamous for its use of suicide bombers and is believed to have orchestrated some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years. Haqqani himself admitted to planning a 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul that killed six people. The victims included American citizen Thor David Hesla. An FBI wanted poster for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad He also confessed that he directed the planning by his network of an assassination attempt on former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai in April 2008. Later that same year, he was accused by coalition forces of carrying out a December bombing at an Afghan barracks near an elementary school that killed several school children, an Afghan soldier and an Afghan guard. In November 2008, it was reported by the New York Times that reporter David S. Rohde was kidnapped in the country, and Haqqani is reported to have been the journalist's last captor before he escaped. The network has also been accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Western citizens for ransom - including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, released in 2014. Known for their independence, fighting acumen, and savvy business dealings, the Haqqanis are believed to oversee operations in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while holding considerable sway over the Taliban's leadership council. Haqqani himself was the target of a reported U.S. drone strike in 2010, but he was not present in the area that was targeted. Mullah Yaqoob, military chief of the Taliban - Is the son of the Taliban's original founder Mullah Mohammed Omar who died in 2013 of Tuberculosis Mullah Yaqoob Age: 31 years old Joined: Unknown Rank: Second deputy, Taliban military chief The son of the Taliban's founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob heads the group's powerful military commission, which oversees a vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency's strategic operations in the war. He is seen as being part of the Taliban's more moderate camp, along with Baradar. Believed to be in his 30s, his lineage and ties to his father - who enjoyed a cult-like status as the Taliban's leader before his death - serves as a potent symbol and makes him a unifying figure over the sprawling movement. However, speculation remains rife about Yaqoob's exact role within the movement, with some analysts arguing that his appointment to the role in 2020 was merely cosmetic. He was virtually unknown until five years ago, when the mysterious death of his father was announce two years after he died of Tuberculosis. In his first ever public address at the time, Yacoob - who is presumed to have been in his twenties at the time - called for unity within the Sunni extremist group. Since his audio message spread through the ranks of the Taliban, he is understood to have risen the ranks quickly within the group, and has consolidated power since his failed bid to succeed his father. He first became deputy leader before - more recently - becoming military chief. Outsiders believed that Yaqoob was a supporter of the peace process between the Taliban and the Afghan government, that resulted in the deal being signed by the Taliban and the United States under Donald Trump, aimed at withdrawing foreign troops from the country. However, others have suggested that the selection of an inexperienced leader could hint at divisions within the Taliban, which has undergone a number of bitter transitions. Under Yaqoob's control, the Taliban military appears to have upheld its agreement to not attack U.S forces, but the militants have failed to fulfil a pledge to renounce the Al-Qaeda terrorist network behind the 9/11 attacks. Now, having successfully taken control of the Afghanistan with the Taliban military, Yaqoob's future ambitions for leadership could well have been strengthened in the last weeks. For a brief spell in 2020, Yaqoob was said to be leading the whole of the Taliban after Akhundzada fell ill with Covid-19 during the coronavirus pandemic. Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Senior judge and head of Taliban's negotiating team - Graduated from the Darul Uloom Haqqania, the so-called university of jihad Abdul Hakim Haqqani Age: 54 years old Joined: 1994 Rank: Chief justice, chief negotiator The head of the Taliban's negotiating team, Abdul Hakim Haqqani is believed to be one of the people within the group that Haibatullah Akhundzada trusts most. As the Taliban's former shadow chief justice, he heads its powerful council of religious scholars. Like many of the top Taliban, he spent years hiding in Pakistan following the group's 2001 defeat to the U.S.-led invasion, but has now returned to the spotlight after he was appointed as the Taliban's chief negotiator with Afghanistan's government in Kabul - that were held in Qatar. As head cleric, he until recently ran an Islamic madrasah, or seminary, in the Ishaqabad area of Quetta. From there, he led the Taliban's judiciary and a powerful council of Taliban clerics that issued religious edicts that worked to justify the group's brutal insurgency of the country. His announcement as head of the negotiating team was part of a shake-up of the Taliban's 21-member team ahead of the opening of peace talks, with the group offering no explanation for the changes, or Abdul Hakim's appointment. Sources have suggested it was modified to give it power to make on-the-spot decisions. Abdul Hakim Haqqani is thought of highly among the Taliban, particularly for his religious credentials but also for his birthplace. He was born in the Panjwai district in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, considered to be the Taliban's spiritual home. He graduated from the Darul Uloom Haqqania Islamic seminary in northwest Pakistan, known for preaching a a fundamentalist brand of Islam and schooling a generation of fighters for the Afghan Taliban. The so-called university of jihad has taught some of the most notorious members of the Taliban and other terrorist groups, including founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and and Jalaluddin Haqqani, the former leader of the Pakistani-based Haqqani network. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, head of the Taliban's Doha office - tried to persuade Clinton administration to give diplomatic recognition to Taliban in 1996 Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai Age: 58 years old Joined: 1994 Rank: Head of the Taliban's Doha office Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai is currently the head of the Taliban's political office in Doha, and was the former deputy minister of the group before its removal in 2001 when the U.S. invaded the country. Born in 1963 in Logar Province, he gained a master's degree in political science before studying at an Indian Military Academy, which at the time in the 1970s involve training Afghan army officials. He went on to fight in the Soviet-Afghan War, first under Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi's Islamic and National Revolution Movement of Afghanistan, then with Abdul Rasul Sayyaf's Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan. He was commander of the latter's south-western front. Between 1996-2001 - during the Taliban's rule of Afghanistan - he served as deputy minister of foreign affairs under foreign minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil and later deputy minister of health. While he was reportedly not trusted by his then-boss, he often gave interviews to foreign media, and speaks English. In 1996, Stanikzai travelled to Washington D.C. as acting foreign minister in an attempt to ask the Clinton administration to request that Taliban-ruled Afghanistan be extended diplomatic recognition. In 2012 - over a decade after the invasion of Afghanistan by U.S. forces following 9/11 - Stanikzai arrived in Qatar to facilitate the opening of the Taliban's political office in the country, and in 2015 he was appointed as acting head of the office in Qatar. Once appointed, he pledged his allegiance to Akhtar Mansour - who led the Taliban between 2015 and 2016, saying 'I and other members of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate declare allegiance to the honorable Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.' His position as head of the office was confirmed later in 2016. In July 2016, he traveled to China for talks with Chinese officials, and in 2017 he was denied entry to the UAE. In 2018 he led a delegation to Uzbekistan, before later travelling to Indonesia. Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban senior leader - Believed to currently be in Kabul negotiating with the city's political leadership Amir Khan Muttaqi Age: 51 years old Joined: Unknown Rank: Senior leader, negotiator Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi - who is currently said to be in the Afghan capital negotiating with Kabul's political leadership - is an Afghan Taliban senior leader, politician and member of the negotiation team in Qatar. The senior leadership reported includes Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country's negotiating council, and former President Hamid Karzai. That is according to an official familiar with the talks and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Muttaqi was a higher education minister when the Taliban last ruled and he began making contacts with Afghan political leaders even before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani secretly slipped away from the Presidential Palace on the weekend, leaving a devastating vacuum that Taliban who were surrounding the city strode in to fill. Muttaqi served as Minister of Information and Culture and representative of the Taliban government in talks led by the United Nations. He was originally part of Maulvi Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi's group during the Afghan jihad but later joined the Taliban movement when it emerged, and ruled in 1996. The official says the talks underway in the Afghan capital are aimed at bringing other non-Taliban leaders into the government that Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has said will be an 'inclusive Afghan government.' There is little indication about the substance of the talks, but Shaheen earlier told The Associated Press that a government will be announced after negotiations with non-Taliban leaders are completed. Afghans familiar with the talks say some rounds have gone late into the night and have been underway since soon after Ghani's departure. Friends of a murder victim have today revealed they 'begged' the mother-of-two to leave her 'abusive' partner before she was found dead in her home. Eileen Barrott, 50, was found dead by emergency workers in her home in Leeds, West Yorkshire on Sunday. The 'devoted' nurse had suffered 'serious injuries' and was declared dead at the scene in the quiet residential area of Naburn Fold, Whinmoor. Today, a family friend claimed Eileen had been subjected to abuse in the relationship for more than 20 years. The friend, who wished not to be named, said she tried 'for years' to convince Eileen to leave her husband but she never did. The friend added: 'It's absolutely heartbreaking, but it's been going on for years maybe 20 years. 'She [Eileen] used to stay at my sister's, and she used to tell her to leave him all of the time. 'She was captive in that relationship, it's horrendous to think this could happen. I'm still in shock. Detectives are still appealing for information on her husband, Mark Barrott, 54, who was named a suspect and last spotted on CCTV leaving Leeds railway station at 1pm on Sunday. Devoted nurse Eileen Barrott, 50, (above) was found dead by emergency workers in her home in Whinmoor, West Yorkshire Police officers have launched a hunt for husband Mark Barrott, 54, who travelled from Leeds to Scotland after his wife was found 'murdered' in her home (pictured) Eileen's husband, Mark Barrott, 54, was named a suspect and spotted on CCTV leaving Leeds railway station at 1pm on Sunday Detectives said they 'urgently wanted to speak' to Mark Barrott (pictured) and appealed for information to help trace him The suspected murder victim was today named as Eileen Barrott, 50, after emergency services were called to a property in Leeds, West Yorks., at around 6.30pm last night. Pictured: Police and forensics teams at the scene on Monday A spokesman said officers from West Yorkshire Police have been working with colleagues in Scotland after it was established that he had travelled to Edinburgh by train on Sunday. West Yorkshire Police today officially named Barrott as a suspect in the killing and have urged witnesses to come forward. Further enquiries have shown he subsequently caught a train to Aberdeen and was last sighted on CCTV in Huntly Street in the city centre at 9.16pm on Sunday. On Tuesday, they said they believed he moved on to Aberdeen later that night and has been sighted in the city. Mr Barrott did not work, but Eileen was a nurse at St James' University Hospital in Leeds for 19 years and worked 'like crazy' during the pandemic. One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: 'She was a nurse who worked like crazy through the last 18 months. 'So, for this to happen is just so shocking.' Eileen joined St James' University Hospital in 1992, where she worked as a staff nurse across different departments. A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'It is with great sadness that we have heard about the sudden and unexpected passing of Eileen Barrott. 'She will be sadly missed by all her friends and colleagues across the trust. 'This has been a shock to her colleagues and we're doing all we can to support them at this difficult time.' At least 10 emergency service vehicles rushed to the scene in Whinmoor with local residents revealing the heavy police presence was an unusual sight. Forensic teams scoured the location, searching drains, mail boxes and looking under nearby parked cars as they hunted for clues. One man explained: 'It's not like this area. 'There are areas just down the round from here which have problems with drugs and gangs and that kind of stuff, but not here. 'It's really quiet. That's why it's such a shock.' Eileen's death is being treated as murder and an investigation is being led by West Yorkshire Police's homicide and major enquiry team. It is understood that Eileen and her husband Mark lived in Naburn View for more than two decades, and have two children together. Detective Chief Inspector Vanessa Rolfe said: 'We are continuing to carry out extensive enquiries to locate Mark Barrott as a suspect for his wife Eileen's murder. 'We are liaising closely with our colleagues from Police Scotland who have established the most recent sighting of Mr Barrott on CCTV in Aberdeen city centre on Sunday night. 'We are keen to hear from anyone who has seen him since then or who has any information that could assist in tracing him. 'We continue to advise anyone who does see him not to approach him but to contact police immediately on 999. 'Eileen's family have been left completely devastated at her death in these circumstances and we are doing everything we can to support them as we progress the investigation.' Officers are also appealing to trace Barrott's car - a silver Toyota Avensis (pictured above), registration FJ51 ZHB - which is still believed to be in Leeds A woman, now known to be Eileen, was reported to have suffered 'serious injuries' and was declared dead at the scene on Sunday Eileen's death is being treated as murder and an investigation is being led by West Yorkshire Police's homicide and major enquiry team Officers are also appealing to trace Barrott's car - a silver Toyota Avensis, registration FJ51 ZHB - which is still believed to be in Leeds. A large police presence remained in the Whinmoor area of the city on Monday, where the woman was fatally injured. Cross Gates and Whinmoor Cllr James Gibson said: 'Following the shocking and distressing events in Whinmoor overnight, our thoughts go to the victim and her family. 'This is a heartbreaking incident and it will affect the whole community.' Anyone with information is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team via 101 quoting Operation Pumacastle, reference 13210413554, or online via www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat Advertisement A British 'danger tourist' who took a holiday to Kabul two days before the Taliban seized the city is 'exhausted but relieved' after landing in Dubai aboard a military plane carrying hundreds of evacuees. Miles Routledge, 21, few into the Afghan capital from Istanbul on Friday, when advancing militants were closing in on the city having already captured key districts of Kandahar and Lashkar Gah. This morning, the student shared on Facebook a selfie video taken while seated aboard a packed evacuation aircraft - which he described as being operated by the British Army - as it touched down in the UAE. As part of the evacuation operation, some evacuees are being taken to cities in the Middle East before boarding commercial charter flights back home. The Birmingham banking intern, who has boasted of visiting Chernobyl, is seen wearing a flak jacket in the video, and wrote in an accompanying caption: 'I've landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British Army. All safe!' Mr Routledge earlier claimed he had been put under UN protection following the Taliban's invasion of Kabul, but a UN spokesman has been unable to confirm this. Today, the student told BBC News that he was 'exhausted but relieved' to have escaped Kabul. His exploits have provoked fury as thousands of refugees, including brave British Army translators, desperately scrabble for space on the few flights leaving Afghanistan to avoid being killed by Taliban fighters. Beneath one Facebook post another user wrote: 'Selfish actions, your seat on a plane home should have been given to an Afghan interpreter who now faces certain death.' The UK's evacuation effort - codenamed called Operation PITTING - is helping British citizens and Afghans entitled to a British visa, including Army translators. An official at Kabul airport said three British military flights had so far left today, among a total of 12 military airlifts from different nations. Britain's evacuation operation is being overseen by members of the Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade, working with RAF pilots and using UK bases including Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. A total of 370 people were flown back home yesterday and the day before, Sky News today reported. Vice Adm Sir Ben Key, in charge of the UK's operation, said he believes the British military can get between 6,000-7,000 people out. He said he was confident the airfield in Kabul was 'stable' but added that the 'dynamic political situation' in city meant the evacuation 'can't afford to pause', adding that officials were 'alive to the uncertainty'. MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Defence to confirm if Mr Routledge was travelling on a British military flight. Flight data suggests British military planes involved in the evacuation include RAF Voyagers and a series of other transport aircraft including the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Airbus A400M Atlas. Miles Routledge, 21, shared footage of him sitting alongside hundreds of other people fleeing the militant group as the aircraft touched down in the UAE The banking intern, who was wearing a flak jacket, wrote on a caption: 'I've landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British Army. All safe!' Footage shows the UK Armed Forces in Kabul processing and leading Afghan citizens onto an RAF aircraft during Operation Pitting on Monday At a glance: What is the situation in Afghanistan and how many people are being evacuated? The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly 20-year war. Here is the latest: The Taliban, who ran Afghanistan in the late 1990s, have again taken control after the Western-backed government that has run it for 20 years collapsed Thousands of people are racing to Kabul Airport which is one of the last routes out of the country amid fears the Taliban could carry out revenge attacks At least 56,000 people need evacuating - including some 22,000 on US special immigrant visas, 4,000 British nationals, 10,000 refugees that Germany has said it will accept, and 20,000 bound for Canada Some people are so desperate that they clung to the side of a military jet as it took off and then plunged to their deaths yesterday - at least seven died 900 British armed forces in Afghanistan to bring UK nationals home and secure safety of some Afghans 150 British nationals were flown out on Sunday while 289 Afghan nationals were taken out last week A further 350 British and Afghans will be taken out of the country in the next 24 hours, UK Government says The US may issue up 80,000 special immigrant visas to those who helped with its combat operations 7,500 troops currently guarding the airport - including 6,000 Americans and smaller numbers of British, Turkish and Australians - will also need to leave Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for G7 leaders to hold a virtual meeting 'in the coming days' Defence Minister Ben Wallace says the Taliban takeover is a 'failure of the international community' US President Joe Biden called the situation 'gut-wrenching' but rejected blame for what's happening The Taliban now say they want to form an 'inclusive, Islamic government' with other factions - and are holding negotiations with senior politicians Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has already fled the country after the Taliban reached Kabul on Sunday Advertisement There are at least 56,000 people who need evacuating from Afghanistan - including some 22,000 flying on US special immigrant visas, 4,000 British nationals, 10,000 refugees that Germany has said it will accept, and 20,000 bound for Canada. In reality, that number is likely to be far higher once diplomatic staff from dozens of countries, which had relations with Afghanistan's former government are taken into account. Mr Routledge had earlier posted a series of photos on streaming site Twitch of his apparent trip around the war-torn country. The Loughborough physics student announced yesterday that he had eventually secured an evacuation flight. Mr Routledge wrote on Facebook: 'Got Evacuated at 4ish (it's 2am now) with 100 or so other civilians, couldn't message as there were cars emitting signals that would set off bombs, it blocked my airpods from connecting so I think it blocked all wifi/data. 'The Taliban let us go through the airport and we met many of them, very long transition period but everyone was smiling and waving at one another, some took selfies with them. I slept on a dirt/gravel road and woke up as cars went by. We're in a new safe house and we're all hydrated, happy and ready for a few hours of sleep.' Shortly after he posted an update saying: 'On the flight out we aren't allowed any liquids at all, no razors and only 1 bag up to 10kg so everyone is tossing all their belongings into a pile. 'People are donating each other their items because they can't carry them. Some lads stuffed my body armour and bag with protein bars, over 20 of them. Very happy man (right now). Thank you lads.' His mother Susan was distraught when approached at the family home in Sutton Coldfield yesterday. Mrs Routledge told The Sun Online she had urgently been awaiting a call from the Foreign Office to discover whether her son would be kept safe amid the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. Her son had previously bragged of visiting Chernobyl, posting pictures in May saying it was two years since he visited the scene of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Mr Routledge, from Birmingham, posing with his ticket for a flight from Istanbul to Kabul, showing he only left on Friday Mr Routledge, from Birmingham, claimed he was quizzed by armed Taliban militants while on his way to Kabul International Airport An undated photo issued by the student of the room he said he was staying at a Nato compound in Kabul after the Taliban takeover In online posts under his name he apparently claimed to have been quizzed by armed Taliban militants while on his way to Kabul International Airport. They apparently asked him where he was from - to which he said Wales. He claims the fighters did not know where Wales was, and let him go. Mr Routledge said he later came across another armed convoy during the Taliban insurgency and took a selfie on one of their gun emplacements. Mr Routledge has subsequently claimed messages posted under his name on messaging site 4chan were fake. Speaking to the Times, he claimed he made the decision to visit Afghanistan after watching tourism videos on YouTube. He said that when the takeover began, he could not refund his flights so chose to travel instead. Mr Routledge also said he had accepted the possibility that he might die in Afghanistan. In a message addressed to friends on social media, he apparently wrote: 'I've bitten off more than I can chew and something has not gone to plan resulting in this situation. 'There was no convincing me otherwise and I knew the risks, it was a gamble I took that went wrong despite my confidence and jokes.' A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The flight landed in Qatar. The refugees ran up the half-open ramp while US forces were preparing for take-off, according to an unnamed defense official cited by Defense One on Monday. At least one other C-17 has departed the area Footage shows some children on the RAF plane during Operation Pitting on Monday after they were processed by UK Armed Forces in Kabul Members of the UK armed forces in Kabul stand at the entrance of the RAF aircraft as Afghans begin to board on Monday Two UK military personnel are seen next to the RAF aircraft in Kabul before it flew some Afghans to safety Mr Routledge said he came across two armed convoys during the Taliban insurgency, and took a selfie on one of their gun emplacements The Loughborough physics student hid at a United Nations safehouse in Kabul prior to being evacuated Mr Routledge has also previously bragged of visiting Chernobyl, posting pictures in May saying it was two years since he visited the scene of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine C-17 jets were pictured taking off from Kabul on Monday followed by hundreds of desperate Afghanis, some of whom were clinging to the wheels on the same side of the plane that the footage was taken from Taliban hunt UK interpreter who is in hiding with family in Afghanistan after his visa to Britain was revoked at 11th hour An Afghan interpreter is now being hunted by Taliban kill squads after his visa to the UK was revoked last week despite the militant group's shadow courts passing a death sentence against him. Ahmadzai, who is hiding with his family after at least one assassination attempt, was branded a 'threat' to UK security by Home Office officials despite bravely serving alongside senior British Army generals, one of whom called the claim 'rubbish'. He told the Stories of Our Times podcast: 'The only actions left are either to remain in Kabul and get killed by the Taliban, to cross the border to Iran and go there, or to be helped by NATO countries. 'They have sentenced me to death, and ordered their fighters that I should be shot and killed wherever I am found. Three weeks ago my son was with me when four gunmen tried to kill me but I recognised them and they fled.' The interpreter - referred to only by his last name for security reasons - said that working for the British forces 'was my mistake', adding: 'Not only have I risked my life and made the Taliban want to kill me, but I've also risked the life of my kids.' His harrowing story emerged as Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary and a former soldier, fought back tears as he admitted 'some won't get back' from Afghanistan after the capital, Kabul, fell to the Taliban. Advertisement Yesterday he told viewers: 'I was fully prepared for death, I accepted it. This trip has been a test of God. I'm very religious so I believe I'll be looked after. 'Before I left I wrote a letter to my friends saying that if I died, not to feel guilty, that I would die happy and religious and proud.' He said that he would be safe because of a 15 joke purchase he made which gave him the right to use the title 'Lord', seen on his American Express card. The student told his followers: 'The Taliban may see that as reason enough to keep me alive, thinking it may hold some negotiating power as they'll think I'm important. Let's hope it won't get to that stage though.' MailOnline has contacted the British Foreign Office and the UN for comment. Today hundreds of Afghanis fleeing the Taliban were lined up behind barbed wire at Kabul airport and forced to wait for rescue - after a desperate rush to board evacuation flights yesterday saw one person crushed to death in the wheel housing of an aircraft and three others fall from the sky. Dozens of people - some clutching immigration documents - formed orderly queues under the noses of Afghan security guards and foreign troops at Hamid Karzai airport on Tuesday as they waited to board military flights out of the country, fearing bloody reprisal by the Islamists. It was a far cry from the pandemonium which broke out on Monday as thousands of desperate people rushed the runway and clung to the wheels of departing US jets - with horrifying video appearing to show how one man was crushed to death in the landing gear of a C-17 transport plane. British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan get on an RAF plane at Kabul Airport before being relocated to the UK, in this undated Ministry of Defence photograph. At least 12 military flights took off from the airport today, officials said People gather outside Kabul Airport today as the Taliban declared an 'amnesty' and urged women to join their government Military personnel board a Royal Air Force Airbus A400M transport plane, after arriving by bus at RAF Brize Norton today, as Britain sends 900 soldiers back to Afghanistan over the coming days to help with repatriations and evacuations The footage, which emerged today, shows what appears to be a man's legs protruding from the side of the jet and failing against the side of the aircraft. A US official later confirmed that human remain were found in the landing gear of a jet, which made an emergency landing after declaring a mid-air state of emergency. The US has said it may issue up 80,000 special immigrant visas to those who helped with combat operations and are likely to face revenge attacks from the Taliban, while 7,500 troops currently guarding the airport - including 6,000 Americans and smaller numbers of British, Turkish and Australians - will also need to leave. At least 6,000 people have already managed to flee the country on evacuation flights that began Sunday, with a dozen departing on Tuesday - most of them flying to neighbouring Middle Eastern countries before continuing their journeys west. Spain, France and India confirmed their diplomatic staff had been evacuated today. Joe Biden has been slammed over the hasty withdrawal which critics said has 'humiliated' the US on the world stage and drew comparisons with the retreat from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war. Matt Hancock knew about the error, but did not publicly admit it, they said A Whitehall source said the app went against 'standard definition of a contact' Thousands of Britons may have self-isolated for no reason because the NHS Covid app was incorrectly set to 'ping' contacts five days before someone tested positive, it was claimed today. The controversial software which isn't legally enforceable was designed to curb the spread of Covid. Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced last month the NHS app was being tweaked in an effort to curb the 'pingdemic', which left supermarket shelves empty and pubs shut due to staffing shortages. The app now only alerts people who came into contact with an infected person 48 hours before they tested positive. Before, it trawled through five days of Bluetooth data. But a Whitehall whistle-blower has told The Guardian the app should only ever have looked as far back as two days, in line with official guidance and NHS Test and Trace rules. The NHS Covid app 'pings' people who have been within two metres of an infected person for 15 minutes or more. But a Whitehall whistleblower revealed the app was issuing self-isolation alerts to people who had been in contact with a positive case five days before they tested positive instead of two, leading thousands to needlessly isolate NHS figures the number of alerts sent out by the app each week began to drop at the end of July, after peaking at nearly 700,000 earlier in the month The drop-off in the number of venue check-ins using the app was similar during the week, falling 26 per cent from 2.3million to 1.7million How does the NHS Covid app work? The NHS Covid app was created to help control the spread of the coronavirus. It uses Bluetooth to log the amount of time someone spends near other people who have the app and the distance between people. Anyone who has been within two metres of an infected person for more than 15 minutes is told to self-isolate for 10 days from the day they were in contact with that person. It is not a legal requirement to follow the isolation rules on the app, but the Government says adhering to it is key to limit the virus from spreading. This is unlike Test and Trace, as it is illegal to leave the home when identified as a close contact of an infected person by that team. But rising numbers are deleting the app after it sent out record self-isolation orders last month. Advertisement They said the error was reported to former Health Secretary Matt Hancock before he stepped down in the wake of his affair but he never publicly revealed the mistake. The app, which keeps users anonymous, caused mayhem across the country before it was tweaked. A record 690,000 people in England and Wales were 'pinged' in the week leading up to July 21. The source said: 'The standard definition of a contact in all the scientific and public stuff from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace is someone who has been in contact from two days before they have symptoms. 'And if they do not have symptoms but test positive, you go back two days from the test. But the app had five days in it. 'A submission was made to [Matt] Hancock from Test and Trace people around the time of his resignation saying "it's five days but it should be two days: should we change it now?" And it didn't happen.' NHS Test and Trace which gets in touch with people who test positive for details of their close contacts only ask for two days of history. Justin Madders, Shadow Health Minister, told the newspaper it was 'another shambolic situation from hapless ministers'. He said: 'The app has been one mess after another and a lack of clear information and guidance around the app only undermines its effectiveness.' A DHSC Spokesperson said: 'The NHS Covid Aapp is a key tool in our pandemic response, saving thousands of lives and breaking chains of transmission. 'The app prevented up to 2,000 cases of Covid a day in July. App users will only ever be advised to isolate if they have been in close contact with an individual who goes on to test positive for Covid. 'It is important users isolate when asked to do so in order to stop the spread of the virus. 'The recent change to the app logic will result in fewer low-risk contacts being advised to isolate, while advising the same number of high-risk contacts to self-isolate.' It is understood that app had a different definition of a close contact than the one used by Test and Trace. The five-day period for the asymptomatic falls at the halfway point in a potential 10-day incubation period. Millions of alerts have been sent out by the NHS Covid app since it was launched last September. The NHS app heralded as a way to halt the spread of the virus uses Bluetooth to estimate how close a user has been to a Covid positive patient and for how long. This information allows it to determine whether someone is at risk of catching the virus and if they should self-isolate. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the tweak would 'ensure we are striking the right balance' between reducing disruption and protecting those at risk. Last month, the number of self-isolation alerts sent out led to huge staff shortages, empty shelves and cancelled trains. It forced the Government to exempt key workers across different industries from the quarantine rules, so the country could keep running. The rules were further slackened yesterday, with under-18s and double-jabbed adults no longer having to isolate if they are a close contact. But the Government asked that they take a free NHS PCR test when sent an alert by the app. If they test positive, it is then a legal requirement to isolate. Sculpher admitting attempted robbery at Preston Crown Court and was jailed for more than three years CCTV footage shows Mr Suraj grab a wine bottle and wave it at the assailant before chasing him out of the store He threatened shopkeeper Ajaoi Suraj, who was in his third week working there A rookie shopkeeper bravely fought off an armed robber who tried to raid his off licence at knifepoint. Ajaoi Suraj grabbed a bottle of Merlot from the store's shelves and waved it at 33-year old Clifford Sculpher as the raider threatened him with a large kitchen knife and demanded money. During the ensuing tussle, which was caught on CCTV, Sculpher held the knife behind the neck of Mr Suraj while the shop worker urged him to leave, saying: 'There is no money, you should go.' Clifford Sculpher, 33, admitted attempted robbery at Preston Crown Court and was jailed for more than three years Mr Suraj, who in his 30s and had taken charge of the store just three weeks earlier, continued to wave the wine bottle in the face of Sculpher before chasing him away. Footage of the incident at the Wine Cellar in Mill Hill, Blackburn, Lancashire, emerged as Sculpher was jailed for three years and two months after admitting attempted robbery. Preston Crown Court was told the raid occurred on January 3 this year after Sculpher had been taking illegal drugs. Mr Suraj noticed Sculpher, dressed in a yellow parka coat, attempting to open the door to the till area and tried to ward him off before noticing the large kitchen knife in his hand. Footage shows shopkeeper Ajaoi Suraj grab a bottle of Merlot from the shelves of his Wine Cellar store in Blackburn and wave it at Sculpher as the raider threatened him with a large kitchen knife The victim then grabbed the wine bottle to protect himself but Sculpher came back towards him and grabbed him by the arm while holding the knife behind his neck repeating his demand - 'give me the money'. On realising he wasn't going to get any cash, Sculpher left the shop, leaving the shopkeeper in a 'terrified' and 'anxious' state. The raider was arrested later that day after being admitted to hospital due to being in an 'agitated state.' Following an appeal for witnesses to the attempted robbery, a member of the public contacted officers after finding Sculpher's parka coat in some bins. Sentencing, Judge Heather Lloyd said: 'That shopkeeper was stacking shelves when you came in threatening him with this knife. 'He had only been working in that shop for three weeks and since this incident has been extremely worried, extremely scared.' Mr Suraj had only been in charge of the store for three weeks when Clifford Sculpher, 33, entered the store armed with a kitchen knife and demanding money After the case Det Sgt Steve Munro, of Blackburn Police said: 'Sculpher's behaviour towards a businessman trying to serve his local community was both cowardly and despicable. 'It had a significant impact on the residents of Mill Hill who were quite rightly appalled by what Sculpher had done. 'It was thanks to their support and good detective work that Sculpher was arrested and subsequently charged. During the tussle caught on CCTV, Sculpher holds the knife up to Mr Suraj, who urges him to leave, saying: 'There is no money, you should go' 'I would like to praise the victim who showed courage and bravery in what was clearly a distressing ordeal for him. 'However, I would always encourage people not to challenge offenders with weapons but always to call the police for assistance when it is safe to do so. 'I welcome the sentence handed down by the judge and hope it sends out a strong message that Lancashire Police and the courts will not tolerate anybody who threaten people with weapons or assaults emergency workers who are just trying to do their jobs.' A 'naive' southwestern Sydney man who travelled more than 800km in breach of COVID-19 restrictions has been jailed. Trong Duc Nguyen, 31, was arrested at Armidale railway station on Sunday after getting off a bus from Tenterfield. The Cabramatta man had travelled from his home in the Fairfield local government area to the northern tablelands earlier that week by train via Newcastle. His trip - which brought him within 20 kilometres of the Queensland border - was uncovered by police conducting daily checks on public transport passengers at Armidale. Trong Duc Nguyen, 31, was arrested at Armidale railway station on Sunday after getting off a bus from Tenterfield (pictured, the town of Armidale) The former personal trainer faced an Armidale court on Monday and pleaded guilty to breaching the public health order concerning travelling outside metropolitan Sydney. Magistrate Roger Prowse immediately sentenced the Sydney man to two months in prison. 'He has been sentenced purely on breaching that public health act,' NSW Police Acting Superintendent David Cooper said. 'That, to me, indicates the level of seriousness of the matter.' Solicitor Peter Kemp denied his client acted out of malice but noted people in regional areas were 'petrified' of catching COVID. The Cabramatta man had travelled from his home in the Fairfield local government area (pictured) to the northern tablelands earlier that week by train via Newcastle Trong Duc Nguyen travelled from his home in the Fairfield local government area (pictured) which has been plagued by hundreds of coronavirus cases '(The behaviour) was not arrogant, it was not done maliciously,' he said. 'My client was quite naive and is sorry for what he did.' The Fairfield local government area is a focal point of Sydney's Covid-19 outbreak and the suburb of Cabramatta had 117 active cases on Tuesday, making it one of the most highly concentrated coronavirus postcodes in Sydney. Armidale was placed into lockdown on August 7 after two cases were recorded in the community. Two further cases have since been reported. Advertisement The Taliban are permitting US- and UK-run mercy flights to leave Kabul without jihadi interference, but fears are growing over how long the jihadists will allow the rescue operations to continue - and what happens when they no longer 'consent' to them. The US army's General Frank McKenzie is leading 6,000 US troops and 900 British soldiers who are trying to evacuate as many as 50,000 Afghan refugees and thousands of other foreign citizens, including aid workers and diplomats, who live in Kabul. For the moment, the Taliban say they are giving 'amnesty' to foreigners who wish to leave. But amid tense scenes at the capital, which fell to insurgents with astonishing rapidity, fears are growing that the tentative calm could fall apart at any moment. Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key, who is running the British evacuation operation, told the BBC the UK will be bringing back as many people as it can, as quickly as possible, until either demand is met or 'the security situation means that we're no longer operating with consent'. But eligible individuals have to make the trip to the airport themselves when called to do so, and the Taliban now control the access points, he added. Sir Ben said that his forces face a race against time, and they are 'alive to the uncertainty' of the situation. The White House today confirmed that the Taliban had promised that civilians could travel safely to the Kabul airport, but reports of insurgents beating and shooting Afghans trying to enter could rattle the uneasy deal between the country's new rulers and their Western adversaries. Gen. McKenzie, whose forces now operate in a country almost completely dominated by the Taliban, has warned that his troops will respond forcefully to defend the airport if necessary, as US troops, backed by British SAS and Royal Marines special forces, guard the perimeter with snipers on rooftops, and machine gunners and armored cars guard the runway. Truck-loads of Taliban fighters armed with AK-47s and rocket launchers now wait outside the airport and man the gates into it, as their blood-soaked organisation returns to power following a 20-year conflict with a global superpower that had sought to destroy them. US troops, backed by British SAS and Royal Marines special forces, are guarding the 7.8-mile perimeter with snipers on rooftops, as well as machine gunners and armored cars on the runway. Meanwhile, truck-loads of Taliban fighters are outside the airport and manning the gates into the airport armed with AK-47s and rocket launchers. As of Tuesday afternoon, 12 flights had taken off, many heading to nearby cities like Doha, while others have landed at RAF bases in Cyprus. But tens of thousands of desperate civilians who worked for the coalition are still stuck in Kabul and facing certain death unless they can be flown out of the country. The Pentagon says it is aiming to have a flight out of Kabul every hour so that it can evacuate 9,000 people per day. Here MailOnline runs through how many troops from the US-coalition are on the tarmac, how many people are still to be evacuated and where they will be taken: TROOPS: More than 7,000 troops from US, UK, Turkey, Canada, are helping to secure the airport led by American commander General Frank McKenzie UNITED STATES: During Monday's briefing, Major General Hank Taylor told reporters that there were currently 2,500 troops at the airport, with 3,000 to 3,500 expected to be there within hours. The total number of US troops is set to swell to 6,000 within the coming days. The Taliban have been warned that if they interfere with the airport, American troops will fire at will. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that US commanders were in constant discussions with the Taliban top brass. BRITAIN: The UK had around 700 troops led by members of 16 Air Assault Brigade (The Paras), another 200 were announced last night - bringing the total to 900 soldiers. Vice Adm Sir Ben Key, who is running the British evacuation operation, told the BBC that the airport was 'much calmer' today. Vice Adm Key said that the operation was working at 'full pace', with three flights on Tuesday. He added that because of the 'dynamic political situation' in Kabul his forces 'can't afford to pause', adding that officials were 'alive to the uncertainty'. General Frank McKenzie, the head of CENTCOM, met directly with Taliban officials on Sunday for negotiations, he is in charge of American troops, while Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key (right), who is running the British evacuation operation remotely, told the BBC that his forces face a race against time but that they are 'alive to the uncertainty.' American snipers on the roof of a building at the edge of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Tuesday US soldiers worked through Monday evening to secure the airport runway which had been packed with thousands of Afghans fleeing the Taliban, forcing the crowds back before laying barbed wire A British soldier stands guard at the tail end of a military transport plane in Kabul today as British citizens and dual-nationals desperate to escape the Taliban are brought on board Taliban soldiers are seen at the entrance to Afghanistan's international airport in Kabul on Tuesday TURKEY: Turkey, which is a Nato member, has around 600 soldiers in Kabul to assist with the evacuation. It had offered to keep them in the city to operate the airport once the US pulls out, but dropped those plans following the collapse of the Afghan government. 'However, in the event that the Taliban asks for technical support, Turkey can provide security and technical support at the airport,' a military source told Reuters. AUSTRALIA: Canberra announced plans to send an evacuation force of 250 troops to Afghanistan on Monday to help its embassy staff and Afghan nationals. Smaller numbers of FRENCH, POLISH and SPANISH troops have arrived to help their diplomats return. French soldiers stand guard near a military plane at airport in Kabul on Tuesday evening. France launched operation Apagan on Sunday and has sent two transport planes, a C-130 Hercules and an A400M Atlas, to help retrieve its diplomatic staff. REFUGEES AND EVACUEES: Allied forces have pledged to help more than 50,000 Afghans desperate to flee UNITED STATES: Evacuated 1,600 US personnel, Afghans and foreign nationals on Sunday and Monday. That includes a C-17 cargo jet which was overrun by Afghan refugees before eventually taking off from Kabul with 640 migrants on board. Washington is issuing 22,000 special immigrant visas (SIVs) to those who helped with combat operations and are likely to face revenge attacks from the Taliban. However, the US has said that figure could rise to up to 80,000 SIVs for all the Afghans and their families. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that between 5,000 and 10,000 U.S. citizens were believed to remain in the Kabul area, and that the United States could move between 5,000 and 9,000 people out of Kabul per day. Three U.S. military bases were prepared to accept up to 22,000 Afghan allies in the coming weeks, he added. More than 700 people, including more than 150 U.S. citizens, were evacuated in the past 24 hours, Kirby said. George Bush's Assistant Secretary of State Robert Charles has indicated that there could be as many as 40,000 American citizens scattered across Afghanistan. Afghanis, some clutching migration documents, line up behind barbed wire and under the guns of Afghan security guards at Kabul's main airport - a far cry from the chaos that engulfed the area on Monday BRITAIN: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed that 3,300 Afghans, including diplomatic staff, interpreters and their families have already arrived in Britain. Afghan nationals who served as British staff are eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP). The Foreign Office had ordered 4,000 British nationals in Afghanistan to leave. Around 300 Britons were able to fly out on Sunday as Kabul fell. Vice Adm Sir Ben Key said he hopes to extract between 6,000 and 7,000 people in the next few days. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace fought back tears on Monday as he revealed that not every Afghan who had helped the UK would be brought back. 'Some people won't get back,' said the former British Army captain. GERMANY: Angela Merkel has offered to take up to 10,000 Afghan refugees, including 2,500 who worked for Berlin and another 2,000 human rights activists. CANADA: Already 807 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to re-settle 20,000, including women's and LGBT activists. AUSTRALIA: There are more than 130 Australians working for the United Nations, non-government organizations and elsewhere still in Afghanistan which is now under Taliban control. Up to 800 Afghans who helped Australia's military including interpreters are also seeking a safe passage out of the country. Since April, 430 Afghan employees, as well as their families, have been brought to Australia. SPAIN, FRANCE and INDIA confirmed that all of their diplomatic staff had been evacuated today. RUSSIA and INDONESIA say that their embassies will only be partially evacuated. There are around 7,000 foreign troops providing security at the airport alongside a few remaining Afghan guards (pictured), who seemed to have restored order on Tuesday FLIGHTS and DESTINATIONS: Flights out of Afghanistan are heading to nearby military bases before onward to host countries US defense officials claim they'll remove 5,000 evacuees every day but so far, they've only rescued 1,400 since Sunday and as many as 40,000 remain stranded and the Taliban is fast encroaching on the airport, the last safe place for anyone trying to get out. At a briefing on Tuesday morning, US Army Major General Hank Taylor revealed 700 people were flown out of the region overnight on seven C-17 jets. The number included 165 US citizens and the rest were for foreign nationals. He claimed between 5,000 and 9,000 people will be removed every day on one flight per hour but there was no sign of any US plane at the airport on Tuesday while Indian, French and British jets were taking off. It's unclear why only 700 people were spread across the seven C-17 jets that flew out of the region overnight, when one of the same jets carried 640 Afghan nationals in a single load on Sunday. C-17 jets were pictured taking off from Kabul on Monday followed by hundreds of desperate Afghanis, some of whom were clinging to the wheels on the same side of the plane that the footage was taken from Crowds of people are seen on the tarmac at Kabul's airport in Afghanistan on Monday as the security situation deteriorated The 5,000 per day goal also seems increasingly ambitious considering only 1,400 people in total have been flown out since Sunday, when the Taliban claimed Kabul. US Director of Defense Garry Reid confirmed that the refugees would initially be resettled at two military installations in the US - Fort Bliss in Texas, and Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. Many of the flights are headed to friendly airports in the Middle East, like Doha and Abu Dhabi, before onward travel, while others have landed at RAF bases in Cyprus before onward travel to the UK and the U.S. The first group of embassy staff and British nationals arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Sunday, following a rapid SAS-backed rescue mission - dubbed Operation 'Pitting.' The flight's passengers included Afghan British Embassy staff and British Nationals. France launched Operation 'Apagan' on Sunday and has sent to transport planes, a C-130 Hercules and an A400M Atlas, to help retrieve its diplomatic staff. A lost oil painting by the Italian master Canaletto will go up for auction for 150,000 after being discovered hanging in the drawing room of an English home. The 18ins by 12ins oil on canvas work depicts the famous Dogna da Mar building from the San Marco basin in Venice - but it has been 'lost' for more than 100 years. It was purchased in London in 1920 for around 100, which would now equal around 5,000, by the mother of the late owner, who has not been named. The late owner, who died recently, inherited it more than 50 years ago and proudly displayed it on the wall of her detached house in Lewes, East Sussex, after moving into the home in 1970. The 18ins by 12ins oil on canvas work depicts the famous Dogna da Mar building from the San Marco basin in Venice - but it has been 'lost' for more than 100 years Although the owner was aware that the painting was in fact a work of Italian artist Canaletto, she decided against selling it during her lifetime, and it remained hung in her drawing room. But her descendants have decided to part with the painting after an expert for Gorringes Auctions of Lewes spotted it on the wall during a routine valuation of antiques. The small piece of artwork has been given a pre-sale estimate of 150,000 and will go on auction on September 28. Philip Taylor, of Gorringes, said it was an incredibly rare chance for somebody to buy an original Canaletto. He said: 'Bearing in mind fully worked up larger paintings by the artist sell for millions, this is an opportunity for a collector to buy a Canaletto at a relatively affordable price. It was purchased in London in 1920 for around 100, which would now equal around 5,000, by the mother of the late owner, who died recently. Pictured: Name of artist on the reverse The back of the canvas is inscribed with the name of Auguste Chatelain (pictured), a 19th century Swiss psychiatrist who is known to have owned at least one other work by Canaletto 'They just don't turn up on the market. I have been in the business for 50 years and have never come across one before.' The unsigned painting is thought to have been produced during Canaletto's mature period before he moved to London in the mid-18th century. Because of its size, Mr Taylor believes it may have been a practice for a larger work by Canaletto. The back of the canvas is inscribed with the name of Auguste Chatelain, a 19th century Swiss psychiatrist and historian who is known to have owned at least one other similar work by Canaletto. It also has a label on the reverse for the Mayfair art dealer Arthur Tooth and Sons, where the late owner's mother originally bought the painting 101 years ago. It also has a label on the reverse for the Mayfair art dealer Arthur Tooth and Sons, where the late owner's mother originally bought the painting 101 years ago The small piece of artwork (reverse pictured) has been given a pre-sale estimate of 150,000 and will go on auction on September 28 Mr Taylor said: 'The late owner had inherited it from her mother who paid a not modest sum for it in 1920. 'Her daughter bought the house in Lewes in 1970 and hung it in a prominent position in the drawing room. 'We found it on a routine valuation at the deceased's large detached property. 'The family certainly knew who the artist was and we are confidently attributing the work fully to Canaletto. 'We are expecting great interest for a work by a celebrated artist that is fresh to the market after 100 years.' A Twitter executive hired to shake up the tech firm's 'kind but stagnant' culture left staff in tears with his tough talk and meetings where they were encouraged to slate each other. Chief Design Officer Dantley Davis, 43, was accused of making workers feel 'psychologically unsafe' after blasting poor work, firing staffers he was unhappy with - and sending scathing criticism of them to their former bosses, according to the New York Times. Davis, a top design executive with prior experience at Netflix, Yahoo! and PayPal, was hired by Twitter in 2019 as vice president of design, and has since been promoted. He has spearheaded a number of product innovations, including audio tweets and prompts to encourage reading an article before sharing it. A champion of workplace diversity and inclusion who often tweets about the topic, Davis was brought on to improve Twitter's diversity efforts as well as shake up the company culture. Leaders felt that Twitter's kind and collaborative culture had grown too soft and stagnant, with employees unwilling to offer constructive criticism for fear of offending, according to the Times. Davis is a champion of workplace diversity and inclusion who often tweets about the topic But Davis' emphasis on tough criticism quickly had some workers in tears during a two-hour meeting soon after he was hired, according to three people present. He went around a room asking workers to offer compliments and criticism of each other's work. The New York Times reported that the barbs soon began to fly, with multiple staffers left sobbing. Davis' tough approach was the subject of several company investigations, as well as complaints to Dorsey, the report said. Twitter officials admit that sometimes Davis took his tough approach too far, but say that he has promised to tone things down and note that he was hired to shake up the culture. 'This is actually a Twitter culture change that we've been trying to drive,' Jennifer Christie, Twitter's head of human resources, told the Times. Davis pushed for improved performance on his team, and quickly demoted or fired workers he found unsatisfactory, often following up on terminations with a note to his team criticizing the fired employee's poor work, according to the report. Twitter Chief Design Officer Dantley Davis (left) allegedly told colleague Liz Ferrall-Nunge (right) that she could pass for white with sunglasses on, after she shared concerns about diversity and referenced her experience as a woman of color By later 2019, complaints about a culture of fear under Davis spurred an investigation by Twitter's employee relations unit. Davis addressed the concerns in a lengthy note to his team in February 2020, praising Twitter's friendly culture but saying that the design quality was often poor and honest feedback was stifled. By early 2021, another internal investigation had been launched, prompted by unusually high rates of staff turnover on Davis' team and higher rates of employees feeling 'psychologically unsafe' on annual surveys. Christie, the HR boss, told the Times that such complaints are not unusual for Twitter employees across other teams. 'They talk about fear or psychological unsafety,' she noted. Workers also flagged another incident which saw Davis, who is black and Korean, tell former Twitter research team leader Liz Ferrall-Nunge, who is Asian, that she could pass for a white person if she wore sunglasses. Ferrall-Nunge had complained about a lack of diversity at Twitter and referred to her experience as a woman of color, but Davis, who is black and Korean, appeared to dismiss her with the sunglasses remark, the people said. Twitter told the Times that did not have a record of complaints about the incident being made to employee relations, and Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Tuesday. In another incident described by the times, Nikkia Reveillac, the head of Twitter's research department, complained to CEO Jack Dorsey this May that the culture on Davis' team was toxic and his defensiveness made it hard to offer feedback. Dorsey, whom Davis reports directly to, never responded to Reveillac, and weeks later she was abruptly locked out of her work accounts and fired, according to the Times. Davis' tough approach was the subject of several company investigations, as well as complaints to Twitter CEO Dorsey (above), according to a new report In March, following a tough year of the pandemic and an onslaught of death threats from extremists who believed he was responsible for kicking them off Twitter, Davis repented and announced he was moving away from his tough approach. 'My goal is for us to transition to a team of belonging, which is less transactional and more focused on care and support,' he told his team in an email obtained by the Times. 'I was not celebrating wins, I was focused entirely on what was wrong,' he added. 'Since then, I spent some time working on this. We have been celebrating wins, we have been finding ways for the team to come together.' Four men charged with breaking into an upmarket Darwin restaurant to steal alcohol amid a COVID-19 lockdown will also be slapped with thousands of dollars in fines for not wearing face masks. Northern Territory police were alerted at 1.20am Tuesday that Pee Wee's at the Point had been broken into and four men had fled the scene on foot after allegedly stealing the drinks. Officers arrested the group a short time later. Detectives reviewed CCTV and found the men had breached the NT's Emergency Declaration, which mandates mask-wearing. A group of thieves have been arrested and charged after the alleged robbery of a restaurant in Darwin, and as well as their initial charges, they will be hit with $5000 fines for not wearing masks (stock) 'I've confirmed those individuals were not wearing masks and they will be receiving the $5000 fines as part of the charges,' Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker told reporters. 'That's over $20,000 for those four people who've broken into a business that is already being impacted by the lockdown.' Police charged the men - aged 31, 33, 44 and 58 - with contravening an emergency declaration, unlawful entry and stealing. The 31-year-old was also charged with property damage, and is scheduled to appear in the Darwin Local Court on September 25. The four men were seen on CCTV by detectives without masks on, breaking the Northern Territories Emergency Declaration (stock), police say The 33-year-old had four outstanding warrants, and was remanded to face Darwin Local Court at a later date. The other two men were granted bail to appear in the Darwin Local Court on September 21. About 150,000 people in Greater Darwin and Katherine were plunged into a three-day lockdown at midday on Monday after an infected US man travelled from Sydney to Darwin. Advertisement A former Royal Marine Commando who runs an animal rights charity in Afghanistan revealed today that he has lost contact with his wife and pregnant manager after they were crushed in a stampede at Kabul Airport. Pen Farthing, who is founder of the Nowzad charity which is backed by celebrities including Ricky Gervais and Judi Dench, said he would hold Boris Johnson 'personally responsible' if his wife or staff members were injured. Mr Farthing, who set up the organisation after befriending a stray dog while serving in Helmand in 2006, is urging the UK Government to fly 71 people linked to the charity from Afghanistan to Britain after the Taliban seized Kabul. The 52-year-old, who wife is a Norwegian named Kaisa Helene, said the charity was working on plans to evacuate 100 cats and 100 dogs on a charter plane along with his team and their dependants which could cost 200,000. But he said some of the older and injured dogs at the shelter are 'going to have to be put to sleep' because there is 'no other option' - and pointed out that the Taliban banned dog ownership when they were last in power. Mr Farthing, who is currently in Afghanistan with his staff and has said he is determined not to leave the country without them, said in a Facebook video today: 'We're working on plans for those (the animals) - they are all still fine. The Taliban have actually moved next door though, but they haven't come to see us yet.' And he tweeted today: 'My wife is at the north gate of Kabul Airport being crushed in the stampede to get with my 34 week pregnant country manager. The UK military will not come out to rescue them. Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab - anything happens, I will hold you personally responsible.' Former Royal Marine Commando Pen Farthing works with his Norwegian wife Kaisa Helene (above) and their team in Kabul Pen Farthing is founder of the Nowzad charity which he set up after befriending a stray dog while serving in Helmand in 2006 Mr Farthing said in a Facebook video today: 'The Taliban have actually moved next door, but they haven't come to see us yet' Mr Farthing told Sky News: 'My wife and my country manager who is 34 weeks pregnant, they were told by the evacuation team that they needed to get to Kabul Airport within the next hour to get their evacuation flights out. 'There is no security on the outside of Kabul Airport. They got caught in a crush, in a stampede, this is a 34-week pregnant woman and my wife, getting caught in a stampede. They were at the gate of Kabul Airport on the side they'd been told to go. I was in comms with the Quick Reaction Force on the other side of the gate. Dame Judi Dench praises Pen Farthing as she warns 'so much constructive work will be destroyed' Dame Judi Dench loves animals so much she once gave her ailing pet goldfish mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. So it has caused great heartache for the 86-year-old national treasure that women who were trained as vets for a British-run animal charity in Afghanistan are marooned out there and at risk of death. She's desperately worried about those working for Nowzad and is lobbying the Prime Minister to issue visas for the Afghan animal aid workers. 'So much constructive work will be destroyed,' she tells me. 'Pen Farthing and his team at Nowzad have achieved so much in terms of animal welfare and educational work benefiting the local community. Particularly for the women Nowzad has sponsored to become qualified vets. All of their lives are now threatened by the Taliban.' Advertisement 'British and Americans. And as a Royal Marine Commando, I am absolutely furious with these soldiers because they refused to go out of that camp to rescue those people to get them inside the safety of Kabul Airfield. 'Boris Johnson and all of the senior staff of this government need to know what a complete cluster they are making of this withdrawal from Afghanistan. People are going to die. Outside it is not secure.' He added: 'And if the British military are there and they will not get outside and rescue some of the people that they've been sent to get out of Kabul safely, then what is the point in them being here?' Mr Farthing said the British and Americans - 'especially' US President Joe Biden - had created 'undue panic and stress' with the withdrawal from Afghanistan and 'nothing is going to be achieved'. He continued: 'There are still thousands of Afghans trying to fight to get into an airfield, to get on an aeroplane to escape the mess he made. At the moment I don't know where my wife is. 'They managed to pull out my country manager to get her out of the crush along with her one-and-a-half-year-old son. And they are now trying to make their way back to another secure location near to Kabul airfield. 'And I'm being told by the authorities that they have to come into this secure location by the British military again. Somebody needs to get a grip. If they are injured or hurt, I will personally hold Boris Johnson and the whole of this government to account. This is not acceptable.' Mr Farthing said: 'Of course they airlifted the embassy staff. That airport is not secure. I am getting fed up of the politicians trying to convince the world they've got a handle on this. They do not. 'This is a masterclass, an absolute masterclass in how to do everything wrong in a withdrawal from a country that we have completely messed up. 'We cannot get to Kabul Airport. Outside of that perimeter, the Taliban now control everything. There are thousands, thousands of desperate Afghans who are trying to get into an airport. 'And in between you've got the State Department or you've got the Foreign Office saying 'please make your way to the airport and when you get here, then you can get a flight out'. Mr Farthing said staff at the charity were working on plans to evacuate 100 cats and 100 dogs on a 200,000 charter plane The former Royal Marine Commando runs an animal rights charity in Afghanistan and is now trying to evacuate dogs and cats Mr Farthing with dogs RPG and Jena, who were destined to die from starvation or dog fights in Afghanistan until he stepped in 'Well, we can't get to the airport, Boris Johnson, and when we do, the soldiers you sent refuse to open the gate and let expats who had been told to be there and one of them, a 34-week pregnant woman with a one-and-a-half-year-old child, they left them in a crush. 'I am beyond furious. This government, along with Joe Biden, have created an absolutely unimaginable horror show of a withdrawal from Afghanistan, and somebody is going to die because there is no control outside of that airport. 'Seething needs to be done. They call a Cobra meeting, they call whatever but they need to get people to control this situation. I'm desperate because I need to know where my wife is, where my country manager is, where her son is. This is unacceptable.' The charity has launched a campaign called Operation Ark to fundraise 200,000 to help evacuate Mr Farthing's staff, their dependants and the charity's animals out of the country. Taliban soldiers at the entrance of Afghanistan's international airport in Kabul today. UK military chiefs admit that the new regime now has total control of access to the airport British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan get on an RAF plane at Kabul Airport before being relocated to the UK, in this photograph from Sunday released by the Ministry of Defence today. Three MoD flights have taken off today People gather outside Kabul Airport today as the Taliban declared an 'amnesty' and urged women to join their government Supporters in Britain are also working to try to help Mr Farthing and his team depart safely from Afghanistan. A drive, called 'Rescue the Animal Rescuers', is calling for the Government to help the Nowzad workers and a second animal welfare charity in Kabul called the Mayhew. Dominic Dyer, a leading animal welfare campaigner and writer who helped start the Rescue the Animal Rescuers campaign, said: 'Over the last decade through the incredible work of Nowzad and the Mayhew a new generation of Afghan men and women have been educated and empowered to bring about a significant improvement in animal welfare in Afghanistan. 'We cannot leave these brave and compassionate people behind to face violent reprisals, rape or murder at the hands of the Taliban, as a nation of animal lovers we must step up and rescue the animal rescuers.' It has been supported by Downton Abbey and Unforgotten actor Peter Egan, who posted a video plea to his supporters on Twitter to contact their local MPs, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary to help the charities. Afghanis, some clutching migration documents, line up behind barbed wire and under the guns of Afghan security guards at Kabul's main airport today, one day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country British soldiers help Afghan citizens to board a Hercules transport plane at Kabul Airport in this photo from Sunday. At least 12 military flights took off from Kabul today, including three UK planes with the MoD hoping they can get out 7,000 people Comedian Ricky Gervais and actress Dame Judi Dench are also backing the campaigns. Mr Gervais said: 'Pen Farthing and his team Nowzad have done amazing work for over a decade in Kabul, they have saved thousands of dogs and provided work for the local community and instigated educational programmes which have benefited their community. Their lives are now in danger. They need our help now.' Dame Judi added: 'So much constructive work will be destroyed. Pen Farthing and his team at Nowzad have achieved so much in terms of animal welfare and educational work benefiting the local community, particularly for the women Nowzad has sponsored to become qualified vets. All of their lives are now threatened by the Taliban.' Mr Farthing launched Nowzad in 2006 after adopting a stray dog while serving in Helmand province. The charity has a dog shelter which looked after nearly 140 dogs and a cat shelter with more than 40 cats. A team of 24 Afghan nationals treat and look after the animals. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment. The Obama administration's Director of Global Engagement is calling on Biden National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to be fired over 'the decision to recklessly retreat from Afghanistan' and is pushing Joe Biden to shake up his foreign policy. In a scathing Monday op-ed, Barack Obama's former adviser Brett Bruen said Biden's policies abroad are 'stronger on slogans than substance.' 'President Biden needs to fire his national security adviser and several other senior leaders who oversaw the botched execution of our withdrawal from Afghanistan,' the former diplomat wrote. 'Those he has chosen for key positions have repeatedly failed to challenge their own assumptions. It sadly led to the most unnecessarily embarrassing day in the history of the National Security Council (NSC).' Ex-Obama adviser Brett Bruen said Sullivan and 'other senior leaders who oversaw the botched execution of our withdrawal from Afghanistan' should be fired Bruen served as Obama's Director of Global Engagement from 2013 to 2015 and worked at the US embassies in Madagascar and Iraq some time before that He called the Taliban's takeover the 'most unnecessarily embarrassing day' in NSC history He accused the White House of putting national security at risk. 'The people, plans and processes the president has put in place to keep America safe are not working.' Bruen complained the Biden administration is spending too little time worrying about global threats and too much time on 'the superficial,' adding that the problem begins with who the president has chosen to appoint. 'The White House has opted to pack political types into the most influential positions,' he wrote in USA Today. Bruen said Biden treats ambassador appointments more like 'political party favors,' naming 'well-to-do' or 'well connected' elites to positions where delicate, experienced diplomacy is needed. He pointed out that Biden only has one career diplomat as a senior official on his National Security Council - far fewer than under Obama. 'It means Sullivan and Biden are not getting advice from those with the most recent and relevant experience,' Bruen warns. The 'avoidable ditches' of the border crisis and pitfalls with Saudia Arabia and Russia, he explains, are also symptoms of the same problem. 'Appointments across the national security structure are a reflection of the arrogance that has accompanied the arrival of this team. They came in largely ignoring the worries and warnings of institutional experts on several major international issues.' Sullivan and Bruen worked together in the Obama White House. Before becoming the youngest national security adviser in decades, Sullivan was an aide to both Hillary Clinton and Obama and quickly rose to key national security positions for the White House and then-Vice President Biden. Bruen conceded the career government official was 'extraordinarily bright' but while he exceeded with the 'academic arguments in foreign policy' he lacked the 'overseas experience' necessary to do his job. He argued that Sullivan should have done more to steer Biden onto a different path from what led to the chaotic exit attempt. 'Yes, Biden wanted out of Afghanistan. It was on Sullivan to figure out how to achieve the presidents goal while ensuring we avoided potential pitfalls and problems. Thats clearly not what happened.' And aside from firing Sullivan, Bruen called for an end to 'donors appointed to represent us abroad.' 'The stakes are just too high' at a time when the US needs to fix 'the extensive damage done to our reputation and credibility on the world stage,' he said. After the world watched the Taliban take over Kabul on Sunday, Sullivan went on the defensive for Biden on a slew of Monday morning news shows. Hundreds of people were still waiting to flee Afghanistan on Tuesday August 17th as the international airport at Kabul remains the only NATO-held territory left in the country A man holds a certificate acknowledging his work for Americans as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul Taliban fighters patrol in Kandahar on August 17th. Jake Sullivan denied any comparisons between Kabul in 2021 and Saigon in 1975 on Monday morning On both ABC and NBC the career official attempted to redirect blame from US forces amid their chaotic evacuation to the Afghan military, who he essentially accused of giving up in the face of a Taliban advance. He also denied any comparisons of the US evacuation in Kabul to Saigon in April 1975, despite numerous images reflecting the fear and confusion of civilians while US aircraft fled through both events. Bruen said the national security adviser had 'two jobs' - being Biden's closest counselor in the Situation Room during a crisis and implementing his political will as practical policy. 'Sometimes that requires speaking truth to power. On all of these scores, the current occupant of the office appears to have failed.' Advertisement A roughly 34-acre property on Kauai's north shore with a path leading to the Hawaiian island's famed Secret Beach is heading to auction in September, if a buyer doesn't snatch it up first for its $50million list price on the open market. The property features 2/3-mile of oceanfront and three small homes - a 950-square-foot villa, and two 500-square-foot guest cottages that can be used as vacation rentals, according to Concierge Auctions, the firm in charge of the sale. Zoning allows for five additional cottages to be built on the property, giving whoever decides to purchase the piece of real estate options to develop it as they see fit. A 34-acre property on Kauai's north shore is going to auction in September if it doesn't first sell for its $50million list price The property has near exclusive access to the island's famed Secret Beach, and features a path directly to the sandy stretch There are no public roads leading to Secret Beach, which features black lava rock outcroppings and cliffside backdrop There are no public roads to the island's Secret Beach, officially known as Kauapea Beach, which gives whoever owns property along it near exclusive access to the secluded sandy stretch with black lava rock outcrops backdropped by a cliffside and vegetation. Other features of the property include a 450-square-foot agricultural outbuilding zoned for office space, as well as a series of winding pedestrian trails and a lily and lotus pond with a waterfall. The auction has no minimum reserve, meaning the property could sell as little or as much as the bidders dictate. The property features both pedestrian and vehicular access to the beach, giving the owner near unrivaled access In addition to rolling vegetation, the property also features a 2/3-mile of oceanfront of the island in Hawaii It is located off of Kauapea Road, which is one of the priciest streets on the island and in 2018 had a piece of property exchange hands for $46.1million Owner Michael Shotey, founder of electrical products company Taymac, said he went the auction route in the hope of finding more international buyers, the Wall Street Journal reported. Shotey, who owns the property along with his son Marcus, also hopes that not having a minimum reserve on the auction will drive additional interest. They said they are not in a rush to sell, but found the auction route with a defined sale date 'enticing.' In addition to the its outdoor offerings, the piece of real estate currently features a 950-square foot villa and two guest cottages The two 500-square-foot guest cottages are licensed for vacation rentals, according to Concierge Auctions, which is handling the sale Each cottage features one bedroom one bedroom, and the property was last purchased by owner Michael Shotey in 2012 for $10.75million The parcel is zoned to allow for the construction of five additional cottages, giving the owner flexability to develop it as they see fit Bidding is set to open on September 17 and close on September 23. The Shoteys first bought the property for $10.75million in 2012, and it is located on Kauapea Road, one of the island's priciest streets, where a property exchanged hands in 2018 for a record $46.1million, listing agent Newl Norman of Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers told the Journal. Shotey lives in Arizona, and said he is looking to sell the property because his family is not around enough to enjoy it. 'We travel a lot,' he told the Journal. His family owns additional property in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and the Philippines. Advertisement US defense officials in charge of evacuating Americans from Kabul claimed on Tuesday morning they would fly 5,000 a day out despite only managing to rescue 1,400 in the three days since the city fell, while as many as 40,000 may remain stranded - some in remote parts of the country. The Taliban is fast encroaching on the airport in Kabul and its fighters are now in charge of every access point on the way from the city. They have set up guard at the airport's entrance which means NATO troops are relying on their cooperation to safely get foreign nationals and Afghan refugees through the gates and onto planes. At a White House briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed US forces were 'in contact' with the Taliban negotiating how to get Americans, Afghan refugees and other foreign nationals in safely and onto planes. 'We are in contact with the Taliban to ensure the safe passage of people to the airport,' he said. It puts the lives of Afghan nationals who helped the US and are now desperate to flee in an impossible situation of being unable to stay and live under them, but also too terrified to present themselves at the airport to the terrorist soldiers who they fear will slaughter them for working against them for 20 years. The State Department has been deliberately vague on the number of Americans who remain in Afghanistan and who they are. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday morning that between 5,000 and 10,000 are in Kabul, but earlier admitted he had no idea how many there were or where they were. George W. Bush's former Assistant Secretary of State, Robert Charles, says there are between 15,000 and 40,000 'scattered' across all of Afghanistan. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that there were at least 11,000, including American journalists, translators, contractors, aid workers, NGO and government workers. All of them have to get on flights from Kabul airport where the situation on Tuesday was remarkably calmer than on Monday, when eight Afghans died trying yo escape. Three were crushed by the wheels of a US jet as it took off, three fell from that jet as it ascended after stowing away in the hopes of being carried out safely, and two were shot by US troops after storming the airfield. The troops resorted to using Apache helicopters and firing warning shots to disperse crowds of thousands of frenzied Afghans on the airfield. Scroll down for video Taliban fighters are now controlling the entry to the airport and have seized all of the access points leading to it in Kabul. It forces NATO troops to rely on them to allow evacuees into the airport to board flights Afghan security guards try and maintain order as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. There are now 'three rings' around the airport and the Taliban controls the outer ring A man holds a certificate acknowledging his work for Americans as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. There was no sign of any US plane on Tuesday and there remain 40,000 Americans and 30,000 Afghan refugees in need of rescue Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021 U.S. Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby said on Tuesday morning that the US would evacuate 5,000 people a day The Taliban has agreed to a 'two week grace period' for foreign countries to remove their people before it's too late, but those on the ground are dubious about how long it may last. The shambolic effort by the Biden administration has drawn criticism from American defense experts and around the world with former CIA Director and retired General David Petraeus calling it a 'Dunkirk moment' on Tuesday while former President Donald Trump said it makes Vietnam 'look like child's play'. The Taliban has given a two week grace period for them to get out but most of them have been told to shelter in place by the State Department...what you have at the airport, Biden has had to fall on bent knee Former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Charles It emerged on Tuesday that in 2010, Biden reportedly told Richard Holbrooke, then Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, that the US had to leave Afghanistan regardless of the cost for the Afghan people. According to Holbrooke, when Biden was asked about America's obligation to maintain their presence in Afghanistan to protect vulnerable civilians, he scornfully replied by referencing the US exit from southeast Asia in 1973. 'F*** that, we don't have to worry about that. We did it in Vietnam, Nixon and Kissinger got away with it.' Former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Charles said on Tuesday that the number of American citizens waiting to be rescued could be anywhere between 15,000 and 40,000. That number does not include the 22,000 Afghan refugees who will be brought to the US and housed on air bases in Wisconsin and Texas. 'It's hard for me to properly present the extent of this foreign policy failure. This is a cascading national security failure. There's a document in the embassy called the F-77. 'I am told the F-77 of Afghanistan indicates there are 15,000 potentially, upwards of 40,000 Americans scattered around Afghanistan right now. 'The Taliban has given a two week grace period for them to get out but most of them have been told to shelter in place by the State Department,' Charles told Fox and Friends. He said any of them were still in remote parts of the country like Kandahar and Jalalabad which are harder to reach and more dangerous. 'We're talking about places like Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Jalalabad. It's very difficult to get in from there,' he said. 'The Taliban is in control now, complete control, in Kabul. Biden has had to fall on bent knee at the airport and create three rings; the Taliban controls the outer ring, what's left of the Afghan Security Forces is the next ring and the Marines are the last ring.' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks at at his first news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. For years, Mujahid had been a shadowy figure issuing statements on behalf of the militants. On Tuesday he said the insurgents sought no revenge and that 'everyone is forgiven' but those on the ground do not believe the terror group's promise of peace Taliban officials arrange a Taliban flag, before a press conference by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, at the Government Media Information Center, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021 Members of Taliban forces sit at a security tower of the interior ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan August 17, 2021 The airport sits in the north of the city which is now entirely controlled by the Taliban and which is now deciding who can get in and out of it General Petreaus said it was down to America not just to get its own citizens out but to also help thousands of interpreters and Afghan allies escape. AMERICA'S IN THE AFGHANISTAN CRISIS AT A GLANCE Between 15,000 and 40,000 American citizens waiting to be evacuated Former Asst. Secretary Robert Charles said on Tuesday morning that the F77 - which keeps a count of all of a country's citizens in one country - was between 15,000 and 40,000 in Afghanistan and many of the people are in remote areas 22,000 Afghan refugees to be rescued John Kirby says the US is prepared to take 22,000 Afghan refugees who will be housed temporarily at military bases in Texas and Wisconsin It's unclear how many will actually get out and when because all have to apply for Special Interest Visas first 5,000-9,000 to be removed per day on one plane per hour Defense officials claimed that will be the rate of evacuation but so far on Tuesday, not a single US flight has been seen leaving Kabul airport Two week 'grace period' The Taliban has said it will allow US forces to remove its citizens in the next two weeks but there's no telling if and when the terror group may rescind its promise of peace Advertisement 'This might be termed I think a Dunkirk moment. 'We need to do everything humanly possible to get all of our American citizens out of Afghanistan and also to get those in particular who qualify for the special immigrant Visa and their family members who served two years on the ground as battlefield interpreters for our soldiers alongside our men and women.' On Monday, US efforts to evacuate people from Kabul crumbled into chaos which resulted in the deaths of eight people including two armed Afghan nationals who were shot dead on the airfield trying to board flights. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby admitted on Tuesday that the US had only evacuated 700 people including 150 Americans. At a briefing with General Hank Taylor, they claimed nine C-17 jets landed overnight and seven had left again with people onboard. Earlier in the day, Kirby was vague when asked about the US citizens still stranded and how they could expect to be brought safely home. 'The State Department has issued a message to those, giving them cues for when and how they can start to assemble at the airport. 'We want to be careful talking about this with any kind of specificity when the situation is so tense,' Kirby said on Tuesday morning. When asked how many Americans remain in Kabul on Monday night, State Department spokesman Ned Price said: 'It is not a tally that we keep in the context of Afghanistan or any other country. 'We have files the Embassy has been in touch with many of these individuals. 'But it is not a figure that is readily available to us, precisely for the reason that you mentioned. It is incumbent on Americans in any given country to reach out to the embassy, to notify the embassy of their presence. 'There are many dual nationals, who are also part of the equation, as well. 'So were just not in a position to give a firm figure.' In a statement on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump said the situation made the fall of Saigon - when Americans were rescued from the roofs of embassies in helicopters - look like 'child's play.' 'What took place yesterday in Afghanistan made our withdrawal from Vietnam look like childs play. A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The Afghan nationals ran on board while the ramp was open and the US troops in charge decided to take off. The same planes are still being used to evacuate but only 100 or so people per flight are being boarded and it's unclear why, when thousands remain in need of rescue The body of an Afghan man is trapped in the wheel arch of a C-17 transport plane that took off from Kabul Airport on Monday Former CIA Director and retired General David Petraeus (left) said on Tuesday: 'This might be termed I think a Dunkirk moment.' Former Asst. Sec of State Robert Charles, right, said: 'This is a cascading national security failure.' BRITAIN: British soldiers evacuating foreign nationals and dual nationals on military jets in Kabul on Tuesday. There was no sign of any American plane INDIA: Indian nationals were rescued from the airport on Tuesday on one military jet. The Indian military is also using C-17 planes SPAIN: A Spanish Air Force A400M jet on Tuesday, August 17, waiting to evacuate foreign nationals and refugees FRANCE: French soldiers at Kabul Airport in the early hours of Tuesday August 17 waiting to evacuate people 'Perhaps in World history, there has never been a withdrawal operation that has been handled so disastrously,' the former president wrote in an emailed statement. 'A President who has been illegitimately elected has brought great shame, in many ways, to our Country!' he said. It was his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan but he has repeatedly slammed Biden for doing it before all of America's citizens were safely taken out first. WE MADE THEM A PROMISE - WE CANNOT LEAVE THEM BEHIND, SAY AFGHAN VETS American veterans who fought in Afghanistan are begging Biden to rescue the thousands of Afghan nationals who helped the US fight the Taliban before it is too late for them. 'I have been personally trying to tell this administration since it took office Ive been trying to tell our government for years that this was coming. 'We sent them plan after plan on how to evacuate these people. Nobody listened to us. They didnt plan for the evacuation of our Afghan wartime allies,' Matt Zeller, a former CIA officer told MSNBC Monday. 'I have a list of 14,000 names right now of people who want to get out of Afghanistan. 'What we need to be doing right now is that we need to be talking about how were going to get every single one of these people out because lets be abundantly clear: People like me looked these people in the eye and made them a promise. 'We promised them that in their time of need we would take care of them. 'How do you expect anyone to ever trust us again if we dont do that now while we can?' he fumed. Advertisement There are now calls for Biden to fire his National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan for the shambolic effort. In a scathing Monday op-ed, Barack Obama's former adviser Brett Bruen said Biden's policies abroad are 'stronger on slogans than substance.' 'President Biden needs to fire his national security adviser and several other senior leaders who oversaw the botched execution of our withdrawal from Afghanistan,' the former diplomat wrote. 'Those he has chosen for key positions have repeatedly failed to challenge their own assumptions. 'It sadly led to the most unnecessarily embarrassing day in the history of the National Security Council (NSC).' Veterans who fought in the war are begging Biden to quickly save the thousands of Afghan nationals who worked with the US forces and now face persecution if they are left behind. 'I have been personally trying to tell this administration since it took office Ive been trying to tell our government for years that this was coming. 'We sent them plan after plan on how to evacuate these people. Nobody listened to us. They didnt plan for the evacuation of our Afghan wartime allies,' Matt Zeller, a former CIA officer told MSNBC Monday. 'I have a list of 14,000 names right now of people who want to get out of Afghanistan. 'What we need to be doing right now is that we need to be talking about how were going to get every single one of these people out because lets be abundantly clear: People like me looked these people in the eye and made them a promise. 'We promised them that in their time of need we would take care of them. How do you expect anyone to ever trust us again if we dont do that now while we can?' he fumed. Others said they were in 'grave danger' if they weren't brought out soon, despite the Taliban's promise of peace. 'They are in grave danger and many have already been targeted and killed. We must keep our promises to those who have sacrificed so much on our behalf. 'Unfortunately, the US has failed since the Special Immigrant Visa Programs inception in 2008 to have a plan in place to properly ensure the safe and timely evacuation of our personnel and our Afghan allies,' IAVA Executive VP for Government Affairs Tom Porter told MSNBC. 'What we are in the midst of right now is a humanitarian crisis,' he added. At Kabul airport, the scenes on Tuesday were less chaotic than the previous day, when eight people died trying to escape. Three were crushed beneath the wheels of a US C-17 jet. Two were shot dead by troops and another three died falling from the wheels of a jet they had clung to as it took off in the deluded hopes that they might survive the flight. Biden's administration claims there are 3,500 American troops at the airport securing it. There are some 30,000 Afghan refugees waiting to be rescued. 22,000 will come to America to be housed on airbases, the government says, but there's still no clear plan for how they'll be flown out or when MONDAY: There was mayhem at the airport on Monday as US troops fired shots in the air and flew helicopters to disperse crowds Desperate Afghans tried to cling on to a US military jet on Monday as it made its way out of Kabul. Three died falling from the planes' wheels Advertisement A singed, lone bear cub was tranquilized and brought to a rehab center for burn treatment this morning after it was spotted by firefighters wandering all alone in the wake of the Dixie Fire. The male cub was first spotted by firefighters near Taylorsville on Friday, according to California's Department for Fish and Wildlife, and was monitored to ensure that it was truly on its own before it was captured. The 20-pound, six-month-old black bear is being treated for burns to its paws, which Public Information Officer Peter Tira of the California DFW said is the most common injury to bears caught in wildfires. The bear was treated for first, second and third degree burns at the scene, and will receive continued care at Gold Country Wildlife in Auburn from Dr. Jamie Peyton. Amid an increase in wildfires during the last several years, Tira said, a number of new treatments for burnt bears have been pioneered by the Wildlife Disaster Network. These include immersion therapy and treatment of burns to the paws with the skins of tilapia. 'We have quite a few bears suffering from burns,' Tira told MailOnline on Monday. 'Generally when you see them with a sow or a mother bear, theyll stay with the mother bear and run off,' said firefighter Johnnie Macy, deployed from Golden Colorado to combat the blaze, on Sunday. 'This bear hasnt done that, so because of that we think that the bears orphaned as a result of the fire.' A wildlife rescue team, he said, is waiting to rescue the bear until they are certain that it is indeed orphaned. Macy called the situation 'heartbreaking,' but characterized it as 'Mother Nature taking its course.' The animal can be seen ambling and peering through brush coated in fire-retardant chemicals in the heartrending images captured near Taylorsville. 'Generally when you see them with a sow or a mother bear, theyll stay with the mother bear and run off,' said firefighter Johnnie Macy, deployed from Golden Colorado to combat the blaze, on Sunday. 'This bear hasnt done that, so because of that we think that the bears orphaned as a result of the fire.' Macy called the situation 'heartbreaking,' but said that 'obviously its mother nature taking its course.' 'When we see things like this, we try to monitor it and make sure that the bear is orphaned then notify the appropriate authorities so they can take care of it.' According to the National Forest Service, bear cubs are typically cared for by their mothers for two years before they begin to live on their own. Over 1,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed in the month-long Dixie Fire, which has consumed 578,897 acres as of 10pm on Sunday, according to the InciWeb tracker, which maps active forest fires throughout the United States and Canada. Thus far, no human fatalities have been reported during the Dixie Wildfire. But habitats of foxes, rabbits, deer, frogs, mice, coyotes and bears, have been devastated. However, Tira said, 'this is not a good situation but it's not the apocalypse for wildlife.' Currently, he said, California has its largest growing black bear population in history. 'Wildfire is a double edged sword,' he said. 'There are individual bears and animals that die and get burned, but fires can have some long term benefits for wildlife.' The Pacific Gas & Electric utility company thinks the blaze may have ignited when a tree fell on one of its power lines on July 13 near the town of Paradise. It has since combined with the smaller Fly Fire, and rages through the norther Sierra Nevada and the southern Cascades. Only 31 percent of the ensuing flames have been contained, according to InciWeb. Over 1,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed in the month-long Dixie Fire, which has consumed 578,897 acres as of 10pm on Sunday, according to the InciWeb tracker, which maps active forest fires throughout the United States and Canada The month-long Dixie Fire has consumed 578,897 acres as of approximately 10pm on Sunday Over 1,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed thus far, with over 15,000 structures currently threatened Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread the multiple wildfires further through Northern California Last week, the U.S. Forest Service said that it has deployed over 25,000 firefighters to blazes throughout the country The Pacific Gas & Electric utility company thinks the blaze may have ignited when a tree fell on one of its power lines on July 13 near the town of Paradise An inconceivable number of foxes, rabbits, deer, frogs, mice, coyotes and bears, whose deaths and injuries go unreported, have lost their habitats in the Dixie Fire Now, 15,000 structures are still threatened by the disaster. 'Some animals do die in the flames of wildfires, mostly the elderly and very young animals who cant escape,' said the National Forest Foundation. 'However, the majority of wildlife mortalities come after the fire is out, due to the loss of important habitat and food sources burned in the fire.' 'Some animals do die in the flames of wildfires, mostly the elderly and very young animals who cant escape,' said the National Forest Foundation Peyton treated another black bear, who had been caught in the nearby Antelope Fire, for similar injuries to its paws two days ago. 'He must still stay in a hospital enclosure until his burns are completely healed, but he is climbing and eating and running away from us,' wrote Gold Country Wildlife on its Facebook page. The four-month-old, 16-pound bear was discovered hugging the base of a tree tightly in the Antelope Creek area on August 9 by Resource Advisor and Wildlife Biologist Sarah Bullock, who determine that it had likely been orphaned. In 1950, the iconic character 'Smokey the Bear' was inspired by a now-famous orphaned bear cub who was rescued from a New Mexico wildfire, coincidentally also on August 9 of that year. After the rescue captured hearts and headlines, the U.S. Forest Service and Ad Council agreed that a fictional bear would spearhead their fire prevention campaign, started in 1944. Earlier this month, another California cub with burns on its snout and paws was rescued from an eastern Siskiyou County fire. Also in August, another injured, orphaned cub dug its way out of a Lake Tahoe Wildfire care center where he was being treated - he has since been seen surviving in the wild. The U.S. National Weather Service has predicted weather that could continue to feed the blaze through this Thursday, anticipating winds over 35 mph. The U.S. National Weather Service has predicted weather that could continue to feed the blaze through this Thursday, anticipating winds over 35 mph. Pacific Gas & Electric has warned 48,000 customers in 18 counties that their power may be cut off in an attempt to prevent further electrical fires amidst the agency's fire weather warning. Pacific Gas & Electric has warned 48,000 customers in 18 counties that their power may be cut off in an attempt to prevent further electrical fires amidst the agency's fire weather warning. Today, 18,000 residents of Susanville have been urged by their police department to 'be alert and be ready to evacuate.' It is the largest city that the fire has threatened, and is the county seat of Lassen County. The former Sierra Nevada mining town has a casino, two state prisons and a nearby federal lock up. Nearby, residents of nearby Janesville were evacuated on Monday. Bulldozers have cut fire lines in the Northward-reaching blaze, but fire spokesman David Janssen said that 'a lot of [their] lines are getting tested now.' The small town of Westwood is still under evacuation orders as of Monday, and firefighters' protective lines were holding, representatives said, but remained under threat. 'There are still some people staying in there,' Janssen said. 'Were hoping it wont turn bad in there and we have to change our mission from protecting structures to saving lives ... Our biggest concern right now is that people arent taking the evacuation seriously.' Currently, there are over 100 wildfires actively burning throughout the country, with two dozen in Montana and nearly 50 more in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, according to the National Fire Interagency Center. Last week, the U.S. Forest Service said that it has deployed over 25,000 firefighters to blazes throughout the country. Stephanie Hillburn, 43, has been charged with concealment of a human corpse in connection with the February death of Patricia Barter, 62 A woman from upstate New York has been arrested for allegedly hiding the decomposing body of her elderly roommate after she died of a drug overdose earlier this year. Stephanie Hillburn, 43, faces a felony charge of concealment of a human corpse, which is punishable by up to four years in prison. According to the Johnstown Police Department, on Valentine's Day 2021 they received a call requesting a welfare check on 62-year-old Patricia Barter, who shared an apartment with Hillburn and a third roommate, Deborah Eglin, in the 100 block of of Byard Street, reported News10. Police stated that Hillburn and Eglin became visibly nervous when officers arrived at their home, asking to speak with Barter. The women then directed the police to Barter's bedroom, where they found the woman's corpse rotting on the bed. She appeared to have been 'deceased for some time,' according to the police. An investigation has determined that Barter likely died of a drug overdose during the week of February 6, 2021. Hillburn and Eglin then allegedly moved her body to her bedroom 'in an attempt to conceal Barters corpse from being discovered by guests.' Police discovered Barter's decomposing corpse lying on her bed at this home in Byard Street in Johnstown, New York, on Valentine's Day 2021 Hillburn and Eglin continued living in the same apartment with Barter's body, even inviting people over for several parties, police said. Investigators stated that Hillburn and Eglin did not call the police to report Barter's death because they feared the officers would uncover other unspecified illegal activity at the residence. At some point between February and last week, Hillburn had fled. She was arrested on an outstanding warrant on August 11 during a traffic stop in Amsterdam, New York, about 10 miles south of Johnstown in the Capital Region. During a search, she was said to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. Eglin, who is also expected to face the corpse concealment charge, is currently in state prison on an unrelated felony count of criminal possession of stolen property, police said, according to a report by The Leader-Herald. Jefferson County 1st Judicial District Judge Randall C. Arp told Emmi, 'You take almost no accountability for your actions' saying she remains a threat Jennifer Emmi, 43, was sentenced to 10 years in prison minus time served with three years of mandatory parole upon her release Jennifer Emmi, 43, a well known Colorado animal rights attorney and media personality, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison A TV animal rights attorney was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday after she admitted attempting to hire a hitman to kill her estranged husband's girlfriend. Jennifer Emmi, 43, pleaded guilty to solicitation of second-degree murder, as well as stalking and retaliation against a witness or victim. Emmi, of Evergreen, Colorado, had been locked in a divorce battle with ex Donnie Emmi last year when she attempted orchestrate a hit on his girlfriend, who had worked as an au pair for the family. Emmi was arrested in January, two months after she allegedly offered 28-year-old ranch hand Timothy Lindsey $100,000 to carry out the killing. Along with her 10 year sentence, Jefferson County 1st Judicial District Judge Randall C. Arp also ordered Emmi to serve three years of mandatory parole after release. Judge Arp claimed that he had seen 'two sides' of Emmi during the trial and believed that she continued to remain a threat to those involved. He defended his sentencing saying, 'You take almost no accountability for your actions.' One of her lawyers, M. Colin Bresee, spoke for over an hour defending his client's character. He described her recent struggles in her relationship, battling illnesses, and apparent addictions which all built up to the creation of her murder-for-hire plot. She was also supported by her mother, members of the community, and her divorce attorney who spoke in court. Bresee asked that Emmi be sentenced to probation, instead of prison, because she needed help coping and to be able to see her family. He explained that it had been 17 months and 26 days 'since Jennifer has been allowed to see her children or hug her children.' Emmi, who is also known as Jennifer Edwards, was arrested in late January for allegedly asking ranch hand, 28-year-old Timothy Lindsey, in November to help kill her ex-husband Donnie Emmi's girlfriend, who worked as an au pair for the family Jefferson County 1st Judicial District Judge Randall C. Arp told Emmi, 'I believe you continue to pose a risk to the community and those victims, mostly because you're blaming others, anything and anyone, rather than taking responsibility for your actions' 'She doesn't need more punishment from this court. She comes before this court begging you for your help,' he continued. Bresee pleaded with the court, 'Jennifer needs your help, and sentencing her to prison guarantees she won't get the help she needs and she wants.' But the prosecution argued that Emmi failed to take responsibility for her criminal actions. Judge Arp agreed explaining, 'You take almost no accountability for your actions and blame your husband au pair.' 'I believe you continue to pose a risk to the community and those victims, mostly because you're blaming others, anything and anyone, rather than taking responsibility for your actions,' he continued. After the sentencing, Bresee 'respectfully' disagreed with the sentence. 'Malcolm (Seawell) and I respect Judge Arp's articulated sentence; however, we respectfully disagree with Judge Arp's sentence for the reasons we articulate,' he said in a statement to Fox News. Emmi had entered guilty pleas to seven felonies and four misdemeanors on June 28, her lawyer has said. The murder-for-hire arrest followed a six-month investigation by the sheriff's office that involved undercover meetings, blackmail and extortion attempts After her arrest, legal documents alleged she had threatened her estranged spouse Donnie and their children prior to the murder-for-hire plot Her felony charges included solicitation to commit second-degree murder, menacing, heat-of-passion strangulation, attempting to influence a judge, violation of a bail bond, retaliation against a witness and stalking. She also pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, reckless driving, tampering and two counts of child abuse against her children. Under the conditions of her plea deal, the judge seeing her case dismissed 11 other felony counts and 12 other misdemeanor charges, People Magazine reported. After her arrest, legal documents alleged she had threatened her estranged spouse and children prior to the murder-for-hire plot. In January 2020, she allegedly held a knife to her husband's neck as he held one of the couple's three young children. Legal documents detailing the allegations her husband made against her , which were obtained by Fox News, state: 'While Donnie's back was to Jennifer, he felt someone grab the hood part of his hooded sweatshirt... At the same time, he felt his hair being pulled. Then, he felt a piece of cold metal come across his neck and press into it.'' The following month, Jennifer is alleged to have grabbed one of her three children 'by the neck' to 'strangle' her. 'I didn't think I was going to live,' the young child is quoted as telling investigators in the affidavit. Donnie was additionally 'fearful' that Jennifer would 'commit a murder/suicide and kill him, the kids and herself', According to the legal documents, Donnie claims Jennifer 'threatened to kill one of their children by driving into a tractor trailer'. Donnie alleges that Jennifer was suffering from substance abuse issues and was taking 'several medications for a condition called optic neuritis'. Her attorney disputed the claims made in the affidavit. Emmi and Donnie had been locked in a divorce battle to end their decade long marriage when she contacted Timothy Lindsey, 28, about murdering Donnie's girlfriend, who has not been publicly named. Emmi was allegedly recorded in a series of telephone calls asking if Lindsey knew anyone who could 'get rid' of the woman. She is said to have provided the girlfriend's name and workplace, the affidavit states. Lindsey 'played along' telling Emmi it would cost her about $100,000. The pair are also alleged to have discussed whether the killing should happen at his Evergreen ranch or somewhere else. Emmi is alleged to have asked a man who worked at her Evergreen ranch to 'take care' of her husband's girlfriend 'Jennifer responded that the money would not be a problem,' Lindsey told investigators, according to CBS4. Emmi is alleged to have suggested that both the au pair and her husband could be killed because, 'if there was a car accident or something, no one would know,' according to the affidavit, then later said the plan was 'on hold'. The ranch hand said he believed the animal rights attorney was serious. When investigators accessed Emmi's computer, they say she had searched for 'how to get rid of the other woman for good.' Lindsey then notified Donnie and went to the police. The affidavit also alleges Emmi researched witnesses, judges, prosecutors and investigators involved in her case, sometimes keeping handwritten notes with personal information on those people and their families. She also allegedly researched whether law enforcement could track her phone and bought devices meant to block tracking. Emmi founded The Animal Law Center, established a nonprofit ranch in Evergreen to accentuate the bond between humans and animals, and has been regularly interviewed by local media outlets about various animal cases. Spirit Airlines says it lost $50 million after cancelling thousands of flights earlier this month, leaving travelers stranded and desperate in airports across the country. From July 30 to August 9 the airline cancelled 2,826 flights, leaving passengers forced to sleep on airport benches and haggle with customer service representatives. The meltdown, which the airline blamed on bad weather and a staffing shortage, will cost them another $80 to $100 million in revenue in the ongoing third quarter, the airline announced in a SEC filing Monday. Shares of the company fell by four percent after the announcement, down to $24.31 Tuesday afternoon from a high of $28.94 on July 26, four days before the chaos. Spirit said it will cancel even more flights in the near future to 'enhance network stability.' In the meantime, the US Department of Transportation says it's reminded the company of its 'legal obligation' to provide timely refunds, and Sen. Maria Cantwell has added them to a list of carriers she's grilling about flight disruptions. Spirit got $410 million in payroll support this year thanks to two extensions of a program meant to help air carriers keep their employees through the COVID pandemic, according to the US Treasury. Spirit Airlines cancelled more than 2,800 flights between July 30 and August 9 Customers slept at LAX Airport on August 3 as 40 percent of the airline's flights were delayed Shares of the Miramar, Florida-based company were down four percent on Tuesday morning That's on top of a first round of $344.4 million in pandemic-era bailouts in 2020. Spirit CEO Ted Christie apologized for the disruption to passengers and called the meltdown a 'singular event'. 'On behalf of our entire leadership team, we offer an apology to everyone impacted throughout the course of this event,' said Christie in a statement. 'We believe the interruption was a singular event driven by an unprecedented confluence of factors and does not reflect systemic issues.' The company lost $50 million, and expects to lose another $80 to $100 million this quarter Many customers expressed their frustration on Twitter, complaining about bad service In a video posted to Twitter on August 2, a person tells a throng of exhausted travelers that Spirit employees 'quit' and that there's 'no way they're still in a meeting. What meeting is they in at 10.30 at night?' One frustrated customer took to Twitter to complain about '48 hours of inconvenience,' which included five canceled flights from three different cities. The customer included a photo of a voucher for a $69 hotel room and $7 meal. CEO Christie has blamed bad weather and staffing shortages caused by crews timing out, or reaching the maximum amount of time they could legally work per day. Federal law says airlines must offer passengers a 'timely alternative' or a refund if their flight is canceled. Spirit CEO Ted Christie apologized to his customers and cited bad weather and staffing shortages, caused by crew members 'timing out' of their shifts, as causes for the delays But the companies have a bit more leeway for 'delays.' 'Whether you are entitled to a refund depends on a lot of factors such as the length of the delay, the length of the flight, and your particular circumstances,' the DOT says. The department 'has reminded Spirit of its legal obligations, including its obligation to provide prompt refunds when it cancels or significantly changes a flight and the passenger chooses not to accept the alternative offered,' according to CNBC. It's also reviewing complaints 'to ensure that consumers' rights are not violated. The Department will act if the airline fails to comply with the applicable law.' The next day, police confirmed that the victim was Bowers and the juvenile taken into custody was her son A Georgia mother was allegedly shot dead by her 13-year-old son just nine days before she was set to get married. Dominique Bowers, 37, was found dead at her home in Warner Robins around 1.30pm on August 13 after her son called 911. After receiving the emergency call, police determined that the teenager was a possible suspect and worked to track him down while town and county deputies headed to Bowers' residence, where they found her dead. The next day, police confirmed that the victim was Bowers and the juvenile taken into custody was her son. Police have not revealed a motive in the killing. Dominique Bowers, 37, was found dead after her 13-year-old allegedly shot her before calling 911, according to police in the town of Warner Robins. .Bowers was scheduled to get married to Nikolaos Zaharopoulos just two weeks after she was killed Bowers identified herself on her Facebook page as a veteran and Builder 2nd Class of the United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees. According to an online wedding registry, Bowers was set to get married to fiance Nikolaos Zaharopoulos on August 27. The couple became engaged on Christmas in 2019, according to her Facebook page. Bowers identified herself on her Facebook page as a veteran and Builder 2nd Class of the United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees. She also listed that she was born in New York City and previously worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation. She had moved to Georgia in early 2020. Bowers' son, who has not been identified by police, is charged with murder and aggravated assault, police said. He is being charged as an adult, according to Warner Robins Police Chief John Wagner, citing the district attorney. Bowers' son is charged with Murder and Aggravated Assault, police said. The suspect is being charged as an adult, according to the chief of police. It is unclear if Zaharopoulos is the father or stepfather of the alleged shooter. He made his first appearance in a county superior court Saturday and is being held in a county youth detention facility. It is unclear who the alleged shooter's attorney or public defender is. The investigation is ongoing. The next day, police confirmed that the victim was Bowers and the juvenile taken into custody was her son. Bowers identified herself on her Facebook page as a veteran and Builder 2nd Class of the United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees. She also listed that she was born in New York City and previously worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation. She had moved to Georgia in early 2020. Sandra Lee, the ex-girlfriend of disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo, got engaged last weekend - but she won't be going to the altar anytime soon because her new fiance is still married, DailyMail.com can reveal. Lee, 55, accepted the proposal of actor Ben Youcef, 46, during a romantic Paris vacation. But Youcef has been married to real estate broker Apryl Stephenson since 2015. When contacted by DailyMail.com Apryl confirmed: 'Yes, Ben and I are still married. 'We are going through a divorce and I wish Ben and Sandra the best of luck. But I have nothing more to say.' But a friend was not so tight-lipped. She told DailyMail.com, 'Ben is an opportunist. I'm sure he is loving the media attention he is getting. He craved this sort of attention for several years and now he has it. Months ago, he told people he is dating a ''celebrity,'' he was so proud to say it.' 'Poor Sandra,' added the friend. 'She's gone from a sexual predator in Andrew Cuomo to Ben, an opportunist. He has his own agenda.' Youcef is an Algerian actor who is said to have been discovered by director Steven Spielberg in Munich and then moved to LA where he's landed guest spots in popular police shows Law & Order, NCIS and Chicago P.D and starred in The Algerian, based on a story he wrote. Sandra Lee and actor Ben Youcef were seen strolling around the streets of St. Tropez earlier this month. They are now reportedly engaged, with Lee spotted wearing her ring in Paris DailyMail.com can reveal that Youcef has been married to real estate broker Apryl Stephenson since 2015. Stephenson told DailyMail.com exclusively, 'Ben and I are still married'. The couple are pictured at their wedding The couple wed in Murrieta, California on June 7, 2015 and in July 2018 Apryl filed for legal separation after three years. Their twins, a boy Harris and girl Hannah, were born in December 2015 Divorce papers exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com confirm the couple are still legally married and their divorce is anything but amicable. Youcef wants joint legal and physical custody of their twins and Apryl is fighting him and refusing to give in. The couple wed in Murrieta, California on June 7, 2015 and in July 2018 Apryl filed for legal separation after three years. Their twins, a boy Harris and girl Hannah, were born in December 2015. 'We are going through a divorce and I wish Ben and Sandra the best of luck. But I have nothing more to say,' Stephenson said Then on January 7, 2020 Apryl filed for dismissal of the legal separation and filed for divorce on the same day. Court records from Riverside County show that Apryl acted as her own attorney against her husband, using his legal name Abdelwahab Benyoucef when she filed the paperwork. Court declarations filed by Apryl's parents accused Youcef of not being a responsible parent regarding their children's hygiene and failing to establish boundaries. They claimed he's more of a 'playmate' to them than a parental figure. Youcef's mother-in-law Beverly Stephenson said in her declaration that her daughter's marriage to Youcef had serious issues from the beginning, that he never moved permanently into the marital home in Murrieta but rather stayed in his apartment in Santa Monica and would visit on the weekends. The friend said, 'Apryl and Ben lived a short time together as husband and wife, they never really lived together as husband and wife after the twins were born. Ben always maintained his 2- bedroom 2 -bathroom rent controlled apartment.' Beverly said in her declaration, when the twins were of toddler age, 'Ben was little assistance to Apryl in caring for the children other than holding them.' After the couple separated Youcef would reportedly spend his weekends with his children at a guest house on his in-law's property in Murrieta. Beverly wrote that when Youcef asked her if he could stay at their place with his two children they agreed, she said, 'My husband and I deemed it was safest for the twins.' But over the few years that Youcef would visit his children at their house, she claimed she had observed 'he was ill-equipped to properly care for them. He did not honor a routine. He did not bathe them or brush their teeth or take time to change their clothes or comb their hair.' Lee was seen sporting what appeared to be a sizeable engagement ring in Paris last weekend Youcef's mother-in-law Beverly Stephenson said in her court documents that her daughter's marriage to Youcef had serious issues from the beginning, that he never moved permanently into the marital home in Murrieta but rather stayed in his apartment in Santa Monica and would visit on the weekends Court documents filed by Apryl's parents accused Youcef of not being a responsible parent regarding their children's hygiene and failing to establish boundaries. They say he's more of a 'playmate' to them than a parental figure. Their five-year-old twins are pictured Over the few years that Youcef would visit his children at their house, Apryl's mother claimed she had observed 'he was ill-equipped to properly care for them. He did not honor a routine. He did not bathe them or brush their teeth or take time to change their clothes or comb their hair' Beverly said, 'The children are early risers, but Ben would stay up very late at night, generally until 2am, so he would wish to not wake-up early with the children. The children would be confined to their bedroom by child safety locks where they would play until they could get someone's attention.' She added that 'many days he would sleep while they watched TV.' When the mother-in-law questioned Youcef as to why the children would be in their pajamas all weekend long, Youcef would reportedly tell her, 'They like being in their pjs.' She said, 'They were never out of their pj's, they weren't given baths. Their hair wasn't combed. They didn't brush their teeth.' She added that 'Ben has a hard time understanding he is the adult, and they are the children, and they need structure and guidance, not just a playmate.' She also claimed that apart from the food Youcef buys his children, 'Ben never spent time buying them any article of clothing, shoes, toothbrushes, or personal itemsI am not sure he ever bought them anything.' She said that Youcef fails to watch out for his children's safety. 'He needed to use the restroom while at the pool and left the 3-year-old twins in the jacuzzi with a 10-year-old, which is terrifying especially given the fact that they couldn't swim at the time.' Divorce papers confirm the couple are still legally married and their split is anything but amicable She claimed that Youcef doesn't have them in their car seats, driving on his lap, asking someone he barely knows to 'keep an eye on the kids so he can fill up his water bottle.' But said, 'Ben does love his children and they love him. 'I do not believe Ben is capable of caring for his children at this time any more than he has in the past until they are a great deal older and into their teens.' In court documents Youcef denied 'the baseless allegations.' He vehemently denied the childcare claims made against him, telling DailyMail.com that they were 'lies and fabrications... as you are well aware these sorts of lies are typical in divorce cases.' According to his wife's friend, 'Apryl is hopeful that now Ben has found Sandra that he'll move on and quit fighting her on the divorce. Apryl just wants to live in peace and raise her children. She wants Ben to be more proactive in their children' lives.' The friend said that 'Sandra has met the kids and has spent a lot of time with them. The twins really like her. They think she looks like their grandmother.' Youcef and Sandra Lee reportedly met at a charity event last spring in Santa Monica. The pair were photographed on the streets of Paris hugging and kissing last Saturday. Sandra Lee was photographed wearing a sizable engagement ring on her finger. In documents that Youcef filed with the courts in his divorce in October 2020, he claimed that he receives $900/month in unemployment compensation and $1300/month from acting. Sandra Lee is reportedly worth $20 million and just purchased a Malibu beach house for $3.4 million dollars in late 2020 after moving out of the New York home she shared with Andrew Cuomo. She sold her Mt. Kisco, New York home - named 'Lily Pond' - for $1.85 million last October. Cuomo, meanwhile, gave his two-weeks' notice on August 10, just a week after Attorney General Letitia James released a scathing report concluding that he sexually harassed 11 women while in office. Youcef and Sandra Lee reportedly met at a charity event last spring in Santa Monica. The pair were photographed on the streets of Paris hugging and kissing last Saturday Sandra Lee is reportedly worth $20 million and just purchased a Malibu beach house for $3.4 million dollars in late 2020 after moving out of the New York home she shared with Andrew Cuomo He had repeatedly denied those claims, even as he announced his resignation, saying: 'Part of New York tough is being New York smart. New York smart tells us that this situation and moment are not about the facts. It's not about the truth. It's not about thoughtful analysis. It's about how do we make the system better.' Lee had dated Andrew Cuomo for 14 years until they broke up in 2019 'Now you know me. I'm a New Yorker, born and bred. I am a fighter, and my instinct is to fight through this controversy because I truly believe it is politically motivated,' he continued. 'I believe it is unfair and it is untruthful, and I believe that it demonizes behavior that is unsustainable for society. If I could communicate the facts through the frenzy, New Yorkers would understand. I believe that, but when I took my oath as governor, then it changed. I became a fighter, but I became a fighter for you, and it is your best interests that I must serve.' 'And I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing. And, therefore, that's what I'll do because I work for you, and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you. Because as we say, 'It's not about me. It's about we.'' The same day that Lee reportedly became engaged, Cuomo's daughter, Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, 23, was seen carrying cardboard boxes, tote bags, a backpack and a ukulele case from the Executive Mansion into a black SUV. His resignation goes into effect on August 24. A Los Angeles man allegedly murdered his girlfriend and nearly killed their four children by driving into wrong-way traffic and crashing into a tractor trailer on a California highway after telling his brother-in-law that 'he had to give his family to God' and that the government was after him. Prosecutors say Cesar Iban Torres, 31, crashed the family's white 2003 Lincoln Navigator head-on into a semi-truck on the 101 Freeway in Encino, a neighborhood north of Los Angeles, last Thursday with the intent to kill his girlfriend, 26-year-old Aimee Garcia, and their children. Torres faces numerous charges including murder, attempted murder, child abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. The uninjured dad was tased by cops after resisting arrest and trying to attack members of the California Highway Patrol, reported NBC Los Angeles. Aimee Garcia (left) was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Cesar Iban Torres (right), her boyfriend, for many years, her family said California Highway Patrol said Torres crashed a 2003 Lincoln Navigator SUV (pictured) 'head-on into a big rig' on the 101 Freeway in Encino on Thursday All of their children, whose ages range from 18 months to 9 years old, suffered minor injuries and were hospitalized at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Hospital. 'A family has been torn apart by this tragic collision that leaves four young children without their mother,' said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon. Juan Zavala, Garcia's brother said that Torres called him hours before the crash and made 'bizarre and disturbing comments.' Torres was convinced that the government was after him, Zavala told ABC 7 News. California Highway Patrol officers were able to detain the 31-year-old Torres (pictured) with the use of a Taser. He was 'combative' and 'physically assaulted' officers, CHP said 'If I go missing, and the boys go missing, you know who did it,' Torres reportedly told Zavala. 'I'm like, 'What are you talking about.' And he said God talked to him and said he has to give his family to God, and I'm like 'No, what are you talking about? Come back.'' Zavala said he tried to locate the family but had no luck. After the crash, one of the four boys reportedly told Zavala that their mother fought with their father for control of the steering wheel. 'He said, 'Mommy saved us,' and that broke my heart,' Zavala said, adding that he wished he could have helped. According to her brother, Garcia (pictured) was 'all about [her] kids' and she would put 'them over everything' 'I'm just broken that my nephews are not going to grow up with their mom, and she put the kids over everything. She was all about the kids.' 'Thank God, I'm here as a good uncle and a good older brother. I will take responsibility for my nephews because that's what my sister wanted to do.' A GoFundMe page set up help pay for Garcia's funeral expenses claimed the mother of four was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Torres for many years. The campaign has raised more than $17,800 as of Monday morning. 'It's sad to know my sister is gone,' Zavala said. 'A beautiful soul taken too soon, but I still have four parts of her. I'm gonna make the best of it, and do the best I can.' 'You are responsible for taking my sister's life away and leaving your children without a mother and father,' Juan Zavala (pictured), the victim's brother, said in a message to Torres, according to NBC Los Angeles Torres was being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on Friday in lieu of $1million bail, according to jail records. His arraignment hearing at the Van Nuys Courthouse was scheduled for today but has been rescheduled for a later date. An Australian man jailed in Bali on drugs charges will be freed as part of Indonesia's Independence Day pardons. Several other Australians jailed in Bali were also awarded remissions on Tuesday, however members of the Bali Nine - who had applied to have their life sentences cut - were not among the recipients. Sentence remissions are traditionally granted to prisoners on Independence Day as a reward for good behaviour. Perth man Shane Christian Davey - who was arrested in September and convicted of possessing ecstasy and marijuana, and jailed for one year - was awarded a one-month remission, making him eligible for immediate release. Perth man Shane Christian Davey (pictured) - who was arrested in September and convicted of possessing ecstasy and marijuana, and jailed for one year - was awarded a one-month remission as a part of Indonesia's Independence Day pardons, making him eligible for immediate release Davey was due to be freed from Tabanan jail late on Tuesday and will be deported to Australia. Three other Australians were also awarded remissions. Sunshine Coast man Brendon Luke Johnsson, jailed for five years and four months on charges related to 11.6 grams of cocaine, got a four-month sentence cut. Sydney man Michael Sacatides, who is serving an 18-year sentence related to 1.7 kg of methamphetamine, was awarded a five-month remission. And Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis, jailed for 15 years on child sex offences, was given a six-month remission. Bali Nine members Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen and Scott Rush, applied to have their life sentences reduced, but have heard nothing from Jakarta. In Indonesia, life means life unless a prisoner can win a determinant sentence, which must be approved by the president. Despite the jail governors and authorities supporting their applications, the trio's appeals were not productive. In the women's section of Kerobokan prison, American woman Heather Mack, dubbed the suitcase killer, was awarded a six-month sentence cut, meaning she will be freed in about November. Mack was jailed for 10 years for the grisly murder of her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, in 2014. Mack and her then-boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, were convicted of bashing Mack's mother to death in a five-star hotel room and then stuffing her body in a suitcase, which they abandoned in a taxi, before fleeing. Given Tuesday's remission, Mack is expected to walk from jail in November. Mack, who was pregnant at the time of the crime, had a baby girl in 2015. The little girl, Stella, was allowed to stay with Mack inside Kerobokan prison until she was two but, under prison rules, then had to leave. Since then she has been cared for by an Australian-Balinese woman Oshar Putu Melody Suartama. Several other Australians jailed in Bali (pictured Kerobokan prison) were also awarded remissions on Tuesday, however members of the Bali Nine - who had applied to have their life sentences cut - were not among the recipients When Mack is released she will be deported to the United States but she does not want Stella to accompany her back to the US, and she has employed a lawyer to arrange for her to stay in Bali. It is understood that Mack is worried about the possibility of being arrested when she arrives in the US and facing further charges and jail time there in relation to her mother's death. "Heather is worried that she might face many problems when she arrives in the US. Heather is worried that she may well be summoned by the police related to her case in Indonesia. The FBI has responded to her case seriously. Heather is worried that the FBI may well summon her and the worst case, re-arrest her there," lawyer Benyamin Seran, told AAP. "Heather doesn't really know what will happen in the US after her arrival. She anticipates many bad things may happen. Whatever happens, she wants to face it by herself. She doesn't want her daughter there." The FBI is in possession of a large amount of the forensic material from Indonesia. In order for Stella to remain in Indonesia without her mother, Mack needs to apply to the Denpasar court for a stay permit to allow the little girl to remain in Indonesia for a year. Benyamin is currently preparing the case for court. A globally-renowned expert on the evolution of infectious diseases has outlined the three possible scenarios Covid-ravaged New South Wales is likely to face in the gruelling months, and even years, to come. Professor Eddie Holmes from the University of Sydney said the best possible outcome would be that the highly infectious Delta variant eventually morphs into a virus more akin to the common cold after vaccination rates rise. In the worst case, the coronavirus regularly keeps evolving into something even more dangerous than the Delta strain, which has wreaked havoc on Sydney. The third and 'most likely' course is something in-between the two similar to how the world deals with influenza, with patches of low infection rates followed by spikes of transmission when immunity drops, as vaccine scientists around the world enter into a 'cat and mouse' arms race to keep up with any potential mutations. Scroll down for video Prof Holmes said there may be periods of low infection rates followed by epidemic spikes. Pictured: Locked down Sydneysiders take a winter walk in Bondi on Tuesday 'This could end up being a kind of long-term influenza-like thing,' Prof Holmes told ABC's 7:30 report. 'So the virus is always there, but every few years you may get a peak... an epidemic peak.' He said levels of of immunity in years to come will peak and then wane and admitted Covid is likely to 'evolve and escapes the vaccines'. This will leave Australians, and others around the world, more susceptible even after getting the jab. In the worst case, the coronavirus regularly keeps evolving into something even more dangerous than the Delta strain, which has wreaked havoc on Sydney and seen Melburnians endure yet another curfew (pictured, Melbourne on Tuesday night) Shoppers are seen leaving Coles in Darwin as the city was plunged into a three day snap lockdown (pictured) with experts saying coronavirus is likely to be in the world forever 'We'll need to update the vaccines so it will be a long-term cat-and-mouse game,' Prof Holmes said. But whatever the outcome, one thing is clear according to the virus expert - Covid is here to stay. 'Delta in some ways is pandemic 2.0. I think it has changed the rules,' Prof Holmes said. 'It's so much more infectious than the previous variants and it's certainly not one that I would have predicted to have occurred, but it has occurred. What are the three scenarios we face with the Delta variant? Scenario One: Best Case In the best case outcome, Professor Eddie Holmes from the University of Sydney suggests the Covid-19 virus which has plagued the world for over 18 months eventually morphs into something more akin to the common cold. This could happen is vaccine rates across the globe continue to climb, giving people greater immunity to the raspatory illness. Scenario Two: The Worst Case In the worst possible scenario, the highly infectious Delta strain which has ravaged Sydney and rest of the world, will simply keep mutating into something even more dangerous. In just a short time Covid has become far more transmissible than when it first appeared in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019. If the worrying trend continues it could see the rest of the decade riddled with worse and worse variants, each more contagious and deadly than the last. Scenario Three: The Most Likely Outcome The third and 'most likely' outcome, according to Prof Holmes would be a scenario somewhere in-between the previous two possibilities. He describes it as a 'long-term cat and mouse' arms race by vaccine scientists to outpace the mutations - similar to the battle we still face against the influenza virus. This could mean patches of low infection rates followed by epidemic spikes of transmission when immunity drops or when the virus evolves. Advertisement 'So I think it's clear the virus now is spreading far too rapidly. It's got too far too high numbers and too many contacts so we will never eliminate it completely in New South Wales. I think that horse has long bolted.' The focus from health authorities desperately trying to curb the spread of the current outbreak which has seen Sydney locked down for eight weeks, has been centred around stopping a small number of stay-at-home rule-breakers flouting the restrictions. But with exponential growth including a record high 478 infections on Monday and a further 452 cases on Tuesday, it's becoming more evident the majority of those who've been infected were in fact abiding by the public health orders. 'Delta in some ways is pandemic 2.0. I think it has changed the rules,' Prof Holmes said (pictured on ABC's 7:30 report) With exponential growth of the Delta strain it is becoming more evident the majority of those who've been infected were abiding by the public health orders (pictured, Sydneysiders walk at Bondi Beach) Data shows that if NSW's soaring rate of cases continues to exponentially grow, the state will reach in excess of 1000 cases in just over a month as the virus spreads into new regional communities. In other areas, Melbourne also remains on lockdown, along with the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. Prof Holmes said the answer to overcoming the pandemic could lie overseas, in nation's with low vaccination rates. 'Our best strategy in terms of both morally and scientifically to end the pandemic is to let other countries get the vaccine because that will reduce the transmission,' he said. 'The more we reduce transmission the less you have got of the virus evolving into another variant that's going to affect us all.' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby warned Monday morning on CNN that any military aggression from the taliban would be met with a forceful response. 'Any attack on our people or on our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful unambiguous response,' Kirby said on New Day. Kirby said that extended beyond Americans as the U.S. is trying to also pull Afghan translators and other allies out of the deteriorating country. The spokesman said that the U.S. would attack the Taliban if militants messed with 'people or operations at the airport.' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby warned Monday morning on CNN that any military aggression from the Taliban would be met with a forceful response Kirby also said 'security is much better' at Kabul's airport after Monday's tense scene. He said that another 1,000 U.S. troops had landed and once everything is up and running about 5,000 to 9,000 people could be airlifted out of Afghanistan by the military each day. Kirby guessed that there were between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans still in the country and the U.S. was clearing space for 22,000 Afghan refugees at three military bases, with the ability to bring in more. 'If we have to go more, higher than that, we'll certainly do that,' Kirby said. CNN's John Berman pointed out that the thousands of people Kirby mentioned weren't all at the airport, some were at their homes. 'What is the plan to get these people to the airport?' Berman said. Kirby said the military piece of the withdrawal was security the airport, adding that the Defense Department was 'working hand and glove' with the State Department, who were processing the people so they could exit Afghanistan. 'Right now though, I don't want to set the expectation that we are equipped and able to go out into the countryside and physically move people into Kabul,' Kirby warned. Berman then asked, 'If they can't get to the airport, what does it matter if you have the capabilities to get them out from the airport?' 'John I understand that, and we all understand that the security situation in Kabul is not ideal,' Kirby replied. On Monday, Kirby insisted the Kabul airport chaos earlier in the day did not constitute a failure. 'I would take issue with your designation of this operation at the airport as a failure,' he told CNN's Barbara Starr during an afternoon press briefing after she pointed out how one A C-17 took off carrying 640 Afghan refugees. Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday Eight people were also reportedly killed, including three who tried to stowaway on a departing flight and fell from the sky. The Pentagon refused to confirm those figures. Instead, Kirby argued that the Defense Department planned for a number of scenarios as the U.S. exited Afghanistan after a 20-year deployment. 'Could we have predicted every single scenario and every single breach around the perimeter of the airport with only a couple of thousand troops on the ground?' Kirby mused. 'Plans are terrific and we take them seriously, but they are not and never have been perfectly predictive.' Both President Joe Biden and Kirby admitted that the U.S. was surprised by the quick work the Taliban made in taking control of the war-torn country. 'Now as we talked about here many times, it happened very fast,' Kirby said from the Pentagon. 'And one of the things we couldn't anticipate and didn't anticipate was the degree to which Afghan forces capitulated, sometimes without a fight.' At Hamid Karzai International Airport, there was a stampede of thousands of people - both stranded foreign nationals and Afghan civilians - desperately trying to escape. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby insisted Monday that the chaos at Kabul's airport earlier in the day did not constitute a failure. 'I would take issue with your designation of this operation at the airport as a failure,' Kirby told CNN's Barbara Starr at an afternoon briefing A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The flight landed in Qatar. The refugees ran up the half-open ramp while US forces were preparing for take-off, according to an unnamed defense official cited by Defense One on Monday. At least one other C-17 has departed the area The airport is the last place in the city that is being guarded by NATO troops. Thousands of Afghan nationals have rushed there in the hopes of being saved along with the foreigners being flown out, but the chaotic rescue operation collapsed on Monday as troops struggled to control the crowds. General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr, the head of the Pentagon's Central Command, met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on Sunday and convinced them to let the US evacuate its citizens and any interpreters and translators it plans to without interference. It remains unclear how NATO troops will organize the evacuation of Afghan refugees or even get themselves out given the diabolical situation that unfolded earlier Monday. The Pentagon said 2,500 troops were moved into Kabul within the last 72 hours. By the end of Monday, 3,000 to 3,500 were expected to be on the ground. It's unclear how many American civilians are there, and how many Afghan translators and interpreters are to be flown out. Embassy officials were moved to the airport with the Pentagon saying they were 'safe' and preparing for departure. The harrowing scene at the airport on Monday included thousands rushing on to the runway as a US Air Force C-17 cargo jet took off. Frantic Afghan nationals jumped onto the plane's fuselage in the hope that it would carry them to safety. Shortly after it took off, three were filmed falling from the aircraft to their deaths. Three were run over by the jet's wheels on the tarmac. Kirby couldn't confirm the deaths - or the reporting that there would be an investigation, but added 'it wouldn't surpise me in the least that commanders would be taking a look at what happened this morning in respect to the C-17.' 'On that video footage we've all seen of something falling off the wing. I don't have an update for you in terms of specific validity of that. We're obviously just as interested in you in learning more about what happened there,' Kirby also said. American troops halted evacuation flights for 90 minutes afterwards while they cleared the airfield, which had become overrun with thousands of Afghan nationals. They used apache helicopters and fired warning shots into the crowds to try to control them. Outside the walls of the airport, shots from Taliban fighters rang out. A US soldier points his gun towards and bellows at an Afghan civilian at the Kabul airport on Monday. Two armed Afghans have been killed by American troops at the airport Footage from Hamad Karzai airport showed hundreds of people running alongside - and in front of - a US Air Force plane preparing to take off Desperate Afghan nationals tried to run onto RCH 885 as it took off from the airfield on Monday. Some were crushed by the C-17's wheels and others clung to the fuselage as it took off An apache helicopter clears the airfield at Kabul on Monday after thousands of Afghan nationals ran onto it in a desperate attempt to get on an evacuation flight Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on Monday A little girl is thrown over the wall of the airport on Monday as the Taliban started moving through the city of Kabul. The airport is the last part of the city being defended by US troops - more are expected there later today to try to secure it An Afghan child walks near abandoned military uniforms at Kabul airport on Monday after the Taliban took control of the city Desperate Afghan families trying to escape Kabul scale the walls of the airport on Monday FALL OF KABUL: A TIMELINE OF THE TALIBAN'S FAST ADVANCE AFTER 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT Feb. 29, 2020 Trump negotiates deal with the Taliban setting U.S. withdrawal date for May 1, 2021 Nov. 17, 2020 Pentagon announces it will reduce troop levels to 2500 in Afghanistan Jan. 15, 2020 Inspector general reveals 'hubris and mendacity' of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan Feb 3. 2021 Afghan Study Group report warns against withdrawing 'irresponsibly' March Military command makes last-ditch effort to talk Biden out of withdrawal April 14 Biden announces withdrawal will be completed by Sept. 11 May 4 - Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces May 11 - The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country June 7 - Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country's 34 provinces June 22 - Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts July 2 - The U.S. evacuates Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night July 5 - The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August July 21 - Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country's districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance July 25 - The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops "in the coming weeks" with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks July 26 - The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009 Aug. 6 - Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north Aug. 13 - Pentagon insists Kabul is not under imminent threat Aug. 14 - The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps Aug. 15 - The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul Taliban insurgents enter Kabul, an interior ministry official says, as the United States evacuate diplomats from its embassy by helicopter Advertisement Afghanistan's representative to the UN's security council Ghulam M. Isaczai said 'there are already reports of target killings and looting in the city,' at a meeting of the council on Monday. 'Kabul residents are reported that the Taliban have already started house-to-house searches in some neighborhoods, registering names and looking for people in their target list,' he added. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was 'particularly concerned' by accounts of human rights violations against the women and girls of Afghanistan who fear a return to the darkest days' in the 1990s when the Taliban ruled and barred girls for getting an education and imposed draconian measures on women. It's unclear now who America will save from the chaos aside from US citizens and anyone who worked alongside them. Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan did a series of TV interviews on Monday where he said evacuation flights were ongoing, but he skirted criticism for the disaster and said: 'When push came to shove, [the Afghan forces] decided not to step up and fight for their country.' Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has also come under fire for hightailing out of the country last night, in a helicopter full of cash, according to the Russian embassy. His whereabouts remain unknown. The Taliban declared victory from the presidential palace on Sunday following a blistering advance across the country. Experts and lawmakers have for months warned the Biden administrations that this was exactly what would happen if they continued with the hasty retreat and entrusted the country to the Afghan National Army. One of the terror chieftains proclaimed from the palace, 'Praise God, I was in Guantanamo for eight years', as he sat at the president's table surrounded by henchmen strapped with AK-47s. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the U.S. decision to withdraw had 'accelerated' the crisis that risked creating 'a breeding ground for terror.' However, the Taliban has been on a charm offensive, pledging that no harm will come to any foreign citizens or embassy staff as it seeks formal recognition from the international community. Almost all major checkpoints in Kabul were under Taliban control by Monday morning and Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority issued an advisory saying the 'civilian side' of the airport had been 'closed until further notice' and that the military controlled the airspace. Taliban officials said everyone would be allowed to return home from Kabul airport if they decide to stay in the country and promised civilians would not be harmed. The group previously said westerners would be allowed to leave the country but that Afghans would be barred from departing. US troops are guarding the airport and have taken over air traffic control, but all non-military flights are grounded. Early Monday morning, flight-tracking data showed no immediate commercial flights over the country. In the capital, a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections. There were scattered reports of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets. Fighters could be seen searching vehicles at one of the city's main squares. Many fear chaos, after the Taliban freed thousands of prisoners and the police simply melted away, or a return to the kind of brutal rule the Taliban imposed when it was last in power. They raced to Kabul's international airport, where the 'civilian side' was closed until further notice, according to Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority. The military was put in control of the airspace. Massouma Tajik, a 22-year-old data analyst, described scenes of panic at the airport, where she was hoping to board an evacuation flight. Satellite images show the number of people on the tarmac at Kabul airport desperately trying to get onto flights out of Afghanistan on Monday Thousands of Afghan nationals rushed to the airport on foot on Monday to try to get on evacuation flights as the Taliban took over The US Embassy has been evacuated and the American flag lowered, with diplomats relocating to the airport in scenes reminiscent of the evacuation of the embassy of Saigon in 1975. Other Western countries have also closed their missions and are flying out staff and civilians after the Taliban walked into Kabul's presidential palace In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces Inside one of the US Air Force jets that took off from Kabul on Sunday after the Taliban took control of the city Those on board the plane appeared to be US nationals. It's unclear how many remain at the airport waiting to be flown out US soldiers rest as Afghan people (not pictured) wait to leave the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's airport trying to flee the group's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule Afghan nationals wait on one of the many grounded commercial aircrafts at Kabul airport on Monday in the hope of being flown out A volunteer carries an injured man on the tarmac at the airport in Kabul on August 16. The chaos unfolded on Monday as thousands rushed to the airport in a desperate attempt to flee the Taliban after the country's 20 year civil war There are thousands of Afghan nationals at the airport desperately waiting to be put on any flight out of the city Thousands of Afghans rush to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16, 2021 People climb a barbed wire wall to enter the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 16, 2021, in this still image taken from a video US soldiers stand guard as desperate Afghans try to board flights at Hamid Karzai International Airport Thousands of civilians rush towards one of the last military planes leaving Kabul (left) the airport was teeming with desperate civilians trying to flee the Taliban (right) Video posted later appeared to show residents collecting the bodies of three stowaways, who reportedly fell from an airborne plane, from a roof in Kabul Footage showed desperate Afghans trying to climb onto grounded planes at Kabul's Hamid Karzai airport after the Taliban swept the city Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport on August 16, 2021, to flee the country as the Taliban were in control of Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war Desperate Afghan civilians attempt to clamber over the barbed wire-topped wall into Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday Men climb over a wall into Hamid Karzai International Airport in scenes reminiscent of the chaos in Saigon in 1975 US troops are guarding the airport and have taken over air traffic control, but all non-military flights are grounded. Soldiers fired warning shots in the air to prevent hundreds of civilians running onto the tarmac, a US official said US troops fired shots into the air at Kabul airport today as desperate Afghans climbed up the outside of airbridges trying to flee as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan Video posted social media showed hundreds of people trying to climb the outside of airbridges to board commercial liners grounded in Hamad Karzai airport At least five people have been killed at Kabul airport as thousands of people tried desperately to get on flights out of Afghanistan amid increasingly chaotic scenes. Witnesses said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede Taliban fighters were seen inside the Afghan parliament on Monday after officials promised civilians would not be harmed and announced everyone would be allowed to return home from Kabul airport if they decided to stay in the country Victorious Taliban commander claims he 'spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay' in triumphant speech from Kabul palace A Taliban commander claimed he spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay in a triumphant speech from inside the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sunday as the militants declared an Islamic state of Afghanistan. Taliban fighters marched into the ancient palace on Sunday and demanded a 'peaceful transfer of power' as the capital city descended into chaos, with US helicopters evacuating diplomats from the embassy in scenes echoing the 1975 Fall of Saigon which followed the Vietnam War. The Al-Jazeera news channel livestreamed the press conference from inside the palace, which showed a group of Taliban fighters sitting at the president's desk before a fighter claimed he was a former inmate of the US-controlled Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba. A Taliban commander claimed he spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay in a victory speech from inside the Presidential Palace in Kabul as the militants declared an Islamic state of Afghanistan 'Praise God, I was in Guantanamo for eight years,' the man told the broadcaster as henchmen with AK-47s stood around him. Established by George W Bush in 2002, suspected terrorists have been detained without trial and tortured at the facility. Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep the centre open indefinitely in 2018, while in February the Biden administration vowed to shut Guantanamo down. Various reports said that the commander was either Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir or Gholam Ruhani. Both of the men were held at Guantanamo Bay and are believed to have returned to the Taliban top brass after being released. Advertisement After waiting six hours, she heard shots from outside, where a crowd of men and women were trying to climb aboard a plane. She said U.S. troops sprayed gas and fired into the air to disperse the crowds after people scaled the walls and swarmed onto the tarmac. Gunfire could be heard in the voice messages she sent to The Associated Press. Shafi Arifi, who had a ticket to travel to Uzbekistan on Sunday, was unable to board her plane because it was packed with people who had raced across the tarmac and climbed aboard, with no police or airport staff in sight. 'There was no room for us to stand,' said the 24-year-old. 'Children were crying, women were shouting, young and old men were so angry and upset, no one could hear each other. There was no oxygen to breathe.' After another woman fainted and was carried off the plane, Arifi gave up and went back home. Meanwhile, refugees have been massing at the borders as people desperately try to flee Afghanistan before the Taliban's brutal rules are implemented, with pictures from the country's border with Pakistan showing hundreds of people queuing in an attempt to leave. 'Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,' Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office, told Al Jazeera TV. 'Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.' Taliban members are seen near Hamid Karzai International Airport as thousands of Afghans rush to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16, 2021 A Taliban fighter stands guard at the Massoud Square in Kabul on August 16, 2021 A member of Taliban forces inspects the area outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul US soldiers stand guard as in the background Afghan people wait at the Kabul airport Smiling Taliban fighters are seen on the back of a vehicle in Kabul on Monday A father leads his family towards the airport as crowds of people try to escape Afghanistan on Monday Hundreds of Afghans desperately scaled the walls of Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul as they try to flee the country Pictured: Vehicles are seen on a congested street in Kabul, Afghanistan, in these still images taken from a video uploaded to social media on August 15, 2021 US troops are guarding the airport and have taken over air traffic control, but all non-military flights are grounded. Early Monday morning, flight-tracking data showed no immediate commercial flights over the country even as thousands of Afghans flooded Kabul airport Desperate civilians try and get into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Monday after the Taliban took over the country Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport on Monday as American Humvees standby President Ghani fled the country on Sunday night as the insurgents encircled the capital - saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed - capping a military victory that saw them capture all cities in just 10 days. In a Facebook post, Ghani said he had left the country to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would endanger millions of Kabul residents. Some social media users branded Ghani, who did not disclose his location, a coward for leaving them in chaos. Al Jazeera reported he had flown to Uzbekistan, citing his personal bodyguard. 'The Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,' Ghani said after fleeing. Taliban officials said they had received no reports of any clashes anywhere in the country: 'The situation is peaceful,' one official said. The Taliban controlled 90 percent of state buildings and fighters had been told to prevent any damage, the official added. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who fought in the Soviet-Afghan War during the 1980s and helped ex-chief Mohammad Omar create the Taliban in 1994, has already been installed as the head of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, according to reports in the Arab world. Video from Afghanistan's parliament building showed Taliban fighters entering the main chamber today. The grainy footage showed fighters carrying weapons sitting at a table at the head of the chamber under the government's seal, with some smiling and posing for photographs. Ghani fled from the country on Sunday as the Islamists entered Kabul virtually unopposed, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Desperate Afghans were seen chasing US military transport aircraft as the evacuation flights took off from Kabul airport on Monday US soldiers take up their positions as they secure the airport in Kabul after the Taliban walked into the capital, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee Thousands of Afghans gathered at Kabul's Hamid Karzai airport, but all commercial services have been suspended, with only military flights leaving the country as the UK, US and other western countries repatriate their citizens There were chaotic scenes at Kabul International Airport on Sunday night as thousands of Afghan residents rushed onto the tarmac Potential passengers can be seen crowding the tarmac at Kabul airport in Afghanistan with people desperate to leave the country any way they can A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies near the U.S. Embassy as smoke rises in Kabul, Afghanistan, late on Sunday night Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said in a message on Twitter their fighters were under strict orders not to harm anyone. 'Life, property and honour of none shall be harmed but must be protected by the mujahideen,' he said. Earlier, Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office, told Al Jazeera TV, the Afghan people and the Taliban had witnessed the fruits of their efforts and sacrifices over 20 years. 'Thanks to God, the war is over,' he said. It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces, trained for years and equipped by the United States and others at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away. Al Jazeera broadcast footage of what it said were Taliban commanders in the presidential palace with dozens of armed fighters. Naeem said the form of the new regime in Afghanistan would be made clear soon, adding the Taliban did not want to live in isolation and calling for peaceful international relations. The militants sought to project a more moderate face, promising to respect women's rights and protect both foreigners and Afghans. Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices in their imposition of sharia religious law. During their rule, women could not work and punishments such as stoning, whipping and hanging were administered. Both the United Nations and the United States said last week they had received reports that Taliban fighters were executing surrendering government soldiers. Taliban officials said they had received no reports of any clashes anywhere in the country: 'The situation is peaceful,' one said, adding the Taliban controlled 90% of state buildings and fighters had been told to prevent any damage. Central Kabul streets were largely deserted early on a sunny Monday as waking residents pondered their future. 'I'm in a complete state of shock,' said Sherzad Karim Stanekzai, who spent the night in his carpet shop to guard it. 'I know there will be no foreigners, no international people who will now come to Kabul.' People thronged to the airport from late on Sunday with hundreds wandering on the runways in the dark, pulling luggage and jostling for a place on one of the last commercial flights to leave before U.S. forces took over air traffic control. Dozens of men tried to clamber onto an overhead departure gangway to board a plane while hundreds of others milled about, a video posted on social media showed. U.S. forces gave up their big military base at Bagram, some 60 km north of Kabul, several weeks ago, leaving Kabul's airport their only way out, to the anger of many Afghans. 'The Americans have no right to hold the airport for their own use, they could have used their own base to take people out,' said one person trying to leave. There was the prospect of chaos in the skies over Afghanistan too. Its civil aviation authority advised transit aircraft to reroute saying its airspace was uncontrolled. The Pentagon on Sunday authorized another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for them, expanding its security presence on the ground to almost 6,000 troops within the next 48 hours. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said early on Monday that all embassy personnel, including Ambassador Ross Wilson, had been transferred to Kabul airport, mostly by helicopter, to await evacuation and the American flag had been lowered and removed from the embassy compound. Western nations, including France, Germany and New Zealand said they were working to get citizens as well as some Afghan employees out. In a Facebook post, Ghani said he had left the country to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would endanger millions of Kabul residents. Some social media users branded Ghani, who did not disclose his location, a coward for leaving them in chaos. In Washington, opponents of President Joe Biden's decision to end America's longest war, launched after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said the chaos was caused by a failure of leadership. Biden has faced rising domestic criticism after sticking to a plan, initiated by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, to end the U.S. military mission by Aug. 31. Britain's defence minister said British and NATO forces would not be returning to fight the Taliban. 'That's not on the cards,' Ben Wallace told Sky News. Democrats now want to allocate money and a plan to help Afghan refugees resettle in their $3.5 trillion budget package, congressional sources told Axios in a Tuesday morning report. Discussions on how to include this plan in the massive welfare and social spending budget, disguised as a so-called 'human infrastructure' bill, are brand new and will be worked out in the coming weeks, according to the three Hill sources familiar with early talks. Many Democratic lawmakers who supported President Joe Biden's complete withdrawal from Afghanistan are now scrambling to find a way to help women, children, interpreters and other vulnerable individuals fleeing from the country. Biden doubled-down on his withdrawal and the decisions made in the aftermath, which saw the swift Taliban takeover of Afghanistan including the capital city of Kabul on Sunday. Lawmakers and political pundits on both sides of the aisle have bashed Biden's decisions surrounding the withdrawal, while a poll released Monday showed nearly 70 per cent of likely primary election voters disapprove of the president's handling of Afghanistan. While progressives and others within the party do fundamentally agree with Biden's decision to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, they are also aware of the massive damage it has done to the region and are calling for Washington to allocate funds and resources to help resettle refugees. An aide of a progressive Democratic member in the House said they are pressing the administration to hand over a plan for evacuations from Afghanistan within the next day as images of chaos at the Kabul airport continue to emerge. Some Democratic lawmakers are looking to include a plan in the $3.5 trillion budget resolution to help resettle refugees fleeing from Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover. Hundreds of Afghan citizens gather at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Tuesday to try and get on an evacuation flight Democrats, according to a Tuesday report, are also demanding a comprehensive plan from President Joe Biden on evacuations from Afghanistan within 24 hours State Department Spokesman Ned Price told Americans still stranded in Afghanistan on Monday to shelter in place rather than head to the airport for evacuation. He said the U.S. was still working to 'regain positive control' of the airport after it was overrun by Afghans trying to force their way onto flights out of the country. 'The situation is evolving quickly and we will communicate information to U.S. citizens as rapidly as possible,' Price said during a press conference on Monday afternoon. 'In the meantime,' he continued, 'we are asking U.S. citizens to shelter and not to travel to the airport until they hear otherwise from the Department of State.' Images emerged of Afghans running alongside planes and climbing onto the aircraft as it rolled down the runway. At least three people plummeted hundreds of feet to their deaths after clinging to a U.S. jet as it took off from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. On Sunday, Senator Bernie Sanders demanded America 'do everything we can' to get U.S. citizens and allies out of Afghanistan and open border to refugees fleeing the country. 'Foreign policy matters: After 20 years of U.S. effort, the loss of 2,448 soldiers and a trillion spent, Afghanistan was left with a corrupt government and an ineffectual military,' he tweeted. He added: 'At this moment, we must do everything we can to evacuate our allies and open our doors to refugees.' Progressive lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, say it's the responsibility of the U.S. to help evacuate allies from Afghanistan and open border to refugees fleeing from the country Representative Ilhan Omar, who was a Somali refugee who fled to the U.S., said in a statement the U.S. must help 'evacuate every Afghan citizen who is fleeing for their lives' Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the U.S. has a 'moral obligation to the Afghan people' Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Monday: 'We have a moral obligation to the Afghan people. The U.S. role in this crisis is indisputable.' 'We must waste no time or expense in helping refugees safely & swiftly leave Afghanistan. We must immediately welcome them to the U.S. & provide real support as they rebuild their lives,' she continued in a four-tweet thread. Fellow progressive member of the so-called 'squad' Ilhan Omar also called on the U.S. in a statement Monday to 'marshal an international coalition to evacuate every Afghan citizen who is fleeing for their lives.' Omar, who was a refugee herself when she fled to the U.S. from Somalia, was among the first Somali-American, Muslim women to serve in Congress. Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan vowed on Monday to take in more Afghan interpreters to his state than previously planned due to the unfolding crisis as planes full of those fleeing Afghanistan arrive in Washington, D.C. Biden is facing harsh criticism from all sides over a lack of comprehensive plan for evacuating those Afghans who risked their lives to help the U.S. efforts in Afghanistan over the last two decades. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed not to take up the Senate-approved $1.2 trillion bipartisan 'real' infrastructure bill until the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation is passed. That effort could now be delayed as some Democrats look to include a plan to help resettle Afghan refugees. U.S. officials are engaged in cross-agency recriminations as they grapple with failures of intelligence, execution, and imagination that preceded the sudden collapse of Kabul and the chaotic evacuation underway. President Biden, in his speech to the nation on Monday, pointed to the May 1, 2021 U.S. withdrawal deadline that former President Donald Trump's administration negotiated with the Taliban as well as the failure of U.S. trained Afghan forces to fight. 'Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight,' Biden said. 'If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision.' Biden administration officials are pointing fingers at various agencies who failed to properly plan for or anticipate the sudden Taliban takeover of Kabul He stood by the determination to pull out as the 'right decision.' Diplomats have said they were relying on intelligence assessments that the collapse of Kabul was less than imminent although the Intelligence Community briefed lawmakers in July about the 'accelerating' pace of Taliban gains. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said at a Pentagon press conference late last month, even amid Taliban gains across provinces: 'And there is a range of possible outcomes in Afghanistan. A negative outcome a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is not a foregone conclusion.' That estimation of the Afghan government's strength also influenced the White House position, as President Biden publicly announced a total withdrawal of U.S. forces by Sept. 11th, then moved up the date by weeks. A White House official singled out Milley's public assessment, calling it 'utter bunk,' CNN reported. 'We have noted the troubling trend lines in Afghanistan for some time, with the Taliban at its strongest, militarily, since 2001. Strategically, a rapid Taliban takeover was always a possibility,' said a senior intelligence official Sunday. Defense officials have said they prepared for worst-case scenarios, and have expressed frustration that State Department officials didn't speed evacuation actions. Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby, a former State Department spokesman under President Obama, said the administration did plan for Taliban gains. He spoke to CNN Tuesday about the chaotic departure flights from Hamid Karzai airport that reportedly left eight people dead. 'Could we have predicted every single scenario and every single breach around the perimeter of the airport with only a couple of thousand troops on the ground?' Kirby said. 'Plans are terrific and we take them seriously, but they are not and never have been perfectly predictive.' Former Donald Trump national security advisor John Bolton told the network Tuesday that both Trump and Biden made the strategic mistake of withdrawing from the 20-year war. This image distributed Courtesy of the US Air Force shows the inside of Reach 871, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III flown from Kabul to Qatar on August 15, 2021 Pentagon assessments of the durability of Afghan national forces are also coming under scrutiny. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military had planned for contingencies involving a Taliban takeover 'It's been a catastrophe and I'm afraid it's going to get worse. I think Biden does bear primary responsibility for that although you see now fingers being pointed saying Trump didn't leave us with any plans. We'll have to see how that shakes out,' he said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified in June that he didn't expect an 'immediate deterioration in the situation' as the U.S. undertook its drawdown. Whatever happens in Afghanistan, if there is a significant deterioration in security that could well happen, we have discussed this before I dont think its going to be something that happens from a Friday to a Monday,' he said although what ultimately unfolded was a sudden Taliban takeover in a matter of days. A foreign policy ally said Biden's advisors would never have let him take off for Camp David last Friday, as the president did, had they anticipated the sudden collapse, the Washington Post reported. Indiana House Republican Rep. Jim Banks is hitting back at Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 'abuse of power' after she suggested he and Rep. Jim Jordan could be investigated by the January 6th Capitol riot committee on Monday. 'Today, Speaker Pelosi threatened to investigate her political opponents without pretext,' Banks said in a statement Monday. 'That is an abuse of power and if she follows through she needs to be held accountable.' He said Pelosi has done more damage to Congress and American democracy as a whole 'more than any single politician ever.' In a long shot bid he called on Pelosi's fellow Democrats to join in criticizing her. 'It is banana republic style politics that doesnt belong in America. If Democrats had integrity, they would condemn this behavior at home with the same enthusiasm with which they condemn it abroad,' he said to Forbes. Indiana Rep. Jim Banks (left) attacked Nancy Pelosi on Monday and accused her of trying to investigate political opponents 'without pretext' after she made a subtle threat to possibly look into him and Rep. Jim Jordan (right) over January 6th 'We'll see what the committee finds out about them,' Pelosi said in a Monday interview Pelosi on rejecting GOP Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks for the Jan. 6 select committee: "They would be antics and clowns and not serious about this." "We'll see what the committee finds out about them." pic.twitter.com/nuZtxWJEKg Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) August 16, 2021 Twitter Privacy Policy Banks and Jordan, among ex-President Donald Trump's staunchest allies, were two of five Republicans nominated by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to serve on the panel - subject to the speaker's approval. Pelosi vetoed their appointments. On Monday Pelosi called Banks and Jordan's nominations 'outrageous' and 'not serious.' 'I mean, they probably - well, look, we'll see what the committee finds out about them,' she warned during a virtual summit. 'But they weren't going to be on the committee.' She said the pair would be nothing but 'antics and clowns' and accused them of being 'participants of the Big Lie' that Joe Biden stole the election from Trump. Both lawmakers voted against certifying the election results - which Pelosi said she did not hold against them. 'I didn't really care if they had voted to accept the results of the election. All I really wanted them to be is willing to seek the truth,' she said. 'So I said three of the members were welcome to serve that the leader suggested, but not the two.' Both Banks and Jordan supported Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election Trump was seen leaving Trump Tower in New York City on Monday But McCarthy angrily rejected Pelosi's compromise and withdrew all five appointments. House Republicans launched a boycott of the panel in response. Pelosi tapped GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger to serve instead in a bid to give the committee bipartisan legitimacy. Cheney and Kinzinger were among 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on charges he incited the deadly MAGA riot, when violent supporters of the ex-president stormed the Capitol on the day lawmakers were to certify the election. Trump spent a majority of his time in Florida after Biden's inauguration save for his rallies, but was seen a few times in New York City's Trump Tower in recent days. After the 2020 race, Banks and Jordan joined more than 100 Republicans in signing on to support Texas's lawsuit challenging the results. Pelosi appointed Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger to the panel Minority Leader McCarthy announced a boycott of the committee after Pelosi rejected Banks (center) and Jordan (right) Jordan admitted he spoke with Trump the day the ex-president's violent supporters stormed the Capitol Banks also told constituents days before January 6th that he questioned the 'legality of some votes cast,' according to a local Indiana outlet. When he accepted McCarthy's nomination to Pelosi's committee, Banks released a statement pledging to 'force' Democrats to answer for Capitol security on that day and attempted to shift focus to racially-charged left-wing protests from earlier that year. Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the Lefts authoritarian agenda,' he wrote. Jordan was one of dozens of lawmakers who saw his public profile skyrocket on the coattails of Trumpism. After the MAGA riots on January 6th he admitted to Spectrum News he had spoken with Trump that day. 'I spoke with him that day, after? I think after. I don't know if I spoke with him in the morning or not. I just don't know,' he said, adding 'I don't know when those conversations happened.' A budding Aussie rock star who proudly performs weekly live concerts on his driveway wearing only his underwear has insisted a bizarre brush with the law may get him a date with a 'hot chick'. Adelaide musician Savas Caruso, 32, refused to wear a mask to his hearing at Elizabeth Magistrates Court on August 17 and his case was adjourned. He was charged with refusing to comply with an environmental protection order as well as allegedly not providing his name and address to police after being arrested. Vision was captured of his arrest as police attempt to stop him from playing on his driveway, which has become a regular Sunday afternoon occurrence for baffled locals. Police unplug his loud speaker system, before apprehending him mid-performance with his guitar pointed in the air. In the video, Mr Caruso's brother was attempting to hand pieces of paper out to police. According to a change.org petition set up by Mr Caruso, the papers were non-consent forms and notices of liability for damages made on private property during the arrest. The page reads: 'An innocent member of the community was unlawfully arrested with unnecessary physical force, thrown in a cell and held against his will for 3 days by SAPOL.' Savas Caruso (pictured with his guitar), 32, refused to wear a mask to his hearing at Elizabeth Magistrates Court on August 17 and his case was adjourned 'They treated him like a dangerous criminal. All this for a non-indictable offense; a mere noise complaint. 'The video clearly shows they unjustifiably used a forceful approach. Their appalling display of authority was a clear tactic of intimidation to suppress the mans rights to express himself using his music.' The page also continues to say on other occasions police has attended his concerts and 'praise him on his talent and give him credit'. The budding rock star was was directed not to host any more concerts in the front-yard of his Salisbury Downs home due to noise complaints, according to Adelaide Now. He was charged with refusing to comply with an environmental protection order as well as not providing his name and address to police after he was arrested in the front yard of his Salisbury Downs home Mr Caruso allegedly played another concert, as he did every Sunday and was arrested on June 13 for breaching an environmental protection order. The musician, who has dubbed himself 'Subblet Hammer or Subb', was released after being held in custody for three days. He then again allegedly took to his driveway the following Sunday, dressed in his finest underwear, to perform another concert and again was arrested by SA police. Outside of court on Tuesday, Mr Caruso told reporters he would like to be called 'the Rock'n'Roll rebel' and that he was autistic and didn't want to put a mask on as he feared it would 'look stupid'. The budding rockstar was arrested on June 13 after he was directed not to host any more concerts in the front-yard of his Salisbury Downs home due to noise complaints 'I'm hoping a few hot chicks will see I'm an able bodied man who can shred the guitar,' Mr Caruso said to reporters. 'These people complaining just don't exist. They're jealous. 'I think they (the police) had the speed gun out and caught me doing 120 with my fingers in a residential zone and the thought 'we've got to book that guy'. Mr Caruso is set to appear in Magistrates Court in October. This is the heroic moment a Good Samaritan braved the dangerous elements of the flash flood waters at a creek in western Mexico and rescued a woman from being swept away. The woman, who has not been identified, was driving across the San Bartolo stream in the Baja California Sur municipality of La Paz when it flooded due to the strong rains from Tropical Storm Kevin last Wednesday. Local media outlets reported that the driver, who was unaccompanied, managed to exit her pickup truck and walked towards the shore before she stopped and hung on to a tree. Still image of a video shows Nicolas Soto dragging a woman to the shore of a creek in Baja California Sur, Mexico, last Wednesday after it flooded due to Tropical Storm Kevin A pickup truck got stuck in the middle of a creek in Baja California Sur, Mexico, last Wednesday when a woman attempted to drive across despite strong rains produced by Tropical Storm Kevin Nicolas Soto (right) with his cousin Diego Soto (left) after he pulled a woman from a flooded stream in Mexico last Wednesday. Soto told Radio Formula that 'it was exasperating to see a person scream and cry as well' Nicolas Soto was near the river when he and his family spotted the woman struggling to hold on for dear life. Footage filmed by a family showed Soto maintaining his balance as he walked against the fast-flowing water and reached the woman. Soto managed to drag the woman towards the shore where he was met by his cousin, Diego Soto and two other men who assisted in pulling her to safety. 'It was exasperating to see a person scream and cry as well as my sister and her children, too,' Nicolas Soto told Radio Formula. Nicolas Soto bends over and reaches for a woman as she held on to a tree moments after she escaped her truck, which was stuck in the middle of a flooded stream in Mexico last Wednesday The woman (second from left) was treated at a local hospital and was said to have been in shock after she was pulled out to safety from a flooded creek He recalled the woman repeatedly begging him not to let her go as the force of the creek's fast current picked up more strength. 'In a way to reassure her, I tell her, 'I'm not going to let you go, calm down.' We reached the shore. She was paralyzed and wanted to vomit,' Soto said. The woman, who was in a state of shock, was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, Mexican newspaper El Heraldo de Mexico reported. While the eye of Tropical Kevin was 434 miles off the coast of Baja California, its rains caused many rivers to overflow in the area. At least five other people were rescued in similar incidents. The mastermind behind the Taliban's takeover of Kabul was released from Guantanamo Bay under Barack Obama's presidency in 2014 despite resistance from the Pentagon, it has been revealed. Khairullah Khairkhwa was one of five Taliban commanders released from the detention camp off the coast of Cuba by Obama in exchange for American soldier Bowe Bergdahl. The former president guaranteed the US people that the so-called Taliban Five would be sent to Qatar and incapable of doing any damage in Afghanistan. However, earlier this year Khairkhwa ended up brokering the terms of the withdrawal of troops despite intelligence reports sent to Obama and Biden after his release, according to the New York Post. Khairullah Khairkhwa was one of five Taliban commanders released from the detention camp off the coast of Cuba by Obama in exchange for American soldier Bowe Bergdahl While doing so the former president (pictured making a statement about the exchange next to Bowe Bergdahl's parents in 2014) guaranteed the US people that the so-called Taliban Five would be sent to Qatar and incapable of doing any damage in Afghanistan The US soldier (pictured: Bowe Bergdahl) the Taliban Five were exchanged for has since been dishonourably discharged for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy The freed Taliban Five were indeed sent to Qatar but simply used their exile to remotely form a regime. While speaking to President Biden's Afghanistan envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, earlier this year, Khairkhwa said: 'I started jihad to remove foreign forces from my country and establish an Islamic government, and jihad will continue until we reach that goal through a political agreement.' He promised that the Taliban wouldn't launch an offensive if Biden removed all US troops and even claimed they wouldn't punish Afghans who had worked with the US military. But the warlords are now trying to track down Afghans who did just that and are hunting those who cooperated in the toppling of the Taliban regime after the 9/11 attacks. Khairkhwa is believed to have had close ties with Osama Bin Laden and was arrested in Pakistan following 9/11 before being sent to Guantanamo in 2002. But just 12 years later Obama released him and four others - Abdul Haq Wasiq (right), Norullah Noori, Mohammad Fazl (left) and Mohammad Nabi Omari Pictured: Members of the Taliban Five who set up a regime in Qatar after their release from Guantanamo. Left: Norullah Noori. Right: Mohammad Nabi Omari When former President Donald Trump was in power he changed administration policy and made it much harder for Guantanamo prisoners to be released. But since taking over in January this year, Biden has already released his first one - accused terrorist Abdul Latif Nasser Taliban mastermind Khairullah Khairkhwa had 'close ties to Osama Bin Laden' It is believed that Khairullah Khairkhwa was one of the original Taliban members who launched the movement in 1994. And he was was the Minister of the Interior under Taliban rule in 1997 and 1998. He is said to have had close ties with Osama Bin Laden and was arrested in Pakistan after the September 11, 2001, attack in New York. It is believed that he may have negotiated a deal to hand information over to the CIA but when the deal broke down he was arrested. He stayed in Guantanamo Bay for 12 years before being released as part of the Taliban Five by President Barack Obama in 2014 in exchange for US prisoner Bowe Bergdahl. Advertisement Afghans pouring into Kabul as refugees fleeing the march of the militants told stories of how Taliban warlords had demanded they turn over women and girls to become their 'wives' and be raped. The Wall Street Journal also reported that civilians and captured soldiers were murdered by the Islamist terror organisation - allegations that Taliban officials have denied. Khairkhwa has previously overseen beheadings and stonings while instated as the Taliban's interior minister. He is believed to have had close ties with Osama Bin Laden and was arrested in Pakistan following 9/11 before being sent to Guantanamo in 2002. But just 12 years later Obama released him and four others - Abdul Haq Wasiq, Norullah Noori, Mohammad Fazl and Mohammad Nabi Omari. They were the only prisoners sent to Guantanamo for life that have ever been released without the parole board's clearance. And the US soldier they were exchanged for has since been dishonourably discharged for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. When former President Donald Trump was in power he changed administration policy and made it much harder for Guantanamo prisoners to be released. But since taking over in January this year, Biden has already released his first one - accused terrorist Abdul Latif Nasser. And some 10 others have also been cleared for release. The Intake Unit will be ready next May, according to Home Secretary Priti Patel Natalie Elphicke said money should be spent on stopping arrivals from crossing But some MPs said it sends the signal that illegal crossings cannot be stopped The Home Office plans to spend 2m on a permanent migrant centre in Dover A Conservative MP has slammed the Home Office's plan to spend 2million on a permanent migrant reception centre in Dover, saying they should instead focus on 'closing the small boats route'. The centre is being developed at the Dover docks to process the record numbers of migrants crossing the Channel, and will allow Border Force officials to test, check, interview and feed migrants on-site. The 2million Intake Unit, which will be converted from a disused welding site, will be ready next May, according to Home Secretary Priti Patel. But some MPs slammed the plans and said it sends the wrong signal by suggesting that illegal cross-Channel migration cannot be prevented, The Telegraph reported. Tory MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke, 50, instead argued that the Home Office should spend the money on trying to stop arrivals from crossing the Channel. A centre is being developed at the Dover docks to process the record numbers of migrants crossing the Channel. Pictured: Border Force collect migrants from craft on July 22 But Tory MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke (pictured), 50, argued that the Home Office should spend the money on trying to stop arrivals from crossing the Channel She told the publication: 'I would rather we focused our efforts on closing the small boats route than investing more and more millions of pounds in permanent structures.' When the multi-million pound facility was announced earlier this month, the politician said it was time to bring an end to 'illegal and dangerous journeys' across the Channel. Speaking about the permanent centre, she told The Sun: 'This sends the wrong message entirely.' It comes after more than 2,000 have crossed the Channel so far this August, including a record-breaking 592 migrants arriving at Dover last week. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The number of crossings is unacceptable that's why we're taking action on all fronts. 'Law enforcement agencies are dismantling the people smuggling gangs, joint work with the French has seen a doubling of police officers on French beaches, and we're reforming the pull factors here at home. The 2million Intake Unit, which will be converted from a disused welding site, will be ready next May. Pictured: Border Force officials and migrants arrive in Dover on June 24 More than 2,000 have crossed the Channel so far this August, including a record-breaking 592 migrants arriving at Dover last week. Pictured: Migrants arrive at Dover on July 21 'Our strengthened agreement with the French will build on existing cooperation and further increase police patrols on beaches, improve surveillance technology and enhance intelligence sharing. 'Our New Plan for Immigration will also reform the system to make people think again before attempting to enter this country illegally and break the business model of people smugglers.' The permanent migrant reception centre is expected to be manned by more than 40 staff and will cost an estimated 1.5million each year. In recent months, the Home Office's current reception centre has ballooned in size under the strain of ever-growing numbers of arrivals. It previously consisted of just a small brick building, but has since expanded into a larger complex, including a temporary tent-like structure and at least ten cabins. The current reception centre at Tug Haven, where migrants are taken for an initial assessment after crossing the Channel, has space for about 380 people. And it emerged earlier this month that the expanded site is still buckling under the pressure of record numbers of migrant crossings. During a spot check, the home affairs committee found 56 asylum seekers, including babies and children, 'packed into a small waiting room' at the facility. Charities have criticised Priti Patel (pictured) and called for the establishment of more safe and legal routes for people wanting to claim asylum in the UK Committee chairman Yvette Cooper described the facility as 'wholly inappropriate' and also deemed the conditions in the temporary centre as 'shocking'. Meanwhile, a damning official report, which came out last year, commented that the reception centre 'resembled a rubble-strewn building site'. Peter Clarke, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, previously commented: 'Detainees almost always arrived wet and cold, but then often had to spend hours in the open air or in cramped containers. 'Basic supplies, including dry clothing, ran out during the inspection and some detainees were placed on escort vehicles in wet clothes.' The Home Office previously said that it took the welfare of migrants seriously but services were under pressure from 'unacceptable numbers of people' crossing the Channel with the help of traffickers. The permanent centre is expected to be carpeted, with seats, storage facilities for migrants' clothing, dedicated interview spaces, and places to prepare food and drinks. Lucy Moreton, from the Border Force and Immigration officers' union, said: 'It's a recognition that this is a permanent fact of our lives going forward and we have to treat these people better than we have done.' The Home Office has repeatedly vowed to make the Channel route 'unviable', but numbers have risen sharply over the past two years. The Home Office previously said it took the welfare of migrants seriously but services were under pressure from 'unacceptable numbers of people' crossing the Channel Charities have criticised Priti Patel and called for the establishment of more safe and legal routes for people wanting to claim asylum in the UK. On Sunday, Border Force rescued 285 migrants including at least five toddlers who had attempted to cross the Channel - taking the total for August to over 2,000. It comes after a record-breaking 592 migrants made it to Dover on a single day last week. The French authorities stopped a further 420 people in 18 boats from attempting the trip. The latest crossings mean that 2,184 people have already crossed the Channel in 70 small boats in August. The reality of the journey's perilous nature was also made clear on Thursday when a 27-year-old Eritrean man lost his life trying to reach the UK when his boat started to sink off the French coast. His 22-year-old girlfriend watched helplessly as he entered the water before she was later rescued. A French migrant help association said she only found out later on that he had died. A manslaughter investigation is now under way in France. The English Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and the waters have claimed several lives. A management consultant admitted posting naked photos of her former partner online after hijacking his Alexa to scare off his new lover. Phillipa Copleston-Warren, 46, told the sobbing girlfriend to leave her ex-boyfriend's Lincolnshire home through the voice-controlled device and flashed his house lights off and on. She also accessed his Facebook account and posted naked photos of him online that spread as far as Pakistan leaving him feeling violated, a London court was told. Copleston-Warren, of Paultons Square, Chelsea, admitted to charges of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. She was granted bail on condition not to contact the man or visit his Lincolnshire home ahead of sentence on 6 October. Philippa Copleston-Warren, 46, pictured. She told the sobbing girlfriend to leave her ex-boyfriend's Lincolnshire home through the voice-controlled device and flashed his house lights off and on The new girlfriend burst into tears and fled the property in Lincolnshire following the alleged Alexa (file image pictured) hacking in October, Isleworth Crown Court heard The businessman was at his Lincolnshire home at the time with a female friend after recently splitting with Copleston-Warren after a two year relationship. Copleston-Warren accessed his Alexa and spoke through it, telling the woman to 'leave and take your stuff'. She also used the device to flash to lights on and off, which led to the tearful female victim to run from the house. Later that day, he received various different text messages about how the defendant was going to disclose photos, naked photos and upload them to his Facebook. Copleston-Warren said on his Facebook account that he had fathered two children out of wedlock. The alleged victim had recently split from Copleston-Warren (pictured) after a two-year relationship. She was granted bail on condition not to contact the man or visit his home Copleston-Warren (pictured) hacked into her ex-boyfriend's voice-activated smart device Alexa from 130 miles away to force his new girlfriend to leave, a court heard Copleston-Warren (pictured) - from Chelsea, West London - is also accused of using the smart device to switch the lights on and off in the house Copleston-Warren appeared at Tuesday's hearing at Isleworth Crown Court via video-link from her living room wearing a black top. She admitted disclosing private sexual photos with intent to cause distress. Jacob Bindman, defending, said: There was no hacking of the victims account, she had joint access and she had all the passwords. Its absolutely incorrect that there was any hacking. Misba Majid, prosecuting, earlier told the court that the victim had returned home to his home with his new girlfriend in On October 5, 2019. He said Copleston-Warren accessed her ex-boyfriends Alexa whilst they were at the property. The defendant spoke through the Alexa account to tell the complainants friend in the property to leave and to take her stuff. She also used the Alexa to turn the lights on and off. This so distressed the individual it caused her to cry and she left. Later that day he received various different text messages about how the defendant was going to disclose photos, naked photos and upload them to his Facebook. Copleston-Warren said her ex-boyfriend had fathered two children out of wedlock on his Facebook account, the court heard. He stated that those nude photos went viral as far as Pakistan and impacted on his work and business, given the amount of people who had seen them. He felt completely violated and had ripped his world apart. Geronimo the alpaca has been granted a 24-hour reprieve by an emergency High Court hearing - just hours before he was set to be executed. The Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) had ordered that the eight-year-old animal be euthanised after he tested positive twice for bovine tuberculosis (TB). But a temporary injunction to halt the enforcement of the order was considered by Mrs Justice Stacey today after the alpaca's owner Helen Macdonald, 50, made a last-ditch legal application to delay the animal's destruction. The judge said she would need further information from Ms Macdonald and from Government lawyers before she could make her decision and would resume the hearing on Wednesday afternoon. Ms MacDonald, who owns a farm in Wickwar, Gloucestershire, said she was thrilled when her legal team told that the review application to the High Court had been accepted. Geronimo the alpaca, who was set to be executed, has been granted a 24-hour reprieve by the High Court The alpaca's owner Helen Macdonald (pictured with Geronimo), 50, made a last-ditch legal application to delay the animal's execution But she warned Geronimo's supporters that the battle had not been won as Defra had only agreed to extend his stay of execution until 5pm today. She said if they refuse to change their mind, her legal team will have no option but to pursue an injunction so they could not kill Geronimo before the High Court rules on the latest hearing. Ms Macdonald, who imported the alpaca from New Zealand in 2017, said she had not been given a timeframe but warned her last judicial review in the same court took four months to be heard. She said: 'We heard from court late yesterday that they had accepted our judicial review so are now just waiting for a date. 'But Defra confirmed that as far as executing the warrant they wouldn't do anything until 5pm today. 'We are now trying to get that time extended by Defra or will have to go back to the High Court and ask them to look at an injunction. 'We just have to keep him safe before the hearing but we don't know when that will be. It depends on Defra how we achieve that. 'They can either be responsible and announce they will not take action before the hearing or we will have to take steps today to ensure Geronimo stays safe. 'I honestly don't know how long it will take. The last time we had a judicial review it took four months before it was heard. We hope it will not be that long this time but it is up to the court.' In a message to Geronimo's supporters, Ms Macdonald, who has always disputed the accuracy of the alpaca's test results, said the battle may have been won but the fight was far from over. The alpaca has been kept in isolation at Ms Macdonald's farm since he was imported from New Zealand in 2017 Ms Macdonald claims the Enferplex blood tests the animal was given were flawed but has refused permission to have him tested a third time End of cruel livestock hauls under new rules Farm animals will not be subjected to cruel long journeys under rules to be introduced by the Government. The measures include shorter maximum travel times, giving them more headroom in transit and stricter guidance on transporting in extreme hot or cold temperatures. The rules will apply to livestock in England and Wales on journeys above 40 miles (65km). A ban on exporting live animals for slaughter and fattening is also part of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill which is working its way through Parliament. Environment Secretary George Eustice said: We are legislating to ban the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening and... developing other measures to improve the welfare of animals during transport. Advertisement She added: 'If Defra try and do something before the case is heard that would be the most despicable thing ever. They know the science is not there and we just want some reasonable behaviour. 'We want some grown up conversations and there are options on the table for them. This is just another step in clearing Geronimo's name. 'We have always invited Defra to the table but they are hiding behind a wall and hoping this will go away and he will die. 'We are just dealing with things day to day so at least I was able to sleep last night. This is all moving at such a fast pace now you can sense things are happening. 'But we are not done, no-where near yet. Defra are still not accepting the facts and so we will keep doing what we can and use every tool in the book to stop them. 'The High Court ruling yesterday was good news - but I would just say to our supporters that the fight is not over. People power is helping so much and this has really helped keep us going no doubt. 'We have to have faith in the judicial system. At some point they have to accept the evidence that was provided was inaccurate and say it is wrong. The whole thing is a mess but with people power and getting justice in the conventional way I hope we can get through it.' The judicial review was sought on the basis of 'non disclosure' of information by Defra to Ms Macdonald's legal team around previous 'healthy' animals that had been put down but later showed no trace of bovine TB. Geronimo has been kept in isolation at veterinary nurse Ms Macdonald's farm since he was imported from New Zealand in 2017. Ms Macdonald claims the Enferplex blood tests he was given were flawed because Defra insisted he was injected with a protein called tuberculin to make him more sensitive. Critics say this prompts an immune response, causing a false positive test for bovine TB, but Government vets have rejected the claim. The alpaca's plight has won the support of celebrities including Joanna Lumley and BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham. The Save Geronimo petition now has more than 130,000 signatories and several MPs have raised questions in the Commons about the culling of healthy alpacas. White House press secretary Jen Psaki was forced to cut her planned family vacation short, returning to work Monday as President Joe Biden delivered remarks on Afghanistan. She'll brief reporters Tuesday afternoon at 1:30, alongside National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, as the crisis continues to unfold. Psaki had planned to take this week off, with her automated out-of-office reply saying she would return on August 22, when reporters tried asking her questions about Afghanistan over the weekend. White House press secretary Jen Psaki was forced to cut her planned family vacation short, returning to work Monday as President Joe Biden delivered remarks on Afghanistan. She's photographed watching the president's address Monday afternoon President Joe Biden returned to the White House several hours on Monday from Camp David to address the American people on the situation unfolding in Afghanistan as the Taliban has taken control of the country The Washington Post reported that Psaki had returned to the White House Monday to help manage the Afghanistan situation. The Post reported that the mood inside the White House was 'grim.' Biden was originally supposed to stay at Camp David through Wednesday, according to a schedule released by the White House Friday. The Post cited a foreign policy ally who said Biden's team would have never let him travel to Camp David had they anticipated the Taliban would take over Afghanistan so quickly. The rapid collapse forced Biden to leave Camp David for several hours Monday to fly back to the White House to address the American people. He then returned to Camp David, where he remained Tuesday. Biden doubled down on his decision to pull the remaining U.S. troops out of Afghanistan after a 20-year war. 'I stand squarely behind my decision,' Biden said. 'After 20 years I've learned the hard way. That there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. That's why we're still there.' 'So I'm left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: How many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan's civil war, when Afghan troops will not?' Biden asked. 'How many more lives, American lives is it worth? How many endless rows of head stones at Arlington National Cemetery?' he continued. 'I'm clear in my answer: I will not repeat the mistakes we've made in the past. The mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States.' 'Of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country. Of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces,' the president added. Biden left without taking questions. He'll be out of earshot from reporters until at least Wednesday. After Biden's address on Monday, he headed straight back to Camp David. He will not face any reporters until at least Wednesday Taliban fighters are now controlling the entry to the airport and have seized all of the access points leading to it in Kabul. It forces NATO troops to rely on them to allow evacuees into the airport to board flights Labor ACT Senator Katy Gallagher's daughter is one of Canberra's 17 people diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday. The ACT's lockdown was due to end on Thursday but has been extended for two weeks until at least September 2 amid a surge of new Covid cases, the first to hit the territory since last year. 'This morning we were advised that my gorgeous daughter Evie has tested positive for COVID-19,' the senator announced on Twitter late on Tuesday night. 'She is at home with us but is feeling pretty unwell and understandably worried about what this means for her and for the rest of her family. We are really grateful for the medical and personal support we are receiving. 'Our household remains in strict quarantine until ACT Health advises us that we don't need to isolate anymore. Senator Gallagher (pictured), Chair of Select Committee on COVID-19, announced her daughter had tested positive to the virus 'The rest of our family, including myself, have all returned negative tests.' Senator Gallagher, Chair of Select Committee on COVID-19, said she was 'lucky' as she is fully vaccinated. 'Unfortunately too many Australians have not had that opportunity,' she said. 'My focus right now is on my little girl and getting her through this - but these events bring a sharp personal focus to the consequences of our government's failure to ensure a prompt, efficient national rollout of vaccines.' In her statement, the senator thanked those providing her family with support and everyone working to keep Canberrans safe. Police in Atlanta have released a frantic 911 call from a man reporting that his bartender girlfriend was kidnapped at gunpoint from in front of his house as he looked on in shock. The victim of the brazen August 13 abduction, 27-year-old Mariam Abdulrab, was found shot to death just hours later. Police on Sunday charged DeMarcus Brinkley, 27, a convicted child molester who was out on probation, with kidnapping, murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during of a felony in connection with Abdulrab's death. Scroll down for video Atlanta police have released a 911 call placed by local rapper Jerry Antoine, reporting the armed kidnapping of his bartender girlfriend, Mariam Abdulrab (pictured together, left). Ex-convict DeMarcus Brinkley, 27 (right), was later arrested on kidnapping and murder charges Surveillance footage obtained by WGCL-TV purports to show Abdulrab forced to get into an SUV as she was kidnapped outside her boyfriend's home early Friday Police did not release a motive in the case, or say whether Brinkley knew Abdulrab prior to the killing. A 911 call that was made by Abdulrab's rapper boyfriend, Jerry Antoine, captures the first minutes after the victim was forced into a vehicle by an armed man and whisked away just before 5am on Friday. Antoine, who performs under the stage name Germ, tells an emergency dispatcher that Abdularb had called him to say that she was approaching his house on Burroughs Street in Atlanta after finishing a shift at the Revery VR BAr, but she never made it inside. Instead, Antoine said he watched from a window as a man wearing a security shirt held a gun to his girlfriend's head and forced her into a black SUV just moments after she emerged from her car. Abdulrab was kidnapped at gunpoint after finishing a shift at the Revery VR Bar and arriving at her boyfriend's home. She was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds hours later Abdulrab's family members and friends have mourned her loss, calling her 'peaceful' and a 'living jewel' 'I just watched her get kidnapped from in front of my house! What the f***!' an audibly shaken Antoine exclaims on the call before unleashing a torrent of expletives. Nearly five hours later, police received another 911 call from a man walking his dog who reported finding Abdulrab lying face down on the ground outside an abandoned house on Lake Avenue. 'She does not appear to be breathing,' the man tells a 911 operator. 'I see blood around her upper body and arms... Lord, this is somebodys baby.' Abdulrab had been shot multiple times, according to the medical examiner. A short time later, police named Brinkley as a person of interest in Abdulrab's killing. He was initially arrested on traffic charges after leading cops on a high-speed car chase that ended when he wrecked his blue 2013 Chevrolet Equinox into gold Buick in Griffin, witness video posted to Facebook shows. Brinkley, a convicted child molester, was arrested in Griffin, Georgia, after leading police on a high-speed crash and crashing his car (pictured) Brinkley was taken to an Atlanta hospital with injuries. Authorities said he would be booked into the Fulton County jail after his release from the hospital. Records obtained by 11Alive indicate that Brinkley has a lengthy criminal history dating back to his teenage years, when he was arrested for stealing an iPod from a teacher at his high school. In 2012, Brinkley was arrested for trying to rape a five-year-old girl, resulting in a conviction on multiple counts, including aggravated child molestation, cruelty to children, criminal attempt to commit rape and simple battery. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, followed by eight years of probation. During his sentencing hearing, Brinkley and his defense attorney told the court he had been diagnosed with two mental health disorders and was taking three medications. Antoine, a rapper known as Germ, reported his girlfriend's kidnapping, telling a 911 operator that she was abducted from in front of his house A mural honoring Abdulrab was painted over the weekend, drawing a crowd of her friends Brinkley was released on probation in November 2020. Meanwhile, Abdulrab's loved ones have been struggling to come to terms with her violent and sudden death. The bar where she worked remained closed during the weekend in mourning for Abdulrab. 'Our hearts are truly broken at the loss of a dear friend and family member,' the bar wrote on social media. 'Mariam brought light to every single person she came in contact with and will forever be missed.' Over the weekend, a mural honoring the slain bartender appeared near the Krog Street Tunnel. Mourners have been leaving flowers beneath Abdulrab's image decorated with roses and a halo. On Sunday, dozens of people, among them Jerry Antoine, Abdulrab's boyfriend, gathered at the site of the mural to pay tribute to her. 'I LOVE YOU MERMZ,' Antoine wrote on his Instagram page. 'I ALWAYS TOLD YO LIL ASS YOU WERE LEGENDARY . IDK ANYBODY THT LOVED HARDER THAN YOU , YOU TAUGHT ME REAL LIFE LESSONS . #MARIAMFOREVER.' Patricia Clark, 49, has been charged with 'theft by failure to make disposition' in Burlington County, New Jersey A New Jersey woman has been accused of leaving her husband's body in a morgue and using GoFundMe donations meant for his cremation and funeral on 'living expenses.' Patricia Clark, 49, of Pemberton Township, was indicted on one count of 'theft by failure to make disposition' by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office on August 13. Family members alerted police that Clark's husband was still in the morgue even though she raised $2,050 from 28 people after his death, according to prosecutors. Her husband died on April 4, 2019. He was disabled and left behind three children, according to Clark's GoFundMe page. 'Please, if there is anybody out there that can make a donation to help with the expenses I would greatly appreciate it,' Clark wrote. 'His children would also appreciate it.' 'Our only income was his Social Security Disability,' the page continued. 'We have no money saved and he didn't have any type of life insurance policy.' Clark's husband was disabled and died in April 2019, according to Clark's GoFundMe page Clark fell about $1,000 short of her original $3,000 goal, but family members told police her husband was still in the morgue despite the donations The campaign fell short of its initial $3,000 goal, but raised the $2,050 over a period of two months. One person who donated $20 wrote: 'I wish I couldve given more, but this is all I can spare at the moment.' It's unclear whose family members called the police or how long Clark's husband was stranded in the morgue. The investigation began more than two years ago, according to a court summons issued to Clark on June 22, 2019. Her arraignment has not been scheduled, but it will be held 'soon' in Burlington County Superior Court. New Jersey law states that 'a person who purposely obtains or retains property upon agreement or subject to a known legal obligation to make specified payment ... is guilty of theft if he deals with the property obtained as his own and fails to make the required payment or disposition.' New Jersey State Police, which conducted the investigation into Clark, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com. Advertisement The Taliban claimed that Afghan women will not be persecuted under their Islamic rule during their first press conference since their sweeping conquest of Kabul this week, as the man tipped to be Afghanistan's next leader arrived in the country after a 20-year exile. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman, claimed 'there is a huge difference between us and the Taliban of 20 years ago', when female Afghans were beaten in the street or publicly executed, denied work, healthcare and an education, and barred from leaving home without a male chaperone. During their press conference in the capital city, the Taliban insisted girls will receive an education and women will be allowed to study at university - both of which were forbidden under Taliban rule in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 before the US-led invasion. The terror group also claimed they want women to be part of the new government after female Afghans staged a protest outside a local Taliban HQ in Khair Khana district, a suburb of north-west Kabul, while chanting 'honour and lives are safe' and 'join voices with us'. However, women and girls remain the most at risk under the new regime, with gangs in conquered areas allegedly hunting children as young as 12 and unmarried or widowed women they regard as spoils of war - 'qhanimat' - being forced into marriage or sex slavery. The Taliban has also said women will have to wear hijabs but not burkas. During the press conference on Tuesday, Mujahid did not detail what restrictions would be imposed on women, although he did say it would be a government with 'strong Islamic values'. Mujahid claimed: 'We are committed to the rights of women under the system of Sharia. They are going to be working shoulder to shoulder with us. We would like to assure the international community that there will be no discrimination.' The Taliban denied it was enforcing sex slavery, and claims that such actions are against Islam. During the 1990s, the regime established religious police for the suppression of 'vice', and courts handed out extreme punishments including stoning to death women accused of adultery. Just minutes before the hour-long press conference, it was confirmed that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy leader and co-founder, had arrived back in Kandahar from Qatar, with what was described as a high-level delegation. 'We are going to decide what kind of laws will be presented to the nation. This will be the responsibility of the government with the participation of all people,' Mujahid claimed. In a day of fast-moving developments: Taliban's deputy leader and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kandahar on Tuesday after 20 years of exile - confirming regime's grip on power; The Taliban held a press conference in which the group said they 'want to live peacefully' and insisted it would respect women's rights 'within Islamic law'; Joe Biden was condemned for the 'humiliating' retreat after Afghan forces capitulated with barely a fight; EU foreign ministers met in Brussels for emergency talks amid fears over a new European refugee crisis; Mr Johnson is pushing for a virtual G7 meeting to be arranged, raising the idea with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a call today and doing the same during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday; Dominic Raab promised that Britain will take 'tens of thousands' of Afghans on a longer-term resettlement scheme while increasing foreign aid; Turkey said it welcomed 'positive messages' from the Taliban and diplomats will hold talks with the Islamists; The Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a statement on the crisis, saying it had left them 'speechless'; Meanwhile the Afghan vice president and the son of a dead legendary military commander rally anti-Taliban forces in last stronghold less than 100 miles from Kabul; The Pentagon warned of a swift response to any attack carried out by the Taliban as mission to evacuate US staff and Afghan allies resumed. Pictured: Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the Taliban, speaks during a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. For years, Mujahid had been a shadowy figure issuing statements on behalf of the militants The same group of women started protesting this morning, demanding the extremist group does not 'eliminate' women from society but were not approached by Taliban fighters until the afternoon Pictured: Taliban fighters on a pick-up truck move around a market area, flocked with local Afghan people at the Kote Sangi area of Kabul on August 17, 2021, after Taliban seized control of the capital following the collapse of the Afghan government Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid answers press members questions as he holds a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, shakes hand with a journalist after his first news conference, in Kabul, Afghanistan The Taliban went on a PR offensive today promising women and girls their 'honour and lives are safe' and they will be able to work and go to university after coming face-to-face with brave protesters demanding equality faced in Kabul Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's co-founder and deputy leader, has arrived back in the country from Qatar, a spokesman has said (file image) The Taliban's war on female Afghans: Islamic group's brutal oppression of women and girls during 1990s tyranny A woman wearing a blue-coloured burqa walks next to the construction site of a building in Kabul on June 21, 2021 Under the hardline version of Sharia - Islamic law - that the Taliban imposed the last time they controlled the capital, women and girls were mostly denied education or employment. Burqas - full body and face coverings - became mandatory in public, women could not leave home without a male companion, and public floggings and executions, including stoning for adultery, were carried out in city squares and stadiums. Under threat of execution, girls were banned from mainstream education after the age of eight - forcing those who wanted to learn to do so in secret schools. From the age of eight, girls were not allowed to be in direct contact with males other than a close 'blood relative', husband, or in-law. Punishments were often carried out publicly, either as formal spectacles held in sports stadiums or town squares or spontaneous street beatings. Many punishments were meted out by individual militias without the sanction of Taliban authorities. In October 1996, for instance, a woman had the tip of her thumb cut off for wearing nail varnish - while in 1999, a mother-of-seven was executed in front of 30,000 spectators in Kabul's Ghazi Sport stadium for murdering her husband. She had been jailed for three years and tortured prior to the execution, but had refused to plead her innocence in a bid to protect her daughter. Even after the Taliban's ousting in 2001, women often remained marginalised, especially in rural areas. The United Nations chief called for an immediate end to violence in Afghanistan and urging the international community to unite to ensure that the human rights of all people are respected. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the Security Council at an emergency meeting on Monday 'and the international community as a whole to stand together, work together and act together.' He said he is 'particularly concerned by accounts of mounting human rights violations against the women and girls of Afghanistan who fear a return to the darkest days' in the 1990s when the Taliban ruled and barred girls for getting an education and imposed draconian measures on women. Mr Guterres said 'the world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead' and with the country's future and the hopes and dreams of a generation of young Afghans in the balance, the coming days 'will be pivotal.' At this 'grave hour,' the secretary-general urged all parties, especially the Taliban, 'to exercise utmost restraint to protect lives and to ensure that humanitarian needs can be met.' Mr Guterres said the UN continues to have staff and offices in areas now under Taliban control, and which so far have been respected. 'Above all, we will stay and deliver in support of the Afghan people in their hour of need.' 'We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan,' he said. Advertisement Much of the rest of Mujahid's press conference was also aimed at quashing fears about reprisal attacks against those who supported the Western-backed government, saying the new government did not want internal or external enemies. Earlier, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News 'thousands' of schools would continue to educate girls as the group announced a 'general amnesty' for those who previously worked in the Afghan government, saying 'their properties will be saved and their honour and their lives are safe.' A group of women staged a demonstration demanding the right to work and study in Kabul on Tuesday morning. Chanting the slogan: 'join voices with us' the small group of women approached a local Taliban HQ in Khair Khana district, a suburb of north-west Kabul. But rather than arresting or beating the protestors, the senior Taliban commander present tried to reassure them by telling them: 'Don't worry, your rights will be respected. You will be allowed to work and study.' One observer who saw the women's protest said: 'The Taliban are on their best behaviour at the moment. They are keen to take control of the levers of government in Kabul with the least possible bloodshed and in the quickest time. 'They know that to do that they need to win the hearts and minds of the people, or at least allay their fears. 'We've all heard orders from their high command stating that women will be allowed to work and girls to go to school, but that's very different from the way the Taliban have behaved in the past. The proof will be whether they continue to maintain that position over the next few weeks and months, or revert to their old ways.' Meanwhile, MailOnline received a heartfelt video plea from a young Afghan student outlining her fears for the days ahead. Kabul University student Rukhsar, 22, said; 'I am disheartened by the recent situation and advance of the Taliban because I have been sitting at home and worrying about my future. 'I have dreamed of doing a lot of things in my life but now everything has been stopped suddenly. 'Everything has changed in a flash of light.' She added: 'I don't know about my future now and the international community have turned their faces away from us. This is our right to go to university and to do work in the offices.' Mujahid also confirmed the Taliban's intention to form a government, and made assurances that its shape will be announced once it has been completed. 'Afghanistan will have a strong Islamic government,' he said. 'What the name and makeup will be, let's leave that to political leaders. I can assure you it will have strong Islamic values.' When asked by a reporter whether the Taliban would renounce terrorist group Al-Qaeda, Mujahid answered evasively, saying the group would not permit foreign fighters to use Afghanistan 'against anybody'. 'I would like to assure the international community that nobody will be harmed,' Mujahid said from the former government's media information centre in Kabul, speaking into a row of microphones. 'We do not want to have any problems with the international community,' he added, before defending the Taliban's right to 'act according to our religious principles.' 'Other countries have different approaches, rules and regulations... the Afghans have the right to have their own rules and regulations in accordance with our values.' The spokesman suggested that the Taliban intended to put the last 20 years behind them, claiming that the group is 'not going to revenge anybody, we do not have grudges against anybody'. 'We want to make sure Afghanistan is not the battlefield of conflict anymore. We want to grant amnesty to those who have fought against us,' he said. He described the Taliban's '20 year struggle for freedom, emancipating the country form occupation,' and said of the recent incursion: 'This was our right, we have achieved our right, I would like to thank God for bringing us to this stage.' There have also been concerns that the Taliban would restrict media and journalists within the country. Mujahid also attempted to allay those fears in Tuesdays conference. 'I would like to assure the media that we are committed to the media within our cultural frameworks', Mujahid said. 'Private media can continue to be free and independent. 'Islam is very important in our country... Therefore Islamic values should be taken into account when it comes to the media, to developing your programmes. 'Impartiality of the media is very important, they can critique our work so that we can improve. But the media should not work against us', he added. Press members are seen as Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid holds a press conference in Kabul Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid (L) gestures as he arrives to hold the first press conference in Kabul A group of armed Taliban fighters went to the women's protest in Khair khana district, a suburb of north-west Kabul, but rather than arresting or beating the protestors, the senior Taliban commander present tried to reassure them by telling them: 'Don't worry, your rights will be respected. You will be allowed to work and study' MailOnline received a heartfelt video plea from Kabul University student Rukhsar, 22, outlining her fears for the days ahead. She said; 'I am disheartened by the recent situation and advance of the Taliban because I have been sitting at home and worrying about my future' 'If I hear once more that the airport is safe - it's not': Westerners trying to flee Kabul tell of being groped and crushed while trying to navigate impassable melee of locals at Taliban checkpoints outside only airstrip providing flights to safety Western nationals trying to flee Kabul have described being crushed and groped during a stampede of Afghans held at Taliban checkpoints outside the airstrip providing evacuation flights as Afghanistan is taken over by the Islamist terror group. Armed militants have surrounded the capital's airport and seized control of all access points, meaning they they can decide who stays and who leaves the Middle Eastern state as the Taliban plunge Afghanistan back into what locals and many Western governments fear will be Islamic tyranny. Ex-Royal Marine commando Paul 'Pen' Farthing described how his wife and pregnant employee, from whom he has been separated, had been 'crushed, groped and pushed' by crowds outside the airport - and had been denied entry by British and US troops stationed there. In videos posted to Facebook, Farthing said they are now in a secure British location, but furiously urged Boris Johnson to 'get his s**t together' and slammed 'snake' Joe Biden's 'absolutely disgusting' withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan following the 20-year Western intervention. He also took fire at the British troops who allegedly prevented his wife from entering Kabul airport, adding: 'They should not be wearing the beret of Her Majesty's British forces if they're not prepared to open that gate for a pregnant woman.' One female student also described how she feared she would be crushed to death by panicking crowds at Kabul airport. Speaking to MailOnline, Aisha Ahmad - who studies in the capital - said: 'People had heard that the Americans were letting people onto the aircraft to get them out of the country. 'I didn't believe it at first, but then I went to the airport and saw that people had been allowed onto the tarmac without any checks, so I thought maybe it was true. 'There were thousands of people inside the airport. Then at one point we were all pushed back by the Taliban police to get us out of the airport and women and children were trampled under people's feet. 'I couldn't breathe in the crush and I really thought I was going to die. My feet are all swollen and covered in bruises. We thought there was a flight going to Germany which we might get on, but in the end they only took German nationals on board.' Advertisement Mujahid put particular emphasis on people being safe under the new Taliban regime, and that thing would be different from over two decades ago. 'In your homes, nobody is going to harm you, nobody is going to be interrogated or chased, those who have knocked on doors to inspect houses are abusers, they are going to be pursued and investigated,' he said. 'Thousands of soldiers who fought us for 20 years, after the end of occupation, they have been pardoned. Those who are at the airport waiting, when they come back to their homes, they will be safe... we want to give them confidence.' The Taliban's spokesman said that the group has pardoned everybody for the stability and peace of Afghanistan,' and said any harm caused in the recent incursion was 'one of the side effects of conflict'. 'A huge occupying force was defeated, it was impossible for us to emancipate the country, without injuries, without harms, without hurts. 'Animosities have come to an end, we want to live peacefully, we don't want any internal enemies or external enemies.' Mujahid said that the country was at a 'historic stage', with consultation over the creation of the new 'inclusive' government to be completed soon. He also said that while there had been some riots involving people who 'wanted to abuse the situation,' he assured Kabul's residents they would be protected. He also signalled the Taliban might invite countries to return to their embassies after frantic efforts were made in the last few days by many western countries to embassy evacuate staff from the city. 'The security of embassies is crucially important to us. The areas where there are embassies will have complete security,' he said. Despite the obvious PR campaign, terrified families in Kabul today handed red and white roses to the Taliban fighters who have taken their city - as they desperately tried to build bridges with them. Footage of the men and boys approaching the armed members showed them handing the symbolic coloured flowers. In Afghani culture red roses symbolise friendship, while the white blooms mean forgiveness. Ironically the flowers were nearly wiped out during the last Taliban regime when gardens were left neglected. The handing of the roses was a last gamble of families in Kabul who are anxiously waiting to see how rule under the Islamists will look. With little else to urge compassion from them, mothers and fathers are hoping the gesture will encourage mercy. The peaceful act is in stark contrast to the actions of Taliban fighters marauding the capital city. They have been targeting pro-West men and women and knocking on doors to take them away. Baradar, reported to have been one of Mullah Omar's most trusted commanders, was captured in 2010 by security forces in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi and released in 2018. Just nine months ago, Baradar posed for pictures with Donald Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to sign a peace deal in Doha which today lies in tatters. On Sunday, his forces seized Kabul and he is now tipped to become Afghanistan's next leader in a reversal of fortune which humiliates Washington. Taliban fighters patrol along a street in Kabul on August 17, 2021, as the Taliban moved to quickly restart the Afghan capital following their stunning takeover In Afghani culture the colours of the roses can signify different things, including friendship Pictured: Taliban fighters patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 17 August 2021. Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar, on 16 August, declared victory and an end to the decades-long FALL OF KABUL: A TIMELINE OF THE TALIBAN'S FAST ADVANCE AFTER 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT Feb. 29, 2020 Trump negotiates deal with the Taliban setting U.S. withdrawal date for May 1, 2021 Nov. 17, 2020 Pentagon announces it will reduce troop levels to 2500 in Afghanistan Jan. 15, 2020 Inspector general reveals 'hubris and mendacity' of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan Feb 3. 2021 Afghan Study Group report warns against withdrawing 'irresponsibly' March Military command makes last-ditch effort to talk Biden out of withdrawal April 14 Biden announces withdrawal will be completed by Sept. 11 May 4 - Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces May 11 - The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country June 7 - Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country's 34 provinces June 22 - Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts July 2 - The U.S. evacuates Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night July 5 - The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August July 21 - Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country's districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance July 25 - The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops "in the coming weeks" with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks July 26 - The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009 Aug. 6 - Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north Aug. 13 - Pentagon insists Kabul is not under imminent threat Aug. 14 - The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps Aug. 15 - The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul Taliban insurgents enter Kabul, an interior ministry official says, as the United States evacuate diplomats from its embassy by helicopter Advertisement While Haibatullah Akhundzada is the Taliban's overall leader, Baradar is head of its political office and one of the most recognisable faces of the chiefs who have been involved in peace talks in Qatar. The 53-year-old was deputy leader under ex-chief Mullah Mohammed Omar, whose support for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. The Taliban's former chief Mullah Mohammed Omar founded of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 1996 with Baradar. Omar's death was announced in 2015 - two years after he succumbed to TB. Mullah Omar bestowed the title 'brother' upon Baradar as a sign of affection. His arrival comes as the Taliban went on a PR offensive Tuesday, promising women and girls their 'honour and lives are safe' and they will be able to work and go to university as brave protesters demanding equality faced down an armed militant in Kabul. The Taliban gave the first indication on Tuesday since coming to power that they would not make the full burqa compulsory for women as they did when they last ruled Afghanistan. Under the militants' hardline 1996 - 2001 rule, girls' schools were closed, women were prevented from travelling and working, and women were forced to wear an all-covering burqa in public. 'The burqa is not the only hijab (headscarf) that (can) be observed, there is different types of hijab not limited to burqa,' Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the group's political office in Doha, told Britain's Sky News. The burqa is a one-piece overgarment that covers the entire head and body, with a mesh panel to see through. Shaheen did not specify other types of hijab that would be deemed acceptable by the Taliban. Alongside concerns centring on clothing, numerous countries and rights groups have raised the alarm for the fate of women's education in Afghanistan now that it is in the hands of the hardline militants who entered the capital Kabul on Sunday. But Shaheen also sought to provide reassurance on this topic. Women 'can get education from primary to higher education - that means university. We have announced this policy at international conferences, the Moscow conference and here at the Doha conference (on Afghanistan),' Shaheen said. Thousands of schools in areas captured by the Taliban were still operational, he added. Under the last Taliban regime, which ruled in accordance with a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, women were largely confined to their homes. The insurgents have sought to project greater moderation in recent years, but many Afghans remain skeptical. Their skepticism appears founded as some chilling reports have emerged of Islamist militants stalking cities across Afghanistan for women and girls. Jihadist commanders are reportedly ordering imams in areas they have captured to bring them lists of unmarried women aged from 12 to 45 for their soldiers to marry because they view them as 'qhanimat' or 'spoils of war' - to be divided up among the victors. The warlords are also trying to track down Afghans who co-operated with Allied forces after the invasion and toppling of the Taliban regime following the September 11, 2001 attacks, with one video showing a militant shooting at a man on a wall at Hamid Karzai International Airport. However, female Afghans are feared to be some of the most at-risk people under the new Taliban government. When the Islamists came to power in 1996 after the country's terrifying Civil War, they imposed theocracy and brutalised and oppressed women and girls. Afghans pouring into Kabul as refugees fleeing the march of the militants had told stories of how Taliban warlords had demanded they turn over women and girls to become their 'wives' and be raped. The Wall Street Journal also reported that civilians and captured soldiers were murdered by the Islamist terror organisation - allegations that Taliban officials have denied. There have been reports of women-centric shops with notices pasted on them warning them not to enter or they would 'face the consequences'. Taliban fighters reportedly shot dead a woman wearing 'tight clothes' and in some areas women cannot leave home without a male chaperone. Other reports say women are being forced to wear face coverings and Burqas, while Al-Jazeera reported on Monday that the extremist group told female employees at some banks to not return to their jobs. Earlier in the week, a beauty salon owner was pictured painting over pictures of female models on the outside of his shop, and a video of a young girl crying about the loss of her future went viral, reaching over 1.6 million people. The blood-soaked Taliban leaders taking control of Afghanistan whose histories of jihad jar with their claims of a new more tolerant regime and 'peace for all' The Taliban may be trying to convince the world this will be a far more tolerant regime than last seen in 2001, but the leaders who will take over Afghanistan remain a group of veteran jihadists with a blood-stained history. Many founders of the original Taliban are still in leadership positions today as the militants take control of Afghanistan, while others are the sons of founders who have since died or were killed in action. After the deaths of former chief Mohammed Omar and his successor Akhtar Mohammad Mansour in less than 12 months, the leadership is held by Haibatullah Akhundzada. Dubbed 'Leader of the Faithful', the Taliban's Supreme Commander who has the final word on its political, religious and military policy. Despite being the now-obvious choice, there is speculation that Akhundzada may not become the front-facing leader of the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - the full name of Afghanistan under the new Taliban rule. Under Akhundzada sits three deputies. In addition to Mullah Yaqoob, there is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Sirajuddin Haqqani, with the three being described be one Western official as 'the just-about-OK, the bad and the very, very ugly'. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar - who arrived back in Afghanistan today after 20 years in exile - is perhaps the most well-known and senior. He was the co-founder of the Taliban along-side Mullah Omar - who bestowed the title 'brother' upon him as a sign of affection. Some have suggested he may take up a prime-ministerial role under the new regime. Sirajuddin Haqqani heads up his late-father's group - the Haqqani Network - a US-designated terror cell responsible for a number of brutal killing throughout Afghanistan, including a bombing that killed seven children. After a meteoric rise to power following his father's death, Mullah Yaqoob heads up the Taliban's military, and was likely responsible for the recent incursion that has seen Afghanistan fall under the group's control once more. In addition to the deputy leaders, there are other senior figures among the Taliban who were key in negotiations with the Afghan government and foreign countries as they tried to find a way back into power. Now, after assuming control of the country, it is not immediately clear what the leadership structure will look like. Below, we look at the senior Taliban figures likely to be vying for power in the weeks and months to come. Supreme Commander Haibatullah Akhundzada, future Emir of Afghanistan and 'Leader of the Faithful,' the Taliban's Islamic figurehead - Became leader in 2016 ahead of other senior figures after predecessor was killed in a U.S. drone strike Akhundzada became head of the Taliban's council of religious scholars after the US invasion and is believed to be the author of many of its fatwas (Islamic legal rulings) Age: 60 years old Rank: Supreme Commander Joined: 1994 Haibatullah Akhundzada, the 'Leader of the Faithful,' is the Taliban's Supreme Commander with the final word on its political, religious and military policy. Akhundzada is expected to take the title of Emir of Afghanistan under the new Taliban regime. Believed to be around 60 years old, he is not known for his military strategy but is revered as an Islamic scholar and rules the Taliban by that right. He took over in 2016 when the group's former chief, Akhtar Mansour, was killed in a US drone strike on the Pakistani border. After being appointed as a surprise leader, Akhundzada secured a pledge of loyalty from Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the religious scholar with praise - calling him 'the emir of the faithful'. This helped to seal his jihadi credentials with the group's long-time allies, after securing the title in favour of other more senior figures. Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a militant movement that briefly fractured during a bitter power struggle following the assassination of his predecessor, and the revelation that the leadership had hid the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar for years. The leader's public profile has been largely limited to the release of annual messages during Islamic holidays. Akhundzada was born around 1959 to a religious scholar in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar Province. His family were forced to flee their home during the Soviet invasion and he joined the resistance as a young man. He was one of the first new Taliban recruits in the 1990s and immediately impressed his superiors with his knowledge of Islamic law. When the Taliban captured Afghanistan's western Farah province, he was put in charge of fighting crime in the area. As the Taliban seized more of the country, Akhunzad became head of the military court and deputy chief of its supreme court. After the US invasion in 2001 he became head of the Taliban's council of religious scholars and is believed to be the author of many of its fatwas (Islamic legal rulings), including public executions of murderer and adulterers and cutting the hands off thieves. Two attempts have been made to assassinate Akhundzada, one in 2012 and another in 2019. Afghan intelligence agency took responsibility for the first, while the second - which killed a number of Akhundzada's family including his father and brother - was claimed by the High Council of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate. Before being named the new leader he had been preaching and teaching for around 15 years at a mosque in Kuchlak, a town in southwestern Pakistan, sources told Reuters. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder and head of the political office of the Taliban - Held for eight years in Pakistani prison before being released on orders from the U.S. government Pictured: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder and deputy leader of the Taliban, makes a video statement on August 16 following the fall of Kabul Age: 53 years old Rank: Co-founder, head of political office Joined: 1994 Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the co-founders of the Taliban, was freed from jail in Pakistan three years ago at the request of the U.S. government. Just nine months ago, he posed for pictures with Donald Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to sign a peace deal in Doha which today lies in tatters. On Sunday, his forces seized Kabul and he is now tipped to become Afghanistan's next leader in a reversal of fortune which humiliates Washington. While Haibatullah Akhundzada is the Taliban's overall leader, Baradar is head of its political office and one of the most recognisable faces of the chiefs who have been involved in peace talks in Qatar. His name Baradar means 'brother', a title which was conferred by Taliban founder Mullah Omar himself as a mark of affection. The 53-year-old was deputy leader under ex-chief Mullah Mohammed Omar, whose support for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. Baradar arrived in Kandahar Province on Tuesday, landing in the insurgent group's former capital just days after they took control of the country. A Taliban spokesman said on Twitter that Baradar and a high level delegation 'reached their beloved country in the afternoon' from Qatar. Born in Uruzgan province in 1968, Baradar was raised in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement. He fought with the mujahideen against the Soviets in the 1980s until they were driven out in 1989. Afterwards, Afghanistan was gripped by a blood civil war between rival warlords and Baradar set up an Islamic school in Kandahar with his former commander Mohammed Omar. The two mullahs helped to found the Taliban movement, an ideology which embraced hardline orthodoxy and strived for the creation of an Islamic Emirate. Fuelled by zealotry, hatred of greedy warlords and with financial backing from Pakistan's secret services, the Taliban seized power in 1996 after conquering provincial capitals before marching on Kabul, just as they have in recent months. Baradar had a number of different roles during the Taliban's five-year reign and was the deputy defence minister when the US invaded in 2001. He went into hiding but remained active in the Taliban's leadership in exile. In September 2020, Baradar was pictured with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who 'urged the Taliban to seize this opportunity to forge a political settlement and reach a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire,' the US said in a statement In 2010, the CIA tracked him down to the Pakistani city of Karachi and in February of that year the Pakistani intelligence service (ISI) arrested him. But in 2018, he was released at the request of the Trump administration as part of their ongoing negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar, on the understanding that he could help broker peace. In February 2020, Baradar signed the Doha Agreement in which the U.S. pledged to leave Afghanistan on the basis that the Taliban would enter into a power-sharing arrangement with President Ashraf Ghani's government in Kabul. He was pictured in September with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who 'urged the Taliban to seize this opportunity to forge a political settlement and reach a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire,' the US said in a statement. Pompeo 'welcomed Afghan leadership and ownership of the effort to end 40 years of war and ensure that Afghanistan is not a threat to the United States or its allies.' The Doha deal was heralded as a momentous peace declaration but has been proved to be nothing but a ploy by the Taliban. The jihadists waited until thousands of American troops had left before launching a major offensive to recapture the country, undoing two decades of work by the US-led coalition. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad - Head terror group that has admitted to plotting a number of attacks, including a suicide bombing that killed seven children in a nearby school Sirajuddin Haqqani Age: Mid-forties Joined: 2000s Rank: Deputy leader, head of Haqqani network Sirajuddin doubles as both the deputy leader of the Taliban movement while also heading the powerful Haqqani network. The Haqqani Network is a US-designated terror group that has long been viewed as one of the most dangerous factions fighting Afghan and US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan during the past two decades. His father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, was the founder of the powerful force of fighters spanning the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, who are seen as a Pakistan-based Taliban. The group is infamous for its use of suicide bombers and is believed to have orchestrated some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years. Haqqani himself admitted to planning a 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul that killed six people. The victims included American citizen Thor David Hesla. An FBI wanted poster for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the famed commander from the anti-Soviet jihad He also confessed that he directed the planning by his network of an assassination attempt on former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai in April 2008. Later that same year, he was accused by coalition forces of carrying out a December bombing at an Afghan barracks near an elementary school that killed several school children, an Afghan soldier and an Afghan guard. In November 2008, it was reported by the New York Times that reporter David S. Rohde was kidnapped in the country, and Haqqani is reported to have been the journalist's last captor before he escaped. The network has also been accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Western citizens for ransom - including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, released in 2014. Known for their independence, fighting acumen, and savvy business dealings, the Haqqanis are believed to oversee operations in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while holding considerable sway over the Taliban's leadership council. Haqqani himself was the target of a reported U.S. drone strike in 2010, but he was not present in the area that was targeted. Mullah Yaqoob, military chief of the Taliban - Is the son of the Taliban's original founder Mullah Mohammed Omar who died in 2013 of Tuberculosis Mullah Yaqoob Age: 31 years old Joined: Unknown Rank: Second deputy, Taliban military chief The son of the Taliban's founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob heads the group's powerful military commission, which oversees a vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency's strategic operations in the war. He is seen as being part of the Taliban's more moderate camp, along with Baradar. Believed to be in his 30s, his lineage and ties to his father - who enjoyed a cult-like status as the Taliban's leader before his death - serves as a potent symbol and makes him a unifying figure over the sprawling movement. However, speculation remains rife about Yaqoob's exact role within the movement, with some analysts arguing that his appointment to the role in 2020 was merely cosmetic. He was virtually unknown until five years ago, when the mysterious death of his father was announce two years after he died of Tuberculosis. In his first ever public address at the time, Yacoob - who is presumed to have been in his twenties at the time - called for unity within the Sunni extremist group. Since his audio message spread through the ranks of the Taliban, he is understood to have risen the ranks quickly within the group, and has consolidated power since his failed bid to succeed his father. He first became deputy leader before - more recently - becoming military chief. Outsiders believed that Yaqoob was a supporter of the peace process between the Taliban and the Afghan government, that resulted in the deal being signed by the Taliban and the United States under Donald Trump, aimed at withdrawing foreign troops from the country. However, others have suggested that the selection of an inexperienced leader could hint at divisions within the Taliban, which has undergone a number of bitter transitions. Under Yaqoob's control, the Taliban military appears to have upheld its agreement to not attack U.S forces, but the militants have failed to fulfil a pledge to renounce the Al-Qaeda terrorist network behind the 9/11 attacks. Now, having successfully taken control of the Afghanistan with the Taliban military, Yaqoob's future ambitions for leadership could well have been strengthened in the last weeks. For a brief spell in 2020, Yaqoob was said to be leading the whole of the Taliban after Akhundzada fell ill with Covid-19 during the coronavirus pandemic. Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Senior judge and head of Taliban's negotiating team - Graduated from the Darul Uloom Haqqania, the so-called university of jihad Abdul Hakim Haqqani Age: 54 years old Joined: 1994 Rank: Chief justice, chief negotiator The head of the Taliban's negotiating team, Abdul Hakim Haqqani is believed to be one of the people within the group that Haibatullah Akhundzada trusts most. As the Taliban's former shadow chief justice, he heads its powerful council of religious scholars. Like many of the top Taliban, he spent years hiding in Pakistan following the group's 2001 defeat to the U.S.-led invasion, but has now returned to the spotlight after he was appointed as the Taliban's chief negotiator with Afghanistan's government in Kabul - that were held in Qatar. As head cleric, he until recently ran an Islamic madrasah, or seminary, in the Ishaqabad area of Quetta. From there, he led the Taliban's judiciary and a powerful council of Taliban clerics that issued religious edicts that worked to justify the group's brutal insurgency of the country. His announcement as head of the negotiating team was part of a shake-up of the Taliban's 21-member team ahead of the opening of peace talks, with the group offering no explanation for the changes, or Abdul Hakim's appointment. Sources have suggested it was modified to give it power to make on-the-spot decisions. Abdul Hakim Haqqani is thought of highly among the Taliban, particularly for his religious credentials but also for his birthplace. He was born in the Panjwai district in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, considered to be the Taliban's spiritual home. He graduated from the Darul Uloom Haqqania Islamic seminary in northwest Pakistan, known for preaching a a fundamentalist brand of Islam and schooling a generation of fighters for the Afghan Taliban. The so-called university of jihad has taught some of the most notorious members of the Taliban and other terrorist groups, including founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and and Jalaluddin Haqqani, the former leader of the Pakistani-based Haqqani network. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, head of the Taliban's Doha office - tried to persuade Clinton administration to give diplomatic recognition to Taliban in 1996 Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai Age: 58 years old Joined: 1994 Rank: Head of the Taliban's Doha office Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai is currently the head of the Taliban's political office in Doha, and was the former deputy minister of the group before its removal in 2001 when the U.S. invaded the country. Born in 1963 in Logar Province, he gained a master's degree in political science before studying at an Indian Military Academy, which at the time in the 1970s involve training Afghan army officials. He went on to fight in the Soviet-Afghan War, first under Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi's Islamic and National Revolution Movement of Afghanistan, then with Abdul Rasul Sayyaf's Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan. He was commander of the latter's south-western front. Between 1996-2001 - during the Taliban's rule of Afghanistan - he served as deputy minister of foreign affairs under foreign minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil and later deputy minister of health. While he was reportedly not trusted by his then-boss, he often gave interviews to foreign media, and speaks English. In 1996, Stanikzai travelled to Washington D.C. as acting foreign minister in an attempt to ask the Clinton administration to request that Taliban-ruled Afghanistan be extended diplomatic recognition. In 2012 - over a decade after the invasion of Afghanistan by U.S. forces following 9/11 - Stanikzai arrived in Qatar to facilitate the opening of the Taliban's political office in the country, and in 2015 he was appointed as acting head of the office in Qatar. Once appointed, he pledged his allegiance to Akhtar Mansour - who led the Taliban between 2015 and 2016, saying 'I and other members of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate declare allegiance to the honorable Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.' His position as head of the office was confirmed later in 2016. In July 2016, he traveled to China for talks with Chinese officials, and in 2017 he was denied entry to the UAE. In 2018 he led a delegation to Uzbekistan, before later travelling to Indonesia. Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban senior leader - Believed to currently be in Kabul negotiating with the city's political leadership Amir Khan Muttaqi Age: 51 years old Joined: Unknown Rank: Senior leader, negotiator Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi - who is currently said to be in the Afghan capital negotiating with Kabul's political leadership - is an Afghan Taliban senior leader, politician and member of the negotiation team in Qatar. The senior leadership reported includes Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country's negotiating council, and former President Hamid Karzai. That is according to an official familiar with the talks and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Muttaqi was a higher education minister when the Taliban last ruled and he began making contacts with Afghan political leaders even before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani secretly slipped away from the Presidential Palace on the weekend, leaving a devastating vacuum that Taliban who were surrounding the city strode in to fill. Muttaqi served as Minister of Information and Culture and representative of the Taliban government in talks led by the United Nations. He was originally part of Maulvi Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi's group during the Afghan jihad but later joined the Taliban movement when it emerged, and ruled in 1996. The official says the talks underway in the Afghan capital are aimed at bringing other non-Taliban leaders into the government that Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has said will be an 'inclusive Afghan government.' There is little indication about the substance of the talks, but Shaheen earlier told The Associated Press that a government will be announced after negotiations with non-Taliban leaders are completed. Afghans familiar with the talks say some rounds have gone late into the night and have been underway since soon after Ghani's departure. 'If I hear once more that the airport is safe - it's not': Westerners trying to flee Kabul tell of being groped and crushed while trying to navigate impassable melee of locals at Taliban checkpoints outside only airstrip providing flights to safety The race to get out of Kabul: What is the situation in Afghanistan and how many people are being evacuated? The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly 20-year war. Here is the latest: The Taliban, who ran Afghanistan in the late 1990s, have again taken control after the Western-backed government that has run it for 20 years collapsed The Taliban's deputy leader and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kandahar Tuesday after 20 years of exile, landing in the insurgent group's former capital just days after they took control of the country. It comes as the Taliban held a press conference in which it insisted it would respect women's rights - but women's rights but 'within Islamic law' They insisted would not exact revenge, which the group insisted they 'want to live peacefully' after taking control of Afghanistan Thousands of people are racing to Kabul Airport which is one of the last routes out of the country amid fears the Taliban could carry out revenge attacks Tens of thousands of people need evacuating - including some 22,000 on US special immigrant visas, 6,000-7,000 British nationals and Afghan allies, and 10,000 refugees that Germany has said it will accept Some people are so desperate that they clung to the side of a military jet as it took off and then plunged to their deaths yesterday - at least seven died At least 12 military flights took off from Kabul today Britain has carried out three MoD military flights so far today amid hopes they can get 6,000-7,000 people out in total RAF planes are taking people to other stable parts of the Middle East where they can get charter flights back to the UK Eleven aircraft of five different types are believed to be shuttling in and out of Kabul - the RAF Voyager Tanker (Airbus A330 MRTT), Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Airbus A400M Atlas 900 British armed forces are in Afghanistan to bring UK nationals home and secure safety of some Afghans 370 UK embassy staff and British nationals were flown out by the MoD on Sunday and yesterday, while 289 Afghan nationals were taken out last week A further 350 British and Afghans will be taken out of the country in the next 24 hours, UK Government says The US may issue up 80,000 special immigrant visas to those who helped with its combat operations 7,500 troops currently guarding the airport - including 6,000 Americans and smaller numbers of British, Turkish and Australians - will also need to leave Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for G7 leaders to hold a virtual meeting 'in the coming days' Defence Minister Ben Wallace says the Taliban takeover is a 'failure of the international community' Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says UK must work with 'challenging' partners on dealing with Taliban US President Joe Biden called the situation 'gut-wrenching' but rejected blame for what's happening The Taliban now say they want to form an 'inclusive, Islamic government' with other factions - and are holding negotiations with senior politicians Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has already fled the country after the Taliban reached Kabul on Sunday Advertisement Western nationals trying to flee Kabul have described being crushed and groped during a stampede of Afghans held at Taliban checkpoints outside the airstrip providing evacuation flights as Afghanistan is taken over by the Islamist terror group. Armed militants have surrounded the capital's airport and seized control of all access points, meaning they they can decide who stays and who leaves the Middle Eastern state as the Taliban plunge Afghanistan back into what locals and many Western governments fear will be Islamic tyranny. Ex-Royal Marine commando Paul 'Pen' Farthing described how his wife and pregnant employee, from whom he has been separated, had been 'crushed, groped and pushed' by crowds outside the airport - and had been denied entry by British and US troops stationed there. In videos posted to Facebook, Farthing said they are now in a secure British location, but furiously urged Boris Johnson to 'get his s**t together' and slammed 'snake' Joe Biden's 'absolutely disgusting' withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan following the 20-year Western intervention. He also took fire at the British troops who allegedly prevented his wife from entering Kabul airport, adding: 'They should not be wearing the beret of Her Majesty's British forces if they're not prepared to open that gate for a pregnant woman.' One female student also described how she feared she would be crushed to death by panicking crowds at Kabul airport. Speaking to MailOnline, Aisha Ahmad - who studies in the capital - said: 'People had heard that the Americans were letting people onto the aircraft to get them out of the country. 'I didn't believe it at first, but then I went to the airport and saw that people had been allowed onto the tarmac without any checks, so I thought maybe it was true. 'There were thousands of people inside the airport. Then at one point we were all pushed back by the Taliban police to get us out of the airport and women and children were trampled under people's feet. 'I couldn't breathe in the crush and I really thought I was going to die. My feet are all swollen and covered in bruises. We thought there was a flight going to Germany which we might get on, but in the end they only took German nationals on board.' She added: 'From what I can see in the media, the situation inside the perimeter has calmed down a bit, but that has just transferred the problem outside onto the streets. People are so desperate.' Aisha has received 'serious threats' from Islamists after changing her Twitter profile image to one of ex-law student Breshna Musazai, who was shot twice by the Taliban in 2016 but survived the assassination attempt and who works with an NGO to help girls receive an education. She also that Kabul was like a 'ghost town' since the Taliban had arrived and most shops were closed as traders worried about the worsening security situation and the possibility of looters. 'People are very conflicted about the future and what kind of Taliban we are facing now. Some think they've changed, and others are not so sure. I personally believe they will be softer for a few months, and then after that they will be the same Taliban of old,' Aisha said. 'We're also uncertain about how women will be treated. In some provinces they've told women not to come to work, but we don't know if that's temporary. Whether they will start punishing men for shaving their beard and women for not wearing the hijab, no-one really knows. 'I have lost all hope and I don't think it will be an easy path for Afghan women. My mother used to tell me stories about what the Taliban did and now I fear it will all come true like a bad dream.' Farthing said on Facebook: 'If I hear on the radio or the TV one more time that the airport is secure, its not - absolutely not. And for them to try to be evacuated and have to be groped, pushed and crushed to get to the gate and then refused by the British soldiers and the American soldiers on the other side to open it - all those soldiers need to grow a pair. 'Boris Johnson, you get your s**t together. I am absolutely furious. They are now out on the streets of Kabul at night trying to get back here. This is a complete cluster. This is the biggest cluster, and if they get injured or hurt, I am holding you 1000 per cent responsible. 'We will not be leaving, if they get here safely, we will not be leaving here again until that airport is secured and you can get into it. Don't you dare send another expat or any of these innocent Afghans to that airport to try to get them in through the thousands, the thousands of desperate people that are trying to get in there. 'You have not got a grip on this, your military does not have a grip of this. 'Boris Johnson and his government and the Americans, and that absolute snake Joe Biden, you are responsible for this, absolutely responsible. Saying you have no regrets about withdrawal? You have totally f**ked this up.' Streams of people, some clutching immigration documents, have been queuing under the guns of armed Taliban as Apache helicopters buzzed through the air. However, military chiefs have admitted that people wanting to be evacuated will be relying on terrorists letting them through. At least 12 military flights took off from Kabul Airport today, including three UK planes as the Ministry of Defence aims to ferry up to 7,000 Britons and Afghan allies out of the country. Most are heading to other stable parts of the Middle East, where the passengers catch charter flights back to Britain. A British student who took a holiday to Afghanistan before being trapped by the Taliban takeover today shared a video from inside a military plane as he landed in Dubai after being evacuated to safety. Some 370 UK embassy staff and British nationals were flown out by the RAF on Sunday and Monday, adding to the 289 Afghan nationals transported last week. A further 350 Britons and Afghans should be taken out of the country in the next 24 hours - but the pace will need to be stepped up dramatically if those at highest risk are to get to safety. There are at least 56,000 people who need evacuating from Afghanistan - including some 22,000 flying on US special immigrant visas, 4,000 British nationals, 10,000 refugees that Germany has said it will accept, and 20,000 bound for Canada. In reality, that number is likely to be far higher once diplomatic staff from dozens of countries which had relations with Afghanistan's former government are taken into account. The US said it may issue up 80,000 special immigrant visas to those who helped with combat operations and are likely to face revenge attacks from the Taliban, while 7,500 troops currently guarding the airport - including 6,000 Americans and smaller numbers of British, Turkish and Australians - will also need to leave. At least 6,000 people have already managed to flee the country on evacuation flights that began on Sunday, with a dozen departing on Tuesday - most of them flying to neighbouring Middle Eastern countries before continuing their journeys west. Spain, France and India confirmed their diplomatic staff were evacuated on Tuesday. Russia and Indonesia said their embassies will be partially evacuated, while the EU mission said staff including its ambassador Andreas Von Brandt are still in the country and will need to leave. Mr Johnson hopes to convene a meeting of G7 world leaders at the 'earliest opportunity' as he looks to co-ordinate the international response, as Mr Raab said the UK would have to work with 'challenging' partners on how to deal with the Taliban. It comes as the Taliban held its first press conference on Tuesday as the regime's co-founder and political chief Mullah Baradar arrived in Kandahar province after 20 years of exile, confirming their grip on power. During the briefing, a spokesman claimed women would not be persecuted under their Islamist regime - though fears remain of a return to the Taliban's war on women in the 1990s, when female Afghans were beaten in the streets, publicly executed, and denied work or education. Taliban soldiers at the entrance of Afghanistan's international airport in Kabul today. UK military chiefs admit that the new regime now has total control of access to the airport Ex-Royal Marine commando Paul 'Pen' Farthing described how his wife and pregnant employee, from whom he has been separated, had been 'crushed, groped and pushed' by crowds outside the airport - and had been denied entry by British and US troops stationed there People gather outside Kabul Airport today as the Taliban declared an 'amnesty' and urged women to join their government Afghanis, some clutching migration documents, line up behind barbed wire and under the guns of Afghan security guards at Kabul's main airport today, one day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country One of the lucky ones: Miles Routledge, 21, shared footage of him sitting alongside hundreds of other people fleeing the militant group as the aircraft touched down in the UAE Evacuees on a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, carrying 640 Afghans to Qatar from Kabul on Sunday US troops, backed by British SAS and Royal Marines special forces, are positioned at the 7.8-mile perimeter with snipers on rooftops, as well as machine gunners and armored cars on the runway. Meanwhile, truck-loads of Taliban fighters are outside the airport and manning the gates into the airport armed with AK-47s and rocket launchers Taliban claims it will 'respect women's rights, but under Sharia law' in regime's first press conference - as co-founder arrives in Afghanistan from Qatar after 20 years in exile The Taliban's deputy leader and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kandahar Tuesday after 20 years of exile, landing in the insurgent group's former capital just days after they took control of the country. A Taliban spokesman said on Twitter that Baradar and a high level delegation 'reached their beloved country in the afternoon' from Qatar. His arrival came as the Taliban held a press conference in which the group said they 'want to live peacefully' after taking control of Afghanistan in a lighting conquest in little over a week, leading to human rights concerns in the country. In his first news conference, Zabihullah Mujahid, who had been a shadowy figure for years, doubled down on the Taliban's efforts to convince the world that it has changed from the group that imposed a brutal rule on the country in the 1990s. Mujahid promised the Taliban would honor women's rights, but within the norms of Islamic law. He said the group wanted private media to 'remain independent,' but stressed journalists 'should not work against national values.' And he promised the insurgents would secure Afghanistan but seek no revenge against those who worked with the former government or with foreign governments or forces. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's co-founder and deputy leader, has arrived back in the country from Qatar, a spokesman has said (file image) 'There is a huge difference between us and the Taliban of 20 years ago, this has been an evolutionary process for us,' the Taliban's spokesperson claimed on Tuesday. 'We are going to decide what kind of laws will be presented to the nation. This will be the responsibility of the government with the participation of all people.' Baradar, reported to have been one of Mullah Omar's most trusted commanders, was captured in 2010 by security forces in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi and released in 2018. Just nine months ago, Baradar posed for pictures with Donald Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to sign a peace deal in Doha which today lies in tatters. On Sunday, his forces seized Kabul and he is now tipped to become Afghanistan's next leader in a reversal of fortune which humiliates Washington. While Haibatullah Akhundzada is the Taliban's overall leader, Baradar is head of its political office and one of the most recognisable faces of the chiefs who have been involved in peace talks in Qatar. The 53-year-old was deputy leader under ex-chief Mullah Mohammed Omar, whose support for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. The Taliban's former chief Mullah Mohammed Omar founded of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 1996 with Baradar. Omar's death was announced in 2015 - two years after he succumbed to TB. Mullah Omar bestowed the title 'brother' upon Baradar as a sign of affection. Advertisement Royal Navy Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key, who is organising the RAF evacuation from Permanent Joint HQ in Northwood, admitted to Sky News that people wanting to be evacuated would have to rely on the Taliban letting them through. 'Much of that journey is for them to undertake,' he said. 'It is quite obvious that the Taliban now are the prevalent security providers across Afghanistan - that's a fact - so therefore it is much up to them and these individuals, as we call them forward, to make their own way to the vicinity of the airport. 'We then bring them into the airport and process them, bring them into the airport and bring them back into a place of repatriation.' Sir Ben told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme the Taliban seemed 'acquiescent' about allowing people to reach the airport, saying: 'It is a statement of fact that they are now controlling all of the access points around the airport, so at a tactical level, around the gates, we are having to have a pragmatic engagement with the local Taliban commanders. 'And thus far and recognise, please, that we are only a day and a half into this kind of new situation they have seemed acquiescent and understanding of what we are trying to achieve. 'We don't take it for granted, and the local commanders continue to engage with them at the gate accesses to achieve what we want to achieve.' Sir Ben said the numbers they were being asked to evacuate was between 6,000 and 7,000. But he added: 'Those numbers are changing all the time as we understand the scale of the ask people are coming forward making themselves known through the FCDO consular services or into us under the Arap programme. 'How long have we got to do it? We don't really know, so every day we are working as hard as we can to bring as many forward into this pipeline as we possibly can. 'Clearly there is a dynamic political situation running across the city. 'We make no assumptions about that other than we really can't afford to pause and wait.' Footage showed racks of what appeared to be American and Soviet-made weaponry dumped alongside helmets, body armour and magazines full of ammunition in an arrivals area of the airport. And Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan's deputy president, posted a defiant message from the Panjshir Valley - one of the few areas not conquered by the Taliban - where he is holed up with other anti-Taliban warlords. And in a signal that Mr Johnson wants to draw together a broad coalition, Downing Street confirmed the UK wants the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) - which, as well as Britain, includes the US, China, France and Russia - to meet this week. The gathering would extend even further than the G7 alliance of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US, with the Prime Minister keen for leading economies to act together on choosing how to broach relations with a Taliban-led state in Afghanistan. A Downing Street spokeswoman said Mr Johnson and Mrs Merkel agreed that 'global co-operation was crucial'. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed the UK would have to work with 'challenging' partners on its approach to dealing with the Taliban following their capture of Kabul. UK relations with Moscow have been strained in recent years, particularly since the Salisbury Novichok attack in 2018, while Beijing and London have been at loggerheads over China's growing technological influence amid security and spying fears. Mr Raab, who admitted that the speed of Afghanistan's fall took the Government by surprise, told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'We'll need a contact group I believe, of not just like-minded Western countries, but countries with direct influence even if we find it challenging dealing with them. 'The permanent members of the Security Council, including China and Russia, will need to be, I think, part of the solution, so it's not going to be easy.' Mr Raab said he thought the international community must 'test' the Taliban's resolve to hold to promises previously made in their Doha agreement with the US, including ensuring terrorists do not take hold again in Afghanistan and leading a more 'inclusive' government. 'Now the Taliban have never kept a promise so far, but I think given that they have those set of undertakings, we must test it and make sure that there's a cost if they don't live up to those responsibilities,' he added. 'It is going to be exceptionally challenging, but that is already what we're looking to do and to try and galvanise some international action with that in mind.' No 10 said the Prime Minister plans to use a G7 meeting to focus on ensuring Afghanistan does not once again become a source of international terrorist threats, as it did in the 1990s when it harboured al Qaida founder Osama bin Laden. But politicians and defence experts warned that terrorists will be free to operate under the new administration in Kabul. Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Jamie Stone said jailed terrorists were 'now freely roaming the streets of Afghanistan' after the Taliban's victory and predicted that backers of so-called Islamic State and al Qaida 'will begin plotting their revenge on countries such as Britain'. Mr Stone is calling on ministers to publish the national security assessment it conducted before pulling British troops out of the central Asian country, pushing for a vote when Parliament is recalled on Wednesday if they refuse. Emily Winterbotham, a specialist in terrorism at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said it was 'pointless' to demand that Afghanistan should be free of international terrorists. 'Let's not forget that al Qaida never really left the country whilst Isis already has a foothold,' she said. 'The focus right now needs to be on refugees and humanitarian assistance.' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks at at his first news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan. The group said they 'want to live peacefully' after taking control of Afghanistan in a lighting conquest in little over a week, leading to human rights concerns in the country. 'There is a huge difference between us and the Taliban of 20 years ago, this has been an evolutionary process for us' Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Royal Navy Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key, who is organising the RAF evacuation from Permanent Joint HQ in Northwood, told Sky News that people wanting to be evacuated would have to rely on the Taliban letting them through at Kabul A British soldier stands guard as British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan are loaded on to an evacuation flight at Kabul Airport in an undated photograph Many founders of the original Taliban are still in leadership positions today as the militants take control of Afghanistan, while others are the sons of founders who have since died or were killed in action. After the deaths of former chief Mohammed Omar and his successor Akhtar Mohammad Mansour in less than 12 months, the leadership is held by Haibatullah Akhundzada. Dubbed 'Leader of the Faithful', the Taliban's Supreme Commander who has the final word on its political, religious and military policy. Despite being the now-obvious choice, there is speculation that Akhundzada may not become the front-facing leader of the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - the full name of Afghanistan under the new Taliban rule. Under Akhundzada sits three deputies. In addition to Mullah Yaqoob, there is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Sirajuddin Haqqani, with the three being described be one Western official as 'the just-about-OK, the bad and the very, very ugly'. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar - who arrived back in Afghanistan today after 20 years in exile - is perhaps the most well-known and senior. He was the co-founder of the Taliban along-side Mullah Omar - who bestowed the title 'brother' upon him as a sign of affection. Some have suggested he may take up a prime-ministerial role under the new regime. Sirajuddin Haqqani heads up his late-father's group - the Haqqani Network - a US-designated terror cell responsible for a number of brutal killing throughout Afghanistan, including a bombing that killed seven children. After a meteoric rise to power following his father's death, Mullah Yaqoob heads up the Taliban's military, and was likely responsible for the recent incursion that has seen Afghanistan fall under the group's control once more The body of an Afghan man is trapped in the wheel arch of a C-17 transport plane that took off from Kabul Airport on Monday British student, 21, who went on holiday to Kabul shares video aboard evacuation flight and thanks UK military as he lands 'safely' in Dubai with hundreds fleeing new Taliban rule A British student who took a holiday to Afghanistan before being trapped by the Taliban takeover today shared a video from inside a military plane as he landed in Dubai after being evacuated to safety. The footage showed Miles Routledge, 21, sitting among hundreds of other people fleeing the militant group as the packed aircraft touched down in the United Arab Emirates. The banking intern, who was wearing a flak jacket, wrote in a Facebook caption: 'I've landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British Army. All safe!' Thousands of refugees including brave British Army translators have been desperately trying to find space on the few flights leaving Afghanistan to avoid being killed by Taliban fighters. Miles Routledge, 21, shared footage of him sitting alongside hundreds of other people fleeing the militant group as the aircraft touched down in the UAE Mr Routledge, from Birmingham, had earlier posted a series of photos on message board 4chan and streaming site Twitch of his apparent trip around the war-torn country. The Loughborough physics student announced yesterday that he had eventually secured an evacuation flight. Mr Routledge wrote on Facebook: 'Got Evacuated at 4ish (it's 2am now) with 100 or so other civilians, couldn't message as there were cars emitting signals that would set off bombs, it blocked my airpods from connecting so I think it blocked all wifi/data. 'The Taliban let us go through the airport and we met many of them, very long transition period but everyone was smiling and waving at one another, some took selfies with them. I slept on a dirt/gravel road and woke up as cars went by. We're in a new safe house and we're all hydrated, happy and ready for a few hours of sleep.' Advertisement The warnings come as Downing Street said Mr Johnson is planning to unveil a 'bespoke' resettlement scheme to allow fleeing Afghans to set up home in the UK shortly. The Telegraph reported the concept could be similar to that used to take in Syrian refugees in 2015, which saw women with children, people with serious medical conditions and survivors of torture prioritised. Mr Raab - who has faced criticism after reportedly being spotted on a beach in Crete on the day Kabul was seized by insurgents - said he was unable to confirm how many refugees would be coming to the UK from Afghanistan, but added it was 'right' to consider a bespoke process for Afghan nationals. Around 900 armed forces are in Afghanistan helping to bring UK nationals home and secure the safety of selected Afghans. Royal Navy Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key, in an interview with Sky News, said British armed forces 'can't afford to pause' as they work with US troops to help get about 6,000 people out of Afghanistan via Kabul. Sir Ben also told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme the Taliban seemed 'acquiescent' about allowing people to reach the city's airport but stressed that Britain could not take that position for granted as repatriation efforts gather pace. An Indian airforce plane evacuated over 170 people from Kabul on Tuesday, including India's ambassador to Afghanistan, a government official said, as diplomats and civilians scrambled to get out of the country after the Taliban seized the capital. The flight landed in the western Indian city of Jamnagar for refuelling on the way to Delhi, Jamnagar collector Sourabh Pardhi told Reuters. Speaking to reporters, Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon said that nearly 200 personnel of the Indian mission in Afghanistan had been evacuated within three days, alongside Indian civilians working in the country. 'You cannot imagine how great it is to be back home,' Tandon said. 'We are back home safely, securely, without any accidents or harm to any of our people.' Tandon described the situation in Afghanistan as 'fluid', adding that a small number of Indian nationals remained in the country who authorities were attempting to bring back. Politicians in both the UK and US have urged their government to be 'generous' with granting asylum to Afghans who helped in the war effort, but there are fears that thousands will be left behind amid the chaos. The success of the operation now depends upon troops being able to keep the runway open, and on officials being able to locate all those who have been promised a ticket home and get them to the airport. Some 6,000 American troops have now encircled the airport, using barbed wire and armoured vehicles to keep people off the runway, but so has the Taliban - which now controls 90 per cent of the country. While Taliban diplomats have promised that the evacuation will be allowed to go ahead unhindered, it remains unclear if they will be willing to let their countrymen leave, having urged people at the airport to return home and promised an amnesty for government workers who go back to their jobs. Early on Tuesday, French soldiers were pictured standing guard alongside a military plane evacuating diplomatic staff and their Afghan colleagues. People were pictured forming orderly queues to board the aircraft, in stark contrast to the panicked and desperate scenes just hours earlier Despite the airport runway being secured, witnesses reported gunshots coming from the area overnight. Streets elsewhere in Kabul appeared calm. U.S. forces took charge of the airport, their only way to fly out of the country, on Sunday, as the militants were winding up a dramatic week of advances across the country with their takeover of the capital without a fight. Flights were suspended flights for much of Monday, when at least five people were killed, witnesses said, although it was unclear whether they had been shot or crushed in a stampede. Media reported two people fell to their deaths from the underside of a U.S. military aircraft after it took off, crashing to their deaths on roofs of homes near the airport. More video showed three bodies being retrieved from the streets. Meanwhile Afghanistan 's vice president and the son of a dead military commander are rallying anti-Taliban forces in the last stronghold less than 100 miles from Kabul. Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the son of his former mentor and famed anti-Taliban fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud, are putting together a guerilla movement in the Panjshir Valley - the only region not controlled by the Taliban The Panjshir Valley, 100 miles northeast of Kabul, is the last stronghold against the Taliban and has never been captured by the group A French national sleeps on the floor at Kabul airport early on Tuesday as he waits with other diplomatic staff to board a flight out of Kabul airport as evacuations resume David Martinon (centre left), the French ambassador to Afghanistan, waits with French and Afghan nationals to board a French military transport plane at the airport in Kabul More horrifying footage from Kabul airport showed the bodies of two people falling from a departing aircraft, while more footage later showed people retrieving three bodies C-17 jets were pictured taking off from Kabul on Monday followed by hundreds of desperate Afghanis, some of whom were clinging to the wheels on the same side of the plane that the footage was taken from A Spanish Airbus transport plane was pictured taking off from Zaragoza airport on Tuesday bound for Kabul, where an unknown number of diplomatic staff are awaiting rescue Spanish troops stand on the tarmac as they wait to help evacuate diplomatic staff and personnel from Kabul airport Spanish troops are loaded on board an Airbus transport plane in Zaragoza, bound for Kabul airport where evacuation missions have resumed today An Afghan boy is given food after arriving in Rome on board an evacuation flight out of Afghanistan An Afghan girl crouches on the floor of Rome's Fiumicino airport after being evacuated from the country Nepalese people evacuated from Afghanistan arrive via Kuwait at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu A Nepalese man evacuated from Afghanistan waves as he arrives via Kuwait at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu Macron pledges 'robust' EU response to stop Afghan migrants Emmanuel Macron has vowed a 'robust, coordinated and united' European response to stop Afghan migrants heading to the West and warned that Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is on course to become a 'sanctuary' for terrorists and people-smugglers unless action is taken. In a television broadcast from his holiday home in the South of France, the French President said the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan after the 20-year Western intervention had far-reaching consequences for other countries - and would need to work together to manage the change. 'This is key for international security and peace,' Mr Macron said on Monday night. 'We will do everything for Russia, the United States and Europe to co-operate efficiently as our interests are the same'. Mr Macron also urged the United Nations Security Council - of which France is a permanent member - to produce a 'reasonable and unified' response to the crisis engulfing Afghanistan and the wider region. The French President said the European Union would now be trying to regulate the vastly increased refugee flow from Afghanistan, which has a population of almost 40,000. He said France would be cracking down on 'illegal people smuggling rings', along with Germany and other EU countries. Mr Macron said: 'We must anticipate and protect ourselves against significant irregular migratory flows that would endanger the migrants and risk encouraging trafficking of all kinds.' He said some 800 Afghans including translators and cooks who worked for France had already been evacuated to his country And the President added that France was ready to help activists, artists and journalists who risk being targeted because of their work. 'We will help them as it is the honour of France to be side-by-side with those who share our values,' he said. Advertisement A U.S. official told Reuters U.S. troops had killed two gunmen who had appeared to have fired into the crowd at the airport. Despite the scenes of panic and confusion in Kabul, U.S. President Joe Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces after 20 years of war - the nation's longest - that he described as costing more than $1 trillion. But a video on Monday of hundreds of desperate Afghans trying to clamber onto a U.S. military plane as it was about to take-off could haunt the United States, just as a photograph in 1975 of people scrambling to get on a helicopter on the roof of a building in Saigon became emblematic of the humiliating withdrawal from Vietnam. Biden insisted he had to decide between asking U.S. forces to fight endlessly in what he called Afghanistan's civil war or follow through on an agreement to withdraw negotiated by his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump. 'I stand squarely behind my decision,' Biden said. 'After 20 years I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. That's why we're still there.' Facing a barrage of criticism, from even his own diplomats, he blamed the Taliban's takeover on Afghan political leaders who fled and its army's unwillingness to fight. The Taliban captured Afghanistan's biggest cities in days rather than the months predicted by U.S. intelligence, in many cases after demoralised government forces surrendered despite years of training and equipping by the United States and others. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the hasty pullout of U.S. troops had a 'serious negative impact, ' China's state broadcaster CCTV reported, adding that Wang pledged to work with Washington to promote stability. Blinken also spoke on Monday with counterparts in Pakistan, Russia, Britain, the European Union, Turkey and NATO about ensuring regional stability, the State Department said. U.S. Charge d'Affaires Ross Wilson dismissed in a Twitter message what he called false reports that he had left the country, saying he and staff remained and were helping thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghans. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday as the Islamist militants entered Kabul, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. The U.N. Security Council called for talks to create a new government in Afghanistan after Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned of 'chilling' curbs on human rights and violations against women and girls. Afghan nationals queue up at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman as they try to escape the country An Afghan woman clad in a burqa walks past a Pakistani paramilitary soldier as she crosses the border at Chaman Afghan people sit outside the French embassy in Kabul as they seek safe passage out of the country on Tuesday Thousands of people who had earlier crowded Afghanistan's main airport in Kabul seeking a way out of the country began diverting to embassies on Tuesday, seeking a way out Dozens of people gather outside the French embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, as they try to secure a route out of the country Taliban fighters on a pick-up truck move around a market area of Kabul, as the militant group retakes control of the country Civilians make their way around a market in Kabul - women with their heads covered and men wearing traditional dress - as the Taliban begins to reassert control over the country Life begins to return to normal in parts of Kabul, while chaos still reigns in others as some locals return to their day jobs while others attempt to flee the country China's state media mocks US Afghanistan withdrawal A representative of Chinese state media mocked the U.S.'s withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying the Taliban takeover was smoother than the presidential transition earlier this year. Hu Xijin, an editor of the state-produced Global Times, sent out a tweet Sunday night. 'Chinese netizens joked that the power transition in Afghanistan is even more smooth than presidential transition in the US,' Hu wrote. Hu was referencing content users posted to Weibo, which is the Chinese version of Twitter. Business Insider translated some of the posts. 'What a joke. In Kabul today, the new government takeover was even more stable than when the US changed presidents,' Weibo user Chen Zhen wrote. Hu also tweeted that Taiwan's democratic government should look to Afghanistan as an example and rejoin mainland China, a communist nation, because it wouldn't have the help of the United States. 'After the fall of the Kabul regime, the Taiwan authorities must be trembling. Don't look forward to the US to protect them,' Hu wrote. 'Taipei officials need to quietly mail-order a Five-Star Red Flag from the Chinese mainland. It will be useful one day when they surrender to the PLA.' Hu also touted the Chinese policy of 'non-interference' in a Monday tweet. 'Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan is operating normally,' he wrote. 'The principle of non-interference in domestic affairs enables China to maintain the confidence that it need not close its embassy in Kabul which still functions normally in this special, chaotic time.' Advertisement Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she was 'deeply concerned' and called for world leaders to take urgent action. She urged Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to open their country to refugees. Former Afghan faction commander and prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said he would travel to Doha on Tuesday to meet a Taliban delegation, accompanied by former President Hamid Karzai and former foreign minister and peace envoy Abdullah Abdullah, Al Jazeera TV reported. Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices. During their 1996-2001 rule, women could not work and punishments such as public stoning, whipping and hanging were administered. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Dunya News that the group would improve the security of Kabul and 'respect the rights of women and minorities as per Afghan norms and Islamic values'. Shaheen added the new regime would ensure representation of all ethnicities and that the Taliban were keen to work with the international community to rebuild the country. Shaheen said on Twitter that the group's fighters were under strict orders not to harm anyone. 'Life, property and honour of no one shall be harmed but must be protected by the mujahideen,' he said. Meanwhile, America's hasty withdrawal was proving a PR coup for China which accused Washington of 'leaving an awful mess' behind the backs of its retreating soldiers. Beijing has signalled its readiness to cooperate with the Taliban after the United States' withdrawal, which spurred a rapid advance by the Islamist hardliners across the country that saw them capture the capital Kabul on Sunday. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Tuesday said Washington had left 'an awful mess of unrest, division and broken families' in Afghanistan. 'America's strength and role is destruction, not construction,' Hua said at a regular press briefing. China shares a rugged 76-kilometre (47-mile) border with Afghanistan. Beijing has long-feared the neighbour could become a staging point for minority Uyghur separatists in the sensitive border region of Xinjiang. But a top-level Taliban delegation met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin last month, promising that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militants. In exchange, China offered economic support and investment for Afghanistan's reconstruction. Hua on Monday said China was ready to continue 'friendly and cooperative' relations with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. She urged the new Afghan regime on Tuesday to 'make a clean break with international forces' and 'prevent Afghanistan from becoming a gathering place for terrorists and extremists again'. US soldiers worked through Monday evening to secure the airport runway which had been packed with thousands of Afghans fleeing the Taliban, forcing the crowds back before laying barbed wire American armoured trucks and troops help to force back crowds at Kabul airport on Monday evening, after they blocked the runway and stopped evacuation flights from taking off American troops lay barbed wire around the runway at Kabul airport so that military evacuation flights can resume American troops stand guard as the sun sets at Kabul airport on Monday evening, having managed to secure the main runway from thousands of people fleeing the Taliban EastSide Charter School boss Aaron Bass says the institution is struggling to find bus drivers. 'There's a labor and inventory shortage at the same time we're increasing enrollment and hiring,' Bass said. 'We've been looking like crazy for everybody you can think of: janitors, cafeteria workers, psychologists, counselors, bus driver' A Delaware charter school will pay parents up to $700-per-year to drive their own children to school as it grapples with a shortage of bus drivers. EastSide Charter School in Wilmington said it will to offer the incentive to parents for the upcoming school year after struggling to find adequate staffing across the board. 'There's a labor and inventory shortage at the same time we're increasing enrollment and hiring,' Aaron Bass, chief executive at the school, told the Washington Post. 'We've been looking like crazy for everybody you can think of: janitors, cafeteria workers, psychologists, counselors, bus drivers. Even if you have all the money in the world, you can't get what you need.' The $700 payment will apply per child. That means a family with five children could profit by $3,500 - or nearly $300 a month - for chauffeuring their own children to and from school. It comes as industries across the board struggle to find staff amid a nationwide labor shortage driven by unemployment incentives, and pandemic-induced fears over returning to work. The average Delaware school bus driver makes about $37,000 a year - or about $3,080 a month, according to Salary.com. The school district's inability to attract bus drivers has been exacerbated by the CARES Act's pandemic unemployment assistance program, which provides unemployed Delawareans with a weekly $300 compensation boost in addition to regular state benefits. The incentive is set to expire on September 4. EastSide Charter School in Wilmington said it was forced to offer the incentive to parents for the upcoming school year after struggling to find adequate staffing across the board A bus driver shortage is also plaguing schools in Pennsylvania. The Pittsburg Public Schools district pushed back its start date as it struggles with a shortage of about 425 drivers But while the school districts face a shortage of drivers and staff in general, EastSide parent Carla Hurley said she'd spend the money on after-school snacks for her children, who are in the fifth and third-grades. 'It's unreal,' Hurley said of the shortage. 'It has been [a challenge], because we're trying to be creative about it, but with the incentive, now that we're picking them up, I don't have to take them to aftercare. I'm going to take them home, and that'll be a huge savings for us.' Carla Hurley is among parents at a Wilmington, Delaware, charter school who'll be paid to drive their children to and from school. The mom of two could make up to $1,400 this curricular school year through the incentive. Previously, Hurley would drop her children off at school but they would catch a bus home after attending an afterschool program. However, with remote working, Hurley now works from home as an administrative specialist with a more flexible schedule that allows her to make the 15-minute drive to school each afternoon. 'Everyone I talked to about it thought it was a great idea,' she said. The school is still offering the option of bus rides for those who need it. Families participating in the program must self-attest that they or someone else will drop off and retrieve their children on time throughout the school year. Students opted into the program will not have the option of riding a bus during the year. Transportation funds are made available to students enrolled in public schools in Delaware, and the school is set to use those same funds to help ease the cost of alternative transport options for families. EastSide is not the only school struggling with filling jobs. The Pittsburgh Public Schools district said it would delay the start of its school years from August 24 to September 8 to sort out its transport woes - and also to ease the burden of students having to wear masks during the hottest days of summer. The shift of our start date will provide the time necessary for the transportation strategies we have put in place to take hold as we welcome students back,' said superintendent Anthony Hamlet. 'We are also listening to the concerns raised by our staff related to the impact traditionally high temperatures in August have on our facilities now coupled with the use of masks. It is our hope this challenge would be lessened in September, allowing everyone a positive start in the new school year.' Right now, transportation carriers are short about 425 drivers, resulting in a seat gap of about 10,996 seats for students in Pittsburgh. The district is proposing expanded walk zones to help offset the gap. Meanwhile, Nevada's Washoe County School District said in June that it was facing an 'extreme shortage' of bus drivers and would provide signing incentives of up to $2,000 for new employees. The district offered existing employees a bonus of up to $1,000 in an attempt to lure them back to the driver's seat. In the United States, the unemployment rate for July was 5.4 percent. And in the week ending August 7, about 375,000 people filed unemployment claims, according to the Department of Labor. The US is negotiating with the Taliban to get Americans still in Kabul to safety but it's still unclear how many US citizens are still on the ground, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a press conference Tuesday. 'Our commanders at the airport are in communication with Taliban commanders on the ground outside the airport,' Kirby confirmed. He declined to give details of those conversations but said they were happening 'multiple times a day' and that there were no 'hostile interactions' from the Taliban on American people or operations. Marine Major General Hank Taylor confirmed that 165 Americans were evacuated on Monday, along with 'a mix of SIV applicants and third-country nationals' totaling 700 people. 'I don't have the number of [people] waiting for a flight right now,' Taylor said. When asked about the whereabouts of Americans who might be trapped in Afghanistan anywhere outside the airport, he replied, 'I can't speak to the locations or whereabouts of every single American throughout the country and their desires to stay or to go.' He confirmed on CNN that the number of Americans could be anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000. Taliban fighters are now controlling the entry to the airport and have seized all of the access points leading to it in Kabul. It forces NATO troops to rely on them to allow evacuees into the airport to board flights Afghan security guards try and maintain order as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. There are now 'three rings' around the airport and the Taliban controls the outer ring, Charles US soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul on August 16th Kirby told reporters he 'won't begin to speculate' on if US troops back in the country to assist with the chaotic evacuation effort will stay past Joe Biden's August 31st withdrawal deadline. 'That's a decision that the commander in chief would have to make,' he said. Kirby said it was possible to get 5,000 to 9,000 people out of the country per day - but said he 'couldn't guarantee a certain number by a certain day.' Taylor said the US would have 4,000 troops on the ground by the end of the day. Republican Senator Ted Cruz blasted the Biden administration's hesitancy to give out details in an interview with Fox Business. 'Thousands of Americans remain in Afghanistan and it appears the Biden administration had no reasonable plan to safely allow those Americans to leave,' he said on Tuesday. 'This is a military failure - a failure in planning, a failure in execution - that falls squarely on the president.' Ted Cruz lashed out against the Biden administration's evacuation efforts French and Afghan nationals line up to board a French military transport plane at the Kabul airport on August 17th There are still thousands of Afghan nationals and an unknown number of Americans still on the ground in Afghanistan Kirby defended the US evacuation effort on MSNBC on Tuesday morning and said the government has been planning for non-military evacuations since at least May. He added that 'no plan survives first contact' when conceding the 'graphic nature' of the scenes in Kabul. It's unclear why only 700 people were spread across the seven C-17 jets that flew out of the region overnight, when one of the same jets carried 640 Afghan nationals in a single load on Sunday. The crew decided to take off after the nationals stormed the jet, desperate to escape while they could. The lack of answers is growing increasingly worrisome given the fact the Taliban has claimed it will give just two weeks of 'grace period' peace to allow the US to remove its people. The terror group now controls Kabul. The harrowing scene at the airport on Monday included thousands rushing on to the runway as a US Air Force C-17 cargo jet took off. Frantic Afghan nationals jumped onto the plane's fuselage in the hope that it would carry them to safety. Shortly after it took off, three were filmed falling from the aircraft to their deaths. Three were run over by the jet's wheels on the tarmac. Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops Desperate Afghans tried to cling on to a US military jet on Monday as it made its way out of Kabul. Three died falling from the planes' wheels MONDAY: There was mayhem at the airport on Monday as US troops fired shots in the air and flew helicopters to disperse crowds Kirby warned Monday morning on CNN that any military aggression from the Taliban would be met with a forceful response. 'Any attack on our people or on our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful unambiguous response,' Kirby said on New Day. Kirby said that extended beyond Americans as the U.S. is trying to also pull Afghan translators and other allies out of the deteriorating country. The spokesman said that the U.S. would attack the Taliban if militants messed with 'people or operations at the airport.' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby warned Monday morning on CNN that any military aggression from the Taliban would be met with a forceful response Kirby also said 'security is much better' at Kabul's airport after Monday's tense scene. He said that another 1,000 U.S. troops had landed and once everything is up and running about 5,000 to 9,000 people could be airlifted out of Afghanistan by the military each day. Kirby guessed that there were between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans still in the country and the U.S. was clearing space for 22,000 Afghan refugees at three military bases, with the ability to bring in more. 'If we have to go more, higher than that, we'll certainly do that,' Kirby said. CNN's John Berman pointed out that the thousands of people Kirby mentioned weren't all at the airport, some were at their homes. 'What is the plan to get these people to the airport?' Berman said. Kirby said the military piece of the withdrawal was security the airport, adding that the Defense Department was 'working hand and glove' with the State Department, who were processing the people so they could exit Afghanistan. 'Right now though, I don't want to set the expectation that we are equipped and able to go out into the countryside and physically move people into Kabul,' Kirby warned. Berman then asked, 'If they can't get to the airport, what does it matter if you have the capabilities to get them out from the airport?' 'John I understand that, and we all understand that the security situation in Kabul is not ideal,' Kirby replied. On Monday, Kirby insisted the Kabul airport chaos earlier in the day did not constitute a failure. 'I would take issue with your designation of this operation at the airport as a failure,' he told CNN's Barbara Starr during an afternoon press briefing after she pointed out how one A C-17 took off carrying 640 Afghan refugees. Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday Eight people were also reportedly killed, including three who tried to stowaway on a departing flight and fell from the sky. The Pentagon refused to confirm those figures. Instead, Kirby argued that the Defense Department planned for a number of scenarios as the U.S. exited Afghanistan after a 20-year deployment. 'Could we have predicted every single scenario and every single breach around the perimeter of the airport with only a couple of thousand troops on the ground?' Kirby mused. 'Plans are terrific and we take them seriously, but they are not and never have been perfectly predictive.' Both President Joe Biden and Kirby admitted that the U.S. was surprised by the quick work the Taliban made in taking control of the war-torn country. 'Now as we talked about here many times, it happened very fast,' Kirby said from the Pentagon. 'And one of the things we couldn't anticipate and didn't anticipate was the degree to which Afghan forces capitulated, sometimes without a fight.' At Hamid Karzai International Airport, there was a stampede of thousands of people - both stranded foreign nationals and Afghan civilians - desperately trying to escape. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby insisted Monday that the chaos at Kabul's airport earlier in the day did not constitute a failure. 'I would take issue with your designation of this operation at the airport as a failure,' Kirby told CNN's Barbara Starr at an afternoon briefing A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The flight landed in Qatar. The refugees ran up the half-open ramp while US forces were preparing for take-off, according to an unnamed defense official cited by Defense One on Monday. At least one other C-17 has departed the area The airport is the last place in the city that is being guarded by NATO troops. Thousands of Afghan nationals have rushed there in the hopes of being saved along with the foreigners being flown out, but the chaotic rescue operation collapsed on Monday as troops struggled to control the crowds. General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr, the head of the Pentagon's Central Command, met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on Sunday and convinced them to let the US evacuate its citizens and any interpreters and translators it plans to without interference. It remains unclear how NATO troops will organize the evacuation of Afghan refugees or even get themselves out given the diabolical situation that unfolded earlier Monday. The Pentagon said 2,500 troops were moved into Kabul within the last 72 hours. By the end of Monday, 3,000 to 3,500 were expected to be on the ground. It's unclear how many American civilians are there, and how many Afghan translators and interpreters are to be flown out. Embassy officials were moved to the airport with the Pentagon saying they were 'safe' and preparing for departure. Three Afghan nationals were run over by a jet's wheels on the tarmac amid the scenes of chaos at the airport. Kirby couldn't confirm the deaths - or the reporting that there would be an investigation, but added 'it wouldn't surpise me in the least that commanders would be taking a look at what happened this morning in respect to the C-17.' 'On that video footage we've all seen of something falling off the wing. I don't have an update for you in terms of specific validity of that. We're obviously just as interested in you in learning more about what happened there,' Kirby also said. American troops halted evacuation flights for 90 minutes afterwards while they cleared the airfield, which had become overrun with thousands of Afghan nationals. They used apache helicopters and fired warning shots into the crowds to try to control them. Outside the walls of the airport, shots from Taliban fighters rang out. A US soldier points his gun towards and bellows at an Afghan civilian at the Kabul airport on Monday. Two armed Afghans have been killed by American troops at the airport Footage from Hamad Karzai airport showed hundreds of people running alongside - and in front of - a US Air Force plane preparing to take off Desperate Afghan nationals tried to run onto RCH 885 as it took off from the airfield on Monday. Some were crushed by the C-17's wheels and others clung to the fuselage as it took off An apache helicopter clears the airfield at Kabul on Monday after thousands of Afghan nationals ran onto it in a desperate attempt to get on an evacuation flight Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on Monday A little girl is thrown over the wall of the airport on Monday as the Taliban started moving through the city of Kabul. The airport is the last part of the city being defended by US troops - more are expected there later today to try to secure it An Afghan child walks near abandoned military uniforms at Kabul airport on Monday after the Taliban took control of the city Desperate Afghan families trying to escape Kabul scale the walls of the airport on Monday FALL OF KABUL: A TIMELINE OF THE TALIBAN'S FAST ADVANCE AFTER 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT Feb. 29, 2020 Trump negotiates deal with the Taliban setting U.S. withdrawal date for May 1, 2021 Nov. 17, 2020 Pentagon announces it will reduce troop levels to 2500 in Afghanistan Jan. 15, 2020 Inspector general reveals 'hubris and mendacity' of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan Feb 3. 2021 Afghan Study Group report warns against withdrawing 'irresponsibly' March Military command makes last-ditch effort to talk Biden out of withdrawal April 14 Biden announces withdrawal will be completed by Sept. 11 May 4 - Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces May 11 - The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country June 7 - Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country's 34 provinces June 22 - Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts July 2 - The U.S. evacuates Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night July 5 - The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August July 21 - Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country's districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance July 25 - The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops "in the coming weeks" with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks July 26 - The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009 Aug. 6 - Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north Aug. 13 - Pentagon insists Kabul is not under imminent threat Aug. 14 - The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps Aug. 15 - The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul Taliban insurgents enter Kabul, an interior ministry official says, as the United States evacuate diplomats from its embassy by helicopter Advertisement Afghanistan's representative to the UN's security council Ghulam M. Isaczai said 'there are already reports of target killings and looting in the city,' at a meeting of the council on Monday. 'Kabul residents are reported that the Taliban have already started house-to-house searches in some neighborhoods, registering names and looking for people in their target list,' he added. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was 'particularly concerned' by accounts of human rights violations against the women and girls of Afghanistan who fear a return to the darkest days' in the 1990s when the Taliban ruled and barred girls for getting an education and imposed draconian measures on women. It's unclear now who America will save from the chaos aside from US citizens and anyone who worked alongside them. Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan did a series of TV interviews on Monday where he said evacuation flights were ongoing, but he skirted criticism for the disaster and said: 'When push came to shove, [the Afghan forces] decided not to step up and fight for their country.' Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has also come under fire for hightailing out of the country last night, in a helicopter full of cash, according to the Russian embassy. His whereabouts remain unknown. The Taliban declared victory from the presidential palace on Sunday following a blistering advance across the country. Experts and lawmakers have for months warned the Biden administrations that this was exactly what would happen if they continued with the hasty retreat and entrusted the country to the Afghan National Army. One of the terror chieftains proclaimed from the palace, 'Praise God, I was in Guantanamo for eight years', as he sat at the president's table surrounded by henchmen strapped with AK-47s. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the U.S. decision to withdraw had 'accelerated' the crisis that risked creating 'a breeding ground for terror.' However, the Taliban has been on a charm offensive, pledging that no harm will come to any foreign citizens or embassy staff as it seeks formal recognition from the international community. Almost all major checkpoints in Kabul were under Taliban control by Monday morning and Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority issued an advisory saying the 'civilian side' of the airport had been 'closed until further notice' and that the military controlled the airspace. Taliban officials said everyone would be allowed to return home from Kabul airport if they decide to stay in the country and promised civilians would not be harmed. The group previously said westerners would be allowed to leave the country but that Afghans would be barred from departing. US troops are guarding the airport and have taken over air traffic control, but all non-military flights are grounded. Early Monday morning, flight-tracking data showed no immediate commercial flights over the country. In the capital, a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections. There were scattered reports of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets. Fighters could be seen searching vehicles at one of the city's main squares. Many fear chaos, after the Taliban freed thousands of prisoners and the police simply melted away, or a return to the kind of brutal rule the Taliban imposed when it was last in power. They raced to Kabul's international airport, where the 'civilian side' was closed until further notice, according to Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority. The military was put in control of the airspace. Massouma Tajik, a 22-year-old data analyst, described scenes of panic at the airport, where she was hoping to board an evacuation flight. Satellite images show the number of people on the tarmac at Kabul airport desperately trying to get onto flights out of Afghanistan on Monday Thousands of Afghan nationals rushed to the airport on foot on Monday to try to get on evacuation flights as the Taliban took over The US Embassy has been evacuated and the American flag lowered, with diplomats relocating to the airport in scenes reminiscent of the evacuation of the embassy of Saigon in 1975. Other Western countries have also closed their missions and are flying out staff and civilians after the Taliban walked into Kabul's presidential palace In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the US and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces Inside one of the US Air Force jets that took off from Kabul on Sunday after the Taliban took control of the city Those on board the plane appeared to be US nationals. It's unclear how many remain at the airport waiting to be flown out US soldiers rest as Afghan people (not pictured) wait to leave the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's airport trying to flee the group's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule Afghan nationals wait on one of the many grounded commercial aircrafts at Kabul airport on Monday in the hope of being flown out A volunteer carries an injured man on the tarmac at the airport in Kabul on August 16. The chaos unfolded on Monday as thousands rushed to the airport in a desperate attempt to flee the Taliban after the country's 20 year civil war There are thousands of Afghan nationals at the airport desperately waiting to be put on any flight out of the city Thousands of Afghans rush to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16, 2021 People climb a barbed wire wall to enter the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 16, 2021, in this still image taken from a video US soldiers stand guard as desperate Afghans try to board flights at Hamid Karzai International Airport Thousands of civilians rush towards one of the last military planes leaving Kabul (left) the airport was teeming with desperate civilians trying to flee the Taliban (right) Video posted later appeared to show residents collecting the bodies of three stowaways, who reportedly fell from an airborne plane, from a roof in Kabul Footage showed desperate Afghans trying to climb onto grounded planes at Kabul's Hamid Karzai airport after the Taliban swept the city Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport on August 16, 2021, to flee the country as the Taliban were in control of Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war Desperate Afghan civilians attempt to clamber over the barbed wire-topped wall into Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday Men climb over a wall into Hamid Karzai International Airport in scenes reminiscent of the chaos in Saigon in 1975 US troops are guarding the airport and have taken over air traffic control, but all non-military flights are grounded. Soldiers fired warning shots in the air to prevent hundreds of civilians running onto the tarmac, a US official said US troops fired shots into the air at Kabul airport today as desperate Afghans climbed up the outside of airbridges trying to flee as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan Video posted social media showed hundreds of people trying to climb the outside of airbridges to board commercial liners grounded in Hamad Karzai airport At least five people have been killed at Kabul airport as thousands of people tried desperately to get on flights out of Afghanistan amid increasingly chaotic scenes. Witnesses said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede Taliban fighters were seen inside the Afghan parliament on Monday after officials promised civilians would not be harmed and announced everyone would be allowed to return home from Kabul airport if they decided to stay in the country Victorious Taliban commander claims he 'spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay' in triumphant speech from Kabul palace A Taliban commander claimed he spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay in a triumphant speech from inside the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sunday as the militants declared an Islamic state of Afghanistan. Taliban fighters marched into the ancient palace on Sunday and demanded a 'peaceful transfer of power' as the capital city descended into chaos, with US helicopters evacuating diplomats from the embassy in scenes echoing the 1975 Fall of Saigon which followed the Vietnam War. The Al-Jazeera news channel livestreamed the press conference from inside the palace, which showed a group of Taliban fighters sitting at the president's desk before a fighter claimed he was a former inmate of the US-controlled Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba. A Taliban commander claimed he spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay in a victory speech from inside the Presidential Palace in Kabul as the militants declared an Islamic state of Afghanistan 'Praise God, I was in Guantanamo for eight years,' the man told the broadcaster as henchmen with AK-47s stood around him. Established by George W Bush in 2002, suspected terrorists have been detained without trial and tortured at the facility. Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep the centre open indefinitely in 2018, while in February the Biden administration vowed to shut Guantanamo down. Various reports said that the commander was either Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir or Gholam Ruhani. Both of the men were held at Guantanamo Bay and are believed to have returned to the Taliban top brass after being released. Advertisement After waiting six hours, she heard shots from outside, where a crowd of men and women were trying to climb aboard a plane. She said U.S. troops sprayed gas and fired into the air to disperse the crowds after people scaled the walls and swarmed onto the tarmac. Gunfire could be heard in the voice messages she sent to The Associated Press. Shafi Arifi, who had a ticket to travel to Uzbekistan on Sunday, was unable to board her plane because it was packed with people who had raced across the tarmac and climbed aboard, with no police or airport staff in sight. 'There was no room for us to stand,' said the 24-year-old. 'Children were crying, women were shouting, young and old men were so angry and upset, no one could hear each other. There was no oxygen to breathe.' After another woman fainted and was carried off the plane, Arifi gave up and went back home. Meanwhile, refugees have been massing at the borders as people desperately try to flee Afghanistan before the Taliban's brutal rules are implemented, with pictures from the country's border with Pakistan showing hundreds of people queuing in an attempt to leave. 'Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,' Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office, told Al Jazeera TV. 'Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.' Taliban members are seen near Hamid Karzai International Airport as thousands of Afghans rush to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16, 2021 A Taliban fighter stands guard at the Massoud Square in Kabul on August 16, 2021 A member of Taliban forces inspects the area outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul US soldiers stand guard as in the background Afghan people wait at the Kabul airport Smiling Taliban fighters are seen on the back of a vehicle in Kabul on Monday A father leads his family towards the airport as crowds of people try to escape Afghanistan on Monday Hundreds of Afghans desperately scaled the walls of Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul as they try to flee the country Pictured: Vehicles are seen on a congested street in Kabul, Afghanistan, in these still images taken from a video uploaded to social media on August 15, 2021 US troops are guarding the airport and have taken over air traffic control, but all non-military flights are grounded. Early Monday morning, flight-tracking data showed no immediate commercial flights over the country even as thousands of Afghans flooded Kabul airport Desperate civilians try and get into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Monday after the Taliban took over the country Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport on Monday as American Humvees standby President Ghani fled the country on Sunday night as the insurgents encircled the capital - saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed - capping a military victory that saw them capture all cities in just 10 days. In a Facebook post, Ghani said he had left the country to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would endanger millions of Kabul residents. Some social media users branded Ghani, who did not disclose his location, a coward for leaving them in chaos. Al Jazeera reported he had flown to Uzbekistan, citing his personal bodyguard. 'The Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen,' Ghani said after fleeing. Taliban officials said they had received no reports of any clashes anywhere in the country: 'The situation is peaceful,' one official said. The Taliban controlled 90 percent of state buildings and fighters had been told to prevent any damage, the official added. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who fought in the Soviet-Afghan War during the 1980s and helped ex-chief Mohammad Omar create the Taliban in 1994, has already been installed as the head of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, according to reports in the Arab world. Video from Afghanistan's parliament building showed Taliban fighters entering the main chamber today. The grainy footage showed fighters carrying weapons sitting at a table at the head of the chamber under the government's seal, with some smiling and posing for photographs. Ghani fled from the country on Sunday as the Islamists entered Kabul virtually unopposed, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Desperate Afghans were seen chasing US military transport aircraft as the evacuation flights took off from Kabul airport on Monday US soldiers take up their positions as they secure the airport in Kabul after the Taliban walked into the capital, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee Thousands of Afghans gathered at Kabul's Hamid Karzai airport, but all commercial services have been suspended, with only military flights leaving the country as the UK, US and other western countries repatriate their citizens There were chaotic scenes at Kabul International Airport on Sunday night as thousands of Afghan residents rushed onto the tarmac Potential passengers can be seen crowding the tarmac at Kabul airport in Afghanistan with people desperate to leave the country any way they can A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies near the U.S. Embassy as smoke rises in Kabul, Afghanistan, late on Sunday night Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said in a message on Twitter their fighters were under strict orders not to harm anyone. 'Life, property and honour of none shall be harmed but must be protected by the mujahideen,' he said. Earlier, Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office, told Al Jazeera TV, the Afghan people and the Taliban had witnessed the fruits of their efforts and sacrifices over 20 years. 'Thanks to God, the war is over,' he said. It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces, trained for years and equipped by the United States and others at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away. Al Jazeera broadcast footage of what it said were Taliban commanders in the presidential palace with dozens of armed fighters. Naeem said the form of the new regime in Afghanistan would be made clear soon, adding the Taliban did not want to live in isolation and calling for peaceful international relations. The militants sought to project a more moderate face, promising to respect women's rights and protect both foreigners and Afghans. Many Afghans fear the Taliban will return to past harsh practices in their imposition of sharia religious law. During their rule, women could not work and punishments such as stoning, whipping and hanging were administered. Both the United Nations and the United States said last week they had received reports that Taliban fighters were executing surrendering government soldiers. Taliban officials said they had received no reports of any clashes anywhere in the country: 'The situation is peaceful,' one said, adding the Taliban controlled 90% of state buildings and fighters had been told to prevent any damage. Central Kabul streets were largely deserted early on a sunny Monday as waking residents pondered their future. 'I'm in a complete state of shock,' said Sherzad Karim Stanekzai, who spent the night in his carpet shop to guard it. 'I know there will be no foreigners, no international people who will now come to Kabul.' People thronged to the airport from late on Sunday with hundreds wandering on the runways in the dark, pulling luggage and jostling for a place on one of the last commercial flights to leave before U.S. forces took over air traffic control. Dozens of men tried to clamber onto an overhead departure gangway to board a plane while hundreds of others milled about, a video posted on social media showed. U.S. forces gave up their big military base at Bagram, some 60 km north of Kabul, several weeks ago, leaving Kabul's airport their only way out, to the anger of many Afghans. 'The Americans have no right to hold the airport for their own use, they could have used their own base to take people out,' said one person trying to leave. There was the prospect of chaos in the skies over Afghanistan too. Its civil aviation authority advised transit aircraft to reroute saying its airspace was uncontrolled. The Pentagon on Sunday authorized another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for them, expanding its security presence on the ground to almost 6,000 troops within the next 48 hours. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said early on Monday that all embassy personnel, including Ambassador Ross Wilson, had been transferred to Kabul airport, mostly by helicopter, to await evacuation and the American flag had been lowered and removed from the embassy compound. Western nations, including France, Germany and New Zealand said they were working to get citizens as well as some Afghan employees out. In a Facebook post, Ghani said he had left the country to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would endanger millions of Kabul residents. Some social media users branded Ghani, who did not disclose his location, a coward for leaving them in chaos. In Washington, opponents of President Joe Biden's decision to end America's longest war, launched after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said the chaos was caused by a failure of leadership. Biden has faced rising domestic criticism after sticking to a plan, initiated by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, to end the U.S. military mission by Aug. 31. Britain's defence minister said British and NATO forces would not be returning to fight the Taliban. 'That's not on the cards,' Ben Wallace told Sky News. Stormy Loraine Johnson, 38, was booked into Wichita County Jail on charges of murder and evidence tampering in connection with the murder of her 11-year-old son, Logan Cline A Texas mother has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence over the death of her 11-year-old son who was found dead in an abandoned car in Wichita Falls in 2019. Stormy Loraine Johnson, 38, and her boyfriend are accused of physically and sexually abusing son Logan Cline - and even subjecting him to bestiality, police say. One vicious beating in the weeks before his death left the boy unable to speak, police say. Logan's body was found covered with clothing in the backseat of an abandoned car on Kenley Avenue near the Red Roof Inn on Central Freeway on February 27, 2020. Johnson was booked Friday into Wichita County Jail after being extradited from Nevada. A judge set her bond at $1 million for murder and $250,000 for a charge filed last year of tampering with evidence, according to public records. Johnson was previously held at the Florence McClure Women's Correctional Facility in Las Vegas for a charge of abuse/neglect/child endangerment. She was extradited from Nevada where she and her former boyfriend, Corey Allen Trumbull, 33, had been arrested on other charges after leaving town. Trumbull was charged with capital murder of a person 10 to 14 years old in connection with the 11-year-old's death. He is currently serving time in Nevada's High Desert State Prison for charges of domestic violence with a deadly weapon, lewdness with a minor, and abuse/neglect/child endangerment. Las Vegas Police shared information with Wichita Falls Police about a possible victim hidden in a car near the Red Roof Inn off I-44 while the Nevada police were investigating a domestic abuse case involving Trumbull and Johnson. Trumbull was first arrested on domestic violence charges in Las Vegas when Johnson told police she fled from Trumbull after he beat and choked her repeatedly with a dog leash made of metal chain. She had numerous broken bones. Johnson sllegedly informed Las Vegas police of her son's abandoned body when she was being interviewed after running away and turning Trumbull in after a violent beating Trumbull lived in the Red Roof Inn with Johnson, her 11-year-old son, and 15-year-old daughter from October 2019 until December 2019 when they were evicted While Johnson was being questioned at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on February 27, 2020, she told officers that her son was killed at the Red Roof Inn in Wichita Falls and directed them to where his body could be found. The information was immediately shared with the Crimes Against Children Unit of the Wichita Falls Police Department who recovered the corpse the same day. Trumbull was arrested the day before on domestic abuse charges. A Wichita Falls detective traveled to Las Vegas to interview Johnson. She explained that she and her children began moving between hotels when they began living with Trumbull in 2019. They arrived in Wichita Falls from Midland, Texas, that October and stayed until December. She described a series of appalling physical abuse and torture that her son endured while the family lived with Trumbull. Wichita Falls Police said Johnson never tried to prevent the abuse or seek medical help. The boy's older sister also gave descriptive accounts of the daily physical and sexual abuse she and her brother experienced claiming that her mother also participated in, KFDX report. She explained that the brutal abuse of her brother included use of hands, feet, a club, and a knife. The sexual abuse of her brother at times involved bestiality. The 15-year-old told authorities that her brother suffered a broken nose on more than one occasion and that his body was bruised from head to toe. She told the detective that her brother was beaten for no reason and forced to sleep in a closet away from the others. The teenager said that about two weeks before her brother was killed, Trumbull stomped on his head. She her brother was no longer himself and unable to speak clearly after the intense beating. On the last night of his life, his sister said Logan was beaten with a belt, a stick and hands when he began to have seizures. 'They just kept hurting him,' the distraught sister allegedly told officers. Johnson and Trumbull then allegedly tried to feed him soup when he began coughing up blood. Trumbull then allegedly began searching for a pulse and performed CPR on the boy before declaring him dead. Police say Trumbull then moved the boy's body into an ice bath before dumping the body in the abandoned car and then moving the family out of town. Johnson was extradited from Nevada and booked at the Wichita County Jail on Friday Trumbull is currently being held at High Desert State Prison for charges of domestic violence with a deadly weapon, lewdness with a minor, and abuse/ neglect/ child endangerment The 11-year-old's body was left in an old four-door Ford Sedan near the Red Roof Inn where Johnson and Trumbull had been staying with the boy and his older sister. On December 28, 2019, police officers were called to the hotel when the couple was evicted for nonpayment. Only the couple and the daughter were seen at the time of the eviction. Two weeks prior, on December 14, 2019, checked on the welfare of the children speaking with both the children. After being evicted from the hotel, Johnson and her daughter moved to Las Vegas with Trumbull where they lived out of a pick-up truck. Along with the domestic abuse and charges in connection to Logan's death, the couple is alleged to have committed a string of additional crimes in Nevada, ranging from possession of child pornography, sexual assault of a child, lewdness with a child and child abuse or neglect. Trumbull was also charged with first-degree kidnapping, domestic battery, and domestic battery by strangulation in Clark County. In Texas, capital murder charges are punished with life in prison or the death penalty. Advertisement Britain today recorded 170 Covid fatalities in the deadliest recorded daily toll for five months, and infections are continuing to rise. Department of Health statistics show today's death count was 16.4 per cent up on last week's count and was the most registered in a day since March 12 (175), when the second wave had started to fizzle out. But day-to-day figures can fluctuate heavily, especially on Tuesdays which are artificially higher because of the recording lag at weekends. The overall trend measured by the seven-day average has flattened out over the past fortnight and the daily counts are just a fraction of what they were when cases were at a similar level in January. Deaths and hospital admissions which have also levelled off, jumping just 2.4 per cent in a week lag several weeks behind cases because of how long it takes for infected people to become seriously ill. In other Covid developments today: Moderna's Covid vaccine was approved for children aged 12-17 by the UK's drug watchdog, which ruled the jab to be both safe and effective in youngsters; New Zealand was plunged into a snap lockdown after a single mystery Covid case was found in Auckland, in the nation's first locally-acquired case since February; Thousands of Britons may have self-isolated for no reason because the NHS Covid app was incorrectly set to 'ping' contacts five days before someone tested positive, it was claimed. UK approves Moderna's Covid vaccine for 12 to 17-year-olds after medical watchdog rules jab is safe in children Moderna's Covid vaccine was today approved for children aged 12 to 17 by the UK's drug watchdog. A review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) found the jab was safe and effective in youngsters. It becomes the second coronavirus vaccine to be approved for British children after Pfizer's, which uses the same technology, was green-lit in June. All 16 and 17-year-olds are already being invited for the Pfizer vaccine and don't need permission from a parent or guardian to get one. But only under-16s who live with vulnerable people or who have immune weaknesses themselves are being invited currently. Moderna's vaccine is expected to be rolled out in the 12 to 17 age groups in similar fashion. The Department of Health has asked its vaccine advisory panel, which is separate from the MHRA, for a formal recommendation. Both Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines have been linked to myocarditis, a rare heart problem believed to affect around one in 20,000 young people after a jab. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said the risk of heart inflammation still outweighs the benefit of Covid jabs for healthy under-16s. Advertisement Meanwhile, separate data today revealed Covid was blamed on more than one in 20 of all deaths in England and Wales at the start of August. Some 527 death certificates mentioned the coronavirus in the week ending August 6 up 30.4 per cent on the seven days prior. This equated to 5.2 per cent of the total the highest proportion since March, according to the Office for National Statistics. Additionally, it marked the eighth consecutive week that the proportion of deaths blamed on Covid has been on rise in England and Wales. In total, 9,537 deaths were registered in England that week, 13.1 per cent above the five-year average, while there was 634 recorded deaths in Wales, 10.8 per cent higher than the average. The figures reflect the impact of the country's third wave of Covid, which was sparked by the highly-transmissible Indian variant which began spreading in mid-May. As well as the lag in getting ill, the ONS figures are delayed by a further week and a half due to how long it can take to process fatalities. The relatively low number of deaths in the third wave so far, when compared with the second wave of the virus, reflects the success of the roll-out of the country's jab roll-out. Covid vaccinations have prevented between 81,300 and 87,800 deaths in England alone, health chiefs estimate. Of the 527 deaths registered across the two nations, the majority (411, 78 per cent), occurred in the over-60s. And the fatalities tended to drop through the age groups, with 58 deaths recorded among people in their 50s, 29 among people in their 40s, 22 in people in their 30s and five in people in their 20s. One child aged between five and nine died with the virus, as well as a baby less than one-year-old. Across England, deaths from all causes increased from 9,481 to 9,537 in the most recent week. Fatalities increased in five of the nine regions of the country, with the largest hike being seen in the South East, which recorded 51 more deaths. And deaths linked with the virus rose in all regions apart from Yorkshire and the Humber, where fatalities linked with the virus dropped from 65 to 57. The biggest rise in Covid-related deaths was seen in the South East, where the figure more than doubled in a week, from 25 to 56. New Zealand is plunged into a three-day lockdown and Auckland for a whole week over just ONE case of coronavirus New Zealand has been plunged into a snap lockdown after a single mystery Covid case was found in Auckland, the nation's first locally-acquired case since February. The entire country will enter a three-day Level Four lockdown from 11.59pm Tuesday, while Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula will suffer under the rules for at least a week. Kiwis will be locked in their homes for all but essential reasons, with businesses forced to shut and masks mandatory whenever a person leaves the house. A 58-year-old Auckland man, who is unvaccinated, tested positive on Tuesday and is believed to have been infectious for the last five days. He had travelled with his wife to Coromandel which is on the east of the North Island at the weekend. The case is being assumed to be infected with the highly contagious Indian Delta strain until genome testing results come back on Wednesday. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged the country to follow the rules 'to the letter' amid fears the highly-transmissible variant could undermine New Zealand's brutal 'zero-Covid' strategy. Advertisement Meanwhile, the number of people dying in Wales dropped from 641 to 634, but those that mentioned Covid rose from 13 to 22. This equates to 3.5 per cent of all deaths in Wales involving the virus. Across the UK, deaths were higher than the five year average across all nations. England had the highest number of deaths involving the virus (502 deaths), followed by Scotland (51 deaths), Northern Ireland (31 deaths) and Wales (22 deaths). Since the beginning of the pandemic, 142,499 of the 851,469 deaths recorded in England and Wales had Covid mentioned on their death certificate (16.7 per cent). And in the same period, 107,177 excess deaths have been recorded. In England, 16.8 per cent of the 798,467 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic mention the virus. Meanwhile, 15.3 per cent of the 51,962 people who died in Wales had Covid written on their death certificate. In other developments today, it was claimed that thousands of Brits may have self-isolated for no reason because the NHS Covid app was incorrectly set to 'ping' contacts five days before someone tested positive. The controversial software which isn't legally enforceable was designed to curb the spread of Covid. Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced last month the NHS app was being tweaked in an effort to curb the 'pingdemic', which left supermarket shelves empty and pubs shut due to staffing shortages. The app now only alerts people who came into contact with an infected person 48 hours before they tested positive. Before, it trawled through five days of Bluetooth data. But a Whitehall whistle-blower has told The Guardian the app should only ever have looked as far back as two days, in line with official guidance and NHS Test and Trace rules. They said the error was reported to former Health Secretary Matt Hancock before he stepped down in the wake of his affair but he never publicly revealed the mistake. The app, which keeps users anonymous, caused mayhem across the country before it was tweaked. A record 690,000 people in England and Wales were 'pinged' in the week leading up to July 21. The source said: 'The standard definition of a contact in all the scientific and public stuff from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace is someone who has been in contact from two days before they have symptoms. 'And if they do not have symptoms but test positive, you go back two days from the test. But the app had five days in it. 'A submission was made to [Matt] Hancock from Test and Trace people around the time of his resignation saying "it's five days but it should be two days: should we change it now?" And it didn't happen.' A Central American migrant broke his leg after falling from a border war while attempting to illegally cross into the United States. The Guatemalan individual, who is approximately 50 years old, was trying to scale the metal fence in Chihuahua and reach Texas before he plummeted to the ground on Monday, the National Institute of Migration said in a statement. The National Institute of Migration indicated it received a call from the Chihuahua State Attorney Generals Office notifying them of the mans injury at around 9am local time and dispatched its Beta Groups Migrant Protection unit to search for the migrants. A Guatemalan man is treated after he fell from a border wall on the Mexican side of the United States-Mexico international borderline line in the northern state of Chihuahua on Monday morning. The man, who suffered a broken leg, told agents he was wandering the area for almost four days without food or water An agent from the National Institute of Migration's Beta Groups Migrant Protection helps a Guatemalan man into a vehicle after he fell while scaling a border fence in Chihuahua, Mexico, in a failed bid to reach the United States Agents were able to locate the man and found him lying at the base of the border wall after searching the border region for an hour and a half. The Guatemalan migrant, whose name was not released, told the agents that he had spent nearly four days roaming through the border area without food or water. He was taken to a local medical facility and was diagnosed with a fracture in his left leg. The National Institute of Migration did not say whether the man would be expelled to Guatemala. The frightening incident took place just two days after a six-year-old girl from El Salvador was killed along with a smuggler driver when their vehicle flipped on a highway in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon. Mariana Magaly Hernandez Aguilar was traveling with nine other migrants, including her pregnant mother, when the driver lost control of the pickup truck as he avoided a pothole on a road in the Nuevo Leon city of Galeana. A spokesperson with the Galeana Civil Protection told DailyMail.com that the nine migrants were injured and were treated at two medical facilities. The National Institute of Migration did not say whether the man would be expelled to Guatemala CBP reported 212,672 encounters in the southwestern border region in July, increasing the number of migrants stopped for illegal border entry to 1,331,822 for fiscal year 2021. According to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection last Thursday, U.S. Border Patrol agents have reported 221,425 encounters with Guatemalan nationals attempting to unlawfully enter from Mexico via the southwestern border in the current fiscal year, which covers the period of October 2020 to September 2021. The report showed there were 36,272 interdictions of Guatemalans in July, surpassing the totals for March when border officers encountered 34,061 people from the Central American nation. Overall, CBP reported 212,672 encounters in the southwestern border region in July, increasing the number of migrants stopped for illegal border entry to 1,331,822 for fiscal year 2021. The former US Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden has called Joe Biden 'a disaster' over his withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and branded the escalating crisis 'the worst loss in American history'. Retired SEAL Robert O'Neill has fired off a series of tweets in recent days slamming the Biden administration as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the wake of the US military departure. 'So, @POTUS is a disaster,' O'Neill tweeted Monday afternoon. 'This is the worst loss in American history. Our most popular president has vanished. Prove me wrong.' Afghanistan fell to the Taliban within a matter of days, rather than the 30-90 days US intelligence analysts predicted, undoing two decades worth of gains made by US troops stationed in the country in the wake of 9/11. The extremist fighters made strong advances across the country over the weekend before seizing the capital Kabul Sunday, causing US officials to accelerate the evacuation of US embassy personnel, citizens and Afghan nationals out of the nation. Biden took a defiant stance in an address to the nation Monday afternoon where he admitted the collapse of the Afghan government was quicker than the US anticipated but insisted he stands behind his decision to withdraw troops. The former US Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden has called Joe Biden 'a disaster' over his withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and branded the escalating crisis 'the worst loss in American history'. Retired SEAL Robert O'Neill pictured Taliban soldiers are pictured at the entrance of Afghanistan's international airport in Kabul Tuesday O'Neill fired off a series of tweets over the last few days slamming the Biden administration as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the wake of the US military departure O'Neill, whose Twitter bio now reads 'Just a dude who fought for this county for no reason', took aim at the president on Twitter. The retired SEAL shared a tweet posted on Biden's account after the president's speech. 'We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago with clear goals: get those who attacked us on September 11, 2001and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us again,' Biden wrote. 'We did thata decade ago. Our mission was never supposed to be nation building.' O'Neill commented: 'I agree with you, sir. Why did you oppose my team going to kill bin Laden? Asking for a bunch of dead Americans.' He doubled down on this in another tweet, writing: 'Joe Biden opposed the raid to kill bin Laden. At least he lost Afghanistan in 7 months.' O'Neill was the Navy SEAL who shot bin Laden three times in the head during a top-secret May 2011 raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The veteran, who had served in the Navy since 1995, was reportedly forced from the team soon after the raid for allegedly openly bragging in bars about being the man who fired the fatal shots. Biden's role in the raid - which happened when he was vice president to Barack Obama - has repeatedly been called into question. The retired SEAL hit out at a post on Biden's Twitter account after the president gave a speech Monday standing by the withdrawal of US troops O'Neill made a series of other thinly-veiled attacks on Biden on social media, accusing him of lying to the American people and branding him a 'dips**t' Donald Trump claimed during the 2020 race for the White House that Biden opposed the mission and Obama wrote in his memoir that Biden 'weighed in against the raid.' Biden said in a December interview he had told Obama to 'wait' for one more flyover on the compound, before telling the then-president to 'follow your instincts.' O'Neill made a series of other thinly-veiled attacks on Biden on social media, accusing him of lying to the American people and branding him a 'dips**t'. 'I'm never going to lie to you, America. I'm also never running for office,' he wrote in one tweet. 'Everything Democrats touch turns to s**t. Prove me wrong,' he wrote in another. O'Neill also questioned Biden's silence over the weekend amid the escalating turmoil in Afghanistan as the president enjoyed a vacation in Camp David. 'We've heard more from The Taliban than we have from the most popular president in our history. Anything @PressSec?' he wrote. O'Neill also blasted the loss of life over the last two decades during the US deployment to Afghanistan, describing how he killed 'for morons' while his friends 'died for no reason' In another, he added: 'People are being killed trying to evacuate Kabul. But don't worry Jen Psaki will tell us what's actually happening once dips**t goes to sleep.' O'Neill also blasted the loss of life over the last two decades during the US deployment to Afghanistan, describing how he killed 'for morons' while his friends 'died for no reason.' 'The war in Afghanistan is over. You still can't bring water on an airplane. I can't believe I killed for morons,' he wrote. 'My friends who died for no reason would be disgusted with this administration.' While Biden bore the brunt of his criticism, O'Neill also pinned the blame on Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, demanding he resign over the US troop drawdown. 'There are Afghans falling to their deaths off of our retreating aircraft. Has @thejointstaff resigned yet?' he tweeted. 'Have any of our generals and admirals resigned out of disgrace yet?' he added. While Biden bore the brunt of his criticism, O'Neill also pinned the blame on Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley (center), demanding he resign over the US troop drawdown Fellow Navy SEAL veteran Derrick Van Orden echoed O'Neill's demands for Milley's resignation Orden also demanded Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (right) also resign At least eight people were killed at Kabul airport on Monday, including two who were shot dead by US troops, three who were run over by taxiing jets and three stowaways who fell from the engines of a US Air Force plane as it fled an airfield of thousands of desperate Afghan nationals. Milley briefed Senators on Sunday warning that groups like Al Qaeda could make a resurgence sooner than expected following the collapse of the Afghan government, sources told CNN. Fellow retired Navy SEAL Derrick Van Orden echoed O'Neill's criticisms of the Biden administration on Fox & Friends Monday morning as he called on the Secretaries of State and Defense to step down. Afghan security guards try and maintain order as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday Afghan families walk by the aircrafts at the airport in Kabul as people try to flee the Taliban Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city 'Unfortunately, the Biden administration is redefining the word incompetence,' the military man-turned-Congressional candidate said. 'You've got Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin - they need to tender their resignations right now. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley, he needs to go peel potatoes in the galley for about a month and then resign also.' He added that the devolving situation in the war-torn country is 'he most dramatic foreign policy crisis' the US has seen since September 11 2001. The evacuation of Americans out of Kabul continued Tuesday with US defense officials vowing to fly 5,000 a day out of the Taliban stronghold. Around 700 people were flown out of the region overnight on seven C-17 jets while as many as 40,000 Americans remain stranded including in remote parts of the country. President Joe Biden took a defiant stance in an address to the nation Monday afternoon where he admitted the collapse of the Afghan government was quicker than the US anticipated but insisted he stands behind his decision to withdraw troops Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told CNN that between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans remain in Kabul alone. Other countries are also scrambling to evacuate their own citizens from the country as the Taliban continues to close in on the airport and now controls every access point from the city to the airport. The Taliban has promised to give a 'two week grace period' for foreign countries to evacuate their citizens on the ground - a promise many are fearful will not be upheld. Concerns are also ramping up for the fate of the Afghan people who worked for foreign governments - such as translators - over the last 20 years. Tesla is expanding its publicity and government relations teams in China amid regulatory scrutiny and slumping sales blamed on high-profile crashes as well as customer complaints about quality. The electric car company is hiring Chinese managers for legal and external relations, according to a job post on its WeChat account, as it faces public scrutiny in the country over safety. Following complaints from Chinese customers that have created a regulatory headache for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, industry data showed that Teslas shipments of China-made cars to the local market plunged 69 percent in July from June to just 8,621 vehicles. Tesla, which is making electric Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport-utility vehicles in Shanghai, seeking to beef up its team in several Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is seen above. Tesla is expanding its publicity and government relations teams in China after facing regulatory scrutiny there The Tesla logo is pictured at its Chinese headquarters in Beijing. The company is hiring Chinese managers for legal and external relations, according to a job post Tesla's job advertisement did go into details of external relation positions, but separate posts showed the managers will handle government relations as well. Reuters reported in May, citing people familiar with the matter, that Tesla was boosting its engagement with mainland regulators and beefing up its government relations team. The company is hiring lawyers specialized in construction, anti-monopoly and data privacy protection areas, while also looking for public relations managers. Tesla has been targeted by Chinese state media and regulators after a series of high-profile incidents. In April, a customer, angry over the handling of her complaint about malfunctioning brakes, climbed on top of a Tesla car in protest at the Shanghai auto show. Videos of the incident went viral. In May, a crash involving a Tesla killed a police officer in the eastern city of Taizhou, and footage of the scene was covered heavily by Chinese media. In April, a customer, angry over the handling of her complaint about malfunctioning brakes, climbed on top of a Tesla car in protest at the Shanghai auto show People visit Tesla and Hongqi booth in Nanjing during the 34th International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition at the Nanjing Air-hub International Expo Center in June Earlier this year, Tesla vehicles were banned from some government compounds and military complexes in China over fears that their onboard cameras could be used for spying. Days after the ban was first reported, Musk appeared by video at a high-level Chinese forum, saying that if Tesla used cars to spy in China or anywhere, it would be shut down. Tesla later established a data center in China to store car data locally and appease the government there. China, the world's biggest car market, is the electric car maker's second-biggest market and key to growth plans, accounting for about 30 percent of its sales. Tesla now makes electric Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport-utility vehicles in a Shanghai plant for both domestic sales and export. Last month, the automaker sold 32,968 China-made vehicles in July, including 24,347 for export, industry data showed. Last year Tesla sales in China more than doubled, to nearly $6.6 billion, but Tesla is no longer the most popular electric vehicle in the market. China's top-selling EV is the pint-sized Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV, made in a joint project between Wuling, General Motors and Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC. Tesla is also facing regulatory scrutiny in the US, where it has no public relations team. U.S. auto safety regulators said early Monday they have opened a formal safety probe into Tesla Inc's driver assistance system Autopilot after a series of crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that since January 2018, it has identified 11 crashes in which Tesla models using Autopilot struck emergency vehicles that were stopped at the roadside. NHTSA has in recent years sent numerous special crash investigation teams to review a series of individual Tesla crashes. Mastercard is phasing out magnetic strips on credit and debit cards and replacing them with chip-and-pin and biometrics. The strips will be completely gone by 2033, but strip-less cards will be available in many regions, including Europe, from 2024. The company says that new cards using biometric data such as fingerprints provide increased security, and the use of chip-and-pin cards was now so widespread that the time is right to begin phasing out magnetic strips. The Covid pandemic appears to have accelerated the shift to newer payment methods, as Mastercard revealed it had seen 1 billion more contactless transactions in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. In the second quarter of 2021, 45% of all in-person checkout transactions globally were contactless. Mastercard said in a statement: 'The magnetic stripe is reaching its expiration date with Mastercard becoming the first payments network to phase it out. 'The shift away from the magnetic stripe points to both consumers changing habits for payments and the development of newer technologies. Mastercard is phasing out magnetic strips on credit and debit cards and replacing them with chip-and-pin and biometrics 'Today's chip cards are powered by microprocessors that are much more capable and secure, and many are also embedded with tiny antennae that enable contactless transactions. THE MAGNETIC STRIP: A HISTORY While credit cards for individual companies had been in use in the U.S. since the Twenties, it was only in the Fifties that the idea of a universal credit card came into general use and acceptance. However, these raised letter cards required extensive customer service and substantial time to process. Seeking to create an application that would increase computer sales, IBM set about transforming the raised letter credit card to make it more efficient. The company's Advanced Systems Team, headed by Jerome Svigals and Forrest Parry, settled on magnetic tape as the only convenient data storage method capable of easily accessing the necessary alphanumeric information. Once the engineers decided on magnetic tape, the biggest challenge was designing a durable, inexpensive card. The earliest trials were done on cardboard, but quick progress with the invention meant that only two such prototypes were made before the plastic card was developed. 'IBM did the work for free and didn't even patent the machine-readable card it came up with,' Mr Svigals said. 'Rather, it offered its solution gratis to all, assuming that the more transactions conducted using machine-readable media, the more computers would be sold to process them. 'The strategy worked beyond anyone's dreams.' American Express in 1970 became the first company to take up IBM's new design, issuing 250,000 plastic magnetic strip cards which for the first time allowed customers to transact directly with banks and airport kiosks. Consumers and the rest of the banks quickly adopted the idea and, by the early 2010s, more than 20billion credit card transactions were being recorded per year in the U.S. alone. Advertisement 'Biometric cards, which combine fingerprints with chips to verify a cardholder's identity, offer another layer of security. 'Based on the decline in payments powered by magnetic stripes after chip-based payments took hold, newly-issued Mastercard credit and debit cards will not be required to have a stripe starting in 2024 in most markets. 'By 2033, no Mastercard credit and debit cards will have magnetic stripes, which leaves a long runway for the remaining partners who still rely on the technology to phase in chip card processing.' The magnetic strip will start to disappear in 2024 from Mastercard payment cards in regions, such as Europe, where chip cards are already widely used, the company said. 'It's time to fully embrace these best-in-class capabilities, which ensure consumers can pay simply, swiftly and with peace of mind,' says Ajay Bhalla, president of Mastercard's Cyber & Intelligence business. 'What's best for consumers is what's best for everyone in the ecosystem.' By 2029, no new Mastercard credit or debit cards will be issued with a magnetic stripe. Prepaid cards in the U.S. and Canada are currently exempt from this change. The move comes after surprising research by payment firm PayPoint which revealed that more than half of all customers visiting convenience stores prefer to pay for goods using cash. PayPoint collected the data from 28,000 shops where it offers a service. It also found preference for cash varies widely depending on location. The most cash-friendly region is County Down in Northern Ireland, where 69 per cent of people prefer to pay with coins and banknotes rather than a contactless card. The most cash averse county is Oxfordshire, where only 46 per cent of people say money is their favoured payment method. Nick Wiles, chief executive of PayPoint, says: 'Despite the rise of digital payments in the pandemic, it remains clear cash is a firm favourite in a majority of communities. The most vulnerable need cash.' A separate study by Natalie Ceeney, author of the independent Access To Cash review, has found eight million people rely on cash for their basic shopping and budgeting needs. The former Financial Ombudsman boss has helped set up half a dozen pilot schemes, designed to test new ways in which cash can be accessed on the high street. If successful, they could be rolled out nationwide. fficers were called around 5.50pm to Redditch Road in Alvechurch on Sunday Police are hunting a hit-and-run driver after a man and his dog were mown down and killed in a village in Worcestershire on Sunday. Officers were called at around 5.50pm to Redditch Road in Alvechurch after the 63-year-old was run over while walking his pet. The pair were found dead at the scene. West Mercia Police has now released a picture of prime suspect James Bullock, 28, who is believed to the driver of the car which failed to stop. In a statement, the force said: 'We are asking the public to please contact us if they have seen 28-year-old James (Jamie) Bullock, or know where he is located. West Mercia Police has now released a picture (above) of James Bullock, 28, who is believed to the driver of the car which hit the 63-year-old man and his dog in Worcestershire on Sunday 'Bullock is wanted on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the death of a 63 year old man and his dog on Sunday 15 August.' The car, which sustained front-end damage, was found abandoned nearby. A man and a woman, both aged 27 from Hollywood, Worcestershire, have also been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Sergeant Liam Bennett said: 'We believe that Bullock is the driver of the vehicle that was involved in the fatal collision on Redditch Road in Alvechurch last Sunday. Officers were called at around 5.50pm to Redditch Road (pictured above) in Alvechurch on August 15. The car, which sustained front-end damage, was found abandoned nearby 'We would ask that if anyone has information regarding his whereabouts to please contact us as soon as possible. 'Bullock has links to Malvern, Kidderminster and Hollywood.' Police urged anyone with information on where Bullock is to contact 999 immediately, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. United Airlines has sent out a memo to its flight crew, advising them not to use duct tape to restrain unruly passengers during trips. The memo, sent on Friday, came as videos of such incidents went viral in recent weeks, depicting flight attendants taping passengers to their seats mid-flight. 'Please remember that there are designated items onboard that may be used in difficult situations, and alternative measures such as tape should never be used,' the memo read. The memo came from John Slater, United's senior vice president of Inflight Services, and referenced two taping incidents that occurred in July, Newsweek reported. On a July 31 Frontier Airlines flight, allegedly drunk passenger Maxwell Berry was accused of groping two flight attendants and punching a third on a flight from Philadelphia to Miami Berry, 22, was then duct-taped to his seat and arrested on three counts of battery 'As you've likely seen, a few airlines have recently made news about the way they've handled situations onboard. The overwhelming majority of our customers have been on their best behavior throughout the pandemic and returned to our flights with confidence and enthusiasm,' Slater wrote. 'When things have evolved, you've relied on all aspects of inflight safety training, including de-escalation.' In the memo, Slate brought up the case of Maxwell Berry, 22, who was allegedly drunk on a Frontier Airlines flight between Philadelphia and Miami on July 21. Police said Berry groped two female flight attendants and punched a male flight attendant before the staff restrained him in the seat with duct tape. Videos showed Berry on the flight shouting 'Help me' and trying to wring free from the duct tape, which also covered his mouth. The memo also made reference to a July 6 incident, where an unidentified woman aboard an American Airline flight allegedly tried to open a plane door and bit a flight attendant. A female passenger ended up having 'a mental health episode' on a flight from Dallas to Charlotte and was duct taped to her seat along with having tape placed over her mouth Law enforcement officers were also waiting for the female passenger as she deplaned The FAA said that airlines have reported more than 3,000 incidents involving unruly passengers since January 1 The woman, who was believed to be suffering from a 'mental health episode,' was restrained to her seat with tape nearing the end of a three-hour flight, with video of the incident shared on TikTok. 'While in flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Charlotte on July 6, the crew on board American Airlines flight 1774 reported a potential security concern after a customer attempted to open the forward boarding door and physically assaulted, bit and caused injury to a flight attendant,' a statement from American Airlines read. 'For the safety and security of other customers and our crew, the individual was restrained until the flight landed at CLT and could be met by law enforcement and emergency personnel,' the statement continued. Yet another incident occurred on American Airlines earlier this month when an 11-year-old boy with autism was duct-taped to his seat after suffering a meltdown. He had been fighting with his mom, who is disabled and had a difficult time getting her son to calm down, a source told DailyMail.com. The chaotic scene stressed out the autistic boy's brother, whose age is unknown, and he panicked and tried to break the plane window while the they were in the air, according to the source. The flight diverted to Honolulu, where the family and other customers were 're-accommodated on other flights or provided hotel accommodations,' an American Airlines spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Flight attendants used duct tape to restrain the 13-year-old boy with autism who had a medical meltdown midflight and couldn't be consoled These types of unruly passenger behavior has become a common problem for flight attendants in 2021, according to a study released by the flight attendants union on July 29. It included nearly 5,000 responses from flight attendants across 30 airlines between June 25 to July 14. The online study said 85 percent of flight attendants have dealt with unruly passengers; nearly 1 in 5 have experienced physical incidents in 2021; and 71 percent of flight attendants who filed incident reports to management received no follow up. Duct taping passengers can be common practice, with United Airlines reporting such incidents aboard their own flight in 2003, 2008 and 2018, The Washington Post reported. The International Air Transport Association said in a statement that passengers are only ever restrained as a last result if other efforts to get a situation under control have not worked. Cabin crew are trained in de-escalation and restraint techniques and equipment (if carried) by their airline, the statement said. There is no industry standard restraint equipment, so it is up to the individual airline. Some airlines may equip their cabins with kits that include restraint devices. A 32 year-old man has died two days after he was spotted hanging off the safety bar of a cable car ride before plunging 50 feet to the ground in front of horrified families. Farmington, Utah police announced the unidentified parkgoer's death on Monday, just two days after he was filmed hanging from the safety bar of his seat on the Sky Ride at Lagoon Amusement Park. He was seen dangling from the car - while facing in towards it - as it crossed above a fountain surrounded by people, many of whom stopped and pointed up at the man. He did not, however, appear to be struggling to get back on the ride, and instead appeared calm as the seat he was dangling from passed by the camera. Cops say the man was in the park with his family at the time, although he was riding the cable car alone. His family has reportedly asked authorities not to release his name, according to Local 12 News. Mystery surrounds how the man ended up over the side of the ride, and whether he let go of the bar deliberately, or fell after being unable to climb back in. An investigation is ongoing. Just a few minutes later, though, shortly before 6 p.m., police said, they received multiple calls that the man had fallen from the ride, which transports guests from one side of the park to the other. Officers and paramedics promptly arrived on the scene to render medical aid, they said, before ultimately deciding to airlift the man to the University of Utah hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. A man was filmed hanging from the Sky Ride at Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah Saturday night, appearing calm as he did not appear to make any effort to get back into the chair. But just a few minutes later, police said, he plummeted 50 feet to the ground Horrified families looked on as he passed by on the Sky Ride Both police and Lagoon officials said it did not appear the ride malfunctioned, and an investigation into the man's death is underway as questions remain about the incident. The horrific death has spurred multiple theories and claims on social media, although police have refused to comment on them, and said their investigation is ongoing. Authorities noted a toxicology tests will be conducted as part of an autopsy. They have also said it does not appear his fall was intentional. 'We don't know why he did that or what was going on,' Farmington Police Chief Wayne Hansen told KSL. 'We just don't know.' Police said the man was at the park with his family, but was on the ride alone. They said they have checked the safety bar on the seat he was in. 'That's part of what we checked and it was functioning as it should,' Hansen told the Standard-Examiner. 'It would appear he did something to get around that.' All of the rides are checked everyday and have safety information 'either printed or said verbally,' Adam Leishman, a spokesman for Lagoon, told Fox 13, adding in a statement to the Standard-Examiner: 'Our hearts go out to that man's family and friends, and our guests and our employees that witnessed the incident.' Lagoon officials are cooperating with the investigation, noting that the Sky Ride has operated without incident since it was first installed in 1974 One such witness was Lucy Grace Astilla, who took the horrific video while she was panning around the park with her camera. 'My husband noticed there's a guy hanging on that ride,' she told Fox 13. She could be heard in the video asking: 'Why is he doing it like that?' At first, she said she assumed he was a gymnast or it was done as a stunt, 'but then I noticed he didnt have any equipment that would save him from a fall,' Astilla told Gephart Daily. She said she asked the ride operators to stop the ride, and thats the time we heard screaming from other people, but we were by the roller coaster, so I think maybe it was for that, but it wasnt. The screaming was because the man fell.' She walked over to the scene, she said, and saw many people trying to help the man, with paramedics and authorities arriving on the scene quickly. The Sky Ride has operated without incident since it was first installed at the park in 1974, Leishman noted. The man's death was the first one at the park since the 1980s, when two separate fatal incidents saw a teenage girl fall to her death from a roller coaster, while a toddler was crushed on the Puff the Magic Dragon ride, according to the Standard-Examiner. Lagoon was given permission to reopen the ride the next day. Lawmakers from both parties continued to blast the Biden Administration for its handling of the Afghanistan pullout Tuesday, with lawmakers demanding a rapid acceleration of evacuations they say should have occurred months ago. Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, who already blasted the chaotic evacuation of Kabul as a 'disaster,' complained he has been warning top officials for months to speed them along. Asked on MSNBC whether President Biden was listening to him, Moulton, a former Marine and Iraq War vet, responded: 'Well he's not listening to me, because for the last few months I have been telling the administration they need to start the evacuation immediately.' Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts spoke of the 'chaos' in Afghanistan, and said evacuations should have been underway for months 'If you simply did the math, with the number of people we need to get out and the number of days that we have before the U.S. troop withdrawal is complete, they should have been conducting this evacuation for months,' he said. 'All the scenes of total chaos that we saw play out on the TV yesterday could have been avoided if the administration planned for this in advance,' said Moulton, who briefly ran for president in 2020. His comments, which the Republican National Committee blasted out on Twitter, came after a blistering statement on the situation. 'To say that today is anything short of a disaster would be dishonest. Worse, it was avoidable,' said the House Armed Services Committee member. 'The time to debate whether we stay in Afghanistan has passed, but there is still time to debate how we manage our retreat. Some hundreds of people run alongside a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves down a runway of the international airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16. 2021 Evacuees crowd the interior of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, carrying some 640 Afghans to Qatar from Kabul, Afghanistan August 15, 2021 Florida GOP Rep. Brian Mast said he fears his former Afghan interpreter will get beheaded Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde is calling for resignation of Defense Sec. Austin and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley 'For months, I have been calling on the Administration to evacuate our allies immediatelynot to wait for paperwork, for shaky agreements with third countries, or for time to make it look more "orderly,"' he said. He also tweeted: 'We have a long time to debate whether it was the right decision to withdraw; what we must all be focused on right now is how we do it. Its still within Americas power to save innocent lives, but the Administration has to step up.' Florida GOP Rep. Brian Mast tore into Biden in an op-ed where the Afghan war veteran who lost his legs spoke of his fears of what might befall his former Afghan interpreter, who he calls 'Tom.' 'President Biden has abandoned the Afghan men and women who risked their lives for our war, and rather than execute any sort of plan that protects our interests and our allies, hes spending all of his time assigning blame to everyone but himself,' he wrote in an op-ed for Fox News. 'It is completely unforgivable. Because of his failures, it is a very real possibility that the next time I turn on the news, Ill be forced to watch Tom beheaded.' Mast described how the interpreter accompanied him on the mission where he lost both of his legs in September 2010. Georgia GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde is calling for resignation of Defense Sec. Austin and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley. Clyde, who served in Iraq and Kuwait, infuriated Democrats when he compared the Jan. 6th Capitol riot to a 'normal tourist visit.' Another Georgia Republican, Rep. Austin Scott, called recent events a 'colossal failure,' the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Moulton's criticism came as the Pentagon announced plans to evacuate between 5,000 and 9,000 people a day as an August 31st troop withdrawal deadline approaches. The State Department said all diplomatic personnel other than those assisting in evacuations have now left the country. The parents of one of the two men gunned down by Kyle Rittenhouse during Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year are suing the local authorities, accusing them of deputizing armed vigilantes to roam the streets and 'mete out justice as they saw fit.' Attorneys representing John Huber and Karen Bloom, the parents of shooting victim Anthony Huber, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday alleging 15 counts, including wrongful death; conspiracy to deprive of constitutional rights; conspiracy to obstruct justice; deprivation of due process; intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligence. The lawsuit argues that were Rittenhouse and other vigilantes black, police would have treated them 'much differently.' Rittenhouse, then aged 17, shot and killed Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and wounded a third person on August 25, 2020, during a protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Scroll down for video A federal lawsuit has been filed, accusing authorities in Kenosha, Wisconsin, of allowing Kyle Rittenhouse (left) and other white vigilantes to roams the streets armed with guns last summer, resulting in the killing of Anthony Huber, 26 (right) Rittenhouse, then aged 17, is pictured on August 25, 2020, carrying an assault rifle during protests against police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin This screenshot shows Huber grabbing his chest (right) after being shot by Rittenhouse Blake, who is black, was shot by a Kenosha police officer during a domestic disturbance, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Officials said Rittenhouse, who is white, traveled to Kenosha with an assault-style rifle from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to help militiamen protect businesses from vandalism and looting. After fatally shooting Huber and Rosenbaum, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, Rittenhouse was charged with homicide. He is set to go on trial in November. The Huber family's 38-page complaint names as defendants Kenosha County Sheriff's David Beth; former Kenosha Police Department Chief Daniel Miskinis, Kenosha Acting Chief of Police Eric Larsen, as well as the City of Kenosha and Kenosha County. Rittenhouse also shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum (pictured in a red shirt) and wounded another man Rittenhouse killed Rosenbaum (right) before Huber confronted and tried to disarm the gun-toting teen during a night of unrest The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages, to be determined at trial. According to the complaint, law enforcement officials in Kenosha were aware of vigilantes' plans to confront BLM protesters from threatening social media posts and emails, but they did not treat them as a threat. 'Instead, Defendants deputized these armed individuals, conspired with them, and ratified their actions by letting them patrol the street, armed with deadly weapons, to mete out justice as they saw fit,' the court filing reads. The lawsuit further clams that cops on the scene 'thanked Rittenhouse and other armed individuals, gave them water, and allowed them to openly defy the emergency curfew order that was in place.' According to the documents, far from trying to stop Rittenhouse and his ilk, police allegedly planned to divert protesters towards the vigilantes so they could 'deal with them.' As it was widely reported at the time, police made no attempt to detain or disarm Rittenhouse and others, and voiced their support for their actions, saying:' We appreciate your guys, we really do.' Rittenhouse is set to go to trial on November. He faces a slew of charges, including reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide (pictured in court on May 21) The lawsuit describes Huber as a 'hero' who attempted to disarm Rittenhouse using his skateboard, as seen in a viral video recording. The 26-year-old died after the teen shot him in the chest as Huber tried to pull the assault rifle from Rittenhouse's hands. By then, Rittenhouse had already shot and killed Rosenbaum and was fleeing. He then fired on Grosskreutz from a point-blank range, hitting him in the arm. 'Remarkably, the officers did nothing to stop Rittenhouse, let alone question him, or arrest him,' the complaint alleges, describing what happened after the killings. 'Instead, officers spoke to Rittenhouse and then let him walk away.' The lawsuit argues that the only reason the armed minor was allowed to walk away after shooting three people, two of them fatally, 'was because he was white and because he was affiliated' with militiamen who had the authorities' support. 'Defendants open support of and coordination with the armed individuals in the minutes and hours before the shootings deprived Anthony Huber and the other protestors of the basic protections typically provided by police,' reads the document. 'It was a license for the armed individuals to wreak havoc and inflict injury.' The lawsuit goes on to allege that 'if Kyle Rittenhouse were Black, Defendants would have acted much differently.' John Huber, Anthonys father, said in a statement that had police done their job that day, instead of walking away from their duties, his son would have been alive today. Anthony Hubers mother, Karen Bloom, said the lawsuit is about justice for her son, and his legacy. 'After Anthonys death, there will always be a hole in my heart,' Bloom said. 'But his memory lives on, and I will never stop telling his story.' Rittenhouse, now aged 18, maintains he fired in self-defense but prosecutors have charged him with a litany of counts, including reckless homicide, recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and being a minor in possession of a dangerous weapon. Black Lives Matter supporters have painted the Illinois teen as a trigger-happy white supremacist. Conservatives have made him into a symbol for gun rights, collecting $2million for his bail. His high-profile trial is scheduled to begin on November 1 and will be televised in full. Kenoshas police chief or Kenosha County sheriffs officials did not immediately returns calls for comment on the lawsuit. Advertisement Thousands have been evacuated from their homes on the French Riviera after huge wildfires broke out in St Tropez, as firefighters battled to control the blaze. BBC news presenter Geeta Guru-Murthy and her husband Philip Collins had to abandon their burning villa and their car as they escaped the raging fires bringing horror to holidaymakers. As many as 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and holiday sites while others were locked down in a holiday centre for Air France employees. Thousands have been evacuated from their homes on the French Riviera after huge wildfires broke out in St Tropez, as firefighters battled to control the blaze French firefighters use a water hose to extinguish a fire in Gonfaron, in the French department of Var, southern France People float on the water as an aircraft tries to extinguish the raging fires in the south of France as thousands were forced to flee BBC news presenter Geeta Guru-Murthy, (pictured above) who was holidaying with her husband and family in the area, revealed she had to abandon her car to the blaze after it was caught in a ditch At least 22 people suffered from smoke inhalation or minor fire-related injuries, including two firefighters. Ms Guru-Murthy and Mr Collins, the 54-year-old journalist, were with their two children as they fled the villa in vineyards in Cogolin, close to the celebrity haven of Saint-Tropez. Wildfires were raging from the early hours of Tuesday as up to 1,000 emergency workers in the Var region on France's Mediterranean coast fought the blaze. They were also involved in the mass evacuation of the holidaymakers, including Ms Guru-Murthy's family, and others from Britain. It was just the latest blaze in a summer of wildfires that have swept across the Mediterranean region, leaving areas in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Algeria and Spain in smoldering ruins. Ms Guru-Murthy tweeted shaky video of huge flames, and described how her evacuation path was blocked by three different fires. A firefighting aircraft drops water at the scene of a forest fire in the town of Gonfaron, near Saint-Tropez French President Emmanuel Macron visits the SDIS (Departmental fire and rescue service) and firefighters headquarters in Le Luc, near Saint-Tropez Wildfires were raging from the early hours of Tuesday as up to 1.000 emergency workers in the Var region on France's Mediterranean coast fought the blaze Thousands of people, including tourists in campsites, have been evacuated as a wildfire raged near the plush resort of Saint-Tropez She said: 'We hope vineyard protecting us but lots of sparks and wind changing. We can't drive out and need road connecting us to be safe.' Pleading for help, Ms Guru-Murthy revealed she had to abandon her car to the blaze after it was caught in a ditch. She then added: 'Being evacuated in convoy led by police but tree blocking roads, trees on fire behind us, waiting for more help.' Her brother, Channel 4 TV anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy, later revealed she had safely made it to an evacuation centre at a local gym. Mr Guru-Murthy tweeted: 'Sister and family caught in forest fires in Cogolin, France. They're in an evacuation centre now but fear passports etc lost after car got stuck in a ditch surrounded by fire and they had to run. Presumably other Brits on holidays there will also need consular assistance.' She then added: 'Out now and in evacuation centre - local gym; thanks to all who helped; think just passed our burned-out car containing all our key stuff. Residents and tourists are being given temporary accommodation in schools and council buildings around the area A Canadair CL 415 aircraft fills its tank from the sea to extinguish nearby forest fires in the bay of Saint-Tropez 'But I think we are safe. Lots of flames all around and as we passed through the burning trees.' A local government official said 12 campsites had been evacuated, and 4,000 hectares (9,880 acres) of land had been burnt. Water-dumping planes and emergency helicopters zipped back and forth over hills lined with chestnut, pine and oak trees. The sky above the world-famous Riviera port of Saint-Tropez continued to glow red on Tuesday. 'Water-bombing aircraft is among the equipment being used to try and contain the fires,' said a spokesman for the Var emergency services. 'Tourists from all nationalities, including many from Britain, have been asked to withdraw from the area as a preventive measure,' she added. By midday on Monday there had been no known casualties, said the source, but she added that the 'situation is getting more serious as the heat intensifies.' The main blaze broke out in scrubland near a motorway service area north of Toulon late on Sunday night, according to police sources in the city Worst hit was the village of Gonfaron, about 30 miles west of Saint-Tropez while the resorts of La Mole and Grimaud were also 'seriously threatened by the fire' Worst hit was the village of Gonfaron, about 30 miles west of Saint-Tropez, the spokesman added, while the resorts of La Mole and Grimaud were also 'seriously threatened by the fire'. Residents and tourists are being given temporary accommodation in schools and council buildings around the area. One evacuee told France-Bleu that smoke enveloped his car as he returned to his campsite and he had just enough time to grab his baby daughter's milk and basic belongings before fleeing. Another told BFM television about escaping as his hotel caught fire. Backed by planes and helicopters, more than 900 firefighters worked Tuesday to contain the blaze, civil security service spokesman Alexandre Jouassard said. President Emmanuel Macron, who is also holidaying in the area, was among those who visited emergency workers. So too did Gerald Darmanin, France's Interior Minister, who flew from Paris to monitor the first serious fire outbreak in France this summer. The Var region, which is heavily populated in the summer, has been hit by serious fires annually for the past three decades Residents and tourists are being given temporary accommodation in schools and council buildings around the area The main blaze broke out in scrubland near a motorway service area north of Toulon late on Sunday night, according to police sources in the city. The regional administration warned that fire risk would remain very high through Wednesday because of hot, dry weather. Temperatures in the area have reached 104F in recent days. The Var region, which is heavily populated in the summer, has been hit by serious fires annually for the past three decades. Last year, the worst outbreak ravaged 1,000 hectares just west of Marseilles, when at least 2,700 people were evacuated, some by sea. Extreme heat has caused some of the worst fires in memory around the Mediterranean basin over the past month. Two wildfires, fanned by strong winds, raged out of control near Athens on Monday, forcing the evacuation of numerous towns and villages. Pete Buttigieg, 39, announced on Tuesday that he and husband Chasten, 32, are now fathers as they complete the adoption process. 'For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family,' the Transportation secretary tweeted. 'We're overjoyed to share that we've become parents!' 'The process isn't done yet and we're thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us. We can't wait to share more soon,' Buttigieg continued. He did not, however, share any more details on their new parental status. The couple has previously shared their desire to adopt and be parents. Chasten reposted his husband's tweet along with: 'Some News!' 'Congratulations to you and @Chasten!' first lady Jill Biden posted to Twitter on Tuesday. 'Welcome to parenthood!' she added with an emoticon of two hearts. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (right) announced on Tuesday that he and husband Chasten are becoming fathers as they finish up the adoption process Buttigieg made the announcement on Twitter and Instagram on Tuesday, saying: 'We're overjoyed to share that we've become parents!' First lady Jill Biden immediately sent her congratulations to the married couple on expanding their family. 'Welcome to parenthood!' she tweeted Chasten told the Washington Post in a feature piece on his life in Washington, D.C. last month that he and Buttigieg have been trying to adopt for a year. The two were going through the rigorous adoption process, including home studies and parenting workshops. They were on a list to receive a baby who has been abandoned or surrendered at little notice as well as another, more lengthy process that would allow a pregnant woman to choose the couple in advance without their identities being revealed. Before the announcement on Tuesday, Chasten said they got close to receiving a child on multiple occasions and already started shopping for baby clothes and gear and talking about potential names. 'It's a really weird cycle of anger and frustration and hope,' Chasten told the Post of the adoption process. 'You think it's finally happening and you get so excited, and then it's gone.' The married couple moved to Washington, D.C. in 2021 from Indiana after Buttigieg was nominated to be President Joe Biden's Transportation Secretary. He was one of the several candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary to try and earn the spot to take on Donald Trump. Buttigieg's biggest hurdle was among black southern voters, who were openly against supporting a gay candidate for president. Buttigieg endorsed Biden after dropping out of the race. Following the social media announcement that they became parents, the Buttigieg's saw an outpouring of congratulations. 'In the midst of so much pain and anguish, here is some genuinely wonderful news. Congratulations to @PeteButtigieg and @Chasten!!' former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett tweeted. ' Your lives will never be the same. Welcome to the best club on earth.' Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary for Vice President Kamala Harris, wrote: 'Wonderful news! Congrats to @PeteButtigieg and @Chasten!' The outpouring of congratulations came from several Democrats, including former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who said: 'In the midst of so much pain and anguish, here is some genuinely wonderful news' MSNBC host Joy Reid sent her congratulations to the couple on Twitter Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark used the opportunity to promote making childcare affordable in America DNC Chair Jaime Harrison also congratulated the couple on becoming parents MSNBC host Joy Reid tweeted: 'Congratulations, gents!! Blessings to your growing family'. Other Democrats used it to take the opportunity to promote efforts to make child care affordable for all Americans. 'Congratulations, @petebuttigieg and @chasten so proud to be working together to make sure you and every family has access to quality, affordable #childcare! #AmericanFamiliesPlan #ChildCareisInfrastructure,' Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark tweeted. DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison wrote also sent his congratulations, saying: 'Your lives will be forever changed! Enjoy every single moment.' Pete and Chasten reside in an upscale apartment building in the Eastern Market neighborhood in Southeast Washington less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol building. Their building is at a higher price-point than other apartments in the area as they pay around $3,000 for an 800-square-foot one-bedroom apartment. 'We couldn't afford the one-bedroom-plus-den,' Chasten said, arguing they chose the higher-end, higher-price-point building because of its location and security after receiving multiple threats and break-in back in South Bend, Indiana. Chasten is a teacher-turned-author who claims he is still struggling to adapt to his new life in the nation's capital. In fall 2017, he became a junior high humanities teacher at a Montessori Academy in Mishawaka, Indiana where he taught theater and ran the diversity club. He took a leave of absence to support his husband's campaign and in January 2019 joined the Civic Education Team of the South Bend Civic Theatre before moving to D.C. He published a book in September 2020 titled 'I Have Something to Tell You' about his life growing up closeted in a conservative Midwestern family. A new poll taken in real time during President Joe Biden's Afghanistan speech Monday showed Republican and Independent voters turned off by his address, filled with defiant deflections and finger-pointing over the crisis in the war-torn country. Clips of the speech played on Fox News Tuesday showed the growing divide between Democrat voters and others at different points of Biden's speech. In a segment with Biden's infamous line 'The buck stops with me,' where he promised to not pass the responsibility of a never-ending war onto a fifth president, both Independents' and Republicans' approvals dipped near consistently. The GOP's approval neared 20 percent at that point while Independents hovered close to 30 percent. Democrats meanwhile appeared to like the president's line - by the end of his clip taking responsibility Biden's blue approval line was close to 80 percent. That section of the speech earned a 'B' from Democrats, while Independents and GOP voters still gave him an 'F'. Democrats gave Biden a modest 'B' grade for his line assuming responsibility but it tanked with Independent and Republican voters Many people felt Biden put people in harm's way with the way the evacuation was handled, a pollster said Taliban fighters stand guard outside the Green Zone where most of the embassies are situated after Taliban took control of Kabul 'They were really disappointed with this,' polling expert Lee Carter said on Fox of Independent voters. She relayed the sentiment of one of them who said, 'I like the idea of not passing the war onto another president, but what he's wrong about is what people are mad about.' 'Were not mad that he did it. We are mad instead that he pulled out the troops in this way and put them in harm's way. So the buck does stop with him.' The president's reference to Harry Truman earned him bipartisan criticism. As the Taliban strengthened its hold on Kabul and sent civilians and foreign nationals fleeing, Biden in the same speech blamed Donald Trump's peace agreement with the Taliban - in which he promised a military withdrawal by May 1st and released 5,000 Taliban prisoners - as well as the Afghan military for the devastating scenes. Biden faced bipartisan criticism over his speech, which simultaneously saw him take responsibility for the mess while also explaining why it was not his fault The evacuation effort at Kabul's airport is still in a sensitive situation as it remains the only route not taken over by the Taliban (pictured: Taliban fighters at a check point in Kabul) Voters appreciated when Biden empathized with the devastating situation in Afghanistan. The world watched as Afghan civilians helplessly tried to cling to US jets in a bid to escape FALL OF KABUL: A TIMELINE OF THE TALIBAN'S FAST ADVANCE AFTER 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT Feb. 29, 2020 Trump negotiates deal with the Taliban setting U.S. withdrawal date for May 1, 2021 Nov. 17, 2020 Pentagon announces it will reduce troop levels to 2500 in Afghanistan Jan. 15, 2020 Inspector general reveals 'hubris and mendacity' of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan Feb 3. 2021 Afghan Study Group report warns against withdrawing 'irresponsibly' March Military command makes last-ditch effort to talk Biden out of withdrawal April 14 Biden announces withdrawal will be completed by Sept. 11 May 4 - Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces May 11 - The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country June 7 - Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country's 34 provinces June 22 - Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts July 2 - The U.S. evacuates Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night July 5 - The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August July 21 - Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country's districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance July 25 - The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops "in the coming weeks" with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks July 26 - The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009 Aug. 6 - Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north Aug. 13 - Pentagon insists Kabul is not under imminent threat Aug. 14 - The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps Aug. 15 - The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul Taliban insurgents enter Kabul, an interior ministry official says, as the United States evacuate diplomats from its embassy by helicopter Advertisement Biden said in another segment, 'We have made it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the US presence will be swift, and the response will be swift and forceful.' The red GOP trend line saw a near-continuous dip in favorability between 40 and 30 percent. It ticked upward slightly after Biden threatened a 'swift' US presence in retaliation against militant fighters. Independents' yellow line showed a more or less level approval rating of 40 percent. The blue Democrat line rose steadily through the clip, Biden apparently gaining approval of his own party for his hardline warnings to the Taliban. It began around 60 percent and rose close to 70. The second portion shown, which Biden said just seconds later, has him stating that 'Our current military mission is short on time, limited in scope and focused in its objectives: Get our people and our allies as safely and quickly as possible.' The Republican trend was similar with a noticeable but small uptick at Biden promising to 'get our people,' which then dipped again immediately when he mentioned rescuing allies. GOP approval looked to be close to 30 percent by the end. Biden's reference of the 'military mission' right at the outset of the clip appeared to send the yellow trend line downward where it stayed between 40 and 30 percent, similar to where the Republican line first began. Democrats' approval began a positive climb toward around 70 percent when he began outlining the rescue mission's goals. 'People want to hear what he's going to do to fix it. There are so many unanswered questions,' Carter said. That section got another failing mark from Independents and Republicans, with only a passing 'C' from Democrats. She said people were hoping to hear details about swift efforts and assurances of protection - but they felt 'he didn't address what's most important to the American people.' A segment where Biden empathized with the horrors in Afghanistan and the difficulty facing veterans, their families and anyone who lost loved ones there earned his highest marks from Republicans - just below 50 percent. 'The scenes that were seeing in Afghanistan, theyre gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers... For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan, and for Americans who have fought and served our country in Afghanistan, this is deeply, deeply personal. It is for me as well.' Republicans and Independents gave Biden a 'C' while Democrats awarded the segment a 'B+.' 'People wanted to hear him say this was painful to watch, so they agreed with that,' Carter explained. American intelligence agencies offered increasingly dire warnings of a Taliban takeover and the collapse of Afghanistan's armed forces even as President Biden claimed that would not happen, according to current and former officials. On July 8, Biden told reporters that the Afghan army could call on 300,000 fighters compared with 75,000 Taliban and that the fall of Kabul was 'not inevitable.' Yet a drumbeat of public assessments had questioned their ability to fight and by July classified intelligence reports had grown more pessimistic about whether the government could hold on to the capital, according to the New York Times. The revelations will intensify questions about why Biden pushed ahead with such a rapid withdrawal, and why his administration was not better prepared to rescue Americans and Afghan staff. One report in July, as the Taliban advanced, described the growing risk to Kabul and said the government was unprepared for a direct assault. It mapped out a cascading collapse as the Afghan security forces fell apart - much as happened last week. President Biden was forced to return to the White House from Camp David on Monday to address the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan and defend his decision to bring home U.S. troops Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war, as thousands of people mobbed the city's airport trying to flee the group's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule Hundreds of people run alongside a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane, some climbing on the plane, as it moves down a runway of the international airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug.16. 2021. A historical analysis, reportedly provided to Congress, derived lessons from the Taliban takeover in 1996. Their speed then surprised observers. This time around, the report forecast they would first take border crossings, then move into provincial capitals, before securing territory in the north before moving into Kabul - predictions that largely proved accurate. But a senior intelligence official said the reports did not offer a definitive assessment of an imminent Taliban takeover. The official told the newspaper that just a week before Kabuls fall, analysis was that a Taliban takeover was not yet inevitable. Biden was forced to return to the White House on Monday as his administration dealt with the fallout of the U.S. withdrawal and the return of the Taliban. He insisted officials had 'planned for every contingency' but: 'The truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.' Just a month earlier he had dismissed any idea that he faced his own fall of Saigon moment. 'The Taliban is not the ... the North Vietnamese army. Theyre not theyre not remotely comparable in terms of capability. 'Theres going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy in the of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable.' But television pictures at the weekend showed helicopters ferrying embassy staff to the airport in Kabul in an emergency evacuation. A U.S. Chinook helicopter over the U.S. embassy in Kabul on Sunday as the Taliban closed on the capital and American staff were rushed to airport for evacuation Taliban fighters pray while raising their flag in Ghazni, southeastern Afghanistan. The speed of their advance took U.S. officials by surprise, forcing Biden to send thousands of troops back to the country to help rescue American nationals and Afghans who worked for the U.S. The white flag of the Taliban has been raised all across the country in the wake of their lightning advance across the country Lisa Curtis, who was senior director for South and Central Asia on President Trump's National Security Council, said the assessments may have overlooked two key issues. 'Did they ever factor in these analyses that we would demand all 18,000 contractors, leave the country at the same time,' she told reporters on a conference call. 'Also the pace. Did anybody predict that the the pace would be so quick?. 'Those are questions that we need to ask - if the intel community considered that it withdraw would be handled in the way that the Biden administration handled it because I know when I was at the NSC that nobody considered such a rapid haphazard type of withdrawal scenario.' Other analysts said the idea that the Kabul government could hold on for at least a year were based on a flawed understanding of the Afghan army's will to fight. 'Most of the U.S. assessments inside and outside the U.S. government had focused on how well the Afghan security forces would fare in a fight with the Taliban. In reality, they never really fought,' Seth G. Jones, an Afghanistan expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told the New York Times. Reports from inside Afghanistan suggest the Taliban had prepositioned fighters around key targets and had already begun negotiating with elders in preparation for the U.S. withdrawal. But even public assessments made bleak reading and should have sounded warnings about the U.S. departure. In March, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said there was little prospect of a peace deal being agreed. 'The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support,' it said in its Annual Threat Assessment report. 'Kabul continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory.' Advertisement The mother of the 'danger tourist' who went on holiday to Kabul days before it fell to the Taliban spoke of her relief that her student son is safe. Miles Routledge was evacuated to Dubai on a military flight with hundreds of others fleeing the Afghanistan capital after the Taliban took control. The Loughborough University student will now have to make his own arrangements to return to the UK on a commercial flight. His mother Susan said she was 'relieved' but still in a state of shock over his exploits that have drawn fierce criticism. She revealed she had no idea her 21-year-old son was even in Afghanistan until she saw his online posts. 'Of course, I am very relieved he is safe,' said Susan at her home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. 'But I am still in a bit of shock that he was even there. I had no idea until I saw some of his posts. I am just glad he is safe.' Mrs Routledge said it would be at least another 10 days before she can be reunited with her son as he will have to go into a quarantine hotel on his return to the UK. Afghanistan is on the red list of countries on the UK's Covid traffic lights system. It means Miles will have to pay 2,285 for a ten-day stay before he is allowed to return to the family home in Sutton Coldfield. He had previously shared on Facebook a selfie video taken while seated aboard a packed evacuation aircraft - which he described as being operated by the British Army - as it touched down in the UAE. The Birmingham banking intern, who has boasted of visiting Chernobyl, is seen wearing a flak jacket in the video, and wrote in an accompanying caption: 'I've landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British Army. All safe!' Mr Routledge earlier claimed he had been put under UN protection following the Taliban's invasion of Kabul, but a UN spokesman has been unable to confirm this. Today, the student told BBC News that he was 'exhausted but relieved' to have escaped Kabul. His exploits have provoked fury as thousands of refugees, including brave British Army translators, desperately scrabble for space on the few flights leaving Afghanistan to avoid being killed by Taliban fighters. Beneath one Facebook post another user wrote: 'Selfish actions, your seat on a plane home should have been given to an Afghan interpreter who now faces certain death.' The UK's evacuation effort - codenamed called Operation PITTING - is helping British citizens and Afghans entitled to a British visa, including Army translators. An official at Kabul airport said three British military flights had so far left today, among a total of 12 military airlifts from different nations. Britain's evacuation operation is being overseen by members of the Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade, working with RAF pilots and using UK bases including Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. A total of 370 people were flown back home yesterday and the day before, Sky News today reported. Vice Adm Sir Ben Key, in charge of the UK's operation, said he believes the British military can get between 6,000-7,000 people out. He said he was confident the airfield in Kabul was 'stable' but added that the 'dynamic political situation' in city meant the evacuation 'can't afford to pause', adding that officials were 'alive to the uncertainty'. MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Defence to confirm if Mr Routledge was travelling on a British military flight. Flight data suggests British military planes involved in the evacuation include RAF Voyagers and a series of other transport aircraft including the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Airbus A400M Atlas. Miles Routledge, 21, shared footage of him sitting alongside hundreds of other people fleeing the militant group as the aircraft touched down in the UAE The banking intern, who was wearing a flak jacket, wrote on a caption: 'I've landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British Army. All safe!' Footage shows the UK Armed Forces in Kabul processing and leading Afghan citizens onto an RAF aircraft during Operation Pitting on Monday At a glance: What is the situation in Afghanistan and how many people are being evacuated? The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly 20-year war. Here is the latest: The Taliban, who ran Afghanistan in the late 1990s, have again taken control after the Western-backed government that has run it for 20 years collapsed Thousands of people are racing to Kabul Airport which is one of the last routes out of the country amid fears the Taliban could carry out revenge attacks At least 56,000 people need evacuating - including some 22,000 on US special immigrant visas, 4,000 British nationals, 10,000 refugees that Germany has said it will accept, and 20,000 bound for Canada Some people are so desperate that they clung to the side of a military jet as it took off and then plunged to their deaths yesterday - at least seven died 900 British armed forces in Afghanistan to bring UK nationals home and secure safety of some Afghans 150 British nationals were flown out on Sunday while 289 Afghan nationals were taken out last week A further 350 British and Afghans will be taken out of the country in the next 24 hours, UK Government says The US may issue up 80,000 special immigrant visas to those who helped with its combat operations 7,500 troops currently guarding the airport - including 6,000 Americans and smaller numbers of British, Turkish and Australians - will also need to leave Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for G7 leaders to hold a virtual meeting 'in the coming days' Defence Minister Ben Wallace says the Taliban takeover is a 'failure of the international community' US President Joe Biden called the situation 'gut-wrenching' but rejected blame for what's happening The Taliban now say they want to form an 'inclusive, Islamic government' with other factions - and are holding negotiations with senior politicians Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has already fled the country after the Taliban reached Kabul on Sunday Advertisement There are at least 56,000 people who need evacuating from Afghanistan - including some 22,000 flying on US special immigrant visas, 4,000 British nationals, 10,000 refugees that Germany has said it will accept, and 20,000 bound for Canada. In reality, that number is likely to be far higher once diplomatic staff from dozens of countries, which had relations with Afghanistan's former government are taken into account. Mr Routledge had earlier posted a series of photos on streaming site Twitch of his apparent trip around the war-torn country. The Loughborough physics student announced yesterday that he had eventually secured an evacuation flight. Mr Routledge wrote on Facebook: 'Got Evacuated at 4ish (it's 2am now) with 100 or so other civilians, couldn't message as there were cars emitting signals that would set off bombs, it blocked my airpods from connecting so I think it blocked all wifi/data. 'The Taliban let us go through the airport and we met many of them, very long transition period but everyone was smiling and waving at one another, some took selfies with them. I slept on a dirt/gravel road and woke up as cars went by. We're in a new safe house and we're all hydrated, happy and ready for a few hours of sleep.' Shortly after he posted an update saying: 'On the flight out we aren't allowed any liquids at all, no razors and only 1 bag up to 10kg so everyone is tossing all their belongings into a pile. 'People are donating each other their items because they can't carry them. Some lads stuffed my body armour and bag with protein bars, over 20 of them. Very happy man (right now). Thank you lads.' His mother Susan was distraught when approached at the family home in Sutton Coldfield yesterday. Mrs Routledge told The Sun Online she had urgently been awaiting a call from the Foreign Office to discover whether her son would be kept safe amid the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. Her son had previously bragged of visiting Chernobyl, posting pictures in May saying it was two years since he visited the scene of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Mr Routledge, from Birmingham, posing with his ticket for a flight from Istanbul to Kabul, showing he only left on Friday Mr Routledge, from Birmingham, claimed he was quizzed by armed Taliban militants while on his way to Kabul International Airport An undated photo issued by the student of the room he said he was staying at a Nato compound in Kabul after the Taliban takeover In online posts under his name he apparently claimed to have been quizzed by armed Taliban militants while on his way to Kabul International Airport. They apparently asked him where he was from - to which he said Wales. He claims the fighters did not know where Wales was, and let him go. Mr Routledge said he later came across another armed convoy during the Taliban insurgency and took a selfie on one of their gun emplacements. Mr Routledge has subsequently claimed messages posted under his name on messaging site 4chan were fake. Speaking to the Times, he claimed he made the decision to visit Afghanistan after watching tourism videos on YouTube. He said that when the takeover began, he could not refund his flights so chose to travel instead. Mr Routledge also said he had accepted the possibility that he might die in Afghanistan. In a message addressed to friends on social media, he apparently wrote: 'I've bitten off more than I can chew and something has not gone to plan resulting in this situation. 'There was no convincing me otherwise and I knew the risks, it was a gamble I took that went wrong despite my confidence and jokes.' A C-17 jet carrying 640 Afghan refugees that left Kabul on Sunday night as the Taliban claimed the city. The flight landed in Qatar. The refugees ran up the half-open ramp while US forces were preparing for take-off, according to an unnamed defense official cited by Defense One on Monday. At least one other C-17 has departed the area Footage shows some children on the RAF plane during Operation Pitting on Monday after they were processed by UK Armed Forces in Kabul Members of the UK armed forces in Kabul stand at the entrance of the RAF aircraft as Afghans begin to board on Monday Two UK military personnel are seen next to the RAF aircraft in Kabul before it flew some Afghans to safety Mr Routledge said he came across two armed convoys during the Taliban insurgency, and took a selfie on one of their gun emplacements The Loughborough physics student hid at a United Nations safehouse in Kabul prior to being evacuated Mr Routledge has also previously bragged of visiting Chernobyl, posting pictures in May saying it was two years since he visited the scene of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine C-17 jets were pictured taking off from Kabul on Monday followed by hundreds of desperate Afghanis, some of whom were clinging to the wheels on the same side of the plane that the footage was taken from Taliban hunt UK interpreter who is in hiding with family in Afghanistan after his visa to Britain was revoked at 11th hour An Afghan interpreter is now being hunted by Taliban kill squads after his visa to the UK was revoked last week despite the militant group's shadow courts passing a death sentence against him. Ahmadzai, who is hiding with his family after at least one assassination attempt, was branded a 'threat' to UK security by Home Office officials despite bravely serving alongside senior British Army generals, one of whom called the claim 'rubbish'. He told the Stories of Our Times podcast: 'The only actions left are either to remain in Kabul and get killed by the Taliban, to cross the border to Iran and go there, or to be helped by NATO countries. 'They have sentenced me to death, and ordered their fighters that I should be shot and killed wherever I am found. Three weeks ago my son was with me when four gunmen tried to kill me but I recognised them and they fled.' The interpreter - referred to only by his last name for security reasons - said that working for the British forces 'was my mistake', adding: 'Not only have I risked my life and made the Taliban want to kill me, but I've also risked the life of my kids.' His harrowing story emerged as Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary and a former soldier, fought back tears as he admitted 'some won't get back' from Afghanistan after the capital, Kabul, fell to the Taliban. Advertisement Yesterday he told viewers: 'I was fully prepared for death, I accepted it. This trip has been a test of God. I'm very religious so I believe I'll be looked after. 'Before I left I wrote a letter to my friends saying that if I died, not to feel guilty, that I would die happy and religious and proud.' He said that he would be safe because of a 15 joke purchase he made which gave him the right to use the title 'Lord', seen on his American Express card. The student told his followers: 'The Taliban may see that as reason enough to keep me alive, thinking it may hold some negotiating power as they'll think I'm important. Let's hope it won't get to that stage though.' MailOnline has contacted the British Foreign Office and the UN for comment. Today hundreds of Afghanis fleeing the Taliban were lined up behind barbed wire at Kabul airport and forced to wait for rescue - after a desperate rush to board evacuation flights yesterday saw one person crushed to death in the wheel housing of an aircraft and three others fall from the sky. Dozens of people - some clutching immigration documents - formed orderly queues under the noses of Afghan security guards and foreign troops at Hamid Karzai airport on Tuesday as they waited to board military flights out of the country, fearing bloody reprisal by the Islamists. It was a far cry from the pandemonium which broke out on Monday as thousands of desperate people rushed the runway and clung to the wheels of departing US jets - with horrifying video appearing to show how one man was crushed to death in the landing gear of a C-17 transport plane. British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan get on an RAF plane at Kabul Airport before being relocated to the UK, in this undated Ministry of Defence photograph. At least 12 military flights took off from the airport today, officials said People gather outside Kabul Airport today as the Taliban declared an 'amnesty' and urged women to join their government Military personnel board a Royal Air Force Airbus A400M transport plane, after arriving by bus at RAF Brize Norton today, as Britain sends 900 soldiers back to Afghanistan over the coming days to help with repatriations and evacuations The footage, which emerged today, shows what appears to be a man's legs protruding from the side of the jet and failing against the side of the aircraft. A US official later confirmed that human remain were found in the landing gear of a jet, which made an emergency landing after declaring a mid-air state of emergency. The US has said it may issue up 80,000 special immigrant visas to those who helped with combat operations and are likely to face revenge attacks from the Taliban, while 7,500 troops currently guarding the airport - including 6,000 Americans and smaller numbers of British, Turkish and Australians - will also need to leave. At least 6,000 people have already managed to flee the country on evacuation flights that began Sunday, with a dozen departing on Tuesday - most of them flying to neighbouring Middle Eastern countries before continuing their journeys west. Spain, France and India confirmed their diplomatic staff had been evacuated today. Joe Biden has been slammed over the hasty withdrawal which critics said has 'humiliated' the US on the world stage and drew comparisons with the retreat from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday defended the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces and personnel from Afghanistan, saying the Biden administration acted on information it had 'at the time' and calling images of desperate allies 'heartbreaking.' A day after Biden returned to the White House from Camp David to address the nation, Sullivan said he and the security team took 'responsibility' for the administration's decisions, and spoke repeatedly about the cost on Afghan allies of the U.S. in its 20-year war. 'The human toll of the end of the conflict in this way is real and its raw,' he said. Sullivan said of himself and other policymakers: 'Were also people. This is tough stuff. Theres no doubt about it. But these are hard choices too.' 'The human toll of the end of the conflict in this way is real and its raw,' White House National Security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday amid the chaos in Afghanistan With the administration under fire for failing to speed along an orderly evacuation after Biden announced the deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces, Sullivan repeatedly pointed to other scenarios, each also grim. He said Biden was unwilling to surge more U.S. troops into Afghanistan to bolster the 2,500 troops in place following a drawdown in order to face another spring offensive by the Taliban. 'We made the judgements we made based on the information we had at the time while preparing for the alternative contingency,' he said. People wait outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 17, 2021 Thousands of Afghans rush to the Kabul International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 17, 2021 FALL OF KABUL: A TIMELINE OF THE TALIBAN'S FAST ADVANCE AFTER 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT Feb. 29, 2020 Trump negotiates deal with the Taliban setting U.S. withdrawal date for May 1, 2021 Nov. 17, 2020 Pentagon announces it will reduce troop levels to 2500 in Afghanistan Jan. 15, 2020 Inspector general reveals 'hubris and mendacity' of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan Feb 3. 2021 Afghan Study Group report warns against withdrawing 'irresponsibly' March Military command makes last-ditch effort to talk Biden out of withdrawal April 14 Biden announces withdrawal will be completed by Sept. 11 May 4 - Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces May 11 - The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country June 7 - Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country's 34 provinces June 22 - Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts July 2 - The U.S. evacuates Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night July 5 - The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August July 21 - Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country's districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance July 25 - The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops "in the coming weeks" with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks July 26 - The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009 Aug. 6 - Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north Aug. 13 - Pentagon insists Kabul is not under imminent threat Aug. 14 - The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps Aug. 15 - The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul Taliban insurgents enter Kabul, an interior ministry official says, as the United States evacuate diplomats from its embassy by helicopter Advertisement He indicated Biden was aware the Afghan regime, plagued by corruption and dysfunction, might not withstand a military onslaught once the U.S. pulled out despite a series of officials attesting to the government's ability to at least put up a fight. 'We were clear eyed going in when we made this decision that it was possible that the Taliban would end up in control of it. We were clear eyed about that,' Sullivan said. 'Now, as the President said in his remarks yesterday, we did not anticipate [that it] would happen at this speed [but] we were planning for these potential contingencies,' he said. 'The reason I say that at the outset that we knew it was possible they could take over and that had to be built into our calculus and making the determination as the president did to draw down our forces is because once the Taliban came into Kabul, we were still going to be faced with the situation, no matter if there were still U.S. troops on the ground or no U.S. troops on the ground,' he said. He said Biden has 'not yet spoken with any other world leaders' since the fall of Kabul, but said other officials have been in touch with foreign counterparts. He acknowledged a 'channel' of communication of the Taliban, also alluded to by the Pentagon Tuesday. Although the U.S. military has secured the airport, thousands of people seeking to flee the country remain stuck in their homes amid Taliban checkpoints. He said the Taliban officials through the channel said they were 'prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport and we intend to hold them to that commitment.' Hit repeatedly with questions about why the U.S. couldn't have spirited diplomats out sooner, Sullivan said the administration calculated it would send the wrong signal about the stability of the Afghan government. 'We as a national security team collectively take responsibility for every decision, good decision, every decision that doesnt produce perfect outcomes,' he said. Sullivan said Biden 'is laser focused on accomplishing the core national security objectives of the United States' to prevent further terrorist attacks. But he said it could be done without a residual force or fighting a war although the U.S. also also is forfeiting substantial intelligence and allied capabilities through the hasty withdrawal. He repeatedly sought to explain the difficult choices President Biden was confronted with, and returned again and again to the human toll. 'When you work on any policy issue the human costs and consequences loom large.' He said images, which have included U.S. aircraft being swarmed by Afghans desperate to leave, have been 'heartbreaking.' He said the loss of state of the art Blackhawk helicopters to the Taliban were another hard choice, meant to give the Afghan forces the ability to fight. 'Those Blackhawks were not given to the Taliban. They were given to the Afghan national security forces to be able to defend themselves at the specific request of President [Ashraf] Ghani, who came to the Oval Office and asked for additional air capability,' he said, referencing the former president who fled the country. He said Biden faced the choice of giving it to the government with the risk the Taliban might eventually get the equipment, or deprive the government of the equipment due to the risk. 'At some point it was time for the United States to say that the Afghan people need to stand up to themselves,' said Sullivan. 'We gave 20 years of American blood, treasure, sweat and tears in Afghanistan. We gave them every capacity in terms of training and equipment to stand up and fight for themselves.' With the Taliban poised to shutter schools set up with U.S. help and women and girls facing harsh reprisals and loss of freedoms, Sullivan said: 'My heart goes out to afghan women and girls in the country today thats a very hard thing for any of us to face. White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday would not commit to the US continuing efforts to get 11,000 Americans out of Afghanistan if they were still there at the end of the month. 'Can you offer any guarantee to Americans and Afghan allies that if they remain there past the end of month us troops will help them evacuate?' a reporter asked the press secretary in her first briefing in six days. 'Our focus right now is on doing the work at hand, the task at hand. That is day by day getting as many American citizens, as many SIV applicants, as many members of the vulnerable population who are eligible to be evacuated to the airport and out on planes,' the press secretary said. Biden has promised to have all troops out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31. And in another sign of interagency confusion, Psaki said there were 11,000 'self-identified' Americans, but there could be more who come forward to request assistance. Earlier on Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby had said there are between 5,000 and 10,000. As of Tuesday, there were 3,500 people on the ground at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and US military flights were taking off with American citizens and US embassy personnel on board. On Monday, the US evacuated only 700 people, including 150 American citizens. The Pentagon has said it hopes to evacuate between 5,000 and 9,000 people per day for the next two weeks. Biden on Monday authorized 6,000 troops to deploy to the region to rescue American nationals and allies. Meanwhile, former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Charles said on Fox News that the number of American citizens waiting to be rescued could be anywhere between 15,000 and 40,000, according to his inside sources. That's not including the 80,000 SIV (special immigrant visa) applications the State Department is handling, according to the Washington Post. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan meanwhile defended the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces and personnel from Afghanistan, saying the Biden administration acted on information it had 'at the time' and calling images of desperate allies 'heartbreaking.' But, 'The president stands by his decision because he knows it's in the interests of the United States, our national security, and the American people,' Psaki said. A day after Biden returned to the White House from Camp David to address the nation, Sullivan said he and the security team took 'responsibility' for the administration's decisions, and spoke repeatedly about the cost on Afghan allies of the U.S. in its 20-year war. 'The human toll of the end of the conflict in this way is real and it's raw,' he said. Sullivan said of himself and other policymakers: 'We're also people. This is tough stuff. There's no doubt about it. But these are hard choices too.' 'Our focus right now is on doing the work at hand, the task at hand. That is day by day getting as many American citizens, as many SIV applicants, as many members of the vulnerable population who are eligible to be evacuated to the airport and out on planes,' the press secretary said when asked if the White House could 'guarantee' help for stranded Americans after Aug. 31 Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021 Afghan security guards try and maintain order as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. There are now 'three rings' around the airport and the Taliban controls the outer ring With the administration under fire for failing to speed along an orderly evacuation after Biden announced the deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces, Sullivan repeatedly pointed to other scenarios, each also grim. Sullivan said that even if the US hadn't begun Biden's drawdown of the last 2,500 the country would be subjected to chaos. 'There are those who argue that with 2,500 forces -- the number of forces in country when President Biden took office -- we could have sustained a stable, peaceful Afghanistan. That is simply wrong.' 'We made the judgements we made based on the information we had at the time while preparing for the alternative contingency,' he said. People wait outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 17, 2021 Thousands of Afghans rush to the Kabul International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 17, 2021 FALL OF KABUL: A TIMELINE OF THE TALIBAN'S FAST ADVANCE AFTER 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT Feb. 29, 2020 Trump negotiates deal with the Taliban setting U.S. withdrawal date for May 1, 2021 Nov. 17, 2020 Pentagon announces it will reduce troop levels to 2500 in Afghanistan Jan. 15, 2020 Inspector general reveals 'hubris and mendacity' of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan Feb 3. 2021 Afghan Study Group report warns against withdrawing 'irresponsibly' March Military command makes last-ditch effort to talk Biden out of withdrawal April 14 Biden announces withdrawal will be completed by Sept. 11 May 4 - Taliban fighters launch a major offensive on Afghan forces in southern Helmand province. They also attack in at least six other provinces May 11 - The Taliban capture Nerkh district just outside the capital Kabul as violence intensifies across the country June 7 - Senior government officials say more than 150 Afghan soldiers are killed in 24 hours as fighting worsens. They add that fighting is raging in 26 of the country's 34 provinces June 22 - Taliban fighters launch a series of attacks in the north of the country, far from their traditional strongholds in the south. The UN envoy for Afghanistan says they have taken more than 50 of 370 districts July 2 - The U.S. evacuates Bagram Airfield in the middle of the night July 5 - The Taliban say they could present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as August July 21 - Taliban insurgents control about a half of the country's districts, according to the senior U.S. general, underlining the scale and speed of their advance July 25 - The United States vows to continue to support Afghan troops "in the coming weeks" with intensified airstrikes to help them counter Taliban attacks July 26 - The United Nations says nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in May and June in escalating violence, the highest number for those months since records started in 2009 Aug. 6 - Zaranj in the south of the country becomes the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in years. Many more are to follow in the ensuing days, including the prized city of Kunduz in the north Aug. 13 - Pentagon insists Kabul is not under imminent threat Aug. 14 - The Taliban take the major northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and, with little resistance, Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province just 70 km (40 miles) south of Kabul. The United States sends more troops to help evacuate its civilians from Kabul as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he is consulting with local and international partners on next steps Aug. 15 - The Taliban take the key eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, effectively surrounding Kabul Taliban insurgents enter Kabul, an interior ministry official says, as the United States evacuate diplomats from its embassy by helicopter Advertisement He indicated Biden was aware the Afghan regime, plagued by corruption and dysfunction, might not withstand a military onslaught once the U.S. pulled out despite a series of officials attesting to the government's ability to at least put up a fight. 'We were clear eyed going in when we made this decision that it was possible that the Taliban would end up in control of it. We were clear eyed about that,' Sullivan said. 'Now, as the President said in his remarks yesterday, we did not anticipate [that it] would happen at this speed [but] we were planning for these potential contingencies,' he said. 'The reason I say that at the outset that we knew it was possible they could take over and that had to be built into our calculus and making the determination as the president did to draw down our forces is because once the Taliban came into Kabul, we were still going to be faced with the situation, no matter if there were still U.S. troops on the ground or no U.S. troops on the ground,' he said. At the time he said Biden has 'not yet spoken with any other world leaders' since the fall of Kabul, but said other officials have been in touch with foreign counterparts. Hours later, the White House confirmed Biden had spoken to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He acknowledged a 'channel' of communication of the Taliban, also alluded to by the Pentagon Tuesday. Although the U.S. military has secured the airport, thousands of people seeking to flee the country remain stuck in their homes amid Taliban checkpoints. He said the Taliban officials through the channel said they were 'prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport and we intend to hold them to that commitment.' Hit repeatedly with questions about why the U.S. couldn't have spirited diplomats out sooner, Sullivan said the administration calculated it would send the wrong signal about the stability of the Afghan government. 'We as a national security team collectively take responsibility for every decision, good decision, every decision that doesn't produce perfect outcomes,' he said. Sullivan said Biden 'is laser focused on accomplishing the core national security objectives of the United States' to prevent further terrorist attacks. But he said it could be done without a residual force or fighting a war although the U.S. also also is forfeiting substantial intelligence and allied capabilities through the hasty withdrawal. He repeatedly sought to explain the difficult choices President Biden was confronted with, and returned again and again to the human toll. 'When you work on any policy issue the human costs and consequences loom large.' He said images, which have included U.S. aircraft being swarmed by Afghans desperate to leave, have been 'heartbreaking.' He said the loss of state of the art Blackhawk helicopters to the Taliban were another hard choice, meant to give the Afghan forces the ability to fight. 'Those Blackhawks were not given to the Taliban. They were given to the Afghan national security forces to be able to defend themselves at the specific request of President Ghani, who came to the Oval Office and asked for additional air capability,' he said, referencing the former president who fled the country. He said Biden faced the choice of giving it to the government with the risk the Taliban might eventually get the equipment, or deprive the government of the equipment due to the risk. 'At some point it was time for the United States to say that the Afghan people need to stand up to themselves,' said Sullivan. 'We gave 20 years of American blood, treasure, sweat and tears in Afghanistan. We gave them every capacity in terms of training and equipment to stand up and fight for themselves.' With the Taliban poised to shutter schools set up with U.S. help and women and girls facing harsh reprisals and loss of freedoms, Sullivan said: 'My heart goes out to afghan women and girls in the country today that's a very hard thing for any of us to face. On Monday, Woolf was handed a 20-week sentence suspended for two years He encouraged Reddit users to paste victims' faces on bodies of porn actresses The BBC's Young Composer of the Year 2012 winner has avoided jail after stealing images of women from social media and uploading doctored versions to pornographic sites. Alexander Woolf, 26, from Cambridge, downloaded images of 15 women and uploaded them to Reddit threads with sexually explicit and derogatory comments, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. He encouraged users of the online community platform to paste the victims' faces onto the bodies of porn actresses before posting the doctored pictures on adult sites. None of the original images were pornographic or indecent, the CPS said. All of the women were acquaintances of Woolf. He was handed a 20-week sentence suspended for two years, the CPS said, and ordered to undertake a 40-day rehabilitation programme. Alexander Woolf (pictured above), 26, from Cambridge, downloaded images of 15 women and uploaded them to Reddit threads with sexually explicit and derogatory comments, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said The composer, who won the prestigious BBC competition in 2012, was handed a 20-week sentence suspended for two years, the CPS said, and ordered to undertake a 40-day rehabilitation programme One of the victims was alerted to Woolf's actions after receiving an anonymous email in January telling her about her picture being on Reddit. She received another anonymous email in March saying her photo was now on a porn site, and that Woolf was behind the post. The victim found the pictures, as well as those of the 14 other women. She recognised one of the other women, who helped her track down and notify the others. All 15 victims said Woolf's actions had caused them significant distress and suffering, according to the CPS. On Monday Woolf, of Over, admitted at Thames Magistrates Court charges of sending messages that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing nature over a public electronic communications network. Alongside his suspended sentence, the composer, who won the prestigious BBC competition in 2012, was ordered to do 40 sessions with a sex offender programme and 150 hours of unpaid work. Woolf was ordered to pay each of his 15 victims 100 in compensation, as well as 85 in court costs and a 128 victim surcharge. On Monday Woolf (above), of Over, admitted at Thames Magistrates Court charges of sending messages that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing nature over a public electronic communications network He was also ordered to delete all of the victims' images from his devices and handed an indefinite restraining order prohibiting contact with the 15 women. Varinder Hayre, district crown prosecutor at the CPS, said: 'Woolf's behaviour is severely depraved and reprehensible, especially as a person who is in a position of trust working at a university, and has had a drastic impact on his victims. 'We will always look to prosecute the sexual exploitation of victims and this prosecution is a clear message that this morally repugnant action will not be tolerated. 'I am especially pleased that Woolf has to delete all these pictures from his devices and will not be able to contact his victims ever again.' Pi has been calculated to an astonishing 62.8 trillion figures by a team of Swiss scientists who spent 108 days working it up - 3.5 times as fast as the previous record. The previous record was calculated to 50 trillion figures, and was set in 2020, said experts from Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences in Chur, Switzerland. Researchers haven't revealed the exact numbers involved in the extra 12.8 trillion digits, as they are waiting on the Guinness Book of Records to certify their achievement, but say the final 10 digits they discovered are '7817924262'. The number (pi) is a constant in mathematics that is roughly equal to 3.14159, and is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. The previous record of 50 trillion digits was set by Timothy Mullican from the US, who achieved the feat after eight months of processing in January 2020. The quest to push the upper boundary of pi helps scientists test supercomputers and develop algorithms that can be used in advanced data analysis. The previous record was calculated to 50 trillion figures, and was set in 2020, said experts from Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences in Chur, Switzerland Pi has been calculated to an astonishing 62.8 trillion figures by a team of Swiss scientists who spent 108 days working it up - 3.5 times as fast as the previous record WHAT IS PI? Pi () is a mathematical constant roughly equal to 3.14159. As a transcendent number it is impossible to specify Pi exactly as a decimal point. This has led to a race to create the most accurate calculation. With the invention of calculus in the 17th Century, mathematicians were able to get to hundreds of digits. This was enough for all practical uses in science, engineering and maths. It is used every day by engineers and craftsmen - for example, to calculate the circumference of a circle (U = 2r) or the area of a circle (A = r ^ 2). In the 20th and 21st Century the race for pi has become a useful tool for testing supercomputers. The current world record is 50 trillion digits, although a challenger has achieved 62.8 trillion digits and is still waiting on confirmation. Advertisement The invention of calculus in the late 17th Century, independently by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, allowed scientists to calculate pi to hundreds of digits. With the invention of computing devices in the 20th Century, the race began to increase the accuracy and push computers to their limit. As well as being useful in mathematics and science, pi is also used every day by engineers and craftsmen. For example, it is used to calculate the circumference of a circle (U = 2r) or the area of a circle (A = r ^ 2). What is mathematically interesting is that pi has no regularity or repetition. This means that it is impossible to specify pi exactly as a decimal point. It means you can only get closer and closer to the exact number, never achieving the exact number. This makes it a 'transcendent' number, according to the Swiss data scientists. Recently the world record for pi digits has switched between Swiss and US researchers. The current Guinness World Record of 50 trillion digits is held by Huntsville Alabama-based data scientist Timothy Mullican. He said the reason for attempting to break the record in the first place was to test the limits of his hardware. Mullican has since turned his machines over to STEM research and a series of university projects, after using the pi search to set their upper limits. The calculation of 62.8 trillion decimal places has been running on a high-performance computer at the Competence Center for Data Analysis, Visualisation and Simulation (DAViS) in Switzerland since April 28, 2021. The machine used to make the calculation has a terabyte of ram, 510 terabyte hard drive and solid state drives running the operating system. While the RAM is larger than a desktop PC, it alone isn't enough to achieve trillions of digits of pi, so scientists rely on algorithms to speed up the process. They now need to convert the hexadecimal number generated by DAViS into a decimal number that can be read by humans. 'As a final step, the program then uses a special mathematical algorithm to check the correctness of the number,' the team said in a statement. Researchers haven't revealed the exact numbers involved in the extra 12.8 trillion digits, as they are waiting on the Guinness Book of Records to certify their achievement, but say the final 10 digits they discovered are '7817924262' PI WORLD RECORDS SINCE 2016 Peter Trub - Switzerland - 2016 Calculated to 22,459,157,718,361 digits in 105 days Google - US - 2018 Calculated to 31,415,926,535,897 digits in 121 days Timothy Mullican - US - 2020 Calculated to 50,000,000,000,000 digits in 303 days Challenger: University of Applied Sciences Graubunden - Switzerland - 2021 Calculated to 62,831,853,071,796 in 108 days Advertisement 'If the calculated number turns out to be correct, the team from the University of Applied Sciences Graubunden will have the record attempt entered in the Guinness Book of World Records. 'The most precise calculation of the circle number pi is an unofficial benchmark in high-performance computing. 'Since the knowledge of billions of digits of a transcendent number has no practical use, the point is not in the exact knowledge of this sequence of digits, but in the way of being able to calculate this sequence of digits. 'This not only requires the right hardware, but also, in particular, the expertise to set up this hardware correctly, to adapt it to the software used and to run such a calculation for weeks without problems.' They said that while the extra pi digits don't have an immediate application, the system they used to discover it could be applied in other areas like 'RNA analysis, simulations of fluid dynamics and textual analysis'. 'High-Performance Computing (HPC), as it is necessary for the calculation of mathematical constants, is used today in many areas of applied research and development,' they added. 'Ever increasing amounts of data require constantly more powerful hardware and software. HPC is therefore also used in DNA sequence analysis or machine learning.' Scientists have created an inflatable robotic hand that costs a fraction of more rigid prosthetic limbs and gives amputees real-time tactile control. The pliable design, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the inflatable robot in the animated film 'Big Hero 6', includes five balloon-like fingers attached to a 3D-printed 'palm' shaped like a human hand. Its creators are particularly excited because the parts cost around $500 (362), making it much more affordable than other bionic limbs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Low-cost: Scientists have created an inflatable robotic hand that costs a fraction of more rigid prosthetic limbs and gives amputees real-time tactile control (pictured) The pliable design includes five balloon-like fingers attached to a 3D-printed 'palm' shaped like a human hand How do mind-controlled prosthetics work? Prosthetics that attach to part of the human body are often objects that allow a person to perform a specific function - such as blades for running. Scientists are working to develop prosthetics that are personalised and respond to the commands of the wearer. To do this, small pads are placed on the skin of the patient. They are located around the end of muscles and where the nerve endings begin. The pads detect the electrical signals that are produced by the muscle nerves and translate this via a computer. To trigger these sensors, the patient must actively think about performing an action. For example, in order to signal a bicep contraction, the person wearing the prosthetic would have to think about bending their arm. By understanding what muscles are being signalled by the brain to contract, scientists can predict how a limb would move. This is then recreated by the prosthetic in real-time, allowing wearers to think an action and then the artificial limb will perform it. Advertisement Amputees who tested the artificial limb performed daily activities, such as zipping a suitcase, pouring a carton of juice, and petting a cat, just as well as and in some cases better than those with more rigid neuroprosthetics, researchers said. The smart hand, which weighs about half a pound, was designed by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They found that the prosthetic, designed with a system for tactile feedback, restored some primitive sensation in a volunteer's residual limb. It is also surprisingly durable, quickly recovering after being struck with a hammer or run over with a car, the scientists said. 'This is not a product yet, but the performance is already similar or superior to existing neuroprosthetics, which we're excited about,' said Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT. 'There's huge potential to make this soft prosthetic very low cost, for low-income families who have suffered from amputation.' The drawbacks to similar neuroprosthetic hands are their weight, with many over 400g, price some cost more than $10,000 and their lack of tactile feedback. Rather than controlling each finger using mounted electrical motors, as most neuroprosthetics do, the MIT researchers used a simple pneumatic system to precisely inflate fingers and bend them in specific positions. This system, including a small pump and valves, can be worn at the waist, significantly reducing the prosthetic's weight. Engineers developed a computer model to relate a finger's desired position to the corresponding pressure a pump would have to apply to achieve that position. Using this model, the team created a controller that directs the pneumatic system to inflate the fingers, in positions that mimic five common grasps, including pinching two and three fingers together, making a balled-up fist, and cupping the palm. The pneumatic system receives signals from EMG sensors electromyography sensors that measure electrical signals generated by motor neurons to control muscles. The sensors are fitted at the prosthetic's opening, where it attaches to a user's limb. This allows them to pick up signals from a residual limb, such as when an amputee imagines making a fist. The team then used an existing algorithm that 'decodes' muscle signals and relates them to common grasp types. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the inflatable robot in the animated film 'Big Hero 6' The prosthetic's creators are excited because the parts cost around $500 (362), making it much more affordable than other bionic limbs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars Amputees who tested the artificial limb performed daily activities, such as zipping a suitcase, pouring a carton of juice, and petting a cat They used this algorithm to program the controller for their pneumatic system. When an amputee imagines, for instance, holding a wine glass, the sensors pick up the residual muscle signals, which the controller then translates into corresponding pressures. The pump then applies those pressures to inflate each finger and produce the amputee's intended grasp. Going a step further in their design, the researchers looked to enable tactile feedback a feature that is not incorporated in most commercial neuroprosthetics. To do this, they stitched to each fingertip a pressure sensor, which when touched or squeezed produces an electrical signal proportional to the sensed pressure. Each sensor is wired to a specific location on an amputees residual limb, so the user can 'feel' when the prosthetic's thumb is pressed, for example, versus the forefinger. To test the inflatable hand, the researchers enlisted two volunteers, each with upper-limb amputations. Once fitted with the neuroprosthetic, the volunteers learned to use it by repeatedly contracting the muscles in their arm while imagining making five common grasps. After completing this 15-minute training, the volunteers were asked to perform a number of tests to demonstrate manual strength and dexterity. These included stacking checkers, turning pages, writing with a pen, lifting heavy balls, and picking up fragile objects like strawberries and bread. They repeated the same tests using a more rigid, commercially available bionic hand and found that the inflatable prosthetic was as good, or even better, at most tasks, compared to its rigid counterpart. The smart hand, which weighs about half a pound, was designed by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Rather than controlling each finger with mounted electrical motors, as most neuroprosthetics do, the researchers used a simple pneumatic system to precisely inflate fingers and bend them One volunteer was also able to intuitively use the soft prosthetic in daily activities, for instance to eat food such as crackers, cake, and apples, and to handle objects and tools, such as laptops, bottles, hammers and pliers. He could also shake someone's hand, touch a flower, and pet a cat. Researchers then blindfolded the volunteer and found he could tell which prosthetic finger they poked and brushed. He was also able to 'feel' bottles of different sizes that were placed in the prosthetic hand, and lifted them in response. Scientist believe these experiments are a promising sign that amputees can regain a form of sensation and real-time control with the inflatable hand. The team has filed a patent on the design, through MIT, and is working to improve its sensing and range of motion. 'We now have four grasp types. There can be more,' Zhao says. 'This design can be improved, with better decoding technology, higher-density myoelectric arrays, and a more compact pump that could be worn on the wrist. 'We also want to customise the design for mass production, so we can translate soft robotic technology to benefit society.' The robotic hand research is published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. Lambs can identify their mother through her bleats but do not recognise a picture of her face, researchers have discovered. They also found that ewes and their lambs develop close bonds after birth, which are maintained throughout adolescence. But researchers said their study suggested that lambs are unable to recognise faces in the same way adult sheep can. It means they have to rely on bleats instead, and this audio communication is vital in helping them display a strong preference for their mother over other ewes. Lambs can identify their mother through her bleats but do not recognise a picture of her face, a study has found. The pictures used by the researchers are shown above Scientists condemn study that claimed sheep could recognise celebrities Sheep showed they were not as silly as people think after managing to pick Barack Obama out of a line-up. But when it comes to recognising faces, they may still only have a woolly sense of what people look like. Sadly for those excited by sheep being able to recognise former president Obama, actress Emma Watson and newsreader Fiona Bruce, the animals' intelligence may not have been quite what it seemed. Psychologists have previously said sheep are not as good as humans at recognising people, and the evidence is that they don't seem to know their own handlers. Experts from the universities of Newcastle and York have wrote about sheep's facial recognition skills following a study from the University of Cambridge in 2017. That found Welsh mountain sheep shown pictures of celebrities could pick them out in different photographs with an accuracy of 68 per cent. What got less attention was that the sheep could only identify their own handlers in pictures with 72 per cent accuracy. That means, according to the psychologists, that sheep have a long way to go to match humans. Advertisement Researchers studied 24 ewes and their three-month-old lambs across three tests to establish the way in which lambs are able to recognise their mothers. The study's lead authors, Rodolfo Ungerfeld and Aline Freitas-de-Melo, from the Universidad de la Republica in Uruguay, said: 'Our research shows that lambs show a strong preference for their mother's bleats, but not pictures of their mother's face, suggesting lambs are unable to recognise faces in the same way adult sheep are able to.' The lambs showed no preference toward pictures of their mothers' faces over those of a familiar ewe, which the researchers said may have been down to a lack of sufficient cognitive ability to interpret them. In comparison, adult ewes can recognise images of the faces of other ewes and familiar lambs. Before each of the three tests the lambs were separated from their mother for 90 minutes. They were then left in an enclosure without interference for three minutes as each test was carried out. The first one saw researchers evaluate the lambs' visual signals with the use of pictures, either of their mothers' faces or a familiar ewe. Test two focused on auditory signals, aimed at establishing whether the lambs showed a preference to their mothers' bleats or a familiar ewe. Finally, test three involved both visual and auditory signals but no physical contact. In the first test, lambs did not show any preference for the picture of their mother or of the familiar ewe. However, in the second one lambs entered their mothers' proximity zone earlier, more times, remained for longer, and emitted more bleats while they were there than they did in the proximity zone of a familiar ewe. The same happened in test three. 'Auditory or full contact with their mother which includes sight, viewing her behavioural activity, and auditive signals were sufficient for lambs to demonstrate a strong preference for their mother rather than toward a familiar ewe,' the researchers said. 'Contrastingly, lambs did not display any particular preference toward their mother's face picture. 'Assuming that visual cues are not available, auditive signals are sufficient for 3-month-old lambs to display a strong preference for their mother.' Psychologists have previously said sheep are not as good as humans at recognising people, after a study from the University of Cambridge in 2017 suggested they could pick out celebrities such as Barack Obama with an accuracy of 68 per cent. Researchers studied 24 ewes and their three-month-old lambs across three tests to establish the way in which lambs are able to recognise their mothers (stock image) What got less attention was that the sheep could only identify their own handlers in pictures with 72 per cent accuracy, the experts from the universities of Newcastle and York said. That means, according to the psychologists, that sheep have a long way to go to match humans. The new research is published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour. Plankton was previously thought to be a beneficiary of climate change, as more light hitting the ocean's surface could help the organisms boom and thus, maybe benefit sea life that feed on them. However, that line of thinking may be too good to be true, a new study suggests. Researchers from Princeton University and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry looked at fossilized plankton and ice cores and determined that nitrogen levels may fall off as temperatures continue to rise, stymieing the growth of plankton and in particular, phytoplankton, which depend on the element for survival. That is because the oceans are stratified into different layers, with colder, more-nutrient rich water found at greater depths. Melting ice caps would pour a lot more lighter water with fewer of those nutrients into the ocean, and make it harder for plankton to access the colder, more nourishing water from the depths. Nitrogen levels may fall off as temperatures rise, stymieing the growth of plankton, a new study has found The nutrients the phytoplankton (pictured) need is deep in the Arctic Ocean, beyond the reach of the these plants The nutrients the plankton need is deep in the Arctic Ocean, beyond the reach of the these plants, the study's co-author and University of Connecticut associated professor Julie Granger added. The level of nitrogen in the Arctic, where the Pacific and Atlantic meet, has changed significantly since the last ice age, the researchers found. Looking at sediment cores from the western and central Arctic, they found that the ocean was not as stratified, or separated into layers, as it is now, with fresh water from the Pacific flowing over the saltier Atlantic water, leaving it abundant with nitrogen. 'During the last ice age, when the growth of ice sheets lowered global sea level, the Bering Strait didn't exist,' said one of the study's co-authors, Daniel Sigman, in a statement. At the end of the last ice age, ice sheets melted, sea levels rose and the Bering Land Bridge was submerged, resulting in the modern-day Bering Strait. However, with warmer temperatures continuing and summer sea ice continuing to decline in the Arctic, the upper ocean is continuing to 'stratify.' Due to warmer temperatures and summer sea ice declining, the upper ocean is continuing to separating into different levels 'Looking at the Arctic Ocean from space, it's difficult to see water at all, as much of the Arctic Ocean is covered by a layer of sea ice,' said the study's lead author, Jesse Farmer. The nutrients the plankton need is deep in the Arctic Ocean, beyond the reach of the these plants, the study's co-author and University of Connecticut associated professor Julie Granger added The first 660 feet of ocean is broken up into layers, all with different densities, temperatures and levels of saltiness 'When the upper ocean is strongly stratified, with very light water floating on top of dense deep water, the supply of nutrients to the sunlit surface is slow,' Farmer, a geoscientist at Princeton University and visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, explained. The first 660 feet of ocean is broken up into layers, all with different densities, temperatures and levels of saltiness. In 2020, scientists from Stanford University published a study that said the phytoplankton population increased 57 percent between 1998 and 2018 in the Arctic Ocean. However, the study did not give any implications on what the ramifications were for other animals. In a colder climate, stratification in the Arctic was weak, but it started to strengthen during the early Holocene period, between 10,000 and 6,000 years ago, in the central Arctic, the study's authors wrote in the abstract. Since the ocean stratification started to weaken again, allowing the nitrogen to move towards the ocean surface, that suggests if warmer temperatures continue, similar to what the planet was like during the early Holocene, lower levels of nitrogen are a distinct possibility. 'This sequence suggests that precipitation and riverine freshwater fluxes control the stratification of the central Arctic Ocean,' the wrote. 'Based on these findings, ongoing warming will cause strong stratification to expand into the central Arctic, slowing the nutrient supply to surface waters and thus limiting future phytoplankton productivity.' 'A rise in the productivity of the open Arctic basin would likely have been seen as a benefit, for example, increasing fisheries,' said Farmer. 'But given our data, a rise in open Arctic productivity seems unlikely. The best hope for a future rise in Arctic productivity is probably in the Arctic's coastal waters.' The study was published earlier this week in Nature Geoscience. Cristiano Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, has offered the Juventus forward to Manchester City this summer, according to a sensational report in Italy. The Portuguese forward has just 10 months left to run on his 25.5million-a-year contract at the Old Lady and his future in Turin is far from certain, having been linked with moves to PSG, Real Madrid and former club Manchester United in the past. City, meanwhile, are looking for a new star striker, with Tottenham and England's Harry Kane their top target. Sportsmail revealed this week that Pep Guardiola's side are expected to make an improved offer on the 100m bid that was rejected earlier this summer, but Spurs are playing hardball over their 150m price tag. Cristiano Ronaldo has been offered to Manchester City this summer, according to reports; Pep Guardiola (right) is looking for a new striker after Sergio Aguero's departure this year Corriere dello Sport claimed on their front page that Ronaldo has been offered to City But according to Corriere dello Sport, Ronaldo's representative Mendes has offered City an alternative option by declaring that the 36-year-old could turn out in the blue half of Manchester this season. The report says Juventus would be willing to sell Ronaldo for just 25m this summer given he has just one year left on his contract, with the Serie A giants also keen on cutting the Portuguese striker's hefty wages loose. A potential Ronaldo move to City would be a hugely controversial transfer given the 36-year-old spent six successful seasons at the Premier League club's arch-rivals, Manchester United, scoring 118 goals in 292 games between 2003 and 2009. Ronaldo has always held a strong bond with the United fans, so a move to the Etihad Stadium would be seen as a betrayal. Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes (right) reportedly says his client is available for 25million Ronaldo spent six years and scored 118 goals at City's rivals Manchester United until 2009 According to Spanish news programme El Chiringuito, Real Madrid are also looking at bringing Ronaldo back to the Santiago Bernabeu - with Carlo Ancelotti calling for the man who scored 450 goals in nine seasons for Los Blancos to come back to Spain. The 36-year-old is preparing for the new Serie A season with Juventus after six-time Serie A champion Massimiliano Allegri returned to the club after two years away. Allegri also guided the Old Lady to two Champions League finals in his first spell at the club - in 2015 and 2017 - with Ronaldo failing to win the tournament he has won five times in his career in the past three seasons. City's priority signing in the striker role remains Kane, who is set to return for Spurs on Thursday for their UEFA Europa Conference League tie with Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira. City's main striker target is Tottenham talisman Harry Kane, who is rated at 150m City are yet to improve upon their 100m informal offer to Spurs earlier in the summer. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy values Kane at a minimum of 150m and will not entertain offers south of that. As it stands, City are unwilling to match Tottenhams valuation, though they do intend to make an improved offer before the window closes at the end of the month. City chiefs are ready to tell their Spurs counterparts that they are unlikely to renew their efforts to sign Kane next summer if they fail this month. City believe they will get full value out of a mega-money swoop for Kane this transfer window with the strikers age becoming an increasingly important factor in any move next year. Kane turns 29 before the start of next season, which would likely result in City cooling their interest in 2022. City are in desperate need of a striker after losing 1-0 in their opening Premier League match to a Kane-less Tottenham on Sunday, with Ferran Torres and out-of-favour forward Gabriel Jesus failing to find the net in north London. They're back in action as their beloved characters from Sex And The City in the sequel And Just Like That. And on Monday, Sarah Jessica Parker posted more photos to Instagram as she, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis signed off after another day of filming in the Big Apple. The trio posed for a group hug along with newcomer Nicole Ari Parker and in the caption, Parker wrote: 'Oh so fine. I'd sing along to 70's love songs with this trio deep into any night. @justlikethatmax I'll see you ladies tomorrow! X, SJ.' 'Oh so fine': Sarah Jessica Parker enjoyed a group hug with Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and newcomer Nicole Ari Parker after another day of filming And Just Like That in the Big Apple Parker is reprising her iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw in the new HBO Max series with Nixon as Miranda and Davis as Charlotte. This time around, they're navigating New York and relationships as 50-somethings. Nicole Ari Parker has joined the cast as a woman named Lisa Todd Wexley, who's described as 'a documentarian and Park Avenue mother of three.' Back in action: SJP wrote on Instagram: 'Oh so fine. I'd sing along to 70's love songs with this trio deep into any night. @justlikethatmax I'll see you ladies tomorrow! X, SJ' 50-somethings in NYC: Nicole Ari Parker has joined the cast as a woman named Lisa Todd Wexley, who's described as 'a documentarian and Park Avenue mother of three' Sex And The City fans were recently delighted when it was confirmed that Chris Noth is back as Mr. Big. The actor shared a snap to Instagram last week showing him in bed with Parker as they filmed a scene together. 'Just like the old days!' Noth wrote alongside the photo that showed the pair facing each other as they snuggled under a duvet with their heads on pillows. Taking to the comment section, Parker joked that their character's Big and Carrie must have 'overslept. Again. X,' alluding the lovers' famously passionate - and often reckless - romance. Good old days! Sex And The City fans were recently delighted when Chris Noth confirmed he is back as Mr. Big, sharing a snap showing him in bed with Sarah as they filmed a scene together Fan favoirites: Sarah and Chris had been teasing their fans on social media about whether or not Carrie and Mr. Big would be back together in the reboot The way they were: The two stars had won a cult following on Sex And The City which ran on HBO from 1998 to 2004 and spawned two movies In late July DailyMail.com shared that the reboot is reportedly getting a second series. Filming of 'And Just Like That...' has been such a 'resounding success' that executive producers Michael Patrick King and Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie Bradshaw) are considering extending the show past its currently confirmed 10 episodes. A source told the outlet that another instalment is 'expected to be announced soon by HBO Max.' It's even been claimed that the 'door is open' for Kim Cattrall to return as sex-obsessed PR executive Samantha Jones, despite her feud with Sarah Jessica and not taking part in the first season. The source said: 'There was obviously a concern that people would miss Kim and not be engaged but the response so far has been phenomenal. And for fans of Kim, the door is open for her to return. If she ever changes her mind, she can come back. 'The ladies love and value her and would love to see her on the new show. The whole point of this series is to show that friendships evolve and change over time, so Kim is always welcome to come home. Mae Whitman has come out as pansexual. The actress, 33, revealed her sexuality for the first time in an Instagram post as she praised Disney Channel's series The Owl House for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community. In her post, Mae revealed she now identifies as pansexual because she feels it is the label that 'fits her best,' and said she's 'proud and happy' to be a member of the community. Coming out: Mae Whitman revealed a more private aspect of her life on Monday, when she tweeted her appreciation for the Disney show The Owl House, for which she voices a role 'Just taking a moment to say I am SO proud to be even a small part of a show like The Owl House,' Mae wrote on Monday. 'Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Luz in my life when I was growing up. Queer representation is sososo important :,) keep it up world!' The actress also included an animated still from the show, showing the two characters in question, including Amity who she voices. In the social media share: The actress identified herself as pansexual, saying that she wished she had characters like the ones featured in the show to look up to when she was growing up Mae then shared another tweet explaining what being pansexual specificially means to her, offering the definition that it means an individual who is attracted to all genders. 'I know ppl might be unfamiliar with what pansexual means; for me it means I know I can fall in love with people of all genders,' she wrote. 'This is the word that fits me best,' Mae continued, adding a rainbow emoji, 'and I'm proud+happy to be part of the Bi+ community :,)' Then, Whitman sent out another informative tweet, explaining what being pansexual meant for her: 'For me it means I know I can fall in love with people of all genders' Mae then included a link to a GLAAD article explaining the definition of bisexuality, to offer fans more insight into how she'd chosen to define her sexuality. The Duff star included both messages on Instagram as well, along with some fun selfies including one in which she sat on a wooden deck with a black dog in her lap. Underneath, an animated caption read, 'You might say I'm, Bi-Furious'. Great caption: The Duff star included both messages on Instagram as well, along with some fun selfies including one in which she sat on a wooden deck with a black dog in her lap She also included another selfie along with several other stills from the animated fantasy show, which also features the voice of Just Shoot Me's Wendie Malick. The series focuses on Luz Noceda, who pursues her dreams of becoming a witch after being transported to The Boiling Isles, with fans gripped by her blossoming romance with Amity, an abomination expert. Earlier this summer, Mae's NBC show Good Girls was canceled after four seasons, with a number of episodes still remaining to air. The show also starred Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, along with Retta of Park And Recreation fame. Original characters: She also included several other stills from the animated fantasy show, which also features the voice of Just Shoot Me's Wendie Malick And as of last month, it seems that Good Girls' cancellation was due at least in part to complication concerning show actor Manny Montana's contract, salary and schedule. Sources with the series, NBC and Universal Television, spoke with TV Line in the wake of the show's cancellation, which comes midway through its fourth season and with five remaining episodes set to air. An insider noted that Montana, 37, was not keen on taking a pay cut for the series, amid a 'strained working relationship' with Hendricks, 46. An NBC source told the outlet the network 'very much wanted to bring Good Girls back for one more season to close out the story but unfortunately... were unable to make the financials work.' Good Girls' production team was also hopeful that they would be able to continue the program's story with a fifth season, although Deadline reported that NBC did not see a way to make things work financially. Advertisement Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto worked on recreating the lavish life of disgraced hedonists Rebekah and Adam Neumann for their new Apple TV+ series WeCrashed on Monday afternoon. The superstar duo were seen filming at The Shores beach club in Atlantic Beach, New York for the show, which focuses on the demise of a highly valuable startup that fell victim to their excessive and hedonistic lifestyle. Jared, 49, executive produces and stars as hard-partying WeWork CEO Adam in the show based on David Brown's 2020 Wondery podcast, while Anne, 38, who is also executive producer, stars as Adam's wife and disgraced chief brand/impact officer Rebekah, who is Gwyneth Paltrow's cousin. The married couple, who wed in 2008 and have five children, became famed for their life of excess, including a vast property empire and many tales of Adam's partying, with a taste for tequila and around the clock revelling, before they were forced out of the company in 2019 and have since retreated to one of their Hamptons homes. The Neumanns: Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto were seen at a beach club called The Shores in Atlantic Beach, New York on Monday, filming a scene from their new series WeCrashed Adam and Rebekah's billionaire lifestyle was renowned, with their multimillion dollar property portfolio spanning the US, while his hard-partying earned him the name of the company's 'partier in chief'. Neumann's office suites were absurd even by the standards of Silicon Valley. In the early days of founding his company, he had a punching bag, a gong and a bar - later he had a private bathroom with a sauna and a cold-plunge tub at his office in NYC. He once spoke about being the President of the United States - joking he could be 'President of the world'. It was reported that Adam prompted WeWork to buy a $60m G650 jet, in which he added bedrooms and TVs. It was discovered that he was smoking marijuana on the jet. On one journey there was said to be so much cannabis smoke in the cabin that the crew felt the need to put on their oxygen masks. As they worked on portraying the couple on Monday, Anne and Jared sat on wicker beach chairs underneath a cabana holding hands, set against a backdrop of blue tarp as the scene will presumably be set in Santa Monica and use CGI to fill in an appropriate background at a later date in post production. While shooting, Anne wore a variety of white sundresses, including one embroidered featuring various sheer panels. Another was almost entirely sheer, with a white one-piece bathing suit showing through underneath. Camera trick: The superstar duo are currently filming the show focusing on the demise of a highly valuable startup that fell victim to their excessive and hedonistic lifestyle The real Neumanns: Showrunners Lee Eisenberg and Drew Crevello are heading up WeCrashed, which 'tells the greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of the $50B commercial real estate startup' of the Neumanns (pictured left in 2018) The Les Miserables actress also sported a wide-brimmed straw sun hat, and whimsical dark sunglasses lined in white. She smiled brightly as she was shooting her scenes, with her dark hair flowing from underneath her hat. The star at one point sat solo with a cushion on the beach, momentarily holding a black umbrella given to her by a production assistant to stay shielded from the sun. She was also seen with Leto on the sand surrounded by a gaggle of children. Jared was dressed in light tones as well, including white skinny jeans and a cream V-neck knit top. Smiling: Anne wore chic dark sunglasses lined in white as she hit the shores Stars: The Les Miserables actress also sported a wide-brimmed straw sun hat Action! Earlier this month, the Oscar winning duo were seen on set in NYC recreating their 2016 shoot for Porter Magazine, where they were snapped by photographer Bjorn Iooss, Happy group: She was also seen with Leto, 49, on the sand surrounded by a gaggle of children True to form, Leto barely looked like himself, perhaps even using prosthetics to change his face for the role of the disgraced founder of WeWork. While Anne was barefoot, the Dallas Buyers Club star wore dark gray Birkenstocks-style sandals in the sand. He wore his dark hair long, brushed back behind his ears. Jared also wore dark sunglasses and smiled while interacting with Hathaway and the children. Both stars were at one point seen holding what looked to be a fake baby. They also sat down in the sand to play with the children. They tied the knot in 2008 and went on to have five children, including two sets of twins. WeCrashed marks the first time the Justice League action star and Anne have worked together, and filming is expected to continue through September. Air of contentment: Anne smiled brightly as she was shooting her scenes, with her dark hair flowing from underneath her hat The Neumann's Lavish (and RAUCOUS) Lifestyle PROPERTIES In April 2021, the couple sold their 11-acre California estate shaped like a guitar for $22.4 million (pictured) The couple boasted an incredible property portfolio, including a $10.5bn Manhattan townhouse, a $35m home in Gramercy Park and a $21m house in San Francisco. In August last year Neumann sold his five-bedroom mansion in New York for $3.4million. The six-acre country retreat in Westchester County includes a swimming pool, spa and slide as well as sports facilities, sprawling gardens and a dining terrace. Separately, Neumann sold a $1.25million Hamptons getaway in February 2020 - making a loss on a property he had bought for $1.7million in 2012. Then in April 2021 Neumann and Rebekah sold their 11-acre California estate shaped like a guitar for $22.4 million, 10 months after it was first put on the market with a $27.5 million price tag. JETTING AROUND It was reported that Adam prompted WeWork to buy a $60m G650, in which he added bedrooms and TVs. It was discovered that he was smoking marijuana on the jet. On one journey there was said to be so much cannabis smoke in the cabin that the crew felt the need to put on their oxygen masks. On one trip to Israel, Neumann's private jet hadn't arrived so he borrowed a G650ER plane from Gulfstream. Upon landing in the Holy Land, the crew found a cereal box that was packed full of marijuana that had been stuffed into a closet. A book focusing on his story stated: 'Smoking on board was one thing, but transporting marijuana an illegal drug in New York and Israel across borders might expose Gulfstream to serious risks'. Gulfstream ended up bringing the plane home back to the States without Neumann and his cohorts who already had built up quite the reputation. During another trip in 2015 to Mexico City, passengers were 'spitting tequila on each other'. One passenger vomited 'throughout the cabin and lavatory,' and the 'crew was not tipped.' VistaJet, a private jet charter company was forced to take its aircraft out of service on several occasions to mop up vomit and alcohol spills. Neumann became known for his raucous partying and leading with an iron fist around his hard-partying ways (pictured in 2015) PARTIES Neumann became known for his raucous partying and leading with an iron fist around his hard-partying ways. He reportedly splashed out on a tequila-soaked party featuring a member of Run-DMC minutes after detailing the need to cost cut. Employees have spoken out about the 'cult-like' environment at WeWork and the behavior of its so-called 'partyer in chief'. Hard-partying Neumann was once seen as a star of the business world, but his reputation was left in tatters after investors balked at his tequila-fueled management style and eccentric ways, derailing plans for a 2019 IPO. OFFICES Neumann's office suites were absurd even by the standards of Silicon Valley bosses. In the early days he had a punching bag, a gong and a bar - later he had a private bathroom with a sauna and a cold-plunge tub at his office in New York. Advertisement Apple TV Plus handed out a series order for WeCrashed in late January, based on the podcast, WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork. WeCrashed will follow the greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of WeWork, one of the world's most valuable startups, and the narcissists whose chaotic love made it all possible. Lee Eisenberg (Little America) and Drew Crevello (The Long Dark) created the limited series, which is directed by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (Crazy Stupid Love). Eisenberg, Crevello, Requa and Ficarra will executive produce alongside Charlie Gogolak and Natalie Sandy, plus Emma Ludbrook and Leto through their Paradox production company. Neumann co-founded WeWork in 2010 with Miguel McKelvey, but he was forced out of the company in 2019 after a failed initial public offering (IPO). At the time, he was put on a par with the likes of Steve Jobs as a Silicon Valley innovator who would change the world. Catalogue ready: Jared was dressed in light tones as well, including white skinny jeans and a cream V-neck knit top Protected: The star at one point sat solo with a cushion on the beach, momentarily holding a black umbrella given to her by a production assistant to stay shielded from the sun Holding the kids: The actors were seen being tended to masked production professionals It looks like a doll: Both stars were at one point seen holding what looked to be a fake baby Rebekah was named the company's chief brand and impact officer, while also overseeing WeWork's education program WeGrow. In October 2019, Neumann agreed to leave the company after its Japanese investors SoftBank bought $1billion of stock from him to get him out. WeWork later posted a whopping $2.1 billion loss, with 490,000 users, down 70% from its subscriber base before COVID-19. Adam's exit package was valued at $1.7 billion, including $970 million for his remaining shares, $185 million as a consulting fee, plus a $500 million credit line to help him repay his loans. In his book, Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork, Reeves Wiedeman described how ex-employees claimed that Neumann would blast music at party volumes and scream at anyone who asked for it to be turned down. Seated: Anne and Jared are playing Rebekah and Adam Neumann, the real-life founders of startup WeWork For the shoot: The leads also sat down in the sound to play with the children He also reportedly demanded that cases of Don Julio 1942 tequila were at every office and would 'lose his s***' if they were not there and staffer said that he would schedule meetings for 2am and then be 45 minutes late. Showrunners Lee Eisenberg and Drew Crevello are heading up WeCrashed, which 'tells the greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of the $50B commercial real estate startup.' WeCrashed also stars Emmy winner America Ferrera as WeWork staffer Elishia Kennedy. The show is also set to include Handmaids Tale actor O-T Fagbenle, as reported by Deadline. The couple's story is certainly newsworthy at the moment, after Hulu released WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn, a documentary, back in March. WeCrashed is set for release next year on the Apple TV+ streaming platform. True to form: Leto barely looked like himself, changing completely for the role of Adam Neumann, disgraced founder of WeWork Happy: The actors have been seen filming the show throughout New York City all summer long Get ready: WeCrashed is set for release next year on the Apple TV+ streaming platform Shock: The inside goings on of WeWork left the business world aghast They are one of the most talked about new couples of the summer amid their unlikely romance. So naturally Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim had to make their red carpet debut at one of the biggest premieres of the year. The stars of Netflix reality series Selling Sunset cuddled up for a few sweet snaps at the star-studded Los Angeles premiere of Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings on Monday. Red carpet debut! Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause and boss/boyfriend cuddled up for a few sweet snaps at the star-studded Los Angeles premiere of Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings on Monday Chrishell, 40, looked stunning in a strapless black mini dress featuring jeweled embellishments for the celeb-packed Marvel Cinematic Universe event. The frock featured fringe at the hemline as she teamed it with shimmering silver heels which matched her dangling earrings. Her blonde locks were worn down in a middle part as she accentuated her natural looks with complementary make-up topped off with pink lip. Shining star: Chrishell, 40, looked stunning in a strapless black mini dress featuring jeweled embellishments for the celeb-packed Marvel Cinematic Universe event Dapper: Jason, 44, looked suave in a navy blue suit over crisp white dress shirt and brown leather shoes Jason, 44, looked suave in a navy blue suit over crisp white dress shirt and brown leather shoes. Last month Chrishell shocked fans as she unveiled her new relationship in a series of cuddled-up snaps taken from her getaway to Capri, Italy. Chrishell looked as happy as can be packing on the PDA with her new beau as the new lovebirds explored the sights on board a boat. It's love! Last month Chrishell shocked fans as she unveiled her new relationship in a series of cuddled-up snaps taken from her getaway to Capri, Italy . Meanwhile, the film's stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina led the charge as they donned their red carpet best along with other celebrities including Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao. The Marvel film, which is the first of its kind with an Asian lead (and predominantly Asian cast), recently made headlines after Disney CEO Bob Chapek called the project 'an experiment' which prompted the lead Liu, 32, to fire back. Awkwafina rocked an edgier take on a pant suit as she walked the carpet in nude trousers with a kimono inspired tie and a matching red lapelled blazer with a red bralette. Red carpet premiere: Meanwhile, the film's stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina led the charge as they donned their red carpet best along with other celebrities The 33-year-old Crazy Rich Asians star wore her hair straight down and was seen flashing a big smile and a wave ahead of the screening at the El Capitan Theatre. In the film she plays Katy a hotel valet and close friend of Shang-Chi (Liu) who is unaware of the martial-arts master turned assassin's past. And Liu who was tapped as lead in the Marvel Universe's 25th film paid homage to his Chinese heritage as he also donned a kimono inspired tuxedo. Heritage: Like Liu, Awkwafina's look was also inspired by her Chinese heritage Details: The nude pant suit featured a kimono-inspired tie detailing around the waist Serious: The funny woman also served up a bit of attitude with a more straight faced pose The black jacket featured a waist wrap which he paired with classic black trousers and a high neck white button down with a gold medallion. The Kim's Convenience star had to put on 10 pounds of muscle for the role and he did many of his own stunts in the action-adventure film. Other film stars in attendance were Meng'er Zhang who plays Shang-Chi's estranged sister in the film, Ronny Chieng and Fala Chen. During an earnings phone call on August 12, Disney CEO Chapek said that the movie was 'an interesting experiment for us,' as it only has a 45-day theatrical window before it will be made available Disney+. Clapping back: As the first Asian lead in a Marvel movie he recently spoke out after Disney CEO Chopek called the film an 'experiment' Dolled up: Meng'er Zhang who stars in the film wore a velour and purple gown Groundbreaking: The film is the first in the Marvel cinematic universe to feature a predominantly Asian cast 'The prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical for 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles,' Chapek said on the call. The statements prompted Liu to tweet about the matter. 'We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I'm fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.' He is one of the most talented actors in the world as he even won the best actor Oscar for his work in 1982's Gandhi. But Ben Kingsley managed to be outshined by his stunning wife Daniela Lavender. The 77-year-old actor was joined by his 46-year-old Brazilian wife as they walked down the red carpet at the Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night. Dynamic dup: Ben Kingsley, 77, and Daniela Lavender, 46, walked down the red carpet at the Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night Daniela looked absolutely stunning in a plunging white gown featuring a thigh-high split. She teamed the look with black leather designer heels which matched her clutch. Her raven-colored tresses were worn down as she accentuated her looks with complementary make-up. Ben looked handsome in a classic black suit with matching patent leather dress shoes and a crisp white dress shirt. Gorgeous: Daniela looked absolutely stunning in a plunging white gown featuring a thigh-high split The pair first met in Hollywood, and tied the knot in 2007 with a stunning country house ceremony in Oxfordshire. Many had doubted whether their relationship would last, as the actor revealed he was 'too busy' to go on a honeymoon. However, he assured the pair were 'extremely happy', gushing at the time: 'Daniela is like an ancient mythological princess. She has great deep dignity. She moves like an ocean liner.' Ben, who is best known for playing the title role in 1982 film Gandhi, has been married three times previously, and is a father of four. Dapper: Ben looked handsome in a classic black suit with matching patent leather dress shoes and a crisp white dress shirt He shares Thomas and Jasmin with his first wife Angela Morant, and sons Edmund and Ferdinand with theatre director Alison Sutcliffe, who he split from in 1992. The Sexy Beast star then married Alexandra Christmann in 2003, but was left 'deeply, deeply shocked' when photos of her kissing another man emerged online - leading to their divorce two years later. Meanwhile, the film's stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina led the charge as they donned their red carpet best along with other celebrities including Chrishell Stause and Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao. The Marvel film, which is the first of its kind with an Asian lead (and predominantly Asian cast), recently made headlines after Disney CEO Bob Chapek called the project 'an experiment' which prompted the lead Liu, 32, to fire back. Awkwafina rocked an edgier take on a pant suit as she walked the carpet in nude trousers with a kimono inspired tie and a matching red lapelled blazer with a red bralette. Red carpet premiere: Meanwhile, the film's stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina led the charge as they donned their red carpet best along with other celebrities The 33-year-old Crazy Rich Asians star wore her hair straight down and was seen flashing a big smile and a wave ahead of the screening at the El Capitan Theatre. In the film she plays Katy a hotel valet and close friend of Shang-Chi (Liu) who is unaware of the martial-arts master turned assassin's past. And Liu who was tapped as lead in the Marvel Universe's 25th film paid homage to his Chinese heritage as he also donned a kimono inspired tuxedo. Heritage: Like Liu, Awkwafina's look was also inspired by her Chinese heritage Details: The nude pant suit featured a kimono-inspired tie detailing around the waist Serious: The funny woman also served up a bit of attitude with a more straight faced pose The black jacket featured a waist wrap which he paired with classic black trousers and a high neck white button down with a gold medallion. The Kim's Convenience star had to put on 10 pounds of muscle for the role and he did many of his own stunts in the action-adventure film. Other film stars in attendance were Meng'er Zhang who plays Shang-Chi's estranged sister in the film, Ronny Chieng and Fala Chen. During an earnings phone call on August 12, Disney CEO Chapek said that the movie was 'an interesting experiment for us,' as it only has a 45-day theatrical window before it will be made available Disney+. Clapping back: As the first Asian lead in a Marvel movie he recently spoke out after Disney CEO Chopek called the film an 'experiment' Dolled up: Meng'er Zhang who stars in the film wore a velour and purple gown Groundbreaking: The film is the first in the Marvel cinematic universe to feature a predominantly Asian cast 'The prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical for 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles,' Chapek said on the call. The statements prompted Liu to tweet about the matter. 'We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise. I'm fired the f**k up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US.' She infamously spent nine years behind bars at Kerobokan Prison following her 2005 drug smuggling conviction. And Schapelle Corby came out with some words of encouragement for those enduring lockdowns around Australia in an Instagram post on Tuesday. 'Be strong everyone,' advised the convict-turned-reality TV star. Words of wisdom: Schapelle Corby came out with some words of encouragement for those enduring lockdowns around Australia in an Instagram post on Tuesday Posting a selfie, the former beautician asked her followers, 'Hi. How is everyone feeling right now, honestly for real?' She then added the comment, 'I'm feeling Heavy Hearted for all in lockdown. Be strong everyone.' Schapelle first hit headlines in October 2004, when she was arrested at Bali airport with 4.2kg of cannabis wrapped in plastic inside her boogie board bag. Helping hand: Posting a selfie, the former beautician asked her followers, 'Hi. How is everyone feeling right now, honestly for real?' Speaking from experience: She then added the comment, 'I'm feeling Heavy Hearted for all in lockdown. Be strong everyone' The world watched in May 2005 as she broke down in the Denpasar courtroom after being sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in Kerobokan Prison. Following a series of sentence reductions, Schapelle was released on parole in February 2014, having served nine years behind bars. She lived in Bali with family until she was deported back to Australia in May 2017. The former beautician has always denied knowingly importing drugs and maintains the marijuana was planted in her luggage by corrupt baggage handlers. The past: Schapelle made light of her previous arrest for drug smuggling, revealing that she 'doesn't live in fear' of flying on aircraft after the experience. Pictured with her mother Schapelle has since made light of her previous arrest for drug smuggling, revealing that she 'doesn't live in fear' of flying on aircraft after the experience. Recently, Corby shared a string of bikini-clad updates from a Queensland getaway with her mother, Roseleigh Rose. Taking to Instagram, she first shared a photo of herself flashing sideboob in a partially unzipped swim top on the Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays. Getaway: Recently, Corby shared a string of bikini-clad updates from a Queensland getaway with her mother, Roseleigh Rose She looked calm and relaxed as she smiled in the clear waters, wearing no make-up on her pretty visage as she posed for a quick selfie. 'Whitehaven Beach, Heaven. This place is a slice of heaven,' she captioned the image. 'When lockdown is over, seriously make plans to get here, you will not be disappointed.' Ready! In the private photos she shared to Instagram, Schapelle stood on the stairs in her swimwear before stepping into the water Taking a dip! Schapelle showed herself going snorkelling with her holding a yellow noodle while clutching onto the railing of the boat Schapelle earlier shared photos of her snorkelling at the reef, appearing excited as she stood on the steps of the boat. She then shared another alongside her mother, smiling as they enjoyed the raging Queensland sunshine on their faces. Kylie Jenner certainly knows how to draw attention. The self-made billionaire cosmetics mogul turned up the heat with a revealing selfie while donning a skimpy monokini in a post shared on her Instagram Story on Monday. And the star, 24, also shared that she is knee deep in creating her swimwear line as she noted, 'Working on Kylie Swim and I can't wait to share!' Wow factor: Kylie Jenner turned up the heat with a revealing selfie while donning a skimpy monokini in a post shared on her Instagram The pink and yellow number showed off her bountiful cleavage and ripped abs. Her raven colored locks were worn down as she matched her bikini with pink hued make-up. She had on minimal jewelry with her nails painted a mauve brown color. Eye popping: She has been working out every day in her home gym to get more toned The pink and yellow number showed off the 24-year-old self-made billionaire's bountiful cleavage and ripped abs Simply stunning: Her raven colored locks were worn down as she matched her bikini with pink hued make-up A dream in tangerine: She also teased a revealing orange one-piece swimsuit Interesting: She also teased the hotly anticipated range with a snap of Polaroids featuring the bathing suits She also teased the hotly anticipated range with a snap of Polaroids featuring the bathing suits. Last Tuesday, Kylie celebrated turning 24 as she took to Instagram to show off her voluptuous figure in a slinky green dress, as well as her famous pout. 'Cheers to 24,' the entrepreneur captioned the series of photos, where she looked barely recognizable to how she first appeared as a young star on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. While many fans rushed to wish Kylie happy returns, some marveled at just how different the star looks with one Instagram user simply commenting: 'You have changed so much.' My how you've changed! Last week, Kylie celebrated turning 24 on Tuesday with a series of sultry snaps on Instagram wearing a slinky green dress (right, pictured in 2011) Sister Kim Kardashian also posted a series of throwback snaps on Tuesday to celebrate Kylie's big day. 'Happy Birthday Ky!!!' Kim wrote. 'I love you so much! You will always be my baby sis and I'm here for you no matter what!' In them, the youngster looks a million miles away from the glamorous figure that is shown to 256million followers on Instagram. Kylie has consistently shocked fans with her changing appearance, and has admitted to having had fillers put in her lips when she was just 15 years old, saying at the time: 'It's just an insecurity of mine and it's what I wanted to do.' Green with envy? The young star showed off her voluptuous figure for her birthday, which looks noticeably different from how she appeared in 2014 (right) Changing shape: Viewers of KUWTK have been astounded at how the reality star's appearance has changed over the years Slinky: Kylie showed off her figure in a tight-fitting green dress for the special occasion, and looked remarkably different from how she has appeared previously (right, pictured in 2014) The young star went on to build a billion dollar business on her pout, which she dramatically enhanced over the years with fillers and over-lining lip liner. The billionaire first appeared on screens as a fresh-faced 10-year-old and KUWTK viewers have long suggested her visage has altered dramatically over the years. Amid media speculation Kylie originally denied getting injections, crediting carefully applied lip liner for accentuating her pout. Like a whole new person: Kylie has been open about the fact she has used fillers and makeup trickery to change her looks - pictured left this week, and right in 2011 Celebrations: Kylie tied her birthday to a special 24K collection of her Kylie Cosmetic range in this gold-themed shoot Come May 2015, however, the reality star came clean and admitted to getting fillers. In 2017 during an episode of Life of Kylie, the mother-of-one opened up about her decision to get the procedure, noting: 'I was 15 and I was insecure about my lips ... I [had] really small lips,' 'It was like one of my first kisses and a guy was like, 'I didn't think you would be a good kisser because you have such small lips,'' she said, adding that she 'took that really hard'. She continued, 'Just when a guy you like says that, I don't know, it just really affected me - I just didn't feel desirable or pretty.' From the vault: Kim Kardashian shared previously unseen snaps of her and Kylie to mark the occasion Shocked face! Kylie looked unrecognizable in the snap shared by her sister Kim Throwbacks: Sister Kim posted a series of throwback snaps on Tuesday to celebrate Kylie's big day Snaps: Kylie has often set tongues wagging with her ever-changing appearance However, despite admitting to lip filler, she has categorically denied she has had plastic surgery on Twitter. The reality star wrote: 'These plastic surgery rumours hurt my feelings to be honest and are kinda insulting.' A plastic surgeon previously told MailOnline that he believes Kylie's face is the work of plastic surgery, in particular her 'thin nose' which he believed has been altered. Alex Karidis, from the Karidis Clinic claimed her changed nose could be down to rhinoplasty, and said: 'Her nose appears thinner, particularly at the tip.' Keeping up with Kylie! Kylie Jenner's fans couldn't help but comment on her changing appearance after she appeared on the trailer for the final season of KUWTK earlier this year (pictured left in 2010 and right recently) Life through a lens: The billionaire first appeared on screens as a fresh-faced 10-year-old and viewers have long suggested her visage has altered dramatically over the years (pictured) Slide me No knife here! The make-up mogul has always denied going under the knife to achieve her sculpted visage and instead credited fillers and make-up trickery (pictured left 2011 and right 2020) However, Kylie has always denied undergoing any other surgery on her face despite constant rumours surrounding the shape of her eyes, cheekbones and chin. In 2015 the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star addressed the ongoing speculation on her website. She wrote on her website: 'No, people - I haven't gotten breast implants. Everyone is obsessed with that. Truth is, as I've gotten older, I've gained 15 pounds and my body has changed; I've definitely filled out. 'I just use the Bombshell by Victoria's Secret. It's life-changing. I've gotten all my sisters on it and all my friends...Clearly, it's like 10 times bigger - no contouring, no nothing. 'This is all padding. I think it makes your breast look great and girlie. This is it. No breast implants. No surgery. Nothing. It's amazing. So if you guys want this look, here's my secret.' She added: 'Working with some of the best makeup artists has taught me a lot of amazing tricks to making me feel more confident and I can't wait to share them with you guys. 'I swear there are things you can do to work on problem areas without having to think about plastic surgery. (Contouring has changed my life!)'. The upcoming drama, Flag Day, is the first film in which Sean Penn had directed and appeared in as an actor. What's more: the acclaimed star got to star opposite with his daughter Dylan Penn, whom he shares with actress and ex-wife Robin Wright. And on Monday the duo continued the promotional push leading to its widespread release during a special screen at Harmony Gold in Los Angeles. Quality family time: Dylan Penn and her father Sean Penn snuggled up together for a special screening of their drama film, Flag Day, at Harmony Gold in Los Angeles on Monday The father and daughter team stopped to pose for the cameras ahead of the showing of movie, which made its world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival on July 10. Dylan, 30, looked glamorous decked out in a black ensemble consisting of a blazer and pants that were adorned with white trim. She also had her blonde tresses styled long and flowing well past her shoulders with a part near the middle. Dylan's dad, 61, opted for a more casual look in blue denim jeans and shirt, that was covered up with a black bomber-style jacket, and tan shoes. The Penns star play the lead roles in the film, which was also directed by Sean Promo mode: The father-daughter duo also posed with John Welsh, the President of Film Independent, ahead of the the screening Dishing: Welsh also shared the stage for a q-and-a session with the Penns Stylish: Dylan, 30, looked glamorous decked out in a black ensemble consisting of a blazer and pants that were adorned with white trim Sean plays John Vogel, a larger than life figure who charms his daughter Jennifer, played as an adult by Dylan. As a child, Jennifer marvels at his magnetizing energy and ability to make everything feel like a grand adventure. While he teaches his daughter much about love and joy, John also just happens to be the most notorious counterfeiter in U.S. history. Casual-cool: Sean, 61, opted for a more casual look in blue denim jeans and shirt, that was covered up with a black bomber-style jacket, and tan shoes New role: Flag Day is the first film in which Sean Penn had directed and appeared in as an actor Look-a-like: Dylan looks much like her mother Robin Wright, who's best known for her roles in House of Cards and Wonder Woman As the story moves along, Jennifer struggles to rise above the wreckage of the past, all while reconciling her inescapable bond with her father. The film also stars Josh Brolin, Norbert Leo Butz, Dale Dickey, Eddie Marsan, Bailey Noble, Katheryn Winnick, James Russo, Regina King, and Hopper Penn, Sean's 28-year-old son he also shares with Wright. Flag Day is set to debut in theaters in the U.S. on August 20. Sean plays John Vogel, a larger than life figure who charms his daughter Jennifer, played as an adult by Dylan Synopsis: While John teaches his daughter much about love and joy, he also just happens to be the most notorious counterfeiter in U.S. history Kendall Jenner brought the taste of Jalisco, Mexico to restaurant goers in The Hamptons on Monday afternoon. The 25-year-old supermodel caused a frenzy as she poured guests at 75 Main shots of her 818 Tequila during a surprise tasting event. Kendall was seen wearing a strappy purple tank top and a pair of blue jeans as she played bartender for the day. Bottoms up! The supermodel, 25, continued to promote her brand of 818 Tequila as she surprised guests with shots at 75 Main in Southampton The eldest Jenner was seen strolling up to the posh Southampton eatery in a midriff baring tank top and oversized blue jeans with strappy black heels. She was accompanied by her bodyguard and best friend Fai Khadra as she walked into the joint with a beige face mask on and carried sunglasses in hand and a small purse. Once inside Kendall was seen climbing behind the bar with restaurant owner Zach Erdem who had bottles of her tequila stocked. The duo looked to use the liquor to make some custom shots as they got the party started with complimentary rounds for guests. Promotion: The eldest Jenner was seen strolling up to the posh eatery in a midriff baring tank top and oversized blue jeans with strappy black heels Crowd pleaser: Restaurant goers looked elated to be in the presence of the model who poured shots and did a celebratory cheers behind the bar At one point she engaged in a celebratory cheers as she briefly removed her face covering and flashed a big smile while clinking glasses. And to mark her arrival in the upscale vacation town in New York, a plane with a banner flew around the sky reading 'Tequila would taste good right now' accompanied by a logo of the bottle. After working the room and chatting to patrons she was seen taking a break as she and Fai sat down and enjoyed some cocktails of their own. The two were seen laughing alongside a gentleman in a pink shirt who supported the business in an '818' hat and bottles of the tequila were positioned beside them. Lunch break: After working the room she and pal Fai sat down in the eatery to enjoy a little rest and relaxation with cocktails BFF: Khadra seemed to join his best friend for some moral support as they made a day of the promotional outing Kendall announced the launch of her liquor line in February, at which point she was met with criticism on social media for a number of reasons. Some accused the model of cultural appropriation and said she was white washing tequila after she chose to name the historically-rich Mexico based beverage after her upscale Calabasas area code. Other details of the label that drew criticism included the fact that it read 'Reposado Tequila' or 'Blanco Tequila' when it should have read the other way around. Though she never publicly acknowledged the backlash, her team did make corrections to the label to be in line with proper usage of the Spanish language by April. Trucking along: Kendall announced the launch of her liquor line in February, at which point she was met with criticism for a number of reasons though she has continued to push her product Photo op: Kendall was seen arriving in a black SUV before she did promotion for her in-demand tequila with complimentary shots at Erdem's eatery To complicate matters she continued to garner more heat after she announced the beverage was officially available for sale in California alongside images of her riding on horseback and toting a bottle while migrant farmers worked the fields. Despite the controversy many came to her defense as other celebrities including The Rock and George Clooney had failed to receive flack for their lines of tequila in the past. Additionally after 818 was rolled out to stores in the US in July, it sold out immediately as consumer demand was too high. A source told Page Six at the time that multiple stores reported shortages within just 24 hours of shelf life and that the product 'sold out online in less than four hours,' with orders from 80 countries. Gemma Collins celebrated her boyfriend Rami Hawash's birthday with a gushing Instagram tribute on Monday in which she said she wanted to be his bride. The TOWIE star, 40, who rekindled her romance with her former flame earlier this year, admitted she 'never expected' to reunite with her ex because she was 'happy being alone and content,' but thanked the universe for 'putting them back together.' Alongside a sweet caption, Gemma shared a collection of throwback snaps documenting her on-off romance with Rami, dubbed to the Lionel Richie hit You Are My Destiny. Sweet: Gemma Collins, 40, celebrated her boyfriend Rami Hawash's birthday with a gushing Instagram tribute on Monday Gemma shared a slew of images throughout her romance with Rami, as she reflected on their unexpected reunion in a lengthy caption. She wrote: 'You are my DESTINY. wishing you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE 'You still take my breath away when I look at you just like the first night I met you down the king will in Chigwell. 'The timing wasn't right then but the universe put us back together.. and I didn't expect it one bit, just as I was really happy being alone and content you rocked back up alright ram.' Adorable: The TOWIE star who rekindled her romance with her former flame earlier this year, admitted she 'never expected' to reunite with her ex Sweet: Alongside a sweet caption reflecting on their reunion (pictured), Gemma shared a collection of throwback snaps documenting her on-off romance with Rami Family: On her Stories Gemma also shared a slew of throwback images with Rami, as well as one of him and her mum Joan Gemma then added: 'I never see it coming but thank you for making me so happy you bring me PEACE to my life and soul and allow me to just be me. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAM, maybe Lionel will sing this at the wedding, it was you all along.' On her Stories Gemma also shared a slew of throwback images with Rami, as well as one of him and her mum Joan. Gemma is now loved-up with Rami, who she rekindled her romance with in April. Having fun? In her post Gemma reflected on how she and Rami were 'put back together' after years apart, writing: 'It was always you!' Open: She added: 'Just as I was really happy being alone and content you rocked back up,' alongside a collection of throwback snaps The couple first began dating in 2013 and were briefly engaged but called it quits shortly afterwards. The couple briefly rekindled their romance in 2017 but split again before opting to give it a third try this spring. A source told MailOnline of their rekindled love: 'Gemma has been seeing Rami again in secret for the last six months. Back on: Gemma is now loved-up with Rami, who she rekindled her romance with in April. The couple first began dating in 2013 and were briefly engaged (pictured this month) 'The pair have enjoyed spending time together and getting reacquainted during date nights in London and Essex. 'Gemma suffered a lot of stress and trauma during her relationship with Arg, which has been on and off for years but she's finally putting herself first and moving forward with her life.' She has since sparked rumours she's engaged again after being spotted with a diamond on her finger and has revealed the pair are planning for a baby. Lottie Tomlinson has shared a heartbreaking tribute for her younger sister Felicite, on what would have been her 21st birthday. Felicite died in March 2019 from an accidental overdose of cocaine, anxiety drug Xanax and painkillers. Lottie, 23 - who is the sister of One Direction star Louis - took to Instagram Stories on Monday to honour her sibling, sharing a glamorous photo of the pair at an event alongside a heartfelt caption. 'Until we meet again, I will make you proud': Lottie Tomlinson (right) paid tribute to late sister Felicite (left) on what would have been her 21st birthday, in an Instagram Stories post on Monday. Lottie, 23, shared this photo of the pair at an event alongside a heartfelt caption 'My beautiful baby sister and best friend would have been 21 today. Not a day goes by that I don't miss you. I miss my sister but more so I miss my friend,' Lottie wrote. 'You were the best person to talk to about everything. I think of what you would have been like today, what you would have been doing. 'But instead you're safe with Mama looking after us all from up there,' she continued, referencing their mother Johannah Deakin who passed away in December 2016, aged 43, following a battle with leukaemia. 'Until we meet again, I will make you proud x,' Lottie concluded, alongside the photo that saw the pair in black ensembles and posing on the media wall at an event. Heartfelt: Lottie also shared to Instagram a quote by Morgan Harper Nichols, which read: 'Going through things you never thought you'd go through will only take you places you never thought you'd get to' Lottie also shared to Instagram a quote by Morgan Harper Nichols, which read: 'Going through things you never thought you'd go through will only take you places you never thought you'd get to.' Their father Mark Tomlinson wrote: 'Felicite Grace Tomlinson. A million times I've missed you a million times I've cried - If Love alone could have saved you, never would you have died. 'If tears could build a stairway and heartache build a lane - I would walk the path to heaven and bring you back again 'Nothing could be more heartbreaking than losing a child. Fizzy's time on this earth was far too short - yet she packed so much into her life. Moving: Lottie's father Mark shared his own emotional tribute to his late daughter following her death in 2019 'The amount of love she had in her heart was so utterly boundless. I have never got over Fizzy's death and I know that I never will. A part of me also died that day. 'Fizz was the most unique girl, a quirky funny zany whacky caring loving beautiful soul who was blossoming into a formidable woman. 'I would not have coped with the almighty sense of loss that Felicite left behind without the love and support from my wife and all the kids (grown up kids). 'I honour your memory today & every day with my own recovery sweet darling baby girl (sic).' Emotional: Felicite's sister Phoebe Tomlinson, 17, shared a quote which read: 'A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost' Felicite's sister Phoebe Tomlinson, 17, shared a quote which read: 'A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost' and her twin Daisy shared a picture of Lottie, Phoebe, Daisy and their half-sister Doris Deakin, seven. She penned the message: 'Happy Birthday to our angel. Fizz, here we are on your birthday celebrating you. We're sending this picture to you and Mama.' Last year, Lottie discussed the tragic deaths of her mother and sister and how she has 'got to a good point' with her grief after undergoing counselling. Appearing on Lorraine, the social media sensation revealed therapy after Felicite's death helped her with the grieving process. Tragic death: Felicite (left) died in March 2019 from an accidental overdose of cocaine, anxiety drug Xanax and painkillers. Pictured with Lottie from their childhood Discussing her mother's death, she said: 'It was really fast. That made it harder. We didn't have time to get our head around things and process it. She was the best. 'She made her whole life about us and did everything for us. She was the sweetest, kindest woman. Lorraine asked: 'And then three years later, your poor sister. Have you learned anything that has helped you?' Lottie said: 'I feel like I was able to deal with it a lot better with my sister. I had picked up a few coping mechanisms. Brave: Last year, Lottie discussed the tragic deaths of her mother and sister on Lorraine, and how she has 'got to a good place' with her grief after undergoing counselling. Her mother Johannah Deakin passed away in December 2016, aged 43, following a battle with leukaemia Missed: Johannah is pictured with Lottie's brother Louis Tomlinson of One Direction fame in August 2015 'I got extra help when my sister died than when my mum died. I want people to know that you can get help. It does really help with the grieving process when you go and speak to someone. 'A lot of people try and deal with it themselves but I think it's important that you don't go through it alone,' she said. The influencer said the support from Louis' fans as well as Sue Ryder (the founder of a bereavement support foundation), had enabled her to manage her grief. She said: 'They (fans) have always been so kind to us. It's like an extended family and having them supporting us really helped. 'It's amazing what Sue Ryder does, you can get six online sessions with a professional counsellor and peer to peer support. It's amazing what they can do. Tragic loss: Louis, 29, is pictured with sister Felicite 'They've got such a different perspective on things. You can divulge about yourself. 'Having not had therapy when my mum died compared to when my sister died, it was such a different kind of grief. I look back and think, I should have just done it the first time. It was a longer and more painful process than it was when my sister died. 'I feel really good. I feel I've got to a good point with my grief and just to be able to pass that onto people really helps me with my grief.' Lottie also praised big brother Louis, 29, for being 'supportive.' She added: 'Grieving in lockdown is so hard and a lot of people are losing people at the moment. Being able to let people know about Sue Ryder's services, it's a really important time right now. Discussing her mother's death in 2016, Lottie said: 'It was really fast. That made it harder. We didn't have time to get our head around things and process it. She was the best' As her ambassadorial role with the foundation was announced, she said: 'I want to try and help people because grief can be such a scary thing. 'You need to keep talking about it otherwise you get lost in your feelings and that can send you into a really dark place. 'I can't imagine how hard it's been for people grieving during lockdown and that's why I really want to spread the word about Sue Ryder's free video counselling. It is so important to keep people talking about their grief so they don't spiral. 'I also want to help to guide people when it comes to supporting someone that is grieving because I think so many people don't know what to say or how to act. One of the hardest things for me was people not bringing it up, it makes it even harder because you've lost that person and it feels like they're fading away.' Family: 'Having not had therapy when my mum died compared to when my sister died, it was such a different kind of grief. I look back and think, I should have just done it the first time' (above Johannah - front left and Felicite - middle back row) As well as Louis and Lottie, Johannah was also mother to twins Daisy and Phoebe, 17, and twins Ernest and Doris, seven. She was also grandmother to Louis' son Freddie, now five. The statement released to MailOnline following Johannah's death read: 'It is with immeasurable sadness that Johannah Deakin's family said goodbye to Johannah in the early hours of Wednesday 7th December 2016. 'Earlier this year Johannah was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukaemia that required immediate and continuous treatment. We respectfully request that the family are given time and space to grieve in private.' Devastated: Felicite was found collapsed and lifeless at her fourth-floor studio apartment in Earls Court, west London in March 2019 Two years later, Felicite was found collapsed and lifeless at her fourth-floor studio apartment in Earls Court, west London. Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said at an inquest afterwards: 'It was a perfect storm, the OxyCodone, the alpraxolam [Xanax] and cocaine. I find no evidence this was a deliberate act to end her life.' After hearing she had turned to drugs following the tragic death of her mother, the coroner recorded a misadventure verdict. For confidential support in the UK 24 hours a day 365 days a year, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org For bereavement resources including practical and emotional advice to encourage conversations about grief, visit sueryder.org/copingwithgrief. Career: Lottie is a beauty entrepreneur and influencer with a 4.2million following on Instagram Juliette Herrera has revealed that she battled an eating disorder than saw her weight plummet to just 43 kilos. The Bachelor, 35, star says she became self-conscious while working for fashion magazines in her early 20s, and was soon starving herself. 'I struggled with anorexia for 10 years,' the Sydney stylist told Confidential on Tuesday. Struggle: Juliette Herrera (pictured) has revealed that she battled an eating disorder that saw her weight plummet to just 43 kilos. The Bachelor, 35, star says she become self-conscious while working for fashion magazines in her early 20s, and was soon starving herself 'I used to work for fashion magazines so I was always self-conscious about my weight. I became obsessed with losing weight and I could never enjoy food. 'I started calorie counting and would survive on 500 calories a day and workout for two hours. I was skeletal and at one point I went down to 43kg,' she added. Juliette told the paper she also battled depression, and at one stage contemplated suicide following the loss of her father in 2015. Slimmer: 'I struggled with anorexia for 10 years,' she said. 'I became obsessed with losing weight and I could never enjoy food. I started calorie counting and would survive on 500 calories a day and workout for two hours. I was skeletal and at one point I went down to 43kg' Having also lost her job and not been in a relationship for 10 years, the beauty hit her lowest point. 'I wanted to kill myself so I knew I needed help. I went to hospital and got professional help. My faith in God helped me overcome all of that,' she said. While Juliette is is recovery for both anorexia and depression, she warns other women not to 'waste their lives striving for physical perfection'. Hard: Juliette also battled depression, and at one stage contemplated suicide following the loss of her father in 2015. 'I wanted to kill myself so I knew I needed help. I went to hospital and got professional help. My faith in God helped me overcome all of that,' she said A year has passed since the stunner was brutally dumped by Locky Gilbert on The Bachelor after she confronted him about not showing any interest in her. But Juliette recently debuted her new relationship with tattooed boyfriend Alessandro 'Alex' Del Conte. Juliette told Daily Mail Australia in July the pair had been dating for about three months, after meeting at a bar in Sydney. Brave: While Juliette is is recovery for both anorexia and depression, she warns other women not to 'waste their lives striving for physical perfection' 'I'm so happy and excited for once,' she gushed. 'I think I may have found The One. Alex is the kindest, sweetest dude - and he is quirky like me.' 'He is Italian and works as a professional cocktail bartender at the Hyatt [hotel], and studies fashion design,' she added. Juliette said that after a string of failed short-lived relationships - some of which she claims were abusive - it feels good to finally be in love again. Love: Juliette recently debuted her new relationship with tattooed boyfriend Alessandro 'Alex' Del Conte (pictured) 'We moved in together when lockdown commenced and instead of going nuts seeing each other every day, we get closer and laugh so much,' she continued. 'I know it seemed fast but I guess when you know, you know. I have never felt this way for someone before and neither has he.' Surry Hills based Juliette nearly made it to the end of Locky Gilbert's season of The Bachelor last year. Close: 'We moved in together when lockdown commenced and instead of going nuts seeing each other every day, we get closer and laugh so much,' she continued Nurse Irena Srbinovska, 31, eventually won the show and the couple are still together. Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact: Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on: 13 11 14 Bella Hadid hit the town with her brother Anwar and his girlfriend Dua Lipa for a meal at Persian restaurant Berenjak in London on Monday night. The supermodel, 24, looked sensational as she stepped out with the One Kiss songstress, 25, and her sibling, 22, who stole a moment away from the stunning duo to share a suspicious looking cigarette with pals. Bella and Dua cut a super stylish figure as they strolled side-by-side after dining at the resturant, as the group were spotted out for dinner and drinks after recently returning from sun-soaked Ibiza. Night out: Bella Hadid hit the town with her brother Anwar and his girlfriend Dua Lipa for a meal at Persian restaurant Berenjak in London on Monday night Bella looked typically chic in a colourful corset-style top, which she wore with a cropped tan leather jacket and a pair of sexy black trousers in the same material. The youngest Hadid sister boosted her already statuesque frame with a pair of black boots and accessorised with a 'B' initial necklace. She showcased her glowing tan and wore her raven locks in natural waves, while covering most of her pretty visage with a black face mask. Sharing is caring? The supermodel, 24, looked sensational as she stepped out with the One Kiss songstress, 25, and her sibling, 22, who stole a moment away from the stunning duo to share a suspicious looking cigarette with pals (pictured) Pals: Bella and Dua cut a super stylish figure as they strolled side-by-side after dining at the resturant, as the group were spotted out for dinner and drinks after recently returning from sun-soaked Ibiza Wow! Bella looked typically chic in a colourful corset-style top, which she wore with a cropped tan leather jacket and a pair of sexy black trousers in the same material Meanwhile, Dua looked equally stylish in a cut-out grey top with button detailing, which she styled with a pair of relaxed baggy jeans and trainers. Despite her low-key look, Dua kept her overall appearance glam by styling her long dark locks in sleek waves a sporting a subtle coat of make-up. Dua carried her essentials in an orange clutch bag and also appeared to take some a doggy bag from the resturant in the other hand. Stepping away: Anwar shared the cigarette with one of his male pals Details: The youngest Hadid sister boosted her already statuesque frame with a pair of black boots and accessorised with a 'B' initial necklace Leftovers: Dua carried her essentials in an orange clutch bag and also appeared to take some a doggy bag from the resturant in the other hand Glowing: Despite her low-key look, Dua kept her overall appearance glam by styling her long dark locks in sleek waves a sporting a subtle coat of make-up Showstopper: She showcased her glowing tan and wore her raven locks in natural waves, while covering most of her pretty visage with a black face mask Hanging out: As the two girls stuck together, Anwar - who is regularly spotted smoking rolled cigarettes - stepped aside to share one with his male friend Pass it over: They were seen passing the rolled cigarette between each other As the two girls stuck together, Anwar - who is regularly spotted smoking rolled cigarettes - stepped aside to share one with his male friend. The model was dressed in typically edgy attire, sporting an oversized T-shirt with a red and white knitted checked bucket hat. He completed the eye-catching look with an oversized black cardigan and jeans. Resturant: Berenjak describes itself as a compact, casual spot for Iranian cooking with local, seasonal produce, designed for sharing Got the goods! Anwar also left the dining spot carrying a bag of food Dressed down: The model was dressed in typically edgy attire, sporting an oversized T-shirt with a red and white knitted checked bucket hat Low-key: He completed the eye-catching look with an oversized black cardigan and jeans Bella and her sibling joined their respective partners Marc Kalman, 33, and Dua, in a recent trip to Ibiza ahead of their stay in London. Earlier this week their romantic getaway came to an end on Monday, as they were spotted leaving the stunning island on a private jet. Prior to becoming romantically involved with art director Marc, Bella was in a long-term relationship with The Weeknd, which ended for good in 2019. Bella and Marc went Instagram official with their relationship this past July with a now-deleted post made to the model's Instagram page. Dua and Anwar were first linked in June 2019 and have appeared inseparable ever since. Hugh Jackman is arguably one of Australia's most successful acting talents. But the A-lister almost chose a completely different career that couldn't be any further from his current life as a Hollywood superstar. In an Instagram video shared this week, the 52-year-old revealed that he wanted to work as a chef on an airplane when he was a child. Surprising: In an Instagram video shared this week, Hugh Jackman revealed that he wanted to work as a chef on an airplane when he was a child The Wolverine star shared the story while discussing his first time flying on a plane. 'If anyone asked me from that point on, for an embarrassing three or four years after that, what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said a chef on a plane,' he explained. 'I honestly believed there was one,' he continued, before adding with a laugh: 'Never crossed my mind that it was a microwave!' Hugh recently admitted that he was desperate to star in his 'unique' new movie Reminiscence. Story time: The Wolverine star shared the story while discussing his first time flying on a plane The 52-year-old star plays Nick Bannister in the sci-fi flick and was fascinated by how the film 'kept going all over the place', even if he didn't consider the motion picture to be 'cool'. Hugh told ComicBook.com: 'I actually rang my agent 20 pages in saying, "I know this is not a very cool, like a poker movie to make, but I'm totally doing this movie". 'I'd hear about, I'd seen some pictures. She'd told me through the world of the film, but not the whole story. And I thought the movie in the first 10, 15 pages was, I'd say it's a genre film. I understand. I'm playing like a Sam Spade, Bogart-type character. Here we go.' Superstar: Hugh recently admitted that he was desperate to star in his 'unique' new movie Reminiscence The X-Men star continued: 'And then I'm like, "Oh, hang on. Oh, oh, that's cool. Oh no, it's sci-fi. Oh, it's a romance. No, it's a thriller!" And it kept going all over the place. And it's just so unique and different. And I love that for audiences. And for me, it was a screaming "Yes", an easy one.' Hugh had to fight underwater in Lisa Joy's movie and admits that he 'learned a lot' from the challenging scenes. The actor shared: 'There's some really nice, long shots that she liked to do. Sort of 'Old Boy'-style, long shots of action down the corridor. That's hard. That took a lot of choreography and a lot of work. 'And then all the underwater stuff, the stuff I had never done before. I didn't think, I can't think of ever doing it before. But we were, we spent a week on the water doing long takes of being in pianos and chandeliers. It was a very sort of surreal thing. And I really learned a lot from that.' Kate Garraway has revealed she is hoping her husband Derek Draper can attend the National Television Awards next month, as he continues his lengthy recovery from Covid. The presenter, 53, has been nominated for Best Authored Documentary for her ITV programme Finding Derek depicting his battle with the virus, and said she is already 'figuring out the logistics' so he could join her at the ceremony. Speaking on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain after her nomination, Kate said it would be 'lovely' to have her husband at her side during the show, as he continues to recover at home after contracting coronavirus in March 2020. Plans: Kate Garraway has revealed she is hoping her husband Derek Draper can attend the National Television Awards next month, as he continues his lengthy recovery from Covid During the show, Kate's co-host Charlotte Hawkins acknowledged her nomination, saying: 'You've obviously got experience of dealing with the aftermath of coronavirus and what that can mean to Derek and the family. 'And congratulations to you because your authored documentary Kate Garraway: Finding Derek has been shortlisted for a National Television Award, so very well done to that.' A visibly emotional Kate then said: 'I didn't know until I read the papers this morning. It's wonderful for the production company and for Derek. Ill: Derek continues to recover at home after contracting coronavirus in March 2020 (pictured with Kate in 2019) Honest: The Finding Derek documentary (pictured) followed the family as they came to terms with his illness 'I was just looking and the ceremony - is it the 9th September? I was just thinking, wouldn't it be wonderful if Derek was well enough to come. Wouldn't it be wonderful. 'I was trying to look at the dates and work out the logistics of how that might work. 'There's some brilliant people in the category, there's some brilliant documentaries, I don't think for the moment we'll win. But it would be lovely for him to be there.' Chat: During the show, Kate's co-host Charlotte Hawkins (left) acknowledged her nomination, saying: 'You've obviously got experience of dealing with the aftermath of coronavirus and what that can mean to Derek and the family' Kate's husband Derek was released from the hospital in March this year after being first diagnosed in March 2020. The virus wreaked havoc throughout his entire body, resulting in kidney failure, liver and pancreatic damage. On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs. He is considered to be the longest surviving Covid-19 patient in the country. The former lobbyist continues to recover from the illness at their London home. Journey: Kate has been nominated for Best Authored Documentary for her ITV programme depicting his battle with the virus (Derek is pictured in hospital) It comes after last week Kate admitted she feels like she 'failed' her children as she struggled to juggle homeschooling and looking after Derek as he recovered from Covid. The star - who shares children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 12, with Derek, 53, - said she found it 'very challenging' due to dealing with her 'very specific set of circumstances' at the time. During a chat about the recent A-Level results on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, she said: 'We all know that it's been almost impossible for youngsters to deal with this. 'I know that I have frankly failed my children in supporting them in their homeschooling. 'I know I had very specific set of circumstances going on for the bulk of the time, but I found it very difficult to get online and help them to work their way through the system. 'And, you know, it was very, very challenging.' Hard: It comes after last week Kate admitted she feels like she 'failed' her children as she struggled to juggle homeschooling and looking after Derek as he recovered from Covid Kate has been by her husband Derek's side during his recovery from coronavirus after he contracted the illness last March which left him hospitalised. Last week it was revealed that she has found his return from hospital this year 'bittersweet', according to close friend and television presenter Clare Nasir, 51. She said that Kate 'can never switch off from what's happening' and has a lot on her plate being a presenter, mother, carer and wife. Family: The star- who shares children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 12, (pictured) with Derek-, said she found it 'very challenging' due to dealing with her 'very specific set of circumstances' at the time Kate recently enjoyed her first night out since Derek became seriously unwell as she attended the West End opening of Wonderville at the Palace Theatre. Clare told Closer: 'Kate has been incredible throughout this - even more so since Derek has been home. She now basically does four jobs - presenter, mum, wife and carer. 'She's on the go all the time, and has been physically and mentally pushed to the extreme this last year and a half. So a chance to go out to the theatre - something she and the kids love - was wonderful for her. 'However, it was bittersweet, as Kate can never switch off from what's happening. I know she would have had a hotline to the house at all times and her focus would have been on Derek.' A representative for Kate has been contacted by MailOnline for a comment. Speaking recently at the West End event, Kate said: 'It's our first time out since February 2020 so we are really excited, and this is a date that has sprung up because it was going to happen a few weeks ago and then it didn't happen and then we just thought, 'Let's go for it' so very exciting. 'It was very strange leaving him tonight to come out because he is a big fan of magic, but it is not possible at the moment so we just said next time and see him when we get back.' Doting mother: Kate and Derek married in 2005, and share daughter Darcey, 15, and son Billy, 12 (pictured in December) She's been sunning herself in Greece with her daughter Sienna and husband Hugo Taylor. And Millie Mackintosh looked gorgeous as she took to Instagram to pose in her holiday swimwear on Tuesday. The former Made In Chelsea star, 32, shared a selection of stunning mirror selfies in chic strapless bikinis from her hotel room. Glowing: Millie Mackintosh showed off her growing bump as she took to Instagram to share a slew of snaps from her family getaway in Greece on Tuesday Millie looked effortlessly stylish as she worked her angles with her hand on her hip in a straw hat and large glamorous sunglasses. The expecting star sported a khaki scallop-edged bikini which left her burgeoning bump on full display. She then swapped into a baby blue bikini and layered an oversized white shirt over the swimwear for a relaxed beach day look. Also switching up her accessories, Millie opted for a Panama hat with a tan ribbon detail. Radiant: The former Made In Chelsea star shared a selection of stunning mirror selfies in chic strapless bikinis from her hotel room, having recently returned from her sunny break Gorgeous: Millie also showcased several more of her holiday looks, including floaty maxi dresses that accentuated her growing bump The summer snaps come after Millie, who is expecting her second daughter, sweetly matched outfits on Instagram with her daughter Sienna last weekend. The mother-daughter-duo both wore white floaty dresses by Daily Sleeper in the post, with the doting mum posing with little Sienna on her hip. The summery dresses boasted a cute daisy print and looked beautiful on the pair, with Millie opting to go barefoot on the sand. Matching! The summer snaps come after Millie, who is expecting her second daughter, sweetly matched outfits on Instagram with her one-year-old Sienna last weekend Millie accessorised with a mustard yellow head band in her dark blonde locks and Sienna matched with a white bow in her hair. The Made in Chelsea star posed with an idyllic beach as a backdrop wearing the bardot style dress which also had huge puffed sleeves. Millie was lovestruck with her young daughter as she gazed lovingly at her and planted a kiss on her forehead. Twinning! The mother-daughter-duo both wore white floaty dresses by Daily Sleeper in the post, as she posed with Sienna on her hip Sweet: Millie was lovestruck with her young daughter as she gazed lovingly at her as they frolicked on the sand Meanwhile, on her stories, she shared a slew of sun soaked snaps as she posed in a blue dress on a jetty with the azure blue ocean in the background. In another image, Hugo, 35, Millie and Sienna posed for a family photo which she captioned: 'Failed family photo attempt 10000000' with a crying laughing emoji. Ahead of her second child,Millie detailed her C-section recovery from the birth of her first child last year, while also confirming to fans that she is planning another abdominal birth. Funny: In another image, Hugo, 35, Millie and Sienna posed for a family photo which she captioned: 'Failed family photo attempt 10000000' with a crying laughing emoji. Opening up to her 1.4 million followers, the great-great-granddaughter of the Quality Street founder detailed her experience at length. The influencer penned: 'Picking back up on my c section post from last week, this week I wanted to talk about my recovery. 'Thank you for sharing all your birth stories, I was so moved reading your comments.' 'After I got home from hospital I tried to rest as much as possible. I was very fortunate that I had both Hugo and an amazing postnatal Doula called Paula (who used to be my nanny!) looking after us for the first three weeks which played a big part in my recovery. 'I didnt leave the house for at least a week when I felt strong enough to go for a walk around the block. 'I slowly started increasing the length of my walks but got carried away I did too much and ended up in bed with cramps and with heavy bleeding. 'My advice is to listen to your body and take it very slowly, get as much help as you can so that you can rest and let your body heal.' She never puts a foot wrong with fashion. And Kelly Brook showcased her toned legs in a stylish paisley mini dress on Tuesday as she arrived at Global Radio Studios in London ahead of her Heart FM show. The model and radio host, 41, looked sensational as she strolled through Leicester Square before entering the broadcast building. Leggy look: Kelly Brook showcased her toned legs in a stylish paisley mini dress on Tuesday as she arrived at Global Radio Studios in London ahead of her Heart FM show Her floaty garment featured a decorative paisley pattern which merged raspberry red, plum and green hues. Kelly opted for brown suede shoes and was seen picking items out of her quilted Chanel handbag. The Heart FM presenter styled her chocolate locks in voluminous curls and sported a natural make-up look. She framed her visage with oversized shades from the designer brand, CELINE. Strut her stuff: The model and radio host, 41, looked sensational as she strolled through Leicester Square before entering the broadcast building Kelly was all smiles when she worked her best angles in a summery Heart FM photoshoot on Monday. The model looked gorgeous wearing a thigh-skimming floral playsuit and posed for snaps alongside her co-host Jason King, who is filling in for Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston alongside Kelly. Kelly's glossy brunette hair cascaded in curls past her shoulders and the star looked delighted as she tucked into an ice-cream. Switching up her look, Kelly then slipped into a collared dress stamped with pink and orange flowers while Jason changed out of his patterned shirt into a plaid number. Bohemian chic: Her floaty garment featured a decorative paisley pattern which merged raspberry red, plum and green hues Rapunzel: The Heart FM presenter styled her chocolate locks in voluminous curls and sported a natural make-up look The pair appeared to have a blast while posing in front of a neon Heart sign, with Kelly reclining on a beach chair. The duo also incorporated a red pool float shaped like a heart into the upbeat shoot. It comes after Kelly revealed in June that it was 'so lonely' backstage on The Masked Dancer as the contestants had to keep their identities secret from each other and couldn't chat. Speaking about not knowing who anyone was in the show, Kelly said: 'Yes it was so lonely backstage! We walk around with these jumpers on that say ''don't speak to us''. 'You're just backstage at Wembley thinking, "Is everyone else as terrified as I am?" Photoshoot: Kelly was all smiles when she worked her best angles in a summery Heart FM photoshoot on Monday Summery: The model looked gorgeous wearing a thigh-skimming floral playsuit and was sporting an immaculate bright red manicure 'Because you don't have that camaraderie, so you can't share any of your experience, so you think you're the only one freaking out. 'But since the show has aired and we've figured out who everyone is, I've been talking to you Howard [Donald] and Bonnie [Langford], and everyone's like ''did you do this, did you feel like this'' and everyone was in the same boat really.' The trio also discussed whether Kelly managed to correctly guess any of the other contestants, which included Zoe Ball as Llama and Christopher Dean as Beagle. Kelly told Amanda and Jamie: 'Not reallyI couldn't bear not knowing so I went on Twitter and once I saw all the fans guessing, then things started to make sense. 'I knew then that Squirrel must be Bonnie [Langford] because only Bonnie can move like that! To be honest I thought it was Ashley Roberts!' She recently returned to the UK after a hiatus in Dubai. And TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou displayed her toned stomach in a figure-hugging pink co-ord on Tuesday as she indulged in a spot of retail therapy in London, following news that her ex James Lock had a secret fling with Chloe Brockett. The former TOWIE star, 27, who moved abroad following the breakdown of her relationship, appeared unfazed by the recent drama as she captured her flawless figure in sizzling Instagram selfies. Wow: Yazmin Oukhellou displayed her toned stomach in a pink co-ord on Tuesday for shopping in London, following news that her ex James Lock had a secret fling with Chloe Brockett Her muted pink top skimmed across her defined midriff and contrasted against her sun-kissed complexion. Meanwhile Yazmin's maxi skirt emphasised her svelte curves and finished above her nude heels. The reality star styled her voluminous tresses in a straight hairstyle and opted for a typically glamorous make-up look. Yazmin completed her look with a Gucci handbag. Yazmin revealed she was attending 'exciting' meetings in the capital before heading to Selfridges for an afternoon of shopping. Glamourpuss: The reality star, 27, who moved abroad following the breakdown of her relationship, appeared unfazed by the recent drama as she captured sizzling Instagram selfies Her outing comes shortly after James and Chloe's fling was revealed. Essex veteran James, 34, started dating Chloe, 20, who's 14 years his junior, after lockdown lifted, and the pair connected romantically during nights out. Yazmin is now returning to TOWIE to confront her friend over the betrayal, after Chloe started seeing James following the couple's painful split in February. A source told MailOnline: 'James and Chloe's romance has really shocked a lot of people.' 'No one expected them to grow close, especially given Chloe's friendship with Yazmin. Her relationship with James has been over for months now but she still feels betrayed and let down by the way Chloe's acted. Shocking: Her outing comes shortly after James and Chloe's fling was revealed as a source told MailOnline: 'James (pictured) and Chloe's romance has really shocked a lot of people' 'Yazmin's return to TOWIE will see her confront Chloe over her behaviour, and indeed James' after they agreed to still treat each other with respect following their split.' MailOnline revealed James and Yazmin finally went their separate ways in February. The couple were spending time in Dubai amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with Yazmin staying in the UAE while James flew home to resume filming for TOWIE. MailOnline has contacted Chloe and James' representatives and TOWIE for comment. He had gastric sleeve surgery 16 weeks ago, resulting in a seven stone weight loss. And former TOWIE star James Argent looked happy and healthy while on holiday with co-star Elliott Wright and pals in Marbella, Spain on Sunday. The 33-year-old showed off his slimmed down physique in the idyllic locale, just a day before ex-girlfriend Gemma Collins professed her love for beau Rami Hawash. Soaking up the sun: James Argent (right), 33, showed off his incredible seven stone weight loss on holiday in Marbella, Spain on Sunday ... as ex-girlfriend Gemma Collins professed her love for beau Rami Hawash in a gushing Instagram post James drew attention to his lighter frame in a navy polo shirt and matching shorts. The reality star added vibrant red and yellow slip-on shoes, and looked to have picked up a few travel essentials in a plastic bag. James appeared in great spirits, laughing with pals and showing off a golden tan. Slimmed down: The former TOWIE star drew attention to his lighter frame in a navy polo shirt and matching shorts. He looked to have picked up a few travel essentials in a plastic bag Out and about: James appeared in great spirits and showed off a golden tan Amazing work: The television personality has been working hard on losing weight by upping his fitness and is training for two charity swims (pictured in 2019 before the surgery) Doctors had previously ordered James to 'lose weight or die' after he weighed in at a whopping 27 stone. James reached 27 stone during lockdown and previously said he wanted to lose 10 stone but now wants to shed 15 stone, more than half his previous body weight. According to The Sun, James hoped to 'lose at least a stone every month' up until 2022, and enlisted the help of close friend and fitness fanatic Mark Wright. Sweet: Meanwhile on Monday, James' ex Gemma, 40, celebrated her boyfriend Rami's birthday with a gushing Instagram tribute on Monday (pictured together) Meanwhile on Monday, James' ex Gemma celebrated her beau Rami's birthday with an Instagram tribute in which she said she wanted to be his bride. TOWIE star Gemma, 40, and James dated on and off for eight years before splitting for good in November last year. Gemma, who rekindled her romance with former flame Rami earlier this year, admitted she 'never expected' them to reunite because she was 'happy being alone and content,' but thanked the universe for 'putting them back together.' Alongside a sweet caption, Gemma shared a collection of throwback snaps documenting her on-off romance with Rami, to the Lionel Richie hit You Are My Destiny. Gemma shared a slew of images throughout her romance with Rami, as she reflected on their unexpected reunion in a lengthy caption. She wrote: 'You are my DESTINY. wishing you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE 'You still take my breath away when I look at you just like the first night I met you down the king will in Chigwell. 'The timing wasn't right then but the universe put us back together.. and I didn't expect it one bit, just as I was really happy being alone and content you rocked back up alright ram.' Adorable: The TOWIE star who rekindled her romance with her former flame earlier this year, admitted she 'never expected' to reunite with her ex Sweet: Alongside a sweet caption reflecting on their reunion (pictured), Gemma shared a collection of throwback snaps documenting her on-off romance with Rami Family: On her Instagram Stories, Gemma also shared a slew of throwback images with Rami, as well as one of him and her mum Joan Gemma added: 'I never see it coming but thank you for making me so happy you bring me PEACE to my life and soul and allow me to just be me. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAM, maybe Lionel will sing this at the wedding, it was you all along.' On her Instagram Stories, Gemma also shared a slew of throwback images with Rami, as well as one of him and her mum Joan. Gemma is now loved-up with Rami, who she rekindled her romance with in April. Having fun? In her post, Gemma reflected on how she and Rami were 'put back together' after years apart, writing: 'It was always you!' Open: She added: 'Just as I was really happy being alone and content you rocked back up,' alongside a collection of throwback snaps The couple first began dating in 2013 and were briefly engaged but called it quits shortly afterwards. They briefly rekindled their romance in 2017 but split again before opting to give it a third try this spring. A source told MailOnline of their rekindled love: 'Gemma has been seeing Rami again in secret for the last six months. Back on: Gemma is now loved-up with Rami, who she rekindled her romance with in April. The couple first began dating in 2013 and were briefly engaged (pictured this month) 'The pair have enjoyed spending time together and getting reacquainted during date nights in London and Essex. 'Gemma suffered a lot of stress and trauma during her relationship with Arg, which has been on and off for years but she's finally putting herself first and moving forward with her life.' She has since sparked rumours she's engaged again after being spotted with a diamond on her finger and has revealed the pair are planning for a baby. Love Island's Jack Fincham revealed he is struggling with addiction and depression during an Instagram post on Tuesday, as he discussed dealing with a 'torrent' of online abuse and 'fake' friends. The reality star, 30, admitted he was in a 'really dark place' without anywhere to turn or pals to talk to, after feeling like he has let his loved ones down. Before uploading the video to his social media account, Jack penned: 'Thanks for the amazing supportive message[s] I'm overwhelmed. Battle: Jack Fincham revealed he is struggling with addiction and depression during an Instagram post on Tuesday, as he discussed dealing with a 'torrent' of online abuse and 'fake' friends 'I deleted this video as I was embarrassed but I am beginning my road to recovery. And believe me the comeback will be stronger #bekind.' [sic] Then speaking to the camera while alone, a sombre Jack said: 'To touch on what's going on, I'm really struggling. Really struggling with anxiety and depression, addiction and I've made some good steps today to get help. 'I can't do it on my own. In this fame industry it's hard, it's so cut throat. One minute people like you and one minute they don't. 'I've had a lot of fake friends come and go, I was surprised when I was in my dark space, all the people who said they would be there, weren't. Downhearted: The reality star, 30, admitted he was really in a 'dark place' without anywhere to turn or pals to talk to, after feeling like he has let his loved ones down 'I'm not going to feel sorry for myself, I've got my own responsibilities. I want to be a kind, nice person and I try my best.' The star, who recently had a brush with police and split from TOWIE's Frankie Sims, admitted that social media hate hurts him, but he is choosing to talk to his followers as he has no-one else to turn to - aside from his family. He continued: 'There's been obstacles, some people have opinions on my life. The torrent of abuse on Instagram has really affected me. It couldn't be furtherer from the truth. Words hurt and we do see them. 'I thought I had thick skin but obviously not, ill be back though - bigger and stronger. Honest: Speaking to the camera while alone, a sombre Jack said: 'To touch on what's going on, I'm really struggling. Really struggling with anxiety and depression, addiction and I've made some good steps today to get help' 'I've turned off my like count and comments because it was bringing me down. It was putting me into a bad space. 'I can't argue with thousands of people and give them my side of the story. 'I'll keep you updated, I'm a happy go lucky person, I've a lot of love to give. But I don't know who I'm talking to, I'm talking to you guys because I feel I have nobody else to talk to apart from my family obviously. Turn their backs: He added: 'I've had a lot of fake friends come and go, I was surprised when I was in my dark space, all the people who said they would be there, weren't' 'But sometimes opinions from other people do help. Sorry to be depressing.' Jack explained why he decided to share his feelings: 'The reason Im saying this is if I can just help one person Im happy. 'You should speak out about mental health because its a serious thing, its awful. It affects you physically, you dont want to do anything or exercise. Leave the house. 'Im sorry this is downbeat but I wanted to address it because over the last few weeks Ive been getting some nasty, over the top remarks. Painful: The star, who recently had a brush with police and split from Frankie Sims, also said: 'You should speak out about mental health because its a serious thing, its awful' 'People think it doesnt affect you but it does, its not nice. The added pressure of whatever you do reflects on your family, thats the worse pressure on earth. I feel like Ive let everyone down. 'I promise everyone Ive turned over a new leaf and I want to make everyone proud.' He continued: 'I want you to like me for how you saw me first on TV, I hope youre well and sending lots of love. Sorry this was so sombre and sad. Keep going, youll come out the other end. I hope I do. 'I think people need to remember and take a look at themselves, people in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. Challenges: He continued: 'There's been obstacles, some people have opinions on my life. The torrent of abuse on Instagram has really affected me. It couldn't be furtherer from the truth. Words hurt and we do see them' 'If someone does a bad thing it doesnt mean theyre a bad person. Just like if someone does one good thing, it doesnt making them f***ing Ghandi. 'I urge people to think before they comment or message, trust me it does affect people. 'This hasnt even scratched the surface of the full story, its the most watered down version you could ever get. I might make a film nah I wont maybe. Somethings you wouldnt even believe.' For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details Lil Wayne has offered financial help to the police officer who saved him from suicide. The rapper, 38, recently opened up about trying to kill himself in New Orleans when he was just 12 and praised police officer Robert Hoobler, who he refers to as Uncle Bob, for getting him to the hospital and saving his life. Robert has revealed that when they met in 2019, Lil Wayne offered to provide financial support if he ever needed it, telling him 'all he has to do is say the word'. Financial support: Lil Wayne, 38, has offered financial help to the New Orleans police officer, Robert Hoobler, who saved him from suicide when he tried to take his own life aged 12 Robert told TMZ that he has not taken the rapper up on his generous offer but they have had discussions about him joining Lil Wayne's team in 'some sort of administrative capacity'. Earlier this month, Lil Wayne - whose full name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. - spoke candidly about his mental health issues and the devastating day he used his mother's gun to try to end his life aged 12. He attempted to take his own life when he was just a boy following a phone call with his aunt who said he wouldn't be allowed to pursue music after ditching class. The musician also described the series of events leading up to his attempt where his mother found out he had been truant from school and was on her way home to punish him for his actions. Meeting: Robert (pictured in 2020) has revealed that when they met in 2019, Lil Wayne offered to provide financial support if he ever needed it, telling him 'all he has to do is say the word' Speaking on an August episode of Uncomfortable Conversations podcast with Emmanuel Acho, Wayne revealed: 'I picked up the phone, I called the police. Yes, I knew where she put her gun and it was in her bedroom. And so I went in her bedroom, grabbed the gun. I already made the phone call, looked in the mirror. 'I pulled the trigger. [I shot] in my chest. I aimed for my heart, didn't feel a thing though. So I wasn't going through any pain, it was the shock. I woke up to the police knocking, that's what woke me up. It took too long to die.' He added: 'The blood was pouring out of my chest so much that it made it easy for me to slide with my shirt on the wood across the floor. I made it all the way there. All the energy I had left was to kick the door.' Devastating: Lil Wayne - whose full name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. - spoke candidly about his mental health issues and the devastating day he used his mother's gun to try to end his life Law enforcement officials found his body, but instead of administering medical attention, they searched the home for drugs and other weapons. Uncle Bob ran up the steps and immediately helped Wayne, with the rapper recalling: 'I was spitting all in his face, blood and everything and all I was trying to tell was I'm not a baby. He kept saying, ''Do you not see the f***ing baby on the ground with a hole in his chest?''' 'He was screaming at them... and he must've been the boss because they all came in the room and was like, ''Oh sorry boss, we called the ambulance'' and he was like, ''I don't give a f**k.''' Candid: Speaking on an August episode of Uncomfortable Conversations podcast with Emmanuel Acho , Wayne revealed: 'I knew where she put her gun and it was in her bedroom' Wayne credited God with saving his life that day and added he was never truly able to discuss his mental health with his mother. 'When you have no one to vent to, no one to get this out to, you can't bring it to your friends at school because you're still trying to be cool to them, you're not tryna let them know, ''I got something going on at home,''' he said. 'Also, what I never said was the mom that I knew before that day, on my life, and everyone's life. I have never met, or seen, or heard that lady again in my life.' 'So I didn't die that day, but somebody was gone. She's never been that way ever again,' he continued. 'As far as the parents out there, obviously that was an eye-opener for her. And what she decided to do was, I let my flower grow.' Wayne also shared that he met Bob again years later. 'I met him years later and he said to me, ''I'm just happy to see I saved a life that mattered''.' In his 2015 track London Road, Lil Wayne suggested that Bob had died, rapping: 'I remember goin' in your gun drawer, puttin' it to my chest and missin' my heart by centimetres, I remember dyin' on her room floor and wakin' up in some police's arms, he died recent, so I hope heaven made more room for him.' However Bob got in touch with Wayne after the track's release to confirm that he was in fact alive and that the rapper would not need to cover his funeral costs, which Wayne reportedly offered to do. Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) was feeling like a million bucks on Tuesday. The 34-year-old model showed off her collection of brand new jewels from Tiffany & Co, which included pricey bangles and rings. Lara shared a gallery of images to her Instagram grid and Stories - some of which were taken by her son Rocket Worthington, six - showcasing her dazzling trinkets. Bling: Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) showed off her collection of brand new jewels from Tiffany & Co. in series of photos shared to her Instagram grid and Stories - some of which were taken by her son Rocket Worthington, six. Lara is pictured in a photo taken by her son In the carousel of pictures, Lara is seen wearing jewellery in rose gold encrusted with diamonds, and a ring in yellow gold tones. Lara had on the T1 Wide Diamond Hinged Bangle in 18k Rose Gold, which costs a cool $49,000. She also wore the T1 Hinged Bangle in Rose Gold, valued at the small fortune of $32, 900. Woah: Lara had on the T1 Wide Diamond Hinged Bangle in 18k Rose Gold, which costs a cool $49,000. She also wore the T1 Hinged Bangle in Rose Gold, valued at $32, 900 Nice! On her fingers she had on a number of rings, including the T1 Ring in Rose Gold with Diamonds, priced at $9400. The blonde beauty likewise had the yellow gold True Wide Ring in her collection - a steal compared to the others, at a cost of 'just' $2800 Ring on it: The model showcased her hefty diamond ring as she relaxed in the sun On her fingers she had on a number of rings, including the T1 Ring in Rose Gold with Diamonds, priced at $9400. The blonde beauty likewise had the yellow gold True Wide Ring in her collection - a steal compared to the others, at a cost of 'just' $2800. Lara indicated that the photos were shot in New York City, where she relocated to in recent weeks. Looking shiny: Lara showed off the baubles in another image shot by her son The mother-of-three and her family returned to the US after a long stint in Australia. Before heading to New York, Lara, her husband Sam Worthington and their brood were in Los Angeles, where the cover girl shared a rare picture of herself cuddled up to her hubby during a dinner with friends. It's unclear when exactly Lara and Sam returned to US. The family first moved back to Australia in January, after spending the better part of a decade living in New York and Los Angeles. Bride-to-be Jess Wright enjoyed a wild hen do with her nearest and dearest in Ibiza, Spain over the weekend. And while she was joined by her younger sister Natalya and mum Carol, the former TOWIE star is reportedly 'gutted' sister-in-law Michelle Keegan was unable to attend. New! magazine claimed on Tuesday that the actress, 34, 'can't take' the risk of potentially contracting Covid-19 with her filming commitments for TV series Brassic, and will 'make it up' to Jess, 35, back home in the UK. Missed out: Jess Wright (left) is 'gutted' sister-in-law Michelle Keegan (right) was unable to attend her wild hen party in Ibiza, according to new! magazine on Tuesday. Pictured in 2018 'They're all gutted Michelle couldn't be there and Michelle will be, too. But she has to put her career first and she can't take any risks, particularly while working on a set with other actors,' an insider reportedly told the magazine. Michelle, who wed Jess' brother Mark Wright, 34, in 2015, is said to be planning something for Jess back home in the UK. 'She'll more than make up for it when Jess is back. They're really close so Michelle will find a way to make Jess feel special,' the source went on to say. Work commitments: An insider reportedly told the publication that actress Michelle, 34, 'can't take' the risk of potentially contracting Covid-19 with her filming commitments for TV series Brassic, and will 'make it up' to Jess back home in the UK Celebrations to come: 'She'll more than make up for it when Jess is back. They're really close so Michelle will find a way to make Jess feel special,' the source went on to say. Jess, 35, is pictured on her wild hen do MailOnline has reached out to Jess and Michelle's representatives for comment. Jess' sister Natalya, 21, marked the hen do with a sweet post on Instagram on Monday, with the genetically blessed siblings in great spirits as they posed in bikinis. She wrote: 'The best weekend EVER celebrating you.. My sister, my bridey, oh what fun we have had. I am already maid of honoured out!! Family: Michelle wed Jess' brother, Mark Wright, 34, in 2015. Pictured: Mark and Jess No sibling rivalry: Jess' sister Natalya, 21, marked the hen do with a sweet post on Instagram on Monday, with the genetically blessed siblings in great spirits as they posed in bikinis (pictured) Bride: Jess took to Instagram on Tuesday to continue to share snaps from her hen do Jet-setter: In keeping with the bridal theme, Jess wore all white as she fluttered a wicker fan that had the word Bride on as she posed up a storm on the beach Girls just want to have fun: Jess has been joined by her bridal party which includes mum Carol and sister Natalya Party-time: Jess and Natalya appeared to be loving life as they posed for a photo 'Bring on the wedding of the year @jesswright77 @okuhotels', with Jess replying: 'You couldn't have made the weekend anymore special & so happy I got to share it with my amazing sis. Love you ' It was announced on Monday that Jess has inked a deal with ITVBe and ITV Hub for a 90-minute special titled Jess Wright: The Wedding, which will chronicle the build-up to her big day with fiance William Lee Kemp, 34. Filming is well underway, but the date the show will air is yet to be confirmed with ITV telling MailOnline it will likely be late autumn. Memories: Jess wrote: 'A weekend full of glitter, love & endless laughter. The most amazing hen I could have ever wished for & the reason for that is the bestest group of girls ever' The Wedding! It was announced on Monday that Jess has inked a deal with ITVBe and ITV Hub for a 90-minute special titled Jess Wright: The Wedding The show will follow Jess' journey to the altar as she and William set about staging their dream wedding, a star-studded event on the paradise island of Mallorca. Having already delayed their nuptials once already, and with travel restrictions constantly changing due to Covid-19, there is much for the pair to navigate. Jess Wright: The Wedding is made by Potato, part of ITV Studios, the producers behind Ferne McCann: First Time Mum, Sam and Billie: The Mummy Diaries and the forthcoming Billie and Greg: The Family Diaries. From fiancee to wife! The show will chronicle the build-up to her big day with fiance William Lee Kemp, 34 (pictured) In an interview with Hello! Magazine, Jess admitted she and William had considered scrapping plans to exchange nuptials in Mallorca and have a smaller ceremony in England, as pandemic regulations affect travel. Noting that she's far from alone in her dilemma, Jessica told the publication: 'I really feel for all brides out there. Every day, we have been back and forth trying to decide what to do I've been driving myself insane with it.' 'I have definitely relaxed since setting the new date. I can't wait to wear my dress I just want to do it now.' Last hurrah! Jess celebrated her hen do with close friends and family including Natalya and mum Carol, 61 William popped the question on the snow capped peaks of Courchevel, France, in February 2020 after 13 months of dating. Jess previously told Hello! that sister-in-law Michelle would be one of the bridal party, as well as her sister Natalya. Former TOWIE star Mark has been drafted in to serve as the master of ceremonies on his sister's big day. ABBA fans have been sent into meltdown by the prospect that the band could be set to announce a new project. Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the group were set to hold a press conference in Stockholm, leading to a flurry of speculation that a huge announcement could be on the cards. It comes after the band revealed last year they were planning to release new music in 2021 after their hologram tour was postponed due to the Covid pandemic. Exciting! ABBA fans have been sent into meltdown by the prospect that the band could be set to announce a new project (pictured in the 1970s) Fans went wild after an image surfaced which appeared to show the setup for an ABBA press conference, with each seat featuring a bag emblazoned with the band's famous logo. The snap was allegedly taken at a recording studio in Stockholm, and led to a flurry of speculation from fans that a huge announcement could be on the horizon. One wrote: 'ABBA press conference today? Seen at mono music through the window in Stockholm. Also apparantly Frida has been seen in Stockholm (lives in Switzerland). Can't cope with the stress!' Questions: Reports surfaced that the group were holding a press conference in Stockholm, leading to speculation that an announcement was on the cards (the band are pictured in 2016) Another added: 'So, for anyone needing some good news in these particularly awful fays, THERE IS AN ABBA PRESS CONFERENCE IN STOCKHOLM THIS AFTERNOON AND I AM STRUGGLING TO BREATHE.' A third also penned: 'Bjorn and Benny arriving on stage at that press conference in Stockholm to announce new ABBA NFTs.' A fan also wrote: 'The fact that ABBA are holding a press conference today is making me possibly the most anxious and excited I will ever be in my entire life.' What is going on? After an image supposedly taken ahead of the press conference surfaced on social media, fans of the legendary Swedish band went into meltdown The Swedish quartet announced in 2018 they were planning to record new tracks for the first time in 35 years, and it was confirmed last year that they have more songs than originally planned. Despite the news, ABBA have had to delay the releases, which includes I Still Have Faith In You and Don't Shut Me Down, as well as their ABBAtar hologram tour until next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Band member Bjorn Ulvaeus - who is joined by Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Frida Lyndstad in the chart-topping group - told journalist Geoff Lloyd as such. Major announcement: The Swedish quartet announced in 2018 they were planning to record new tracks for the first time in 35 years Speaking on an episode of his podcast Reasons To Be Cheerful, the radio presenter explained: 'I got to spend an hour with Bjorn Ulveaus from ABBA via Zoom. They've recorded five new songs. 'They should have been out at the end of last year. They're going to get these holograms out on tour. 'Because of technical difficulties and the pandemic, it's delayed things. But he promised me that the new ABBA music will be out in 2021.' In a statement announcing the new songs, ABBA said at the time: 'The decision to go ahead with the exciting ABBA avatar tour project had an unexpected consequence. 'We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio.' Bjorn later explained the plans had been delayed until at least 2020 due to the complex technical nature of the show they are creating. The Waterloo group went their separate ways in 1982 at the height of their career, and during their final years Bjorn divorced bandmate Agnetha whilst Benny and Frida split up, too. They performed together for the first time in decades in 2016 at a private event, which marked the 50th anniversary of the first meeting between songwriters Bjorn and Benny. Dean McDermott expressed support for his wife Tori Spelling this week. The actor said, 'You look amazing!!! So proud of you!!' after the Beverly Hills, 90210 actress posted a picture announcing she would temporarily co-host the E! Daily Pop, a spinoff of E! News. This comes less than two months after the blonde beauty, 48, revealed that the couple had hit a rough patch. Outward display of support: Tori Spelling posted this photo on which her husband, Dean McDermott, wrote, ''You look amazing!!! So proud of you!!' Less positive inside the relationship: The couple, seen here at a benefit in 2019, seem to be having problems despite the public display of support Despite his public display of support, the couple's private life has suffered recently. The Scary Movie 2 actress appeared on Sirius XM's Jeff Lewis Live in June, where she said they sleep in separate bedrooms. 'You know what? Right now, my kids and dogs sleep in my bed,' she offered. 'Since he left this is not good, you guys but since he left, he was gone for six months filming in another country, they all stayed with me. So I currently still have four in the bedroom with me who have yet to go back to their rooms.' This is not the first time the couple seemed to have had public problems. McDermott admitted to cheating on his better half in 2014. He checked himself into rehab months later. The infidelity was later addressed on the family's reality television show True Tori with the adulterer saying, 'I feel shame. I've never felt shame before.' 'We had to completely rebuild': After it came out that McDermott cheated on Spelling, the couple went through a lot of couples therapy and, according to the Beverly Hills 90210 actress, they, '...had to start over' In a 2016 interview with People, Spelling said, 'We had to start over. We had to completely rebuild' after McDermott's transgressions came out. In addition to McDermott's cheating and his absence from the family's life recently, the pair were also seen without their wedding rings for a time. The couple met in 2005 on the set of a made for tv movie in Canada. In her memoir, sTORI Telling, the actress talked about first meeting her future husband. 'It was love at first sight. I fell so hard Then I noticed he had a wedding ring. When someone asked, he pulled out photos of his children. And oh, yeah I had a husband too. It was fun to flirt, but I knew nothing would happen But: Dean and I went to a bar after dinner. And we spent the night at the Cartier Place. The following day when I woke up next to Dean, I had no regrets. Something was really wrong with my marriage. Not only because I slept with this guy though that certainly wasn't a positive sign but because I didn't regret it.' They married in 2006, and the pair now have five children: Liam Aaron, 14, Stella Doreen, 13, Hattie Margaret, 9, Finn Davey, 8, and Beau Dean, 4. The Crown bosses have released first look images of Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki as Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It was first reported in October that the actor would play the heir to the throne, yet Netflix's announcement is the first confirmation of the news. A TV insider said: 'Show bosses looked at several stars for the sought-after role, but he was by far their preferred actor. Now both parties are hammering out a deal.' The new images of the duo show Dominic, 51, gazing into the distance in a striking outdoor shoot, while Elizabeth, 30, nailed Diana's trademark pensive gaze as she reclined on a sofa while reading letters. FIRST LOOK: The Crown bosses have released first look images of Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki as Prince Charles and Princess Diana FIRST LOOK: Elizabeth bore a striking resemblance to Diana in the stunning new shot, in which she lay with letters while gazing in a pensive fashion Dominic is taking on the role of Prince Charles at the time of his affair from Diana, Princess of Wales, with his second wife Camilla Parker Bowles. His casting set tongues wagging as the news came to light shortly after Dominic was spotted getting cosy with his Pursuit Of Love co-star Lily James, meaning his role as the unfaithful royal was seen as 'ironic' to many. It was announced last year that Elizabeth would take over from Emma Corrin and play Diana for the fifth and sixth series, which will cover Diana's death in 1997. The actress said of her casting last year: 'Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.' Tense: Princess Diana and Prince Charles are pictured in Toronto in 1991 Leading man: It was first reported in October that the actor would play the heir to the throne, yet Netflix 's announcement is the first confirmation of the news Critically acclaimed: Dominic will replace Josh O'Connor who has played the role for two series While the new snap is the first official shot, earlier this month Elizabeth was seen on the set of The Crown for the first time, as she filmed scenes at Ardverikie Lodge Scotland alongside two young actors playing Prince Harry and Prince William. Shooting at the majestic Ardverikie Estate, Elizabeth was the spitting image of the late princess and was dressed in light-wash jeans, a smart navy blazer jacket and a salmon pink shirt. It came just a week after the very first image of Imelda Staunton in character as Queen Elizabeth II was revealed last month. Netflix bosses again took to Twitter to upload a snap of the actress, 65, dressed as the monarch as she prepares to take over the regal role from current Queen actress Olivia Colman. Casting: It was announced that Elizabeth had been cast as Princess Diana last August, and fans of the Netflix show were delight to hear that the Australian actress would be taking on the role First look: While the new snap is the first official shot, earlier this month Elizabeth was seen on the set of The Crown for the first time, as she filmed scenes at Ardverikie Lodge Scotland alongside two young actors playing Prince Harry and Prince William Past: Emma Corrin played the People's Princess in the show's fourth series Alongside the image, The Crown's official Twitter account simply wrote: 'An early glimpse of our new Queen Elizabeth II, Imelda Staunton.' Also joining The Crown in series five is Lesley Manville, 64, who is set to star as Princess Margaret and Jonathan Pryce, 73, will take over the role of Prince Philip for the seasons showing the Royals navigating the 1990s and early 2000s. The Queen's younger sister has previously been played by Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Kirby. Her Royal Highness: The very first image of Imelda Staunton in character as Queen Elizabeth II was revealed last week Before: Oscar-winner Olivia Colman has played the monarch for two series Lesley is believed to have been producers first choice for the role, is set to play the Queen's younger sister during one of the 'darkest periods of her life'. Confirming the news in a statement, she said: 'I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don't want to let the side down. 'Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy.' While Tobias Menzies, 47, and Matt Smith, 38, have portrayed past versions of the late Duke of Edinburgh. Congrats! Lesley Manville has been cast as Princess Margaret (right in 1966) for the fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown Goodbye: The actress, 64, will be taking the reins from current star Helena Bonham Carter for the fifth and final series of the Netflix hit New role: The Two Popes actor Jonathan Pryce, 73, has said he is 'confident' to take on the 'daunting' role of Prince Philip in The Crown's final two seasons Past: Tobias Menzies played the late Royal in series three and four James Murray will take on the role of Prince Andrew, replacing Tom Byrne, who played the Queen's second son in series four. James' previous endeavours include his portrayal of Stephen Hart in ITV's Primeval, playing Liam Carney in BBC One's season four of Cutting It and acting as the lead DCI in completely improvised show Suspects. The IT Crowd and Humans star Claudia Harrison has also been announced for the new season and will play Princess Anne. The Crown series 5: James Murray is set to take on the role of Prince Andrew following his TV appearances in Cutting It and Primeval (James pictured in 2018) New guard: Tom Byrne played the Queen's second son in series four Theo Fraser Steele, playing Princess Anne's husband Timothy Laurence, has also been spotted filming this week. The final two series of The Crown will cover the Royal Family's history throughout the 1990s and into 2003, however it is not yet known which moments will be seen. There are several poignant moments which could be used, including the Queen making a speech on her 40th anniversary of her accession in 1992, in which she called the year an 'annus horriblis'. She was referring to the breakdown of three of her children's marriages; Prince Andrew, Princess Anne's and Prince Charles' divorce from Princess Diana. Who's who? The actress playing Princess Anne in The Crown's fifth season has been revealed as The IT Crowd and Humans star Claudia Harrison Throwback: The role of Princess Anne was previously played by Erin Doherty in The Crown's third and fouth series Royal role: The Crown's fifth season will also feature The Thick Of It star Theo Fraser Steele (left) playing Princess Anne's husband Timothy Laurence (right) Orange Is the New Black star Laura Prepon has revealed that she quietly quit the Church of Scientology nearly five years ago. The 41-year-old actress made the revelation in a new interview with People where she shared how motherhood has changed her as a person - saying it made her 'look at a lot of things in my life that I wasn't looking at before.' Prepon - who shares two children with husband Ben Foster, 40, - said she made the decision to leave the religion nearly five years ago, however she chose not to share the news publicly, until now. 'I'm no longer practicing Scientology,' Prepon told the outlet on Tuesday. 'I've always been very open-minded, even since I was a child. I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I've prayed in churches, meditated in temples.' Revelation: Orange is the New Black star Laura Prepon has revealed she quietly quit Scientology almost five years ago Motherhood: The That '70s Show star has a daughter Ella, four, and a son, 16 months, with her husband, and has yet to reveal their son's name She added: 'I've studied Chinese meridian theory. I haven't practiced Scientology in close to five years and it's no longer part of my life.' Her husband, Foster - who was twice engaged to actress Robin Wright - has never practiced Scientology, however Prepon said that the couple is now pursuing a new kind of spirituality together. 'We meditate daily and I'm really liking it,' she said, adding: 'It's something that helps me to hear my own voice and it's something we can do together.' The That '70s Show star has a daughter Ella, four, and a son, 16 months, with her husband, and has yet to reveal their son's name. Welcoming the baby boy in February 2020, Prepon said was 'overcome with gratitude' in an Instagram post. Meanwhile, A-List stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta are still members of the religion, that was founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1953. Other stars who have left the religion include Leah Remini, who has since devoted her career to speaking out against it. When promoting her A&E series 'Scientology and the Aftermath' in 2017, Remini said that behind-the-scenes Cruise in particular is a 'completely different person.' Family: Her husband, Ben Foster - who was twice engaged to actress Robin Wright - has never practiced Scientology (Pictured, 2018) Expanding her brood: In February 2020, Prepon welcomed a baby boy, her second child with husband Ben Foster In 2015, Prepon praised the religion while appearing on the cover of Scientology magazine Celebrity. 'It was amazing, and I felt that finally something was speaking my language. It totally connected with me,' she said of the Church. 'Pretty soon after that I got onto the Purification Rundown, and I started moving up the Bridge.' According to the Church's website, the Purification Rundown is a 'detoxification program which enables an individual to rid himself of the harmful effects of drugs, toxins and other chemicals that lodge in the body and create a biochemical barrier to spiritual well-being.' Tom Cruise previously suggested that the Church is against psychiatric drugs, having got into a public spat with Brooke Shields in 2005 over her use of antidepressants to battle postpartum depression. Prisoner no more: The seventh and final season of Prepon's show OITNB was released on July 26, 2019 But Shields hit back at Cruise after he called her actions 'irresponsible.' 'Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them,' Shields said at the time. The actress revealed that a year later, Cruise came over to her house to apologize. 'I was so impressed with how heartfelt it was,' she told Jay Leno in 2006. 'And I didn't feel at any time that I had to defend myself, nor did I feel that he was trying to convince me of anything other than the fact that he was deeply sorry. And I accepted it.' Travis Barker has credited his girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian with helping him fly again almost 13 years after surviving a deadly plane crash that claimed the lives of four people. The Blink-182 drummer set foot on a plane for the first time since the 2008 crash as he jetted off to Cabo San Lucas over the weekend with his girlfriend, her mother Kris Jenner, and her partner Corey Gamble. Taking to Instagram, Travis posted a photo of himself holding his girlfriend as they posed in front of Kylie Jenner's jet. 'With you anything is possible,' Travis captioned the photo. 'With you anything is possible': Travis Barker has credited his girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian with helping him fly again almost 13 years after surviving a deadly plane crash that claimed the lives of four people The couple appeared to be returning home as they prepared to share a kiss with Kourtney wrapping her legs around her boyfriend. She wore a satiny yellow dress while her beau opted for a black tank top and ripped jeans. Reacting to the post on Instagram, Kourtney sweetly wrote in the comments section of the photo, 'Anything and everything with you (heart emoji).' A slew of other celebs showed their support for the couple in the comments section, with Khloe Kardashian chiming in, 'Love conquers ALL.' Facing his fears: Barker pictured arriving to Cabo on Saturday after setting foot on a plane for the first time in nearly 13 years Kim Kardashian remarked, 'THE CUTEST EVER.' Travis hasn't been able to set foot on an airplane following the deadly plane crash in 2008 in South Carolina in which he was one of only two survivors. The plane crash happened on September 19, 2008 - Travis boarded a private jet in South Carolina to head back to Los Angeles following a show, while accompanied by his friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein, his security guard Charles 'Che' Still, and his assistant Chris Baker. Support system: Kourtney and Travis traveled to Cabo on board Kylie Jenner's jet As the small plane was attempting to take off, one of its tires suffered a blow out, causing the craft to overshoot the runway, burst through the airport's fence and over the nearby highway, and finally crash into the embankment on the side of the road. The pilot, Sarah Lemmon, and the co-pilot, James Bland, were killed within minutes from smoke inhalation and burns as the plane erupted into flames on impact, according to the Chicago Tribune. Still and Baker were also killed on impact. Travis and Adam were able to escape from the burning plane via an emergency exit over the wing, but both were engulfed in flames as they slid down the wing and got covered in burning jet fuel. 'Love conquers ALL': Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian were among the celebs showing their support for the couple The drummer had third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body and had to spend three months in the hospital while having skin grafts and 26 surgeries to repair the damage. Kylie's jet - which Travis and Kourtney travelled to Cabo on and was purchased from Global Express before the start of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The quasi-billionaire doesn't just use it for her own purposes, but she regularly lets her sisters and mother travel on it across the globe. The jet cost her a whopping $72.8 million, and jets of its size cost around $5 million per year to operate, according to Page Six. Tragedy: Travis hasn't been able to set foot on an airplane following the deadly plane crash in 2008 in South Carolina in which he was one of only two survivors (the aftermath of the crash in 2008) Kylie opted for a Global Express Jet, which is larger than a Learjet and can fly longer distances, but its increased size also means that it is too big to land at many private air fields. Travis 'seemed a little bit nervous' before commencing his first flight in 13 years. A source told E! News: 'Travis took his time and definitely seemed a little bit nervous. Kourtney was very supportive and helped him every step of the way. She made him feel comfortable on Kylie's plane with pilots they know and the large size of the plane.' And insiders revealed the drummer's loved ones were 'excited' for him to conquer his fears. Fiery crash: The pilot, Sarah Lemmon, and the co-pilot, James Bland, were killed within minutes from smoke inhalation and burns as the plane erupted into flames on impact in Columbia, South Carolina. Security guard Charles 'Che' Still and assistant Chris Baker were also killed on impact - seen in 2008 The source said: 'This has been something that Travis has been working on for some time. It's something he's wanted to do and to overcome. Kourtney has been incredibly loving and supportive and it is through her love, help and confidence in him that he was able to finally do this. The people that have been close to Travis since his crash are so very excited for him. 'His life has completely changed since he has been with Kourtney and he feels ready to do anything. She's helped him overcome this fear and he feels like he can do anything with her by his side. He has been wanting to fly for a while and he felt like finally the time was right.' Back in June, Travis shocked his fans when he tweeted that he might ride on an airplane in the future. He tweeted, 'I might fly again,' and his fans quickly launched adoring tweets in support of him returning to the sky. 'She's helped him overcome this fear': Kourtney was by Travis' side as they jetted off to Cabo Travis has recently been opening up about the trauma he experienced during his 2008 plane crash. In a May interview with Men's Health, he shared that the crash helped motivate him to stop abusing prescription drugs. 'People are always like, "Did you go to rehab?'' he recounted. 'And I [say], "No, I was in a plane crash." That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn't in a crash, I would have probably never quit.' After the crash, Travis was overcome with a debilitating fear even at the sight of an airplane. 'I was dark I couldn't walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash, and I just didn't want to see it,' he said, adding that he was 'haunted' by the experience of 'being burned' and 'trying to grab my friends from a burning plane.' But he also struck a more hopeful note now that nearly 13 years have passed since the crash. 'Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it,' he said. Do you know who Robert De Niro's mystery woman is? If so, email: tips@dailymail.com Advertisement Robert De Niro went public with his romance with a mystery woman as they enjoyed a day out on the coast of Cote d'Azur, France on his 78th birthday on Tuesday. The actor, who is in a bitter divorce battle with his estranged wife Grace Hightower, walked hand-in-hand with his partner while making their way down a rocky staircase - before the pair kissed on a luxury $200million yacht owned by De Niro's friend and business partner, billionaire James Packer. Robert looked happy and relaxed in the company of the woman as they supported each other while climbing down the walkway on a rocky cliff edge. They were also pictured together in New York in June and attended the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa on July 31, in pictures which appeared on social media but were later deleted. Something to tell? Robert De Niro was seen putting on a cosy display with a mystery woman as they enjoyed a day out on the coast of Cote d'Azur, France on his 78th birthday on Tuesday Hot day: The brunette wiped her neck with a white rag as she sat with a pal amid the blazing heat The pair left luxe Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc to head out for the day on a boat accompanied by other friends. The iconic actor cut a casual figure during his vacation on the French Riviera, donning a light blue oversized polo top and khaki slacks. Robert kept things comfortable in a pair of black slider sandals and shielded himself from the sun in a navy blue flat cap. PDA: The new couple were seen to be sharing a kiss aboard the boat in the sun Cosy: The actor, who is in a bitter divorce battle with his estranged wife Grace Hightower, and his new partner walked hand-in-hand while making their way down a rocky staircase before joining pals on a luxury yacht. Turbulent love life: Robert, 78, is in a bitter divorce battle with his estranged wife Grace Hightower, 66, (pictured in 2018) His female companion, meanwhile, looked elegant in a cream maxi dress which boasted bright orange floral embroidery on the skirt. The raven-haired beauty carried her essentials in a red quilted purse and protected her eyes from the Mediterranean sun with light-tinted sunglasses. The pair appeared enamoured with each other as they stayed close during the outing. Inside the lavish $200m 'IJE' Benetti gigayacht owned by billionaire James Packer Robert is believed to be holidaying on 108m Benetti yacht 'IJE' which can accommodate up to 22 guests overnight in 11 cabins. The $200million yacht is owned by billionaire James Packer with IJE standing for the initials of his three children, Indigo, Jackson, and Emmanuelle. The lavish yacht has a crew of 29 to ensure that everyone on board receives first-class service throughout every journey. The yacht boasts boasts an outdoor bar, a gym, a beauty salon, a helipad, a cinema, a fire pit, a swimming pool and a dance floor. The yacht has a maximum speed of 18.5 knots and was lauded as the 'flagship' for Benetti following the launch in 2018 and its delivery in 2019. IJE has a stunning observation deck, with the owner's deck and the main deck boasting alfresco dining areas and sunbathing spaces. De Niro and Packer are friends and business partners - in 2015 Packers Crown Resorts paid over $100 million for 20 percent of Nobu, the Japanese restaurant chain owned by De Niro, Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper The pair have also partnered for the upcoming Nobu Beach Inn in Barbuda. Advertisement There it is: The star is holidaying on 108m Benetti yacht 'IJE' owned by Australian billionaire James Packer Together: The pair looked close as they chatted and embraced aboard the yacht Smile: The Raging Bull star looked in great spirits as he chatted with his female companion Take my hand: Robert looked happy and relaxed in the company of the woman as they supported each other while climbing down the walkway on a rocky cliff edge I've got you: The mystery lady proved to be a great support to Robert as they made their way down the stone steps Looking good: The iconic actor cut a casual figure during his vacation on the French Riviera, donning a light blue oversized polo top and khaki slacks Sunny days: The brunette beauty caught the sun in her billowing maxi dress with cut-out detail at the back One step at a time: The duo carefully navigated the stone steps Hop off: Robert watched his step as he climbed off a smaller boat MailOnline has contacted Robert's representatives for comment. The star is holidaying on 108m Benetti yacht 'IJE' which can accommodate up to 22 guests overnight in 11 cabins. IJE stands for the initials of Packer's three children, Indigo, Jackson, and Emmanuelle. The lavish yacht has a crew of 29 to ensure that everyone on board receives first-class service throughout every journey. The yacht boasts boasts an outdoor bar, a gym, a beauty salon, a helipad, a cinema, a fire pit, a swimming pool and a dance floor. The yacht has a maximum speed of 18.5knots and was lauded as the 'flagship' for Benetti following the launch in 2018 and its delivery in 2019. Romance rumours: The pair appeared enamoured with each other as they stayed close during the outing IJE has a stunning observation deck, with the owner's deck and the main deck boasting alfresco dining areas and sunbathing spaces. De Niro and Packer are friends and business partners - in 2015 Packers Crown Resorts paid over $100 million for 20 percent of Nobu, the Japanese restaurant chain owned by De Niro, Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper The pair have also partnered for the upcoming Nobu Beach Inn in Barbuda. De Niro seemed in good spirits on the trip with his companion, despite needing some support to jump on board the vessel - likely due to his recent leg injury while on location of Martin Scorseses Killers Of The Flower Moon earlier this year. A representative of De Niro told Page Six in May: 'De Niro injured his quadriceps muscle which will be treated medically in New York'. Fantastic four: The Taxi Driver star and his companion were joined by two other friends Just keep going: The group appeared to take it slow and steady as they made their way down the stone steps Take it easy: Robert was taking cautious steps as he recovers from a recent leg injury Just for a moment: Robert and his pal briefly let go of each other's hands as they arrived on a platform Hey there: The pair interacted with members of the crew as they reached the bottom Fun in the sun: Robert posed for a fun photo with a pal as his son Elliott, 23, who he shares with ex Grace, looked on Who's that? The woman and the screen legend looked deep in conversation during the day The rep also said that his injury would not affect the production schedule of the Western true crime thriller, which also stars Leonardo DiCaprio. On Saturday, the New York native was seen walking without his leg brace - for the first time since being treated for his injury in May. It is not clear whether De Niro was wearing his brace once again whilst holidaying in France on Tuesday. Just the two of us: The couple appeared very relaxed in each other's company New spot: Robert and his friend remained holding hands as they made their way to a lunch spot Finally: The pair looked firmly ahead as they made their way towards the eating area Time to chill: The group were later seen sitting down for lunch following their stroll By his side: Film star stayed close to the beauty as they chatted to another companion Robert's outing comes amid his torturous divorce battle with ex-wife Grace. The ex-spouses have been locked in a divorce battle since December 2018. In April, a judge ruled that his ex-wife, 66, should receive $1 million annually and that the couple will split the proceeds after selling their $20 million home. Sighting: In June, Robert was seen with the same lady when he stepped out in New York City Travel in style: The huge water vessel certainly made for quite the sight Robert and Grace were married in 1997, split in 1999, then got back together, renewed their vows in 2004 before he filed for divorce in 2018. Initially the pair fought over custody of their nine-year-old child but now the arguments are over money and property. Hightower's average monthly spend was $215,000 a month on credit cards and $160,000 in cash. De Niro's attorney, Caroline Krauss, claims the financial strain means the actor is running out of money. Support needed: De Niro seemed in good spirits on the trip, despite needing some support to jump on board the vessel Holiday style: He kept things comfortable in a pair of black slider sandals while his female companion looked elegant in a cream maxi dress Helping hand: Robert needed a helping hand likely due to his recent leg injury while on location of Martin Scorseses Killers Of The Flower Moon She said the coronavirus pandemic led to a drying up of work projects for the Hollywood star. Months earlier, De Niro earned $5 million for acting in Martin Scorsese's hit gangster flick, The Irishman. He also received 'tens of millions of dollars' through a federal coronavirus relief program. Hightower claims that De Niro is worth $500 million, but his attorney Caroline Krauss says that his estranged wife's extravagant lifestyle is making things worse. Summer style: The raven beauty carried her essentials in a red quilted purse and protected her eyes from the Mediterranean sun with light-tinted sunglasses Interaction: The film star was seen interacting with the crew as his lady friend watched on Good day: The duo appeared in good spirits as they chatted together amid the sunny outing This way: The film star beckoned to his companion as the crew watched on Down time: The Godfather star looked to be enjoying some down time from his busy schedule Friends: De Niro and Packer are friends and business partners - in 2015 Packers Crown Resorts paid over $100 million for 20 percent of Nobu, the Japanese restaurant chain owned by De Niro, Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper (pictured 2015) In 2019 alone, she reportedly spent $1.67 million (1.2 million), most of it on a $1.2 million (860,000) diamond from a high-end New York jewellers. On top of Graces rocketing financial demands, De Niro's attorney revealed the actor owes millions in unpaid taxes. She said the income from his next two films will be devoted to paying off this debt, which in 2015 was revealed to be $6.4 million (4.6 million). Naturally, the Hightower camp hasnt taken all this sitting down. Her lawyer, Kevin McDonough, countered that his client was owed payments to maintain the status quo lifestyle she enjoyed with De Niro during their marriage. Before this, he was married to actress Diahnne Abbott, but the pair divorced in 1988. Robert has six children; Drena, 49, Raphael, 44, Helen Grace, nine, Elliot, 23, Julian Henry, 25, and Aaron Kendrick, 25. They recently revealed they were wanting to try for a baby. And Olivia and Alex Bowen packed on the PDA as they headed out to watch the Jersey Boys' opening night in London on Tuesday. Olivia, 27, turned heads in maroon leather trousers while Alex, 30, cut a casual figure in a white T-shirt and black bomber jacket. Sealed with a kiss: Olivia and Alex Bowen packed on the PDA as they headed out to watch the Jersey Boys' opening night in London on Tuesday Olivia teamed the look with a nude turtle neck vest and a gilet and heels. She carried a Balenciaga handbag in her hand and accessorised her outfit with a gold chain necklace. Olivia wore her blonde locks in a sleek straight centre-parting and enhanced her bronzed tan with a polished make-up look. Date night: Olivia, 27, turned heads in maroon leather trousers while Alex, 30, cut a casual figure in a white T-shirt and black bomber jacket In an interview with The Sun last week, Olivia revealed she and husband Alex are ready to take the next step in their relationship and welcome a child. The beauty admitted back in January they had postponed their baby-making plans due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and life in lockdown. 'We've been talking about kids recently. We'd love to have one in the near future, which I don't think we were ready for before,' Olivia confessed to the publication. Strutting her stuff: Olivia teamed the look with a nude turtle neck vest and a gilet and heels Success story: The couple have been together for more than five years after meeting on Love Island 2016 Delight: They looked delighted to be spending the evening together 'It was a bit of a revelation - I've got a picture of us when we decided that we'd not worry about contraception any more,' the influencer continued. Olivia went on to say that they aren't putting 'any pressure' on themselves to conceive, but is very much looking forward to the future. 'I feel like I'm such an un-motherly person, but suddenly something changes. You just grow up. We've got so much to look forward to,' she said. Meanwhile on Saturday, Olivia vented her frustration when a follower sent her a direct message on Instagram, suggesting 'it's time' for her to have a baby. Olivia shared a screenshot of the exchange, and said it's 'none of their business' to question a woman about when and if they would like to have children. Designer garb: The Love Island star carried a Balenciaga handbag in her hand and accessorised her outfit with a gold chain necklace as she walked hand-in-hand with Alex Stunning: Olivia posed up a storm in her chic outfit at the glitzy event 'I can't even with this, literally please don't message women this. It's just honestly ridiculous, 'time for a baby'. You may think that but not every f***ing woman is about that. Nor should they feel like that. None of your actual business,' she wrote. The starlet went on to say that if you question a woman about having children, you have an 'outdated mindset and your brain is warped by what society has made you think a woman is for'. Months prior in January, Olivia confessed to fans that while they were thinking about having a baby, they postponed their plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. During a fan Q&A on her Instagram Stories, the reality star admitted the world 'scares' her right now and so decided to put off starting a family. Olivia said in the video: 'We were thinking abut it and then things just kinda changed, especially with lockdown still happening and the world being so unknown, I put it off. I also have to go to New York for two months so' The tattooed bombshell elaborated further on her thoughts on becoming pregnant during lockdown and said: 'The world scares me right now so we postponed. 'I know what I'm like and I know I wouldn't be good at being pregnant during lockdown I don't think!' Olivia added: 'I need my friends and family close. Hats off to all of you strong ladies.' The couple, who have amassed over a combined total of four million Instagram followers, cash in thanks to their own fashion label and various endorsement deals. They bought their dream 1million five-bedroom home in Chelmsford in February 2020, and are reportedly worth a shared 4.4million. Carey Mulligan was seen hard at work on Tuesday, as she continued filming her upcoming project She Said, about the investigations that led to Harvey Weinstein's downfall. The British actress was joined by her co-star Zoe Kazan, 37, in New York City as they were both dressed in formal attire playing the two journalists who helped bring down the disgraced Hollywood mogul. Carey, 36, was spotted on set in two different business casual costumes to play the New York Times investigative journalist Megan Twohey. Portrayal: Carey Mulligan was seen hard at work on Tuesday, as she continued filming her upcoming project She Said alongside co-star Zoe Kazan Ruby Sparks star Zoe whose grandfather was On The Waterfront director Elia Kazan plays her coauthor Jodi in the upcoming film. The movie is based on Jodi and Megan's book She Said: Breaking The Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite A Movement. Rebecca Lenkiewicz, whose previous scripts include a biopic of the French writer Colette starring Keira Knightley, wrote the screenplay for She Said. Character: Ruby Sparks star Zoe whose grandfather was On The Waterfront director Elia Kazan plays her coauthor Jodi in the upcoming film New look: Carey, 36, was spotted on set in two different business casual costumes to play the New York Times investigative journalist Megan Twohey Infamous: Harvey Weinstein is sen at a Manhattan courthouse back in February 2020 Mulligan showed off shoulder-length blonde tresses back in April while competing for an Academy Award for her critically acclaimed revenge thriller Promising Young Woman, but has switched to a darker shade to more accurately portray Twohey. While playing Megan she shaded her eyes with dark sunglasses, carrying a takeaway coffee as she headed onto the sidewalk. Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor were the authors of the New York Times report that blew open the story of Harvey Weinstein's sexual predation. Who's who: Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor were the authors of the New York Times report that blew open the story of Harvey Weinstein's sexual predation; Megan is pictured in 2019 Who's who: Ruby Sparks star Zoe Kazan whose grandfather was On The Waterfront director Elia Kazan plays Jodi Kantor in the upcoming film; seen in January 2020 in Pasadena Meanwhile the director on the project is German filmmaker Maria Schrader who previously helmed the acclaimed Yiddish-language Netflix miniseries Unorthodox. Carey drew rapturous critical acclaim last year for her leading role in the feminist revenge film Promising Young Woman directed by Emerald Fennell. She received an Oscar nomination for best actress for her work in the film but lost out to Frances McDormand for the Chloe Zhao movie Nomadland. Treading lightly on Tanna We go on a new ecotourism adventure tour in North Tanna The commission will also determine the tariff of green energy. (Representational image: DC file photo) Chennai: The government proposes to constitute a commission to regulate the purchase and consumption of green energy, including the energy from waste-to-energy plants. The commission will also determine the tariff of green energy. The appropriate Commission shall put in place regulations in accordance with this Rule to provide Green Energy Open Access to consumers, as per the 'Draft Electricity (promoting Renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021'. The government has sought comments on the draft rules within 30 days. The draft rules deal with renewable purchase obligation (RPO), green energy open access, nodal agencies, procedure for grant of green energy open access, banking and cross subsidy surcharge. The tariff for the green energy will be determined by the commission and the tariff will comprise the average pooled power purchase cost of the renewable energy, cross-subsidy charges and service charges. Filmmakers have been up in arms against the Centres move to amend the Cinematograph Act to make it possible to re-examine a film after it was cleared by the Censor Board. After the Centre released the draft of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021, Hansal Mehta, Anurag Kashyap, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Vetrimaraan, Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi, among others, shot off an online letter to the government opposing some of the proposed amendments. The letter said the move to revoke or recall certification of films cleared by the Censor Board would result in undermining the sovereignty of the Censor Board and the Supreme Court, and effectively give the Central Government supreme power over cinema exhibition in the country, potentially endangering freedom of expression and democratic dissent. Led by the Producers Guild Of India, bodies like the Screen Writers Association, The Indian Film and Television Directors Association, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association, Western India Film Producers Association and the Indian Film and Television Producers Council made a joint representation against the re-assessment clause which would allow the Union Government to ask the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to reassess a film. Some producers along with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and south filmmaker Kamal Haasan also met a standing committee set up by the government on this issue. Under the proposed amendment, film certificates, currently valid for ten years, will be valid for perpetuity. Stricter penalties have been mooted for piracy too. While welcoming these moves, the filmmakers said, If a film is going for re-examining after it hits the screens imagine the kind of losses a filmmaker will have to go through. What is the meaning of a censor certificate if the film can be re-examined on anybodys complaint? asks director Vishal Bhardwaj. Veteran producer and former CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani says the Cinematograph Act earlier had a clause giving the Central Government power to recall a film certified by the Board. This was challenged in a Karnataka court and had to be scrapped. But I do not think that a film will need to have a recertification because there are learned people on the board who have certified a film, shares Nihalani. He feels the scrapping of the Appellate Tribunal also led to more problems. Filmmakers now have to go to court for redress, he points out. When I was the [CBFC] chairperson, the court informed me on the Udta Punjab issue that my job was to only certify. But later, when it came to Jolly LLB, the court asked for four cuts. The lack of uniformity is another issue, he says. There have been bodies like the Mudgal Committee and the Shyam Benegal Committee which suggested reforms in the working of the CBFC in 2014 and 2016 and a lot of money was spent on them, but their recommendations have not been implemented, adds Nihalani. Interestingly, before Nihalanis term, a Punjabi film called The Mastermind Jinda Sukha, glorifying two terrorists who killed General Arun Vaidya, was cleared by the Censor Board but was recalled during his term, reportedly at the behest of the Home Ministry. The film was passed. But when we received complaints from various sections of the society, we decided to review and revoke the certificate, he explains. The Shyam Benegal Committee was constituted during Nihalanis tenure. We did not suggest recertification. Honestly, one should get rid of censorship or have a simple certification process. If one has to respect freedom of expression as well as self-expression, then recertification should not be done, as it is unconstitutional, says Benegal. Re-certification will affect the creative minds of the director and his team and the financial status of the producer. The CBFC comprises competent people to certify. Then why should there be any recertification? says Atul Mohan, Editor of Complete Cinema and a former member of the Board. As of now it is a Bill, but if it becomes an Act, it will affect filmmakers in a big way, asserts Nitin Tej Ahuja, CEO of the Producers Guild of India. Whether the government heeds the industrys views and makes relevant changes before the Bill becomes an Act remains to be seen. The state government has also given the second dose vaccine to 2,13,311 (31.67 per cent) persons in Wayanad district. (Representational Image/PTI) Thiruvananthapuram: Wayanad has become the first district in Kerala to complete the administration of the first dose of vaccine to all above the age of 18 years. State Health Minister Veena George on Monday appreciated the efforts of the health workers who were involved in the inoculation process of the targeted population above 18 years of age in the district. "The Wayanad district of Kerala has completed the first dose vaccine among all the eligible population above the age of 18 years. The specialty of Wayanad district is that it has got a more tribal population and I do appreciate all health workers who were involved in the vaccination process and are still engaged in the process in the best possible way," George told reporters. The achievement comes ahead of the visit of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday to review the COVID-19 situation in the southern state. The minister said that special mobile teams visited the tribal hamlets to administer the vaccine. "The government had formed 28 mobile teams to visit the remote Tribal hamlets. The teams also visited the houses of 636 bedridden patients and administered vaccines," she said. The state government has also given the second dose vaccine to 2,13,311 (31.67 per cent) persons in Wayanad district. The district had earlier completed giving the first dose of the vaccine to everyone above the age of 45 and on Sunday they had completed giving the first dose vaccine to all above the age of 18 years, the minister said. The civic bodies, Tribal Development, Health and Labour Departments, members of Kudumbashree Mission and ASHA workers played their role in achieving this, she added. George said the first dose of vaccine was given to 6,16,112 targeted persons, above 18 years of age. "Persons who tested positive for the infection, those in quarantine, and persons who refused the vaccine were exempted from the drive," she said. Kerala on Sunday reported 18,582 new COVID-19 cases pushing the total infection count to 36.69 lakh, as the number of people succumbing to the disease rose to 18,601 with 102 additional deaths. Those who have been trained in Agama Shastras (rules on worship and related aspects) and below 35 years alone were appointed as archakas, the minister added. (Representational Image: DC) Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said there has been no violation in the appointment of people of all castes as archakas (priests) to the temples being managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department. HR&CE Minister P K Sekar Babu also denied that Brahmin priests, especially Archakars and Bhattacharyas, were selectively targeted while making the appointment of the fresh batch of archakas. "All the 58 persons who were appointed as archakas are duly qualified and there is no violation of the constitution as being alleged by a section of the priests, the Minister said. Reacting to a charge by a section of existing Brahmin priests that their services were abruptly terminated and new archakas were appointed in their place on Monday, Babu claimed "some Hindutva forces who don't want others to come up (in life) have taken up a mischievous campaign." Those who have been trained in Agama Shastras (rules on worship and related aspects) and below 35 years alone were appointed as archakas, the minister added. The move follows the decision of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who wanted people of all castes to become temple priests, he added. "Kalaignar (as Karunanidhi was known) ensured an amendment to the HR & CE Act (in 1971) abolishing the customary practice of hereditary appointment of priests for temples, Babu said. He further said that if striving for the upliftment of the oppressed sections is a mistake, "then Chief Minister M K Stalin (Karunanidhi's son) will repeat the same mistake." He claimed that the services of no Brahmin priests were terminated and assured the government would look into complaints, if any, that they were asked to leave the temples. Implementing its electoral promise of appointing aspirants belonging to all castes as temple priests, the DMK government had on August 14 appointed trained 'archakas' of various communities as priests in shrines. The company says it has a dedicated team of Afghan experts to monitor and remove content linked to the insurgent group. (PTI) London: Social media giant Facebook has said that it has banned the Taliban and all content supporting it from its platforms as it considers the group to be a terrorist organisation, according to a media report. The company says it has a dedicated team of Afghan experts to monitor and remove content linked to the insurgent group. For years, the Taliban has used social media to spread its messages. "The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organisation under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organisation policies. This means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them," a Facebook spokesperson told the BBC. "We also have a dedicated team of Afghanistan experts, who are native Dari and Pashto speakers and have knowledge of local context, helping to identify and alert us to emerging issues on the platform," the spokesperson said. The social media giant said it does not make decisions about the recognition of national governments but instead follows the "authority of the international community". Facebook highlighted that the policy applies to all of its platforms, including its flagship social media network, Instagram and WhatsApp. However, there are reports that the Taliban is using WhatsApp to communicate. Facebook told the BBC that it would take action if it found accounts on the app to be linked to the group. The brutal war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday when the Taliban insurgents closed in on Kabul before entering the city and took over the presidential palace, forcing embattled President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Vaccine major Serum Institute of India has acquired 50 per cent stake in pharma packaging firm Schott Kaisha to become a joint venture partner of Germany's specialty glass company Schott AG. Serum Institute has acquired stake from former co-owners Kairus Dadachanji and Shapoor Mistry, Schott and Serum Institute of India said in a joint statement. The joint venture is for pharmaceutical packaging, they added. Serum Institute of India (SII) has bought 50 per cent stake in Schott Kaisha to become Schott's joint venture partner and secure pharma packaging supply, the statement said. The partners, however, did not share the financial details of the stake acquisition by the vaccine maker. The joint venture is the leading Indian manufacturer of pharma packaging products such as vials, syringes, ampoules and cartridges used to package life-saving medications, as per the statement. Even the best medication can't reach the patient without the right packaging. Securing this supply chain is of strategic importance. Schott is the perfect partner for us to do this because of their expertise and global network," Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said. As a long-time customer, Serum Institute uses their vials, ampoules and syringes to store our vaccines including Covishield. Working even closer together is in the best interest of global health, he added. On the development, Schott CEO Frank Heinricht said, "As India has steadily established its position as a global pharmaceutical hub, we are delighted to strengthen our footprint within the Indian pharma supply chain. We are looking forward to strong impulses from this partnership." It is an excellent example of shifting towards new cooperation models, with greater synergies between pharma manufacturing and packaging production, he added. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), on Tuesday, signed a contract with GE Aviation of the USA for the supply of engines to power Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. The contract is valued at $716 million (Rs 5,375 crore) and involves the supply of 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines and support services. This is the largest ever deal and the purchase order placed by HAL for LCA, said R Madhavan, Chairman and Managing Director, HAL. HAL has been working closely with GE to pursue the export potential of LCA, and also to supply spares to the global supply chain of GE 404 engines, he added. Chris Cyr, Vice President, Business Development & Sales, GE Aviation, who interacted virtually, said his company is proud of a 16-year-long partnership with HAL and is happy to extend the relationship with this new order. The F404 family of engines has proven itself in operations all over the world, and we have committed to deliver all 99 engines and support services by 2029, he added. The indigenously built Tejas aircraft is one of the best in its class globally, powered by F404-GE-IN20 engines and has been in service since 2004. This order marks a milestone in the execution of 83 LCA contracts with IAF. This co-operation will be further enhanced with the manufacturing of GE F414 engines in India for the upcoming LCA MkII programme, HAL said. The highest thrust variant of the F404 family, the F404-GE-IN20, incorporates GEs latest hot section materials and technologies, as well as Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) for reliable power and outstanding operational characteristics. The F404 family engines have logged in more than 14 million engine flight hours and have powered 15 different productions and prototype aircraft. Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon after landing at Jamnagar Indian Air Force station with over 120 evacuees on Tuesday said that it is wrong to say that "India has abandoned the people of Afghanistan". He said that India will try to continue interaction with the neighbouring country, now under the control of Taliban, keeping in mind the welfare and relationship between the two countries. Tandon said this during a brief interaction with the media at Jamnagar where he landed with evacuees in Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft from Kabul. "I don't know what to say. You can't imagine how great it is to be back home. After two weeks of very intense work... in a very complicated situation... and in conditions which were very unusual... I am very happy and I think the whole mission is very happy that it is finally over... that we are back home safely and securely without any accidents or harm to any of our people," a visibly happy Tandon told reporters. Track latest updates from Afghanistan here "We are a mission of 192 personnel that were evacuated from Afghanistan within a period of three days in two phases in orderly fashion. In addition to our mission personnel, there are also people who work for public sector companies, for example people from Air India who also had to be evacuated because the conditions in Kabul city had become very complicated. Then, there are a lot of Indian citizens who found themselves in distress because of the fast changing situation. So, our policy was that anyone who reached the embassy was taken into the embassy. I know that this whole evacuation programme was being monitored at the highest level, that is how the whole operation was conducted." he said. "It's not that we have abandoned the people of Afghanistan, that their welfare and our old relationship with them is very much in our mind. We will be going forward to try and continue our interaction with them. Of course, I can't say exactly in what form and manner- because the situation there is changing so much. We are also continually monitoring the situation - there are still some Indian citizens who are there. That's why Air India will continue to run its commercial services to Kabul as long as the airport functions," he said. He also added, "There are many others who continue to work in Kabul city, despite the changing situation and have changed their mind subsequently and will be brought back when the commercial services begin." When asked about the exact number of Indians stuck in the turmoil, he said that the figure could be between 40 and 50. He said that many Indian citizens had not registered with the embassy, therefore it was difficult to contact all of them. A decade after returning from Afghanistan, Marc Silvestri was convinced it was time for his comrades to come home too. But watching the chaotic pullout unfold in real time has stunned the army veteran. "It's been a tough couple days," the 43-year-old head of veterans services in Revere, Massachusetts told AFP. "I was in favor of the withdrawal, I thought it was time. Twenty-plus years, billions of dollars spent, I never expected the speed and the brazenness of the Taliban would be what it is," he said. "I never expected that the training and money we put into the Afghan army, that they would just lay down their weapons and turn the country over. That's been shocking to me." Also Read Buck stops with me, stand by my decision: Biden defends America's pullout from Afghanistan For US veterans of the 20-year war, the lightning Taliban takeover has variously brought shock, anger, resignation and worry, both for their Afghan allies left behind and compatriots at home reeling from the calamitous end to the US campaign. In just days, the Afghan military and government disintegrated. On Sunday, Kabul fell without a fight as the Taliban entered the city and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The news spurred desperate scenes, as Afghans converged on the airport in a bid to escape and foreign governments scrambled to evacuate personnel. For veteran Chad Fross, the withdrawal of US troops "was always going to be a mess" regardless of who was in charge, because of a failure to fully understand Afghanistan. Track latest updates from Afghanistan here "A lot of people are going to be asking, 'Why? It was pointless for me to be there. To watch friends die or lose body parts or lose their minds,'" said Fross. "But at the same time, I have to wonder how much more pointless it would be to stay the course when it would be the same outcome 20 years from now." The fate of women is a painful point of the Taliban takeover for Fross and others. During their brutal 1996-2001 regime, the Islamist militants sharply curtailed women's liberty, keeping them behind closed doors and forbidding education. But the US invasion of 2001 was meant to change that -- and, in urban areas especially, for many women it did. All those hard-won gains are set to be eroded with the Taliban's return to power, however. "These kind of ideals that we thought we were going over there to secure, these are the things that I think bother a lot of people," Fross said. "It bothers me too." Also Read Military evacuation flights taking off from Kabul Democratic President Joe Biden has stuck by his decision to push ahead with the withdrawal, even as he acknowledged the scenes were "gut-wrenching." He also pledged that "thousands" of US citizens and Afghans who had worked with American forces and fear Taliban reprisals are to be evacuated. It is the promise that is perhaps under the greatest scrutiny in the United States. For many veterans, the idea of leaving Afghans who worked side by side with them to contend with the "very real" fear of Taliban revenge is unconscionable. "They helped us and we're leaving them in the lurch. I just think that's wrong," Fross said, echoing sentiments of other veterans AFP spoke to. The non-partisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, dedicated to post-9/11 veterans, in a statement Monday called on US authorities to "waste no additional time" in bringing Afghans who worked with Americans to the United States. "We must keep our promises to those who have sacrificed so much on our behalf," Tom Porter, IAVA's Executive VP for Government Affairs said in the statement. "I'm hearing so much anger," Porter told AFP, adding it was not because of the withdrawal, but due to the "haphazard and chaotic way that we're taking them out right now." He pointed to the infamous images of the United States leaving Saigon that have since colored the US legacy in Vietnam, now circulating again as social media users draw parallels with the exit from Afghanistan. Silvestri said one veteran of the Vietnam conflict reached out to him as the collapse unfolded, saying "I never thought I would see it again... it brings me right back to when I watched Saigon fall." The Massachusetts native said he's spoken to a number of vets and their families who are questioning now if their sacrifices were worthwhile. "I think the best thing any of us can do at this time is listen," he told AFP, echoing the many messages from organizations in recent days with reminders of support services available for veterans. He wants families to know "their children did not die for a lost cause." "If it comes down to anything they were fighting for us... some were not able to come home and that made it so we could." The Taliban announced Tuesday an amnesty across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government, trying to calm nerves across a nervous capital city that only the day before saw chaos at its airport as people tried to flee their rule. The comments by Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, represent the first comments on governance from a federal level across the country after their blitz across the country. While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in Kabul, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the insurgents' takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Track latest updates from Afghanistan here Older generations remember their ultraconservative Islamic views, which included stonings, amputations and public executions during their rule before the US-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims Samangani said, using the militants' term for Afghanistan. They should be in government structure according to Shariah law. He added: The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join. Meanwhile Tuesday, Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO's senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, posted video online showing the runway empty with American troops on the tarmac. What appeared to be a military cargo plane could be seen in the distance from behind a chain-link fence in the footage. The runway "is open, he wrote on Twitter. I see airplanes landing and taking off. Also Read Buck stops with me, stand by my decision: Biden defends America's pullout from Afghanistan Overnight, flight-tracking data showed a US Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules plane at the airport and later taking off for Qatar, home to Al-Udeid Air Base and the US military Central Command's forward headquarters. There were no other immediate flights seen in Afghan airspace, which has been taken over by the American military as commercial flights have been halted in the country. Across Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands had been wounded in the fighting. Security forces and politicians handed over their provinces and bases without a fight, likely believing the two-decade Western experiment to remake Afghanistan would not survive the resurgent Taliban. The last American troops had planned to withdraw at the end of the month. The world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. A resolute US President Joe Biden on Monday said he stood squarely behind his decision to withdraw American forces and acknowledged the gut-wrenching images unfolding in Kabul. Biden said he faced a choice between honouring a previously negotiated withdrawal agreement or sending thousands more troops back to begin a third decade of war. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces, Biden said in a televised address from the White House. Talks appeared to be continuing between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country's negotiating council. President Ashraf Ghani earlier fled the country amid the Taliban advance and his whereabouts remain unknown. An official with direct knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief journalists, said senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi had arrived in Kabul from Qatar. Muttaqi is a former higher education minister during the Taliban's last rule. Muttaqi had begun making contact with Afghan political leaders even before Ghani fled. Britain's medicines watchdog on Tuesday said it had approved the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, after previously giving the green light to Pfizer. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said in a statement that the jab was "safe and effective in this age group". But it added it would now be up to government advisory body the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to recommend whether to start giving the jab. Britain began its mass vaccination programme in December last year and has to date seen nearly 90 percent of all adults receive a first dose. More than three-quarters (77 per cent) have had two doses -- a factor in the government lifting all remaining legal coronavirus restrictions in England on Monday. Health officials say vaccination has contributed to a fall in hospital admissions with more serious cases of Covid, even though infection rates have risen. Earlier this month, the government said it would offer jabs to all 16 and 17 year olds but unlike other countries, held off rolling out the programme to younger children. The JCVI said only 12 to 15 year olds deemed vulnerable should receive a vaccine -- a more cautious approach than in the United States and the European Union. They, as with older teens that are eligible, are being given the Pfizer/BioNTech shot. The government has set a target of giving a first dose to 16 and 17 year olds by August 23, to give them some protection before the start of school in England and Wales in September. Mullah Baradar, the chief of the Taliban's political office, has arrived in Afghanistan's Kandahar province along with a delegation, the group's spokesperson said in a tweet. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the co-founders of the Taliban, now heads its political office and is part of the negotiating team that the group has in Doha, where talks on a ceasefire had been underway. Baradar, reported to have been one of Mullah Omar's most trusted commanders, was captured in 2010 by security forces in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi and released in 2018. Hong Kong's government may cut ties with one of the city's key legal profession associations if it gets involved in politics, leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday in her latest warning to civil society groups. Lam's comments come before an Aug. 24 election for five seats on the council of Hong Kong's Law Society, the professional association and regulator for the city's 12,000 solicitors. Lam said in April the government could intervene if necessary in the Bar Association for barristers, whose chairman Paul Harris has been labelled an "anti-China" politician by top Beijing officials after he criticised jail terms handed to some pro-democracy politicians. Although the Law Society is seen as more conservative than the Bar Association, debates in its recent elections have focused on a more liberal agenda. This year, four of the candidates are considered outspoken, raising fears among some government officials of a political agenda. "If the Law Societys professionalism is trumped by politics, the government will consider cutting ties with it," Lam told reporters at her regular weekly news conference. On Saturday, China's People Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, called on the Law Society not to become a politicised group and show it was different than the Bar Association, which it described as a "running rat." "While there may be some different political views on the Council, even if the four of us all win, the balance will be held by those who are really politically neutral and will not allow the Council to be outspoken in a way that would cause concern to the government," candidate Jonathan Ross said. Key institutions of Hong Kong's civil society have disbanded in the past week, citing political pressure, further cementing the former British colony's authoritarian turn since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in June 2020. Civil Human Rights Front, the pro-democracy group that organises Hong Kong's annual July 1 rally and galvanized millions to take part in street protests in 2019, said on Saturday it had disbanded. The Professional Teachers' Union, which had around 95,000 members, said last Tuesday it would disband after criticism by Chinese state media and Hong Kong authorities. The democracy movement in the city has crumbled in the past year, with the most prominent activists and politicians in prison or in self-exile and popular anti-government tabloid Apple Daily forced to close amid a national security probe. Lam also said on Tuesday she did not have an explicit timetable for the implementation in Hong Kong of a mainland Chinese law that retaliates against foreign sanctions. It took just a few days for the Taliban to sweep across Afghanistan and seize territory they did not already control, sometimes taking major provincial capitals with barely a shot in anger. While much has been made of the Afghan army's military collapse, interviews with Taliban leaders, Afghan politicians, diplomats and other observers suggest the Islamist militant movement laid the groundwork for its victory long before the events of the last week or so. Prepared for a harder struggle to re-take control of a country they ran from 1996-2001, for months the insurgents said they cultivated relationships with low-level political and military officials as well as tribal elders. Read more: Russia says supports 'inclusive' political dialogue in Afghanistan That, combined with the pre-announced withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan some 20 years after America's longest war began, shattered confidence in the Western-backed administration in Kabul and encouraged people to defect. "The Taliban didn't want to fight battles," said Asfandyar Mir, a South Asia security analyst affiliated with Stanford University. "They instead wanted to induce a political collapse." The speed of the Taliban's gains surprised even them. Last week, cities and towns fell like dominoes, even in the north of the country where the Taliban are traditionally weaker, culminating in Sunday's capture of the capital Kabul https. One Taliban commander in the central province of Ghazni said that once government forces could see the United States was finally leaving, resistance crumbled. In just a week, all of Afghanistan's major cities, from Kunduz in the north to Kandahar in the south, had fallen. "It doesn't mean these Afghan leaders surrendering to us had changed or become pious, it's because there were no more dollars," he said, referring to financial support the government and military had received from the West for nearly two decades. "They surrendered like goats and sheep." Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and most other members of his administration have gone into hiding and cannot be contacted. Ghani's own defence minister criticised his capitulation. A July report from SIGAR, the Congressional watchdog body appointed to monitor the US mission in Afghanistan, said that in some areas Afghan forces put up some level of resistance, "while in others they surrendered or fled in disorder." As his fighters took over the presidential palace, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the main architects of victory as head of the Taliban's political office in Doha, said it was an unrivalled triumph but one that had come unexpectedly swiftly. "We have reached a situation that was never expected," he said. Not the same situation Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman based in Doha, said large numbers of districts were secured though the kinds of contacts that have a long tradition in Afghanistan, where inducing rivals to switch sides has been a common tactic. "(We had) direct talks with the security forces there, and also through mediation of tribal elders and religious scholars," he said. "All over Afghanistan, not in a particular province or a particular geographic location." After being driven from power in the US-backed campaign of 2001, the Taliban gradually rebuilt, financed by opium and illegal mining and generally avoiding large-scale encounters so long as US air power was available to support the Afghan army. Instead they preferred to pick off remote centres and isolated checkpoints and spread fear in cities through suicide bombings. Read more: Uzbekistan in contact with Taliban, warns against border spillover Meanwhile, they took control of many provincial areas with a form of shadow government with its own courts and tax systems. In northern and western areas, where the mainly ethnic Pashtun Taliban movement has been traditionally weaker, it moved to shore up local support and win over Tajiks, Uzbeks and others in Afghanistan's patchwork of ethnicities, residents and officials there have said. "We have mujahideen and fighters in every area. We have Panjshiri mujahideen in Panjshir province, Balkhi mujahideen in Balkh province, Kandahari mujahideen in Kandahar province," said Waheedullah Hashimi, a senior Taliban commander. Throughout the advance, Baradar managed to preserve a united front between the Taliban's political leadership and fighters across the country, despite sometimes competing interests over issues ranging from peace talks to sharing revenues from poppy cultivation. "Our security chiefs and seniors of other commissions, they are all from ethnicities residing there," said Shaheen. "That is why they were able to take all those provinces' districts though negotiations and talks." "It's not the same situation as in the past." Curses on Ghani Once US President Joe Biden confirmed the agreement reached with the Taliban by the previous administration in Washington, the long campaign in the provinces quickly paid off, events on the ground indicated. Despite peace accords signed ahead of the American withdrawal, US commanders and the Defense Intelligence Agency pointed to clear signs the Taliban had stepped up attacks on district centres and looked to cut off key highways as they prepared to attack provincial cities. In addition, a series of targeted killings of key Afghan security personnel including pilots was carried out "with the goal of weakening ... morale and undermining public trust in the government," the State Department's lead inspector general said in a report in July. After taking over swathes of remote countryside, the Taliban secured border posts, cutting off a key source of government revenue and support from local clans that traditionally extracted a share of customs levies in exchange for their loyalty. The strategy fatally weakened the government led by Ghani, a Western-trained academic backed by Washington but with little popular support outside Kabul and poor relations even with some of his own commanders. Once he fled the palace on Sunday, his defence minister, General Bismillah Mohammadi, tweeted that he had "tied our hands behind our backs and sold our country. Curses on Ghani and his gang." As a Pashtun mistrusted by members of other ethnic groups, Ghani had relied for support on unruly leaders from the former Northern Alliance which the US recruited to defeat the Taliban in 2001. They included Atta Mohammad Noor, former governor of the province of Balkh, and ethnic Uzbek leader Rashid Dostum. But the Taliban's patient efforts undermined the system of patronage that kept such leaders in place, and on Saturday, they fled. Atta Noor blamed "a large, organized and cowardly conspiracy" as his once-impregnable stronghold in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif fell without a fight, a day before Taliban fighters entered Kabul. Gone are Western clothes favoured by the fashion-conscious in the Afghan capital, with men on the streets now wearing traditional shalwar kameez. And there are hardly any women to be seen. "The fear is there," said a shopkeeper Tuesday, asking not to be named after he opened his neighbourhood provisions store. Life was returning to a new normal in Kabul as cautious residents ventured out of their homes to see what life would be like under the Taliban following their astonishing return to power at the weekend. For some, it's as if the last 20 years never happened. Follow live updates on Afghanistan here Already there are signs that people are changing the way they live to accommodate the return of the new hardline Islamist regime -- if not by direct order, then at least for self-preservation. During their first stint in power -- from 1996 until 2001 when they were ousted by the US-led invasion in the wake of the September 11 attacks -- the Taliban ruled with a strict interpretation of the Koran and sharia law. A swift whipping across the back of the legs by cadres from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice was common for those tardying at prayer times. Public floggings, amputations of limbs for thieves and even executions were scheduled for Fridays -- sometimes held at the national stadium. A ban on mixed schools meant most girls could not get an education, and women were barred from working in scenarios where they may have contact with men. There was no sign Tuesday that such strict measures had been re-introduced -- or even would be -- but people were taking no chances. "People are scared of the unknown," another shopkeeper said. "The Taliban are patrolling the city in small convoys. They don't harass people but of course the people are scared." A sign of the new times was seen on the TV stations that proliferated during the Taliban's absence. Also Read | Taliban takeover of Afghanistan may boost pan-Islamist militant groups in Kashmir State TV is showing mostly pre-recorded Islamic programmes or announcements from Maulvi Ishaq Nizami -- a man introduced as the head of Voice of Sharia, the Taliban media outlet. Tolo TV, the private channel which thrived over the past two decades on a mix of Western style game shows, soap operas and talent contests, has stopped most routine programming and is now showing repeats of a Turkish drama about the Ottoman empire. They did, however, have a newscast with a female presenter interviewing a Taliban official. On Tuesday the Taliban announced a "general amnesty" for all government officials, and urged them to return to work. "You should start your routine life with full confidence," the announcement said -- and some appeared to take the advice to heart, with white-capped traffic police re-appearing on the streets for the first time in days, although it was not as busy as usual. Suhail Shaheen, one of the Taliban's official spokesmen, repeated late Monday that women will not face any threat in the future. "Their right to education is also protected," he said, but the Taliban have generally been vague in pronouncements on how they would rule Afghanistan, apart from saying it would be in accordance with Islamic principles. Interaction with individual Taliban fighters on the streets has been mixed, however. "Some have been friendly and give no trouble at all," said a man trying to get to his office past a Taliban checkpoint. "But others are tough.. they push you around and shout at you for no reason." Check out DH's latest videos: Pakistan's ambassador at the United Nations said US President Joe Biden's endorsement of the previous American administrations' decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan was a logical conclusion to this conflict. Munir Akram told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Monday that the international community must now work together to ensure an inclusive political settlement for a long-term peace, security and development of Afghanistan. Read | Full transcript of Joe Biden's Afghanistan remarks He said Pakistan's stance that the conflict in Afghanistan never had a military solution has been confirmed. The envoy said the best time to end the conflict through negotiations probably was when US and NATO troops were at a maximum military strength in Afghanistan. Akram added that therefore, endorsement by the Biden administration of the previous US administrations' decision of troop withdrawal was indeed a logical conclusion to this conflict. Akram said leaders of a number of Afghan political parties and groups representing all the multiethnic groups apart from the Pashtuns are in Pakistan's capital and met with the foreign minister and other leaders Monday. He said Pakistan will work with them and with Taliban representatives to advance the goal of an inclusive political government. Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi is said to be in the Afghan capital negotiating with Kabul's political leadership, including Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country's negotiating council, and former President Hamid Karzai. That is according to an official familiar with the talks and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Muttaqi was a higher education minister when the Taliban last ruled and he began making contacts with Afghan political leaders even before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani secretly slipped away from the Presidential Palace on the weekend, leaving a devastating vacuum that Taliban who were surrounding the city strode in to fill. Also Read | Former US President Bush expresses 'deep sadness' over Afghan situation The official says the talks underway in the Afghan capital are aimed at bringing other non-Taliban leaders into the government that Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has said will be an inclusive Afghan government. There is little indication about the substance of the talks, but Shaheen earlier told The Associated Press that a government will be announced after negotiations with non-Taliban leaders are completed. Afghans familiar with the talks say some rounds have gone late into the night and have been underway since soon after Ghani's departure. Uzbekistan said that it was in close contact with the Taliban on Tuesday and warned it would "strictly suppress" any attempts to violate its borders after chaos from Afghanistan spilled over into Central Asia. Ex-Soviet Uzbekistan, one of three Central Asian countries bordering Afghanistan, released the statement after days of mayhem that saw Afghan troops illegally cross over into the republic while fleeing the Taliban's advance amid the pullout of US-led forces. The ministry said it was in talks with the Taliban "on issues of ensuring the protection of borders and maintaining calm in the border zone". Read more: China denounces US 'awful mess' in Afghanistan Central Asian countries have watched with alarm as the government in Kabul collapsed in a matter of days, empowering a militant group that several states in the region helped to unseat two decades ago. Uzbekistan on Monday confirmed that an Afghan military plane had crashed in the country's south on Sunday after it illegally crossed the border, noting that nobody had died during the incident. A day earlier Uzbekistan said it had detained 84 Afghan troops that crossed into its territory while fleeing the Taliban. The country's state prosecutor retracted a Monday statement which claimed that Uzbekistan had forced 46 Afghan aircraft carrying nearly 600 soldiers to land after crossing the border over the weekend. The prosecutor noted the initial statement was "not based on official verified information from the authorities". An AFP correspondent that visited the crash site in Uzbekistan's Sherabad district some 180 kilometres (110 miles) from the border city of Termez witnessed trucks carting away plane debris that had been cleared from a large expanse of scorched earth by soldiers. Local resident Shokosim Turdiyev told AFP that a barn where his family kept livestock and feed had been burned down by flames from the crash, which he said happened on Sunday night. "Local residents called the ambulances and then the soldiers came," Turdiyev added, recalling hearing a "large explosion" after the planes had fallen to the earth. Police did not allow journalists to film at the site. A doctor in the city of Termez, Bekpulat Okboyev, told AFP that two Afghans being treated by his hospital from Sunday night onwards had been "injured while ejecting" from a plane -- but were not in a serious condition. Neighbouring Tajikistan said Tuesday that it had allowed more than 100 Afghan military members to land at Bokhtar airport in the south of the country after receiving an SOS signal. The Tajik interior ministry said it will be holding joint military exercises with China to "combat terrorism in mountainous areas" from August 17 to 20. Around 1,000 Russian soldiers stationed at Moscow's base in Tajikistan were also holding exercises, Russia's Central Military District said on Tuesday. Impoverished Tajikistan this month complained of a build up of "terrorist groups" along its 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the frontier. Booksellers in Bengaluru welcome chief minister Basavaraj Bommais suggestion that books replace flowers as gifts at government events. He refused to accept a bouquet at a police review meeting last week and advised the hosts to present Kannada books instead. Venkatesh K V, owner of Nagasri Book House, Jayanagar, believes the practice could increase readership. But its too soon to say if it will lead to an increase in sales, he says. Sreeja V N, co-founder, Bahuroopi Book Hub, Sanjaynagar, says, Not many realise that books make excellent gifts. Garlands and bouquets perish but books live on. When MPs, MLAs and politicians get books, they often donate them to the nearest educational institution, which creates a knowledge revolution, she says. Her bookstore is planning a campaign called Gift Books. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also urged people to present books instead of bouquets. Nijesh Shah, CEO of SapnaOnline, the e-commerce arm of Sapna Book House, says people emulate leaders, and gifting of books is part of a larger vision. Such practices help the nation read more, and encourage informed debates, he believes. Guruprasad D N, founder, Aakruti Books, Rajajinagar, says the government should promote Kannada books by organising interactions with writers, giving incentives to those opening bookstores across the state, and creating awareness about the states literary tradition. Arun Javagal, Kannada activist, wonders what happens to the books after they are gifted. Also, the government should take a decision on how the decision would impact farmers and flower sellers. A Kannada newspaper a day V Sunil Kumar, after being sworn in as Kannada and culture minister, has also requested Kannada books instead of flowers. He plans to donate the books to a library in Karkala, his constituency. He has also appealed to people to subscribe to a Kannada newspaper and read at least one Kannada book a month. An Indian Air Force plane with over 100 persons on board landed on Tuesday at Jamnagar in Gujarat from Kabul in Afghanistan, an official said. The C-17 aircraft touched down at the IAF air base at Jamnagar shortly before noon, the official said. Track latest updates from Afghanistan here The aircraft had left Kabul carrying Indian personnel as part of the emergency evacuation in view of the prevailing situation in the Afghan capital following its takeover by the Taliban. Immediately after passengers on board the C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft deplaned, they were greeted by people present on the tarmac, the official said. A BJP worker here has constructed a temple for Narendra Modi, complete with the prime minister's bust inside. It was his tribute to the prime minister who "built Ram temple at Ayodhya" among other things, says 37-year-old Mayur Munde. The small temple stands in Pune's Aundh area. "After becoming PM, Modi has done a lot of developmental work and dealt with issues such as the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, Ram Mandir temple and triple talaq successfully," said Munde, who is a real estate agent. "I thought that for a person who built Ram temple in Ayodhya, there should be a shrine, so I decided to construct this temple on my own premises," he told reporters. The prime minister's bust as well as the red marble used in construction were brought from Jaipur and the total expenditure was around Rs 1.6 lakh, he said. A poem dedicated to Modi is also displayed next to the structure, he added. Militants shot dead a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Tuesday, the second such incident in a week. Police said militants fired upon Javid Ahmad Dar, BJP's constituency in-charge in the district, outside his residence in Brazloo Jagir, Kulgam, 70 kms from here. He was immediately shifted to the nearest hospital, however, doctors declared him brought dead. Reports said following the killing, police and army rushed to the spot to nab the assailants. The BJP termed the killing of Dar as barbaric. Other political parties also strongly condemned the incident. This was the second killing of a BJP leader in Kashmir this month. On August 9, militants had barged into the rented accommodation of Ghulam Rasool Dar and his wife Jawhara Banoo in neighboring Anantnag district, and shot at them from a close range. 65-year-old Dar was the Kulgam district president of BJP Kisan Morcha and a sarpanch. His wife was also a panch from the same village. More than 40 political activists, including panchayat members and grassroots workers, mostly affiliated with the BJP have been killed by militants in Kashmir since the abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state under Article 370 in August 2019. Kashmir reportedly has at least 7.5 lakh BJP workers on the ground and all of them do not have security. But it is not only the BJP workers, who have been targeted by the militants from south to north Kashmir. Militants have also targeted elected panchs and sarpanchs belonging to other political parties. The latest spate of political killings has returned to haunt the Valley at a time when the violence was apparently on decline. Administration in Mizoram' Kolasib district has asked its residents to avoid visiting the areas bordering Assam in order to eschew fresh tension, in view of a firing on Monday on three people from their side. In a directive, deputy commissioner of Kolasib, H.Lalthlangliana asked its residents not to visit the areas where security forces were deployed following July 26 gunbattle in neighbouring Cachar district in which six Assam policemen died and several others were injured. The DC said Assam police personnel fired at three residents from Aitlangpui village in Kolasib, situated close to Bilaipur village in Assam's Karimganj district at around 2 am on Monday. The three Mizoram residents had reportedly gone to the area to meet a person from Bilaipur following an invitation. One of the civilians who was injured while fleeing the scene was treated and released from a public health centre at Vairengte, the DC said. Kolasib DC also conveyed his dismay to his counterpart in Karimganj for the firing incident. But police in Assam side said they had stepped up vigil in the area following the recent tension and the three people had opened fire at them after being asked to stop and identify them. "We retaliated and they fled away," a source in Karimganj said. Tension has been brewing on the Assam-Mizoram boundary since the July 26 firing. The two-state governments, however, decided to de-escalate tension and resolved to continue talks for solving the issues regarding their borders. Assam and Mizoram share a 164.6-km long boundary but there has been a dispute over their boundary for decades. Mizoram says that the boundary decided in 1875 be accepted while Assam stress on "Constitutional boundary" as agreed in 1978 when Mizoram became a full-fledged separate state. This was as per a notification issued in 1933. A day after joining Trinamool Congress, Sushmita Dev on Tuesday defended her decision to quit the Congress and said she can say with clear conscience that she has not compromised on ideology. Sushmita, who headed the Mahila Congress till her resignation on Sunday, also said her joining the Trinamool Congress was "unconditional" and would take up any responsibility given to her by party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She said she has not just political but personal relations with Mamata due to her late father Santosh Mohan Dev, a senior Congress leader, who worked with the Trinamool chief when she was in Congress. Sushmita, who met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi last Saturday and sent in her resignation from the party on Sunday, said had excellent relations with the Gandhis and the party gave her several responsibilities. Also read: Sushmita Dev's resignation triggers debate in Congress "I can say with clear conscience that by joining Trinamool, I have not compromised on my ideology," she told a press conference here along with Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien. "I have written to Sonia-ji and sought her blessings. Congress has given me ample opportunities and there is not a single moment that I regret. I have no grievances against Sonia-ji and Rahul-ji," she added. Asked why she chose Trinamool, Sushmita said in politics, one does not work alone and that one has to think about people, party and supporters. "There is a larger picture to look at rather than trying to dig up dirt," Sushmita, who would be touring Assam and Tripura in the next two weeks, said. When asked whether Sushmita's "poaching" by Trinamool would have an impact on Opposition unity, O'Brien said, "Trinamool do not break, poach. We are not into breaking or poaching. But if there are good, talented people who share the vision and dream of Mamata Banerjee, we welcome them." He said on August 20, the Congress president has called a meeting and he can reconfirm that the West Bengal Chief Minister would join the meeting along with leaders from other political parties. In Parliament, he said, one has seen the Opposition working together and every one among them has a different relationship. O'Brien also said that the party had taken a "path-breaking" decision on Monday to implement "one person, one post" policy in the party, which will give "opportunity for more people" in the party. Asked whether Mamata would also follow the policy as she now holds both the top post in the party and the government, O'Brien said, "Mamata Banerjee is the founding chairperson of the party and she is a worthy exception. She wanted 'one leader, one post' for herself as well but all of us forced her to remain in both the posts as she is the founder Chairperson of the party." He also referred to a survey conducted by a media group which claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity has dropped from 66% nine months ago to 24% now and said that the "key reason" behind it was the "whipping, thrashing and humiliation, the scathing defeat" the BJP was handed over by Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal. Union Minister John Barla on Tuesday said that the creation of a separate state carved out of North Bengal is the voice of the people of the region. Speaking to reporters at Siliguri, the BJP MP from Alipurduar also said that he will raise the issue at an appropriate level. "Carving a separate State out of North Bengal is the voice of the people of this region. I will raise the issue at an appropriate level," said Barla. The Minister of State for Minority Affairs accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of not doing anything for the minority community but using them as a vote bank for political mileage. "What has the TMC Government done for the minorities in Bengal? They only use the minorities as a vote bank to gain political mileage," said Barla. Lashing out at the ruling party in the State, the Union Minister accused it of resorting to terror tactics to throttle the opposition. "Just look at the severity of the post-poll violence perpetrated by the TMC in Bengal," said Barla. Also read: John Barla: From a tribal leader to a Union minister He further alleged that while the BJP government at the Centre was keen on working with the Bengal Government, the latter was always preoccupied with picking up a fight. Taking potshots at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her political ambitions, Barla said that she was dreaming of becoming the Prime Minister but will never be able to achieve her target. "Just wait till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP will win all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal with a handsome margin," said Barla. BJP MP from Darjeeling, Raju Bista, who was with Barla at the press conference, alleged that more than 150 party workers were killed in post-poll violence in West Bengal. "West Bengal is gradually heading towards Presidents rule. I urge the President, Prime Minister and the Home Minister to save the State," said Barla. Meanwhile, several BJP workers were detained by police during the partys Sahid Samman Yatra in several areas of the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reviewed the situation in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and directed officials for the safe evacuation of Indians in the coming days. The Prime Minister also directed officials to extend all possible help to Afghan brothers and sisters looking forward to assistance from India, particularly the Sikh and Hindu minorities who are seeking refuge. A special invitee to the CCS meeting was Rudrendra Tandon, Indias Ambassador to Afghanistan, who returned to Delhi on Tuesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla were among those who were present at the meeting. Also read: Getting Indian envoy, mission staff out of Afghanistan was 'difficult, complicated', Jaishankar says in US Shringla briefed the CCS about the situation in Afghanistan and Tandon too is learnt to have shared his first-hand experience in the nation that was run over by the Taliban militia. The government released photographs and a short video of the meeting but no official statement was issued. Tandon and all staff members from the Indian embassy in Kabul were brought Delhi military transport aircraft in the wake of escalating tension and deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital after its takeover by the Taliban. A military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought back from Kabul around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians on Tuesday. Another flight had evacuated around 40 staffers from Kabul on Monday. After a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore was vandalised, New Delhi alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khans government in Islamabad had completely failed in its duty to protect the cultural heritage of the minority communities of Pakistan. The statue of the first king of Sikh Empire within the Lahore Fort complex was vandalised by an activist of the radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. He was arrested by police after local people detained him. This was the third time the statue was vandalised since it was unveiled in 2019. Such attacks on the cultural heritage of minority communities in Pakistan highlight the growing intolerance and lack of respect for minority communities in Pakistani society, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in New Delhi, calling upon the Government of Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and well-being of its minority communities. India expressed concern over alarmingly increasing number of incidents of violence against minority communities, including attacks on their places of worship, their cultural heritage, as well as their private property. The Pakistani state has completely failed in its duty to prevent such attacks. This is creating a climate of fear for the minority communities to practice their faith, said the MEA spokesperson in New Delhi. India had on August 5 last protested against vandalisation of a temple in Pakistan, slamming the Khan Government for persecution of religious minorities in the neighbouring country. Islamabads acting envoy to New Delhi, Aftab Hasan Khan, was summoned to the MEA, where senior officials conveyed to him Indias grave concern over the recent incident of violent mob attack on a Ganesha Temple at Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab province of Pakistan. The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it was not advisable to have a national level security force for judges and court complexes, as local police would be in a better position to deal with their protection in view of State-specific threats. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, submitted before a bench headed by chief justice N V Ramana that the central government has issued guidelines, in 2007, regarding the protection of judges and court complexes. He said instead of creating a specialised police force there is a need to ensure fuller implementation of guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs for States and Union territories. He further said that security problems that Himachal Pradesh faced may be different than that of Jharkhand, therefore the force has to be state-specific, not Centre-specific. He contended that it may not be advisable to have a national level security force for judges. The response from Mehta came as, the court asked him whether it is possible to have a specialised national force for judges security on the lines of RPF, CSIF etc. He said the security of courts is better left to States, as it requires day to day coordination with the local police. The court also sought to know whether the guidelines issued by the MHA are followed or not for the protection of judges, courts etc. You are the central government. You can call DGPs... you are the best person to get this done. States are saying they don't have funds for CCTVs etc... these issues you have to resolve between you and States," the bench told Mehta. The bench also noted the court had on previous hearing granted the last opportunity to States, for filing affidavits in connection with the protection of judges, yet many have not responded. The court granted 10 days to States to file a response, saying it would impose Rs 1 lakh cost on their failure to do so. The court was hearing a Suo Motu matter registered after the alleged mowing dow of Dhanbad Additional District Judge, Uttam Anand. Protesting the ban on Rahul Gandhi's Twitter account, Andhra Pradesh Congress workers "fried a Twitter bird" and sent it to Twitter India's headquarters. A video that surfaced on social media showed former MP Harsha Kumars son frying the metaphorical "Twitter bird" for not promoting Congress' tweets. "The Twitter dish is getting ready," he can be heard saying as party workers raise "Down Down BJP!" slogans. More to follow... Check out DH's latest videos: BJP President J P Nadda on Tuesday hit out at Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of pursuing reckless politics by revealing the identity of the family of a rape victim and falsely claiming to have done it with their consent. Gandhis Twitter account was blocked for violation of the law that prohibits any person from revealing the identity of the family of a rape victim. Congress, in a letter to Twitter, had claimed that they had a letter of consent from the family stating they had no objection to their identity being disclosed. The sharp attack from the BJP came after reports in a section of the media claimed that the rape victims family denied having given any consent letter to allow the use of their pictures by the Congress. If you have zero sensitivity, loads of arrogance and reckless style of politics, then you have scant regard for the rule of law, Nadda said, referring to Gandhi. Inaugurating the Kozhikode office of the BJP, Nadda also accused Gandhi of being a political tourist in Kerala after losing the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. The real intentions and emotions of a person do not change merely by changing the state, Nadda said. Also read: Rahul Gandhi politicising Dalit girl's rape, his Twitter account should be locked again: BJP Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Gandhi of submitting a forged letter to Twitter to get his account unlocked. When Twitter blocked his account for disclosing the identity of a rape victims family, Rahul Gandhi lied about consent given by the family. No responsible politician behaves in such a manner, Patra said. Patra claimed that the Congress had presented a forged letter to get Gandhis Twitter account unlocked. Does such an irresponsible person have the right to be on any public platform. He has used the family of a rape victime to further his own political career, Patra said. A Samajwadi Party MP has defended the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, equating it with Indias own freedom struggle. Responding to questions from reporters on Monday, Sambhal Lok Sabha MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq said the Taliban wanted to free their country and it was Afghanistans internal matter. His remark drew a sharp reaction Tuesday from Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who compared it Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans comment after Kabul fell to the Taliban. Read more: All efforts should be made to ensure safety, dignity of children, women in Afghanistan: Satyarthi Barq called the Taliban a force that did not allow Russia or the United States to establish themselves in Afghanistan, and now they want to run their own country. The MP said when India was under British Rule, the entire country fought for independence. They want to be free. This is their personal matter. How can we interfere? he said on developments in Afghanistan. Endorsing the Taliban takeover, Barq said the Afghans want to run their own country in the manner they wanted. Asked to comment on the MPs remarks, Deputy CM Maurya said he had not personally heard them. But if this type of statement has been given then there is no difference between that person and Imran Khan," he added. The Pakistan prime minister on Monday appeared to endorse the Talibans takeover of Kabul, saying Afghanistan has broken the "shackles of slavery". The UP minister slammed the opposition Samajwadi Party over the MPs comment. "Anything can happen in the Samajwadi Party. There are people who cannot sing the Jana Gana Mana, someone might support the Taliban, others could level allegations on police after terrorists are caught. This is appeasement, he said outside the state Assembly in Lucknow. The CBI has registered a case against Congress leaders including Kerala former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and BJP national vice president A P Abdullahkutty in connection with a sexual assault complaint filed by a woman accused in a solar power project. While a FIR was filed against Chandy, Venugopal and Congress MPs Hibi Eden and Adoor Prakash and Abdullahkutty in a court in Thiruvananthapuram, FIR against Congress leader A P Anilkumar was filed in Kochi. Various offences, including rape, were invoked against the accused in the nearly one decade old incident. The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala referred the case to CBI considering a petition given by the woman in January this year. The alleged incidents took place during the term of the Oommen Chandy government of 2011-16. The woman accused in the solar project scam later gave the rape complaint against political party leaders. Though the Pinarayi Vijayan government ordered a police probe, a home department report said that there were no adequate evidence against the accused, especially Chandy. The woman had alleged that Chandy sexually abused her at the Chief Minister's official residence in 2012. Chandy reacted that the case was politically motivated and he had no reasons to be scared and the allegations were totally baseless. The freedom of a woman to decide whether to continue with a pregnancy cannot be taken away, the Kerala High Court has said while allowing a mildly mentally ill mother to abort her more than 22 week old abnormal foetus. The High Court said that the right of a mother to terminate her pregnancy, if there was substantial risk that after birth the child could suffer from abnormalities which could seriously handicap him or her, has been recognised by the courts. Also Read Kerala HC permits abortion of 15-week plus pregnancy of mentally ill rape victim In the instant case, the woman was mildly mentally ill and according to the report of a medical team which examined her, the foetus was suffering from Klinefelter syndrome -- a genetic condition in which a male is born with an extra copy of the X chromosome. The syndrome is a chromosomal anomaly associated with variable mental sub normality, endocrine problems and psychological issues in later life, the court noted in its order. According to the medical report, beside mild mental disabilities, the woman also suffers from visual disturbances, seizures and weaknesses of the left lower limb with a permanent disability of 55 per cent. The report said that while Klinefelter syndrome was not life threatening, since the mother has mild mental illness and impaired adaptive skills, "she might find it difficult to cope with the child rearing demands of a baby with disability". "For the above mentioned reasons, medical termination of pregnancy is recommended," the report said. After perusing the report, the High Court said, "The freedom of a pregnant woman in making a choice as to whether the pregnancy should be continued cannot be taken away. Likewise, the right of the mother to terminate the pregnancy medically even after the permissible period in terms of the provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, has been recognised by the courts, if there is substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped." "In the result, the writ petition is allowed and the first petitioner (mother) is permitted to undergo the procedure for termination of the pregnancy. The respondents concerned would be free to undertake the said procedure at the risk of the first petitioner," the court added. The order came on a plea moved by the woman and her husband seeking to medically terminate the over 22-week-old pregnancy on the ground that continuing with it would pose a risk to the mother's life and the baby would suffer from physical and mental abnormalities. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has led to apprehensions that it may not only embolden militants in Jammu and Kashmir but boost pan-Islamist terror groups in the region. Security experts believe that the Talibans return to power will have a negative impact in Kashmir as it immensely relieves the Pakistan army and its spy agency ISI who can shift terror training from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to Afghanistan to avoid international scrutiny. Anti-India terror groups would now get safe havens in Afghanistan. Also the ISI may ask the Taliban to divert some of its terrorists to J&K to revive terror operations, former J&K police chief, Shesh Pal Vaid, said. He says that India needs to be very cautious. We may have to deal with the alliance of China, Pakistan and the Taliban, he predicts. Read | 2 years after abrogation of Article 370, militancy still a challenge in Kashmir The other impact of Taliban takeover in Afghanistan that is worrying is that pan-Islamist militant groups have gained tremendous ground in Kashmir in recent years. The Taliban have not given up on the idea of the Caliphate (Islamic rule) from Afghanistan to the European border. This thought has gained support in Kashmir in recent years and terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad may try to exploit this situation, a senior police officer involved in counter-insurgency operations, said. From 1996 to 2001, when the Taliban was in power, most of the foreign terrorists entered Kashmir. From the Kargil war in 1999 to the Parliament attack and the attack on the J&K Assembly in 2001, the role of foreign terrorists had increased manifold during that period. After the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the late 1980s, an anti-India armed insurgency erupted in the Valley. The Soviet troops withdrawal boosted the morale of pan-Islamist forces and same can happen after US withdrawal from Afghanistan now, he believes. Also Read | Taliban discussing Afghan govt formation in Doha Prof Noor Ahmad Baba, former head of the political science department of Kashmir University, believes that many people in Kashmir were waiting for the Taliban to cross over and fight here. There will be encouragement. If Pakistan is willing to invest, it can have more focus on Kashmir (after neutralising its Afghan front), he said. However, Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) S S Deswal asserted that India was ready for any eventuality in the wake of the evolving situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban. It (Taliban takeover) is that countrys internal matter. However the situation there is being closely monitored and India is ready for any eventuality, he said, while addressing a press conference at Octroi post along the International Border in R.S.Pura area of Jammu on Sunday. A County Derry university has become the first multimodal biomolecular imaging platform in Ireland following a six-figure government investment. Ulster University's Coleraine campus has used 700,000 of funding from the Department of the Economy (DfE) to launch the new laboratory at its Mass Spectrometry Centre within the Biomedical Science Research Institute. The new facility will boost research already taking place at the campus across disciplines including nutrition, diabetes, vision science, pharmaceutical science and genomics. Researchers can now also examine highly detailed images of biological tissues and reconstruct 3D biochemical tissue maps to better inform treatment for patients. After touring the new facilities, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said the Department was delighted to support the university. "This level of ambition reflects the scale of the challenges ahead, and the opportunity we have to make a generational change," he said. "To meet our ambition as a small advanced economy, we must focus on sectors and technologies in which NI already is, or can be, world class, whilst ensuring the benefits of economic growth are felt across society." Associate Dean for Research and Impact in Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, Prof Victor Gault, said the university had a reputation for world class research. "We are proud of our research credentials and have already been judged as in the premier league of Universities with 100% of research environment classed as world-leading/internationally excellent," he said. "Biomedical Sciences at Ulster was ranked among the top five UK Universities for research power in the latest UK research excellence framework (REF2014) and first in the UK in the Pharmacy and Pharmacology subject area (The Guardian League Table 2021)." Local MLA Claire Sugden hailed the move as 'future-proofing' the university campus on the north coast. "Investment such as this is key to maintaining what has become a world-class university campus, she said. "Biomedical science has been a large and important facility at Coleraine, and this funding will add to the already great work being done there. "Alongside the academic opportunities here, Coleraine is able to offer a unique university experience with an amazing quality of life." A local council is calling on the public to support its efforts to keep the area clean, safe and litter-free. The renewed appeal from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council follows on from the recent introduction of extra officers to target those who carelessly drop their rubbish as well as those who dont clean up after their dogs. With 308 fines handed out in the first week of operation, the council says its clear that the message around personal responsibility is still not getting through to everyone. Along with the councils hard-working street cleansing section, it is hoped that the enhanced enforcement will create a cleaner borough for everyone to enjoy. Last week, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Councillor Richard Holmes paid an early morning visit to East Strand in Portrush when the area was looking pristine and litter-free. Speaking afterwards, he said: I want us to get to a point where littering becomes as socially unacceptable as drink-driving that is how serious I view this situation. Council staff work tirelessly cleaning up after other people who seem to think they can discard their rubbish anywhere they like with no regard for others We are at a stage now where we are spending almost 2.5m on street cleansing every year. This is a phenomenal amount of money, and a stark reminder of the challenges council faces in the fight against litter. We collect waste from over 2100 public litter bins throughout the year, with an additional 200 large temporary bins provided during peak season in coastal towns and beaches. We operate a womble service, night-time collections and have beach wardens in place at a number of locations. But without the support of the public, we are fighting a losing battle. Our staff deserve huge credit for their efforts, and we can all put this into action by taking responsibility for our waste. For those who continue to show a disregard for our local environment, a financial penalty may be the only way to make them realise that littering simply isnt worth it. The new enforcement service is provided by Waste Investigations Support & Enforcement (WISE), a specialist provider of environmental crime services to councils across the UK. Patrols will take place seven days per week at locations throughout the borough. A one-year trial period with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council began earlier this month with officers able to hand down 80 Fixed Penalty Notices to those found littering or not removing their dogs foul. They will also work with the public to identify areas of concerns and help to promote the Green Dog Walkers Scheme. The Indian community in County Derry has held an event to thank Northern Ireland for the support given to them locally during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sanjay Ghosh, of ImageNation NI, travelled to Coleraine to mark the event, and reserved special praise for local MLA Claire Sugden. The East Derry MLA had assisted in providing information relating to travel and spoken to the group about ways to include and engage the diverse communities in future events and projects. "When I learned of the kind gesture, I wanted to reach out to the people of Northern Ireland to thank them," said Sanjay. "The kindness shown by Northern Ireland has made us feel proud to be part of this wonderful country. The help and support extended by MLA Caire Sugden in form of information was met with much relief. "The oxygen generators being organised by minister Robin Swann are able to produce 100 litres of oxygen in one minute and will save lives." Mayors of both Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council said they were delighted to be invited to the event. "On behalf of Council, I want to thank Sanjay and everyone at ImageNation NI for reaching out in this way to express their thanks," said Causeway Coast and Glens Mayor Richard Holmes. "The pandemic has had a profound impact here in Northern Ireland and around the world, not least for those families who have lost a loved one. "But as well as this, theres also been a renewed spirit of support and togetherness and todays event was a timely opportunity to reflect on this. "Whether through small gestures in our local communities or the sharing of resources between countries, we are certainly stronger when we work together to help each other." Alderman Graham Warke, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane, said the co-operation between the communities was 'heart-warming'. "The way that NI and India have been able to work together to supply vital materials to help in combatting this horrible disease is a really heart-warming example of positive collaboration that ultimately has saved lives," he said. "I want to extend my best wishes to everyone in India as we move forward from what has been a difficult past 18 months for us all. Thanks to ImageNation NI also for allowing me to represent our district. They continue to do excellent work locally." Claire Sugden MLA said the Indian community in Northern Ireland were 'highly valued'. " Understanding the changing rules such as those for quarantine, which tests were required and limits on travel itself can be a complex task, but I was only too happy to help where I could and delighted it was of use, she said. Hopefully the pandemic will ease, not just here, but across the world, allowing people to reconnect with friends and family and allow normal life to resume more fully. I would like to thank the entire Indian community for their support and thanks." A device found in an early-morning security alert in Maghera was viable, police have said. The Tirkane Road in the town had been closed off following reports of a suspicious object, which police first received just before 5.00am this morning. "Shortly after 4:50am, police received a report of a suspicious object located in the area," said Detective Constable Ford. "Police attended the scene along with Ammunition Technical Officers. The object, which has been declared as a crude but viable device has been taken away for further forensic examinations. A number of residents who were evacuated from their homes have now returned and we would like to thank those affected by this alert for their patience during this proactive policing operation. Our enquiries are continuing and we would ask anyone with any information which could assist with our enquiries to call detectives in Cookstown on the non-emergency number 101 quoting reference number 174 17/08/21. "A report can also be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/ makeareport/ . You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/ . Local MLA Patsy McGlone has condemned the incident. "I fully condemn those who left a viable device in a residential area with no thought for what damage they might cause," he said. "Its fortunate that nobody was hurt in this incident which caused widespread disruption for those living in the area and motorists who travel through it. "Residents had to be evacuated from their homes and this is the last thing they need to be dealing with on a weekday morning. We dont want to see aa repeat of this incident and I would call on those behind this alert to cease at once before someone is seriously hurt or worse. "Our community should be able to go about their business in peace without worrying about attacks like this. I would encourage anyone with information around this security alert and any other related issues to come forward to the PSNI. "There is no justification for this type of behaviour and I hope that police apprehend those behind this device as soon as possible. Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan's old Fortune Heights apartment rented out for Rs. 3.5 lakhs per month Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan have moved into their new and bigger apartment before the arrival of their second son Jeh earlier this year. The couple has now reportedly rented out their old apartment which is based in Fortune Heights in Bandra. According to a report in Money Control, Saif and Kareena have rented out the sprawling 1500 square ft. apartment with two parking spaces for Rs. 3.5 lakhs a month. According to a rent agreement accessed by Indextap.com the property has been rented to a firm for a period of three years with a security deposit of Rs. 15 lakhs. The rent on the property will appreciate every year as per the agreement which was signed on August 13. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan) Kareena and Saif lived together in their old Fortune Heights apartment ever since they got married in 2012 and are deeply attached to the place. The property is valued between Rs. 12 to 14 crores. They moved into their new home in January 2021 when Kareena was 8 months pregnant with son Jeh. The couple and their two sons Jeh and Taimur are currently in the Maldives on a vacation. The family rang in Saif Ali Khans 51st birthday there on August 17. Sidharth Malhotra says he & Kiara Advani cherish their lives away from the industry, talks about his first meeting with the actress Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advanis chemistry in the recently released Shershaah has been the talk of the town. While their film based on the life of Captain Vikram Batra has been a grand success after releasing on Amazon Prime Video, the fans just cant get enough of this rumoured couple. The actor got talking about his reel and real-life connection with the actress who played Dimple Cheema in the film. Shershaah was Kiara and Sidharths first on-screen collaboration and the actor recalled while talking to ETimes that their first meeting was a couple of years ago for the film. Sidharth, however, recalled how he had seen Kiara on the sets of Karan Johars Lust Stories and both he and Karan appreciated the earnestness the actress brought to the screen, and therefore they were eager to get her on board. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sidharth Malhotra (@sidmalhotra) While Kiara in a recent interview called Sidharth one of her closest friends, the Shershaah actor who is rumoured to be dating the actress said that like that there is a certain sense of regularness to her. I think even personally, there is a sense of regularness to her, which we both connect on. I am a boy who is from Delhi and I am not connected to the industry per se, but now have been here for many years. She has been working for a couple of years as well. We both have lives away from the industry and that is something that we connect on and cherish. Sometimes you get so embroiled in all these things that you forget to have a regular life. I think both of us have regular lives and thats what we connect on, Sidharth told ETimes. Kiara and Sidharth have been vocal about their mutual admiration for each other but have never commented on their relationship status. Even outside work commitments, the two have been often been seen hanging out together. Shilpa Shetty ends all rumours of being replaced as a judge on Super Dancer, as resumes shoot after almost a month Shilpa Shetty who has been keeping away from the limelight since her husband Raj Kundras arrest in July has finally resumed work. The actress who has been judging the ongoing season of the dance reality show Super Dancer has returned after a break according to reports. The Hungama 2 actress was on the sets of Super Dancer 4 judging the show with Anurag Basu and Geeta Kapoor on August 16, reports Times of India. Shilpa who has had to battle a slew of allegations and controversies since her husband was arrested on July 19 for allegedly being involved in a pornography racket, had skipped the shoot for Super Dancer on the next day and has only returned on sets now. In her absence, the makers of the show brought in special guests weekly like Genelia DSouza, Riteish Deshmukh, Jackie Shroff, Sangeet Bijlani, Karisma Kapoor, Sonali Bendre and Moushumi Chatterjee to judge the show. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty) According to reports, the makers of the show are happy to have Shilpa resume her duties as a judge and them not having to find a replacement. This finally puts an end to all rumours of the actress getting replaced as a judge on the reality show. Shilpa has been on the panel of judges for Super Dancer since the show first kicked off in 2016. In the upcoming episodes, the finalists of Indian Idol 12 will appear as guests on the show. Bigg Boss OTT Promo: Ridhima accuses Pratik of bullying her; Karan Nath gives him a stern warning Bigg Boss OTT seems to be in a fast-forwarded mode as the contestants have only 6 weeks to connect with the audience. Well, after one long week most fans already know who their favorite contestant is. However, the same is not the case with the housemates as they are still trying to understand one another. So obviously bonds are bound to change. Take Ridhima Pandit and Pratik Sehajpal for instance. Things were going fine between them but all of a sudden they have turned into enemies who cant stand each other. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Voot (@voot) In tonights episode, the celebs will get a chance to speak their heart out during the panchayat task. According to the promos, things will get worse between them when Pratik will say that the actress is 'kaamchor'. Ridhima will claim that everyone is ganging up on her because of which her connection Karan Nath is suffering. This doesnt go down well with some of the contestants and when Pratik continuously interrupts Ridhima, the actress will have an outburst like never before. Karan will also intervene and will give Pratik a stern warning. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Voot Select (@vootselect) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Voot (@voot) Whats shocking is that in the promos, Ridhima is seen accusing Pratik of bullying her. For the uninitiated, their fights began when captain Pratik asked Ridhima why she didnt wash utensils, which is her duty. When Ridhima said that she was sick, Pratik asked her to inform the other housemates next time so that they can finish the work for her. Who do you think is wrong here? Bigg Boss OTT: Upset over not being invited, Rakhi Sawant says she'll will enter the house: 'Apko meri zaroorat hai' Rakhi Sawant after garnering success in her career post the very first season on Bigg Boss, turned heads and became a finalist and star entertainer on Bigg Boss 14. A sensation on social media widely known for her fun antics with the paparazzi after the show, Rakhi is once again ready to enter the Bigg Boss house. The entertainer will enters the Bigg Boss OTT house today but before that happens she posted a video on social media expressing how disappointed she was when she learnt that Sidharth Shukla and ShehNaaz Gill were invited for the show and not her. Calling herself over the top, Rakhi in the video says, I am really very upset. Bigg Boss OTT, you always think me to be Over the Top but where am I in Bigg Boss? I am not there this time. You called #Sidnaaz, but not me. I am very upset. What is this happening? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rakhi Sawant (@rakhisawant2511) Talking about entering the show Rakhi said, I am coming Bigg Boss. Karan (Johar) bhai toh dhamaka kar rahe hai. He is scolding everyone so much. But everyone is so hot-headed like a volcano about to erupt. You need me Bigg Boss. I want to come inside and make everyone quiet and add comedy ka tadka. I am coming Bigg Boss. Nobody can stop me. You had promised me Bigg Boss that you like me a lot and I will be there every year. I am coming on Bigg Boss OTT. Sidharth Shukla and Shehnaaz joined Karan Johar on the Sunday Ka Vaar episode as the very first guests. The show went live on Voot on August 8 and has been the hub of lots of controversies within the first week itself. Ambassador Gilsenan expresses condolences on the passing of Sister Ethel Normoyle News Sister Ethel Normoyle The Ambassador of Ireland to South Africa, Fionnuala Gilsenan, has learnt with deep sadness of the passing of Sister Ethel Normoyle. Ambassador Gilsenan paid tribute to Sister Ethel. The Irish community in South Africa has lost a very special person, with the passing of Sister Ethel Normoyle. The people of Missionvale will miss her sorely. She fully represented Irish values of solidarity, love and compassion; it is hard to describe to those who did not meet her, the determination and tenacity that she bought to her work on behalf of those less fortunate. She leaves behind a rich legacy, which will continue to inspire those who share her principle that every person has the right to human dignity. Ar deis De go raibh a hanam dilis. A member of the Little Company of Mary, she came to Missionvale in the Eastern Cape in 1988. Against all odds, she set up educational and health services, and later a fully integrated community centre dedicated to the fight against poverty and HIV and AIDS. As the founder of the Missionvale Care Centre, Sister Ethel Normoyle dedicated her life to the people of Gqeberha and served the community of Missionvale with dedication and selflessness. In 2009, she was honoured by President Kgalema Motlanthe with the Order of the Grand Counsellor of the Baobab in Silver for her excellent service to society, caring for the vulnerable members of her community. She followed in the footsteps of former President Nelson Mandela as a recipient of the Tipperary Peace Award in Ireland in 1996. The Embassy of Ireland in South Africa would like to convey its deepest condolences to Sister Ethels friends, family and the community of Missionvale and all those in the wider Missionary community who will be deeply affected by her passing. | Next Item The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphones will use the next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 chips in more regions instead of the Exynos SoC featuring AMD graphics, according to a report. The report from Lanzuk claims that Samsung's next-gen Exynos chips with AMD GPUs will have limited supplies, with product availability restricted to a few regions worldwide. Samsung blames low yield and production issues for the wider unavailability of its upcoming next-gen Exynos chips. As a result, most Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphones will use the Snapdragon 898 SoC instead to make up for it. What we know about the Samsung Galaxy S22's new Exynos chipset with AMD GPUs According to rumours, the new AMD GPU in the Exynos chip is a monster in terms of performance and even beats the Apple A14 Bionic chipset available in iPhone 12. AMD is using the RDNA 2 GPU architecture, which it also uses in PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, to level up the next generation of mobile gaming. With its partnership with AMD, Samsung is looking to boost the GPU performance on its smartphones and tip the scales in its favour. We are also seeing a shift in how game developers are approaching mobile gaming and many AAA titles are slated to launch for Android and iOS smartphones in 2021. Samsung will reveal more details about its upcoming flagship Exynos chip later this year. NEWS RELEASE Release Number: 2021-83 Date: August 17, 2021 Labor Commissioners Office Reaches $1.6 Million Settlement Securing Unpaid Wages for 22 Bay Area Restaurant Workers San FranciscoThe Labor Commissioners Office has reached a $1.6 million settlement with the owners of Z & Y Restaurant in San Francisco, securing compensation for 22 workers for unpaid minimum wages, overtime, split shift premiums and tips identified in a wage theft investigation from 2019. Including expected post-settlement interest, each worker will receive on average approximately $73,000 under this settlement from payments that began today after the employer entered into an agreement with the Labor Commissioners Office. California law prohibits employers from taking tips left by customers for servers, said California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower. Under this settlement, the employer will pay workers back all of those stolen tips totaling over $400,000. The Labor Commissioners Office learned of the potential violations in January 2019 after receiving a referral from the Chinese Progressive Association and Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. The investigation found that 22 servers and kitchen workers were not paid properly. The servers were paid hourly and the kitchen staff were paid a fixed salary that was below minimum wage and did not include overtime. The employer illegally kept tips left for the servers and did not pay servers split shift premiums when they were scheduled to work both the lunch and dinner shifts. In April 2020, the Labor Commissioner issued wage assessments and penalties totaling over $1.4 million to the owners of Z & Y Restaurant Inc. The employer appealed the citations. In September 2020, the Labor Commissioner filed a lawsuit to prosecute the restaurant owners for violations not covered by the citations, including the theft of tips, violations of Californias Paid Sick Leave law and record keeping violations. With the hearing on the citation appeal approaching, the employer reached a settlement with the Labor Commissioner that resolved the citations, the lawsuit, and pending wage claims that had been separately filed by four workers represented by the Asian Law Caucus. Notification has been delivered to the current and former restaurant workers of their expected settlement payments and workers began receiving settlement payments with an average of approximately $73,000 per worker based on the number of hours worked during the audit period and the tips that were appropriated by the employer. The settlement also includes $9,550 in civil penalties payable to the state. A significant amount of the payment due to workers in this case is from stolen tips, added Labor Commissioner Garcia-Brower. Workers must be proactive to protect their rights. Keep track of the tips you think you should have received to help support your claim and when approaching your employer about this issue, document the conversation and have a witness. The Labor Commissioners Office builds community partnerships to help workers understand their rights and employers know their responsibilities. The investigation with Z & Y Restaurant was opened after receiving complaints from workers who reported wage theft to community-based organizations. The Labor Commissioners Office worked with Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus and the Chinese Progressive Association, which represented some workers in the investigation. Workers who believe they have not been paid properly, or who have questions about other labor laws like retaliation, can get in touch with the Labor Commissioners Office. Call 833-LCO-INFO (833-526-4636) or contact the office closest to your workplace. The Department of Industrial Relations Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or the California Labor Commissioners Office, combats wage theft and unfair competition by investigating allegations of illegal and unfair business practices. The Labor Commissioners Office in 2020 launched an interdisciplinary outreach campaign, Reaching Every Californian. The campaign amplifies basic protections and builds pathways to affected populations so workers and employers understand legal protections and obligations, and the Labor Commissioners enforcement procedures. Californians can follow the Labor Commissioner on Facebook and Twitter. Contact: Communications@dir.ca.gov, (510) 286-1161 Subscriber content preview DJC file photo [enlarge] The Stone Cottage has stood for over 90 years. A locally beloved cottage in West Seattle is on the move today. Colloquially known as The Stone Cottage,' the structure was saved from demolition by the community and the Save The Stone Cottage Group. The cottage, which has a facade of more than 15,000 hand placed beach stones, has stood at 1123 Harbor Ave. S.W for over ninety years. It will now be moved into secure storage at the Port of Seattle just a mile south of its original location. The Stone Cottage was built by Eva Falk during the Great Depression. The move will take place tonight, Aug. 17, after 11 p.m. and will end after 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, Aug. 18. Moving company Nickel Bros. will pull the Stone Cottage off 1123 Harbor Avenue SW into the roadway, joining a SPD/SDOT led convoy to the Port of Seattle parking lot at 2400 Harbor Avenue SW. The cottage will be in storage temporarily. Save the Stone Cottage's final mission is to secure a new location, possibly in a park or on school grounds, so that this piece of history is preserved for generations to come. Save the Stone Cottage are putting on an event and auction to mark the move. For more information on the event and where to view the move please visit https://savethestonecottage.org/. . . . Subscriber content preview By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press LAME DEER, Mont. Wildfires in Montana threatened rural towns and ranchland last week and victims of a California blaze returned to their incinerated community, even as the U.S. West faced another round of dangerous weather and smoke pollution fouled the air. Firefighters and residents have scrambled to save hundreds of homes as flames advance across the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana. . . . Subscriber content preview By JAMES MacPHERSON Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. Bakken Energy and Mitsubishi Power Americas on Monday announced they are acquiring a financially troubled synthetic natural gas plant in western North Dakota and plan to redevelop it to produce renewable energy. The companies said the deal to purchase the Great Plains Synfuels Plant from Dakota Gasification Co. is expected to be finalized by next April. Dakota Gasification is a subsidiary of Bismarck-based Basin Electric Power Cooperative. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. . . . Subscriber content preview REDMOND An old 10-unit apartment building at 16912 N.E. 79th St., likely bound for redevelopment, has sold for $3.2 million, according to King County records. The seller was Park Apartments Alliance Investments LLC, which acquired the property in 2016 for about $2 million. The buyer was Anderson Park Properties LLC, which is associated with an investor group in California. Public records indicate a loan from First National Bank of Allendale. . . . Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Hillcourt Apartments, at 3022 N.E. 140th St., have sold for just under $12 million, according to King County records. The seller was Maui Group LLC, which acquired the property in 1999 for $6 million. The buyer was CRE North Seattle Partners LLC, which is associated with of Cadence Real Estate, which often makes value-add investments. Public records indicate a nearly $15 million loan from Readycap commercial. . . . Local Local Folks: Booneville woman retires from nursing after 47 years BOONEVILLE For Iuka native Carol Ivy, having her second child was life changing in multiple ways. She was living in Belmont, and as she was having the baby, her nurses for unknown reasons began talking with her about going to nursing school. Ivy immediately took to the idea. I thought that was great, Ivy said. So, with a 9-week-old baby and a 2-and-a-half-year-old in tow, she began nursing school at Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) in 1972. Balancing home and school wasnt the easiest thing shed ever done. During that time, her husband, Carrol Ivy, got a job in Valdosta, Georgia, and could only visit on the weekends. But with the help of family in Belmont, she survived. Her husband got a job as a plant manager in Marietta, Mississippi, shortly before she graduated nursing school. Post graduation, she got a job at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Booneville. This was in 1974, and it didnt take long for her to fall in love with her work, which mostly involved working with post-op patients. Then she jumped into teaching practical nursing at NEMMC. Having grown up with a father who was a teacher, Ivy never thought shed follow in his footsteps. I said no. Never never never will I be a schoolteacher, she said. Life, as it so often does, had other plans. When she was offered the job at NEMMC, she reconsidered her vow to avoid becoming a teacher. It was, in hindsight, the right decision. I absolutely loved it, Ivy said. It was just something that was so fulfilling in my life, to be able to do that for students. She taught for 30 years and took a great deal of pride in her students success. Four years before she retired from teaching nursing, she was given the opportunity to work at the Baptist Memorial in Booneville part-time. She retired from teaching on a Friday and went to full-time nursing on Monday. Quote Everybody, every patient has feelings. They express them in different ways, they have behaviors that they express in different ways, and you just got to be able to love them all. Carol Ivy Booneville She stayed there for 19 years. Going from teaching back to nursing was a shift. In her career, shes taught between 300 and 400 students, and found many of her fellow nurses were former students including her unit manager. In this second part of her nursing career, Ivy worked on the psychiatric floor, where she found her true niche in nursing. I loved psychiatric nursing, she said. The mind is remarkable. You never are able to really predict what a psychiatric patient is thinking or going to do. It takes patience, understanding, but mostly love. I loved my patients. Every day presented a new challenge, but she found the work incredibly rewarding. Ivy retired in July after 47 years of nursing. She recently turned 77, and while she hated to leave, she realized pushing heavy chairs and patients around was physically tiring. Thomas Wells | Daily Journal Carol Ivy of Booneville poses for a photograph in her home in Booneville. Over the course of nearly five decades, Ivy has made three careers of nursing first working with post-op patients, then teaching students at Northeast Mississippi Community College and, finally, as a psychiatric nurse at Baptist Memorial Hospital. She said the work has been immensely rewarding. After spending most of her life in nursing, shes still adjusting to retirement. Its a new thing to me, Ivy said. Its just been a whirlwind. Ivy said shes looking forward to spending time with her family. Shes been married to her husband for 58 years. The two met after she graduated from high school. A neighbor who lived across the street from her parents wanted to give her a birthday party. The neighbor invited her to bring a date and tag. But two days before the birthday party, the friend shed asked to come along had to cancel. So, the neighbor whod invited her in the first place asked her cousin, John Carrol Ivy, to take his place. I fell in love with him that night, she said. He must have felt the same, because on their third date, Carroll Ivy told her they were going to be married one day. She didnt buy it at the time, but she humored him. Turns out, he was right. A year later, after he graduated from Ole Miss, we got married, Ivy said. The couple had two children, one who died in a car wreck, and four grandchildren: twin grandsons and two girls. Despite her best efforts, she couldnt get any of them into nursing, but that doesnt stop her from encouraging others to go into the field. Share your story Local Folks is an ongoing series highlighting the many unique and interesting people of Northeast Mississippi. Everyone has a story. To share yours, contact Blake Alsup at blake.alsup@journalinc.com If you are wondering what youre going to do with your life, please consider nursing, Ivy said. Anywhere you want to go to get a job, just about, you can get a job in nursing. To Ivy, nursing provided her with more than a career (or two arguably three); nursing taught her something she doesnt believe she would have learned otherwise: The importance of unconditional love. Everybody, every patient has feelings, she said. They express them in different ways, they have behaviors that they express in different ways, and you just got to be able to love them all. To Ivy, thats the essence of nursing. Its about caring for everyone. You cant pick and choose which ones you want to take care of, and you took the oath that you would do the best by all of them, she said. So unless youre going to do that, dont go into nursing. The IFA is hosting an online farmer meeting to discuss the governments Nitrates Action Programme. The event will be hosted on Thursday, August 19, at 8pm. There will be brief presentations from IFA senior policy staff, Geraldine OSullivan and Aine OConnell, followed by an open discussion where farmers can put forward their views. Farmers wishing to join the meeting can register using https://www.ifa.ie/nregs/. IFA Environment Chairman Paul OBrien said there are over 20 proposals outlined in the draft nitrates consultation, yet farm income isnt mentioned once. Many of the proposals, if agreed, would significantly damage family farm incomes. IFA will be highlighting this in its submission. Farmers will do more to protect water quality on farms, but adequate supports need to be put in place to make this happen, he said. IFA Dairy Chairman Stephen Arthur said the soiled water proposal prohibiting the spread of soiled water for an eight-week period is far too onerous on dairy farmers, particularly farmers operating split calving systems. In December and January, its estimated that approximately 65 litres of water is used per cow per day to wash down the parlour. Placing an eight-week storage period on farms, compared to the existing requirement of 10-15 days, would require farmers to increase their soiled water capacity sixfold for a typical 100 cow herd. This is an added expense of 20,000-30,000 which DAFM expects farmers to incur within a 12-month period. This is simply unacceptable, he maintained. The number of 12 to 15-year-olds who have registered for a Covid-19 vaccine has hit over 90,000, according to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. The Health Minister made the announcement when speaking to the Democrat at the Fairways vaccination centre in Dundalk this afternoon. "The very latest information we have on the vaccine rollout, especially for younger people is incredibly positive," said Minister Donnelly, speaking to the Democrat. "We've had over 90,000 registrations of 12 to 15-year-olds since the portal opened on Thursday, which is absolutely phenomenal. "70% of 16 and 17-year-olds have registered to be vaccinated already, and there's more coming in "Very, very positive indeed." It is understood that approximately 500 people between the age of 12 to 15 were vaccinated in the Fairways vaccination centre last weekend after the portal opened on Thursday. The vaccination centre is also on track to hit over 61,000 vaccines administered within the coming day. Minister Donnelly arrived at the vaccination centre earlier this afternoon, and spoke with staff around the centre about the work they have been doing for the last six months. He praised the work of the staff, saying that due to their work Ireland had the "most successful" vaccine programme in the EU. "We have, many people would say, the most successful, the best run vaccination programme anywhere in Europe and that's thanks to the amazing women and men here [Dundalk] and all over the country who are doing such incredible work." High Covid-19 levels in Dundalk Minister Donnelly told the Democrat that there was some concern within Government about the high case levels, not just in Dundalk, but across the country. The latest figures available show that the incidence rates for Dundalk and surrounding areas remain high, with Dundalk-Carlingford having a 14-day incidence rate of 921.9 per 100,000. Dundalk South also has a high 14-day incidence rate, at 832.4 per 100,000 population. "I am concerned about the level of cases and it's not just Dundalk, it's all over the country," said Minister Donnelly. "Right now, we have the second-highest 14-day incidence rate anywhere in the EU, and that's not where we want to be." The most recent 14-day incidence rate across the entire country is 482.8 per 100,000 population, updated yesterday by the Health Surveillance Protection Centre (HSPC). Minister Donnelly urged people to get vaccinated and to follow the current public health guidelines to help reduce case numbers across the country. 2020 was a stop-start-stop kind of year for Design POP, Corks festival of architecture, design, and food. But a year on, festival founder Amy McKeogh is back with a festival programme that is its most ambitious yet! Seven pavilions with 14 collaborators, two exhibitions, and an event schedule that includes 15 different talks, panel discussions and conversations with an impressive line up of contributors from across Cork and beyond, is a clarion call that Cork city is back bigger and better than ever. Design POP takes places across three days, from Friday, August 27, to Sunday, August 29. The seven outdoor pavilions, uniquely designed for the festival, are free to visit during their Activation Times, 12-6pm on Friday, and 10-6pm Saturday and Sunday. When the pavilions are active, it means something special is happening inside They are spaces and installations designed to be explored, to walk into or through, to draw you into these pop-up micro-worlds that use design to extend our idea of architecture and how spaces can speak to us. Designers such as Mark Horgan, who designs using an algorithm that allows a computer to determine what a design will be, beg us to question if this could be how structures are designed in the future? While on Sunday, the Architect on the Edge event, with Frank Monahon (AATE), Alan Macilwraith (JCA) and Rae Moore (Atelier Rae), discusses the very real issue of how Covid-19 has impacted how we live in terms of rural and urban architecture. Each pavilion is a collaboration between a designer and a food business. Collaborations such as acclaimed visual artist Maser with Crawford Gallery Cafe at Nano Nagle Place, Cook Architects with Ballymaloe Foods in Elizabeth Fort, and Play Nice Studios with Currabinny at Wandesford Quay. See the full listing below. Amy McKeogh Festival Director of Design Pop and Alan Macilwraith Senior Architect- JCA Architects pictured with works from Design Pops Milking Stool exhibition. Picture: Clare Keogh In addition to the pavilions and event schedule, this year Design POP will host two exhibitions. The Milking Stool exhibition, sponsored by Abbey Woods, will celebrate the creativity of Irish furniture designers by asking them to design and create a modern interpretation of the vernacular milking stool one of the most traditional pieces of Irish household furniture. The Bishop Lucey Park Redesign will be an exhibition of the plans for the redesign of this green space in the heart of the city, and the architectural partnership between Cork City Council, RIAI, and the architects who created the winning design: Hall McKnight Architects; as well as a panel discussion on Saturday at the Outdoor Festival HQ on Wandesford Quay. The programme of events held at Outdoor Festival HQ on Wandesford Quay includes talks, discussions, and conversations across topics as diverse as storytelling through photography and food styling, launching a brand and the creative process behind it, the impact of creativity on our lives, interior design, and many more. Events are ticketed with limited capacity and can be booked via www.designpop.ie. I asked Design POP founder, and Cork native, Amy McKeogh, how it feels to be back and what she is most looking forward to in this years programme. Its really great to have the festival running this year after the challenges of 2020, and Im really looking forward to all the events as we have a great mix of architects, designers and food/ drink producers speaking, says Amy. If I had to pick my festival highlights, on Friday would be all three talks a lovely mix of discussions from artists and Fiona Kearney, director of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery. On Saturday, Im looking forward to The Big Idea and Hall McKnight panel discussions, the conversation between Kate Ryan of Flavour.ie and Jenny-Rose Clarke from Toons Bridge Dairy and The Real Olive Company, and the closing conversation between Ardu and Maser. On Sunday, my highlights would be the panel discussion about Diversifying, and finally the Behind the Pavilions closing talk. "This is where I interview all the architects, designers, and producers involved in making the pavilions for this years festival. The conversation will be about their creative process and collaboration when creating the designs. Design POP is fortunate to be supported by a generous cast, including Cork City Council and LEO Cork City, and wouldnt be possible without their volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering for Design POP 2021 should email hello@designpop.ie For full details of this years programme, including locations of the pop-up pavilions, exhibitions, and event schedule, visit www.designpop.ie. What and Where? The 2021 Design POP pavilions, where they will be, and who are the collaborators: 1. The River Lee Hotel Mark Horgan X River Club Bar; Mark is a computational designer and studied Architecture and is teaming up with the River Lee Hotel 2. Wandesford Quay Play Nice studio X Currabinny; Play Nice are a creative studio based in Dublin, and they have teamed up with James Kavanagh and William Murray of Currabinny foods. 3. Elizabeth Fort Cook Architects X Ballymaloe foods; Architects Dermot Harrington and Paul Carpenter are teaming up with the household name Ballymaloe food 4. Nano Nagle Place Alan Macilwraith of JCA Architects X Good Day Deli; Alan, a senior architect in JCA, has previously worked with sustainable food lovers Clare and Kristin of Good Day Deli 5. Emmett Place Maser X Crawford Gallery Cafe; Internationally recognised visual artist Maser is teaming up with the Crawford Gallery Cafe to create a pavilion outside the Crawford Gallery 6. Penrose Dock Wilson Architects X Naturally Nourished; Wilson Architects are the award-winning firm that designed Penrose Dock, which is the location of Naturally Nourished health food cafe 7. Blackrock Castle CCAE X Blackrock Castle Observatory; The students and staff of CCAE (Cork Centre for Architectural Education) team up with Blackrock Castle Observatory in Blackrock Castle. A decision is due this week on the latest strategic housing development (SHD) proposed for Cork. Bellmount Developments Limited has applied for permission for the demolition of existing structures and the construction of 243 student bed spaces on the site of Kellehers Auto Centre, Wilton Road, Victoria Cross, Bishopstown. The 243 spaces are proposed to be spread through 40 apartments, ranging in size from single bed studio apartments to 8-bed apartments, and the structures are proposed to range in height from five to 10 storeys. Student facilities including student amenity space, two study rooms, a media area, games area, an ICT room and laundry room are also included in the plans. The provision of landscaping and amenity areas including a courtyard space, a riverfront amenity and two rooftop terraces are to be incorporated, if the project is green-lit. The provision of a bus stop, a set down area, one access point and footpaths on Victoria Cross Road are also proposed. A decision is due on the development from An Bord Pleanala this week. An Afghan businessman in Cork City who lost his aunt and several cousins in a bomb attack in his home village in recent days is hoping other members of his family will be able to come to Ireland. Bilal Jalil, who owns Cool Ireland on St Patricks Street, said he is extremely concerned about his remaining family in his home village near Kabul since the Taliban toppled the Afghan government in recent days. His father is among his relatives in Afghanistan. He said he knew 18 people who were killed in the bomb which killed his aunt. He said: My country is at war, it is burning. He spent yesterday seeking advice from non-governmental organisations in relation to seeking reunification with family members currently in Afghanistan. Taoiseach 'deeply concerned' Yesterday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he is deeply concerned about the Afghan situation. He said that the pace of developments has taken many by surprise. I fully endorse the call from UN secretary general Antonio Guterres for the Taliban to exercise the utmost restraint, he said. Protecting lives, meeting humanitarian needs, and respecting peoples human rights are paramount. All parties, including the Taliban, are obliged to, and must, respect international humanitarian law. The international community must play its full part in providing humanitarian aid and facilitating refugees. Ireland will participate fully in these efforts. The Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are coordinating our actions. Yesterday, foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney said his department is working to help get around 20 Irish citizens out of Afghanistan. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said Ireland will accept at least 100-150 more refugees from Afghanistan but that he expects a lot more over the coming weeks and months. Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie The Fine Gael minister said his department has been helping Irish nationals evacuate on commercial flights, but they have been canceled. There is now an effort to find alternative routes out for nationals and foreigners by working with other EU countries, the UK, and the US. Mr Coveney said that Ireland has agreed to take another 100 to 150 refugees. I have agreed with Roderic OGorman that we would make available between 100 and 150 more places in terms of refugees and will be prioritising human rights organisations, media, women and girls obviously and other family members that are vulnerable, he told RTE. 23 Irish nationals in Afghanistan I think there are 23 Irish nationals in the country and we have been in contact with them all, either directly or through organisations they work for. Many of them work with NGOs like MSF or WFP (World Food Programme). Fifteen of them have told us that they want to leave. Were co-ordinating that through the embassy in Abu Dhabi because we dont have an embassy in Kabul. My responsibility is for those 23. Some of those are dual nationals but anyone that has an Irish passport or Irish connections, we will be staying very close to try and get them out in the days ahead assuming they want to leave. Some have expressed a preference to stay for now, because theyre working with humanitarian organisations and doing very important work thats unfortunately become even more important now. We have already made decisions in relation to providing visa waivers for Afghans whove been trying to get out of Afghanistan for the last few days. We have already approved 45 visa waivers, some of those people are trying to get out and some are in Pakistan. James Cox A homeless charity has dismissed calls from the head of Dublin City Council to ban people living in tents on the streets. Owen Keegan said the issue is adding to anti-social behaviour and fuelling the perception that Dublin is unsafe. His comments came after the assault on Olympian Jack Woolley in Dublin city centre. Mr Keegan said it shouldn't be allowed when supervised accommodation is available in hostels. When Newstalk presenter Kieran Cuddihy suggested some homeless people may believe tents are safer than hostels, Mr Keegan replied: I dont accept that. I think being out on the street in a tent is objectively much less safe than being in a professionally managed hostel. There is an issue where, if you are in a hostel and a congregated setting, there has to be some limit on your behaviour. Some people find that very challenging. It's not good enough just to shame people who are living in tents. Acting CEO of Inner City Helping Homeless David Hall says Mr Keegan's comments are misplaced. Mr Hall told Newstalk: We need to collectively challenge the system, we need to collectively help people. It's not good enough just to shame people who are living in tents. We must address the reasons they're in those tents and help them find permanent homes, a safe place that they can call a home, he added. Instantly delete email threats for Office 365 365 Threat Monitor scans all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Receive real-time phone alerts, get real-time security breach updates and instantly delete threats with just one click - for free! Learn More. This summer brings hefty changes to Google's search algorithm. Software developers and website operators need to think about how to keep their sites ranking on top. Failing to do so can have a devastating impact on finger traffic that ads and page clicks have on business results. Google went live earlier this summer with its new Core Web Vitals algorithm to determine search rankings. With the implementation of Core Web Vitals as a key component of its search algorithm, Google has made a well-considered decision to reward sites that perform the best and that have been specifically designed to create the best experience for users, according to the company. That design factor is key to keeping website rankings at or near the top of the digital pile. Another key element is Google's continued reliance on Next.js, a JavaScript framework that lets web developers build server-side rendering and static web applications. Google has made significant open source contributions to Next.js, including code that allows webpages to load images faster. Platform developer Vercel and Next.js provide many critical capabilities that enable developers to ensure their sites rise in rankings based on performance improvements. The implementation of Google Core Web Vitals as a critical aspect of search placement moves web developers completely into a new era of user-experience-driven. That directly impacts developer-driven, business success criteria. Website performance increases have real business impact. Barely measurable improvements can result in the gain or loss of substantial amounts of revenue to web sites large and small, according to project developers. The ability to measure fully and accurately, and then easily and quickly improve the things that matter most to users is the key determinant of business success today. 6 Years in the Making Google began giving search ranking preference to web pages using AMP In 2016. The open-source project AMP technology enabled developers to create web pages that load faster on mobile devices. But getting faster results took considerable effort from the developers of those web pages. Since the introduction of AMP, newer technologies -- particularly the popular Next.js -- brought not only an ability to improve website performance but also improved the developer experience. Last year, Google and the Web Performance Working Group introduced Core Web Vitals to track how users experience the performance of websites. Core Web Vitals measure aspects of website performance that are uniformly critical to user experience. Google has tried to help educate developers on how to build for the web faster. The company also tried to incentivize developers with coding tools like AMP to give higher placement in search, along with providing Featured Snippets at the top of search results, according to Lee Robinson, head of developer advocacy at Vercel, creator of Next.js. Ultimately, faster pages provide a better experience for the users of Google, and that is where they were trying to help nudge the developer community. "Developers really did not like that. They did not like having to add Google's specific code to their applications. It created a little bit of backlash around that," Robinson told TechNewsWorld. So instead, Google realized that the core goal was to make fast websites and shifted its focus to providing a better application which they call Core Web Vitals. Essentially it is a different way to measure a website's performance in terms of what Google is looking for, he explained. Google looked at the millions of web pages and crafted performance metrics for all these pages. If a website is passing in the green on all these vitals, Google will rank it higher than that business's competitors. This process has been in the works for a few years. The search giant silently announced it a few years ago, letting developers know changes were coming to the search algorithm. Google metaphorically threw the switch last month. In typical fashion, nobody really starts to care until it actually happens, as it did last month. Now rankings are changing as the new algorithm looks for those new web vitals indicators, noted Robinson. Devs Respect Clarity The buy-in for web developers is optimizing their websites to comply with the new ranking rules based on the new priorities. Developers can now take the clear guidelines from Google back to their companies. Developers right away love that there is clarity on what they need to do to get their site or performance regarding SEO, Robinson said. While the new metrics will improve the performance of the web as a whole, it is definitely targeted more towards enterprise because they have the most to lose if their site is performing slowly. "Google clarified for developers that the new ranking has to do with your relation to your ranking with your peers and with your competitors. So if you have Apple and Samsung both ranking for phones, but Apple's website is twice as fast, that algorithm is going to give preference to that faster site as one of the factors," Robinson said. Unfortunately, Google's early ranking changes were challenging for web developers to react to, according to Jordan Adler, engineering manager for OneSignal. "The specific mechanisms of measurement were unclear, and Google often had to delay or soften the rollout of these changes so as to not over-emphasize mobile usability over other ranking factors," he told TechNewsWorld. Additionally, these changes were focused more on responsive web design than overall mobile user experience, Adler added. Work in Progress Speaking about clarity, Robinson added in response to a question that the current deployment of these Core Web Vitals is no doubt the first phase of an ongoing refinement process. His understanding of Google's work on the new algorithm from his experience with the development team is the process will be a continuous effort to understand how to empower developers to build fast websites. "I think the guidance around what makes a website fast will likely update over time as we get more and more metrics and data on real world usage of these things, but I think the core principles of what makes vitals are pretty solid," he said. That seems to fit the pattern of what Google has already done in prioritizing the mobile user web experience, according to Adler. "As the primary device used to navigate the web increasingly becomes mobile phones, Google and other search engines have been prioritizing the mobile user experience as part of their ranking approach," he said. This work really began in 2015 with the Mobilegeddon update. It continued with subsequent updates, he added. How the New Algorithm Helps Core Web Vitals advances these goals by creating a small set of specific and well-defined metrics that can be used by Google Search and other properties to measure website performance, explained Adler. These performance metrics are specifically defined to combat existing mobile UX problems on the web. For example, the First Contentful Paint (FCP) metric is intended to measure page load speed. On mobile devices, internet speed is often slower, so page load is a much more meaningful consideration, he said. The First Input Delay (FID) provides the first feedback to the user that the page is actually loading. The FID is intended to measure responsiveness to user input. Nobody wants to see a page load quickly, tap on a UI element, and then wait multiple seconds for a response, said Adler about why the metrics are necessary. The FID metric helps measure a web visitor's first impression of the site's interactivity and responsiveness. Finally, the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) metric is intended to measure the presence of what was formerly called "jank" and is now called layout shift. This is the experience of having a page's click/tap targets move while you engage with the page. It is one of the most frustrating pain points for mobile users. "These specific, well-defined metrics enable web developers to improve their mobile-friendliness and overall web app performance by measuring themselves. Unlike Mobilegeddon, devs can understand their impact on Core Web Vitals by measuring themselves using tooling like Lighthouse," Adler observed. Lighthouse is a tool built by Google specifically to provide actionable feedback to web developers as it relates to performance, SEO, accessibility, and other targeted areas of ecosystem enhancement. Jack M. Germain has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His main areas of focus are enterprise IT, Linux and open-source technologies. He is an esteemed reviewer of Linux distros and other open-source software. In addition, Jack extensively covers business technology and privacy issues, as well as developments in e-commerce and consumer electronics. Email Jack. Instantly delete email threats for Office 365 365 Threat Monitor scans all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Receive real-time phone alerts, get real-time security breach updates and instantly delete threats with just one click - for free! Learn More. Chromebooks were a hot commodity in the second quarter of this year, with shipments increasing 75 percent compared to the same period in 2020. Some 11.9 million of the laptops were shipped during the April-June quarter, or 13 percent of all notebooks, according to Canalys, a global market research company. "Chromebook vendors have doubled down on investments in the product category and most have continued to see strong returns in terms of growth," Canalys noted in a report released Thursday. HP led the pack in shipments with 4.3 million units, an increase of 116 percent over last year's second quarter, followed by Lenovo (2.6 million units) and Acer (1.8 million units). "The success of Chromebooks is proving to be remarkably resilient," Canalys analyst Brian Lynch said in a statement. "Their growth streak has extended well beyond the height of the pandemic as they have cemented a healthy position across all end-user segments in the industry," he continued. "Even as key markets like North America and Western Europe have seen schools begin to open up, shipments remain elevated as governments and education ecosystems plan for long-term integration of Chromebooks within digital learning processes," he added. Component Advantage In an interview with TechNewsWorld, Lynch explained that Chromebooks also had an edge over other notebooks because they were able to better deal with component shortages created by the Covid-19 pandemic. "It allowed them to eat up quite a bit of market share, as well as the boom in the education market, which Chrome dominates," he said. "Chromebooks use AMD processors more than Windows devices, and AMD was able to handle component shortages a little better than Intel," he added. Market research firm IDC also had strong year-over-year numbers for Chromebooks, pegging growth at 68.6 percent on shipments of 12.3 million units. While this wasn't a record quarter for Chromebooks, it wasn't far off the prior two quarters, which shattered previous highs, IDC noted. It warned, however, that while still in high demand and even on backlog for many education deals, vendors have started prioritizing higher margin Windows laptops given the ongoing component shortages. "While there isn't a single solution globally, many emerging markets continue to ramp up use of Android tablets while schools in some developed markets like the USA and Canada lean more toward Chromebooks," IDC analyst Anuroopa Nataraj said in a statement. "That said," she continued, "there has also been a recent uprising of Chromebooks in areas of Europe, as well as a few Asian countries as schools start opening up to platform change." Attractive Value Proposition Education is definitely a sweet spot for Chromebooks. "Chromebook volumes continue to be propelled by the education marketplace and the funding currently put in place to support more broad availability of Chromebooks to students," NPD Group Vice President Stephen Baker told TechNewsWorld. "Education continues to be a big Chromebook market and with kids going back to classrooms, many schools are buying new Chromebooks because the ones that they have are pretty old," added Jack E. Gold, founder and principal analyst with J.Gold Associates, an IT advisory company in Northborough, Mass. The Chromebook's value proposition also continues to attract buyers. "With the uncertainty around back-to-work in many parts of the country and the world, Chromebooks provide a low-cost way to provide access to a keyboard equipped laptop for students or people with lightweight computing needs," observed Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City. Recently, however, some Chromebook makers have started aiming higher than the low end of the notebook market. "We're seeing high-end Chromebooks from HP and Lenovo that cost more, are made from better materials, are sleeker, and have more appeal to business users who don't want something that looks like a toy, as a $200 Chromebook might," Rubin told TechNewsWorld. "One of the best things to happen to Chromebooks was recently announced by Microsoft," he added. "That's Windows 365, which allows a user to have a full PC in the cloud. If you can access a PC in the cloud, the client device becomes less relevant because you can have access to Windows software on a Chromebook." Breaking Out of Education Gold told TechNewsWorld that more and more enterprises are taking Chromebooks more seriously. "We know that because higher-priced Chromebooks are entering the market," he reasoned. "$199 isn't the sweet spot anymore," he continued. "It's more like $350, $450. We're even seeing $700 to $800 Chromebooks with features for the enterprise -- manageability, more rugged construction." "As more organizations adopt a cloud-first strategy for work, they're finding that they don't need a heavy-duty PC to access it," he added. "The cloud is making companies rethink the thin versus thick client issue. Lynch noted that with Chrome's hold over the education space relatively secure, Google is set to bet big on the commercial segment this year. "We expect to see a strong focus on attracting small businesses with updated services, such as the new 'Individual' subscription tier for Google Workspace and promotions on CloudReady licenses to repurpose old PCs for deployment alongside existing Chromebook fleets," he said in a statement. Modest Tablet Growth Canalys also reported a more modest growth of four percent for tablets during the period on shipments of 39.1 million units. Apple was the leader in tablet shipments with 14.2 million units, followed by Samsung with 8.0 million, and Lenovo with 4.7 million. Although Samsung and Lenovo trail Apple, their year-to-year shipments increased -- 13.8 percent for Samsung, 77.5 percent for Lenovo -- while Apple shipments declined slightly, by half a percent. "A lot of tablet growth is in Asian markets, where there's no bias toward Apple, as there is in the West," Lynch told TechNewsWorld. Rubin added that both Samsung and Lenovo have introduced some higher-end tablets that are more competitive with Apple's iPad. "Those products also implement the productivity layer in Android that allow it to act more like Windows," he said. Baker noted that in the U.S. NPD continues to see very strong growth for tablets as the pandemic has increased demand for additional large portable screens in the home. "We see across all brands and OSes a growing emphasis on larger screens and better performance as the tablet market continues its push to becoming more PC-like in the more premium products," he added. John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John. Vaccination clinics to open for 16 17 year olds The first vaccination clinics are being held later this week for individuals aged 16 and 17 to receive a vaccine. The clinics will be open for individuals in this age group to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine: Saturday 21 August 11am 3pm Tuesday 24 August 2:30pm 4pm Individuals wanting to attend these clinics can arrive without a booking, but will need to ensure that they are already registered with 111 before attending. Those who arrive and arent pre-registered with 111 will have to wait and may risk not being vaccinated on that day. Both clinics will be held at the Chester Street vaccination hub in Douglas. All attending are asked to please bring proof of identification with them. Young people aged 16 17 who are household contacts of an immunosuppressed person will be offered two doses of the vaccine in line with the adult rollout and will be invited to register in the coming days. Additionally, 17-year olds who are within three months of turning 18 will be offered a second dose appointment, this being confirmed shortly after their first dose All residents are encouraged to register for vaccination and attend appointments for increased protection against the virus and to reduce their risk of being hospitalised should they contract COVID-19. New Lieutenant Governor to be sworn in next month The Island's 31st Lieutenant Governor will be sworn in at a ceremony in Castletown next month. Lieutenant General Sir John Lorimer will succeed diplomat Sir Richard Gozney, who has held the post for the past five years. Sir John, a father-of-three, a father-of-three, served in the British Army for nearly 40 years and completed tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recently he has been working as advisor to the UK Ministry of Defence on the Middle East. As Lieutenant Governor, he will be the Queen's personal representative and impartial adviser on the Island until 2026. The Islands top judge, First Deemster Andrew Corlett, also holds the position of Deputy Lieutenant Governor, and acts on his behalf when required. He said: We are delighted to welcome Sir John to the Island. It will be a privilege to swear in the Islands next Lieutenant Governor in such an historic setting. The swearing in ceremony will take place in the old courtroom at Castle Rushen on 29 September. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Android TV fans looking for something a bit more powerful than a Chromecast should consider the NVIDIA Shield TV. But at its normal price of $150, it's significantly more expensive than Google's streaming dongle. However, now you can grab the NVIDIA Shield TV for $130, or $20 off its normal price. That's almost a record low we saw it drop to $129 ahead of Black Friday last year but this is the best price we've seen in 2021, and it's only come around a couple of times so far. Buy NVIDIA Shield TV at Amazon - $130 Buy NVIDIA Shield TV at Best Buy - $130 Buy NVIDIA Shield TV at B&H Photo - $130 Despite being more expensive than streaming dongles of similar size, the NVIDIA Shield is worth the extra money thanks to its Tegra X1+ processor. It's powerful enough to run the Android TV platform with ease, and it supports Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, Chromecast 4K and AI-powered HD-to-4K upscaling. It also works with the Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa, so you can bark orders at it instead of using the triangular remote if you wish. Don't let the tubular design alienate you either NVIDIA claims the shape helps avoid wireless interference, and the company still managed to include an Ethernet port, an HDMI connector, a microSD card slot and a power port on the compact device. The microSD card slot lets you expand on the Shield's internal storage, bringing additional content with you for offline viewing, and if you like to hardwire your streaming devices, the Ethernet port makes that possible. Overall, it's a powerful streaming device that's easy to use and can handle most anything you'll throw at it. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. Tinder plans to make ID verification a feature currently only available in Japan accessible to all its users, the company says. For now, we have few details about how this update, which is expected to roll out in the coming quarters, will work. In a statement, Tinder said ID verification would begin as voluntary and that it would consult with experts to determine what documents are most appropriate in each country, and other details. Tinder execs noted that ID verification can be a complex and nuanced issue, and that some users might have compelling reasons that they cant or dont want to share their real-world identity with an online platform. The company said its working with various experts to ensure its approach is equitable. 2021-08-17 Maeci The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that the Italian Embassy in Kabul, led by Ambassador Vittorio Sandalli, who returned to Italy yesterday from Afghanistan, has been immediately reconstituted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the other European diplomatic representations redeployed to their homeland, and is already operational. In close coordination with its European partners, it monitors the situation on the ground, also in view of this afternoon's meeting of EU Foreign Ministers. Furthermore, an Italian diplomatic unit stationed at Kabul airport continues to be operational, in close coordination with the Italian and international military chain. Physicians are seeing a rise in the number of children admitted to San Antonio hospitals with COVID-19, and they say those young patients are showing more severe symptoms. Several doctors believe most of those pediatric admissions can be attributed to the delta variant, which is more contagious and more easily transmissible than previous mutations of the coronavirus. Were literally holding our breath because school opens up today and next week as well ... Thats kind of what the big concerns in the next few weeks are for all of us, said Dr. Ted Wu, director of University Hospitals pediatric intensive care unit. On Monday, 24 youths sickened by COVID remained in San Antonio hospitals as inpatients, city officials said. The trend is affecting children of all ages from babies to toddlers to teens, doctors said. The rising pediatric admissions mark a change from previous surges of the pandemic, when children went to the hospital for other reasons, such as traumatic injuries, and tested positive for COVID-19 but didnt show any symptoms, Wu said. Now, children are being brought to the hospital primarily because of COVID-19 respiratory symptoms. On ExpressNews.com: Mask requirement in schools again backed by San Antonio judge Adding to the concern is that school is starting just as pediatric COVID cases are rising. Children under 12 are too young to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and arent eligible to receive the shots. The children now being hospitalized for COVID and sometimes intubated in the ICU are generally healthier than the pediatric patients seen earlier in the pandemic, said Dr. J.B. Cantey, an associate professor of pediatrics at UT Health San Antonios Division of Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Originally, we were seeing children with complex medical conditions or underlying problems; now we are seeing more younger, healthier children, Cantey said. A common theme right now is children whose only medical issue is being overweight or obese getting very sick with COVID-19. Childrens Hospital of San Antonio wont release numbers, but physicians working there said pediatric COVID admissions are rising. Compared to the previous times in the pandemic, we are definitely seeing an up-trend in children getting admitted with COVID-19 - more so, COVID pneumonia, said Dr. Niveditha Balakumar, a pediatric critical care physician at Childrens Hospital of San Antonio. We have a number of children - infants, teenagers and other children getting admitted to the ICU requiring oxygen, some even requiring a breathing tube and being on a mechanical ventilator. Balakumar attributed the increased activity to the delta variant, which accounts for more than 80 percent of COVID cases across the nation. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio says school mask rule still in effect, despite Texas Supreme Court stay This past weekend, 1,900 children across the country were hospitalized with the virus, Balakumar said. More than 300 of them are in Texas, she said. At University Hospital, the number of pediatric COVID patients currently admitted is small. Of the six children hospitalized there, three were in the ICU, Wu said. But this still marks an increase from earlier in the pandemic, which began in March 2020. Some young people are developing complications after contracting the virus. University Hospital is caring for a teen who was previously sick with COVID and did not seek treatment, Wu said. The teen later developed a blood clot in his lungs and began suffering from chest pains, which led to his hospitalization. He was a healthy teenager prior to this, Wu said. At Childrens Hospital of San Antonio, ICU admissions are increasing not only because of COVID, but also because of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which usually afflicts children under 4 years old. The latter illness has turned up earlier than normal this year. RSV cases usually surface in late fall or early winter, but this year, they began appearing in May and June, said Dr. Abhishek Patel, a pediatric critical care physician at Childrens Hospital of San Antonio. RSV usually causes mild symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, a runny nose, fever, wheezing, decreased activity and decreased appetite. But some young children can become severely ill. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD to require masks, vaccinations regardless of court rulings We are already seeing very sick kids with RSV, Patel said. Infection from this virus in particular can weaken the lungs. RSV can also make patients more susceptible to other infections, he added. We are concerned at this early spike in RSV, as well as co-infection with COVID-19 cases, which are going up. And we expect that we are going to see a lot more sicker kids this winter from both of those viruses. The best thing children can do to protect themselves is wear face masks, especially while indoors and at locations such as schools, the physicians said. Wear your mask at school, Wu said. Thats probably the simplest thing we can do. Face masks are incredibly effective at protecting people from the virus, Cantey said. We saw almost no transmission in schools last year when the mask mandate was in place, Cantey said. Hopefully, San Antonio will be successful in their efforts to reinstate universal masking in schools to protect the children, especially those who are too young to be vaccinated right now. Wu noted the COVID vaccines present far less risk to children older than 12 than hospital treatments for the virus. On ExpressNews.com: Mask mandates in school What Texas parents should know People should quarantine themselves and their families if anyone among them shows symptoms or tests positive for the COVID-19 virus or was in contact with someone who tested positive, Patel said. And the last thing, but not the least - if your child is turning 12 tomorrow, get your child vaccinated tomorrow, Patel said. COVID cases among children from infancy up to 9 years old have typically amounted to 7 percent of all COVID infections reported to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District throughout the pandemic, said Dr. Rita Espinoza, the agencys chief of epidemiology. That number has remained pretty consistent, she said. Children from infancy up to age 11 amount to 2 percent of all COVID hospital inpatient admissions in San Antonio, Espinoza said. pohare@express-news.net |Twitter: Peggy_OHare Fred Goodwin hasnt attended an in-person church service since March 2020 and he doesnt plan to do so anytime soon. The 67-year-old San Antonian, a parishioner at St. George Episcopal Church on the Northwest Side, has participated in services through the churchs Facebook page. My wife and I are both over 65 and vaccinated, but we felt like we should stay home and not take any chances, he said. The latest COVID-19 surge has presented new challenges for the faithful, and religious organizations are adjusting their coronavirus protocols in varying ways. At St. George Episcopal, face masks are optional for those who are fully vaccinated and required for those who are not. Despite restrictions loosening up in houses of worship, Goodwin said he doesn't feel like it's the right time to go back. Im going back to normal and to church when the medical experts tell me its safe to, not the governor, he said. The governors not a doctor. In response to the spike, the Muslim Children Education and Civic Center, or MCECC, and the Islamic Center of San Antonio require worshipers to wear masks indoors and bring their own prayer rugs. At MCECC, children under 12, who are not eligible to be vaccinated, are not allowed in the mosque. Muslims perform their prayers by standing shoulder to shoulder in rows, but individuals have been physically distancing since the onset of the pandemic, said Michael Martin, a spokesman for the Islamic Center. Temple Beth-El recently updated its policies and will require masks, social distancing and proof of vaccination for in-person worship, according to Rabbi Mara Nathan. The Archdiocese of San Antonio, under revised COVID-19 guidelines announced in May, requires masks in its buildings and encourages unvaccinated parishioners to get their shots. Masks are optional for fully vaccinated individuals. Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad Social distancing in church is encouraged but not required, and collection baskets may be passed. The updated guidelines allow worshipers to receive holy communion on the tongue. Music ministries also have returned to normal. John Tease, 51, resumed attending services at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on the East Side once he was fully vaccinated in March. I feel a greater connection at the church and being around the community, Tease said. Im hoping that we dont get to a situation where we have to close or stop attending in person, but if thats the case, I will watch services online. Texas Churches closed their doors during the early days of the pandemic but were allowed to reopen in May 2020, after Gov. Greg Abbott deemed religious services essential. Since then, places of worship have had to navigate multiple surges in COVID-19 and shifting recommendations on face masks at the state and federal levels. Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad During the first few months of the pandemic, religious institutions adapted by offering outdoor and online services. Many continue to do so. Churches also have had to cancel major events. Last year, St. Marks Episcopal Church in downtown San Antonio didnt hold in-person Christmas service for the first time in more than 100 years. Dr. Anita Kurian, head of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Districts communicable disease division, advises places of worship to follow the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those guidelines recommend wearing a mask when indoors in areas of substantial or high transmission regardless of your vaccination status. Bexar County is an area of substantial or high transmission, according to the CDC. Metro Health recently elevated its assessment of the COVID risk level from moderate to severe. Other than a reported outbreak of COVID-19 cases at a Universal City church last summer, Kurian said there have been no confirmed clusters in area churches. Some people who contracted the virus reported having gone to church, but it was difficult to pinpoint that an infection stemmed from having attended a service, Kurian said. In October 2020, Pastor John Hagee of Cornerstone Church was diagnosed with COVID-19. The megachurch on the North Side has more than 22,000 members. Hagee, then 80, reappeared in church a month later and told congregants he had spent 15 days in a hospital with double pneumonia. Im still supposed to be home gasping for air. Im on this platform speaking of the glory of God, for the healing power of God, he said. At the time, pharmaceutical companies were racing to produce a vaccine for the virus. Hagee told his congregation there already was one. I bring under the authority of Jesus Christ every sickness and every disease and especially the COVID thing thats sweeping this nation. We have a vaccine. The name is Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, he said. Malak.Silmi@express-news.net Archaeologist Christie Kokel Rodriguez was working on a dig in Belize in 2014, hoping to find artifacts that might add to her research into the elaborate processionals that Maya were known to conduct. Instead, she found a royal burial site. It was just an incredible find, something that was completely unexpected, said Kokel Rodriguez, who was a Ph.D. graduate student at the University of Texas at San Antonio at the time. Some of the objects pulled from the earth at the Buenavista del Cayo archaeological site during that dig and another one in 2019 are now on display in Nature, Power and Maya Rituals, a small but significant exhibit at the San Antonio Museum of Art. Both digs were part of ongoing research in the Central American country by a team from UTSA led by professors Jason Yaeger and M. Kathryn Brown in collaboration with the Belize Institute of Archaeology. These particular burials were excavated as part of a larger research program that we have to understand the development of political authority and particularly divine kingship in this part of the Maya world, said Yaeger, who first went to Belize as an undergraduate in 1990. Nature, Power and Maya Rituals includes elaborately decorated vases and vessels, as well as marine shell and jade jewelry that adorned the body of a king found at the site. There also is a video depicting the archaeologists in action. The exhibit was curated by Bernadette Cap, who supervised the 2014 dig and is in the second of a two-year Mellon curatorial fellowship at the museum. She also included artifacts from the museums collection. Less is known about the history of those pieces. Julie Unruh /Mopan Valley Archaeology Project Part of the significance of the exhibit, Yaeger said, is that the provenance of the artifacts from the 2014 and 2019 digs is known, which is not always the case in similar shows. On ExpressNews.com: Check out four emerging Lone Star artists in Texas Biennial to watch Objects like this are beautiful, they have an amazing amount of aesthetic value. And historically, theyve also had a lot of value as artwork, he said. And so theres been a long, long history of illicit excavations and looting of Maya sites to obtain painted vases and jade objects and carved shell objects for sale on the art market. Thats tapered off quite a bit over the last few decades, thanks to international law and changes in museum policies and such, but what it means is a lot of objects like this that we have in museums and private collections, we dont know exactly where they came from. And so for us, finding these objects in the place where the Maya deposited them, where they left them with great care 1,500 years ago, allows us to say so much more. Kokel Rodriguez had some high-tech help in locating that site in 2014. She made the first exciting discovery thanks to a light detection and ranging, or LiDAR, camera. Nature, Power and Maya Royals Where: San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. When: On exhibit through Feb. 27. Details: Museum admission costs $10-$20; free for Bexar County residents 10 a.m.-noon Sundays. samuseum.org. See More Collapse Basically, you attach a fancy camera to a drone, and you fly this drone over your area, and it takes an image of what the ground looks like if you were to completely remove and bulldoze all of the trees and vegetation, Kokel Rodriguez said. With this new LiDAR data, I noticed there were two funky-dunky, really teeny, tiny, almost miniature pyramids in front of the eastern pyramid at the site, Buenavista del Cayo, which is where I worked with Dr. Yaeger. We had no idea that these cute little precious pyramids, these structures, actually existed. The vegetation was so thick you couldnt see them if you were looking right at them. She and the small crew she was working with put in a test pit to see what they might find. As they were excavating, they spotted a line of stones, an indicator they might be on to something. Stone alignments dont happen just on their own, Cap said. They kept digging. The more we started excavating around it, we realized, this is shaped like a coffin, Kokel Rodriguez said. This is so rare, and so we started excavating in the middle of this coffin-shaped unit only to find out that it was empty. There were a few artifacts, but nothing terribly exciting, she said. They kept digging, and they found a second burial site below the first. This one was intact, and included the body of a king, and the ceramics and jewelry with which he had been buried. A shell pendant included some text: This is the pendant of Naah Uti Kab, King of Komkom. Komkom is the name of what is now known as Buenavista del Cayo. The condition of the site, which was dug into raw clay, indicated the body had been buried right before the rainy season, Yaeger said. When it rains, the clay absorbs lots of water and swells. Thats what happened with this burial, he said. The side walls were pushed inward the analogy I think of is the trash compactor from Star Wars, only without the tentacles and such. That crushing force of the swelling clay broke the ceramic vessels pretty badly and actually shifted the body around quite a bit. Whats really fascinating, if you like CSI and Bones and those kinds of things, is that we can tell that this must have happened before the body had decomposed much at all because the pelvis was shifted almost to a 45 degree angle relative to the body, and one of the legs was pulled up about 6 or 8 inches. The 2019 dig was in a pyramid temple. That had different problems because of the weight of all of the materials that had been placed above the burial in later construction episodes, Yaeger said. The Maya would build one temple on top the next. The weight of that upper material had caused some shifting in the walls of the tomb, so a few stones had fallen in and shattered some of the vessels. Some were intact; some were pretty broken. A conservator from Guatemala spent about a month putting four painted vessels back together. On ExpressNews.com: Renovated City Hall spotlights S.A. artists The pieces in the exhibit are on loan from the government of Belize, Yaeger said. When the exhibit closes, they will be returned. Yaeger and Brown, who are married, have been working on sites in Belize for 15 years, making research trips with students each summer. They had to skip 2020 because of the pandemic. To help Belizeans who would have been employed at the site that year, they established a GoFundMe campaign. It raised $25,000, which provided food assistance to 105 families. This year, they went for 10 days. We wanted to visit face to face with our partners in the Belize Institute of Archaeology, our great collaborators and without whom we couldnt do what we do, Yaeger said. So we wanted to meet with them, see how they were doing. And we have some additional materials that arent exhibition worthy but are important scientifically that we wanted to arrange to export. So we had a whole number of little pieces of business that we took care of. Because the pandemic remains an issue, they didnt do any excavating. When were running at full peak, we have 80 local men and women who work for us, and bringing them together in the close quarters of an excavation trench, or in the lab where theyre processing materials, just introduces all sorts of risks that we didnt feel were responsible for us to introduce to the local community, Yaeger said. The SAMA exhibit has been in the works for a while, and Yaeger said hes grateful people finally can see it. I got into archaeology because of my passion for trying to understand the ancient Maya, he said, and theres nothing more thrilling than to share that through my classes, though public lectures I might give and now through this exhibit. dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN A Comal ISD high school teacher is accused of sexually assaulting one of her students, New Braunfels police said. Emily Marie Anderson, 34, was arrested Monday on suspicion of sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony. Anderson was hired for the 2020-2021 school year at Canyon High School as a Special Education Inclusion Support Teacher and assistant Cheer sponsor. On ExpressNews.com: Former SAPD officer hospitalized after shootout with deputies in Tennessee Police said Anderson was in a "sexual relationship" with a 15-year-old male victim. They did not disclose additional details. The teacher was taken into custody at NBPD headquarters and transported to Comal County Jail. Her bond is set at $50,000. New Braunfels police said they are investigating whether there are additional victims. Anyone who believes they may be a victim is asked to contact the New Braunfels Police Department at 830-221-4100. In a letter sent to parents Tuesday morning, principal Dustin Davisson said that Anderson has been placed on administrative leave and "will not be returning to Canyon High School." He described the situation as "disturbing." The district also assured parents that all employees must pass background and criminal history checks during the hiring process. Officials say the district has been fully cooperative with the investigation. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina Democrats are getting $100,000 from the Democratic National Committee to bolster voter registration efforts as the party aims to pour money into states traditionally dominated by Republicans before the 2022 midterms. The first-ever Red State Fund grant will provide the state's Democratic party with resources to hire staff and get people registered across South Carolina, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison announced Friday. The grant is just the beginning of the investments the DNC will make in state parties, accompanying other efforts to build out infrastructure related to voter registration and protection, Harrison said. The South is changing, said Harrison, an Orangeburg native who led the South Carolina Democrats until 2017. We need to make sure that were doing the work to get those people registered to vote, to educate those folks, to mobilize them, and then get them to the polls and protect their votes when they get there. Prior to taking charge of the DNC, Harrison was known for the record-breaking $130 million he raised as he mounted a challenge to Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham last year. Harrison, who lost the 2020 race, said Friday that although much of the cash he and Graham raised went to television ads, his role now is to build a stronger state party. South Carolina and other state organizations are also getting $15,000 monthly with no strings attached, Harrison noted. We have to make sure that were good stewards of the financial resources that theyre putting in South Carolina, said Trav Robertson, the current state Democratic chair. Several Democrats have already announced they are vying to replace Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in next year's election. In a statement Friday, South Carolina GOP Chairman Drew McKissick said the Democrats' wasteful spending last year helped Republicans in the state secure their most successful election cycle in more than 140 years, when the GOP gained a U.S. House seat and flipped several statehouse seats as well. We cant believe that Jaime Harrison hasnt learned this yet, but it doesnt matter how much money you have or spend if people arent buying what youre selling and South Carolina voters have proven were not buying what Democrats are selling," McKissick said. A new exhibit building at the Alamo, set to break ground next week, will house artifacts donated by rock star Phil Collins and the Alamos own collection as a ticketed experience, although an admission price has not been determined. Theres a lot of weaponry there that I think a lot of folks will be interested in that were donated by Collins, Alamo Trust Executive Director Kate Rogers said Wednesday. The Alamo will break ground on Aug. 17 for the $15 million Alamo Exhibition Hall and Collections Building on the northeast corner of the 4.5-acre complex. The Collins collection contains more than 400 items, and the Alamo has about 2,000 documents, relics and artifacts in its own collection. The exhibit hall will feature primary items from the Collins collection that will be periodically rotated out, in compliance with a 2014 agreement the musician entered with the Texas General Land Office, along with pieces from the Alamo collection, Rogers said. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo called the most successful mission in Texas Gensler, the architectural firm that designed the building, has changed some of the exterior design to include more textured materials, recessed windows and other features to make the structure more visually engaging. The Texas Historical Commission last month approved a permit for the construction, contingent on improvements to the buildings aesthetic. A few commission members said it looked too plain. Although some have raised questions about a handful of items in the Collins collection that were thought to have possibly belonged to Jim Bowie, William Barret Travis and David Crockett, Rogers said the Alamo is committed to integrity in the way items are displayed. Our goal at the Alamo, as it relates to the Collins collection or any other items that are gifted to us, is were always going to do the research to understand the provenance. Theres a lot of important items in that collection, and we will always be 100 percent honest and authentic in the way that we interpret items and we put them on display, she said. The exhibit hall is part of the $388 million Alamo project, down from an original estimate of $450 million. The plan reduced the cost after the historical commission last year denied a permit to relocate the Cenotaph. Also, the project team has decided to mark the outline of the mission-forts historic footprint, rather than lowering part of the plaza by up to 24 inches, as originally proposed. The trust is raising funds for a $250 million project to construct a new Alamo museum and visitor center on the west side of Alamo Plaza, using the existing 1882 Crockett Building and 1921 Woolworth Building. The state recently committed $50 million to the museum, and Bexar County has pledged $25 million in matching funds over five years, while an anonymous donor has committed $1 million. Meanwhile, the state and city of San Antonio have spent or committed $138 million to improve the Alamo grounds, with archaeological research and restoration of the Alamo Church, Long Barrack and the plaza, including removal of curbs and trips hazards; utility relocation; installation of new security bollards; and street closures and landscaping. On ExpressNews.com: Mystery surrounds location, details of Battle of Medina Hope Andrade, a board member of the Alamo Trust and chair of the six-member Alamo Management committee, said the city, Land Office and trust are determined to have the project completed in 2025. Were in sync, Andrade said. Were very committed to making sure that we deliver the project. Former City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, a descendant of Alamo defender Jose Toribio Losoya, is vice chair of the management committee and a tri-chair of the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee. She said the diverse 30-member citizen panel also is providing important feedback on the project through facilitated and respectful discussions about interpretive content. We still dont all see eye to eye on every single thing, but it is very healthy and robust conversation, Viagran said. shuddleston@express-news.net With a few speeches, patriotic marching music and simulated musket fire, the Alamo broke ground Tuesday on its first major construction project in decades an exhibition center that will carry the historic mission and battle site into a new era. The $15 million Alamo Exhibit Hall and Collections Building, set to open in fall 2022, will house items donated by rock star Phil Collins and the Alamos own collection, which is more than four times as large with over 2,000 artifacts. Currently, there is only enough exhibit space to house about 1 percent of its items. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told a crowd of about 200 people that the Legislature is all in at the state level. He promised another major appropriation in 2023 in addition to the $150 million it already committed to improving the Alamo grounds and building the future museum. Patrick said the Alamo project has bipartisan support. I think weve seen the best of Texas come together on this project, Patrick said. Alamo officials expect actual construction of the exhibit hall to begin Sept. 1, after preliminary archaeological testing and prep work has been done. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo exhibit hall to feature Collins artifacts as part of ticketed experience The 24,000-square-foot exhibit and collections hall will have about 10,000 square feet of display space, mostly on the second floor, with a conservation lab, office space and other support functions on the first floor. Jerry Lara /Staff photographer A $250 million museum project would convert the Crockett, Palace and Woolworth buildings into a combined 100,000-square-foot visitor center and museum, with at least 32,000 square feet of exhibit space. Once the museum opens, scheduled in 2025, the exhibit hall will house temporary exhibits of items from the Alamos own holdings, as well as other historic sites and museums across the county, Alamo Trust Executive Director Kate Rogers said. The total cost of the project, including improvements to the plaza, is expected to be nearly $400 million. Both the exhibit hall and the four-story museum will charge admission to keep the site operationally self-sustaining. Rogers said the Alamo will continue fundraising for long-term preservation and maintenance. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush noted Tuesday that the groundbreaking occurred in the nick of time to comply with an agreement for Collins donation. The agreement called for a facility to exhibit his artifacts to be under construction or in the schematic phase of build out by October 2021. Bush said Collins would be on hand for the buildings opening next year. Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the groundbreaking was literal proof that the Alamo plan is now becoming a reality after people had mused for decades about a major overhaul of the site. Since 2015, under a partnership between the city, General Land Office and nonprofit Alamo Trust, two previous designs for the city-owned plaza have been redone. Then, the project nearly came to a halt after the state denied the city a permit to relocate the 1930s Alamo Cenotaph. Many times over, weve encountered our fair share of bumps in the road during this process, as you would imagine one of the most complex and contested pieces of real estate in Texas to deliver. Weve adapted when necessary, Nirenberg said. The Alamo, though, is too important to neglect. The plan is essential to ensuring its place for the future. Bexar County Commissioner Trish DeBerry said the county created a perfect trifecta in May when it committed $25 million over five years to the museum, joining the city and state on the Alamo project. That pledge was contingent on the Alamo Trust privately raising a matching amount and the involvement of DeBerry and Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores on exhibits at the museum. What we see today is consensus has bred success, DeBerry told the crowd. We look forward to more robust conversations associated with the county at the table. After the groundbreaking, Clay-Flores said she was disappointed that aside of a reading in Spanish of Col. Juan Seguins 1837 eulogy of the fallen defenders, the ceremony appeared to lack ethnic and racial diversity. She said she would continue to be a voice for this community on the project and make sure it embraces inclusion, as stated in its vision and guiding principles. Its no secret that Bexar County is majority people of color, said Clay-Flores. We need to make sure that we include the whole history of the Alamo and everything that has to do with it. DeBerry said she was sympathetic to Clay-Flores concerns and would ensure the project follows through on its commitments to inclusion and truth-telling. Well get there, DeBerry said after the ceremony. The Alamo was managed during the 20th century as a shrine to the nearly 200 Texian and Tejano men who died in the 1836 battle for Texas independence. But the city, Texas Land Office and trust intend to include other perspectives that have traditionally been underrepresented including Mexican, Native American and African American narratives on the sites 300-year history. The museum also will include a civil rights exhibit connecting the Woolworth Building to the 1960 desegregation of seven downtown lunch counters, including three that were in the plaza. We will use a very clear and unfiltered perspective. The story will be an honest story, Patrick Gallagher, program manager for the project, told reporters last week. On ExpressNews.com: 4-D theater, civil rights exhibit planned for Alamo museum But the 1836 siege and battle still will be a central topic. The exhibit hall will feature a large Alamo diorama, also donated by Collins, that Rogers said is probably one of the most historically accurate replicas of the fort as it was in 1836. The 13-by-15-foot model, produced by Georgia artist Mark Lemon, was purchased by Collins and hauled to San Antonio in 2009. It was then put on display at the History Shop, a private business just north of the Alamo complex that now is owned by the state. Rogers said the diorama features a voice-over by Collins and needs to be restored. Collins paid six figures to buy the diorama and haul it on a truck to Texas. Its one of those things you cant really put a price on, Collins told the Express-News in 2009. shuddleston@express-news.net Texans received a Blue Alert late Monday night asking for information related to an injured Clay County sheriff's deputy. The Texas Department of Public Safety issues Blue Alerts to find people "who have killed or seriously injured a law enforcement officer." The deputy was shot in the chest by an unknown man around 7:30 p.m. in Jolly, roughly 10 miles east of Wichita Falls. He is recovering in the hospital and "doing fine," Clay County Sheriff Jeff Lyde said in a Facebook video Monday night. The man was driving a white Cadillac that Lyde said is most likely stolen. The vehicle was located in downtown Wichita Falls, but the suspect is still at large, according to the Wichita Falls Police Department. On Expressnews.com: Man robs Southeast Side gas station in his underwear after fatal carjacking Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,500 reward for anyone with information leading to an arrest, and Sheriff Lyde said he will match that reward. He addressed the shooter in the Facebook video, saying "You didn't get (the deputy), but we are going to get you. Bet that." Malak.Silmi@express-news.net Air Serbia has repaid its second and final loan to Etihad Airways Partners BV, a special purpose vehicle set up by Etihad Airways in September 2015 to raise funds for itself and its equity partners. Last year, the Serbian carrier repaid the first of the two loans, amounting 52.9 million US dollars, despite initially seeking to renegotiate the debt and defer the payments due to the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic. After its request was denied and it faced a default on its debt, the airline made the payment independently in full. The second of the two loans matured this summer, with the Serbian carrier also making the full payment on time. The only other two parties to have successfully repaid their loan to the funding vehicle are Etihad Airways and Etihad Airport Services, while Air Seychelles, Alitalia and Air Belin have not done so. Air Serbia has repaid its second and final loan to Etihad Airways Partners BV, a special purpose vehicle set up by Etihad Airways in September 2015 to raise funds for itself and its equity partners. Last year, the Serbian carrier repaid the first of the two loans, amounting 52.9 million US dollars, despite initially seeking to renegotiate the debt and defer the payments due to the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic. After its request was denied and it faced a default on its debt, the airline made the payment independently in full. The second of the two loans matured this summer, with the Serbian carrier also making the full payment on time. The only other two parties to have successfully repaid their loan to the funding vehicle are Etihad Airways and Etihad Airport Services, while Air Seychelles, Alitalia and Air Belin have not done so. Six years ago, Air Serbias shareholder Etihad embarked on an international roadshow, supported by lead advisor Goldman Sachs and UAE-based ADS Securities and Anoa Capital, by creating the funding vehicles. The group successfully raised 700 million dollars which were split across the six Etihad Partners entities at the time, including Air Serbia, for a mixture of capital expenditure and investment in fleet, as well as for refinancing. The funding vehicles comprise largely of international investment funds. The two Air Serbia loans, amounting to a total of 115.9 million dollars, were the two biggest financial obligations the airline had taken on from lenders. Air Serbia previously noted it was able to restructure its business thanks to the loans, which led to record results over the past few years. After the restructuring, which was possible thanks to the funds from this loan as well, the company recorded its biggest expansion in 2019, carrying a record 2.81 million passengers and flying to as many as 23 new destinations in just one year and launching operations from two new airports in Serbia - Nis and Kraljevo. During the first months of 2020, Air Serbia continued to grow, so in January and February, the number of passengers carried increased more than 20%, year over year. After resuming flights on May 21, 2020, the company remained focused on gradually increasing frequencies where possible, while safeguarding the health of passengers and employees, the airline said. It previously noted the repayment of the first loan was proof of the companys sound and responsible management before and during the crisis, and during the recovery from the consequences of the pandemic. WELLINGTON, New Zealand New Zealands first coronavirus outbreak in six months has grown to seven people. The announcement Wednesday came a day after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern imposed a strict lockdown after the first case was reported. The lockdown is for at least three days for the country and at least a week for the cities of Auckland and Coromandel. Ardern said Wednesday the government expects the number of cases to keep growing, especially after some of those infected spent time at a church, a school, a casino and a hospital. She announced a new mandate compelling people to wear masks in supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies during strict lockdowns. Ardern says genome testing has confirmed the outbreak is of the delta variant and originated from an outbreak in Sydney, Australia, although its not yet clear how the virus breached New Zealands border quarantine controls. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: Britain OKs Moderna vaccine for ages 12 and up New York City begins proof of vaccination at eateries, gyms, cultural venues Sources: U.S. to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters at 8 months New Zealand to enter lockdown after single virus case found Among Frances poorest, once-lagging vaccine rates increase More U.S. cities to require masks in public Hawaii's largest private hospital system runs out of ICU beds ___ Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: SYDNEY Australias most populous state is reporting a record 633 new coronavirus infections as concerns grow about the spread of the delta variant beyond Sydney. The previous high for a 24-hour period in New South Wales was 466 on Saturday. Officials also said Wednesday that three people died in the period, bringing the death toll to 60 from the outbreak first detected in Sydney in mid-June. Officials say infections were reported in towns in the states west, north and central region in recent days. Sydney has been in lockdown since June 26 and the entire state has been locked down since Saturday. The national capital of Canberra is surrounded by New South Wales and it reported 22 new infections from a cluster that originated in Sydney. ___ PHOENIX Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is upping the pressure on public school districts defying a state ban on mask mandates by threatening to cut off some funds. The governor said Tuesday that schools wont get any cash from a $163 million grant program he controls if they dont drop mask rules within 10 days. Schools also will lose out on the $1,800 per student if they have to close because of coronavirus outbreaks. At least 16 districts teaching nearly a third of the states 1.1 million public school students now have mask rules. A judge ruled this week that the state ban does not take effect until Sept. 29. Ducey also announced a $10 million program that will give $7,000 for a student to use for private schooling if their public school requires isolating or quarantining due to virus exposure, orders mask wearing or gives preferential treatment to vaccinated children. ___ HOUSTON At least four school districts in Texas have closed campuses due to coronavirus outbreaks early in the new school year. The shutdowns are taking place as more districts and communities are requiring students and residents to wear face coverings indoors, defying Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates. The school district in Gorman in North Texas had been set to begin the school year Wednesday but is delaying that by a week. Campus shutdowns also were announced Tuesday by the districts in the East Texas towns of Bloomburg and Waskom. Those moves came a day after the Iraan-Sheffield district in West Texas closed its schools for two weeks. Mask wearing was optional in these four school districts. At least 21 other districts, including some of the states biggest, have instituted mask mandates, which are in violation of Abbotts executive order banning such measures. ___ MORGANTOWN, W.Va. West Virginia University is requiring masks to be worn in classrooms and labs for the next 30 days, saying not enough students and employees have submitted proof of vaccination against the coronavirus. The university says the rule takes effect Wednesday, which is when classes start on the Morgantown campus. The mask requirement applies to everyone, even those who have been vaccinated. While the university is not requiring its students and employees to be vaccinated, officials had set a vaccine verification goal of 80% by Sept. 1. Students, faculty and staff on all campuses were required to either provide a vaccine verification or a negative virus test result by Friday. The school says only about two-thirds of students and staff have submitted the verification paperwork on the Morgantown campus and even less have done so on its Beckley and Keyser campuses, ___ JACKSON, Miss. Mississippi state officials say they more children are being hospitalized with COVID-19 than earlier in the pandemic. As of Friday, 18 children were hospitalized, and on Sunday five were in an intensive care unit, with four on ventilators. The state Department of Health said Monday that health officials heard this week about the COVID-19 death of a child between age 11 and 17, raising the total of young people deaths to five since the start of the pandemic. ___ CHICAGO Chicago will require masks in public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status as daily COVID-19 case counts rise. The mandate takes effect Friday citywide for everyone over age 2. Chicagos top doctor said Tuesday that the city is reporting roughly 400 cases daily, which is a threshold public health officials say signals a higher transmission risk. Still, public health officials say its much lower than a winter peak when it was over 3,000 cases a day. Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady says no further restrictions or closures are currently planned and the goal is to remain open, but careful. ___ BIRMINGHAM, Ala. A major state employer, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, said Tuesday it would require workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 12. The requirement affects 16,000 employees and others working in hospitals and could help boost the states last-in-the-nation ranking for the shots. Employees of UAB Health already are required to be vaccinated against other health threats including the flu, the system said, and COVID-19 is threatening its ability to provide care. Nearly 100 doctors, nurses and other workers have contracted COVID-19 at UAB Hospital, a report showed. ___ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is reinstating a mask mandate for all indoor public places, regardless of vaccination status. Grisham's office also announced Tuesday that more people will be required to get vaccinated, such as workers at hospitals, nursing homes, juvenile justice facilities and residential treatment centers. All workers at schools in New Mexico must also get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. Officials noted that vaccination rates remain stagnant, but infections are rising. ___ ATLANTA Parents in Georgias second largest school district plan to rally again to try to force school officials to require masks amid a statewide surge in coronavirus cases that has disrupted classroom instruction for thousands of students. The plans for a rally on Thursday by Cobb County school parents come as coronavirus cases in the school system and other districts around the state continue to rise. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday reiterated his opposition to mask and vaccine mandates and said he has no plans for statewide school restrictions. ___ PHOENIX A western Arizona school district is considering a proposal to ban any discussion between staff and students about vaccines and masks. The Colorado River Union High Schools governing board is set to meet on the matter Tuesday night. The measure would allow for disciplinary action to be taken against any district employee who speaks on anything related to vaccine status or encouraging/discouraging vaccines or mask with students. District officials did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment. ___ HONOLULU Hawaiis largest private hospital system has run out of ICU beds amid a surge of new coronavirus cases. Jason Chang, chief operating officer of The Queens Health Systems and president of The Queens Medical Center, says all of the hospital systems beds are completely full. The hospitals were canceling some elective surgeries and procedures and diverting emergency patients to other hospitals, Chang said. Hospital workers are tired and frustrated because most of the COVID-19 patients they are caring for are not vaccinated, Chang said. Hawaii, with a population of nearly 1.5 million people, has averaged 652 new cases a day over the past week and has a 7.5% positivity rate, according to state data. In early July, the state was averaging 50 cases a day. At least 308 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized statewide. ___ LAS VEGAS Vaccine verification at major venues has become a coronavirus fighting front in Nevada. Las Vegas biggest trade conference on Tuesday followed the NFLs Las Vegas Raiders announcing theyll require attendees to prove theyre inoculated. The sponsor of the CES gadget show said attendees in January will have to show theyve been vaccinated to enter venues including the expanded Las Vegas Convention Center. The announcement came a day after Gov. Steve Sisolak said indoor venues with 4,000 or more attendees can opt out of the states mask requirements if they opt in to a program ensuring that attendees have inoculations. Sisolak said one dose of a two-dose vaccination will get people in the door, but theyll still have to wear face coverings. Fully vaccinated people wont have to wear masks. The Raiders unveiled their first-in-the-NFL policy to require fans to show proof of vaccinations beginning Sept. 13. ___ JACKSON, Miss. -- A top Mississippi health official said Tuesday 20,000 students are currently quarantined for COVID-19 exposure in the state 4.5% of the public school population, according to the states latest enrollment figures. The data comes from reports made by 800 schools to the Mississippi State Department of Health last week, Mississippi State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said during a call with state pediatricians. The school outbreaks have resulted in many school officials rethinking their policies after beginning the academic year without restrictions, like mask mandates. Around 600 schools have now implemented universal masking for indoor settings, Byers said. But there are still many settings where many restrictions that could keep kids safer are not in place or not enforced. ___ DES MOINES, Iowa State Fairs in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin are offering COVID-19 vaccinations as the delta variant spreads across the country. In Iowa, a vaccination booth nestled among corn dog and funnel cake stands vaccinated 150 people in the first four days of the fair in a state where only half of the population is fully vaccinated. All but three of Iowas 99 counties are experiencing a substantial or high rate of spread. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds policy of personal responsibility allows fairgoers to decide whether to be vaccinated or wear a mask. Public health officials recommend wearing a mask in crowds. The fair is on track to attract an estimated 1 million visitors. At the Indiana State Fair, 304 vaccines have been administered since July 30. And at the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee, 608 people were vaccinated over 11 days, perhaps enticed by the promise of a free cream puff pastry. ___ PHOENIX Five Arizona school districts have joined the growing list of districts requiring students and staff to wear masks, even though a state law bars such mandates. Two districts in the Tucson area and three in metro Phoenix issued mask requirements after a Maricopa County judge ruled Monday that the state doesnt take effect until Sept. 29. A teacher who filed a lawsuit challenging a mask mandate at one Phoenix district argued it took after lawmakers approved it in late June. In all, at least 16 districts in Arizona are requiring students and staff to wear masks while indoors amid fears over the delta variant. ___ TIRANA, Albania Albanias Health Ministry reported 451 new cases and two deaths related to the coronavirus. That is a significant increase compared to last month when there were less than 10 new cases per day. Authorities have made August a free month for receiving a vaccine, urging all people 18 and older to get one. Albania uses Sinovac, Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and some Sputnik V vaccines. Albania has given 1.3 million shots to a population of 2.8 million. Neighboring Kosovo is noting a serious increase in the daily numbers. Authorities reported 1,765 new cases and five deaths on Tuesday, a significant increase compared to July. About one-third of its 1.8 million population has gotten at least one shot of the Pfizer or Astra Zeneca vaccine. NEW YORK (AP) Chris Cuomo told CNN viewers Monday that he wasn't an adviser to outgoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, I'm a brother." Then he detailed the advice he gave him including to resign. Both the network and its CNN Prime Time host have faced criticism for his interactions with his older brother, who announced last week that he would resign following a state attorney general's report detailing sexual harassment accusations against him. On Monday, back from vacation for his first day on the air since Andrew Cuomo's announcement, Chris Cuomo addressed the issues for what he said would be the last time. I tried to do the right thing and I just want you all to know that, he said. Following a May report in The Washington Post that Chris Cuomo had joined in strategy calls with a group of his brother's advisers when the harassment allegations surfaced, CNN called it inappropriate. Cuomo said that it was a mistake and said Monday he did not do it again. The network did not comment further when details of those early meetings emerged in the attorney general's report, and has not disciplined him publicly. I wasn't in control of anything, Cuomo said on the air. I was there to listen and offer my take. And my advice to my brother was simple and consistent own what you did, tell people what you'll try to do to be better, be contrite. Finally, accept that it doesn't matter what you intended, what matters is how your actions and your words are perceived. While he never imagined he would have to do it, I did advise my brother to resign when the time came, he said. That advice apparently came after the attorney general's report. The Post said in May that when the charges first came up, Chris Cuomo urged his brother to take a defiant position and not resign. Chris Cuomo said he never reported on his brother's situation for CNN and never attempted to influence coverage of the situation by others at the network. He made note of his brother's appearances on his show for interviews at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last year an exception to the policy that he not report on his brother but said they were short-lived. He said he knew there would be a time his brother would be held to account, and I could not do that. It's never easy being in this business and coming from a political family, said Cuomo, son of the late Mario Cuomo, a three-term New York governor. WASHINGTON (AP) Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely in some cases without a shot fired that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turned out to be the Taliban. They grabbed not only political power but also U.S.-supplied firepower guns, ammunition, helicopters and more. The Taliban captured an array of modern military equipment when they overran Afghan forces who failed to defend district centers. Bigger gains followed, including combat aircraft, when the Taliban rolled up provincial capitals and military bases with stunning speed, topped by capturing the biggest prize, Kabul, over the weekend. A U.S. defense official on Monday confirmed the Taliban's sudden accumulation of U.S.-supplied Afghan equipment is enormous. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity. The reversal is an embarrassing consequence of misjudging the viability of Afghan government forces by the U.S. military as well as intelligence agencies which in some cases chose to surrender their vehicles and weapons rather than fight. The U.S. failure to produce a sustainable Afghan army and police force, and the reasons for their collapse, will be studied for years by military analysts. The basic dimensions, however, are clear and are not unlike what happened in Iraq. The forces turned out to be hollow, equipped with superior arms but largely missing the crucial ingredient of combat motivation. Money can't buy will. You cannot purchase leadership, John Kirby, chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said Monday. Doug Lute, a retired Army lieutenant general who help direct Afghan war strategy during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, said that what the Afghans received in tangible resources they lacked in the more important intangibles. The principle of war stands moral factors dominate material factors, he said. Morale, discipline, leadership, unit cohesion are more decisive than numbers of forces and equipment. As outsiders in Afghanistan, we can provide materiel, but only Afghans can provide the intangible moral factors. By contrast, Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents, with smaller numbers, less sophisticated weaponry and no air power, proved a superior force. U.S. intelligence agencies largely underestimated the scope of that superiority, and even after President Joe Biden announced in April he was withdrawing all U.S. troops, the intelligence agencies did not foresee a Taliban final offensive that would succeed so spectacularly. If we wouldnt have used hope as a course of action, ... we would have realized the rapid drawdown of U.S. forces sent a signal to the Afghan national forces that they were being abandoned, said Chris Miller, who saw combat in Afghanistan in 2001 and was acting secretary of defense at the end of President Donald Trumps term. Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University and a former adviser to U.S. commanders in Afghanistan, said Biden's announcement set the final collapse in motion. The problem of the U.S. withdrawal is that it sent a nationwide signal that the jig is up a sudden, nationwide signal that everyone read the same way, Biddle said. Before April, the Afghan government troops were slowly but steadily losing the war, he said. When they learned that their American partners were going home, an impulse to give up without a fight spread like wildfire. The failures, however, go back much further and run much deeper. The United States tried to develop a credible Afghan defense establishment on the fly, even as it was fighting the Taliban, attempting to widen the political foundations of the government in Kabul and seeking to establish democracy in a country rife with corruption and cronyism. Year after year, U.S. military leaders downplayed the problems and insisted success was coming. Others saw the handwriting on the wall. In 2015 a professor at the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute wrote about the military's failure to learn lessons from past wars; he subtitled his book, Why the Afghan National Security Forces Will Not Hold. Regarding the future of Afghanistan, in blunt terms, the United States has been down this road at the strategic level twice before, in Vietnam and Iraq, and there is no viable rationale for why the results will be any different in Afghanistan, Chris Mason wrote. He added, presciently: Slow decay is inevitable, and state failure is a matter of time. Some elements of the Afghan army did fight hard, including commandos whose heroic efforts are yet to be fully documented. But as a whole the security forces created by the United States and its NATO allies amounted to a house of cards whose collapse was driven as much by failures of U.S. civilian leaders as their military partners, according to Anthony Cordesman, a longtime Afghanistan war analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The Afghan force-building exercise was so completely dependent on American largesse that the Pentagon even paid the Afghan troops' salaries. Too often that money, and untold amounts of fuel, were siphoned off by corrupt officers and government overseers who cooked the books, creating ghost soldiers to keep the misspent dollars coming. Of the approximately $145 billion the U.S. government spent trying to rebuild Afghanistan, about $83 billion went to developing and sustaining its army and police forces, according to the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a congressionally created watchdog that has tracked the war since 2008. The $145 billion is in addition to $837 billion the United States spent fighting the war, which began with an invasion in October 2001. The $83 billion invested in Afghan forces over 20 years is nearly double last year's budget for the entire U.S. Marine Corps and is slightly more than what Washington budgeted last year for food stamp assistance for about 40 million Americans. In his book, The Afghanistan Papers, journalist Craig Whitlock wrote that U.S. trainers tried to force Western ways on Afghan recruits and gave scant thought to whether U.S. taxpayers dollars were investing in a truly viable army. Given that the U.S. war strategy depended on the Afghan army's performance, however, the Pentagon paid surprisingly little attention to the question of whether Afghans were willing to die for their government, he wrote. ___ Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant, Lorne Cook in Brussels and James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida, contributed to this report. LOS ANGELES (AP) A prosecutor attempted to ensnare Robert Durst in a web of deceit Tuesday after he admitted at his murder trial that he lied under oath in the past and would lie to get out of trouble. The New York real estate heir said he hadn't lied during five days of testimony, but a series of inconsistencies during cross-examination in Los Angeles County Superior Court threw his credibility into question and exposed the risk of putting a defendant on the witness stand. Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, who relished the prospect of grilling Durst and prepared a 200-page outline for questioning, got him to acknowledge there are some acts he would never be honest about. Lewin asked how jurors were supposed to believe Durst. If youve said youve taken an oath to tell the truth but youve also just told us that you would lie if you needed to, Lewin asked, can you tell me how that would not destroy your credibility? Because what Im saying is mostly the truth, Durst said. There are certain things I would lie about, certain very important things. Durst said he would never admit killing Susan Berman even if he had done so. 'Did you kill Susan Berman?' is strictly a hypothetical, Durst said. I did not kill Susan Berman. But if I had, I would lie about it. Durst, 78, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the point-blank shooting of Berman, his longtime confidante, in her Los Angeles home. Durst said he found a lifeless Berman lying on a bedroom floor when he showed up for a planned visit just before Christmas 2000. Durst said he had prepared for Lewins interrogation but was anxious. I feel relieved that Im close to getting this over, and Im nervous, of course, Durst told Lewin. What I want today is to be acquitted. Playing clips of interviews Durst gave filmmakers, an interrogation conducted after Durst's arrest in New Orleans in 2015, and clips from his testimony, Lewin got Durst to admit several lies he told over the years. Prosecutors say Durst silenced Berman as she prepared to speak with New York authorities about the disappearance of his wife, Kathie, in 1982 and how she provided a false alibi for him. Durst acknowledged he wouldnt admit killing Kathie Durst if he had. And he wouldnt admit murdering his neighbor Morris Black in Galveston, Texas, in 2001 if he had done so. He has never been charged with a crime in his wifes disappearance and has denied killing her. Her body has never been found, but she has been declared dead. Durst was acquitted of murder in Blacks death after he testified he fatally shot the man during a struggle for a gun. He was convicted of destroying evidence for chopping up the mans body and tossing it out to sea. Testifying at trial is incredibly risky for a defendant, and most lawyers won't put their clients on the stand. Durst's testimony Tuesday showed he was particularly vulnerable because of a trail of lies. You dont just make up lies for the sake of lying, Lewin said. You lie in particular when there is a reason for you to lie. And, generally speaking in this context, when it relates to incriminating evidence, correct? Durst agreed. In questions from his own lawyer Monday, Durst admitted for the first time publicly that he sent a note directing police to Bermans cadaver. He said he had always denied doing so because it made him look culpable. Durst testified earlier Tuesday that he had not confessed to any killings when he was captured speaking to himself on a live microphone after filming a documentary about his life and the deaths of people close to him. In the climactic scene of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, he could be heard in a bathroom muttering: "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course. Durst, who had just been caught on video in a lie about the cadaver note, explained that he either didnt say everything he was thinking or didnt speak loudly enough for the mic to catch it. What I did not say out loud or, perhaps I said very softly, is: Theyll all think I killed them all, of course,' he testified. Many viewers have interpreted the two sentences, which were edited together by the filmmakers for a dramatic conclusion to the six-part HBO series, as an admission. Authorities arrested Durst the night before the finale aired in March 2015 because they expected him to flee after the gotcha moment and the unexpected dialogue that followed. Durst testified that he had been planning to kill himself with a gun when FBI agents apprehended him in the lobby of a New Orleans hotel, where he was registered under an alias. He told filmmakers that only the killer could have written the cadaver note. His comments off camera came after he was confronted during his final interview for The Jinx" with a note he had once sent Berman with nearly identical handwriting and Beverly Hills misspelled Beverley. I wrote this one, but I did not write the cadaver one, Durst insisted in the film. But moments later, he couldnt tell the two apart. After an awkward moment blinking and burping, he put his head in his hands. He denied being the killer. When he stepped off camera unwittingly still wired for sound he said: There it is. You're caught. Durst testified that he reached out to the filmmakers to restore his reputation after becoming a pariah following the Texas case. Despite being a multimillionaire, he was rejected by condominium associations in New York, Houston and California, he said. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art wanted him to make a donation anonymously. Despite advice from his lawyers and everybody not to give a series of interviews for the film project, Durst ignored them all. That was very, very, very big mistake, Durst testified. Farmers with RHI boilers that received a letter from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) must respond without delay, the Ulster Farmers' Union has said. The OFGEM letters regard the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which was Northern Ireland's botched green energy scheme. Set up in 2012, the RHI was an attempt by the Northern Ireland Executive to help to increase consumption of heat from renewable sources. It offered financial incentives to farms, businesses and other non-domestic consumers to use biomass boilers that mostly burned wood pellets, as well as solar thermal and heat pumps. But flaws in setting the scheme's subsidy rate left it open to abuse as claimants could earn more cash the more fuel they burned. The Northern Ireland Executive collapsed after deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigned in protest over the scandal. Now the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) has said that OFGEM's letters to farmers demand them to hand back alleged overpayments, placing 'additional stress on farmers already under enormous pressure.' According to the farming union, in some cases, tens and even hundreds of thousands of pounds in repayments are being demanded. The grounds for seeking to impose these sanctions are flimsy and unacceptable and so too is the time frame for repayments," said John Watt, UFU rural enterprise chairman. "These tactics are unfair and are a mental health risk to farmers who are unknowing victims of a botched scheme. OFGEM stated that claim allegations had been proven, but the UFU said that in many instances this was based upon participants failing to present evidence to the contrary. OFGEM are now seeking repayments from farmers within 28 days. The UFU has urged farmers unhappy with OFGEM's decision to consider seeking a statutory review, which must be sought within 28 days of receiving the letter. Mr Watt said: The all important message however is to remember that 28 day limit to mount a defence. Inaction is not an option. More innovative use of crossbreeding within the British sheep industry was one of the most significant findings in the latest Sheep Breed Survey. Results indicate that cross breeding strategies are becoming more diverse, reflecting the way farmers are adapting with the times and improving performance. The Sheep Breed Survey is an important reference point for researchers and policy makers. It has been completed five times since 1971, with the last results published in 2012. It provides a unique insight into how the agricultural industry has changed over 50 years and highlights how future policy decisions may influence lowland and upland sheep production. In a joint effort between industry levy boards and British Wool, 38,000 sheep producers were invited to take part in the survey last autumn; with data scaled up using the December census to paint a picture of the national scene. The number of crossbred ewes in the national flock increased from 56 percent to 58 percent, indicating a small reduction in purebred ewe numbers compared to 2012. The three main hill ewe breeds - Scottish Blackface, Welsh Mountain and Swaledale - have dominated the purebreeding sector over the last decade, but the survey shows all three are now declining in number. The size and number of hill flocks producing recognised crossbreeds - such as the mule or halfbred - are also in decline. The main types of Mule ewe - North Country, Welsh and Scottish - currently makeup 18.8 percent of the national flock, but crossbreeds of other types now contribute significantly to the crossbred ewe population. The Lleyn breed continues to dominate the non-hill sector with about half a million ewes found in 2020. Wool shedding breeds, such as the Easycare, Exlana and Wiltshire Horn, were found to be growing with about a quarter of a million ewes mating in 2020. Looking at ram selection decisions, over a quarter of the rams used in Britain were Texel, a similar market share to 2012. The Suffolk was the next most numerous ram breed. Terminal sire breeds contribute 41 percent of the genetic makeup of the lamb carcasses produced in Britain. The proportion of rams reported to have estimated breeding values (EBVs) varied across breeds, with 8-12% of the rams from the largest terminal sire breeds having EBVs. However, the under-reporting of recorded stock was observed. The use of EBVs when buying rams was highest in the larger flocks and those producing finished lambs. In each case, around 10% of producers always used EBVs when buying rams and around 40% sometimes used them. However, its clear many producers still dont use this information for ram selection. The main reason for not using EBVs is reported to be a lack of access to the right information. One highly significant finding was that the proportion of purebred rams used in the national flock has fallen from 93 percent to 83 percent in the past eight years, with both composite and crossbred rams increasing their market share. The survey also asked producers questions about their flock management practices. The body condition scoring of ewes was used at least once a year in about three-quarters of flocks, but around 30% of flocks chose not to weigh their lambs. The large majority of flocks did not take sward height measurements to manage their grassland or use electronic identification to manage their flock beyond current legal requirements. The Sheep Breed Survey 2020 was run by AHDB/Signet Breeding Services and funded by the levy bodies (AHDB, QMS and HCC) with support from British Wool. he data analysis was completed by Dr Geoff Pollott, Royal Veterinary College. A North Yorkshire farming company has been ordered to pay out over 18,000 after a worker sustained severe injuries following a three metre fall from a 360-excavator vehicle. Leeds Magistrates Court heard that the 31-year-old farm worker had been carrying out maintenance work on the gable end of a barn on the farm. He was working from a non-integrated work platform or man-cage attached to the boom of a 360-excavator vehicle. But the man-cage fell from the boom of the excavator, causing him to fall three metres. He received a fractured sternum, six broken ribs, a fractured bone in his back and three broken teeth. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the man-cage was used with the excavator because the partnership, W Gibson & Son, thought it had better reach and manoeuvrability to undertake the job of fixing the gable ends to the facias of the shed. W Gibson & Son of Mayville Farm, Scarborough, North Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined 18,000 and ordered to pay 787.87 in costs. After the hearing, HSE inspector Chris Tilley explained that excavators should not be used 'under any circumstances for lifting people'. "They are primarily designed for excavating with a bucket and consequently are capable of operating speeds and movements which make them totally unsuitable for lifting people." Mr Tilley added that non-integrated work platforms should not be used for pre-planned activities such as periodic maintenance. This incident could so easily have been avoided by properly assessing the risk and employing suitable work at height equipment, such as the use of scaffolding or an integrated work platform, including Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs)," he said. The HSE recently called for more to be done to improve farm safety in the UK following a string of accidents and incidents. It comes just four weeks after Farm Safety Week, when the safety watchdog issued its 2021 report highlighting the high fatality rate in the farming industry. Agriculture has the worst rate of fatal injuries of all the major industrial sectors, around 20 times higher than the average five-year annual rate across all industries. An elderly man has been killed on farmland in Gloucestershire following a suspected cattle-trampling incident, police have said. The body of a man in his 80s was discovered on the farm by a dog walker on Tuesday 10 August. The tragedy happened in Marshfield, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and police have launched an official investigation. The incident was one of four fatalities on UK farms within the space of just two weeks. In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said they suspected the man died after a cattle-trampling incident. The police and ambulance services responded after a dog walker found the body of a man in a field in Marshfield, South Gloucestershire," the force said. The deceased was a local man in his 80s. His next of kin are aware. The Health and Safety Executive was informed and enquiries are underway to establish what has happened on behalf of the coroner's office. If you have any information which could help please call 101 and give the reference 5221183256. It comes just one month after Farm Safety Week, when HSE issued its 2021 report highlighting the high fatality rate in the farming industry. Agriculture has the worst rate of fatal injuries of all the major industrial sectors, around 20 times higher than the average five-year annual rate across all industries. Northern Ireland's Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) has reopened for applications, allowing farmers to choose from a range of options to create environmental benefit on their farms. The fifth intake includes a range of arable options which are designed to enhance the biodiversity value of farms with minimal impact on cropping rotations or management. EFS options which will benefit birds and pollinator species in particular include provision of a winter feeding crop for wild birds, retention of winter stubbles and the creation of pollinator margins and sowing these out with either a pollen and nectar or an annual wildflower mix. Other options, which involve less input, include the creation of 6 metre arable margins and either leaving these cultivated but uncropped or sowing them out with a rough grass mix. Insect and bird populations on farms can be boosted through the provision of winter feed crops for wild birds or simply retaining fields in stubble over the winter. NI's farming minister Edwin Poots announced the scheme's reopening on a visit to a County Down farm to see first-hand what can be achieved through it. Farmer Cecil Nelson has participated in agri-environment schemes for a number of years, working closely with his local RSPB conservation officer Mark McCormick. By managing hedgerows, leaving stubble fields over the winter and growing a winter feeding crops for birds, he has achieved a 100% increase in the endangered yellowhammer bird population on his farm over the last 10 years. This mixed arable farm has also been participating in the RSPB led EFS Farmland Birds Group project and now also has a breeding pair of long-eared owls through participation in EFS. Minister Poots said The Nelsons farm demonstrates just what can be achieved by doing the right things in the right places to help biodiversity. "If we all do a little to support nature on our farms it will make a big difference. Applications can only be made online but help is available through the EFS Helpline number 0300 200 7842. Applications must be submitted online before midnight on Friday 10 September 2021. Licencing laws being proposed in Scotland will have a 'devastating' impact on farming and rural businesses, according to an organisation representing them. New licensing laws are being proposed by the Scottish government for short-term lets, including glamping sites, B&Bs and holiday cottages. Under the proposals, local authorities would be able to decide whether a short-term let was suitable based on density, residential amenity and housing shortages in the area. It comes as part of a response to problems caused by the growth of Airbnb in mainly urban areas, including anti-social behaviour, safety and lack of housing. But rural businesses have said that the Scottish government's proposals had been shaped with mainly urban hot spot areas in mind. They warned the plans failed to take into account the important role short-term lets have across rural areas by providing housing for communities and workers, as well as tourism. Under the plans, huts, glamping pods, wooden lodges and yurts deemed essential to Scotlands rural economy would face 'unnecessary and costly regulations'. Responding to the proposed laws, the Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) said they came at a time when rural areas were 'reeling' from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. SLE policy adviser, Simon Ovenden said: We absolutely agree that the safety of people using short-term lets is paramount and communities should not be driven apart by a lack of available long-term housing in their local area. We are, however, very concerned that this one size fits all approach fails to reflect the needs of rural communities and could lead to mass closures of short-term accommodation, which would have a massive impact on rural Scotland." A registration scheme akin to the Association Of Scotland's Self-Caterers' (ASSC) proposal would be a positive step forward and in tune with the interests of all parties, Mr Ovenden explained. He said this would allow proper enforcement of existing health and safety standards and appropriate planning policy, which prioritises housing development for residential use without bureaucracy and high costs. A number of rural businesses hire seasonal and short-term workers for jobs which may only last a short number of weeks or months," he said. "Offering accommodation is key to filling these roles, but if these new laws are to be introduced then that could be put at serious risk." He warned the regulations would not only impact short-term let providers but also affect other local businesses, with many relying on local tourists visiting their area of rural Scotland. "The wider-scale impact of such changes must be understood before any new regulations are brought into force and we do not feel adequate time has been set aside to effectively do that, Mr Ovenden said. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Who doesnt love a good mystery movie? Bollywood has specially excelled in this genre in these past few years and have been nominated for some precious awards. Since OTT platforms have become our source of watching movies we have seen some great ones, and there is a list of such iconic mystery movies which will get you glued to your television screens. So if you love the feeling of dark reveals, twists and turns and unmissable drama, then weve got you covered. Here is a list of top Bollywood mystery movies that you need to watch if you havent already. 1. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Kahani (2012) Kahani directed by Sujoy Ghosh is one of the finest mystery thrillers we have seen. Starring Vidya Balan, the film revolves around Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) a pregnant woman from London who comes to Kolkata in the festive season to look for her missing husband. As she continues her search, she comes across many clues and people who may or may not be involved in her husbands case. Apart from Vidya Balan's terrific performance and the brilliant script, what made this movie even more interesting was the performance of the rest of the cast members. Till the end youll be guessing all the possibilities. So if you havent watched this film youre missing out on a masterpiece. 2. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Talaash (2012) Talaash starring Amir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Rani Mukherji, directed by Reema Kagti, is a full package. With mind blowing plot, great performance and catchy tunes, the film revolves around Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Amir Khan) who is a cop, investigating a murder case of a popular actor Armaan Kapoor (Vivaan Bhatena). Upon investigating he comes across Rosie (Kareena Kapoor) a red-light area worker who adds mystery to the film. The storyline of this film is so good it will keep you holding to your seats throughout. This film will surely be worth your time if you are looking for something to binge. 3. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Drishyam (2015) Originally adapted by the Malayalam blockbuster with the same title, Drishyam starring Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kappor and Ishita Dutta, the story revolves around Vijay (Ajay Devgn) and his family who live a simple happy life until they become the prime suspect in a missing case of Sameer Deshmukh (Risabh Chaddha) the son of IG, Meera Deshmukh (Tabu). The story further shows how Vijay and his family deal with this situation. The movie surely shows how good of an actor Ajay Devgn is, and how much worthy he is of all the praises he got for his performance in this film. 4. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (2015) Directed by Dibakar Banerjee, starring the late Sushant Singh Rajput, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is based on one of the first detective stories created by bestseller Bengali writer Saradindu Bandyopadhyay. The film is set in the 1940s during the Second World War, which follows the first case of Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput). Fresh out of college, he agrees to investigate the disappearance of Bhuvan, a chemist. While investigating he discovers that Bhuvans case is linked to a much bigger conspiracy. As many people say this film is Bollywoods Sherlock, the makers have nailed it with the story, screenplay and performance. 5. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Andhadhun (2018) One of the best mystery thrillers ever made, Andhadhun starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Radhika Apte and tabu is an all in one. The film revolves around Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana) a blind pianist who accidentally bumps into Sophie (Radhika Apte), upon finding out that he is a pianist she takes him to her fathers restaurant and offers Akash a job. Akash then gets invited to an actors residence for a private concert. Upon reaching the actors house there is a shocking surprise waiting for him. This film is so unpredictable, that you wont be able to guess whats coming next, and that is exactly what the audience loved about it. 6. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Badla (2019) Filled with crazy twists and turns, Badla starring Tapsee Pannu, Amitabh Bachchan and Amrita Singh, this film is one of the best mystery thrillers. The film revolves around Naina Sethi (Tapsee Pannu), a businesswoman who gets accused of killing her lover Arjun (Tony Luke). As the story unravels, we get to see every shade of the characters in the film. And we bet you wont be able to guess if Naina Sethi (Tapsee Pannu) is actually the culprit or not. Not just the main leads, even the supporting characters of this film left an impacting performance. 7. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Raat Akeli Hai (2020) Raat Akeli Hai directed by Honey Trehan, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte is a nail biting murder mystery. The film revolves around Jatil Yadav (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who is investigating the murder of an aged and rich politician who is found dead on his wedding night to Radha (Radhika Apte) a young girl. As Jatil Yadav continues his investigation he dives deep into a much darker unresolved case which puts him at risk. This film is so engaging that it will keep you hooked from the starting to the very end. And special mention to the entire cast of this film, they did a brilliant job. So if youre into dark crime movies then Raat Akeli Hai is the one for you. 8. Bollywood Mystery Movie - Haseen Dillruba (2021) Released on popular OTT platform Netflix this film is one of the latest mystery movies, Haseen Dilruba starring Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane is the perfect murder mystery. The story revolves around Rishabh Saxena (Rishu), who is killed in an explosion in his house, on investigating the cops find that it is a murder and the prime suspect is his wife Rani Kashyap (Taapsee Pannu). The story then goes around how Rani deals with the police and frames her story. Haseen Dillruba has romance, affair, dark characters and murder, which makes it a perfect combination for a masterpiece. The entire cast did a fantastic job in the film, but Vikrant Massey just stole the show with his amazing acting skills. Read More - Best Hollywood Action Movies Dubbed In Hindi The situation of Afghanistan and the plight of its citizens has surely left everyone worried. Images and videos from the airport have gone viral and it has left everyone shaken and mighty disturbed. Hema Malini recently spoke to Times Of India and the actress shared her thoughts. Hema Malini said to the daily about how sad it is to even see what the Afghanistan citizens are going through. It is so sad to see what is happening and see people trying to escape from the country. That mad rush at the airport is very scary. Said the actress. Further in the interview Hema Malini voices out her concern, I dont know what the Talibanis are going to do to the place. I dont know what will happen to the people of this country. Other nations should help them immediately and I know our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modiji will definitely reach out to them." The actress had shot in Kabul in 1974 for Feroz Khan starrer Dharmatma. The actress recounts few memories from shooting in Kabul and how safe it was. The Kabul I knew was so beautiful and my experience there was very nice. We had landed at Kabul Airport, which was at the time as small as the Mumbai airport, and we stayed at a hotel nearby. But eventually we travelled to locations like Bamiyan and Band-e-Amir for our shooting and while returning back we would see these men with these long kurtas and beards, who looked like Talibanis. At that time Russians were also a force in Afghanistan. The veteran actress then said that there was no problem at that time and everything was peaceful. She credits Feroz Khan for the same, Feroz Khan had managed the whole trip and it was a very well organised shooting. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Telecom company BT Group plc (BT_A.L, BT) said that Adam Crozier will succeed Jan du Plessis as Chairman. Adam will join the Board as an independent non-executive director and Chairman Designate with effect from 1 November 2021 and will become Chairman with effect from 1 December 2021 when Jan will retire from the BT Board. Adam is currently Chairman of Whitbread plc, ASOS plc, Kantar Group Limited, as well as a non-executive director of Sony Corporation. Earlier in his career and for over 20 years he was a CEO across four different sectors, most recently as the CEO of ITV plc and before that as CEO of Royal Mail Holdings plc. On taking up the chairmanship of BT, Adam will step down as Chairman of ASOS plc on 29 November 2021 and will not put himself forward for re-election at their upcoming annual general meeting. He will also step down as a non-executive director of Sony Corporation with effect from 31 December 2021. On joining the Board, Adam will be appointed to the Nominations Committee and will succeed Jan as Chair of that committee on 1 December 2021. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) -EMX Royalty Corporation (NYSE American: EMX) (TSX: EMX) (FSE: 6E9) (the "Company", or "EMX") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement dated August 16th, 2021 to acquire an effective 0.418% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") royalty on the operating Caserones Copper-Molybdenum Mine (the "Caserones Royalty") located in northern Chile for US$34.1 million in cash. Closing is anticipated to take place in two phases with both closings being completed by September 1st, 2021. In completing this transaction, EMX expects immediate and long term cash flow from a large porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit in a top tier mining jurisdiction. To purchase the Caserones Royalty, EMX has formed a 50%-50% partnership with Altus Strategies Plc ("Altus" (AIM: ALS) (TSXV: ALTS) (OTCQX: ALTUF) to acquire an effective 0.836% NSR royalty for US$68.2 million (see below for additional acquisition details). EMX and Altus will each control an effective 0.418% royalty interest and will each be responsible for $34.1 million of the purchase price. To finance its US$34.1 million portion of the US$68.2 million purchase price, the Company has entered into a Credit Agreement (the "Credit Agreement") with Sprott Private Resource Lending II (Collector), LP ("Sprott"). The Credit Agreement will increase the Company's current proposed US$10 million credit facility with Sprott, in connection with the Company's recently announced transaction with SSR Mining (see Company News Release dated July 29, 2021), to US$44 million (the "Credit Facility") to include financing for the Caserones Royalty acquisition. Further details of the Credit Agreement are provided below. The acquisition of the Caserones Royalty represents an important strategic development for EMX, by further enhancing the Company's royalty cash flow and long-term exposure to copper as a key metal for the global economy. Recognition of the opportunity directly resulted from EMX's ongoing assessment work in the region and serves as another example of how the Company leverages its regional expertise in various jurisdictions around the world to identify value enhancing business opportunities. Caserones Mine Overview. The Caserones open pit mine is developed upon a significant porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit in the Atacama Region of the northern Chilean Andean Cordillera, 162 kilometers southeast of the city of Copiapo, at an approximate elevation of 4,300 meters above sea level. The Mine is operated by SCM Minera Lumina Copper Chile SpA, which is indirectly 100% owned by JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation ("JX Nippon"). Caserones is located at the southern end of the well documented Maricunga mineral belt and comprises an Early-Miocene porphyry system associated with a cluster of dacite porphyries and breccias intruding Palaeozoic granitic, volcanic, and metamorphic rocks. Caserones has a well-developed supergene enrichment profile of oxide copper and secondary chalcocite that overlies hypogene sulfide (chalcopyrite-molybdenite) mineralization. Caserones produces copper and molybdenum concentrates from a conventional crusher, mill and flotation plant, as well as copper cathodes from a dump leach, solvent extraction and electrowinning plant. In 2020 the mine produced 104,917 tonnes of fine copper in concentrate, 2,453 tonnes of fine molybdenum in concentrate, and 22,056 tonnes of fine copper in cathodes. The Caserones open pit has operated with an average waste: ore strip ratio of 0.47, has 17 years remaining in its current mine plan, along with excellent exploration potential. In a news release dated November 9, 2020, JX Nippon announced plans for "stepping up exploration efforts in areas around the mine" in an effort to expand production and extend the mine life. Acquisition Details. The Caserones Mine is subject to a 2.88% NSR royalty provided for in a 2009 agreement between Minera Lumina Copper Chile S.A. as purchaser, and Compania Minera Caserones ("CMC") and Sociedad Legal Minera California Una de la Sierra Pena Negra ("SLM California") as vendors. CMC and SLM California originally staked the mineral claims that overlie the Caserones deposit, and ownership of the 2.88% NSR royalty is currently divided between CMC (32.5%) and SLM California (67.5%). EMX and Altus will each be indirectly purchasing a portion of the SLM California royalty. Under the 2009 agreement, the NSR interest will be reduced to 2% and 1% if the London Metal Exchange ("LME") quoted copper price falls below US$1.25 and US$1.00 per pound respectively. EMX and Altus have formed a Chilean company, Minera Tercero, Spa ("Tercero"), of which the EMX and Altus each own 50%. Tercero will purchase 43% of the issued and outstanding shares of SLM California through a Share Purchase Agreement with 16 shareholders of SLM California (represented by Leonel Polgatti Goycoolea, a shareholder) for US$68.2 million. Tercero will enter into a shareholder's agreement with the selling shareholders of SLM California, that together with Tercero hold approximately 89% of SLM Californa's issued and outstanding shares, to govern SLM California. SLM California's sole purpose is to administer the company, pay Chilean taxes and distribute its royalty proceeds to the shareholders, including Tercero. Sprott Credit Agreement. In order to finance its US$34.1 million portion of the US$68.2 million purchase price under the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company has entered into the Credit Agreement, which encompasses the previously proposed financing related to EMX's recent transaction to acquire the SSR Royalty Portfolio. The senior secured Credit Facility is in the principal amount of US$44 million, which includes up to US $10 million which will be used to finance a portion of the purchase price of the SSR Royalty Portfolio. Under the Credit Agreement, the Credit Facility matures on July 31, 2022, bears interest at a rate of 7% per annum, and is secured by general security agreements over the assets of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries, and pledges of the shares of certain of the Company's subsidiaries, who will, at Sprott's election, also be guarantors of the loan. In addition to interest payable, the US$44,000,000 advanced under the Credit Facility was subject to an original issue discount equal to 4.61364% of the amount of the advance. Under the Credit Agreement, the Company will be required to maintain minimum unrestricted cash of USD $1,500,000. In conjunction with the Credit Agreement, Sprott subscribed for US$1,235,000 of common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") at a deemed price equal to a 10% discount to the 5-day VWAP of the Common Shares on the NYSE American exchange immediately prior to July 12, 2021 of $US 3.0450, which resulted in the issuance of 450,730 Common Shares. Summary. The acquisition of the Caserones Royalty provides immediate enhancement to EMX's royalty cash flow and secures long-term proceeds from copper and molybdenum production in one of the world's top mining regions. This transaction nicely compliments the Company's growing portfolio of royalty interests in South America, which has become a recent emphasis in the Company's growth strategy. Eric P. Jensen, CPG, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and an employee of the Company, has reviewed, verified, and approved the disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release. About EMX. EMX is a precious, base and battery metals royalty company. EMX's investors are provided with discovery, development, and commodity price optionality, while limiting exposure to risks inherent to operating companies. The Company's common shares are listed on the NYSE American Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol EMX. Please see www.EMXroyalty.com for more information. For further information contact: David M. Cole President and Chief Executive Officer Phone: (303) 979-6666 Dave@EMXroyalty.com Scott Close Director of Investor Relations Phone: (303) 973-8585 SClose@EMXroyalty.com Isabel Belger Investor Relations (Europe) Phone: +49 178 4909039 Ibelger@EMXroyalty.com Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain "forward looking statements" that reflect the Company's current expectations and projections about its future results. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding completion of the transaction, perceived merits of properties, exploration results and budgets, mineral reserves and resource estimates, work programs, capital expenditures, timelines, strategic plans, market prices for precious and base metal, or other statements that are not statements of fact. When used in this news release, words such as "estimate," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "will", "believe", "potential", "upside" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which, by their very nature, are not guarantees of the Company's future operational or financial performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors may include, but are not limited to: unavailability of financing, failure to identify commercially viable mineral reserves, fluctuations in the market valuation for commodities, difficulties in obtaining required approvals for the development of a mineral project, increased regulatory compliance costs, expectations of project funding by joint venture partners and other factors. It is possible EMX may not complete the transaction, as a result of failure to fulfill conditions of closing, unavailability of financing or for other reasons EMX cannot anticipate at this time. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date otherwise specifically indicated herein. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified in this news release, and other risk factors and forward-looking statements listed in the Company's MD&A for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and the year ended December 31, 2020 (the "MD&A"), and the most recently filed Revised Annual Information Form (the "AIF") for the year ended December 31, 2020, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. More information about the Company, including the MD&A, the AIF and financial statements of the Company, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the SEC's EDGAR website at www.sec.gov. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93362 THE HAGUE, Netherlands and BENGALURU, India, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraPay, a global payments infrastructure company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Network International (Network) to develop and deliver a first-of-its-kind payment solution on an interoperable platform, in the UAE. Network International, headquartered in Dubai, is a leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. With this association, TerraPay expands its presence across the thriving Middle Eastern payments market. Under the proposed association, the companies will enable a large addressable market from the African mobile wallet ecosystem, to transact across Network International's terminals in the UAE as well as at e-commerce platforms supported by them. This association will enable TerraPay to leverage Network International's well entrenched network of merchants and acquirer processing clients in the Middle East and Africa, to accept mobile wallets payments using TerraPay's payment processing rails. This will benefit Network International's merchant network in the UAE, as well as TerraPay's global partner networks across Asia, Europe, US, Africa. Speaking on the partnership, Ani Sane, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, TerraPay, commented, "We are excited about our upcoming association with Network International, in driving mobile wallet acceptance and consumption across multi-channels on Network International's terminals and e-commerce sites in the UAE. This paves the way to foster financial inclusion and independence for customers, by offering real-time mobile wallet payments, for the very first time in the UAE. Opening up interoperability for mobile wallets is the next big wave in digital payments across the world. We look forward to leveraging our mobile wallet payment rails, with Network International's deeply rooted and extensive merchant network in the region." "With the rising digital payments movement across businesses and their consumers, our association with Network International further drives this transformation to cashless societies. As the UAE's largest acquirer, Network International has a large and established network of point-of-sale devices across the country, in addition to a wide scale of medium and large merchant clients in both physical and digital space. This is an opportunity to connect the company's digital prowess and on ground reach and offer end consumers their choice of money payment channel," said Rizwan Qazi, Vice President - Payments Partnership and Special Projects, TerraPay. Nandan Mer, Group CEO, Network International, said, "Mobile wallets are increasingly gaining popularity as a preferred payment method across the world, and as a market leader in end-to-end payment solutions, we are delighted to collaborate with TerraPay to enable acceptance of mobile wallets across our merchant network in the UAE. We believe this will help us build a digitally connected payments ecosystem in the region, starting with the UAE. TerraPay's unique technology platform, with interoperability at its core, backed by our strong merchant network, can facilitate easy and quick adoption of mobile wallets across the region, serving consumers seeking secure contactless payments options." TerraPay's collaboration with Network International will play a key role in building sustainable and scalable interoperable payment options to cater to their partners' and customers' payment requirements, thereby driving increased and repeat usage of mobile wallets and digital currency for digital payments. TerraPay has established itself as a global partner to leading banks, money transfer operators, mobile wallet operators and financial institutions to facilitate digital transactions without borders. As a B2B company, TerraPay partners with other businesses and helps them leverage its agile, secure, and scalable technology platform to enhance their customer proposition for remittances, payments, and cross border spends. The company is regulated in over 15 countries around the world. Some of the company's key markets include; GCC; North, South and Central Africa; Europe and SE Asia; Central, North and South Americas. TerraPay's vision is aligned to achieving the SDG 2030 goal of fostering economic growth and equality, by reducing the cost of transactions across diverse payment channels such as mobile wallets, bank accounts, to name a few. About TerraPay TerraPay is a licensed digital payments infrastructure and solutions provider, paving the global payments highway. The company's robust foundation and innovative platform technology serve as the digital interoperability engine enabling customers and businesses globally to send and receive payments on a secure, transparent, efficient, and real-time basis. The agile network supports diverse payment instruments and types of payments while adhering to complex regulations and compliance standards in different markets. For information, please visit terrapay.com Press Contact: Anwesha Mukherjee +91-971-724-1606 About Network International: Network International comprises a group of companies and is the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, providing a full suite of technology-enabled payments solutions to merchants and financial institutions of all types and sizes, including acquiring and processing services and a comprehensive ever-evolving range of value-added services. Network International Holdings Plc is the holding company for Network International and the group companies. Network International: Tricia Kaul ASDA'A BCW, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 450 7600 Email: tricia.kaul@bm.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1595950/Network_Logo.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1222771/TerraPay_Logo.jpg GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Decarbonization is a global scale issue that requires the joint effort and dedication of all sectors in society. Commercial and industrial industry, the giant emitters of greenhouse gases, are taking the lead to adopt practices that enable a greener business style. Juiced by the trend, innovative solutions are on the horizon, especially in the heating sector. Heat pump water heaters that quickly became a market favorite, are undertaking rapid advancement on technology. For example, PHNIX, a leading heat pump manufacturer in China has recently broadened the model range of its HeatMax series water chiller to large capacity up to 250kW. HeatMax series heat pump water chiller can produce high temperature outlet water and simultaneously performs free cooling. The double effects that it brings use the same amount of energy but provide both hot water and free cool air which creates great commercial values. With 50Hz and 60 Hz global applicable power supply and large 250kW heating capacity, HeatMax series vastly expands its use in commercial and industrial occasions. It can and will contribute significantly to achieving more efficient water heating, shortening the payback period for business owners and helping to combat global warming. "The route to decarbonization also hugely depends on continued advancements in energy efficiency, the new model can deliver higher water heating efficiency," said Troy, director of PHNIX overseas commercial water heating division. The new model of HeatMax series comes with many highlights. Various Applications It can work with existing water chillers for hot water & cooling or work with existing cooling tower for factory process cooling & hot water. Higher ROI Low cost water heating plus free cooling air, flexible installation and combination with existing solution equals to high ROI in the long run. More Reliable Durable and reliable of itself, the unit can run stably all year around without being affected by ambient temperature. Compact Design & Flexible installation The multi-connected heat exchanger design makes it so compact to adjust to various installation location. About PHNIX As the leading heat pump manufacturer in China, PHNIX is an international enterprise specializing in the R&D and production of heat pumps and energy-saving solutions. Over 50% of PHNIX products are exported to Europe, North America, and other overseas markets. To learn more about PHNIX and its products, please visit www.phnix-e.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1594706/Project_Of_PHNIX_HeatMax_Series_Heat_Pump_Water_Chiller.jpg LONDON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An exciting new partnership with multi-channel distribution partners, eCargo Holdings Limited, sees Dragonfly Biosciences expanding its global footprint across Asia into China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Asia Pacific is predicted to see an enormous and rapid surge once the regulatory landscape has adapted. Consumer interest there has definitely been piqued and brands from the US and UK are beginning to enter. British company, Dragonfly Biosciences, are the manufacturers of Dragonfly CBD oil, the award winning seed to shelf range of CBD oils and skincare products and they will be at the forefront, driving success across the category. Commenting on the exciting Asian development, Regan Saveall, Chief Executive at Dragonfly Biosciences UK, says, "We are proud to be driving global and category growth yet again. Dragonfly's success is embedded in its seed to shelf philosophy, which consumers value and trust. Our expansion across Asia will bring enormous success, both to our brand and the market. This new partnership complements our existing relationship with Health House International that is currently expanding Dragonfly in Australia. "Dragonfly's seed to shelf philosophy includes extensive research and development and stringent quality controls throughout the manufacturing process to ensure the highest and most consistent product quality. All of Dragonfly's CBD products are rigorously tested both in our own and independent laboratories. Every product is standardised to contain specific quantities of cannabinoids including, CBD." The partnership between Dragonfly Biosciences and eCargo Holdings Limited is part of a wider cooperation with Mellow Asia, opening up access to the Asian market through eCargo's extensive distribution and trading capabilities in the region. Lawrence Lun, eCargo Holdings Limited CEO commented on the partnership, saying, "We're excited to bring Dragonfly Biosciences into our brand portfolio and provide our Asia Pacific network with their award winning CBD products through both online and offline channels. Dragonfly's reputation in the market and their responsible practices promotes great confidence with our partners and shareholders and we look forward to a long and successful working relationship." He adds, "With an existing portfolio of reputable international brands, our established trade relationships, we are well positioned to drive and accelerate revenue growth based on satisfying regulatory requirements." The cannabis industry is booming and is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Some estimates predict that the value of the global CBD market may reach USD 5.3 billion by 2025[i]. About Dragonfly Biosciences Dragonfly CBD can be found at a variety of reputable stockists on the UK high street including Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury's and in pharmacies where professional advice may be sought on appropriate use of the product. Dragonfly is available in two ranges - narrow spectrum and broad spectrum - and in a range of strengths to take by mouth. Vitamin D is included in some oral preparation to facilitate consumers obtaining the UK government recommended daily dose of this essential vitamin. Dragonfly also produces a CBD skin care range. For more information, please visit www.dragonflycbd.com. About eCargo Holdings Limited eCargo is an eCommerce and Offline sales enabler providing solutions to brands from across the spectrum, utilizing proven executional capabilities to offer a transparent and integrated truly end to end solution. Its mission is to help brands sell more product in Asia - particularly China and Australia - and its capabilities range across the value chain, including shipping and customs clearance, warehousing, logistics, all supporting their established online and offline distribution channels covering China nationwide, while extensive marketing expertise in these markets supports brand and sales growth. [i] Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil Market 2020 Industry Size, Share, Price, Trend and Forecast to 2025 | Medgadget Press Release Nokia, Safaricom and UNICEF connect more primary schools to the Internet across Kenya Deployment of Nokia FastMile 4G Fixed Wireless Access broadband connects 90 primary schools, focusing on rural areas as well as disadvantaged urban areas. Ambition to scale initiative to all schools in Kenya, as part of a Government initiative to provide equitable access to digital learning. Importance of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic further highlights the need for connectivity in schools. 17 August 2021 Nairobi, Kenya - Nokia has come together with multiple stakeholders, including Safaricom, UNICEF and the Kenyan Ministries of Education and ICT, to connect close to 90 schools to the Internet in Kenya. Both rural and disadvantaged urban settlements have benefitted from the initiative, which also supports digitization and digital literacy. The initiative aims to 'connect the unconnected', with the ultimate goal of supporting the Kenyan Government's plans to scale broadband connection to all schools by 2030. The connected schools are spread across rural and informal urban settlements in Kenya, serving an estimated 32,670 students. Schools are using Nokia's FastMile 4G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband solution to provide reliable, high-speed connectivity delivered over Safaricom's 4G/LTE network. Nokia's meshed WiFi Beacon technology is used to boost the Internet signal in selected classrooms and computer labs. The importance of good connectivity has been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures in Kenya in 2020 meant that children had to stay at home for six to nine months, leaving them reliant on remote learning. The digital divide meant that students who could access the internet were better placed to continue with their learning. Schools equipped with a broadband connection, digital devices and teacher training will now be able to make better use of video communication, digital curricula and online content, thereby improving digital literacy and skills amongst school children. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, said: "As part of our Transforming Lives purpose and vision to become a purpose-led technology company, we are always looking for partnerships that allow us to use our services to deliver social impact in areas aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals. Our shared value partnership with UNICEF and Nokia allows us to connect schools in underprivileged areas and increase access to digital literacy. This will ensure that the students there are not left behind when it comes to reaping the benefits of an ever-increasing digital society." UNICEF Kenya Country Representative Maniza Zaman said: "Children have a right to access quality education wherever they are, yet for too long, the digital divide has prevented disadvantaged children from enjoying the same benefits as their connected peers. By connecting schools to the Internet - with a focus on the most disadvantaged areas - we can start to level the playing field. This allows students and teachers to gain digital skills and access the latest education materials, providing a brighter future for some of the most vulnerable children in Kenya." Amr K. El Leithy, SVP, Middle East and Africa Market, Nokia, said: "An important belief that we hold at Nokia is the need to provide 'broadband for all'. With remote learning becoming the prevailing issue during the Covid-19 pandemic, the topic of digital equity takes center stage again, so we are excited that this collaboration will facilitate access to many students currently unconnected. This is an initiative we are very proud to be a part of and hope that it is a significant step to a brighter future for all those reaping its benefits." About the technology Nokia FastMile 4G Receiver The Nokia FastMile solution allows operators to build profitably on their existing Radio Access Network (RAN) installed base and idle spectrum so they can offer fixed wireless broadband to urban, suburban and rural users. Nokia FastMile includes customer premise equipment with a built-in modem and antenna, a cloud-based controller for point of sales, monitoring and control, and smartphone applications for installation and support. Together they provide a powerful end-to-end solution delivering fast and reliable broadband to fixed subscribers. Nokia WiFi Beacon Nokia WiFi Beacons support the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard and use algorithms to detect and mitigate potential issues at home in real-time. The Beacons always select the strongest Wi-Fi channel, and ensure that client devices are connected in the best possible way to maximize the end-users' broadband experience. The Wi-Fi network can be seamlessly extended by adding Beacons to avoid any dead spots in the house. A mobile app brings ease of installation and management to the end-user. About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together. As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world. Media Inquiries: Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar slipped against its most major counterparts in the Asian session on Tuesday, after minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's August meeting showed that the Board is prepared to act if the recent surge in delta virus strain threaten the country's economic recovery. Policymakers of the RBA said the economic activity and employment were expected to decline in the September quarter as the high transmissibility of the Delta variant raised the possibility of a more gradual reopening, minutes from the central bank's August 3 meeting showed. The board said outbreaks of the Delta variant and accompanying lockdowns had introduced a high degree of uncertainty to the outlook for the second half of 2021. The current virus outbreaks and lockdowns had interrupted the recovery and many households and businesses were facing difficult conditions, the minutes said. Members therefore considered the case for delaying the tapering of bond purchases to A$4 billion a week currently scheduled for September 2021. 'The Board would be prepared to act in response to further bad news on the health front should that lead to a more significant setback for the economic recovery,' the minutes added. Asian shares are mostly lower, with a steep drop in crude oil prices and the surge in the spread of the delta variant of coronavirus and the resultant restrictions in several countries as well as disappointing Chinese economic data and geopolitical concerns weighing on investor sentiment. The aussie weakened to near a 9-month low of 0.7278 against the greenback and near a 7-month low of 79.44 against the yen, off its early highs of 0.7341 and 80.25, respectively. The currency is likely to find support around 0.70 against the greenback and 78 against the yen. The aussie dropped to a 4-day low of 0.9189 against the loonie and a fresh 2-week low of 1.6162 against the euro, after rising to 0.9228 and 1.6037, respectively in early deals. The aussie is seen finding support around 0.90 against the loonie and 1.64 against the euro. In contrast, the aussie rose to a 2-week high of 1.0541 against the kiwi, after touching 1.0420, which was its lowest level since November 30, 2020. The aussie may challenge resistance around the 1.07 mark. Looking ahead, Eurozone construction output for June, GDP and employment data for the second quarter are set for release in the European session. Canada housing starts for July are scheduled for release at 8:15 am ET. U.S. NAHB housing market index for August, business inventories for June, retail sales and industrial production for July will be featured in the New York session. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de MediSure Canada has obtained a Health Canada Medical Device Establishment License (MDEL # 17716), to Source Class II through Class IV Diagnostic and Therapeutic Medical Devices VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / EMPOWER CLINICS INC. (CBDT:CSE) (8EC:Frankfurt) (EPWCF:OTCQB) ("Empower" or the "Company") an integrated healthcare company serving patients through medical centres, telemedicine platforms, operating a high complexity medical diagnostics laboratory processing thousands of COVID-19 specimens, is pleased to announce that Medi+Sure Canada Inc. ("MediSure") a wholly owned subsidiary, has obtained Health Canada Medical Device Establishment License (MDEL # 17716), to source class II (two) to class IV (four) diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices from MDALL licensed manufacturers located across the world, and distribute these medical devices in Canada under the MediSure brand. "The achievement of MediSure receiving the new MDEL licence from Health Canada is a major accomplishment, as it complements our existing Health Canada MDALL manufacturing license, and immediately opens the door for MediSure to launch new, innovative medical device solutions into the Canadian healthcare market." said Mario Cortis, MediSure, President. EMPOWER ACCELERATES ABILITY TO DISTRIBUTE AND SELL MEDICAL DEVICE PRODUCTS IN CANADA WITH THE MEDISURE BRAND "One in four Canadian's, and one in four American's are afflicted with various forms of diabetes, and as such, we must use our resources to advance care and treatment options for patients." said Steven McAuley, Chairman & CEO, Empower Clinics Inc. "We also must expand our reach into new technologies, new devices, new ways to deliver care. We must use The Medi-Collective. We are going to pilot new technology. MediSure as a division, as a company, has already made an impact, and I am certain much more impact will come from the MediSure brand in North American markets now that the MDEL licence is officially granted." This press release is available on the Empower Clinics Verified Forum on AGORACOM for shareholder discussion, questions and engagement with management https://agoracom.com/ir/EmpowerClinics ABOUT MEDISURE: MediSure Canada is a Canadian medical device company dedicated to bringing value to the high cost of diabetes, both to patients and insurers. MediSure's products are designed and manufactured with safety and durability in mind, meeting all ISO standards with world-class quality controls. Equipped with features that lead the industry in technology, MediSure's products are designed to offer a user-friendly experience and an overall improved approach to diabetes management. ABOUT EMPOWER: Empower is an integrated healthcare company that provides body and mind wellness for patients through its clinics, with digital and telemedicine care, and world-class medical diagnostics laboratories. Supported by an experienced leadership team, Empower is aggressively growing its clinical and digital presence across North America. Our Health & Wellness and Diagnostics & Technology business units are positioned to positively impact the integrated health of our patients, while simultaneously providing long term value for our shareholders. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Steven McAuley Chief Executive Officer CONTACTS: Investors: Steven McAuley CEO s.mcauley@empowerclinics.com 604-789-2146 Investors: Tamara Mason Business Development & Communications t.mason@empowerclinics.com 416-671-5617 DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements can frequently be identified by words such as "plans", "continues", "expects", "projects", "intends", "believes", "anticipates", "estimates", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the expected benefits to the Company and its shareholders as a result of the acquisition of Kai Medical Laboratory; the transaction terms; the expected number of clinics and patients following the closing; the future potential success of Kai Medical Laboratory, Sun Valley's franchise model; launch of new healthcare centers and the occurrence thereof; that the Company can bring healthcare to millions of Canadians; that new healthcare services can be added and that the Company will be positioned to be a market- leading service provider for complex patient requirements in 2020 and beyond. Such statements are only projections, are based on assumptions known to management at this time, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including: that Kai Medical Laboratory will successfully win any US Government RFP; that the MedX Health pilot program will be successful; that Empower will place the MedX Health teledermatology product in health centers in North America; that the Company's products may not work as expected; that the Company may not be able to expand COVID-19 testing; that legislative changes may have an adverse effect on the Company's business and product development; that the Company may not be able to obtain adequate financing to pursue its business plan; that the Company will be able to commence and/or complete build-outs and tenants improvements for Canadian clinics or Kai Medical Laboratory expansion in 2Q 2021; that general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; failure to obtain any necessary approvals in connection with the proposed transaction; and other factors beyond the Company's control. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this release, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable laws. SOURCE: Empower Clinics Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660081/Empower-Clinics-Wholly-Owned-Subsidiary-MediSure-Receives-Approval-of-Health-Canada-Medical-Device-Establishment-Licence-MDEL SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global metal stamping market size is anticipated to reach USD 270.32 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 3.8%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The increasing production of automobiles is anticipated to drive the demand for metal stamping as it is used in manufacturing of car body panels, transmission components, and interior and exterior structural components. Key Insights & Findings: The blanking segment is anticipated to progress at a CAGR of 3.2%, in terms of revenue over the forecast period owing to the increasing demand from the automotive industry on account of its precise and superior stamping ability The bending segment accounted for a revenue share of 16.7% in 2019. Products manufactured using this process ensure stability and durability, thus it is mostly used in auto components. Consumer electronics is the fastest-growing segment in terms of revenue with a CAGR of 4.3% over the forecast period. The growth is attributable to the increasing utilization of lightweight metal components to improve the durability of electronics. Industrial machinery accounted for a revenue share of 19.2% in 2019 owing to the growing demand for machinery and automation to improve the efficiency of the output North America is expected to witness a CAGR of 2.5% in terms of revenue and is anticipated to continue dominating the overall metal stamping market over the forecast period owing to the increasing production of automobiles and consumer electronics. Read 120 page market research report, "Metal Stamping Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Process (Blanking, Embossing, Bending, Coining, Flanging), By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research Automobile consumers are shifting their focus towards lightweight vehicles on account of rising concerns about environmental pollution. According to the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), the global light vehicles sales reached around 94 million in 2018 and are expected to reach nearly 110 million by 2026. The growing demand for lightweight vehicles is encouraging auto component manufacturers to increase their production capacities and engage in new product developments, which, in turn, is anticipated to augment market growth over the coming years. Major automobile manufacturers that have in-house component manufacturing facilities are expanding their production capacities to meet the growing demand for automobiles. For instance, in February 2019, Ford Motor Company announced to invest USD 1 billion in Chicago assembly and stamping plants. With the investment, the company plans to add all-new stamping lines and all-new body shops and paint shops that are used to manufacture 2020 Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility, and Lincoln Aviator. Thus, increasing production of these vehicles is anticipated to drive product demand over the coming years. In Asia Pacific, increasing demand for consumer electronics such as mobile phones, computers, laptops, and headphones is likely to boost the demand for metal stamping as it is used in manufacturing metal frames such as metal headbands that are used in headphones. Change in consumer preferences towards enhanced audio experience along with a rapidly growing music industry, and advancement in VR technology are the major factors that are expected to drive the demand for headphones. This, in turn, is likely to propel market growth over the coming years. The market is highly competitive with the presence of local as well as global market players including Alcoa Corporation; Kenmode Precision Metal Stamping; Lindy Manufacturing Co.; Acro Metal Stamping; Manor Tool and Manufacturing Company; D&H Industries; and Klesk Metal Stamping, Inc. These companies are focusing on long term agreements, capacity expansions, and mergers and acquisitions to meet the growing product demand from potential customers. For instance, in March 2017, Arconic signed a multi-year agreement with Toyota Motor Corp. to supply aluminum for its new Lexus RX. With this agreement, Arconic is the sole aluminum sheet supplier for Lexus RX. Grand View Research has segmented the global metal stamping market on the basis of process, application, and region: Metal Stamping Process Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2028) Blanking Embossing Bending Coining Flanging Others Metal Stamping Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2028) Automotive Industrial Machinery Consumer electronics Aerospace Electrical & Electronics Telecommunications Others Metal Stamping Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2028) North America U.S. Europe Germany France U.K. Spain Italy Denmark Belgium Asia Pacific China India Japan Central & South America Middle East & Africa & List of Key Players of the Metal Stamping Market Acro Metal Stamping Manor Tool & Manufacturing Company D&H Industries, Inc. Kenmode, Inc. Klesk Metal Stamping Co Clow Stamping Company Goshen Stamping Company Tempco Manufacturing Company, Inc Interplex Holdings Pte. Ltd. CAPARO Nissan Motor Co., Ltd AAPICO Hitech Public Company Limited Gestamp Ford Motor Company Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of theGlobal Advanced Interior Materials Industry: Automotive Metal Stamping Market - Automotive metal stamping market size was USD 70.42 billion in 2015. Automotive metal stamping is a process of converting sheet metal into shapes & sizes based on the end-user requirements. Automotive metal stamping market size was in 2015. Automotive metal stamping is a process of converting sheet metal into shapes & sizes based on the end-user requirements. Metal Casing Market - The global metal casing market size was valued at USD 36.98 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% from 2020 to 2027. The global metal casing market size was valued at in 2019 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% from 2020 to 2027. Aerospace Parts Manufacturing Market- The global aerospace parts manufacturing market size was estimated at USD 907.2 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.1% from 2020 to 2027. Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg SWORDS, Ireland, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OASIS Group have successfully undertaken the requirements and are now registered as a supplier on Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO), Framework for Records Information Management, Digital Solutions and Associated Services. Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2020/21 CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to 2.04bn - supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers. YPO's vision is that every single public organisation achieves the best possible value for money when procuring its goods and services. "OASIS have been supporting the information management needs of clients across the public sector for decades. Through these relationships we understand the drive for procurement efficiencies and are committed to helping our clients achieve this through the RM6175 framework," said Nick Knight, Chief Commercial Officer at OASIS Group. OASIS Group are registered as suppliers on four of the lots of RM6175Records Information Management, Digital Solutions and Associated Services Framework agreement. Detailed below you can see the services available under each lot: Lot 1 Records Information Management Services - Off Site Records Information Management Service - Off Site Storage of Inactive Records - On and/or Off Site Secure Shredding, Destruction and Disposal Services - On and/or Off Site Combined Records Information Management Services - Off and/or On Site Scanning Services Lot 2 Digital Workflow, Cloud Based Hosting Solutions - Digital Workflow Solutions - Cloud Based Hosting Services - Scanning Services - Interim Technical Resources Lot 3 Full Management of National Health Service (NHS) Patient Records (off site) - Clinic Preparation and Management of NHS Patient Records - Digitisation (Scanning) of Patient Records - Off Site Storage of Patient Records at Supplier's site(s) - Third Party Interim Resources - On Site Managed Services - Shredding, Destruction and Disposal (On and/or Off site) Lot 4 Specialist Records Management Services - Listing - Cataloguing - Appraisal and Selection - Sensitivity Review - Record Preparation Services Notes to Editors Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is an Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office, supporting the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. To find out more about CCS, visit: www.crowncommercial.gov.uk Follow them on Twitter: @gov_procurement LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/2827044 About OASIS Group OASIS Group have been providing clients with secure records and information management solutions since 1999. Established in Dublin, Ireland, OASIS has since expanded internationally and are currently operating across 6 European countries, employing over 1,700 Team Members and servicing over 10,000 clients. Brands within the OASIS Group include OASIS, ArchiDoc and Niche Health. www.OASISGroup.com Media Contact: Jade Miles Group Marketing, PR and Communications Director communications@oasisgroup.com +353 1 8666 317 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/650664/OASIS_Group_Logo.jpg First Certificate Authority in the World to Achieve the Recognition With forged vaccine identity cards becoming a problem worldwide, the timing is ideal MAIDSTONE, UK / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / GMO GlobalSign (https://www.globalsign.com/en), a global Certificate Authority (CA) and leading provider of digital signing, identity and security solutions for the IoT, today announced it is now a recognized Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) under the eIDAS Regulations in the United Kingdom (UK). By doing so, GlobalSign becomes the world's first CA recognized to issue qualified digital certificates for the purpose of applying Qualified Electronic Signatures and Seals to documents, including regulated industries, under the UK eIDAS Regulations and following the UK's exit from the European Union last year. GlobalSign obtained recognition from the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on July 27th, 2021. GlobalSign also worked closely with its eIDAS conformity assessment body throughout the accreditation process. A Qualified Trust Service Provider plays an important role in the process of qualified electronic signing - the highest assurance level of signatures as specified by the UK eIDAS Regulations. eIDAS is a regulatory framework adhered to in both the UK and the European Union focused on enhancing trust in electronic transactions between citizens, businesses, and public authorities cross-borders. The laws call for a common framework for secure electronic signatures, including standardized assurance levels, to facilitate interoperability and acceptance across both regions. Post-Brexit in the UK, QTSPs can only provide qualified trust services in accordance with the UK eIDAS Regulations if they appear on the Information Commissioner's Office trusted list. As a recognized QTSP in the UK, GlobalSign is now able to provide qualified certificates for electronic signatures and seals in accordance with the UK eIDAS Regulations. Qualified Electronic Signatures have the same legal effect as handwritten signatures and qualified electronic seals presume the integrity and origin of the document. They also provide the highest level of convenience and assurance because they can be applied with more flexibility than handwritten signatures and because the validation of the identity, whether individual or organization, is done at a very high level. The signatures are recognized across all the UK and are admissible as evidence in court. With forged vaccine identity cards increasingly becoming a problem in the UK and Europe - and even worldwide - the timing of GlobalSign's QTSP approval is ideal. Like many organizations, GlobalSign is very concerned about the legitimacy of vaccine documents being provided. As specialists in document security and authenticity, we have found that several providers aren't using encrypted methods for signing vaccine-related documentation. "GlobalSign first became a QTSP in the fall of 2018 in the EU. Now with the UK's exit from the European Union, we took a similar route to join the UK Information Commissioner's Office trusted list. We are particularly proud to be the first Certificate Authority in the world to accomplish this within just a few months of Brexit occurring," said Arvid Vermote, Chief Information Security Officer, GlobalSign. "Enterprises in the United Kingdom who are looking for qualified certificates can turn to GlobalSign for this capability." Our Qualified certificates for electronic signatures and seals are now available to individuals and organizations through GlobalSign's qualified product offering tailored to both individuals and organizations' needs. The certificates are provided on highly secure signing devices that meet the requirements of the eIDAS regulation to ensure the electronic signature creation environment is reliable and used under the sole control of the signatory. Vermote added, "As always, the level of assurance QTSP recognition offers is critical, especially for companies in regulated industries such as banking, insurance and energy marketplaces, so now being recognized as a QTSP within the UK and the EU will continue to offer many important opportunities for GlobalSign." About GMO GlobalSign As one of the world's most deeply-rooted certificate authorities, GlobalSign is the leading provider of trusted identity and security solutions enabling businesses, large enterprises, cloud-based service providers, and IoT innovators worldwide to conduct secure online communications, manage millions of verified digital identities and automate authentication and encryption. Its high-scale PKI and identity solutions support the billions of services, devices, people, and things comprising the IoT. A subsidiary of Japan-based GMO GlobalSign Holdings K.K and GMO Internet Group, GMO GlobalSign has offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit https://www.globalsign.com Media Relations Contact: Amy Krigman Director of Public Relations - West Phone: 603-570-7060 Email: amy.krigman@globalsign.com SOURCE: GlobalSign View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659946/GlobalSign-Secures-eIDAS-Qualified-Trust-Service-Provider-Recognition-in-the-United-Kingdom NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The soaring requirement for packaged and processed foods, mushrooming usage of personal care products, and increasing adoption of various farming methods that involve the use of agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, are the major factors fueling the demand for 1,5-cyclooctadiene. Additionally, the increasing industrialization and urbanization rates and the surging disposable income of people in Eastern countries are propelling the expansion of the global 1,5-cyclooctadiene market. Because of these factors, the market generated ~$210 million revenue in 2020 and is expected to boom during 2021-2030. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the manufacturing sector. Because of the imposition of strict lockdowns and the closing of international borders, the transportation and production of synthetic lubricants, rubber, nylon, cosmetics, concrete chemicals, and plastics that use 1,5 cyclooctadiene as a chemical precursor came to a halt. This subsequently hampered the progress of the market. Get the Sample Copy of this Report at @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/1-5-cyclooctadiene-market/report-sample The 1,5-cyclooctadiene market is classified into specialty chemicals, catalyst ligands, elastomers, solvents, and chemical intermediates, based on application. Out of these, the catalyst ligands category dominated the market, both in terms of value and volume, in 2020. This is ascribed to the extensive usage of catalyst ligands for producing chemicals such as dichloro (1,5-cyclooctadiene) palladium. Depending on end-use, the 1,5-cyclooctadiene market is divided into cosmetic, agrochemical, food, construction, and rubber categories. Out of these, the food category dominated the market, both in terms of value and volume, in 2020. This was mainly because of the fact that 1,5-cyclooctadiene was heavily used as an additive in the food packaging industry. Browse in-depth report on 1,5-Cyclooctadiene Market Research Report: By Application (Catalyst Ligands, Specialty Chemicals, Solvents, Elastomers, Chemical Intermediates), End Use (Agrochemical, Cosmetics, Food, Rubber, Construction) - Global Industry Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030 @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/1-5-cyclooctadiene-market Across the globe, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region dominated the market in 2020, and this trend is predicted to continue in the forthcoming years. This will be because of the increasing per capita income of people and the surging demand for personal care and home products. The players operating in the 1,5-cyclooctadiene market are focusing on acquisitions and mergers for gaining a significant edge. For example, the boards of Anglo American plc, Anglo-American Projects UK Limited (Bidco), and Sirius Minerals Plc announced in January 2020 that they had agreed to initiate the acquisition of Sirius by Bidco. This acquisition helped the company launch the Woodsmith Project which made it the Tier-1 supplier of low-carbon and high-quality fertilizers, which is assisting it in meeting the food demands of the rapidly surging population. Merck KGaA, Spex Certiprep, Evonik Industries AG, Tokyo Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., abcr GmbH, and Biosynth Carbosynth are some of the major players in the global 1,5-cyclooctadiene market. Browse More Report Reports Specialty Chemicals Market - Geographically, the Asia-Pacific specialty chemicals market is expected to hold the largest share during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the soaring demand for these chemicals in the electrical & electronics, pharmaceutical, automotive, agriculture, and personal care & cosmetics industries of India and China. Construction Chemicals Market - APAC will register the fastest growth in the construction chemicals market due to the mounting need for these chemicals in the emerging economies of China and India. China is regarded as the construction capital of the world. About P&S Intelligence P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness. Contact: Prajneesh Kumar P&S Intelligence Phone: +1-347-960-6455 Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1224988/P_and_S_Intelligence_Logo.jpg BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks fell on Tuesday as a spike in COVID-19 cases in Asia and elsewhere raised fears of a slowdown in global economic growth. Worries about tighter regulation in China also weighed on sentiment, with the country's market regulator issuing draft rules today aimed at stopping unfair competition on the internet. A stronger dollar and a slide in Treasury yields underscored the risk-off mood ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The benchmark DAX dropped 56 points, or 0.4 percent, to 15,869 after declining 0.3 percent on Monday. Cyclicals were coming under selling pressure, with lender Commerzbank losing 1.5 percent and Deutsche Bank falling 1.4 percent. Automakers BMW and Daimler fell over 1 percent while airline Lufthansa gave up 1.1 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks were little changed on Tuesday after the headline unemployment rate for the second quarter came in slightly lower than forecast. The U.K. unemployment rate declined in the second quarter, the Office for National Statistics reported earlier today. The unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percentage points to 4.7 percent in the second quarter. This was slightly below the expected rate of 4.8 percent. At the same time, there was a quarterly increase in the employment rate of 0.3 percentage points to 75.1 percent. The benchmark FTSE 100 was marginally higher at 7,158 after losing 0.9 percent the previous day. BHP Group shares soared 6.7 percent. The miner posted its best annual profit in nearly a decade and confirmed the spin-off of its crude assets. Commodity company Glencore fell about 1 percent after it acquired a stake in U.K. battery maker Britishvolt. Pearson shares were down about 2 percent. The publishing and education company has agreed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to pay $1 million to settle charges for misleading investors about cyber breach. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global horizontal directional drilling market size is estimated to reach USD 14.86 billion by 2028, expanding at an estimated CAGR of 6.7% from 2021 to 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rising emphasis on minimizing the environmental impact of drilling and boring activities, rapid urbanization, and the inconvenience caused to the public due to the increased open-cut utility installations are some of the key factors driving the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) market growth. Key Insights & Findings: In terms of HDD machine type, the rotary steerable system segment is projected to register a CAGR of close to 5.0% from 2021 to 2028. The rising demand for mud rotary drilling that is capable to create smooth boreholes in unconsolidated rock formations is expected to create opportunities for the rotary steerable system machine type over the forecast period In terms of end use, the oil and gas extraction segment dominated in 2020 with a revenue share of above 35.0% of the overall horizontal directional drilling services market. The prevalence of clean energy in an attempt to reduce the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel consumption is likely to help in retaining the dominance of this segment over the forecast timeframe Owing to the longer lifespan of most offshore projects, the offshore segment accounted for a higher revenue share of over 55.0% of the overall market in 2020 Read 250 page market research report, "Horizontal Directional Drilling Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Machine Type, By Parts (Rigs, Pipes, Bits, Reamers), By Application, By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research Rising environmental concerns have contemplated regulatory bodies worldwide to create regulations that require organizations to minimize ecosystem exploitation. For instance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require that unconventional oil and gas exploration companies abide by the specified safety standards to minimize environmental damages, avoid occupational hazards, and ensure the management of wastewater and other wastes. Furthermore, increasing government investments in underground installations in utility and telecommunication sectors have increased the deployment of horizontal directional boring services. Subsequently, the complex data requirements, combined with the need for collaborative work operations at offshore and onshore sites, necessitate the high reliance of operators on robust telecommunications services. The rising need to offer better broadband connectivity and the demand for cloud-based services is compelling telecom operators to up their investments in modernized infrastructure, thereby contributing to the market growth. The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the horizontal directional drilling machines industry due to workforce shortages and practical difficulties in implementing social distancing at equipment production sites. The consumption of diesel and petroleum products also reduced significantly in 2020 due to stringent movement restrictions, reducing the demand for upstream oil & gas activities. However, government bailouts are expected to help revive the oil and gas industry, which is one of the leading contributors to the global economy. This is expected to create a sluggish recovery trajectory of the pandemic-fed depression on the market over the years to come. Grand View Research has segmented the global horizontal directional drilling market based on machine type, parts, application, end-use, and region: HDD Machine Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2028) Conventional Rotary Steerable System HDD Machine Parts Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2028) Rigs Type Mini Midi Maxi Sales New sales Aftermarket Pipes Bits Reamers Others HDD Services Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2028) Onshore Offshore HDD Services End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2028) Oil & Gas Extraction Utility Telecommunication Others HDD Machines and Services Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2028) North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany Asia-Pacific China India Japan Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa (MEA KSA UAE Kuwait List of Key Players of the Horizontal Directional Drilling Market Nabors Industries Ltd. The Toro Company The Charles Machine Works, Inc. Vermeer Corporation Herrenknecht AG XCMG Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of the Global HVAC & Construction Industry: Oil & Gas Drill Bit Market - Global drill bits for oil and gas market size was estimated to be 2,835.0 hundred units in 2014. High rate of fossil fuel extraction to meet the surging global energy demand has been a major factor driving the market growth over the past few years. Global drill bits for oil and gas market size was estimated to be 2,835.0 hundred units in 2014. High rate of fossil fuel extraction to meet the surging global energy demand has been a major factor driving the market growth over the past few years. Coiled Tubing Market - The global coiled tubing market size was valued at USD 3.25 billion in 2019 and is predicted to expand at a significant CAGR of 4.8% from 2020 to 2027. The global coiled tubing market size was valued at in 2019 and is predicted to expand at a significant CAGR of 4.8% from 2020 to 2027. Rotary Hammer Drill Market-The global rotary hammer drill market size was estimated at USD 1.41 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period. Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices were moving lower for the fourth day running on Tuesday amid fears that the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 would threaten oil demand recovery. Benchmark Brent crude futures fell 29 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $69.22 per barrel, while U.S. West Intermediate crude futures were down 36 cents, or half a percent, at $66.69. Traders are adjusting forecasts of Chinese demand after China's factory output and retail sales growth slowed sharply and missed expectations in July. The fast spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus has cast a cloud over the outlook for demand. The Japanese government is set to extend COVID-19 emergency control measures to more areas and into September to suppress the fifth wave of infections, public broadcaster NHK reported. Crude oil processing in China, the world's biggest oil importer, last month fell to its lowest level on a daily basis since May 2020 as independent plants slashed production amid tighter quotas, high inventories and weakening profits. Meanwhile, Reuters said citing sources that OPEC and its allies, including Russia, believe oil markets do not need more oil than they plan to release in the coming months. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Soltech Energy has installed a 646 kW solar facade on the wall of a garage in Sweden that hosts 300 EV-charging posts. It features a steel structure to facilitate the flow of air.Soltech Energy, a Swedish PV system integrator and solar product supplier, is building several PV facades in its home market. It recently installed a 646.6 kW solar facade on a newly built garage with 300 EV-charging posts in Gothenburg by adopting a special design it has developed for buildings with particular airflow patterns. The flow of air in the garage is important because of exhaust from the vehicles. The facade ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold prices rose for the fifth day running on Tuesday, with lower U.S. yields and worries over a spike in the COVID-19 Delta variant cases offering some support. Spot gold inched up 0.4 percent to $1,794.01 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures were up 0.3 percent at $1,795.55. The yield on the benchmark 10-Year U.S. Treasury note slid to 1.223 percent, from 1.255 percent on Monday, marking its third straight day of declines. Lower bond yields reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-interest bearing gold. A surge in COVID-19 cases in Asia and elsewhere also raised concerns that there could be another economic slowdown. As new lockdowns weigh on global growth, it is expected that central bank policy tightening would not happen soon. Gold is also drawing support from concerns over China's regulations for its once-freewheeling internet sector and the turmoil in Afghanistan. Focus now shifts to the U.S. retail sales data due later in the day, with the July sales figure likely to show a slowdown in consumer spending. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Hunter Technology Corp. (TSXV: HOC) (OTCQB: HOILF) (WKN: A2QEYH) (FSE: RWPM) (ISIN: CA4457371090) ("Hunter" or the "Company") is pleased to share an update on its market strategy, product progress and team focus. Based on the Company's progress to initiate partnerships with hydrocarbon producers and sovereign entities in West African markets, Hunter is directing additional resources and attention to further develop opportunities in the region. The focus of these efforts will continue to be establishing the OilExchange platform as a standard in physical oil supply chain intelligence solutions. With its tailored data collection and analytics functionalities, the product will enable efficient transparency along complex oil production processes for governments and large producers. The opportunity in smaller producing markets is to fully digitalize the reporting and government monitoring of data points such as production volumes, environmental impact, and export activity. This provides the foundation for advanced solutions in tax and royalty collection and for ultimately moving of all transactions to a unified digital marketplace. Following this integration opportunity and building on additional market research and feedback, Hunter has also been further building out is OilEx platform which connects commodity producers, buyers, and traders in a trusted marketplace. The product received a global overhaul to becoming a more atomic and extendable platform, adding flexibility to enable tailored transaction workflows and support additional commodity types. As a result, OilEx is well positioned to expand into alternative commodity trading activities and markets. The initial user experience focus on chat interactions between trade partners is now balanced with a navigation structure that is equally compatible with users who prefer to conduct deeper market exploration and research before making a decision or starting a conversation with a counterparty. The overhaul sets the foundation for a further extension of platform functions as planned over the next two months. Included are upgraded filtering to improve search accuracy for discovering suitable transaction opportunities, new sections for trade parties to manage their leads and ongoing deals, a dedicated messaging centre for direct deal discussions, and an updated map view that is more integrated with a typical transaction research workflow in commodities markets. To better support changes in market and platform strategy, the Company is optimizing its product delivery team structure to focus on the most viable and marketable opportunities at hand. After reaching planned milestones of technical platform foundation and back-end development, Hunter is strengthening its market development activities while continuing to tailor product functions to specific use cases. This is reflected in a shift of resources from core engineering to sales and business development functions. Hunter is releasing its latest investor presentation reflecting updates on market and product developments. The presentation is available on the Company website www.huntertechnology.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Florian M Spiegl Chief Executive Officer (778) 655-9202 About Hunter Technology Corp. Hunter Technology Corp. develops interactive software platforms that digitalize and streamline physical oil trading throughout the transaction lifecycle. With its solutions, Hunter delivers more favorable economics and fair market access for all and promotes the transition towards a more environmentally and ethically responsible ecosystem. Its flagship product OilEx will connect independent oil producers, buyers, and traders in a trusted digital marketplace to optimize prices, simplify processes, improve transparency, and support a reduced carbon footprint. Through its data analytics capabilities, Hunter offers real time supply chain management tools for tracking the origin, logistics, and processing of hydrocarbons and the environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance during their life cycle. 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. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information. This news release contains certain statements which may constitute forward-looking statements or information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") regarding Hunter's business development plans. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, including factors beyond Hunter's control, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", "will" or be "on track to" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements (including execution risk, market risk, industry risk, market reaction, the impact of general economic conditions and competition from other industry participants, as well as stock market volatility). In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, Hunter's business development plans as well as Hunter's future performance as it develops its business. Although Hunter believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors, estimates and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statement. Such factors include, but are not limited to: risks relating to delays, development and marketing risks, unforeseen requirements resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, commodity prices, inability to access, on favorable terms, sufficient capital from internal and external sources, the ability to access, hire and retain employees; regulatory changes and impacts, timing and completion of the Company's online platforms as well as general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, Hunter does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of Hunter should be considered highly speculative. There can be no assurance that Hunter will be able to achieve all or any of its proposed objectives. Please review Hunter's SEDAR filings including its management discussion and analysis available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com for a more fulsome discussion of risk factors affecting Hunter. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93372 Applications based on positive results from the Phase 3 CheckMate -648 trial, in which both Opdivo-based combinations demonstrated a significant survival benefit over chemotherapy alone Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has validated its Type II Variation Marketing Authorization Applications (MAA) for both Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Opdivo in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy as first-line treatments for adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Validation of these applications confirm that the submissions are complete and begins the EMA's centralized review process. "Outcomes for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemotherapy alone remain poor, and there is a clear need for additional options beyond this long-standing standard of care," said Ian M. Waxman, M.D., development lead, gastrointestinal cancers, Bristol Myers Squibb. "The validation of our applications moves us a step closer to potentially bringing these two Opdivo-based regimens to patients in the EU who may benefit." The applications are based on results from the pivotal Phase 3 CheckMate -648 trial, in which both Opdivo-based treatment combinations Opdivo plus Yervoy and Opdivo plus chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful overall survival (OS) benefit compared to chemotherapy at the pre-specified interim analysis in patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with tumor cell PD-L1 expression =1%, as well as in the all-randomized population. Opdivo plus Yervoy is the first dual immunotherapy combination to demonstrate a superior survival benefit versus chemotherapy in this setting. The safety profiles of Opdivo and chemotherapy and of Opdivo plus Yervoy were consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual components. Results from CheckMate -648 were presented in an oral session during the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and were selected for the official ASCO press program. Bristol Myers Squibb thanks the patients and investigators involved in the CheckMate -648 trial. About CheckMate -648 CheckMate -648 is a randomized Phase 3 study evaluating Opdivo plus Yervoy or Opdivo plus fluorouracil and cisplatin against fluorouracil plus cisplatin alone in patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The primary endpoints of the trial are overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) by blinded independent central review (BICR) in patients whose tumors express PD-L1 =1% for both Opdivo-based combinations versus chemotherapy. Secondary endpoints of the trial include OS and PFS by BICR in the all-randomized population. In the Opdivo plus Yervoy arm, patients received treatment with Opdivo 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks and Yervoy 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks up to 24 months or until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. In the Opdivo plus chemotherapy arm, patients received treatment with Opdivo 240 mg on Day 1 and Day 15, fluorouracil 800 mg/m/day on Day 1 through Day 5 (for 5 days), and cisplatin 80 mg/m on Day 1 of four-week cycle. Patients received Opdivo for up to 24 months or until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, and chemotherapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. About Esophageal Cancer Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of death from cancer worldwide, with approximately 600,000 new cases and over 540,000 deaths in 2020. The two most common types of esophageal cancer are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, which account for approximately 85% and 15% of all esophageal cancers, respectively, though esophageal tumor histology can vary by region with the highest rate of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma occurring in Asia (~95%), Europe (~65%) and North America (35%). Bristol Myers Squibb: Creating a Better Future for People with Cancer Bristol Myers Squibb is inspired by a single vision transforming patients' lives through science. The goal of the company's cancer research is to deliver medicines that offer each patient a better, healthier life and to make cure a possibility. Building on a legacy across a broad range of cancers that have changed survival expectations for many, Bristol Myers Squibb researchers are exploring new frontiers in personalized medicine, and through innovative digital platforms, are turning data into insights that sharpen their focus. Deep scientific expertise, cutting-edge capabilities and discovery platforms enable the company to look at cancer from every angle. Cancer can have a relentless grasp on many parts of a patient's life, and Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to taking actions to address all aspects of care, from diagnosis to survivorship. Because as a leader in cancer care, Bristol Myers Squibb is working to empower all people with cancer to have a better future. About Opdivo Opdivo is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor that is designed to uniquely harness the body's own immune system to help restore anti-tumor immune response. By harnessing the body's own immune system to fight cancer, Opdivo has become an important treatment option across multiple cancers. Opdivo's leading global development program is based on Bristol Myers Squibb's scientific expertise in the field of Immuno-Oncology and includes a broad range of clinical trials across all phases, including Phase 3, in a variety of tumor types. To date, the Opdivo clinical development program has treated more than 35,000 patients. The Opdivo trials have contributed to gaining a deeper understanding of the potential role of biomarkers in patient care, particularly regarding how patients may benefit from Opdivo across the continuum of PD-L1 expression. In July 2014, Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Opdivo is currently approved in more than 65 countries, including the United States, the European Union, Japan and China. In October 2015, the Company's Opdivo and Yervoy combination regimen was the first Immuno-Oncology combination to receive regulatory approval for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and is currently approved in more than 50 countries, including the United States and the European Union. About Yervoy Yervoy is a recombinant, human monoclonal antibody that binds to the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4). CTLA-4 is a negative regulator of T-cell activity. Yervoy binds to CTLA-4 and blocks the interaction of CTLA-4 with its ligands, CD80/CD86. Blockade of CTLA-4 has been shown to augment T-cell activation and proliferation, including the activation and proliferation of tumor infiltrating T-effector cells. Inhibition of CTLA-4 signaling can also reduce T-regulatory cell function, which may contribute to a general increase in T-cell responsiveness, including the anti-tumor immune response. On March 25, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Yervoy 3 mg/kg monotherapy for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Yervoy is approved for unresectable or metastatic melanoma in more than 50 countries. There is a broad, ongoing development program in place for Yervoy spanning multiple tumor types. INDICATIONS OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (=1%) as determined by an FDA-approved test, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab) and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving OPDIVO. OPDIVO(nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with intermediate or poor risk advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with cabozantinib, is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received prior anti-angiogenic therapy. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) that has relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and brentuximab vedotin or after 3 or more lines of systemic therapy that includes autologous HSCT. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with disease progression on or after platinum-based therapy. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric (12 years and older) patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with involvement of lymph nodes or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based chemotherapy. OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer with residual pathologic disease in patients who have received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and esophageal adenocarcinoma. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Severe and Fatal Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions Immune-mediated adverse reactions listed herein may not include all possible severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions. Immune-mediated adverse reactions, which may be severe or fatal, can occur in any organ system or tissue. While immune-mediated adverse reactions usually manifest during treatment, they can also occur after discontinuation of OPDIVO or YERVOY. Early identification and management are essential to ensure safe use of OPDIVO and YERVOY. Monitor for signs and symptoms that may be clinical manifestations of underlying immune-mediated adverse reactions. Evaluate clinical chemistries including liver enzymes, creatinine, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level, and thyroid function at baseline and periodically during treatment with OPDIVO and before each dose of YERVOY. In cases of suspected immune-mediated adverse reactions, initiate appropriate workup to exclude alternative etiologies, including infection. Institute medical management promptly, including specialty consultation as appropriate. Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). In general, if OPDIVO or YERVOY interruption or discontinuation is required, administer systemic corticosteroid therapy (1 to 2 mg/kg/day prednisone or equivalent) until improvement to Grade 1 or less. Upon improvement to Grade 1 or less, initiate corticosteroid taper and continue to taper over at least 1 month. Consider administration of other systemic immunosuppressants in patients whose immune-mediated adverse reactions are not controlled with corticosteroid therapy. Toxicity management guidelines for adverse reactions that do not necessarily require systemic steroids (e.g., endocrinopathies and dermatologic reactions) are discussed below. Immune-Mediated Pneumonitis OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis. The incidence of pneumonitis is higher in patients who have received prior thoracic radiation. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.1% (61/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.9%), and Grade 2 (2.1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 7% (31/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (2.0%), and Grade 2 (4.4%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.9% (26/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.4%) and Grade 2 (2.6%). In NSCLC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 9% (50/576) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.5%), Grade 3 (3.5%), and Grade 2 (4.0%). Four patients (0.7%) died due to pneumonitis. In Checkmate 205 and 039, pneumonitis, including interstitial lung disease, occurred in 6.0% (16/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 4.9% (13/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO, including Grade 3 (n=1) and Grade 2 (n=12). Immune-Mediated Colitis OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated colitis, which may be fatal. A common symptom included in the definition of colitis was diarrhea. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/reactivation has been reported in patients with corticosteroid-refractory immune-mediated colitis. In cases of corticosteroid-refractory colitis, consider repeating infectious workup to exclude alternative etiologies. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 2.9% (58/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.7%) and Grade 2 (1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 25% (115/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.4%), Grade 3 (14%) and Grade 2 (8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 9% (60/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.4%) and Grade 2 (3.7%). Immune-Mediated Hepatitis and Hepatotoxicity OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated hepatitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 1.8% (35/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (1.3%), and Grade 2 (0.4%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/ kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 15% (70/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (2.4%), Grade 3 (11%), and Grade 2 (1.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (1.2%), Grade 3 (4.9%), and Grade 2 (0.4%). OPDIVO in combination with cabozantinib can cause hepatic toxicity with higher frequencies of Grade 3 and 4 ALT and AST elevations compared to OPDIVO alone. Consider more frequent monitoring of liver enzymes as compared to when the drugs are administered as single agents. In patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib, Grades 3 and 4 increased ALT or AST were seen in 11% of patients. Immune-Mediated Endocrinopathies OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency, immune-mediated hypophysitis, immune-mediated thyroid disorders, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus, which can present with diabetic ketoacidosis. Withhold OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). For Grade 2 or higher adrenal insufficiency, initiate symptomatic treatment, including hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Hypophysitis can present with acute symptoms associated with mass effect such as headache, photophobia, or visual field defects. Hypophysitis can cause hypopituitarism; initiate hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Thyroiditis can present with or without endocrinopathy. Hypothyroidism can follow hyperthyroidism; initiate hormone replacement or medical management as clinically indicated. Monitor patients for hyperglycemia or other signs and symptoms of diabetes; initiate treatment with insulin as clinically indicated. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 1% (20/1994), including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 8% (35/456), including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (4.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.5%), and Grade 2 (4.1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 4.7% (15/320) of patients, including Grade 3 (2.2%) and Grade 2 (1.9%). In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypophysitis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (0.3%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 9% (42/456), including Grade 3 (2.4%) and Grade 2 (6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 4.4% (29/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (0.9%). In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, thyroiditis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 2 (0.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, thyroiditis occurred in 2.7% (22/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.5%) and Grade 2 (2.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hyperthyroidism occurred in 2.7% (54/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (<0.1%) and Grade 2 (1.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 9% (42/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.9%) and Grade 2 (4.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 12% (80/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (4.5%). In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypothyroidism occurred in 8% (163/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (4.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 20% (91/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (11%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 18% (122/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (11%). In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, diabetes occurred in 0.9% (17/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.3%), and 2 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis. In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, diabetes occurred in 2.7% (15/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (0.3%), and Grade 2 (0.9%). Immune-Mediated Nephritis with Renal Dysfunction OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated nephritis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 1.2% (23/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.5%), and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated nephritis with renal dysfunction occurred in 4.1% (27/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (1.1%), and Grade 2 (2.2%). Immune-Mediated Dermatologic Adverse Reactions OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis. Exfoliative dermatitis, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) has occurred with PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate nonexfoliative rashes. YERVOY can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis, including bullous and exfoliative dermatitis, SJS, TEN, and DRESS. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate non-bullous/ exfoliative rashes. Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated rash occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.1%) and Grade 2 (2.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 28% (127/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.8%) and Grade 2 (10%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 16% (108/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (3.5%) and Grade 2 (4.2%). Other Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions The following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions occurred at an incidence of <1% (unless otherwise noted) in patients who received OPDIVO monotherapy or OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY or were reported with the use of other PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Severe or fatal cases have been reported for some of these adverse reactions: cardiac/vascular: myocarditis, pericarditis, vasculitis; nervous system: meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis and demyelination, myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis (including exacerbation), Guillain-Barre syndrome, nerve paresis, autoimmune neuropathy; ocular: uveitis, iritis, and other ocular inflammatory toxicities can occur; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis to include increases in serum amylase and lipase levels, gastritis, duodenitis; musculoskeletal and connective tissue: myositis/polymyositis, rhabdomyolysis, and associated sequelae including renal failure, arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica; endocrine: hypoparathyroidism; other (hematologic/immune): hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), systemic inflammatory response syndrome, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi lymphadenitis), sarcoidosis, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, solid organ transplant rejection. In addition to the immune-mediated adverse reactions listed above, across clinical trials of YERVOY monotherapy or in combination with OPDIVO, the following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions, some with fatal outcome, occurred in <1% of patients unless otherwise specified: nervous system: autoimmune neuropathy (2%), myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis, motor dysfunction; cardiovascular: angiopathy, temporal arteritis; ocular: blepharitis, episcleritis, orbital myositis, scleritis; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis (1.3%); other (hematologic/immune): conjunctivitis, cytopenias (2.5%), eosinophilia (2.1%), erythema multiforme, hypersensitivity vasculitis, neurosensory hypoacusis, psoriasis. Some ocular IMAR cases can be associated with retinal detachment. Various grades of visual impairment, including blindness, can occur. If uveitis occurs in combination with other immune-mediated adverse reactions, consider a Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome, which has been observed in patients receiving OPDIVO and YERVOY, as this may require treatment with systemic corticosteroids to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss. Infusion-Related Reactions OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause severe infusion-related reactions. Discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY in patients with severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) infusion-related reactions. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion in patients with mild (Grade 1) or moderate (Grade 2) infusion-related reactions. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 6.4% (127/1994) of patients. In a separate trial in which patients received OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion or a 30-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.2% (8/368) and 2.7% (10/369) of patients, respectively. Additionally, 0.5% (2/368) and 1.4% (5/369) of patients, respectively, experienced adverse reactions within 48 hours of infusion that led to dose delay, permanent discontinuation or withholding of OPDIVO. In melanoma patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.5% (10/407) of patients. In HCC patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 8% (4/49) of patients. In RCC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg, infusion-related reactions occurred in 5.1% (28/547) of patients. In MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 4.2% (5/119) of patients. In MPM patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 12% (37/300) of patients. Complications of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Fatal and other serious complications can occur in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) before or after being treated with OPDIVO or YERVOY. Transplant-related complications include hyperacute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after reduced intensity conditioning, and steroid-requiring febrile syndrome (without an identified infectious cause). These complications may occur despite intervening therapy between OPDIVO or YERVOY and allogeneic HSCT. Follow patients closely for evidence of transplant-related complications and intervene promptly. Consider the benefit versus risks of treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY prior to or after an allogeneic HSCT. Embryo-Fetal Toxicity Based on its mechanism of action and findings from animal studies, OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. The effects of YERVOY are likely to be greater during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY and for at least 5 months after the last dose. Increased Mortality in Patients with Multiple Myeloma when OPDIVO is Added to a Thalidomide Analogue and Dexamethasone In randomized clinical trials in patients with multiple myeloma, the addition of OPDIVO to a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone resulted in increased mortality. Treatment of patients with multiple myeloma with a PD-1 or PD-L1 blocking antibody in combination with a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone is not recommended outside of controlled clinical trials. Lactation There are no data on the presence of OPDIVO or YERVOY in human milk, the effects on the breastfed child, or the effects on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed children, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment and for 5 months after the last dose. Serious Adverse Reactions In Checkmate 037, serious adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=268). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 42% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse drug reactions reported in 2% to <5% of patients receiving OPDIVO were abdominal pain, hyponatremia, increased aspartate aminotransferase, and increased lipase. In Checkmate 066, serious adverse reactions occurred in 36% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=206). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were gamma-glutamyltransferase increase (3.9%) and diarrhea (3.4%). In Checkmate 067, serious adverse reactions (74% and 44%), adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation (47% and 18%) or to dosing delays (58% and 36%), and Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions (72% and 51%) all occurred more frequently in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) relative to the OPDIVO arm (n=313). The most frequent (=10%) serious adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm and the OPDIVO arm, respectively, were diarrhea (13% and 2.2%), colitis (10% and 1.9%), and pyrexia (10% and 1.0%). In Checkmate 227, serious adverse reactions occurred in 58% of patients (n=576). The most frequent (=2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea/colitis, pneumonitis, hepatitis, pulmonary embolism, adrenal insufficiency, and hypophysitis. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.7% of patients; these included events of pneumonitis (4 patients), myocarditis, acute kidney injury, shock, hyperglycemia, multi-system organ failure, and renal failure. In Checkmate 9LA, serious adverse reactions occurred in 57% of patients (n=358). The most frequent (>2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea, febrile neutropenia, anemia, acute kidney injury, musculoskeletal pain, dyspnea, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 7 (2%) patients, and included hepatic toxicity, acute renal failure, sepsis, pneumonitis, diarrhea with hypokalemia, and massive hemoptysis in the setting of thrombocytopenia. In Checkmate 017 and 057, serious adverse reactions occurred in 46% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. In Checkmate 057, fatal adverse reactions occurred; these included events of infection (7 patients, including one case of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia), pulmonary embolism (4 patients), and limbic encephalitis (1 patient). In Checkmate 743, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were pneumonia, pyrexia, diarrhea, pneumonitis, pleural effusion, dyspnea, acute kidney injury, infusion-related reaction, musculoskeletal pain, and pulmonary embolism. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 4 (1.3%) patients and included pneumonitis, acute heart failure, sepsis, and encephalitis. In Checkmate 214, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY (n=547). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were diarrhea, pyrexia, pneumonia, pneumonitis, hypophysitis, acute kidney injury, dyspnea, adrenal insufficiency, and colitis. In Checkmate 9ER, serious adverse reactions occurred in 48% of patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib (n=320). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were diarrhea, pneumonia, pneumonitis, pulmonary embolism, urinary tract infection, and hyponatremia. Fatal intestinal perforations occurred in 3 (0.9%) patients. In Checkmate 025, serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were acute kidney injury, pleural effusion, pneumonia, diarrhea, and hypercalcemia. In Checkmate 205 and 039, adverse reactions leading to discontinuation occurred in 7% and dose delays due to adverse reactions occurred in 34% of patients (n=266). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 26% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =1% of patients were pneumonia, infusion-related reaction, pyrexia, colitis or diarrhea, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and rash. Eleven patients died from causes other than disease progression: 3 from adverse reactions within 30 days of the last OPDIVO dose, 2 from infection 8 to 9 months after completing OPDIVO, and 6 from complications of allogeneic HSCT. In Checkmate 141, serious adverse reactions occurred in 49% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, dyspnea, respiratory failure, respiratory tract infection, and sepsis. In Checkmate 275, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were urinary tract infection, sepsis, diarrhea, small intestine obstruction, and general physical health deterioration. In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were colitis/diarrhea, hepatic events, abdominal pain, acute kidney injury, pyrexia, and dehydration. In Checkmate 040, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49). Serious adverse reactions reported in =4% of patients were pyrexia, diarrhea, anemia, increased AST, adrenal insufficiency, ascites, esophageal varices hemorrhage, hyponatremia, increased blood bilirubin, and pneumonitis. In Checkmate 238, serious adverse reactions occurred in 18% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=452). Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions occurred in 25% of OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452). The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in =2% of OPDIVO-treated patients were diarrhea and increased lipase and amylase. In Attraction-3, serious adverse reactions occurred in 38% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=209). Serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients who received OPDIVO were pneumonia, esophageal fistula, interstitial lung disease, and pyrexia. The following fatal adverse reactions occurred in patients who received OPDIVO: interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis (1.4%), pneumonia (1.0%), septic shock (0.5%), esophageal fistula (0.5%), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (0.5%), pulmonary embolism (0.5%), and sudden death (0.5%). In Checkmate 577, serious adverse reactions occurred in 33% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=532). A serious adverse reaction reported in =2% of patients who received OPDIVO was pneumonitis. A fatal reaction of myocardial infarction occurred in one patient who received OPDIVO. In Checkmate 649, serious adverse reactions occurred in 52% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=782). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in 2% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy were vomiting (3.7%), pneumonia (3.6%), anemia (3.6%), pyrexia (2.8%), diarrhea (2.7%), febrile neutropenia (2.6%), and pneumonitis (2.4%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 16 (2.0%) patients who were treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy; these included pneumonitis (4 patients), febrile neutropenia (2 patients), stroke (2 patients), gastrointestinal toxicity, intestinal mucositis, septic shock, pneumonia, infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, mesenteric vessel thrombosis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Common Adverse Reactions In Checkmate 037, the most common adverse reaction (=20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=268) was rash (21%). In Checkmate 066, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=206) vs dacarbazine (n=205) were fatigue (49% vs 39%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 25%), rash (28% vs 12%), and pruritus (23% vs 12%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (=20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) were fatigue (62%), diarrhea (54%), rash (53%), nausea (44%), pyrexia (40%), pruritus (39%), musculoskeletal pain (32%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), cough (27%), headache (26%), dyspnea (24%), upper respiratory tract infection (23%), arthralgia (21%), and increased transaminases (25%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (=20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO arm (n=313) were fatigue (59%), rash (40%), musculoskeletal pain (42%), diarrhea (36%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pruritus (27%), upper respiratory tract infection (22%), decreased appetite (22%), headache (22%), constipation (21%), arthralgia (21%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 227, the most common (=20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (44%), rash (34%), decreased appetite (31%), musculoskeletal pain (27%), diarrhea/colitis (26%), dyspnea (26%), cough (23%), hepatitis (21%), nausea (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 9LA, the most common (>20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (49%), musculoskeletal pain (39%), nausea (32%), diarrhea (31%), rash (30%), decreased appetite (28%), constipation (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418) were fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cough, dyspnea, and decreased appetite. In Checkmate 743, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY were fatigue (43%), musculoskeletal pain (38%), rash (34%), diarrhea (32%), dyspnea (27%), nausea (24%), decreased appetite (24%), cough (23%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 214, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients treated with OPDIVO plus YERVOY (n=547) were fatigue (58%), rash (39%), diarrhea (38%), musculoskeletal pain (37%), pruritus (33%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pyrexia (25%), arthralgia (23%), decreased appetite (21%), dyspnea (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 9ER, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib (n=320) were diarrhea (64%), fatigue (51%), hepatotoxicity (44%), palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia syndrome (40%), stomatitis (37%), rash (36%), hypertension (36%), hypothyroidism (34%), musculoskeletal pain (33%), decreased appetite (28%), nausea (27%), dysgeusia (24%), abdominal pain (22%), cough (20%) and upper respiratory tract infection (20%). In Checkmate 025, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406) vs everolimus (n=397) were fatigue (56% vs 57%), cough (34% vs 38%), nausea (28% vs 29%), rash (28% vs 36%), dyspnea (27% vs 31%), diarrhea (25% vs 32%), constipation (23% vs 18%), decreased appetite (23% vs 30%), back pain (21% vs 16%), and arthralgia (20% vs 14%). In Checkmate 205 and 039, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=266) were upper respiratory tract infection (44%), fatigue (39%), cough (36%), diarrhea (33%), pyrexia (29%), musculoskeletal pain (26%), rash (24%), nausea (20%) and pruritus (20%). In Checkmate 141, the most common adverse reactions (=10%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236) were cough (14%) and dyspnea (14%) at a higher incidence than investigator's choice. In Checkmate 275, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270) were fatigue (46%), musculoskeletal pain (30%), nausea (22%), and decreased appetite (22%). In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO as a single agent (n=74), the most common adverse reactions (=20%) were fatigue (54%), diarrhea (43%), abdominal pain (34%), nausea (34%), vomiting (28%), musculoskeletal pain (28%), cough (26%), pyrexia (24%), rash (23%), constipation (20%), and upper respiratory tract infection (20%). In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), the most common adverse reactions (=20%) were fatigue (49%), diarrhea (45%), pyrexia (36%), musculoskeletal pain (36%), abdominal pain (30%), pruritus (28%), nausea (26%), rash (25%), decreased appetite (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 040, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49), were rash (53%), pruritus (53%), musculoskeletal pain (41%), diarrhea (39%), cough (37%), decreased appetite (35%), fatigue (27%), pyrexia (27%), abdominal pain (22%), headache (22%), nausea (20%), dizziness (20%), hypothyroidism (20%), and weight decreased (20%). In Checkmate 238, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452) vs ipilimumab-treated patients (n=453) were fatigue (57% vs 55%), diarrhea (37% vs 55%), rash (35% vs 47%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 27%), pruritus (28% vs 37%), headache (23% vs 31%), nausea (23% vs 28%), upper respiratory infection (22% vs 15%), and abdominal pain (21% vs 23%). The most common immune-mediated adverse reactions were rash (16%), diarrhea/colitis (6%), and hepatitis (3%). In Attraction-3, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in OPDIVO-treated patients (n=209) were rash (22%) and decreased appetite (21%). In Checkmate 577, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=532) were fatigue (34%), diarrhea (29%), nausea (23%), rash (21%), musculoskeletal pain (21%), and cough (20%). In Checkmate 649, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=782) were peripheral neuropathy (53%), nausea (48%), fatigue (44%), diarrhea (39%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), abdominal pain (27%), constipation (25%), and musculoskeletal pain (20%). Please see US Full Prescribing Information for OPDIVO and YERVOY. Clinical Trials and Patient Populations Checkmate 037-previously treated metastatic melanoma; Checkmate 066-previously untreated metastatic melanoma; Checkmate 067-previously untreated metastatic melanoma, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 227-previously untreated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 9LA-previously untreated recurrent or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in combination with YERVOY and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy by histology; Checkmate 017-second-line treatment of metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer; Checkmate 057-second-line treatment of metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer; Checkmate 743-previously untreated unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 214-previously untreated renal cell carcinoma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 9ER-previously untreated renal cell carcinoma, in combination with cabozantinib; Checkmate 025-previously treated renal cell carcinoma; Checkmate 205/039-classical Hodgkin lymphoma; Checkmate 141-recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; Checkmate 275-urothelial carcinoma; Checkmate 142-MSI-H or dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 040-hepatocellular carcinoma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 238-adjuvant treatment of melanoma; Attraction-3-esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; Checkmate 577-adjuvant treatment of esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer; Checkmate 649-previously untreated advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction or esophageal adenocarcinoma. About the Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical Collaboration In 2011, through a collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Bristol Myers Squibb expanded its territorial rights to develop and commercialize Opdivo globally, except in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, where Ono had retained all rights to the compound at the time. On July 23, 2014, Ono and Bristol Myers Squibb further expanded the companies' strategic collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize multiple immunotherapies as single agents and combination regimens for patients with cancer in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. About Bristol Myers Squibb Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are wholly owned subsidiaries of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. In certain countries outside the U.S., due to local laws, Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are referred to as, Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb company and Juno Therapeutics, a Bristol Myers Squibb company. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on historical performance and current expectations and projections about our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives and involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or change any of them in the next several years, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the possibility that the combination treatments not receive regulatory approval for the indications described in this release in the currently anticipated timeline or at all, any marketing approvals, if granted, may have significant limitations on their use, and, if approved, whether such combination treatments for such indications described in this release will be commercially successful. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many risks and uncertainties that affect Bristol Myers Squibb's business and market, particularly those identified in the cautionary statement and risk factors discussion in Bristol Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and except as otherwise required by applicable law, Bristol Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. corporatefinancial-news View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005199/en/ Contacts: Bristol Myers Squibb Media: Media@BMS.com Investors: Tim Power 609-252-7509 timothy.power@bms.com Nina Goworek 908-673-9711 nina.goworek@bms.com Checking staff cybersecurity knowledge helps hybrid working teams stay safe Working from home has significantly increased cybersecurity vulnerabilities over the past two years, according to the world's leading enforcement agencies. Employers must ensure that their staff can work safely from home as they continue with hybrid working arrangements, says online assessment provider Questionmark. The most hacked technologies over the past two years include virtual private networks (VPNs) and cloud-based environments, both common tools when working from home. These technologies topped a list of 30 tech vulnerabilities compiled by the leading cybersecurity enforcement agencies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.1 Firms around the world are set to continue some level of working from home post-pandemic. Many are adopting hybrid working arrangements in which employees split their working week between home and the office. John Kleeman, Founder of Questionmark, said: "Human error contributes toward a huge number of cyber breaches, and these can be avoided. Now that employers are introducing permanent hybrid working arrangements, they should ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them. The best starting point is to identify how much they know now." The Questionmark Cybersecurity for Home-Based Workers assessment is a ready-made test that enables employers to measure the level of cybersecurity awareness across the workforce. Where the test identifies problems, employers can introduce training to address them. Further assessments can check that the training has worked. The Questionmark Critical Cyber Diagnostic Test by CyberVista assesses worker skills across seven core areas and verifies their proficiency in cyber defense. It is aimed at cybersecurity specialists and other workers who manage sensitive data and systems as part of their job role. https://www.questionmark.com/platform-services/cybersecurity-for-home-based-workers https://www.questionmark.com/platform-services/questionmark-critical-cyber-diagnostic-test-by-cybervista Ends Notes to editors About Questionmark Questionmark unlocks performance through reliable and secure online assessments. Questionmark provides a secure enterprise-grade assessment platform and professional services to leading organizations around the world, delivered with care and unequalled expertise. Its full-service online assessment tool and professional services help customers to improve their performance and meet their compliance requirements. Questionmark enables organizations to unlock their potential by delivering assessments which are valid, reliable, fair and defensible. Questionmark offers secure powerful integration with other LMS, LRS and proctoring services making it easy to bring everything together in one place. Questionmark's cloud-based assessment management platform offers rapid deployment, scalability for high-volume test delivery, 24/7 support, and the peace-of-mind of secure, audited U.S., Australian and European-based data centers. 1 https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-209a View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005207/en/ Contacts: For more information: US: Kristin Bernor, external relations: Kristin.bernor@questionmark.com +1 203.349.6438 UK: Gareth Streeter: gareth.streeter@fourteenforty.uk +44 7734 251 496 Australia and New Zealand: Chelsea Dowd: chelsea.dowd@questionmark.com +61 2 8073 0527 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Inc. magazine today revealed that RateForce is No. 92 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment-its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. "We are honored to be listed among the elite ranks of the Inc. 5000," said Randy Luton, CEO, RateForce. "Our consistent growth is directly attributed to our outstanding team and the unique approach to the digital auto insurance marketplace. Our platform aims to provide a better way to buy and sell insurance products, so you can imagine our excitement when our own execution is recognized." Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." RateForce's website, www.rateforce.com, allows consumers to compare car insurance in 46 states through the US and has served over 6,100,000. The company is proving to be a leader in the InsurTech space with its embedded insurance platform. The RateForce proprietary technology delivers solutions to insurance carriers, brokers, and consumers. The company plans to continue to expand into new verticals in 2022 to help fuel its continued growth. COMPANY CONTACT: Robert Waters | 800-961-6549 | robertw@rateforce.com Related Images SOURCE: RateForce LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659905/RateForce-Ranks-Number-92-on-the-2021-Inc-5000 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / NMS Consulting, Inc., a global management consulting and strategy firm, today announced the appointment of Dr. Ferkin Celik as a Managing Director and Partner based in the firm's Istanbul office. Dr. Celik is a sought after advisor in academia and in the private and public sectors. Prior to joining NMS, she has worked with and advised multiple governments throughout Asia and has held senior positions within the Turkish Ministries of National Education, Industry and Trade, and Family and Social Policies. In these roles, she directly oversaw the creation, development, planning and implantation of many successful public and private-public programs, including the governmental program design and launch of more than 32 ministerial projects and 80 R&D centers. Previously, Dr. Celik served on the Board of Directors of a Turkey based management consulting firm and was appointed as the Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of its research and development services division. In this role, she successfully completed the establishment of the Technology Transfer Office, the establishment of more than 150 R&D Centers, and 12 Turquality projects. Prior experience also includes serving in Founding Director roles at Okan University and Yeditepe University for their Teknopark programs. She was directly responsible for the founding of the Technology Transfer Office which focused on university-industry cooperation within the organized industrial zones throughout Turkey. "We are very excited to have Dr. Celik join NMS," stated Aykut Cakir, Senior Partner and Head of MENA Region at NMS. "Her background and experience are a perfect fit for the needs we are seeing from clients in the Middle East and Balkan regions, specifically for project management and public-private mandates. We are excited to be able to cater to more organizational needs, and to provide solutions for growing organizations in Turkey and in the Middle East as we continue to expand our team in the region." Ms. Ferkan Celik, Managing Director and Partner at NMS stated "At NMS, I will be able to contribute to the growth of the company in the Balkan, Middle East and North Africa regions, particularly with project management, program design, and developing strategies. I have always been passionate about helping companies identify the best solutions for problems and roadblocks they are experiencing, and with NMS' staff, we will together be able to offer a wide range of skill sets and problem-solving techniques to clients." Trevor M. Saliba, Managing Partner and Global Head of Private Equity, M&A and Strategy at NMS added, "I wish to welcome Dr. Celik to NMS Consulting and commend Aykut and the entire Istanbul team. The Istanbul team has exceeded all initial planning expectations for both new client mandates and now with the appointment of someone of Dr. Celik's caliber to our global team, we are seeing the positive impact NMS Consulting is making in Turkey and the surrounding region." About NMS Consulting, Inc. Founded in 2018, NMS Consulting is a global management consulting and strategic advisory firm that specializes in delivering services to a global client base of private and public companies, government agencies, philanthropic organizations and the individuals who lead them. With a global footprint of fifteen offices located through the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East staffed with more than 250 seasoned professionals, our clients benefit from a combination of our diverse skills, expertise and global organization offering a unique multi-disciplinary 360 solutions platform. Unlike other leading management consulting firms, NMS Consulting provides its clients the experience of working with a "big firm consultancy" without the higher premium. Client projects are staffed with qualified professionals who have trained at many of the leading global consultancy firms enabling the NMS professionals to deliver "big firm" experience and capabilities, while providing flexibility on mandate sizes and pricing. Global Media Contacts: USA - Lili Swanson +1.310.855.0020 news@nmsconsulting.com Europe - Sophia Binder +49 30 8009 8742 sbinder@nmsconsulting.com Istanbul / MENA - Gulcan Koseoglu +90.216.970.3375 gulcank@nmsconsulting.com SOURCE: NMS Consulting, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659988/Dr-Ferkan-Celik-Joins-NMS-Consulting-as-a-Managing-Director-and-Partner Company Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Health Clinics Limited TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / StageZero Life Sciences (TSX:SZLS) ("StageZero" or the "Company"), a specialist in PCR testing dedicated to the early detection of multiple disease states through whole blood, today announced its second-quarter financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2021, and provided an update on its business progress. The Company generated $0.405 million in revenue from testing for the second quarter, compared with $0.063 million in the year-ago period. Net income for the quarter totalled $4.3 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter totalled ($2.336 million). As of June 30, 2021, the Company had $4.2 million in cash. Operational Updates and Recent Highlights Signed Definitive Agreement to Acquire Health Clinics Limited Launched AVRT and Aristotle with Care Oncology Appointed Matthew Pietras as CFO and COO, effective August 28, 2021 Acquired new ticker symbol, SZLSF, for U.S. OTC markets "In the second quarter, we recorded good year-over-year growth in our COVID testing revenue amid rising concerns over new viral variants," said James Howard-Tripp, Chairman and CEO of StageZero. "We expect that our COVID testing revenues will fluctuate Quarter to Quarter, but be closer to Q1 levels on a quarterly basis through the remainder of the year as more businesses, schools and other organizations reopen. "More importantly, on August 16 we signed the definitive agreement to purchase Health Clinics Limited, which operates our valued partner, Care Oncology. This is a watershed event in the history of StageZero and combines two revenue-generating companies engaged in the early detection of cancer and other disease states. This acquisition will double our employee headcount, make us far more vertically integrated, create unique cross-selling opportunities, and enable our broader use of telehealth to reach millions of consumers and employers. Moreover, we have been putting the necessary managerial and operational pieces in place to ensure that we hit the ground running as we combine our two companies, and that we make the most of the business opportunity ahead of us. Key in this is to now begin to book revenue in the combined entity as we fully open up the AVRT/Aristotle programs and initiate interventions on the backlog of patients". Q2 2021 Financial Results All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated and results are reported in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. For the three-month period ended June 30, 2021, the Company received $0.4 million in revenue and reported a consolidated net gain of $4.3 million, or $0.5 per common share, as compared with a consolidated net loss of $0.3 million, or $0.00 per common share, for the same period in 2020. The difference results from the $6.7 million gain of the revaluation of warrants, the $0.1 million impact from the increase in cost of goods sold and the $1.5 million impact from the increase in general and administrative costs, offset by the $0.3 million impact from the increase in the fair value of the conversion debenture, the $0.3 million impact from the increase in the fair value of the conversion liabilities, the $0.3 million impact of an decrease in finance costs and the $0.4 impact.of the increase in revenue. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") are not recognized performance measures under IFRS. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not have standardized meanings under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The term EBITDA consists of net income (loss) and excludes interest, finance costs, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes share-based compensation, impairment of assets, revaluation of warrants, changes in fair value of conversion debenture and public entity costs. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are included as supplemental disclosures because Management believes that these disclosures provide a better assessment of the Company's continuing operations by eliminating non-cash costs and costs or gains that are not recurring. The Company's financial statements and management's discussion and analysis are available on www.sedar.com. About StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd. StageZero Life Sciences is dedicated to the early detection of multiple diseases through whole blood tests. The Company's next-generation test, Aristotle, is the first-ever multi-cancer panel for simultaneously screening for 10 cancers from a single sample of blood with high sensitivity and specificity for each cancer. StageZero's full service, telehealth platform includes access to physicians and phlebotomists who can prescribe and draw samples for individuals and groups, and the Company operates a CAP accredited and CLIA certified high-complexity reference laboratory in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, leveraging its specialty in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for the early identification of cancer through blood, StageZero also provides both COVID PCR testing (swab and saliva) and blood test analysis (Antibody testing). For more information, please visit www.stagezerolifesciences.com. StageZero Life Sciences is dedicated to improving quality of life through proven technology and personalized care plans, allowing people to take control of their health. StageZero helps reduce the risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases by delivering early detection and intervention solutions. The company's end-to-end care model is personalized, proven, and puts people first. The Company's next-generation test, Aristotle, is the first-ever multi-cancer panel for simultaneously screening for 10 cancers from a single sample of blood with high sensitivity and specificity for each cancer. Aristotle is integrated with StageZero's AVRT program, a comprehensive telehealth program that uses advanced diagnostics, proven clinical protocols, and physician supervision to help patients stay well and prevent the development of cancer and other chronic diseases.. StageZero Care Oncology has clinics in California, telehealth practices in all 50 states and provides treatments that complement and enhance the effect of traditional, standard of care cancer therapies. The Company also operates a CAP accredited and CLIA certified high-complexity reference laboratory in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, leveraging its specialty in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for the early identification of cancer through blood, StageZero provides both COVID PCR testing (swab and saliva) and blood test analysis (Antibody testing). For more information, please visit www.stagezerolifesciences.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements identified by words such as "expects", "will" and similar expressions, which reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual events to differ materially from those projected herein. Investors should consult the Company's ongoing quarterly filings and annual reports for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. STAGEZERO LIFE SCIENCES LTD. James Howard-Tripp Chairman & CEO For further information please contact: Rebecca Greco Investor Relations Tel: 1-855-420-7140 ext. 1838 rgreco@stagezerols.com SOURCE: StageZero Life Sciences Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660093/StageZero-Life-Sciences-Announces-Q2-2021-Financial-Results-and-Operational-Update Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Palladium One Mining (TSXV: PDM) (FSE: 7N11) (OTCQB: NKORF) ("Palladium One" or the "Company") is pleased to provide this corporate update which highlights the current exploration status of our two primary projects, namely the LK PGE-Cu-Ni Project in Finland and the Tyko Copper-Nickel Project in Ontario, Canada. In addition, we are pleased to provide the key objectives of the Company over the coming months. "With a cash balance of $15 million (unaudited) as at July 31, 2021, the Company is well funded to advance planned activities for the foreseeable future," said Derrick Weyrauch, President and CEO. Key Objectives (Milestones) LK Platinum Group Element-Copper-Nickel Project, Finland Resource definition drilling at Kaukua and the western portion of Kaukua South ("Kaukua Areas") is scheduled for completion mid-September 2021. (Figure 1) A NI43-101 compliant resource estimate for the Haukiaho zone, located 10 kilometers south of Kaukua, is scheduled for completion in Q3 2021. Phase II metallurgical testing of the Kaukau Areas is underway and scheduled for completion before year end. An updated NI43-101 compliant resource for the Kaukua Areas is scheduled for completion at year end (December 2021/January 2022). A Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") is planned for mid-2022. Step out drilling targeting the recently announced Induced Polarization (IP) anomaly to the west of Kaukua is scheduled to be drill tested starting September 2021. (Figure 1) (see news release dated July 7, 2021). Assay labs continue to struggle with timely delivery of results due to an industry wide high volume of activity. Assay results for 38 drill holes remain outstanding, while results have been released for 78 drill holes. Tyko Copper-Nickel Project, Ontario, Canada Drilling has resumed on the Smoke Lake zone, following a major drill breakdown and early spring thaw. Four holes have been completed from a planned seven-hole program. The objective is to find the source of the high-grade mineralization which produced intersections up to 9.9% Ni_Eq over 3.8 metres at surface (8.2 % Ni, 2.9 % Cu, 0.1 % Co, 0.6 g/t Pd, 0.5 g/t Pt), (see press release January 19, 2021) Previously, 28 drill holes defined a shallow 350-meter mineralized strike length at the Smoke Lake zone. Exploration drilling is targeting: Down plunge extensions of known mineralization. A large inverted magnetic high located below the Smoke Lake zone (Figure 2) will be tested by a 900-meter geophysics platform hole. The magnetic high may represent a significant accumulation of ultramafic rocks, potentially representing the source of remobilized / injected massive sulphides found at surface. After completion of the 900-meter deep hole, a Borehole Electromagnetics ("BHEM") survey is planned to help determine the possible presents of massive sulphide mineralization at depth. A 3,100-line kilometer VTEM geophysics survey has been completed over the entire Tyko property, the results of which are expected shortly. The summer field program is well underway, crews are on their second rotation and beginning to explore the newly expanded Tyko Property (see news release July 27, 2021). To date over 1,300 soil samples have been collected for analysis, while results are pending. Figure 1. Historic and current drilling in the Kaukua and Western portion of the Kaukau South area. Background is IP Chargeability. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/93304_593d36e3645ce873_001full.jpg Figure 2. Isometric view of the Smoke Lake zone area looking north-northwest showing 2020 drill holes and inverted drone based high-resolution magnetics. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/93304_593d36e3645ce873_002full.jpg Qualified Person The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration and a director of the Company and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Palladium One Palladium One Mining Inc. is an exploration company targeting district scale, platinum-group-element (PGE)-copper-nickel deposits in Finland and Canada. Its flagship project is the Lantinen Koillismaa or LK Project, a palladium-dominant platinum group element-copper-nickel project in north-central Finland, ranked by the Fraser Institute as one of the world's top countries for mineral exploration and development. Exploration at LK is focused on targeting disseminated sulfides along 38 kilometers of favorable basal contact and building on an established NI 43-101 open pit resource. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Derrick Weyrauch" President & CEO, Director For further information contact: Derrick Weyrauch, President & CEO Email: info@palladiumoneinc.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States of America. The common shares of Palladium One Mining Inc. have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration. Information set forth in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address a company's expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks associated with project development; the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in palladium and other commodity prices; title matters; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the absence of dividends; competition; dilution; the volatility of our common share price and volume; and tax consequences to Canadian and U.S. Shareholders. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93304 EURid has published its 2020 Carbon Footprint report, which shows EURid's steps to even greener future based on the objective set within the EMAS framework. As part of its Environmental Statement, EURid was recently audited for its 2020 CO2 emissions, resulting in an overall footprint of 131 tons CO2eq, and 18% reduction in GHG emissions since 2019. In June 2021, we confirmed our re-certification under the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) until 2023. To compensate for our 2020 CO2 consumption, we are delighted to announce our continuous support of the "Water is Life" in Tulear, one of the poorest cities of Madagascar. The project's construction of the drinking water systems began in August 2018, and to date, over 3,000 people have gained better access to drinking water. The project is also introducing local population the correct and safe water resources management, raises awareness regarding hygiene, and thus contributes to sustainable development. "Over the past year we have been involved in a CENTR project to share the best practices of the European registries that are committed to a healthier planet and to educate our industry peers about the measures we enforced to be a green company. Offsetting the CO2 emissions and making our expertise in this sector available to any interested party are just two, small actions of our broader environmental plan", commented Giovanni Seppia, EURid External Relations manager. "There is one element that continues to set us apart from our industry peers: our commitment to becoming a fully environmentally friendly company. Following our EMAS registration in 2012, we have supported multiple global sustainability initiatives to offset our yearly CO2 emissions. Our environmental policy is based on the principle of 'reduce, reuse and recycle' within a framework that promotes the value of making sustainable choices", stated EURid CEO, Marc Van Wesemael. Visit our Going green page to find out more about our Environmental Statement and actions. About EURid EURid is the organisation that operates the .eu, .?? and .e? top-level domains and works with over 700 accredited registrars. EURid follows the ISO27001 security standard and is certified by the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. EURid has its headquarters in Diegem and regional offices in Pisa, Prague, and Stockholm. More information at: www.eurid.eu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005507/en/ Contacts: EURid: Reelika Kirna press@eurid.eu TORONTO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Khiron Life Sciences Corp. ("Khiron" or the "Company") (TSXV: KHRN) (OTCQX: KHRNF)(Frankfurt: A2JMZC), a vertically integrated medical cannabis leader with core operations in Latin America and Europe, today announces that it will host a conference call on Monday, August 23rd , 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. The Company will press release its financial results prior to the conference call. Khiron invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend the Company's Second Quarter 2021 Conference Call, followed by a Q&A session. Webcast Details: DATE: August 23rd, 2021 TIME: 10:00am ET/7:00am PT/4:00pm CET PRESENTERS: Alvaro Torres, Khiron Chief Executive Officer and Director, Joel Friedman, Khiron Chief Financial Officer, Franziska Katterbach, President Khiron Europe and Chris Naprawa, Chairman of Khiron Board of Directors FORMAT: Live 60 minute presentation & Q&A session REGISTER LINK: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3368735/FAE8C9703BB105D1B088594F064C2FCD About Khiron Life Sciences Corp. Khiron is a leading vertically integrated medical cannabis company with core operations in Latin America and Europe. Leveraging wholly-owned medical health centres and proprietary telemedicine platforms, Khiron combines a patient-oriented approach, physician education programs, scientific expertise, product innovation, and agricultural infrastructure to drive prescriptions and brand loyalty with patients worldwide. The Company has a sales presence in Colombia, Peru, Germany, UK, and Brazil and is positioned to commence sales in Mexico in 2021. The Company is led by Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced and diverse executive team and Board of Directors. Visit Khiron online at investors.khiron.ca and on Instagram @khironlife. Cautionary Notes Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Khiron undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Khiron, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). Although Khiron believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, such forward-looking statement has been based on expectations, factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Khiron's control, including the risk factors discussed in Khiron's Annual Information Form which is available on Khiron's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and is made as of the date hereof. Khiron disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Investor Contact: Paola Ricardo E: investors@khiron.ca T: +1 (647) 556-5750 Media Contact: Elsa Navarro Vice President, Communications E: enavarro@khiron.ca Khiron Europe: Franziska Katterbach, President E: fkatterbach@khiron.ca CHICAGO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a research report "Aircraft DC-DC Converter Market by Application, Aircraft Type (Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Air Taxis), Form Factor, Input Voltage, Output Voltage, Output Power, Output Number, Type, and Region - Forecast to 2030", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Aircraft DC-DC Converter Market size is projected to grow from USD 0.7 billion in 2021 to USD 1.7 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2021 to 2030. The market is driven by various factors, such introduction to new programs in business jets, rise in aircraft renewals and deliveries, growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles, and increasing demand for military helicopters. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=101474916 The aircraft DC-DC converter market includes major players TDK Lambda Corporation (Japan), Advanced Energy Industries Inc. (US), Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Japan), Infineon Technologies AG (Germany), and Vicor Corporation (US). These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Rest of the World. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. Industry experts believe that COVID-19 has affected aircraft DC-DC converter production and services globally in 2020. Introduction to new programs in business jets will drive the demand for DC-DC converters Business jet manufacturers are focusing on improvements in the passenger experience. Upgrading avionics, cabin interiors, and aircraft systems are some of the areas of focus. The Praetor 500 and the Praetor 600 launched by Embraer and Global 5500 and Global 6500 by Bombardier in 2018 are some of the business jets launched with such upgraded infrastructures. This has resulted in the introduction of new aircraft programs. New aircraft programs demand the replacement of existing aircrafts and attract new buyers. The sales of older designs slow down with the introduction of new aircrafts with advanced features and designs. This leads to the growth of the business jet market. The demand for electrical components such as DC-DC converters in newly designed aircrafts is higher, owing to which the aircraft DC-DC converters market will also witness growth. The non-isolated DC-DC converter is projected to witness a higher CAGR during the forecast period Based on type, the non-isolated type DC-DC converter is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. In non-isolated DC-DC converters, the current can flow between input and output pins. Non-isolated DC-DC converters can easily be fitted into small-size applications. When parameters such as size and cost are considered, non-isolated converters are preferred over isolated DC-DC converters. The multiple output segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on the output number, the multiple output DC-DC converters are projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. Multiple output DC-DC converters in the aviation industry are used in avionics systems in cockpits, where the same voltage level is required for driving many sub-systems. One such sub-system is the cockpit lighting system in aircrafts. They work for input voltage ranges from 18 volts to 32 volts DC and are capable of providing output DC voltage in the range of 3.3 to 18 volts. These converters have an operating efficiency of as high as 98%. RECOM Power's MD200 provides one 5Vdc output and two 12Vdc outputs. The brick form factor is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on the form factor, the brick DC-DC converter is projected to grow at the highest CAGR for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. Brick type DC-DC converters are known for their high-power density with lower operational noise. These converters also provide advanced power processing and a very compact package. They provide a wide range of input and output voltage and have higher operational efficiency. Brick DC-DC converters offer products in different sizes, fulfilling the need for a compact DC-DC converter. These can be further categorized into full brick, half brick, quarter brick, eighth brick, and sixteenth brick. Power 100-250W output power DC-DC converter projected to witness highest CAGR during the forecast period The 100-250Wc output power segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. These DC-DC converters are available in both isolated and non-isolated product types. As they provide high output of 100-250W, they also operate under an ultra-wide range of input voltage, which is as high as 10:1 for some products. These are optimum solutions for working under harsh environmental conditions and are suitable for military and aviation applications. The 15V output voltage DC-DC converter is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on output voltage, the 15v output voltage segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. One of the applications where 15 volts DC supply is required is in the Electric Engine Controller (EEC). These 15 volts DC-DC converters are isolated converters. Infineon's Electronic Power Conditioner (EPC) is one such product designed to provide 15 volts regulated DC output for aircrafts. Browse in-depth TOC on "Aircraft DC-DC Converter Market" 384 - Tables 56 - Figures 284 - Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=101474916 The <28V input voltage DC-DC converter is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on input voltage, the <28v input voltage segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. DC-DC converters work on input voltages below 28 volts; these are compact and provide single output. They are used in UAVs for applications such as controllers. Crane's MTR 40 is one such aircraft DC-DC converter that works on 16 to 40 volts input voltage and provides 3.3 volts DC output. The unmanned aerial vehicles segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on the aircraft type, the unmanned aerial vehicles are projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. UAVs include all military and non-military drones used for different applications such as surveillance, security, and battlefields. The market for UAVs is growing at a healthy rate and is not much affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The environmental control system segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on the application, the environmental control system are projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. An environmental control system is used to maintain an appropriate temperature in the cockpit. It uses temperature sensors as an input. According to the readings of these temperature sensors, the ECS controls the environment in the cockpit. This again is a very important control system used in planes considering the harsh external environment. The temperature sensors used are RTDs because of their capability of measuring a wide range of temperatures. DC-DC converters are used to convert the output of RTDs into an appropriate form, which is taken as an input to the controller. The North American market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2021 to 2030 North America is projected to be the largest regional share of the global aircraft DC-DC converter market during the forecast period. The US is one of the leaders in the aircraft DC-DC converters industry. Major companies such as Advanced Energy(US), Vicor Corp. (US), Texas Instruments(US), Crane Co.(US), XP Power(US), Bel Fuse Inc.(US), and Astronics(US), and small-scale private companies such as Pico Electronics(US), Abbott Tech(US), VPT(US), Martek Power(US), KGS Electronics(US), SYNQOR(US), and AJ's Power Source (US) have their headquarters in the US. The above-mentioned major players continuously invest in the R&D of new & improved designs of aerospace and defense-standard DC-DC converters. The progress of aerospace and defense standard DC-DC converters in North America is growing because of the steady demand in the aviation sector and the development of new and advanced UAVs. Also, the development of More Electric Aircraft (MEA) demands new and improved aerospace and military-standard DC-DC converters. Related Reports: Automotive DC-DC Converters Market by Vehicle Type (Commercial, Passenger), Propulsion Type (BEV, FCEV, PHEV), Product Type (Isolated, Non-Isolated), Input Voltage, Output Voltage, Output Power, Region - Global Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/aircraft-dc-dc-converter-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/aircraft-dc-dc-converter.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SAN FRANSISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Wikisoft Corp. (the "Company," "we," and "our") (OTCQB:WSFT) today announced that its common stock has commenced trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (the "OTCQB") with the market open on August 17th, 2021, under the symbol "WSFT". The Company's Chief Executive Officer, Carsten Kjems Falk commented: 'Trading on the OTCQB is another important milestone for Wikisoft Corp. We believe that with the Company's shares trading on the OTCQB, it will enhance our visibility and make the Company's shares available to a much larger group of U.S. investors. We believe that trading on the OTCQB is anticipated to enhance liquidity by providing current and prospective investors with an easily accessible and transparent trading platform where they go and obtain market information." About OTCQB The OTCQB Venture Market is the premier marketplace for entrepreneurial and development stage US and international companies that are committed to providing a high-quality trading and information experience for their US investors. To be eligible, companies must be current in their financial reporting, pass a minimum bid price test, and undergo an annual company verification and management certification process. The OTCQB quality standards provide a strong baseline of transparency, as well as the technology and regulation to improve the information and trading experience for investors. ABOUT WIKISOFT CORPORATION In line with increasing globalization, we believe that there is a growing demand for access to credible company and employee information worldwide. Wikisoft's flagship online platform, Wikiprofile.com , aims to be a powerful solution with tools and resources for businesses and business professionals to find valid information quickly and easily so that they can make informed career and hiring decisions. Our vision is to create opportunity globally for business professionals and businesses to make informed career and hiring decisions. Manifesting this vision requires scaling information technology with high data validity across the key pillars: business professionals, businesses, job opportunities and professional skills. By pursuing this vision, we believe Wikisoft Corp. can enable users to connect to business opportunities on a global scale. In line with increasing globalization, there is a growing demand for access to credible business and employee information worldwide. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature about the Company. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'aim,' 'estimate,' 'intend,' 'plan,' 'believe,' 'is/are likely to,' 'future' or other similar expressions. The Company has based these forward-looking statements primarily on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect Company's financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. There is no assurance that the Company's current expectations and projections are accurate. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on the Company's information on the date hereof. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law. This press release does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, nor any solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell, or otherwise dispose of any securities of the Company. The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which this announcement is released, published or distributed should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. CONTACT WikiSoft Corp. 315 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA Phone: +1-800-706-0806 Email: investor@wikisoft.com Investor site: www.wikisoft.com SOURCE: WikiSoft Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660082/Wikisoft-Corp-OTCQBWSFT-Announces-Trading-on-the-OTCQB-Venture-Market 10-Year Exclusive Manufacturing and Distribution Rights to Popular Plant Protein, Meat Alternative Line VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. ("Naturally Splendid", "NSE" or "the Company") (FRANKFURT:50N) (TSXV:NSP) (OTC PINK:NSPDF) is pleased to announce the signing of the Definitive Agreement with Flexitarian Foods Pty. Ltd., a division of Australia's largest plant-based manufacturer, to become the exclusive Canadian manufacturer and distributor for an extensive line of plant-based, meat-alternative products. The exclusive manufacturing and distribution rights are for an initial 10-year term with a 10-yearrenewable term. Natera Plant-Based Foods is currently offering 10 SKUs, including a Plant-Based Burger;Crispy Chick-Un Burger;Seasoned Chick-Un Tenders;Sweet Chili Chick-UnTenders; Chick-Un Nuggets;Crispy Chick-Un Cutlets(schnitzel); Crispy Fish-UnFilet; Garlic Chick-Un Kiev; Cheesy Chick-Un Bites and Garlicky Chick-Un Bites. These existing SKUs, plus additional plant-based entrees, will be manufactured in Naturally Splendid's existing Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified manufacturing facility in Pitt Meadows, BC. Manufacturing in Canada will have many advantages inherently built-in from the current importation model, including increased margins due to, reduced transport cost and optimizing inventorylevels with a 'just in time order strategy', as well as incorporating Canadian-grown ingredients, thus optimizing supply chains. The output capacity of this facility is designed to produce 8 to 10 tons of product per shift, per day. This output capacity brings a wide range of larger clients into play. Capital costs associated with commissioning such a facility is drastically reduced by leveraging Naturally Splendid's existing SQF certified manufacturing facility. Manufacturing lines are being finalized and estimated to cost $800,000 CDN to purchase the required manufacturing equipment and retrofit the existing facility to accommodate manufacturing of these plant-based, meat alternative products. Naturally Splendid has already begun the process of retrofitting its existing 20,000 square foot, SQF Certified food manufacturing facility. This facility will manufacture a wide range of plant-based alternatives for beef, chicken, pork, fish and shellfish under the guidance of Flexitarian Foods. Flexitarian Foods is the manufacturer of the Plantein products in Australia. Managing Director of Plantein Mr. Evan Tsioukis states, "We have grown the Plantein brand to be one of the most popular plant-based choices in Australia and are excited with the opportunity to work with Naturally Splendid and the Natera brand, building business together incorporating the same strategy, philosophies and processing techniques that have made the Plantein brand a success in Australia." As announced in previous news releases, the Company has developed a distribution network covering Canada coast to coast including CANEX Foods, Sysco, Gordon Food Service, Intercity Packers Meat and Seafood, Georgia Main Food Group, and others. This network of distributors provides access to thousands of clients across almost every distribution channel, including chain and independent retailstores and chain restaurants and individual locations. Naturally Splendid Chief Executive Officer Mr. J. Craig Goodwin states: "We are more than pleased to execute this definitive agreement to be the exclusive Canadian manufacturer and distributor for this amazing line of plant-based entrees. The strategic move to become the exclusive manufacturer in addition to being the exclusive distributor, is pivotal for the Company. We believe the current variety of plant-based products that we will be manufacturing, as well as several new plant-based entrees that will be brought to market in a timely manner, creates a competitive edge when measured against the majority of plant-based manufacturers with a lessor selection. We look forward to delivering these delicious plant-based offerings to a broad range of food service and retail clients through our existing distribution network". About Naturally SplendidEnterprises Ltd. Founded in 2010, NSE operates a Safe QualityFood Level 2 certified food manufacturing facilityjust outside Vancouver, BC in Canada. The Company has established numerous healthy, functional foods under recognized brands such as Natera Sport, Natera Hemp Foods, CHII, Elevate Me and Woods Wild Bar, and most recently Natera Plant Based Foods, a line of delicious plant- based meat alternatives for the rapidly growing plant-based market segment. The Company has a myriad of new products and line extensions under development that are approaching launch. NSE, through its joint venture Plasm Pharmaceutical, has been approved for conducting a phase 2 clinical trial approved by HealthCanada for treatment of COVID-19. NSE has also developed proprietary technologies for the extraction of high-demand, healthy omega 3 and 6 oils from hemp. NSE contract manufacturers for healthy, functional food products and ingredients focusing on plant-based ingredients. The Company provides contract manufacturing services for many healthy food companies, private labeling a wide variety of nutritional food products destined for global healthy food markets. For more information e-mail info@naturallysplendid.com or call Investor Relations at 604-465- 0548 ext.105 On Behalf of the Board of Directors Mr. J. Craig Goodwin CEO, Director Contact Information Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. (NSP - TSX Venture; NSPDF - OTCQB; 50N - Frankfurt) #108-19100 Airport Way Pitt Meadows, BC, V3Y 0E2 Office: (604) 465-0548 Fax: (604) 465-1128 E-mail: info@naturallysplendid.com Website: www.naturallysplendid.com Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Naturally Splendid cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Naturally Splendid's control including, Naturally Splendid's ability to compete with large food and beverage companies; sales of any potential products developed will be profitable; sales of shelled hemp seed will continue at existing rates or increase; the ability to complete the sales of all bulk hemp seed purchase orders; and the risk that any of the potential applications may not receive all required regulatory or legal approval. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Naturally Splendid undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Naturally Splendid cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Naturally Splendid's control including, Naturally Splendid's ability to compete with large food and beverage companies; sales of any potential products developed will be profitable; sales of shelled hemp seed will continue at existing rates or increase; the ability to complete the sales of all bulk hemp seed purchase orders; and the risk that any of the potential applications may not receive all required regulatory or legal approval. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Naturally Splendid undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGENOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER(AS THAT TERM IS DEFINEDIN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTUREEXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660092/Naturally-Splendid-Signs-Definitive-Agreement Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Psyched Wellness Ltd. (CSE: PSYC) (OTCQB: PSYCF) (FSE: 5U9) (the "Company" or "Psyched") a life sciences company focused on the production and distribution of artisanal functional and psychedelic mushrooms, is pleased to announce the company has submitted applications to the United States Patent and Trademark office, for four further provisional patents surrounding the Company's flagship product - AME-1. The applications were submitted on August 11, 2021 as such: App US63/232,144 : THERAPEUTIC COMPOSITIONS OF AMANITA MUSCARIA EXTRACTS AND THEIR USE FOR ANXIETY, SUBSTANCE USE, AND SLEEP DISORDERS, AND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING; App US63/232,152 : THERAPEUTIC COMPOSITIONS OF AMANITA MUSCARIA EXTRACTS AND THEIR USE FOR PAIN, INFLAMMATION, AND IMMUNE DISORDERS, AND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF OVERALL PHYSICAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS; App US63/232,157 : THERAPEUTIC COMPOSITIONS OF MUSCIMOL AND MUSCARINE AND THEIR ANALOGS AND THEIR USE FOR ANXIETY, SUBSTANCE USE, AND SLEEP DISORDERS, AND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING; App US63/232,160 : THERAPEUTIC COMPOSITIONS OF MUSCIMOL AND MUSCARINE AND THEIR ANALOGS AND THEIR USE FOR PAIN, INFLAMMATION, AND IMMUNE DISORDERS, AND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF OVERALL PHYSICAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS; Jeff Stevens, CEO of Psyched Wellness, said, "The filing of these patents marks another important milestone in the execution of Psyched's strategy, and moves us closer to being able to bring our products to market. We believe AME-1 will have a sustainable commercial and societal impact with its power to help stress relief, relaxation and restful sleeping." For further information, please contact: Jeffrey Stevens Chief Executive Officer Psyched Wellness Ltd. t: (647) 400-8494 e: jstevens@psyched-wellness.com w: http://www.psyched-wellness.com Investor Contacts: Tim Regan/Sophia Bashford KCSA Strategic Communications t: (978) 505-2478 e: PsychedWellness@kcsa.com For media relations, please contact: Anne Graf KCSA Strategic Communications t: (786) 390-2644 e: agraf@kcsa.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About Psyched Wellness Ltd.: Psyched Wellness Ltd. is a Canadian-based health supplements company dedicated to the distribution of mushroom-derived products and associated consumer packaged goods. The Company's objective is to create premium mushroom-derived products that have the potential to become a leading North American brand in the emerging functional food category. The Company is in the process of developing a line of Amanita muscaria-derived water-based extracts, teas and capsules designed to help with three health objectives: promote stress relief, relaxation and assist with restful sleeping. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Psyched Wellness Ltd. current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by Psyched at the date of the information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, (i) the accuracy of the Toxicology Assessment, (ii) the safety of Amanita Muscaria consumption and the safety and purity of any extracts thereof, and (iii) the uses and potential benefits of Amanita Muscaria. Given these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and Psyched is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Psyched Wellness Ltd. management's discussion and analysis for the six months ended May 31, 2020 and covering the subsequent period up to July 27, 2020 ("MD&A"), dated July 27, 2020, which is available on Psyched Wellness Ltd. profile at www.sedar.com. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction. This news release includes data that has been obtained from third party sources, including the findings from the Toxicology Assessment. The Company believes that the data is accurate and that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of this data. Third party sources generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of included information. Although the data is believed to be reliable, the Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this news release or ascertained the underlying assumptions relied upon by such sources. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93280 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Deveron Corp. (TSXV: FARM) ("Deveron" or the "Company") a leading agriculture digital services and analytics provider in North America, is pleased to announce that further to its press release of August 3, 2021, that due to investor demand the Company has increased the size of its non-brokered private placement financing to gross proceeds of $8,210,957 through the issuance of 12,632,242 units in the capital of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.65 per Unit (the "Offering"). Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one whole Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.85 per Common Share for a period of two (2) years from the date of issuance. In addition, the Company is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of the Offering through the issuance of 11,397,430 Units for gross proceeds of $7,408,329. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. Gross proceeds raised from the Offering will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid certain eligible persons (the "Finders") a cash commission in total of $516,663.79, equal to 8% of the gross proceeds of the Offering delivered by Finders and issued a total of 794,813 non-transferable broker warrants ("Broker Warrants"), equal to 8% of the Units delivered by Finders pursuant to the Offering. Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share for a period of two years from the closing of the Offering at a price of $0.65 per Common Share. The Offering constituted a related party transaction within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") as an insider of the Company subscribed for 385,000 Units pursuant to the Offering. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the Company is not listed on a specified market and the fair market value of the participation in the Offering by the insider does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the of the Offering, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances in order to complete the Offering in an expeditious manner. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons as defined under applicable United States securities laws unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. About Deveron: Deveron is an agriculture technology company that uses data and insights to help farmers and large agriculture enterprises increase yields, reduce costs and improve farm outcomes. The company employs a digital process that leverages data collected on farms across North America to drive unbiased interpretation of production decisions, ultimately recommending how to optimize input use. Our team of agronomists and data scientists build products that recommend ways to manage fertilizer, seed, fungicide and other farm inputs better. Additionally, we have a national network of data technicians that are deployed to collect various types of farm data, from soil to drone, that build a basis of our best in class data layers. Our focus is the US and Canada where 1 billion acres of farmland are actively farmed annually. For more information and to join our community, please visit www.deveronuas.com or reach us on Twitter @DeveronUAS or @MyVeritas_HQ David MacMillan President & CEO Deveron Corp. 416-367-4571 ext. 221 dmacmillan@deveronuas.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of agricultural commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in agriculture, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties we face are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis of our financial results and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements we file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward looking statements. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93330 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / XS Financial Inc. ("XS Financial", "XSF" or the "Company") (CSE:XSF)(OTCQB:XSHLF), a specialty finance company providing equipment leasing solutions to cannabis companies in the United States, announced today that the Company's syndication desk has completed over $5.0 million of lease participations. Syndication provides XS Financial with attractive, non-dilutive financing options. The Company completed its first large-scale syndication with Kadens Family Holdings, LLC ("KFH"), the family office established by Pete Kadens, ex-CEO of Green Thumb Industries, in February 2021 for $1.0 million. As of today, XS Financial has now syndicated approximately $5.0 million of its lease transactions, allowing the Company to better balance its portfolio concentration. As part of this most recent financing, which was completed on terms set by third-party investors at arm's length, XS Financial had participation from senior management and their family, its Board, and other existing business investors. All figures are in USD. Antony Radbod, COO of XS Financial, commented: "Expanding our investor base through lease syndication allows us to accelerate our rate of capital deployment, enhance our returns and fund more CAPEX in the capital-intensive cannabis sector. We are thrilled to broaden our relationship with our first syndication partner Kadens Family Holdings, LLC, and welcome new investors to the platform. We are excited by XS Financials' continued pace of growth and the maturation of our business as we build a best-in-class specialty finance equipment leasing platform. We will add other strategic syndication partners as we continue to grow our high-quality lease portfolio already comprised of several large publicly traded multi-state operators." The Company also announces that it has engaged Lytham Partners, LLC ("Lytham") for a month-to-month Marketing contract in connection with the Company's ongoing effort to increase market awareness. Lytham will provide outreach services to inform investors about developments in the Company's business and affairs. Under the terms of this agreement, Lytham will receive $6,500 per month. About XS Financial XS Financial provides the U.S. cannabis industry access to competitively-priced, non-dilutive CAPEX financing solutions. Founded in 2017, the Company specializes in providing financing for equipment and other qualified capital expenditures to growing cannabis companies, including cultivators, processors, manufacturers and testing laboratories. In addition, XSF has partnered with over 150 original equipment manufacturers (OEM) through its network of Preferred Vendor partnerships. This powerful dynamic provides an end-to-end solution for customers, resulting in recurring revenues, strong profit margins, and a proven business model for XSF stakeholders. The Company's subordinate voting shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "XSF" and in the United States on the OTCQB under the symbol " XSHLF." For more information, visit: www.xsfinancial.com. For inquiries please contact: David Kivitz Chief Executive Officer Antony Radbod Chief Operating Officer Tel: 1-310-683-2336 Email: ir@xsfinancial.com Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements", collectively "forward-looking information", within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information is not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent the beliefs and expectations regarding future events about the business and the industry and markets in which XS Financial operates, as well as plans or objectives of management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". Forward-looking information contained herein may include but is not limited to, any additional leasing opportunities and the ability to capitalize on such and the timing thereof. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. XS Financial Inc., does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: XS Financial View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660078/XS-Financial-Grows-Syndication-to-5-Million-With-Insider-Participation VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Margaret Lake Diamonds Inc. ("MLD" or the "Company") (TSXV:DIA)(FKT:M85) is pleased to announce at the Company's Annual General Meeting held Thursday August 5 (the "Meeting"), all resolutions proposed were duly passed by the shareholders of the Company. Shareholders of the Company approved and re-appointed Neil Foran, Jim Wiesenberg, Patrick Butler and George Kovalyov as Directors for the Company. Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, were re-appointed as the Company's auditor for the ensuing year and the Board of Directors were authorized to fix the remuneration to be paid. Shareholders also approved both the Company's 10% "rolling" stock option plan and amendment to its article for the Advanced Notice Policy. The Board of Directors and Management would like to thank all shareholders for their continued support and confidence. Outcrop and grab sample results The Company recently carried out rock chip sampling of nickel-cobalt bearing mineralized outcrop (and angular float) located on its Old Nick Nickel-Cobalt property. A total of 11 rock chip samples were collected from the east-central portion of the property and sent to Actlabs (Kamloops, B.C.) for 8 Peroxide Fusion ICP, which delivered the following results: ID # Type Lithology Co % Cr % Ni % S % Mg % Ca % Fe % 21-2 outcrop altered mafic rocks 0.019 0.35 0.201 4.05 3.14 1.28 12.5 21-3 outcrop arenaceous metasediment 0.004 0.16 0.058 1.19 0.81 0.04 3.67 21-4 outcrop altered mafic rocks 0.01 0.16 0.243 1.89 8.24 2.72 10.6 21-5 grab altered mafic rocks 0.011 0.19 0.263 2.04 8.46 2.25 11.5 21-6 outcrop arenaceous metasediment 0.01 0.17 0.253 1.72 9.01 5.69 9.55 21-7 grab arenaceous metasediment 0.018 0.2 0.297 1.6 6.95 0.53 15.3 21-8 outcrop arenaceous metasediment 0.005 0.15 0.118 2.05 14.1 5.71 6.75 21-9 grab arenaceous metasediment 0.006 0.2 0.131 1.79 3.93 3.36 7.1 21-10 grab altered mafic rocks 0.011 0.33 0.211 1.46 6.35 9.49 6.98 21-11 grab altered mafic rocks 0.009 0.4 0.151 1.44 4.69 8.86 7.77 21-12 outcrop arenaceous metasediment 0.009 0.31 0.178 1.1 6.36 10.4 7.28 11 ROCK SAMPLES AVERAGE= 0.01 0.24 0.19 1.85 6.55 4.58 9 (Source: Actlabs report # A21-11010) A total of six outcrop samples were taken across an interval of 0.5-1 meter and five grab samples consisted of angular float boulders. Sample lithology (rock type) was identified as altered mafic rocks or arenaceous metasediments (sericitic quartzite). Alternate mixing zone of the two rock types (altered mafic and sericitic quartzite), appears to be a favourable environment of deposition for Ni-Co-Cr bearing mineralization. Management intends to explore the depth and lateral extension of the main mineral zone in addition to heap leach SX/EW metallurgical testing of Old Nick mineralization from drill core samples. The Old Nick deposit consists of two northeast trending stratiform-type nickel mineralized zones. The deposit was discovered in the 1960's and fieldwork identified two generations of pentlandite occurring interstitially within the pyrrhotite. Elevated nickel values are associated with mariposite (fuchsite) bands and extensive alteration haloes. The dunite (peridotite) and quartzite had similar Ni/Cr values suggesting a common source of metal mineralization. Chromium occurs in mariposite (fuchsite). The Upper Zone has an average width of 100 meters while the Lower Zone is approximately 10 to 20 meters wide. Laterally the zones extend for at least 500 meters along strike. The deposits are hosted in Paleozoic-aged Anarchist Group meta-sediments and mafic rocks and the nickel-bearing zones contain increased calcite-silica-sericite-epidote-fuchsite alteration related to pentlandite-pyrrhotite bearing mineralization. There is significant potential to expand the deposit both along strike and down the dip of the known mineralization as well as within the same prospective stratigraphy elsewhere on the property. Bench scale and column leach testing by Applied Mine Technologies Ltd in 1995 - 1996 indicated the potential for economic recovery of nickel and cobalt by acid heap leaching and selective recovery by the Solvent Extraction / Electrowinning (SX/EW) mineral processing. Margaret Lake Diamonds intends to do further leach tests to verify this favourable information. In 2007 David K. Makepeace, P. Eng. defined a historic Inferred Mineral Resource estimate of 17.24 million tonnes at a grade of 0.1914% Ni and 0.0095% Co, This estimate was prepared in compliance with National Instrument 43-101, but has not been independently verified by the Company and is not to be relied upon. Qualified Person The Qualified Person for this news release is Jo Shearer, an independent economic geologist with extensive experience in mineral exploration throughout North America. A Qualified Person under the provisions of National Instrument 43-101. Contact Information Neil Foran Chief Executive Officer (604) 681-7735 neil@margaretlakediamonds.com Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects, which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: Margaret Lake Diamonds Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659921/Margaret-Lake-Diamonds-Annual-General-Meeting-and-Old-Nick-Outcrop-and-Grab-Sample-Results Xellia Pharmaceuticals ('Xellia'), a global leader in the manufacturing of specialty anti-infective treatments, announces that its manufacturing site in Cleveland, Ohio is now commercially operational and has released the first anti-infectives manufactured at the site, to be distributed for use by US hospitals. The anti-infective is the first drug product to be manufactured at the Cleveland site since it was bought by Xellia in 2015 and extensively rebuilt. The state-of-the-art facility is now commercially active after operations commenced following the passing of a comprehensive cGMP inspection by the FDA in 2020. Carl-Ake Carlsson, CEO and President, Xellia Pharmaceuticals, commented:"The release of the first commercial product manufactured at our Cleveland facility is a significant milestone for Xellia. We acquired the site to fulfil an ambition to provide US hospitals and patients with critical care products made locally. We are proud to be producing high quality, key anti-infectives and we look forward to working with more partners who are aligned with Xellia's purpose to save patient lives." Xellia has made significant investments at the Cleveland site since its acquisition in 2015 to create a modern, state-of the art facility. In addition to commencing commercial supply, the facility is also preparing ramp-up of its newly installed aseptic bag manufacturing line. The site is strengthening Xellia's ability to provide a reliable and consistent supply of critical medicines across the US, with a core emphasis on quality. Patrick Brunner, Vice President, Manufacturing Operations North America added "Xellia Cleveland is now commercially operational thanks to the hard work of our US team and employees across Xellia. Now that the site is in full working order, we will continue to ramp up our US operations to strengthen our market presence in anti-infective production and help provide the security of supply of vital drug products needed by US hospitals and patients." Xellia has established a talented workforce of more than 300 employees at the Cleveland site. Recruitment has been ongoing since 2015 in the Cleveland area and has also attracted employees from other areas of the US. In addition, Xellia has been able to recruit talented graduates from local institutions such as The Ohio State University, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, University of Akron, and Cuyahoga Community College. The continuous expansion at the site is in line with Xellia's long-term strategy, whilst also providing future employment opportunities within the Bedford community. The Cleveland site operates alongside Xellia's other manufacturing plants in Copenhagen, Denmark; Budapest, Hungary; and Taizhou, China, as part of its vertical integration strategy. The network provides a secure supply and one-stop shop for both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage form (FDF) products for customers globally. Ends About Xellia Pharmaceuticals Xellia Pharmaceuticals ("Xellia") is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing, manufacturing and commercializing anti-infective treatments against serious and often life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. With over 115 years of experience, Xellia is a world-leading trusted supplier of several important established anti-infective drugs, comprising active pharmaceutical ingredients as well as injectable products. Continuing the Company's evolution, Xellia is generating an innovative pipeline of value-added anti-infective medicines intended to enhance patient care, providing convenience and ease of use for healthcare professionals. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Xellia has a global footprint with R&D, manufacturing and commercial operations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America. Xellia is wholly owned by Novo Holdings A/S and employs a dedicated team of over 1,800 people. Further information aboutXellia can be found at: www.xellia.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005498/en/ Contacts: For more information, please contact: Xellia Pharmaceuticals Craig Boyd, President, North American Business Unit Tel: +45 32 64 55 00 Instinctif Partners (International media relations) Melanie Toyne-Sewell Rozi Morris Siobhan Sanford Tel: +44 (0) 20 7457 2020 Email: xellia@instinctif.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shorla Pharma ('Shorla'), a specialty pharmaceutical company and EVERSANA, the pioneer of next generation commercial services to the global life sciences industry, today announced a partnership to support the launch and commercialization of Shorla's oncology portfolio. The new partnership will initially focus on SH-111, an oncology drug designed to treat T-cell leukemia, currently pending U.S. FDA approval. Under the terms of the agreement, Shorla maintains ownership of SH-111 as well as all financial, legal, regulatory, and manufacturing responsibilities for the product. EVERSANA receives the exclusive right to support all commercialization activities for SH-111 in partnership with Shorla. "With the recent opening of our Cambridge, MA office, we are excited to announce EVERSANA's commercial support to bring SH-111 to patients with T-cell leukemia. This partnership will provide us with a fully integrated commercial organization to support the launch of SH-111," said Sharon Cunningham, CEO, Shorla Pharma. "New therapies for women and children are often overlooked or in short supply. Our goal is to bring to market products that represent a new standard of treatment for these patients." In March, Shorla filed its application for SH-111 with the FDA and looks forward to expedited review and anticipates approval to bring this much needed product to market later this year. SH-111 is designed to treat T-cell leukemia, an aggressive blood and bone marrow cancer which progresses quickly. While most leukemias present in older people, T-cell leukemia is most common among children, with the current treatment often in shortage. "Knowing that so many young patients and families eagerly await this much-needed treatment, EVERSANA stands ready to immediately deploy our commercialization expertise and infrastructure in the United States," said Jim Lang, CEO, EVERSANA. "This partnership will support Shorla's oncology innovations with our oncology commercialization expertise to ensure a successful launch and access to long-awaited treatment for patients." Future EVERSANA services may include patient services, health economic research, market access, commercial deployment solutions, channel management, pharmacovigilance compliance and other services as the teams require. Media Contacts: Shorla Pharma Rachel Ford Hutman +1 (301) 801-5540 EVERSANA Sarah Zwicky +1 (414) 434-4691 About Shorla Pharma Ltd: Established in 2018 by Sharon Cunningham and Orlaith Ryan, Shorla Pharma is a privately held, Ireland and U.S. based specialty pharmaceutical company with an advanced pipeline of innovative oncology drugs for women's, orphan and pediatric cancers. The company concentrates on indications where existing treatments are limited, in shortage or inadequate for the target population. Shorla's growing portfolio brings accessible, affordable and life-saving treatments to patients, delivering a major contribution to patient care. For further information, please visit www.shorlapharma.com or connect through LinkedIn and Twitter. About EVERSANA: EVERSANA is the leading provider of global services to the life sciences industry. The company's integrated solutions are rooted in the patient experience and span all stages of the product life cycle to deliver long-term, sustainable value for patients, prescribers, channel partners and payers. The company serves more than 500 organizations, including innovative start-ups and established pharmaceutical companies, to advance life sciences solutions for a healthier world. To learn more about EVERSANA, visit eversana.com or connect through LinkedIn and Twitter. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/826977/Eversana_Logo.jpg Revenues of $4.7M in Q2 2021, an increase of 63% from Q1 2021 revenues of $2.9M Adjusted EBITDA loss reduced by 48% in Q2 2021 relative to Q1 2021 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / PowerBand Solutions Inc. (TSXV:PBX)(OTCQB:PWWBF) ("PowerBand" "PBX"or the "Company"), a comprehensive e-commerce solution transforming the online experience to sell, trade, lease, and finance vehicles, is announcing that it has filed its Interim Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis report for the three and six-month period ended June 30, 2021. These documents may be viewed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. All numbers are in Canadian dollars, except otherwise noted. The financial results for the three-month period ended June 30, 2021 when compared to the same period in 2020 and the previous quarter ended March 31, 2021 have demonstrated a significant increase in revenues as depicted in the table below. This is primarily due to industry acceptance of the DRIVRZ lease origination software that is consistently generating robust sequential growth in origination counts. As the business commenced its scaling phase, the adjusted EBITDA loss in the second quarter of 2021 was reduced by 48% relative to the first quarter of 2021. The trend of improving EBITDA is expected to continue in subsequent quarters. The Company has reported year-to-date 2021 revenues of $7.6M an increase of 151% when compared to full twelve months 2020 revenues of $3.0M. The adjusted EBITDA loss for the six-months ended June 30, 2021 continues to narrow as revenue accelerated faster than expenses in absolute values. Cash on hand at June 30, 2021 was $2,336,032 compared to $1,403,213 as at December 31, 2020. The net current assets position remained relatively consistent from ($5,925,718) at December 31, 2020 to ($6,356,258) at June 30, 2021. After the period ended June 30, 2021, the Company raised capital from a brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of $12,775,901. The Company will use the proceeds to improve the working capital and to accelerate the development of Drivrz Financial loan-lease platform, a multi-lender platform built with the latest, cloud-scalable technologies and the other two business segments, DrivrzXchange and DrivrzLane. 2021 Segment Highlights Drivrz Financials' lease origination software continues to report month-over-month increase in revenue as noted in the chart below: The increase in revenues has decreased the monthly operating losses with Drivrz Financial reporting earnings (EBITDA) in the month of June 2021. Kelly Jennings, CEO and Founder of PowerBand Solutions states "With the completion of the capital raise in July, we have accelerated the development of three key projects that will compliment and further the growth of the revenue to the Company. We expect a robust third quarter 2021 with improved operational efficiencies and effective deployment of capital." About PowerBand Solutions, Inc. PowerBand Solutions Inc., listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the OTCQB markets, is a fintech provider disrupting the automotive industry. PowerBand's integrated, cloud-based transaction platform facilitates transactions amongst consumers, dealers, funders, and manufacturers (OEMs). It enables them to buy, sell, trade, finance, and lease new and used, electric and non-electric vehicles, on any phone, tablet or PC connected to the internet. PowerBand's transaction platform - being trademarked under DRIVRZ - is being made available across North American and global markets. For further information, please contact: Kelly JenningsChief Executive Officer E: info@powerbandsolutions.com P: 1-866-768-7653 Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Non-IFRS Measures: This news release contains non-IFRS financial measures; the Company believes that these measures provide investors with useful supplemental information about the financial performance of its business, enable comparison of financial results between periods where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in operating its business. Although management believes these financial measures are important in evaluating the Company's performance, they are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS. These non-IFRS financial measures do not have any standardized meaning and may not be comparable with similar measures used by other companies. For certain non-IFRS financial measures, there are no directly comparable amounts under IFRS. These non-IFRS financial measures should not be viewed as alternatives to measures of financial performance determined in accordance withIFRS. Moreover, presentation of certain of these measures is provided for year-over-year comparison purposes, and investors should be cautioned that the effect of the adjustments thereto provided herein have an actual effect on the Company's operating results. SOURCE: PowerBand Solutions Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660058/PowerBand-Reports-Second-Quarter-2021-Financial-Results SINGAPORE, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 2016, LUXASIA has been on a journey of Digital Transformation. As part of this journey, LUXASIA has incubated and built one of the leading eCommerce enablers in the region. Its remarkable track record has been recognized by Forrester in its Q4-2020 research report and multiple awards won over the last few years. Today, LUXASIA announces the incorporation of LEAP Commerce, a fully-owned subsidiary that will continually shape the eCommerce enabler ecosystem in Asia Pacific. The business grew more than 40X with zero customer-churn in 4 years, gleaning valuable lessons from enabling 70+ brands across multiple categories regionally. Now, it is poised to take full advantage of the eCommerce acceleration in 10 markets - Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, and Australia. LEAP Commerce offers end-to-end eCommerce enablement solutions covering all digital channels - online marketplaces, mono/multi-brand sites, and social commerce. Its integrated services span strategy, multi-channel store creation & operations, performance marketing, supply chain management including regulatory and importation, demand-planning, data analytics, and customer service. LEAP Commerce is already the market leader in Beauty and Toys, and a leading player in FMCG and fashion accessories, having partnered the likes of SK-II, Benefit, LEGO, Hasbro, Dettol, Durex, and Ray-Ban. For further growth, it aims to deepen its reach into Electronics, Mother & Baby and niche Fashion. Powered by a robust team which is widely regional yet deeply local, with 70+ eCommerce talents and 200+ support talents in local offices and managed warehouses, LEAP Commerce is confident of delivering both commercial results and consumer delight for brands. What differentiates LEAP Commerce is how it conscientiously upholds the nuances of its partners' branding across digital formats, given its roots in LUXASIA. Satyaki Banerjee, LEAP Commerce Managing Director affirms, "We ensure that brand ethos is well-represented in the online world while pursuing exponential eCommerce and social commerce growth, as evidenced by our 100% brand retention to-date." Furthermore, backed by LUXASIA, the firm enjoys an enviable degree of financial stability despite being a start-up. On this, Dr Wolfgang Baier, LUXASIA Group CEO and LEAP Commerce Board Director emphasizes, "The establishment of LEAP Commerce as a focused and self-standing entity gives all brands a steady confidence and a peace of mind that we will grow with them today, tomorrow, and far into the future." Contact Brynner Jananto brynnerjananto@luxasia.com +65-64888928/+65-9856-7597 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1595980/As_end_end_eCommerce_enabler_LEAP_Commerce_partners_70_brands_today.jpg Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - This news release is being disseminated by Emiral Resources Limited (the "Acquiror") pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues ("NI 62-103") in connection with the acquisition of securities of Asante Gold Corporation (CSE: ASE) ("Asante"), a British Columbia corporation with its head office at 595 Howe Street, Suite 506 Vancouver, British Columbia. In connection with a private placement (the "Offering") of subscription receipts ("Subscription Receipts") by Asante, the Acquiror subscribed for 34,825,000 Subscription Receipts pursuant to a subscription agreement dated as of August 2, 2021, as amended as of August 16, 2021, at a subscription price of C$1.00 per Subscription Receipt, for total cash consideration of C$34,825,000. Upon satisfaction of certain release conditions, the Subscription Receipts will automatically convert into common shares of Asante at an implied subscription price of C$0.70 per common share in the capital of Asante. The Subscription Receipts were acquired from Asante on a private placement basis. The Acquiror did not act jointly with any other party in acquiring the Subscription Receipts. Prior to the completion of the Offering, the Acquiror held no securities of Asante. Immediately following the Offering, the Acquiror acquired 34,825,000 Subscription Receipts which, upon satisfaction of the release conditions, will automatically convert into 49,750,000 common shares of Asante, representing approximately 19.9 % of Asante's common shares currently issued and outstanding on an undiluted basis (assuming that all Subscription Receipts were issued under the Offering and converted into common shares of Asante). The Subscription Receipts were acquired and are presently held for investment purposes only and not for the purpose of exercising control or direction over Asante. The Acquiror may, from time to time, evaluate its investment in Asante and increase or decrease its ownership, control or direction of common shares or other securities of Asante, through market transactions, private agreements or otherwise. The details of the Offering and the intended use of its proceeds are disclosed in a news release of Asante dated 5, 2021, copies of which have been electronically filed by Asante with applicable Canadian securities regulators and are available for viewing on the SEDAR profile of Asante at www.sedar.com. The Acquiror is a company formed under the laws of the United Arab Emirates with its head office located at 1104-17, Reef Tower, Cluster O, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, UAE, 5003335. A copy of the Early Warning Report to be filed by the Acquiror will be available on SEDAR under Asante's profile on www.sedar.com. This early warning news release is issued under the early warning provisions of Canadian securities legislation, including National Instrument 62-104 - Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids and National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues, and has not been reviewed by The Canadian Securities Exchange. SOURCE: Emiral Resources Limited ABOUT EMIRAL: Emiral Resources Limited is a UAE-based holding company engaged in mining exploration and production,oil & gas consulting and engineering services worldwide. For further information or to obtain a copy of the early warning report filed on SEDAR, please contact: Alexander Smirnov, CEO Phone: +971 4 231 6800 Email: alexander.smirnov@emiral.com Address: Office 2408 South Tower, Emirates Financial Towers, DIFC - Dubai International Financial Centre, P.O. Box 506556, Dubai, UAE Website: https://emiral.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93343 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - eQube Gaming Limited (TSXV: EQG) ("eQube" or the "Company") announces that it has applied to voluntarily delist its ordinary shares ("Shares") from the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). Accordingly, it is anticipated that, effective at the close of markets on August 20, 2021, the Company's Shares will no longer be traded on the TSXV. The Shares are exclusively traded on the TSXV. Given the relatively low trading volume of the Shares on the TSXV, the financial challenges of the Company due in part to COVID-19 and certain related government mandated restrictions, such as lockdowns, the high costs associated with being a publicly listed company and other factors as further detailed in the Company's management information circular dated July 5, 2021 and available under eQube's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, eQube's management has determined that the Shares should no longer be offered for public trading. The appropriate approval of the holders of Shares with respect to the delisting was obtained on July 30, 2021, and it is anticipated that the approval of the TSXV to delist the Shares will be obtained. For greater certainty, upon completion of the delisting, holders of Shares will no longer be able to continue to trade their Shares through a public stock exchange. Subject to the approval of the holders of Shares, eQube intends to windup and dissolve pursuant to the laws of its home jurisdiction, Hong Kong, subsequent to the upcoming meeting of the holders of Shares on August 25, 2021. Further details with respect to the proposed windup and dissolution of the Company can be found in the Company's management information circular dated August 4, 2021, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile. About eQube Gaming Limited eQube is a leading provider of electronic bingo (eBingo) systems for land based gaming operators in commercial and charitable gaming facilities. eQube has the majority market share in the Canadian regulated bingo market as well as the Irish market and operates the linked bingo games in Alberta and Ireland. Current solutions, consisting of commercial eBingo, linked wide area bingo, traditional bingo and automated bingo style electronic games are complemented by enterprise class accounting and back office reporting combined with open platform customer management data tools. eQube's platform provides new and enhanced revenue channels by enhancing the experience, environment and service to our clients' customers. eQube has been offering its eBingo and related gaming solutions to commercial, tribal, regulatory and charitable customers worldwide since its inception in 1999. Its registered and head office is in Edmonton, Alberta. eQube is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol EQG. For more information visit: www.eqube.com. Disclaimer in Regards to Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information ("forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and is based on the expectations, estimates and projections of management of eQube as of the date of this news release, unless otherwise stated. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to the timing of the delisting of the Shares from the TSXV and the proposed windup and dissolution of the Company. Investors are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Forward-looking information provided in this news release is also based on certain assumptions regarding expected growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Since forward-looking statements addresses future events and conditions, such information by its very nature involves inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These risks include the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Additional information regarding some of these risks, expectations or assumptions and other factors may be found in eQube's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, available at www.sedar.com. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and eQube undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. 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. For inquiries, please contact: Donald Sutherland dsutherland@patdon.ca Phone: (403) 309-5403 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93360 Reports Profitable Quarter on Revenue Growth of 22.7% CHARLOTTE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Amergent Hospitality Group (OTCQB:AMHG) ("Amergent" or the "Company"), owner, operator and franchisor of multiple nationally-recognized restaurant brands, today provided the following corporate update covering its fiscal year 2021 second quarter performance Amergent Hospitality Group's President, Fred Glick, stated, "Our second quarter 2021 performance was a continuation of momentum that has been building in recent quarters, highlights of which include reporting a profit and progress on virtually all fronts of our operations. We expect to soon compliment our own organic growth with multiple potential complimentary acquisitions." CEO Mike Pruitt continued, "We are clearly very pleased to report a profitable quarter earning $0.02 in earnings per share. In addition to strong results on our core business, we continue to find ourselves in a highly unique and opportunistic position of being able seek to acquire additional quality assets at attractive valuations. We continue to focus on assets whose value can be unlocked inside of our public platform, and which will result in greater scale and synergies. We continue to advance multiple potential transactions, following having previously entered into multiple non-binding Letters of Intent ("LOI's) with the assistance of our advisor Mastodon Ventures. We look forward to potentially entering into definitive agreements and announcing our M&A pipeline during the remainder of 2021. Amergent has created a criteria matrix for acquisitions which includes acquiring restaurant and hospitality assets that are relevant, growing brands, with sustainable EBITDA, at valuations which we anticipate being highly accretive and resulting in meaningful scale." Select second quarter 2021 restaurant level highlights include: Overall same store sales for Q2 2021 were up 20.1% compared to Q2 2020 and up 1.32% to Q2 2019 Total Revenue increased from $3.9 million in 2020 to $5.0 million in 2021 Reported $0.02 in EPS July 2021 same store sales grew 21.55% over 2020 and up 5.59% to 2019, led by LBB which was up 21.56% to 2020 and 11.3% to 2019 Total Restaurant Operating expenses declined from 85.2% to 62.7% Total Personnel expenses declined 5.0% to PY Loyalty club membership in Q2 2021 increased by 12K fans now exceeding 267K fans company wide Amergent' s operations include 36 stores, consisting of 27 company owned and 9 franchised locations. The Company's brands include Little Big Burger, Burgers Grilled Right, American Burger Company, one Hooters, and the Owls Nest gaming location. About Amergent Hospitality Group Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Amergent Hospitality Group owns, operates, and franchises fast, casual, and full-service restaurant brands, including American Burger Company, BGR - Burgers Grilled Right, Little Big Burger, and Hooters gaming venue. For more information, please visit: www.amergenthg.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the closing of the merger and Sonnet's operations following the closing of the merger. All statements pertaining to Amergent Hospitality Group's expectations regarding future financial and/or operating results, potential for our tests and services and future revenues or growth in this press release constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties discussed in the Amergent Hospitality Group's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, along with other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Amergent Hospitality Group disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Amergent Hospitality Group Investor Contact: Jason Assad 678-570-6791 IR@amergenthg.com SOURCE: Amergent Hospitality Group View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660038/Amergent-Hospitality-Issues-2021-Second-Quarter-Update WESTMINSTER, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO), a developer of sustainable cleantech technologies and full-service environmental engineering company, filed its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with the SEC yesterday (www.biolargo.com/sec-filings). The company has summarized some of the most important points from the report below. The company is holding an investor webcast on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at 8:00 am Pacific / 11:00 am Eastern, at the following link, open to the public: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2448/42482 Dennis P. Calvert, President and CEO of BioLargo said, "In the past quarter we made significant advances in the commercialization of our PFAS treatment technology, secured new engineering service contracts, and advanced multiple new high-value business opportunities that have the potential to accelerate our company's growth in the coming year." Financial highlights from the 10-Q: Consolidated revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was $464,000, an 11% increase compared to the second quarter of 2020. Continued to reduce debt obligations, including the payoff of $406,000 in convertible debt due in August 2021 through the payment of cash and equity, as reported on Form 8-K filed May 19, 2021. Since December 31, 2019, the company has reduced its debt by over $4 million. Other than debt owed by its partially owned subsidiary Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc., only Small Business Association and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling $464,000 ($314,000 of which has been applied for forgiveness), and $50,000 of fixed-price convertible debt (due in 2023) remain on BioLargo's balance sheet. Decreased net loss by 28% compared to the second quarter of 2020. Commercial, operational, and R&D highlights: BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies (BLEST) was notified of several important contract awards with the potential to increase the company's operating cash flow and support the subsidiary's role of commercializing BioLargo's patented technologies. Together, the new contracts are worth more than $1.2 million in revenue, most of which will be earned over the next six months. Began processing potential-client water with the company's proprietary PFAS-removal water treatment system (called the "BioLargo AEC") for a major municipality in Southern California and a federal government agency, with sights set on on-site pilots in the near future. Peer-reviewed paper published about the safety of water treated by BioLargo's energy-efficient water treatment technology, the AOS. The paper concluded that the levels of disinfection by-products generated by the AOS were comparable to those found in ordinary tap water, bolstering the company's claims that the AOS is a safe, effective water treatment system. Advanced a series of commercial opportunities that include product distribution, partnerships, and projects that company management believes could each generate significant revenue. In each case the company is engaged in contract negotiations and will report more details in the future. About BioLargo, Inc. BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO) invents, develops, and commercializes innovative platform technologies to solve challenging environmental problems like PFAS contamination, advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor and VOC control, air quality control, and infection control. With over 13 years of extensive R&D, BioLargo holds a wide array of issued patents, maintains a robust pipeline of products, and provides full-service environmental engineering. Our peer-reviewed scientific approach allows us to invent or acquire novel technologies and develop them to maturity through our operating subsidiaries. With a keen emphasis on collaborations with academic, municipal, and commercial organizations and associations, BioLargo has proven itself with over 80 awarded grants and numerous pilot projects. We monetize through direct sales, recurring service contracts, licensing agreements, strategic joint venture formation and/or the sale of the IP. See our website at www.BioLargo.com. Contact Information Dennis P. Calvert President and CEO, BioLargo, Inc. 888-400-2863 Safe Harbor Act This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include without limitation those about BioLargo's (the "Company") expectations regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; anticipated revenue; and plans for future operations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation: the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price; the effect of regional economic conditions on the Company's business, including effects on purchasing decisions by consumers and businesses; the ability of the Company to compete in markets that are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change; the ability of the Company to manage frequent introductions and transitions of products and services, including delivering to the marketplace, and stimulating customer demand for, new products, services, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the dependency of the Company on the performance of distributors of the Company's products. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates. SOURCE: BioLargo, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660064/BioLargo-Second-Quarterly-Report-of-2021-Highlights-Progress-of-PFAS-Treatment-Business-and-Expanding-Engineering-Client-Base TOCCOA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXY) ("Galaxy" or the "Company), a provider of interactive learning and other school technology solutions, today announced its new partnership with HavenLock Inc., a newly patended residential and commerical access control technology. The partnership enables Galaxy to expand its product offerings for school safety an security. Galaxy's business plan for expansion into school safety and security first became evident with its launch of the award winning Visual Alerts software back in January of this year. Haven's consumer solutions have recently been adapted to fit the commercial need for a wirelessly controlled locking mechanism to protect kids and teachers in the classroom. The partnership with Haven will allow Galaxy to expand their security product offering as the of Haven's bluetooth door lock to educational entities in the US. Gary LeCroy, Galaxy's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "This new partnership is a unique opportunity for both of us. Galaxy's relationship with our education customers will be a great mechanism for Haven's new commercial product while giving us the opportuntity to expand our footprint into school safety." Magen McGahee, Galaxy's Chief Finance Officer, added, "The concern about school safety and the security of our students continues to be a leading issue in the U.S. and school budgets related to improving safety have been increasing dramatically. Galaxy will continue to focus on serving our customers needs and priority has been given to keeping our kids safe." Clay Banks, Chief Operations Officer of HavenLock, Inc., commented. "We are excited about the growth potential and protecting more schools with the Galaxy partnership. Haven Lock has been designing new door locks for the last 7 years. We realized that our technology could be used to help protect students and teachers in a classroom, thus empowering teachers and administrators with a simple and cost-effective solution to locking down a protected room in one second or less." About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. Galaxy Next Generation (OTCQB:GAXY) is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products - comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales. About HavenLock Inc. HavenLock Inc., headquartered in Nashville Tennessee is a patented residential and UL listed commercial access control platform that is 10x Stronger than conventional door locking systems. Haven is passionate about protecting people in their homes, offices, and places of worship. Founded in 2014, the Havenlock founders started Haven after experiencing break-ins in their neighborhoods. Haven is veteran owned, a SharkTank company and currently made in Tennessee, USA. For additional information, please visit our website at: www.galaxynext.us Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors Contact: IR@GalaxyNext.us p888-859-1274 SOURCE: Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660072/Galaxy-Next-Generation-Announces-Partnership-with-HavenLock-to-Expand-Product-Offering-for-School-Safety-and-Security VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTCQB:PKLBF)(FRANKFURT:PKLB) ("Perk" or the "Company"), the parent company of Perk Hero, the mobile commerce platform with rewards on curated specialty products, mobile payments and digital gift cards, announced today that it has engaged the Jonah Group to advise on the development of Perk Coin as a cryptocurrency. Building upon Perk Labs' previous research and development, the initial scope of the engagement will entail conducting a business and technical analysis and setting out the requirements to establish Perk Coin on modern blockchain technologies focused on security, speed and environmental impact. "One of our top priorities for this year is to upgrade Perk Coin to a blockchain-based digital reward," said Jonathan Hoyles, CEO, Perk Labs. "Jonah Group has developed a wide range of enterprise systems for complex, highly-regulated, and security-driven environments. By working with Jonah Group, we will have third-party validation from a highly-respected software developer, ensuring that we achieve the intended outcome and superior product quality, especially with respect to cybersecurity." Among Jonah Group's previous successful blockchain-related projects are the following: a blockchain based business that is revolutionizing grain contracts a blockchain carbon trading company with a reward component a blockchain exchange platform tailored for trading mining investments. "Perk Coin has the potential of bringing cryptocurrency utility to mainstream consumers by enabling them to earn cryptocurrency as a loyalty reward and then interact with digital assets in new ways," said Glenn Archer, co-founder of Jonah Group. "We are excited to work with Perk Labs on what will be a very innovative product." About Jonah Group Jonah Group is a custom software development company trusted by organizations that are faced with mission-critical business challenges and cannot afford to fail. Jonah Group has built several systems that process billions of dollars' worth of transactions each year for clients who remain partners. Jonah has successfully developed and deployed a wide range of enterprise systems including online banking applications, equity and mutual fund trading systems, content management systems, credit adjudication and provisioning portals, health care benefits and claims management systems, and fleet management solutions. Its clientele includes many leading names in the financial services and health care industries. About Perk Labs Inc. Perk Labs Inc. (CSE: PERK) (OTCQB: PKLBF) (FKT: PKLB) is the owner of Perk Hero, the mobile commerce platform on a mission to make shopping and dining experiences more engaging, convenient, and rewarding. Perk has partnered with vetted specialized brands across North America. Consumers can also buy digital gift cards from top merchants that include gaming and electronics, apparel, dining, and more. The Perk Hero platform, currently available in Canada and the US, was engineered for reliability and scale using enterprise-level technology fit for businesses of all sizes. The platform also features Shopify integration, contactless payments using Apple Pay, Google Pay, BitPay and Alipay, as well as its own digital currency called Perk Coin, a gamified loyalty program, e-commerce dropshipping capabilities, pre-order and pick up, and in-store payments with a QR code. For more information about Perk Labs, please visit www.perklabs.io. Visit Perk Hero at www.perkhero.com For more information contact: Jonathan Hoyles CEO Perk Labs Inc. (833) 338-0299 investors@perklabs.io Iryna Zheliasko, Manager, Corporate Communications CHF Capital Markets 416-868-1079 x 229 iryna@chfir.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively 'forward-looking information') within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "may", 'believe', "thinks", 'expect', "exploring", "expand", "could", 'anticipate', 'intend', 'estimate', "plan", "pursue", 'potentially', "projected", "should", "will" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the discussion of the Company's business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations, upgrading Perk Coin to a blockchain-based digital reward and establishing Perk Coin on modern blockchain technologies focused on security, speed and environmental impact, that by working with the Jonah Group will ensure that the Company achieves the intended outcome and superior product quality, especially with respect to cybersecurity, and that Perk Coin has the potential of bringing cryptocurrency utility to mainstream consumers by enabling them to earn cryptocurrency as a loyalty reward. Although the Company considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. SOURCE: Perk Labs Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660075/Perk-Labs-Engages-Jonah-Group-to-Advise-on-Perk-Coin-Cryptocurrency-Development VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PODA LIFESTYLE AND WELLNESS LTD. ("Poda" or the "Company") (CSE: PODA) (FSE: 99L) (OTC: PODAF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a supply agreement (the "Supply Agreement") with biodegradable filter manufacturer Greenbutts, LLC ("Greenbutts"). Greenbutts has developed a natural filter technology that was created to provide an alternative to the common non-biodegradable cellulose acetate cigarette filter. Over the last ten years, the team at Greenbutts has worked to perfect a natural, rapidly degrading cigarette filter using a proprietary blend of food grade fiber materials including flax, cotton, and manila hemp with no artificial compounds or chemical residues. The unique blend of materials is designed to allow for the same sensory experience and filter manufacturing run rates as acetate filters. Greenbutts filters will disperse in water within a few minutes and will degrade in compost within seven days, as opposed to 10-15 years as is the case with traditional cellulose acetate filters. Ryan Selby, CEO, commented, "Poda is committed to ensuring that the Company contributes to a brighter future for all of our stakeholders. As CEO, I take this responsibility very seriously and I am devoted to ensuring that Poda delivers industry-leading performance on our core principles of strong environmental management, responsible societal impacts, and robust corporate governance. Pursuant to this commitment, I am very pleased to announce today that Poda has entered into a Supply Agreement with Greenbutts, LLC, one of the world's leading manufacturers of biodegradable cigarette filters." "This Supply Agreement will provide the Company with access to 100% biodegradable filters for use in our Beyond Burn Poda Pods. The inclusion of Greenbutts' biodegradable filters into our already biodegradable and compostable Poda Pods allows Poda the ability to offer a completely biodegradable and truly compostable heat-not-burn product, something that has never been done in the heat-not-burn tobacco market. This is an important aspect of our ongoing ESG commitment and will provide the Company with several potential competitive advantages over IQOS and other heat-not-burn products which use non-biodegradable cellulose acetate filters. Beyond Burn Poda Pods with Greenbutts filters deliver an exceptional user experience and further strengthen the Company's commitment to our ESG principles. We are thrilled to have secured this Supply Agreement." Tadas Lisauskus, co-founder and CEO of Greenbutts, commented, "We have spent the last ten years relentlessly pursuing the perfect biodegradable cigarette filter. Now that our patented product is ready for commercialization, we are very pleased to have entered this Supply Agreement with Poda. Traditional cellulose acetate cigarette filters are among the single most commonly littered items globally, and we are committed to the goal of eliminating environmental pollution caused by improperly discarded cigarette butts. Greenbutts' biodegradable filters are made from natural sources and quickly biodegrade in natural settings. Combining our proprietary biodegradable filters with Poda's unique and proprietary biodegradable heat-not-burn cigarettes is surely a winning combination." On Behalf of the Board, Ryan Selby CEO, Director, and Chairman of the Board Poda Lifestyle and Wellness Ltd. Toll-free North America: +1-833-TRY-PODA (879-7632) Outside North America: +1-406-TRY-PODA (879-7632) investors@podalifestyle.com www.podalifestyle.com ABOUT PODA LIFESTYLE Poda Lifestyle is actively engaged in the global commercialization of HNB smoking products, which have the potential to reduce the risks associated with combustible smoking products. The Company has developed a patented HNB system that uses proprietary biodegradable single-use pods, which are both consumer and environmentally friendly. The innovative design of the Company's HNB platform prevents cross-contamination between the heating devices and the pods, eliminating all cleaning requirements and providing users with the most convenient and enjoyable potentially-reduced-risk smoking experience. Poda Lifestyle's HNB system is fully patented in Canada and is patent pending in over 60 additional countries, covering almost 70% of the global population. The Company's Poda Pods are the first and only cigarettes to have a completely closed end. This exclusive design eliminates all cleaning requirements and provides a truly ashless HNB cigarette. Poda Lifestyle's fully patented system is one of a kind and solves the major pain-point that ALL other HNB products suffer from: daily cleaning requirements. The Company's flagship Beyond Burn Poda Pods contain a unique tobacco-free blend of pelletized tea leaves infused with synthetic nicotine, which provides adult smokers with a smoke-free alternative to their regular habit without sacrificing satisfaction. Beyond Burn Poda Pods have been expertly crafted to mimic the sensorial experience of traditional cigarettes without the smoke, without the smell, and without the tobacco. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although Poda Lifestyle believes in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because Poda Lifestyle can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. Poda Lifestyle undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Poda Lifestyle, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). Poda Lifestyle disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. Rise in adoption of genome editing application and technological advancements in gene-editing tools drive the growth of the global genome editing market PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Genome Editing Market by Application (Cell Line Engineering, Genetic Engineering, Drug Discovery, Gene-modified Cell Therapy, Diagnostics, and Other Applications), Technology (CRISPR, TALEN, ZFN, and Other Technologies), and End User (Academics & Government Institutes, Biotechnology & Pharma Companies, and Contract Research Organizations): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030". As per the report, the global genome editing industry accounted for $4.81 billion in 2020, and is expected to reach $36.06 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 22.3% from 2021 to 2030. Download Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/12810 Drivers, restraints, and opportunities Rise in adoption of genome editing applications, increase in prevalence of cancer & other genetic disorders, availability of government funding & growth in genomics projects, and technological advancements in gene-editing tools drive the growth of the global genome editing market. However, ethical issues regarding genome editing hinder the market growth. On the contrary, presence of major market players in developing countries and application in various drug discovery processes are expected to open lucrative opportunities in the future. Covid-19 scenario: The covid-19 pandemic disrupted workflow in the healthcare sector. The spread of diseases forced several industries to close their facilities including sub-domains of healthcare. However, the use of CRISPR was favored during the pandemic and technologies based on naturally occurring bacterial gene-editing systems played a vital role to come up with the best defense against Covid-19. On the other hand, optimum utilization of the workforce and gene editing for human benefit are some of the challenges that researchers face. Thus, CRISPR-based diagnostic tools to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 gained importance. The CRISPR segment dominated the market By technology, the CRISPR segment held the largest share in 2020, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global genome editing market. Moreover, the segment is expected to showcase the highest CAGR of 24.2% during the forecast period, due to ease of use associated with CRISPR. The report includes an analysis of segments such as TALEN, ZFN, and others. The biotechnology & pharma companies held the largest share By end user, the biotechnology & pharma companies dominated the market in terms of revenue in 2020, contributing to nearly two-thirds of the global genome editing market. This is due to rise in prevalence of infectious diseases and cancer. However, the academics and government institutes segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 22.8% during the forecast period. Enquiry for Short-term and Long-term Impacts of COVID-19 at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/12810 North America held the lion's share By region, the global genome editing market across North America held the largest share in 2020, contributing to nearly half of the market. This growth is due to development of gene therapy in the U.S., surge in use of genetically modified crops, and increase in prevalence of infectious diseases coupled with availability of research grants and funding. However, the market across Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR of 25.2% during the forecast period, owing to rise in funding for genome editing and medical genetics in developing countries in the region. Major market players Agilent Technologies Danaher CRISPR Therapeutics Editas Medicine Eurofins Scientific Horizon Discovery Limited GenScript Merck Thermo Fisher Scientific. Lonza Avenue Basic Plan | Library Access | 1 Year Subscription | Sign up for Avenue subscription to access more than 12,000+ company profiles and 2,000+ niche industry market research reports at $699 per month, per seat. For a year, the client needs to purchase minimum 2 seat plan. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter Get more information: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market. Similar Reports: Ophthalmic Drugs Market: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Gene expression Market- Global Opportunities and Industry Forecasts, 2021-2028 Gene Therapy Market-Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 Global Sepsis Diagnostic Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2028 HIV Diagnosis Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2028 Cancer Diagnostics Market- Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2028 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc. (CSE: VEGI) (OTCQB: VGGIF) ("Boosh" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Boosh's entire line of frozen 'Heat n Eat' bowls and entrees are now available at all Whole Foods Market locations across Canada. Whole Foods Market is the largest chain of supermarkets in North America that specializes in natural and organic foods. Acquired by Amazon.com in 2017, Whole Foods Market currently has fourteen strategically located stores throughout Canada, and a total of over 500 stores throughout Canada, US and the UK. Established in Austin, Texas in 1980, their ongoing mission is responsible sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7944/93363_8ba006e334d1eace_002full.jpg "Offering our full line of frozen entree's that include Veggie Bolognese Bowl with Beyond Meat, Shepherd's Pie with Beyond Meat, Rustic Veggie Pot Pie, Coconut Curry bowl, Mac n Cheese n Peas bowl, and Mexican Fiesta bowl in all fourteen Whole Foods Market is certainly a major milestone for Team Boosh," states Connie Marples, president and founder of Boosh Food. "Every one of our retail partners are super important to us and our growth. However, we believe Whole Foods shoppers are highly likely to be the customer seeking out convenient plant based gluten free meals that Boosh offers. To complement our frozen line, we're also currently rolling out our refrigerated line of products that include Mushroom Gravy, Chili and Sloppy Joes and anticipate those items to be in all Whole Foods Market by late fall." "Having successfully assisted natural, organic and plant-based food companies for almost a quarter of a century, I can confirm that being represented by not just a few Whole Foods Market stores but all of the Whole Foods Market stores in Canada is a significant step in our growth plan as well as validation for Boosh," states Ali Samei, Vice President of Boosh Food. "The Whole Foods Market demographics and socio-economics of Whole Foods Market consumers overlays perfectly with Boosh's ideal client profile." On behalf of the Board of Directors James Pakulis Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (833) 882-6674 www.Booshfood.com About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.: Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food (www.booshfood.com), is the gateway to experiencing high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. We currently offer six frozen meals which are sold throughout Canada, and now we're expanding our meals to include three refrigerated products. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth. The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's proposed use of the proceeds of its initial public offering. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities 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/93363 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Northstar Gold Corp. (CSE: NSG) (FSE: 3WV) ("Northstar" or the "Company"), announces that a surface exploration program including prospecting, mechanical stripping, geological mapping and channel sampling of selected areas was initiated at the Miller Gold Property on July 27th, 2021. The Company is fully permitted and conducting exploration in multiple areas of the Miller Gold Property, particularly where visible gold and gold tellurides have been observed either on or near-surface in recent high-grade gold-telluride diamond drill hole intercepts within the Allied Syenite Gold Zone (Please see Northstar News Releases dated May 4th, 2021 and May 27th, 2021). Surface stripping has proven to be highly effective in defining new mineralized zones on the Miller Gold Property as overburden is generally thin. Click here to view a Proactive Canada interview with Steve Darling where Northstar CEO Brian Fowler provides further details in a Northstar corporate and exploration update. Allied Deformation Zone High-Grade Gold The initial focus of the surface program is the Allied Syenite where significant drill results have been obtained in drill holes MG20-47 (1.17 g/t Au over 107.3m), MG20-49 (1.43 g/t Au over 118.5m) and MG21-56 (6.6 g/t Au over 117m) in the recent Phase I and IIA exploration programs conducted in 2020 and 2021. The objective is to further define all structures, veins and other surface mineralized features and collect representative samples of these potential zones both within and adjacent to the Allied Syenite (Photos 1 to 4). Results will provide the Company an enhanced three-dimensional understanding of the near surface extent and controls of bulk-tonnage and high-grade gold-telluride mineralization in the Allied Syenite Gold Zone. Searles Property - Untested South Allied Deformation Zone Exploration Potential Another area of interest for surface exploration is the recently optioned and south-adjoining Searles Property which hosts the eastern extension of the historic Vein 1 Zone resource estimate and several intrusive porphyries and syenites within the southern extension of the highly prospective Allied Deformation Zone. The Searles Property is underexplored having only seen limited surface exploration over the past century. The Miller surface exploration program is expected to be completed by mid-September prior to the start of Phase IIB diamond drilling. Northstar has engaged ALS Geochemistry, a subsidiary of ALS Global to provide the company with assay services for the surface exploration program. Photo 1. Channel Sampling of the Allied Syenite To view an enhanced version of Photo 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6839/93333_c0b900c7340178a6_002full.jpg Photo 2. North-Northeast Striking Silicified Shear Zone (2.5m wide) in the Allied Syenite To view an enhanced version of Photo 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6839/93333_c0b900c7340178a6_003full.jpg Photo 3. East-Northeast Striking Silicified Shear Zone (4m wide) in the Allied Syenite To view an enhanced version of Photo 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6839/93333_c0b900c7340178a6_004full.jpg Photo 4. Northwest Striking Mineralized Shear Zone (6m wide) along a Feldspar Porphyry Contact South of the Allied Syenite To view an enhanced version of Photo 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6839/93333_c0b900c7340178a6_005full.jpg Phase IIA Miller Drill Program During the period March 15th - April 27th, 2021, Northstar drilled 1,990 metres (8 holes) in a Phase IIA program following up the 2020 near-surface bulk-tonnage Allied Syenite Gold Zone discovery (2 holes), near-surface confirmation drilling of the historic gold-telluride No. 1 Vein (2 holes) and 4 holes targeting geophysical and machine learning anomalies. Mineralized intercepts were obtained in all 8 Phase IIA drill holes. On May 27th, 2021 Northstar announced partial results from drill hole MG21-56 in the Allied Syenite Gold Zone that included 6.6 g/t Au over 117m between 14m and 131m encompassing the Veins 1 - 4 zones, including 175 g/t Au over 0.6m between 14m and 14.6m, 24.9 g/t Au over 1.5m between 43m and 44.5m, and 1,170 g/t Au over 0.5m between 69.5m and 70m depth in drill hole MG21-56 within the Allied Syenite. Northstar is experiencing significant assay lab reporting issues and delays that the Company hopes will be resolved in the very near term. All additional Phase IIA drill results will be reported when available. Phase IIB Miller Drill Program Northstar is positioning to resume drilling at the Miller Gold Property in late summer of 2021 with a planned 4,600 metre, Phase IIB drill program to expand the recently discovered Allied Syenite Gold Zone, test several 3D IP geophysical anomalies and expand and confirm the No. 1 Vein historic resource estimate on the Miller Gold Property and recently acquired Searles Property. About the Miller Gold Property The Company's flagship property is the 100% owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Kirkland Lake Gold's Macassa SMC gold mine. Northstar drilled 5,023 metres in 28 holes at Miller in 2020, targeting near-surface high-grade and bulk-tonnage gold-telluride mineralization at Miller. Four new high-grade vein structures (Vein 1, 2, 3 and 4) (86.6 g/t Au / 0.5 metres and 18.0 g/t Au / 3.9 m; incl. 100.0 g/t Au / 0.6m) and the bulk-tonnage Allied Gold Zone (1.4 g/t Au over 118.5m and 1.2 g/t Au over 107.3m) were expanded / discovered and 3D modeled. Northstar also commissioned a $350,000 property-wide 3D IP, gravity and magnetic geophysics program on the Miller Gold Property in 2020 to further define gold mineralization controls at depth. Qualified Person Trevor Boyd, PhD, P.Geo., a 'Qualified Person' (Q.P.) as defined under Canadian National Instrument NI 43-101, has reviewed technical aspects of this news release. About Northstar Gold Corp Northstar's flagship property is the 100% owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Kirkland Lake Gold's Macassa SMC gold mine. The Kirkland District is being explored by numerous junior gold companies and subject to recent consolidation efforts by major companies active in the District. Northstar spent $2 million in exploration at Miller in 2020, resulting in the expansion / discovery of four new high-grade vein structures (Vein 1, 2, 3 and 4) and the near-surface bulk-tonnage Allied Gold Zone. Northstar recently completed a 1,990 metre Phase IIA follow up diamond drill program at Miller on April 27th, 2021. The Company is currently awaiting assay results in preparation for a follow-up Phase IIB drill program scheduled to commence in late summer of 2021. Northstar has 3 additional 100%-owned exploration projects in northern Ontario, including the recently acquired 1,200 ha Rosegrove Property situated 0.5 km from the Miller Gold Property, the 4,500 ha Bryce Property, an intrusive-gold / PME VMS project located along the projected east extension of the Ridout Break, and the recently expanded Temagami-Milestone Cu-Ni-Co Property located in Strathcona Township. Northstar is advancing all 3 properties to the NI 43-101 Technical Report stage to maximize geological understanding, increase investor awareness and optimize monetization opportunities. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Mr. Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo. President, CEO and Director (604) 617-8191 bfowler@northstargoldcorp.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays, and uncertainties not under the control of Northstar Goldcorp. which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Northstar Gold Corp to be materially different from the results, performance or expectation implied by these forward looking statements. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on factors that will or may occur in the future. Actual results may vary depending upon exploration activities, industry production, commodity demand and pricing, currency exchange rates, and, but not limited to, general economic factors. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93333 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Appia Energy Corp. (CSE:API) (OTCQB:APAAF) (FSE: A0I.F) (FSE: A0I.MU) (FSE: A0I.BE) (the "Company" or "Appia") is pleased to announce preliminary exploration results and provide an update regarding the Company's comprehensive drilling program to expand and confirm the extent of the estimated high grade mineralization of rare earth elements ("REE") and gallium on the 100%-owned Alces Lake project, Athabasca Basin area, northern Saskatchewan. ALCES LAKE HIGH-GRADE REE PROJECT As announced on July 15, 2021, Appia has begun diamond drilling at Alces Lake with two diamond drill rigs. Field exploration is also continuing, with a team of 13 geologists onsite. The airborne geophysical survey over the entire property has been completed. Notable results include: Completion of an airborne radiometric/magnetic survey over the property has highlighted numerous extensive thorium anomalies, most notably in the previously under-explored western portion of the claim block (Figure 1). There are now several newly-discovered monazite occurrences (Figure 2); Acquisition by staking of 7,049.4 hectares (17,419.4 acres) of land contiguous to the existing claim block at Alces Lake, increasing 100% owned landholdings to 25,083.8 hectares (61,983.4 acres); Commencement of diamond drilling, with two drills currently active on the property. One drill is dedicated to the WRCB zones, while the other moves across the claims block, testing an ever-growing list of previously undrilled and newly-discovered targets; and Planned diamond drilling has been increased from approximately 5,700m to 7,200m or more as a result of successful exploration activities. Airborne Geophysics An airborne radiometric and magnetic survey was flown in June and July at 50m line spacing. The survey has identified numerous thorium anomalies including a large thorium anomaly in the western portion of the property (Figure 1, the "Western Anomaly") which has resulted in the discovery of several monazite-rich outcrop occurrences (thorium is associated with monazite which hosts rare-earth elements at Alces Lake). There are numerous anomalies remaining to be explored in this new area. Figure 1 - Airborne survey showing thorium anomalies and location of the Western Anomaly within the core of a large regional fold. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/93373_e8ab2e3aa4043871_005full.jpg Most notably, the Sweet Chili Heat zone ("SCH"), among others (Figure 2), is a new discovery that was found as a direct result of the new airborne survey. The SCH is hosted in a biotite-rich shear zone and contains both "augenetic pods" of semi-massive monazite (Figure 3) and coarse grained disseminated monazite (Figure 4). Monazite mineralization has an exposed strike length of ~25m, with elevated radiation readings continuing under ground cover for an additional ~30m. Drilling has been planned and prioritized in the current program for this exciting discovery. Figure 2 - Airborne survey results showing highly elevated thorium levels on the Western Anomaly and location of new monazite discoveries. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/93373_e8ab2e3aa4043871_006full.jpg Figure 3 - Biotite-rich shear zone at SCH with "augenitic pods" of semi-massive monazite. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/93373_e8ab2e3aa4043871_007full.jpg Figure 4 - Biotite-rich shear zone at SCH with coarse-grained monazite (different location than Figure 3). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/93373_e8ab2e3aa4043871_008full.jpg Nicolas Guest, Alces Lake Project Manager noted that "The new airborne survey correlates nicely with known REE mineralization and has led directly to the discovery of several new monazite occurrences. We are excited about this sizeable thorium anomaly within the core of a prominent regional fold structure. This greatly expands the potential at Alces Lake and the Western Anomaly area is now as compelling a prospect as our existing discovery at WRCB. We still have much of the survey area left to explore and with a new all-season camp, we are well-positioned to extend the drilling season into the colder months." Diamond Drilling Approximately 7,200 metres of drilling has been planned to test the near-surface and down-plunge extents of new and existing rare-earth targets, up from the previous plan of 5,700+ metres and total drilling could exceed 10,000 metres. More than 4,000 metres will be dedicated to identifying the depth potential of the WRCB zones (cumulatively the Wilson-Richard-Charles-Bell and Ivan-Dylan-Dante zones) and help complete the understanding of this significant discovery. Drilling results are expected to be released as received and analysed by the company. The Company is fully-funded for the expanded 2021 program and all required permits for the exploration activities are in-hand. With the largest exploration and diamond drilling program in the Company's history now underway, exploration results will be released as received and analyzed by the company. Analysis of the summer exploration and drilling program will follow and may lead to the preparation of an NI 43-101 (Technical Report with 3D Geophysical-geological Models & Preliminary Economic Assessment) report expected near the end of 2021. The Alces Lake project encompasses some of the highest-grade total and critical* REEs and gallium mineralization in the world, hosted within a number of surface and near surface monazite occurrences that remain open at depth and along strike. The Alces Lake project is in northern Saskatchewan, the same provincial jurisdiction that is developing a "first-of-its-kind" rare earth processing facility in Canada, currently under construction by the Saskatchewan Research Council and is scheduled to become operational in late 2022. To ensure safe work conditions are met for the workforce, the Company has developed exploration guidelines that comply with the Saskatchewan Public Health Orders and the Public Health Order Respecting the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District in order to maintain social distancing and help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. * Critical rare earth elements are defined here as those that are in short-supply and high-demand for use in permanent magnets and modern electronic applications such as electric vehicles and wind turbines (i.e: neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb)). The technical content in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, P.Geo, Advisor to Appia's Board of Directors, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Appia Appia is a Canadian publicly-listed company in the uranium and rare earth element sectors. The Company is currently focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements, gallium and uranium on the Alces Lake property, as well as exploring for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 72,651 hectares (179,525 acres) in Saskatchewan. The Company also has a 100% interest in 12,545 hectares (31,000 acres), with rare earth element and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario. Appia has 107.6 million common shares outstanding, 128.1 million shares fully diluted. For more information, visit the Appia's website at www.appiaenergy.ca. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward- looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information, please contact: Tom Drivas, CEO and Director: (cell) 416-876-3957, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) appia@appiaenergy.ca Frederick Kozak, President: (cell) 403-606-3165 or (email) fkozak@appiaenergy.ca Frank van de Water, Chief Financial Officer and Director, (tel) 416-546-2707, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) fvandewater@rogers.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93373 OCALA, Fla., Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AIM ImmunoTech Inc. (NYSE American: AIM) announces financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 and provides a business update. Second Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights: As of June 30, 2021, AIM had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $57.3 million, compared to $54.4 million as of December 31, 2020. Research and development expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2021 were $1.3 million, compared to $1.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. General and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2021 were $2.1 million, compared to $1.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The net loss from operations for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was $5.9 million, or $0.12 per share, compared to $3.4 million, or $0.11 per share, for the three months ended June 30, 2020. Please refer to the full 10-Q for complete details. 2021 Clinical and Business Highlights After several years of success in various studies and trials, AIM has decided to strategically narrow its focus to trials and activities that have the shortest path to potential FDA and EMA drug approval, thus putting energy into the tasks where clinical results suggest an opportunity for expedited success. AIM anticipates that these planned trials primarily will be AIM-sponsored and AIM-funded. Immuno-oncology Analyses of data collected in the Early Access Program at Erasmus Medical Center (Erasmus MC) in the Netherlands found a statistically significantly positive survival benefit when using Ampligen in patients with locally advanced/metastatic pancreatic cancer after systemic chemotherapy. Based on these encouraging data, AIM is developing a protocol design and schema - in consultation with Amarex Clinical Research, Buffet Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska and Erasmus MC - to seek regulatory approval to initiate a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of Ampligen in the United States and/or the European Union. Multiple additional Ampligen clinical trials are underway at university cancer centers testing whether tumor microenvironments can be reprogrammed to increase the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy, including with checkpoint inhibitors: Advanced Recurrent Ovarian Cancer - A follow-up Phase 2 study of advanced recurrent ovarian cancer using cisplatin and pembrolizumab, plus Ampligen; up to 45 patients to be enrolled; enrollment has commenced, and 17 subjects have now commenced treatment. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03734692 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03734692) - A follow-up Phase 2 study of advanced recurrent ovarian cancer using cisplatin and pembrolizumab, plus Ampligen; up to 45 patients to be enrolled; enrollment has commenced, and 17 subjects have now commenced treatment. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03734692 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03734692) Stage 4 Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer - Phase 1/2 study of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer using chemokine modulation therapy, including Ampligen and pembrolizumab. Eight patients were enrolled and treated. We await publication of data. https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03599453 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03599453) - Phase 1/2 study of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer using chemokine modulation therapy, including Ampligen and pembrolizumab. Eight patients were enrolled and treated. We await publication of data. https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03599453 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03599453) Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer Metastatic to the Liver - Phase 2a study of Ampligen as a component of a chemokine modulatory regimen on colorectal cancer metastatic to liver; 15 patients were enrolled and treated. We await publication of data. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03403634 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03403634) - Phase 2a study of Ampligen as a component of a chemokine modulatory regimen on colorectal cancer metastatic to liver; 15 patients were enrolled and treated. We await publication of data. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03403634 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03403634) Early-Stage Prostate Cancer - Phase 2 study investigating the effectiveness and safety of aspirin and Ampligen with or without interferon-alpha 2b (Intron A) compared to no drug treatments in a randomized three-arm study of patients with prostate cancer before undergoing radical prostatectomy. Patient enrollment has been initiated in this study designed for up to 45 patients. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03899987 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03899987) - Phase 2 study investigating the effectiveness and safety of aspirin and Ampligen with or without interferon-alpha 2b (Intron A) compared to no drug treatments in a randomized three-arm study of patients with prostate cancer before undergoing radical prostatectomy. Patient enrollment has been initiated in this study designed for up to 45 patients. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03899987 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03899987) Early-Stage Triple Negative Breast Cancer - Phase 1 study of chemokine modulation plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage triple negative breast cancer has received FDA authorization. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of a combination of Ampligen and celecoxib with or without Intron A, when given along with chemotherapy. The goal of this approach is to increase survival. This study is recruiting patients and is designed for up to 24 patients. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04081389 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04081389) COVID-19 In January, AIM entered into a Sponsor Agreement with the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR), a foundation located in Leiden in the Netherlands, to manage a Phase 1 randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the safety and activity of repeated intranasal administration of Ampligen. AIM funded and sponsored the study. This study was designed to assess the safety, tolerability and biological activity of repeated administration of Ampligen intranasally. A total of 40 healthy subjects received either Ampligen or a placebo in the trial, with the Ampligen given at four escalating dosages across four cohorts, to a maximum level of 1,250 micrograms. All patients had completed treatment by June 2021 and the interim results reported no Severe Adverse Events at any dosage level. The object was to establish safety for intranasal Ampligen as a potential broad spectrum prophylaxis for respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Following the completion of the Phase 1 dosing, and based on its positive interim results, in July 2021 AIM signed a Reservation and Start-Up Agreement with hVIVO, reserving space in hVIVO's quarantine facility to sponsor a Phase 2a Human Challenge Trial (HCT) to test Ampligen as a potential intranasal antiviral therapy using a human Rhinovirus hRV (a common cold virus) and Influenza as challenge viruses. This antiviral study will be conducted by hVIVO, a subsidiary of Open Orphan plc, a rapidly growing specialist pharmaceutical services clinical research organization and world leader in vaccine and antiviral testing using human challenge clinical trials. The trial is expected to commence in Q4 2021. The object is to establish Ampligen's potential as a broad spectrum prophylaxis for respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. In an HCT, subjects are intentionally exposed to particular disease pathogens to test how the diseases will respond to the test treatment. An HCT will allow the Company to expedite the development process for Ampligen by ensuring that all subjects in both the control group and the Ampligen group are exposed to the target pathogen, so as to assess whether there is a prophylactic effect. A successful Phase 2a HCT study could also establish Ampligen's potential as a prophylaxis against future viral variants and future novel respiratory viruses for which there are no current vaccines or therapies, as well as known viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Immuno-oncology / COVID-19 In June, Ampligen was featured in a publication containing state-of-the-art methodologies in the peer-reviewed medical journal Cancersas a potential treatment option for cancer patients who are infected with SARS-CoV-2. The study's authors stated that Ampligen has the potential to reduce the severity of the deadly respiratory disease COVID-19, which has so far caused more than 4.3 million deaths globally. The full journal article is titled: "Rintatolimod Induces Antiviral Activities in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells: Opening for an Anti-COVID-19 Opportunity in Cancer Patients?" Cancers is a peer-reviewed, open access journal of oncology published semimonthly online by MDPI. The study's authors include Prof. C.H.J. van Eijck, MD, PhD, the lead investigator for an Early Access Program at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) / COVID-19 On January 6, AIM announced that the post-COVID-19 "Long Hauler" portion of the active AMP-511 Expanded Access Program(EAP) in the U.S. dosed its first "Long Hauler" patient with the drug Ampligen, marking a significant milestone in AIM's efforts to develop an effective therapeutic for people suffering from post-COVID-19 infection chronic fatigue-like symptoms. Additional patients are now in treatment and AIM intends to provide further updates as the trial progresses. "We continued to make positive clinical and operational progress during the second quarter," commented, Thomas K. Equels, CEO of AIM ImmunoTech. "With our strong balance sheet, we are well positioned to execute on our corporate strategy and advance our clinical trials to meaningful milestones that we believe will drive significant shareholder value. We anticipate reporting material developments throughout the remainder of this year and through 2022. We remain extremely encouraged by the outlook for Ampligen." About AIM ImmunoTech Inc. AIM ImmunoTech Inc. is an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders, and viral diseases, including COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Cautionary Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "PSLRA"). Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "plan," "anticipate" and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among other things, for those statements, the Company claims the protection of safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the PSLRA. We are in various stages of seeking to determine whether Ampligen will be effective in the treatment of multiple types of viral diseases, cancers, and immune-deficiency disorders. Significant additional testing and trials will be required to determine whether Ampligen will be effective in the treatment of these conditions. The Company cannot assure that its many studies will be successful or yield favorable data and trials are subject to many factors including lack of regulatory approval(s), lack of study drug, or a change in priorities at the institutions sponsoring other trials. Significant additional testing and trials will be required to determine whether Ampligen will be effective in the treatment of COVID-19 as an intranasal therapy or otherwise, and no assurance can be given that this will be the case. There is the potential for delays in clinical trial enrollment and reporting because of the COVID-19 medical emergency. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. Investor Relations Contact: Crescendo Communications, LLC Phone: 212-671-1021 Email: aim@crescendo-ir.com AIM ImmunoTech Inc Phone: 800-778-4042 Email: IR@aimimmuno.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5d6e764a-b8fa-4e05-839c-1c7695edfcc9 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / MediXall Group, Inc. (OTCQB:MDXL), an innovative healthcare solutions provider, announced today that healthcare technology executive Travis Jackson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO)of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Health Karma. Mr. Jackson appointment went effective, August 16th. He is relocating from Utah to be able to lead the Company from the Health Karma Headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Mr. Jackson brings a wealth of experience across virtually every dimension of healthcare. Throughout his numerous roles, Mr. Jackson has been responsible for national sales directed toward health insurance plans, providing access to state and county Medicaid plans, and even setting up outpatient behavioral health clinics. "My career has been about interacting with innovators in health insurance, healthcare technology & wellness products who wanted to be creative about their growth model," said Travis Jackson. "I've been impressed by Health Karma for a while, looking at how it has positioned the company to scale in all the right ways. Its approach to technology and commitment to customer experience is what excited me the most about this opportunity. I look forward to leading the company to new heights in the HealthTech space." Jackson was most recently the VP of Strategy & Business Development for Beacon Health Options, one of the largest behavioral health organizations in the country. Beacon serves more than 40 million individuals across all 50 states, including nearly 3 million individuals under comprehensive risk-based behavioral programs. During his tenure as VP, he led sales, strategy and business development for the company in the West and Midwest US, with his sales efforts directed towards commercial health insurance plans, state and county Medicaid plans and large Third Party Administrators. While at Beacon, the Company was acquired by Anthem in 2020 and currently resides as a wholly owned subsidiary in Anthem's Diversified Business Group. Prior to Beacon, Mr. Jackson was Executive VP of Sales for Linkwell Health, where he was responsible for national sales and marketing activities for the company, with these efforts directed towards health insurance plans, hospital systems and health services companies. Mr. Jackson also has had success in his career building new businesses. He was a founder of both Ascendant Behavioral Health and Highland Springs Specialty Clinics, a series of outpatient behavioral health clinics. Mr. Jackson was responsible for clinic set up including locations, billing, hiring and staffing, IT set up and clinic processes. Prior to that, Mr. Jackson was Founding Partner & Executive Vice President of Sales of My ePHIT, where he created a multimillion-dollar company from an initial idea, through fundraising, production, active sales and service and renewal phases. During his time, he participated in the Executive Leadership Team of the company creating, reviewing and approving all strategy and operations, and was one of the key decision makers in the sale of the company. At time of sale, My ePHIT had achieved over 23 million paid members. "Travis's appointment comes at a critical inflection point in Health Karma's growth, and we are thrilled to have someone with such a unique blend of proven healthcare and entrepreneurial experience build on the company's momentum and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead." Health Karma President Michael Swartz said. "He is a seasoned leader with significant experience driving revenue growth in health insurance and health tech market segments, operating efficiently at scale, and delivering value to shareholders. We are most fortunate to have him as our next CEO." For more information on Health Karma, visit their official website: www.healthkarma.org and follow @HealthKarmaApp on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Media Contact: Karla Hernandez, karlahernandez.transmediagroup@gmail.com, 561-768-1773. About MediXall Group, Inc. MediXall Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MDXL) is a technology and innovation-driven organization purposefully designed and structured around delivering products and services to make it easier for consumers to learn, decide and pay for healthcare. The mission of MediXall Group is to revolutionize the healthcare industry by improving communication; providing better technology and support services; and enabling more efficient, cost-effective healthcare for the consumer. By approaching the entire healthcare ecosystem, MediXall creates, invests, and incubates companies that embody its mission statement. About Health Karma, Inc. Health Karma, a wholly owned subsidiary of MediXall Group, is a data-driven healthcare technology company whose mission is to continually raise the bar of the healthcare experience by empowering people to understand and manage their entire health care journey anywhere, anytime, whether they have insurance or not. For more information, please visit www.gethealthkarma.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. Specifically, the company's ability to raise additional capital, execute its business plan and strategy, sustain, or increase gross margins, achieve profitability, and build shareholder value are forward-looking statements. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact: Investor Relations (954) 908-3481 SOURCE: MediXall Group, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660046/MediXall-Group-Announces-Appointment-of-Experienced-Health-Insurance-Technology-Executive-Travis-Jackson-as-New-Chief-Executive-Officer-of-Health-Karma CHEYENNE, WY / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / CADUCEUS SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, CORP. (OTC PINK:CSOC) ("Caduceus" or the "Company"), a consumer goods focused holding company and owner of McLovin's Pet Food, Inc. is pleased to announce McLovin's is now selling it pet food products online at Kroger's and Walmart's online marketplaces. This latest development constitutes a major break-through into the nation's top two major league grocery chains. "I am grateful that both teams have worked so hard to bring this most sought after and commercially valuable agreement to fruition. We are excited about being able to bring the McLovin's products to the large and loyal customer bases that purchases their products through Kroger's and Walmart's marketplaces." said David Ji, CEO of McLovin's. McLovin's is also working with Kroger's team on another deal. Please stay tuned as we expect to be in position to announce this upcoming sales development within weeks. Customers can find our products on the respective Kroger's and Walmart website by clicking on the following links: McLovin's @ Kroger's McLovin's @ Walmart About Kroger At The Kroger Co, we are Fresh for Everyone and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site. About Walmart Walmart Inc. helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 220 million customers and members visit approximately 10,500 stores and clubs under 48 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2021 revenue of $559 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy, and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com . About Caduceus Software Systems, Corp. Caduceus Software Systems Corp is a Wyoming-based holding company with is wholly owned subsidiary McLovin's, a Pet Food and Pet Care company. The Pet Food and Pet Care market size was USD 207 Billion in 2020 with a stellar growth of 28.11%. The industry is expected to grow to USD 325 Billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 5.6%. The Pet Food and Pet Care products include food, hygiene, toys, and other accessories. The Company is traded on the OTC Markets under the trading symbol "CSOC". For more information: OTC Markets: (OTC PINK:CSOC) Website: https://caduceuscorp.co Email: info@caduceuscorp.co Discord: https://discord.gg/apolloassets Twitter: https://twitter.com/caduceuscorp About McLovin's Pet Food, Inc McLovin's, Inc. is a California company specialized on the manufacturing and distribution of quality pet foods. We believe in real food. What you'll find in McLovin's is similar to what you'll find in your own grocery cart. In the case of our premium treats, it starts (and ends) with real beef, chicken and salmon. Our products are developed using responsible sourcing and quality is a key part of every single part of our manufacturing process. Corporate Website: https://mclovinspetfood.com/ Forward-Looking Statements: Safe Harbour Statement - In addition to historical information, this press release may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include the intent, belief, or expectations of the Company and members of its management team with respect to the Company's future business operations and the assumptions upon which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to, failure to complete anticipated sales under negotiations, lack of revenue growth, client discontinuances, failure to realize improvements in performance, efficiency and profitability, and adverse developments with respect to litigation or increased litigation costs, the operation or performance of the Company's business units or the market price of its common stock. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated within this press release can also be found on the Company's website. The Company disclaims any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements. SOURCE: Caduceus Software Systems, Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660006/Caduceus-McLovins-Products-Now-Selling-at-Krogers-and-Walmart-Online New HungerRush 360 lets restaurants delight guests, drive loyalty, and enhance efficiency to grow digital and in-store sales HOUSTON, TX and LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / HungerRush, a leading cloud-based software provider for the restaurant industry, announced today the launch of HungerRush 360, a fully integrated cloud point-of-sale (POS) system that provides a 360-degree view of the entire restaurant experience, including restaurant management, digital ordering, customer engagement, delivery, and payment processing. The restaurant industry is changing quickly. Rising consumer expectations for speed and convenience along with increased competition put significant pressure on operators to leverage the power of technology to find efficiencies and improve the guest experience. The POS system serves as the central nervous system directing operations and capturing customer preferences to deliver when, where, and how customers want to order and consume their food. According to the National Restaurant Association, digital orders increased to 20 percent in 2020 from 5 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the need for a POS system that captures and caters to digital preferences. "HungerRush 360 sets a new standard for a system that allows operators to manage restaurant operations to the delight of customers from any device, at any time, and from anywhere," said Perry Turbes, HungerRush CEO. "Restaurant operators today are working through extraordinary challenges, including shifting ordering models, customer experience expectations, hiring staff, and many more. HungerRush 360 gives back control in the hands of operators, literally and figuratively, so that the operator can focus on growing business and thriving in this unprecedented business climate." "One of the favorite things we love about HungerRush [is that] during the pandemic our digital sales tripled. Having HungerRush as a partner enabled ease of use [and] allowed customers to order things so conveniently." -Roostar Vietnamese Grill HungerRush 360 puts the customer in the center of restaurant operations so operators can make smart decisions to enhance the overall customer and employee experience while growing the bottom line. The HungerRush 360 system helps operators: Unify ordering across all channels, web, mobile, text and on-site Get a complete perspective of their customers' order history and preferences so they can personalize guest experiences and drive loyalty. Track orders on any channel from the moment they arrive to?the moment they are served or delivered. Achieve a unified vision of both front- and back-of-house operations across all locations, including ghost kitchens, rooftops, food trucks, wherever. Take control of every aspect of their business-menus, inventory, labor, coupons, etc.-from?a single location?that's?easier than ever to access, wherever they are. Ultimately, the HungerRush 360 system helps restaurants save money, improve the guest experience, increase loyalty, and accelerate growth-all through a single SaaS platform. For more information about the HungerRush 360 restaurant experience, please visit hungerrush.com. About HungerRush HungerRush is a leading provider of integrated restaurant solutions. HungerRush 360 is our flagship cloud POS system that makes it easier to delight guests, drive loyalty, and manage restaurants from anywhere. The all-in-one system integrates digital ordering, delivery, customer engagement, restaurant management, and payment processing features with flexible software designed to give operators of all sizes more insight into their customers, more control over their operations, and more power to profitably grow their business. CONTACT: Michelle Doss HungerRush 512.365.9358 Michelle.Doss@hungerrush.com Adam Cormier PAN Communications 774.238.2545 Acormier@pancomm.com SOURCE: HungerRush View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660094/HungerRush-Launches-HungerRush-360-Cloud-Point-of-Sale-POS-System Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Precipitate Gold Corp. (TSXV: PRG) (OTCQB: PREIF) (the "Company" or "Precipitate") is pleased to announce it has secured, by a combination of staking and property option agreements, exclusive rights to acquire a 100% interest in mineral exploration licenses totalling 12,350 hectares making up the Motherlode Gold Project (the "Motherlode Project" or the "Project") located within the Burin Peninsula of southern Newfoundland, Canada. Motherlode Project Highlights: * Select Historical Sampling Results High grade gold rock grab samples: 25.0 g/t Au, 15.7 g/t Au, 11.6 g/t Au, 6.3 g/t Au & 4.5 g/t Au Trench/Channel Results: 0.5m of 4.5 g/t Au, 1.5m of 10.1 g/t Au, 6.2m of 3.6 g/t Au (incl. 0.9m of 7.7 g/t Au) 2007 Diamond Drill Results (8 holes, 902m): 0.7m of 3.2 g/t Au, 10.4m of 0.82 g/t Au, 1.5m of 2.8 g/t Au Gold Mineralization, Geology, Regional Geochemistry 11 historical mineral occurrences, including 8 gold showings ; ; District-scale potential within an estimated 16.5-kilometre-long exploration trend hosted in late Proterozoic-age Burin Group volcanic and ultramafic rocks; hosted in late Proterozoic-age Burin Group volcanic and ultramafic rocks; Major northeast trending, sub-vertical dipping shear-fault zones up to 30 metres wide ; ; Gold enriched quartz veins and quartz-silica stockworks are strongly associated with 'high strain' rocks (i.e. shears, schists, folds) with a generally low pyrite content; are strongly associated with 'high strain' rocks (i.e. shears, schists, folds) with a generally low pyrite content; Project regional government till, lake & stream sample geochemistry anomalies include gold, arsenic, antimony, copper, nickel and zinc. Infrastructure 12,350 hectare project on Newfoundland's south coast. Excellent access and logistical infrastructure, with year-round road access, high-power electrical lines running through the project, nearby Atlantic Ocean ports, and an active nearby industrial fluorite mine. For reference: g/t = grams per tonne, Au = gold, m = metres Jeffrey Wilson, Company President & CEO stated, "We are excited at the opportunity to diversify the Company's project portfolio with this new property acquisition in one of Canada's most active, mining-friendly, and prospective geological jurisdictions. Combining the contiguous properties with our own staked ground represents the consolidation of an underexplored district-scale land package in a favourable geological environment where significant prior sample and drill results yielded impressive gold values but lacked in adequate systematic follow up. The opportunity to apply the Company's technical expertise with modern exploration techniques provides Precipitate and its shareholders with significant new discovery potential. This, combined with the Project's superb access and infrastructure mean the Company's geological crews can promptly activate field work to identify and prioritize targets with a near term view to generating results. The Motherlode Project augments the Company's existing properties in the Dominican Republic where multiple targets remain drill-ready and awaiting further advancement." Figure 1 - Motherlode Project Map with Historic Sampling and Drilling Results To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1718/93316_50476070344bca48_003full.jpg Regional Geology of Burin Peninsula: The Motherlode Project is located approximately 3.5 hours by road from Gander and St. John's within the southeastern region of Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula, which is part of an active gold exploration region that includes other high profile gold exploration projects such as Root & Cellar (Northern Shield Resources), Heritage (Golden Ridge Resources) and Hickey's Pond (Bonavista Resources). Project lithologies are part of the major Avalon Tectonostratigraphic Zone, where claims are dominantly underlain by late Proterozoic aged Burin Group submarine oceanic volcanics and associated ultramafics, with interbedded clastic sediments and carbonate rocks. The Burin Group lithologies have a NE-SW trend and sub vertical dip, with a pervasive greenschist facies deformation, ranging from moderate fracture cleavage to a strong and discrete shear fabric (quartz-chlorite-sericite-calcite schists; typically, coplanar to local lithological bedding trends). Historical reports indicate that gold enriched quartz veins and quartz-silica stockworks are strongly associated with 'high strain' rocks (i.e. shears, schists, folds) containing a generally low pyrite concentration. Figure 2 - Burin Peninsula - Major Regional Mineral Showings To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1718/93316_50476070344bca48_004full.jpg Option and Acquisition Terms for Motherlode Project: The Company entered into two underlying property option agreements granting Precipitate the exclusive right to earn a 100% interest in a combined 6,100 hectares of mineral exploration licences (the "Properties") by fulfilling certain elective annual cash and share payments over a 4-year option term, as follows: Date Cash Precipitate Common Shares On closing $26,000 370,000 12 month Anniversary $52,000 650,000 24 month Anniversary $74,000 990,000 26 month Anniversary $84,000 1,270,000 48 month Anniversary $107,000 1,800,000 Upon completion of the cash and share payments as set out above, Precipitate will have a 100% interest in the Properties, subject to certain net smelter returns ("NSR") of 1.5% (Vendor Group 1) and 2.5% (Vendor Group 2) granted to the two vendor groups by Precipitate. Portions of each NSR are purchasable by Precipitate at any time for $500,000 per 0.5% (Vendor Group 1) and $750,000 per 0.5% (Vendor Group 2). In addition, Precipitate retains a right of first refusal to purchase the balance of all NSRs at any time. Additionally, the Company acquired a 100% interest in an adjoining 6,250 hectares by direct staking and execution of a purchase agreement to acquire a small inlier parcel in exchange for $1,000 and 25,000 common shares of the Company. No NSR is applicable on the staked or purchase agreement claims. The property option agreements and purchase agreement are subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. In anticipation of closing these agreements promptly, a geological data review and the development of exploration plans are underway. Initiation of a first phase field program will be announced as it commences. Board Changes: Dr. Quinton Hennigh is retiring as a director of the Company. Dr. Hennigh advised he will be unwinding his directorships with multiple public companies as he transitions into a more formal role with Crescat Capital, a global asset management firm. "It has been a pleasure to work with the Precipitate team over the past ten years," commented Quinton Hennigh. "This is a very important time for the Company as it expands its exploration horizons to include a highly prospective land position in Newfoundland, the first Canadian project held by Precipitate in several years. I look forward to closely following this story as the Company and its highly experienced exploration team advance this exciting new project." Jeffrey Wilson, Precipitate's President and CEO stated, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, and all members of the Precipitate team, I'd like to thank Quinton for his invaluable contribution to the Company's growth and development. Mr. Hennigh has generously served as a member of the Precipitate Board since the Company's inception in 2012, providing insightful technical guidance and strong capital market alliances. We wish Mr. Hennigh all the best in his new position and all future endeavours." * Note: Certain information and data in this news release concerning the Motherlode Project and past work done thereon and results therefrom are historical, being derived from publicly available sources including assessment reports and Newfoundland government technical sources. The reliability of some historical data is unknown but is considered relevant by Company management. The historical data may be non-NI 43-101 compliant and should not be relied upon. It is the Company's intention to verify the historical data, however confirmation work may produce results that differ substantially from the historic results. High grade rock grab samples are selective by nature and are unlikely to represent average grades on the property. This news release has been reviewed by Michael Moore, Vice President, Exploration of Precipitate Gold Corporation, the Qualified Person for the technical information in this news release under NI 43-101 standards. About Precipitate Gold: Precipitate Gold Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on exploring and advancing its mineral property interests in Newfoundland Canada and the Pueblo Viejo Mining Camp and Tireo Gold Trend of the Dominican Republic. The Company has entered into an Earn-In Agreement with Barrick Gold Corporation, whereby Barrick can earn a 70% interest in the Company's Pueblo Grande Project by incurring US$10M within six years and producing a qualifying Pre-feasibility Study. Precipitate is also actively evaluating additional high-impact property acquisitions with the potential to expand the Company's portfolio and increase shareholder value, in other favourable jurisdictions. Additional information can be viewed at the Company's website www.precipitategold.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Precipitate Gold Corp., "Jeffrey Wilson" President & CEO For further information, please contact: Tel: 604-558-0335 Toll Free: 855-558-0335 investorofprecipitategold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Precipitate Gold Corp.'s ("Precipitate" or the "Company") current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Company and on assumptions it believes are reasonable. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Precipitate to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the exploration concessions may not be granted on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the concessions acquired by the Company may not have attributes similar to those of surrounding properties; delay or failure to receive governmental or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation affecting mining; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. Although Precipitate has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Precipitate does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93316 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - West Oak Gold Corp. (CSE: WO) ("West Oak") is pleased to announce that it has begun field work at the Hedge Hog gold project, located 15 km north of the Barkerville gold camp in British Columbia. The Phase 1 work programme has been designed to explore for structurally hosted gold at the Golden Sky target in the north part of the Hedge Hog property. A grab sample taken by Eastfield Resource Corp. from an exposure in a road cut in 2013 returned 1.51 g/t gold, 0.48% lead, 1203 ppm arsenic and 1313 ppm antimony (sample 2590864). A tightly spaced soil grid has revealed gold values to 206 ppb and arsenic values to 113 ppm. Little work has been conducted here since 2013. Soil sampling is now underway at Golden Sky to expand the current soils grid. This will be followed by mechanical trenching to better expose the known mineralization, search for extensions along strike as well as testing anomalous soil locations. Hedge Hog Gold Project Claims To view an enhanced version of this map, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8241/93352_ea45a8feb48fcb03_001full.jpg The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Paul Reynolds, P. Geo, a Director of West Oak, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects." About West Oak West Oak is focused on gold exploration in Canada. It is currently actively exploring the Hedge Hog gold project located 15km north of the town of Wells in the Caribou Mining Division of central British Columbia. Investors are encouraged to review West Oak's prospectus and the technical report for the Hedge Hog Property available at www.sedar.com. For further information, please contact: Paul John Chief Executive Officer West Oak Gold Corp. Tel: (778) 874-6619 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities 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/93352 Inc. Magazine Reveals Annual List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies, the Inc. 5000 LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Inc. magazine today revealed that Doughp, the edible and bakeable cookie dough company, is No. 274 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. Doughp is among the top tier of the list, ranked as No. 16 in the Food and Beverage category and No. 4 in the state of Nevada. The Inc. 5000 represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment-its independent small businesses. Doughp joins other juggernaut bands including Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and others, who gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. "It is an incredible honor for Doughp to be included as one of the fastest-growing companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list," said Kelsey Moreira, founder & CEO of Doughp. "I started the company hoping to bring some joy to the world, but I am still blown away by how quickly it's grown. As a mission-driven company, throughout our growth, we continue to stay true to our core values and create delicious cookie dough that's making the world a little sweeter, one spoonful at a time." Doughp was first introduced to consumers in 2017 and has become one of the fastest- growing companies in the U.S. by combining a delicious recipe with an impactful, authentic purpose to support mental health & addiction recovery. Originally started in founder Kelsey Moreira's kitchen after a journey into sobriety, the company propelled forward to become a multimillion-dollar brand. In its first four years, Doughp experienced monumental growth with revenue increasing on average 219% year over year. In 2020, the company more than doubled its annual revenue even after permanently closing its storefronts and pivoting entirely to online due to the pandemic. Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc. ABOUT DOUGHP Doughp burst onto the scene in 2017 serving up nostalgia with its legit cookie dough that is safe to eat raw and can also be baked into delicious cookies and desserts. Company founder and fearless leader Kelsey Moreira discovered baking in the early days of her sobriety. She eventually left her 10-year career in tech to turn her passion for baking into a business. Since then, Doughp has aired on ABC's Shark Tank, the cookie dough has been featured in top media outlets and it has over 4,000 five-star reviews. Doughp is a nationwide business serving hundreds of thousands of happy spoonlickers across the country. As a mission driven company, Doughp strives to make the world a little sweeter, and donates a portion of all proceeds to nonprofits and raising awareness around mental health and addiction recovery through its Doughp4Hope initiative. For more information, visit www.doughp.com. Get down with Doughp on social media by following @Doughp on Instagram and Facebook. More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Methodology Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent-not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies-as of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year's Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. About Inc. Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/. Media Contact: Shay Pantano Pantano Media & Marketing Spantano@pantanomm.com 212-731-9770 SOURCE: Doughp View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660103/Doughp-Ranks-No-274-on-the-2021-Inc-5000-With-Revenue-Growth-of-16937 17 August 2021 Boanerges Limited ("Boanerges" or the "Company") Director/PDMR Shareholding Boanerges, a special purpose acquisition company, established for the purpose of identifying investment opportunities and acquisitions in small and medium sized enterprises ("SMEs") within the technology sector, in the UK or Europe, notes that Andrew Fearon, Non-Executive Director of the Company, has today bought 20,000 Ordinary Shares at 46 pence per share. In total Andrew Fearon holds 770,000 Ordinary Shares, representing 1.41% of the issued share capital. The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement. For further information, please contact: The Company Andrew Fearon + 44 (0) 808 1968 324 AQSE Corporate Adviser: Peterhouse Capital Limited Guy Miller/Mark Anwyl +44 (0) 20 7469 0936 Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them Eurocommercial Properties N.V. will be announcing its Half Year Results 2021 on Friday 27 August 2021 with the press release publication moving forward to 7:30 CET. The Company will host an audio webcast and conference call for investors and analysts starting at 10:00 AM (GMT) / 11:00 AM (CET), and we would be delighted if you could join. To access the webcast simply click on the URL: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/eurocommercialproperties/20210827_2/ to register. You will also have the opportunity to type in your questions during the streaming. To access the audio call, please dial: Netherlands: +31 (0) 20 708 5073 UK-Wide: +44 (0) 33 0551 0200 France: +33 (0) 1 7037 7166 Italy: +39 06 83360400 US: +1 212 999 6659 Tell the operator the password Eurocommercial The call will also be audio webcast at: https://www.eurocommercialproperties.com/financial/presentations-webcasts EP Global Opportunities Trust plc (the "Company") The Company announces that on 17 August 2021 it purchased 140,000 of its own Ordinary 1p shares at a price of 2.87 per share. The shares have been placed into Treasury. Following this transaction, the Company has 27,931,917 Ordinary shares held in Treasury and 36,577,725 Ordinary shares in circulation. Accordingly, the total voting rights in the Company are 36,577,725. The total number of shares in issue remains as 64,509,642. The above total voting rights figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine whether they are required to notify their interest in EP Global Opportunities Trust plc under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. 17 August 2021 LEI: 2138005T5CT5ITZ7ZX58 Enquiries: Kenneth J Greig Edinburgh Partners AIFM Limited Tel: 0131 270 3800 The Company's registered office address is: 27-31 Melville Street Edinburgh EH3 7JF Commences Maiden Exploration Program at Cobb Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Fremont Gold Ltd. (TSXV: FRE) (OTCQB: FRERF) (FSE: FR2) ("Fremont" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update regarding exploration at the company's Cobb Creek project in Elko County Nevada. Highlights are as follows; The Company has staked an additional 89 federal lode claims on the northern and eastern sides of the Cobb Creek project increasing the size of the property area by approximately 30% The Cobb Creek project occurs at the northern end of the Independence trend, one of the most important gold belts in northern Nevada and contains a non-N43-101 compliant, historic resource of 160,000 ounces gold, named the McCall deposit1 Concurrently the company has commenced its' maiden exploration program at Cobb, comprising geological mapping, rock chip sampling, a new systematic soil geochemical survey and a ground magnetic survey The program is designed to discover new deposits in previously untested areas as well as expand the known mineralization at the McCall deposit Cobb Creek Project Cobb Creek is located directly on the Independence Trend which hosts the Jerritt Canyon and Big Springs mines, as well as the recently discovered Gravel Creek deposit (unclassified mineral inventory of 1.4M ounces Au and 21M ounces Ag)2. The property is 12 km northwest of the Gravel Creek-Wood Gulch couplet, a low-sulfidation epithermal deposit and carlin-style gold deposit, respectively. Traditionally classified as a "mesothermal/orogenic" style gold deposit, Fremont management believe that siliceous vein and outcrop textures observed at Cobb support a Carlin or epithermal-style genesis. Cobb Creek has not been drilled since 1992 and the vast majority of the historical drilling (over 140 drill holes) were shallow. Some of the better drill results include drill hole COBRC-3, which returned 15.3 metres of 2.86 g/t gold (from 13.7 metres to 29.0 metres), and COBRC-84, which returned 33.5 metres of 1.92 g/t gold. Planned Exploration Program Fremont Gold has started a four-phase exploration program at Cobb Creek. The first three phases are geologic mapping, rock chip sampling, a detailed ground magnetic survey and a comprehensive soil sampling program across the entire property. The soil survey will add to previous soil sampling results and will include multi-element trace element analyses as well as gold. The fourth phase will be a drilling program based on results of the first three phases. Figure 1: Cobb Creek gold project location To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3169/93348_8e9b811714a4abb3_002full.jpg Dr. Clay Newton, Fremont's VP of exploration states, "The 2004 43-101 report on Cobb Creek repeats the older interpretation that the gold mineralization is orogenic, but suggests the possibility that it may be Tertiary Carlin-type. Earlier workers have not recognized, or least not commented on the strong epithermal alteration on the property. My leaning is that Cobb Creek is similar to the Wood Gulch-Gravel Creek couplet 12 km to the south, where within about 2 km of each other, there are both a Carlin-type gold deposit and a Miocene epithermal low-sulfidation gold-silver deposit. Cobb Creek has a good chance of also having both deposit types, perhaps in an overprinting relationship. There is also a possibility that the 160,000 ounce gold resource in the Vinini Fm may be the upper part of a Carlin-type system, with better things to come below in the Lower Plate Van Duzer carbonate unit." Figure 2: Structural interpretation and mineralized targets Cobb Creek area To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3169/93348_8e9b811714a4abb3_003full.jpg Dr Newton continues, "Figure 2 is a regional view to show the relationship of the projected Gravel Creek epithermal corridor to the McCall resource. The epithermal corridor has been traced along the edge of a structural corridor from the 1.4 million ounce gold Gravel Creek epithermal deposit 12 km north, to the Cobb Creek North area that has just been staked. The relationship of the 160,000 ounce gold McCall resource southwest of the Cobb Creek North target is analogous to the relationship between the Carlin-type Wood Gulch deposit and Gravel Creek. Both Wood Gulch and Doby George are Carlin-type deposits in upper-plate clastic rocks. The McCall deposit may be the top of a larger Carlin-type system in the underlying lower-plate Van Duzer Limestone. Add to this the possibility of an adjacent and possibly overprinting Miocene epithermal precious metal deposit." Qualified person The content of this news release was reviewed by Dennis Moore, Fremont's President & CEO, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Fremont Fremont's mine-finding management team has assembled a portfolio of high-quality Nevada gold projects with the goal of making a new discovery. Fremont's other projects include Griffon, North Carlin, and Hurricane. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Dennis Moore President & CEO Fremont Gold Ltd. For further information, contact: Corporate Information Fremont Gold Ltd. Dennis Moore Telephone: +1 801 9419207 www.fremontgold.net https://twitter.com/GoldFremont https://www.linkedin.com/company/fremont-gold/ Email: dennis@fremontgold.net 1 Pawlowski, M.R., 2004, Technical report on the Cobb Creek Property, McCall Area, Elko County, Nevada. 2 Muntean, J.L., Davis, D.A., and Ayling, B., 2017, The Nevada Mineral Industry 2015, Special Publication MI-2015, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking statements Certain statements and information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are referred to collectively as "forward-looking statements". The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "seek", "expect", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "estimate", "continue", "forecast", "intend", "believe", "predict", "potential", "target", "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", "hope", "will be", "expected" and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking statements in this and other press releases include but are not limited to the potential for the discovery of a Carlin-type deposit, and the amount of metres and holes to be drilled. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Fremont undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93348 US-based research consultancy plans to support and build on existing UK-based news outlet Atlanta, GA, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Strategic Treasurer, a treasury research and consulting firm, has acquired CTMfile, a web-based treasury news outlet headquartered in the UK. The acquisition, which closed on August 6th, provides CTMfile with the backing and support to increase growth while expanding Strategic Treasurer's reach in Europe and other regions. Although largely focused operationally on consulting and providing outsourced services to treasury departments, Strategic Treasurer is perhaps most widely known for their efforts to inform the industry through the Treasury Update Podcast, Fintech Analyst Report Series, 12+ annual research reports, and many other publications. While Strategic Treasurer will continue creating and distributing this premiere treasury content, the firm is moving to develop a news platform called the "Treasury News Network" (TNN) for more broadly sourced treasury information across multiple areas of focus within the industry. The acquisition marks the first step in this move and makes CTMfile the first external outlet in the Treasury News platform. Founder and Managing Partner of Strategic Treasurer, Craig Jeffery stated: "Our vision for this platform is to see a place where practitioners and providers can learn and share their news, thoughts and experiences in treasury." CTMfile and the TNN are being driven to provide the go-to place for treasury and finance professionals to learn and share what matters in our industry. CTMfile's current model involves industry commentary from long-time treasury expert, Jack Large, and his team along with content generated by Associate Members, who are banks, financial technology providers, and other companies that use the platform to distribute their news and thought leadership. Strategic Treasurer has affirmed that they do not currently intend to make significant changes to this model. Associate Members will be retained in the same capacity, and Jack Large will be continuing in his role of authorship and editorial input, with Strategic Treasurer staff offering extensive operational and account-level support. According to Large, "CTMfile's two missions have long been to cater to the needs of different types of people in the corporate treasury department, from experienced treasurers to junior staff and administrators, and to generate buyer engagement with Associate Members through focused, useful and relevant content. I want our readers and partners to understand that, far from changing our missions, this acquisition gives greater power and broader resources to fulfilling them. The CTMfile you know isn't going away. We're tooling up to make an even greater impact." Strategic Treasurer and CTMfile encourage readers to visit and bookmark ctmfile.comand follow TreasuryNews on social media for the latest happenings and insights in our industry. Treasury-related companies and individual practitioners alike are encouraged to join the conversation by submitting their perspectives, stories, questions and thoughts on issues relevant to the industry today. About Strategic Treasurer Strategic Treasurer provides consulting services for treasury management, security, technology and compliance. Corporate clients, banks and fintech providers throughout the world rely on their advisory services and industry-leading research. Strategic Treasurer is headquartered in Atlanta, with consultants based out of Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit and Washington D.C. To learn more, visit strategictreasurer.com. ### Media Contact Strategic Treasurer Meredith Zonsius Communications Manager +1 678.481.7971 meredithz@strategictreasurer.com Attachment Y-T-D sales total $17.2 million CHICO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTCQB:AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it has received equipment orders totaling $960,000. Year-to-date, AmeraMex has announced sales of approximately $17.2 million. UTR Trucks are used to move semi-trailers around a cargo yard or warehouse facility. The orders are for two loaded and one unloaded container handlers, three ASV Posi-Track and Skid Steer Loaders and two UTR trucks. The equipment is shipping to docks, container yards, commercial growers and a ranch located in Georgia, Texas, and California. All equipment is expected to ship before the end of the quarter. Revenue is not taken on sales until the equipment ships to the customer. ASV RT-120 For more information and pricing or to arrange for a demonstration of the Kovaco Electric's 100 percent electric skid steer loaders or the line of ASV Posti-Tract and Skid Steer Loaders, contact the AmeraMex/Hamre Equipment sales team at 530.895.8955. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'plan,' 'potential,' 'continue' or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Investor and Media Relations McCloud Communications, LLC Marty Tullio, Managing Member Office: 949.632.1900 or Marty@McCloudCommunications.com SOURCE: AmeraMex International, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660079/AmeraMex-International-Inks-Orders-Totaling-Approximately-960000 ZHENGZHOU, China, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. ("Zoomlion"; 1157.HK) successfully demonstrated its 5G tower crane remote control system (the "System") on June 25 in Zhengzhou, China, and completed its first ever hoisting on the construction of Zhengzhou Jiangshan School. Installed remotely and intelligently, the System was developed based on Zoomlion's unmanned tower crane project with the support of the advanced 5G technology of Henan Telecom. The System enables remote intelligent control, which replaces previous operations at high-altitudes or ground level. It has filled the gap in remote intelligent hoisting of tower cranes, promoted tower crane restoration, modified the construction method, improved the operator's working environment and reduced labor intensity to guarantee personal safety. The System consists of four cutting-edge systems: All-around video surveillance system : it realizes all-around and multi-angle observation of the crane's movement and surrounding area (including blind spots), which improves operation convenience and ensures construction safety; : it realizes all-around and multi-angle observation of the crane's movement and surrounding area (including blind spots), which improves operation convenience and ensures construction safety; Visualized intelligent tracking system of the tower crane hook : composed of infrared cameras and digital sensing equipment, this system improves hoisting accuracy and effectively reduces hidden safety hazards during the hoisting process; : composed of infrared cameras and digital sensing equipment, this system improves hoisting accuracy and effectively reduces hidden safety hazards during the hoisting process; Digital tower crane status monitoring system : the different sensors can monitor and display all parameters including boom height, wind speed, temperature and humidity and can predict motion trail to avoid danger and protect the operator's safety; : the different sensors can monitor and display all parameters including boom height, wind speed, temperature and humidity and can predict motion trail to avoid danger and protect the operator's safety; Anti-collision and intelligent dispatch system: it utilizes the low latency and stability of the 5G network, adopts binocular cameras and combines AI and computer vision technologies to achieve obstacle detection within 10 meters of the hook. Driven by Zoomlion's "Product 4.0A" strategy, the company has successfully applied 5G technology to tower cranes, cranes, pump trucks and excavators, and the intelligent upgrades of the company's production lines and intelligent factories. In the future Zoomlion will ceaselessly work with top 5G companies to accelerate its digital transformation and upgrading in a bid to build world-class smart factories and further promote intelligent upgrades of its products. About Zoomlion Founded in 1992, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (1157.HK) is a high-end equipment manufacturing enterprise that integrates engineering machinery, agricultural machinery, and financial services. The company now sells 568 cutting-edge products from 70 product lines covering 11 significant categories. Related Links www.zoomlion.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1595978/image_1.jpg Brand Management Software Platform Launches New Customization And Integration Capabilities to Extend Platform Functionality Brand management software company Frontify today announced the launch of the Developer Platform, a series of tools including the GraphQL API which allows Frontify users to customize their brand-building experience, allowing for new integrations with existing technology and the ability to build apps that can easily connect to the platform. This expansion of the Frontify offering comes after a year of banner growth for the company, which helps major corporate brands including Pepsi, Dyson, and Vodafone take better control of their brands. By utilizing the new Developer Platform, Frontify is expanding upon their industry-leading solution and giving customers more flexibility than ever, allowing them to improve efficiency, maintain consistency and collaborate seamlessly with both internal and external stakeholders. "The Frontify Developer Platform was created because each brand has its own tech-stack and set of applications, and tools," stated Remo Brunschwiler, VP of Product at Frontify. "By opening up our platform to developers, we enable them to automate their brand processes, and mold Frontify into their tool landscape further elevating their holistic brand ecosystem through Frontify. With the best developer experience in mind, our developer tools and services make building your own integrations a breeze. Now, the platform can integrate with any tools people are using every day." The Developer Platform includes different tools and services to connect existing apps and build new ones that can link to the Frontify platform. The suite of offerings includes six critical components users need to develop and link their own applications to Frontify, including: Frontify Finder. Easily access all assets that live in Frontify in a more convenient way. Frontify Finder is a prebuilt component that brings client authentication and asset management together into a single flow. Decoupled from the main Frontify application, this will allow assets stored inside Frontify to be conveniently accessible from within any external web application. Easily access all assets that live in Frontify in a more convenient way. Frontify Finder is a prebuilt component that brings client authentication and asset management together into a single flow. Decoupled from the main Frontify application, this will allow assets stored inside Frontify to be conveniently accessible from within any external web application. Frontify Authenticator is a dedicated prebuilt component that implements the OAuth 2.0 flow for public applications (e.g., web apps) to perform client authentication outside of the main Frontify application, allowing Frontify clients to easily access their accounts from within any secure web application. is a dedicated prebuilt component that implements the OAuth 2.0 flow for public applications (e.g., web apps) to perform client authentication outside of the main Frontify application, allowing Frontify clients to easily access their accounts from within any secure web application. GraphQL API is the open base for extending the functionality of Frontify. The open API gives users the power and flexibility to build apps and integrations on top of the already industry-leading platform. is the open base for extending the functionality of Frontify. The open API gives users the power and flexibility to build apps and integrations on top of the already industry-leading platform. Frontify Image Worker is a powerful service that equips you to show previews of assets on other applications, and manipulate images based on different parameters such as image size, image selection and cropping, and image resolution. is a powerful service that equips you to show previews of assets on other applications, and manipulate images based on different parameters such as image size, image selection and cropping, and image resolution. Currently in Beta: Frontify Webhooks . Our webhooks provide a simple way that Frontify can speak to other apps, offering developers the possibility to start automating tasks, messages, assets, and much more. . Our webhooks provide a simple way that Frontify can speak to other apps, offering developers the possibility to start automating tasks, messages, assets, and much more. Coming Soon: Frontify Custom Blocks. Frontify's Brand Guidelines include over 38 tailor-made content blocks that allow brands to express themselves from displaying how the company logo should be used to showcasing brand colors and making them available to download. By introducing our CLI, developers can build, add, and preview new content blocks that fit the specific purposes of their brand. The Frontify Developer Platform is now available to all current Frontify customers. More information, API documentation, and a Slack support group are available on the Frontify website https://www.frontify.com/en/blog/developer-platform/. About Frontify Frontify is a market-leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that empowers companies including Facebook, Pepsi, Lufthansa, Dyson, Vodafone, and Allianz to manage and develop their brands effectively. Established in 2013 and headquartered in St Gallen, Switzerland, Frontify's 180+ person team works across the company's Swiss and New York bases to serve customers around the world. For more information, visit frontify.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005067/en/ Contacts: Ashley Mann Pinegrove PR for Frontify ashley@pinegrovepr.com (206) 300-9891 Assured Guaranty UK Limited (AGUK)* announced that it has guaranteed principal and interest payments on 113 million of bonds issued by ULiving@Essex3 LLP. The bond issuance will finance the construction of new student accommodation at the University of Essex (the University). The 45-year bonds were sold to UK investors and distributed in two tranches of fixed and index-linked debt, and reached financial close on 17 August 2021, taking advantage of low, long-term rates. The bonds are expected to be rated AA by S&P Global Ratings by virtue of the guarantee from AGUK. The bonds will finance the design, build and operation of 1,262 bed spaces in five new accommodation blocks at the University's Colchester campus. The new accommodation will add to the University's existing portfolio by increasing the number and mix of en-suite rooms as well as creating a small number of studios, and in general will enhance the on-campus accommodation offering to students. The transaction represents the third successful student accommodation financing guaranteed by AGUK for the University of Essex. The construction works will be carried out by Bouygues (U.K.) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bouygues Construction S.A., with hard and soft facility management services provided by Bouygues E&S Solutions Limited, also a wholly-owned UK subsidiary of Bouygues Construction S.A. The shareholders of the project are Equitix and Bouygues. Dominic Nathan, Managing Director, AGUK, commented: "We are delighted to have closed a third student accommodation financing with the University of Essex, demonstrating the value of our wrapped financing solution in providing an efficient form of financing for projects of this type. Despite challenging market conditions generally and unprecedented overall public health and economic circumstances, our collaborative approach with the University and sponsors, along with investor demand for AGUK wrapped debt, has resulted in a successful deal for the University. We believe investors, whether direct lenders or bond purchasers, value the high rating and associated low capital charges our guarantee adds to long-term financings, along with the efficient asset-liability matching this type of investment can provide." AGUK guarantees timely payment of scheduled principal and interest to holders of debt instruments throughout the life of the debt, in accordance with the terms of its financial guarantees. The advisers of AGUK on the deal were Norton Rose Fulbright LLP (legal adviser), AECOM (technical adviser), Cushman Wakefield (demand adviser) and Marsh (insurance adviser). IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the securities having been sold, this announcement is for information purposes only.This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. The Securities are only intended to be held by investors who are particularly knowledgeable in investment matters. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act"), or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered, sold or transferred, directly or indirectly, in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or an available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. AGUK (company number 2510099) is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. AGUK provides its financial guarantee together with a co-guarantee from its affiliate Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. (AGM). Both AGUK and AGM are subsidiaries of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (AGL and, together with its subsidiaries, Assured Guaranty). Through its subsidiaries, Assured Guaranty provides credit enhancement products to the U.S. and international public finance, infrastructure and structured finance markets, and also provides asset management services. AGL is a publicly traded (NYSE: AGO), Bermuda-based holding company. More information on AGL and its subsidiaries can be found at AssuredGuaranty.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Any forward-looking statements made in this press release reflect Assured Guaranty's current views with respect to future events and are made pursuant to the safe harbour provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those resulting from Assured Guaranty's inability to execute its business strategies; the demand for Assured Guaranty's financial guarantees; the development, course and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the governmental and private actions taken in response, the effectiveness, acceptance and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, and the global consequences of the pandemic and such actions; those risks and uncertainties resulting from changes in rating agency models or opinions; adverse credit developments related to Puerto Rico or other portions of Assured Guaranty's guaranteed portfolio; and other risks and uncertainties that have not been identified at this time, management's response to these factors, and other risk factors identified in AGL's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are made as of 17 August 2021. Assured Guaranty undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005682/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: Robert Tucker, +1 212-339-0861 Senior Managing Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications rtucker@agltd.com Media: Ashweeta Durani, +1 212-408-6042 Vice President, Corporate Communications adurani@agltd.com NASHVILLE, TN / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Thermic Science International Corporation, formerly known as Omnicanna Health Solutions, Inc. aka Endocan Corporation. (WKN:A1W61J) (ISIN:US29271J1097) (OTC:ENDO), is pleased to announce the unaudited interim consolidated financial results of the Company for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. The full version of the financial statements and the management discussion and analysis can be viewed on: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ENDO/disclosure Thermic Science has accomplished great strides working with the OTC Markets to bring the Company back to "Pink Current Status" with "no shell" designation. This is the fundamental reporting strength for the Company to move forward with the larger new structure and Thermic Science expanded business model. Over the last quarter, the Company has focused on re-structure and business model growth. The current financial report will outline the new share structure to accommodate it recent acquisitions including Thermic Coating Systems, Litcoat, and of course Cannabis Science. The Company current operations including industrial hemp nutraceutical and cosmeceutical product lines respectively "the Hempery", and "Hemp Tasty" originally developed and produced in 2015 are in production mode right now for a Fall 2021 Brand Re-Launch. The Company has previously released samples of the Hempery product line in a soft launch to prove the market enjoyed our products. At that time, the Company distributed limited quantities of our products including a 'Hempery Miracle Oil' for skin care. A 'Hemp Rose Soap' and 'Milk Body Wash' for the shower, as well as a lip balm to take care of your lips. The Company now has a full line up of combined products to be released soon through the Hempery Brand this Fall 2021. The Company has since expanded its product line and developed an industrial hemp-based food line named 'Hemp Tasty'. Using the same procedures as 'The Hempery' product development, brand creation, and distribution. The Company has successfully released, a "Hemp Tasty Brand" of Spices and Hemp Hero Hot Sauce to complement its food menu line up. The Company is also in the process of relaunching our 'Hemp Tasty' food product line. This includes menu items of breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, snacks, drinks, spices, and a hot sauce. The Company is currently developing a pasta and complimentary sauces to be released soon at the same time as the Hempery Fall of 2021. Once the Company attains the "Pink Current Status" it can move forward with new OTC Markets approved corporate actions based on a "Pink Current Status". Once this goal is accomplished the Company will be able to "continue forward" with official OTC Markets registration of all current corporate actions such as name changes, share structure changes, and symbol changes. At this point the Cannabis Science acquisition can be completed through the OTC Markets Exchange with the required filings, the Company will issue all contemplated shares to close the transaction. The Company will then begin the FINRA/OTC Markets registration and filings process to obtain a brand-new trading symbol for the designated Class of Cannabis Science shareholder shares. Thermic Science CFO Robert Kane stated, "We continue going over our filings with the OTC Markets, just as normal we are progressing step by step with great strides. We are excited about these next few steps; they will change things for us all. We are very proud." What is Rule 15c2-11? First adopted nearly fifty years ago in 1971, long before the existence of electronic trading, Rule 15c2-11 was originally designed to deter fraudulent quoting activity by broker-dealers in OTC securities by requiring brokers to obtain and review specified information about the issuer before initiating a quoted market. The SEC's recent amendments overhaul the Rule's existing framework, with the goal of enhancing investor protection and deterring deception in the OTC market through transparent and timely reporting. The amended Rule, which will be applicable in September 2021, will require OTC-traded companies to make current disclosure publicly available in order to have a publicly quoted market. The Rule also streamlines the pathway to the public market for companies meeting their disclosure requirements and allows OTC Markets Group to play a greater role in bringing companies on our markets. Thermic Heating Paint and Portable Thermic Heating Units Paint any wall, ceiling, or floor into an infrared heating panel! Large sized Infrared heaters on low temperature on walls and ceilings are the future. Thermic Paint provides the highest infrared heat radiation and lowest energy consumption. Portable Thermic heating units are coming soon: Get ready for the revolutionary portable heating unit that can change your life, the environment, and your pocketbook. Actually, Thermic Paint holds a world record: It's the Infrared heating system with the lowest consumption needed to heat with a constant temperature. Large sized Infrared heaters on low temperature on walls and ceilings are the future. More than 50% of the required heat load can be saved with an efficient layout and intelligent control of the infrared heating system. Portable Thermic Self-Generating Electrical Power Units Right on time for the changing living environments and sporadic and emergency energy consumption: Thermic self-generating electrical power units can generate power for a wide variety of applications and uses, including cars, houses, streetlights, retail stores, agriculture grow operations, backup and primary power for computer networks, portable thermic heating units, lighting, TV's, stereos and more. The Company is excited to release the first generation of self-generating electrical power units to the public. Renewable Thermic Solid State Ceramic Cu2+ Battery Power Units Renewable Thermic Solid-State Batteries are a thing of the future, and they are here now! Imagine electric cars, houses, campsites, buildings, electric bikes, portable battery-operated toys, radios, flashlights - the list goes on and on. The future is here with Thermic renewable batteries. This game-changing technology will revolutionize your power consumption and usage. Thermic Graphene Concrete Concrete Thermic Mix for any type of concrete: 96% compressive strength increase, 56% heat capacity increase and 150% water permeability reduction. Electroluminescent Coating System Asia goes wild over electroluminescent paint, Japan being the biggest buyer as evidenced by the wide variety of uses and media coverage. The LitCoat Airbrush Paint System, ideal for use on cars, motorcycles, or bicycles, allows users to airbrush on LitCoat electroluminescent paint for an even application and coverage on almost any coverage or material. This airbrush paint system works similarly to many other systems for airbrushing paint; however, it is specialized for the application of LitCoat's electroluminescent varieties. Lighting surfaces improves visibility and can be lifesaving, especially on clothing, motorcycles, bicycles, cars and helmets. It provides also functional lighting, and aesthetic lighting. Automotive interior & exterior parts Motorcycles Aerospace Helmets Signage Technical textile Buildings Houses Bicycles Clothing About Thermic Coating Systems Thermic Heating Paint Construction Applications (Current European market) Thermic Heating Paint Portable Units (First Goal; USA targeted distribution) Thermic Heating Fog Free Mirror and Basic Glass (USA & International release) Thermic Portable Self-Generating Electrical Power Units (USA & International release) Thermic Cu2+ Solid-State Ceramic Super Charge Renewable High-Performance Battery Units (USA & International release) Thermic Agriculture (USA & International Agriculture Applications) Concrete Thermic Mix for any type of concrete 96% Compressive strength increase, 56% Heat capacity increase and 150% Water permeability reduction. Revolutionary heating with the advanced Thermic technology, infrared thermic paint systems and so much more. North American expansions through manufacturing and job opportunities pushes the CSi-EDP to continue to flourish, while creating jobs, educating the public on new Thermic heating advanced technologies and the implementation of such advanced technology worldwide. Not only a revolutionary key to the environment and heating industry, the profound effects on the agriculture industry, home heating and appliance applications are overwhelming. The Thermic business & medical applications are immense and with some infrastructure integration for large- and small-scale construction, you are changing the environment to the favor of many. The individual Thermic unit applications target so many different industry applications; only your lack of imagination will stop the flow of viable applications. Please visit: https://thermicpaint.com/ https://thermicpaint.com/shop Cannabis Science Inc. Acquisition: (formerly Cannabis Science) Thermic Science International has begun updating the financials and accounting, reporting and filings to complete the process to complete the acquisition and share exchange transaction with CSi-EDP. The name change process has begun, company structure changes are underway, company management changes are underway, and the CSi-EDP shareholder first rights are underway. Somewhat similar to the Cannabis Science structure before it went private, all Cannabis Science shareholders are on track to receive what Cannabis Science had been planning all along. All shareholder notices on track to send out in the second quarter of 2021. All shareholder certificates will be confirmed through the transfer agent. All proposed share changes will be reclassified under the following structure changes: Preferred Shares (Voting Shares) Common Shares (Current Trading Shares) Common Class A (Cannabis Science New Shares) About Thermic Science International (TSi) Thermic Science International Corporation (OTC PINK:ENDO) has recently acquired Cannabis Science Inc., (CSi-EDP), Thermic Coating Systems Ltd. (UK), and now, Litcoat Electroluminescent Paint Systems. The Company has voted to change its name to Thermic Science International. The firm is being coined the newest North American Entrepreneurial SPAC. Targeting the creation of a very strong corporate conglomerate SPAC themed CSi-EDP "Bringing it All Together" just as laid-out in the Harvard Award winning Cannabis Science CSi-EDP, as presented for the past four years in a row at the Harvard GHC Summit. A conglomerate SPAC Group designed to bring affordable and free education, traditional and entrepreneurial job creation, and cannabinoid drug development internationally. About Omnicanna Health Solutions, Inc. Omnicanna Health Solutions, Inc. is currently developing new natural hemp-based products based on innovative formulations to utilize the unique and potent benefits of the hemp plant. Medicinal properties of hemp have been known and applied for thousands of years. With the aid of scientific research, Omnicanna Health Solutions is translating such knowledge into development of effective hemp formulation-based health and wellness solutions as well as cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and food brands throughout the world. The Company's health and wellness, nutritional, and cosmetics lines will address personal needs and will evolve with the introduction of new formulations and products, advancing the Company within the expanding multibillion-dollar global market. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing words such as 'anticipate,' 'seek,' intend,' 'believe,' 'plan,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'project,' or similar phrases may be deemed 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs and products. The Company does not undertake any duty, nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements. Contact Information: Thermic Coating Systems Ltd. www.thermicpaint.com Anthony Spring tony@thermicpaint.com Thermic Scienc / Cannabis Science Inc. Raymond C. Dabney President & CEO raymond.dabney@cannabisscience.com Thermic Science / Omnicanna Health Solutions, Inc. www.Omnicanna.com www.ihemp.omnicanna.com Robert Kane, CFO (910) 515-2917 info@Omnicanna.com robert.kane@omnicanna.com SOURCE: Thermic Science International Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660116/Thermic-Science-Files-2021-Second-Quarter-Financials-Ending-June-30-2021-Continuing-to-Bring-the-Company-in-Compliance-with-the-OTC-Market-to-Pink-Current-Status-and-No-Shell-Designation-by-Filing-its-Financials-Business-Activities-Reporting-Requirements PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Pennexx's (OTCMKTS:PNNX) powerhouse advisory board discussed continued implementation and growth plans for https://YourSocialOffers.com (YSO). Pennexx hosted this valuable workshop with our newly formed Advisory Board Members: Mr. Tom Coba has a compelling leadership record that expands into the financial sector currently serving as President/CEO of two brands in the business broker industry, one is a franchise operation in 38 states and Canada Tom was former President/CEO of 5 service brands with $2.6B Franchise Services Group of the ServiceMaster company. Mr. Coba was the Chief Operations Officer globally for the Subway brand. Prior to Subway Tom was Vice President of Dunkin Brands with responsibilities for the Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin Robbins and Togo's brands in North America. Mr. Coba has a BS from Tufts University. Mr. Coba stated, "It's exciting to be part of such a very talented and experienced Advisory Team with decades of "Big Brand experience" as we plan for Your Social Offers (YSO) to grow and begin a very large-scale launch throughout the USA. YSO can scale in minutes to millions of users enjoying the benefits of the digital platform and the attractive consumer offerings. At the same time, tens of thousands of merchants will see benefits to their businesses from more customer transactions." Mr. Jeff Moody is a visionary, high performance leader with 35+ years of diverse business experience in general management, domestic and international operations, and marketing and product management. Past positions include C.E.O. Rita's Italian Ice, C.E.O. Subway Franchise Advertising Fund Trust; Chairman, CEO of Metromedia Restaurant Group; President of KFC; V.P. Marketing, GE Appliances; and Sr. V.P. Operations of PepsiCo Restaurants International. Mr. Moody has a BA Amherst College. with Beta Kappa distinction. Mr. Brian Jennings is a seasoned marketing professional with over 40 years of marketing /agency experience. His experience includes both client and agency side along with both domestic and international experience. Mr. Jennings was Division Manager for a National Food Chain for all areas east of the Mississippi River working with Franchisors, Franchisees and corporate stakeholders along with advertising agencies instrumental in all phases of local market planning. Mr. Jennings holds a BS degree in Communications from University of Tulsa and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Mr. Ron Weinstock is a successful executive and consultant with over 30 plus years of successfully launching, building, and revitalizing national and regional brands. Mr. Weinstock's expertise includes an emphasis on objective, strategies, brand positioning, marketing, training, development, culinary/R&D and financial management (ROI). Ron's career highlights include generating successes in consumer loyalty promotions, repositioning brands, retail turnarounds and new product and services launches. Mr. Weinstock Graduated from Duquesne University. President of Pennexx, Joe Candito stated, "I am honored to have these top executives who are conveying confidence and belief in Pennexx and our product, YSO. We took our time over the past several months to find the right advisors with the synergy needed to move forward in a strategically correct pace." Pennexx's advisory board brings Pennexx an added layer to evaluate their business strategies, technology, provide financial health and guidance, additional networks, leads, and associates to utilize YourSocialOffers.com and help build the YSO brand. For More Information Pennexx will do their best to openly and publicly answer your questions and concerns via social media on Twitter https://twitter.com/pennexx @pennexx, or you may email investors@pennexx.net. You may also follow them on Twitter; Joe Candito (@jcandito) https://twitter.com/jcandito , Mr. Risalvato (@vrisalvato) https://twitter.com/vrisalvato and Ms. Sunny Sweet (@sunnysweettweet) https://twitter.com/sunnysweettweet . About Pennexx Foods Inc. About Pennexx Foods Inc. (PNNX:OTCMKTS US). Pennexx, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is a holding company within the Software/Internet Industry focused on social media, prepaid debit cards, artificial intelligence, targeted marketing, and consumer rewards. Safe Harbor Act: This release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 'Forward-looking statements' describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as 'may,' 'future,' 'plan' or 'planned,' 'will' or 'should,' 'expected,' 'anticipates,' 'draft,' 'eventually' or 'projected.' You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report. For additional information, you may also visit our website at https://yoursocialoffers.com or https://pennexx.net or call 866-928-6409. SOURCE: Pennexx Foods, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660128/Pennexx-Builds-a-Powerhouse-of-Advisory-Board-Members-Bringing-over-100-Years-of-Executive-Marketing-and-Business-Experience-to-the-Company-and-its-Shareholders-to-Continue-the-Implementation-of-YourSocialOfferscom-YSO LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Mind Music Defi Project is launching its Music Label to Extend its Mental Health Awareness Program with a Revamped Tokenomics. The noble defi project that aims to help raise awareness around mental health through music is launching its own record label. Earlier the project aimed to release a set of covers for nearly 25 songs that will be released under the company's music label. The pandemic has been tough for millions of people, some of whom lost their jobs, many lost their loved ones, and saw their life go upside down. The pandemic-induced mental health issues have been running havoc in people's lives. Mental health is still a taboo subject as not many who suffer from it silently ever come out in the open to share their problems or seek medical help. One of the key reasons for that is the lack of awareness among the general masses on how to deal with and help people suffering from mental health issues. The two-year-long pandemic which is still going on also plays a key role in aggravating mental health issues as people lost their jobs, closed once, and life stability. Among hundreds of new crypto projects debuting every other day with no real use case and false promises of making traders rich in a short time, Mind Music token is a new Smart Chain based project dedicated to bringing awareness around mental health issues. The project was started by music composer and producer Mike Hamilton who himself lost jobs and gigs during the pandemic leading to mental trauma. Hamilton decided to work on his issues and focus on making his music more than arranging music tours for others. He realized it was not just him who had lost his job and was doing badly due to the coronavirus restrictions and thus decided to raise awareness around the issue through music. Mind Music harnesses the power of music to capture the imagination of the world. Millions of people suffer every day with poor mental health. Mind Music intends to collaborate with major worldwide artists to raise awareness on a global scale. Through the album releases, Mind Music will breakthestigma, and bring people together for an incredibly important, long overdue conversation. Join us and be part of a musical revolution! Benefits of Investing in Mind Music Coin Music therapy has been known to have many therapeutic applications in several mental health and health conditions such as traumatic brain injury. dementia, Alzheimer's, etc., Mind Music harnesses the power of music to capture the imagination of the world. Millions of people suffer every day with poor mental health. Mind Music intends to collaborate with major worldwide artists to raise awareness on a global scale. Through the album releases, Mind Music will bring people together for an incredibly important, long overdue conversation. Join the ecosystem and be part of a musical revolution. Mind Music will ultimately become its independent record label, releasing a series of albums to raise money and awareness for Mental Health. So far, the first project has a total of 12 tracks that have already been recorded. AUTOMATIC BUYBACKS: As a Mind Music Coin investor, users will benefit in several different ways. Aside from the obvious benefits that users will contribute to Mental Health Awareness, the investment will also benefit from many different income streams. SALES PROFIT: While 80% of the profits generated from record sales will be donated to mental health and suicide prevention charities, 20% of the profits from any record sales will be used to buy and burn Mind Music Coint and even further increase its value for holders. As the Mind Music record label grows, so will the investors' wealth. REFLECTION: 1% of every transaction is redistributed to holders depending on the percentage of coins they hold. This means the amount of Mind Music Coin one holds will constantly increase. The project has a transaction tax of 4% on each Mind Music Coin transaction. It will use the money collected from this tax to further the project development. It will cost around $40,000 to Record, Release, and sufficiently promote the first album release. 80% of the profits raised from the record sales of every release will be donated to mental health and suicide prevention charities, while the remaining 20% will be used to Buy & Burn Mind Music Coin and increase its value for increasing its holders. The native token has skyrocketed because of the rising interest and noble cause that it is associated with. Investors have found a new low cap gem in MindMusic that can give huge potential return as more people discover it. Additionally (and covid permitting), a series of fundraising Live music events will be planned in various locations around Europe in 2022. All wallets that hold a minimum of 100b Mind Music Coin will be airdropped a free ticket to attend any of the events they choose. Key Features and Tokenomics Mind Music is planning to build a crypto ecosystem based on a Noble cause that can see it not only help those suffering from mental trauma, it would also benefit investors through its unique tokenomics. Some key features of MindMusic Coin are: Secured and safe: MindMusic leverages a distributed peer-to-peer consensus network that cryptographically helps in securing every transaction. Quick transfer: Instant fund transfer globally is available with the help of fast block execution unlike traditional remittance, unmatched speed, and payment processors. Decentralized: Direct transactions among network participants without the presence of a central facilitator are enabled with the help of decentralized technology. Easy to use: User-friendly interface intended for seamless Real-world use cases. Scalability: Assures scalability for pacing up with the industry's transaction requirements, thereby facilitating mass adoption of cryptocurrency. TOKENOMICS TOTAL SUPPLY - 185,000,000,000,000 TXN Taxes (12% Total TXN Tax) 4% Mind Music Fund 3% Marketing 2% Buy Back 1% Auto Liquidity 1% Reflection 1% Burn To learn more about Mind Music Coin visit mindmusic.finance Social Media Telegram: https://t.me/mindmusicbsc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIdXF8JeeYXNXcFFXysuK1g Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mark-hamilton-303951819 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/05GVMeplEuVRQ8SXTkJ5UI Media Contact Company: Mind Music Contact: Mark Hamilton Email: info@mindmusic.finance Website: https://mindmusic.finance/ SOURCE: Mind Music View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660131/Mind-Music-Announces-Launch-of-Its-New-Record-Label Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 17, 2021) - Kodiak Copper Corp. (TSXV: KDK) (OTCQB: KDKCF) (FSE: 5DD1) (the "Company" or "Kodiak") announces that work has been temporarily halted at its MPD copper-gold porphyry project in Southern British Columbia as a precautionary measure due to the wildfire situation. All workers are being safely demobilized. At this stage the Company does not expect a material impact on its fully funded drill program at MPD. Kodiak is monitoring the wildfire situation closely and will resume work when it is deemed safe to do so. Claudia Tornquist, President and CEO of Kodiak said, "There is nothing more important than the health and safety of our employees and contractors, consequently we have taken the prudent decision to suspend our drill program at the MPD project until the wildfire situation in the local area improves. Our thoughts are with all those affected or threatened by the fires. I sincerely hope that the lower temperatures and forecasted rain over the next couple of days will help improve the fire situation and bring some relief to the local communities." On behalf of the Board of Directors Kodiak Copper Corp. Claudia Tornquist President & CEO For further information contact: Nancy Curry, Corporate Development ncurry@kodiakcoppercorp.com +1 (604) 646-8362 About Kodiak Copper Corp. Kodiak is focused on its 100% owned copper porphyry projects in Canada and the USA. The Company's most advanced asset is the MPD copper-gold porphyry project in the prolific Quesnel Trough in south-central British Columbia, Canada, where the Company made a discovery of high-grade mineralization within a wide mineralized envelope in 2020. Kodiak also holds the Mohave copper-molybdenum-silver porphyry project in Arizona, USA, near the world-class Bagdad mine. Kodiak's porphyry projects have both been historically drilled and present known mineral discoveries with the potential to hold large-scale deposits. Kodiak's founder and Chairman is Chris Taylor who is well-known for his gold discovery success with Great Bear Resources. Kodiak is also part of Discovery Group led by John Robins, one of the most successful mining entrepreneurs in Canada. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement (Safe Harbor Statement): This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the Company's exploration plans. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with conditions in the equity financing markets, and assumptions and risks regarding receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals. Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward-looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93386. Iberostar Group, a global hospitality chain with 80% of its hotels on the seafront, has joined Expedia Group and UNESCO in the expansion of the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge (hereafter 'UNESCO Pledge'). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005763/en/ Credit: Paul Selvaggio Iberostar has a strong commitment to the oceans and the local communities where the company operates, while the UNESCO Pledge promotes responsible practices, community resilience, and heritage conservation, with the goal of changing the nature and impact of global tourism. Expedia Group's recent Traveler Value Index research1 shows that travelers want to support sustainable practices, with nearly three in five (59%) willing to pay higher fees to make their trip more sustainable. "Our partnership with UNESCO seeks to ensure the preservation and sustainability of communities, many of which are wholly dependent on travel," said Katherine Cheng, Head of Global and Community Impact, Expedia Group. "Travelers are willing to do more when they have visibility into actions they can take, whether it's paying higher fees or changing how they travel. The Pledge can help them make more informed decisions." Launched in 2019 UNESCO and Expedia Group signed a global agreement promoting sustainable travel and heritage conservation through the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge. Ernesto Ottone R., Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, said, "An industry wide approach is key to ensuring a resilient recovery for tourism that contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By joining the Pledge, Iberostar Group has made a firm commitment towards supporting our efforts to achieve truly sustainable tourism." As tourism destinations are experiencing a double impact from climate change and a global pandemic, Iberostar is fast-tracking solutions to build a responsible tourism model supported by science and the protection of nature. The Group's goals, outlined in its 2030 Agenda, are the cornerstone of the company's effort to combat climate change: eliminate waste, source responsible seafood, neutralize carbon emissions and improve the health of the ecosystems surrounding its hotels, among others. Through its Protecting and Restoring the Mesoamerican Reef Project, Iberostar aims to increase the resiliency of the Mesoamerican Reef to adapt to climate change risks through the establishment of comprehensive, science-based, ecosystem propagation and restoration programs. This provides Iberostar guests with an opportunity to enjoy and connect with a more naturally functioning ecosystem. "As tourism returns, Iberostar's commitment to leading a responsible tourism model has only grown," said Dr. Megan Morikawa, Global Sustainability Director for Iberostar Group. "The UNESCO Pledge allows us to share not only our journey in our 2030 Agenda, but to share and learn from the network of tourism providers in the community of others who have taken the Pledge. We see this as a critical way for tourism to catalyze solutions in the face of current and future crises." In addition, Iberostar Group has also partnered with Expedia Group Media Solutions, the global travel advertising platform connecting marketers with hundreds of millions of travelers across the Expedia Group brand, on the "Discover Iberostar" campaign. As part of this campaign Iberostar Group and Expedia Group have both contributed $100,000 to the Protecting and Restoring the Mesoamerican Reef initiative. The campaign will educate travelers about Iberostar's Wave of Change movement, the chain's commitment to the oceans and leading responsible tourism, to offer consumers a responsible vacation experience. Developed by Expedia Group Media Solutions' in-house creative agency, Creative Partnerships, the interactive campaign features stunning images and thoughtfully curated information to inspire users to make more informed decisions on how they travel and to consider their impact on destinations. Through bold and direct messaging, users are encouraged to interact with the content, thereby making a positive impact and helping improve coastal health with just one click. "Restarting tourism slowly and driving demand in a deliberate-yet-responsible way can help destinations thrive for travelers and local communities alike, and, as travelers are increasingly making more eco-conscious and sustainable travel decisions, elevating awareness of sustainability initiatives can help further differentiate travel brands," said Jennifer Andre, Vice President, Business Development at Expedia Group Media Solutions. "This new campaign and partnership with Iberostar Group further showcases our collective commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism, illustrating how collaboration across the industry can help drive change." To learn more about the UNESCO Pledge, please visit our pilot microsite: https://unescosustainable.travel/. A global microsite will be announced later in 2021. About Iberostar Iberostar Group is a 100% family-owned multinational Spanish company, dedicated for more than 60 years to travel and hospitality, and with origins in the footwear industry dating back to 1877. The main line of business is Iberostar Hotels Resorts with a portfolio of over one hundred 4 and 5-star hotels in 16 countries. The company has positioned itself as an international benchmark in responsible tourism by promoting a more sustainable business model focused on the care for people and the environment. The Wave of Change movement reflects Iberostar's explicit commitment to the oceans, and the company's effort to share it with all of society. With sustainability as a business driver and lever, the company places circular economy at the center of its strategy in its own 2030 Agenda, aimed at becoming waste free by 2025, carbon neutral by 2030, 100% responsible in its seafood consumption by 2025, and improving the health of ecosystems surrounding its hotels, among other targets. Iberostar Group has a global team with more than 34,500 people of 91 nationalities. Thanks to this pool of talent, the company is a leader in quality and boosts differentiation in the customer experience through constant product innovation and digital commitment. Discover more at iberostar.com Follow us on LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Twitter Join the Wave of Change on Instagram Facebook Twitter About UNESCO UNESCO's mission is to contribute to the building of a culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO's mission and activities. About Expedia Group Expedia Group, Inc. companies power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. The Expedia Group family of brands includes: Expedia, Hotels.com, Expedia Partner Solutions, Vrbo, Egencia, trivago, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Wotif, ebookers, CheapTickets, Expedia Group Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert, CarRentals.com, and Expedia Cruises. 2021 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50 1Expedia Group's Traveler Value Index research was conducted by Wakefield Research between April 16 and May 7, 2021. Respondents included 8,000 nationally representative adults ages 18+ from eight countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210817005763/en/ Contacts: Iberostar Group Veronica Carretero veronica.carretero@grupoiberostar.com Expedia Group Karina Grajeda kgrajeda@expediagroup.com Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Almere, the Netherlands August 17, 2021 ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today announces that the information regarding the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (EGM) scheduled for September 29, 2021, is now available on the Company's website: www.asm.com. The EGM will commence at 12:30 p.m. CET. Given COVID-19 the EGM will be a virtual meeting that cannot be attended in person by shareholders. Our shareholders are offered the possibility to exercise their voting rights by way of proxy and to follow the meeting through our live audio webcast. In addition shareholders are offered the possibility to raise follow-up questions at the virtual EGM through chat messaging; reference is made to the convocation. Due to COVID-19, certain members of the Supervisory Board and Management Board will also attend the EGM remotely. The agenda for the EGM relates to the proposed appointment as Supervisory Board members of Mrs. Pauline van der Meer Mohr and Mr. Adalio Sanchez. In accordance with applicable legal requirements in the Netherlands the record date for the EGM is September 1, 2021. The total number of issued shares in ASM International N.V. as per today amounts to 49,297,394 common shares. Considering the number of shares held in treasury as per today, amounting to 600,598 shares, the number of voting shares amounts to 48,696,796. About ASM International ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as for assembly & packaging and surface mount technology (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances. CONTACT Investor and Media contact: Victor Bareno T: +31 88 100 8500 E: victor.bareno@asm.com Attachment THE OTC GLOBAL HOLDINGS COMPANY HIRES ULTRA-SPECIALIZED BROKER MICHAEL SUSKO TO LEAD EQUUS EFFORTS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PRODUCTS IN THE WEST. HOUSTON and LONDON and NEW YORK, Aug.17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading independent interdealer broker OTC Global Holdings (OTCGH) continues to add top talent as it consolidates Equus Energy Group into a renewable energy powerhouse. The announcement comes as Michael Susko joins Equus leadership bringing a deep understanding of the environmental, renewable, and emissions markets. Michael will be leading the brokerage firm efforts in the West, alongside their existing team of ten experienced brokers specializing in all Western Systems Power Pool (WSPP) delivery points, New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and New England Power Pool (NEPOOL), along with Natural Gas Basis markets. "In order to sustain our leadership position as an independent interdealer broker, we need to add only the best and most experienced brokers into our ranks," said Javier Loya, Chairman and Co-CEO of OTC Global Holdings. "We are extremely happy that Michael joins our Equus team as he brings ultra-specialized knowledge in environmental and renewable energy. He will leverage his existing relationships with suppliers and developers to help buyers meet their renewable goals, as well as CPUC and CAISO compliance obligations." Prior to joining Equus Energy Group, Michael was responsible for resource adequacy at one of California's largest CCA's, East Bay Community Energy. His career began at Morgan Stanley where he spent 5 years in commodities credit risk and then at The Energy Authority where he spent 5 years trading northwest hydro and wind assets on both the real-time and day-ahead desks. Michael holds a Bachelor's in Finance from Penn State University and a Master's in Energy Management from Oklahoma City University. "The decarbonization of our grid and focus on renewable policy is growing and with the addition of a renewable energy & capacity broker, Equus is looking to the future. I look forward to playing a key role in our efforts to capitalize on these growth opportunities in the environmental space," said Michael Susko. About OTC Global Holdings OTCGH is the world's largest independent institutional broker of commodities, covering financial and physical instruments from offices in Chicago, Geneva, Houston, London, Louisville, New Jersey, New York and Singapore. OTCGH has been awarded "Broker of the Year" by Energy Risk. With a portfolio of nearly 20 companies, OTCGH is a liquidity provider on CBOT, ICE, NYMEX, and NODAL. The company serves more than 450 institutional clients, including over 70 members of the Global Fortune 500, and transacts in hundreds of different commodity delivery points in Asia, Europe and the Americas. www.otcgh.com About Equus Energy Group Equus Energy Group is a subsidiary of OTC Global Holdings. The team of ten experienced brokers is specialized in all WSPP delivery points, NYISO and NEPOOL, along with Natural Gas Basis markets. Equus Energy serves institutional clients including banks, hedge funds, energy companies and utilities all over the United States, offering mixed price power products, natural gas products and power options. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533758/OTC_Global_Holdings_Logo.jpg HENDERSON, NV / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Cal-Bay International, Inc (OTC:CBYI) today released the following corporate update. Cal-Bay International Inc., will today be streaming the Annual Shareholder Call at 1:00pm PST from the company's website at www.cbyintl.com The meeting will address the questions submitted by shareholders and further discuss the status of the company as well as the outline for moving forward with operations and projections and will be hosted by the company's newly appointed CEO Luke Joseph, replacing former interim CEO Roger Pawson as of today. Cal-Bay has recently brought Nevada Secretary of State Filings and Business licenses, to current "In good standing" status and has also fully paid and filed the OTC application with OTC Markets. The company received the OTCIQ codes for updating the company information which has been processed. The company's financial filings have all been updated including Quarter ending 6-30-2021. OTC Markets have received the filed disclosures and are currently in review. OTC Markets has advised the company that if no further comments are requested, the company should up list to OTC: Pink Current status within the next few days. Cal-Bay plans to launch the new website soon which will further outline the future operations of the company. Safe Harbor Statement: Safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as Cal-Bay, CBYI or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe the Company's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions, or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Cal-Bay International Inc. Contact: Cal-Bay International, Inc Contact: (877) 372-0716 Email: info@cbyintl.com SOURCE: Cal-Bay International, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660163/Cal-Bay-International-Corporate-Shareholder-Meeting-Update WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures settled lower Tuesday, extending losses to a fourth successive session, amid concerns about outlook for energy demand due to a surge in coronavirus cases of the Delta variant. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for September ended down by $0.70 or about 1% at $66.59 a barrel. Brent crude futures were down $0.48 or 0.7% at $69.03 a barrel a little while ago. Worries about energy demand have risen after data showed China's industrial production and retail sales fell short of expectations in July. Also, daily crude processing in China dropped to its lowest level last month, hitting the level last seen in mid 2020. The Japanese government is set to extend COVID-19 emergency control measures to more areas and into September to suppress the fifth wave of infections, public broadcaster NHK reported. Traders now await weekly oil reports from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). While the API is set to release its inventory data later today, the EIA's report is due out Wednesday morning. According to expectations, crude inventories in the U.S. may have dropped by about 3.1 million barrels in the week ended August 13. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / E2Gold Inc. (TSXV:ETU) (the "Company" or "E2Gold") announces that it has granted 6,850,000 stock options to directors, officers, and consultants of the Company. The stock options are exercisable for a period of 3 years at a price of $0.13 and vest immediately. ABOUT E2GOLD INC. E2Gold Inc. is a Canadian gold exploration company which completed an oversubscribed Initial Public Offering on December 30, 2020 and began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange on January 4, 2021. Its large flagship property, the Hawkins Gold Project, covers seven townships in north-central Ontario, about 140 km east of the Hemlo Gold Mine. The Company is currently drilling the first half of an 8,000 metre 2021 drill program to confirm and expand the McKinnon Inferred Resource. For further information please contact: Eric Owens President & Chief Executive Officer Tel. (416) 509-5385 Email: eric.owens@e2gold.ca Ellie Owens Vice President Tel. 647-575-2888 Email: ellie.owens@e2gold.ca All scientific and technical information contained in this press release was prepared under the supervision of Eric Owens, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. 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. Forward Looking Statements - Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the Offering may not be completed on the terms currently proposed or at all. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of E2Gold, including with respect to the potential size and composition of the Offering and the receipt of all regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. SOURCE: E2Gold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660176/E2Gold-Grants-Stock-Options VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2021 / Sombrero Resources Inc. ("Sombrero" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Share Purchase Option Agreement (the 'Agreement') with Pembrook Copper Corp. to acquire its Peruvian subsidiary, Chukuyo Exploraciones S.A.C. ("Chukuyo"), which owns the rights to the Takana copper-nickel district located in southeastern Peru. The Takana district is comprised of claims encompassing 50,300 hectares and has numerous high-grade copper-nickel occurrences. The claims are located approximately 90 kilometres (km) northwest of the city of Cusco and approximately 235km northeast of the Sombrero District, where the Company controls 130,000 hectares on the western extension of the Andahuaylas Yauri belt (Figure 1). Terms of the Option Agreement to Acquire Takana Under the terms of the Agreement dated July 22, 2021, Sombrero has the option to acquire 90% or 100% of the shares of Chukuyo, the private Peruvian company that owns the rights to the Takana district. The timing of option payments is based on the Access Date, which is when the access agreement and permits are secured and is expected by Sombrero to occur over the next 12 months. Additional Annual Work Obligations (US$) Additional Annual Option Payments (US$) Initial option payment - $158,100 First anniversary of Access Date $1,000,000 $500,000 Second anniversary of Access Date $2,000,000 $750,000 Third anniversary of Access Date $3,000,000 $1,000,000 Fourth anniversary of Access Date $5,000,000 $2,000,000 Fifth anniversary of Access Date $6,000,000 $5,000,000 Total to acquire 90% of the shares of Chukuyo $17,000,000 $9,408,100 Sombrero can buy the remaining 10% of Chukuyo shares for a price between US$10 million and US$25 million which is dependent on the measured and indicated resource mineralization discovered on the property, within the earlier of five years from the Access Date and 60 days after a decision of the Board of Directors of Chukuyo to commence a mine development program. Exploration expenditure requirements cease once the option is exercised, which can be done at any time at Sombrero's election. Sombrero also has the right to make option payments in cash or Sombrero shares, subject to any required stock exchange approvals. A Message from Ivan Bebek, President, CEO & Director: "In an effort to offer more to Sombrero shareholders we have acquired the Takana District in Peru. This gives the Company a second major opportunity to capitalize on the increasing demand for base metals and scarcity of world class copper and nickel exploration opportunities. The Takana district has been identified through previous high-quality exploration efforts and represents multiple scalable high-grade copper and predominantly nickel discovery opportunities.' The Company is currently advancing community agreements at its Sombrero District project and plans to also rapidly advance the Takana district to the drill stage in the coming months as public listing efforts are underway. Numerous high-grade copper-nickel occurrences have been identified in the Takana district, primarily through first pass reconnaissance channel and rock sampling by the previous operator. There are two multi-kilometre trends of mineralization in the central region of the property with channel sample highlights including: 10 metres (m) of 2.08% copper (Cu), 0.85% nickel (Ni), 0.61 g/t platinum (Pt), and 0.96 g/t palladium (Pd); 4m of 6.11% Cu, 0.08% Ni, 5.54 g/t Pt and 9.51 g/t Pd; 18m of 0.51% Cu, 0.43% Ni, 0.17 g/t Au, 0.16 g/t Pt, and 0.15 g/t Pd; and 20.1m of 0.21% Cu and 0.33% Ni (see cautionary notes about historical sampling) (Figure 2). The southern region of the property is characterized by strong copper-nickel stream sediment anomalies that are coincident with numerous conductors identified in an airborne electro-magnetic geophysical survey. A Message from Michael Henrichsen, Chief Geologist: "The Takana district represents a new premier exploration opportunity to discover high-grade copper - nickel deposits in Peru. High quality geochemical and geophysical regional data sets have pointed to numerous targets within the district that the Company feels can be rapidly advanced to drill stage. The technical team believes all the data sets point to the potential for a major discovery given the scale of mineralization identified to date." Takana District Geology and Copper-Nickel Prospects Geologically, the Takana district is situated in an underexplored segment of the Pisco-Abancay Deflection zone, which has seen multiple mineralizing events, and therefore has the potential to host different styles of base and precious metal mineralization. The copper-nickel mineralization is associated with Permo-Triassic rifting, where deep seated ultra-mafic rocks intrude into Ordovician to Devonian sedimentary rocks. The district was initially assembled based on the results of a high-quality regional stream sediment survey, which was undertaken in 2007-2009, where copper, nickel, platinum, palladium and gold anomalies are coincident within several drainage basins (Figures 3 - 5). The northern 4km Negrohuarcuna mineralized trend is characterized by four separate clusters of high-grade copper-nickel mineralization, hosted primarily by ultramafic rocks that exhibit a sub-horizontal sill-like geometry (Figure 6 - 8). Highlights from rock grab samples along the trend are listed below in Table 1 with values up to 15.95% Cu, 2.84% Ni, 15.35 g/t Pt and 28.6 g/t Pd. A first pass reconnaissance drill program consisting of 13 shallow holes, totalling 2,350m, tested 250m by 250m of a sub-horizontal ultra-mafic sill at the Negrohuarcuna occurrence. Highlights from the drilling include: 25.2m of 0.21% Cu and 0.33% Ni, and 46.5m of 0.31% copper and 0.04% nickel. Complete drill results are listed below (Table 2). Importantly, Sombrero's technical team believes that these shallow drill holes did not adequately test the 4km trend or the sub-vertical feeder zones that the Company believes represents the primary target within the trend. Table 1: Rock grab sampling highlights from high-grade prospects at the Negrohuarcuna mineralized trend (collected by a previous operator and database made available to Sombrero): Negrohuarcuna Gossan Zone Sample ID Cu % Ni % Pd g/t Pt g/t RS508124 7.08 0.62 0.10 0.12 RS508132 3.00 2.84 0.24 0.11 RS508131 2.12 0.09 1.03 0.75 RS508128 1.51 0.29 0.01 0.003 RS508126 1.20 1.51 0.06 0.08 RS511519 1.05 0.05 5.47 5.64 RS508130 1.00 1.00 0.24 0.17 RS508129 0.75 0.08 28.60 15.35 RS508160 0.41 0.53 0.17 0.20 RS508159 0.27 0.41 0.06 0.07 RS508162 0.21 0.41 0.05 0.07 Main Sill Zone Sample ID Cu % Ni % Sample ID Cu % Ni % RS508901 1.07 0.51 RS508902 0.11 0.55 West Zone Sample ID Cu % Ni % Sample ID Cu % Ni % RS504970 10.30 0.46 RS504822 1.28 0.05 RS504089 6.14 0.15 RS506229 1.11 0.03 RS504749 4.58 0.19 RS506230 1.10 0.20 RS504833 3.14 0.31 RS504971 1.02 2.51 RS504845 2.80 2.47 RS504088 0.88 1.33 RS504836 2.58 0.45 RS504843 0.69 0.90 RS506237 1.64 1.22 RS504844 0.29 0.47 Carzised Sample ID Cu % Sample ID Cu % RS508152 15.95 RS504958 2.47 RS506207 8.99 RS504953 2.26 RS502494 7.40 RS504956 2.19 RS504957 6.17 RS506231 1.79 RS502491 5.75 RS504955 1.51 RS502492 4.63 RS502493 1.36 RS506212 3.28 RS508151 1.26 RS502495 3.09 RS504954 1.04 RS508904 2.96 Table 2: Drill results from the Negrohuarcuna prospect (collected by a previous operator and database made available to Sombrero): Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval Cu % Ni % NEH-01 14.5 61 46.5 0.31 0.04 Incl. 20 29 9 1.00 0.13 NEH-02 36.8 56 19.2 0.24 0.05 NEH-03 31.3 39.6 8.3 0.15 0.07 NEH-04 64.3 68.3 4 0.06 0.14 118.1 165.4 47.3 0.16 0.02 NEH-05 64.2 73.2 9 0.28 0.23 NEH-06 80.35 83.8 3.45 0.21 0.03 95.8 109.5 13.7 0.28 0.03 126 150 24 0.18 0.02 NEH-08 4.8 30 25.2 0.21 0.33 The southern 7km Jantun Puma-Coquimbo mineralized trend is characterized by three separate clusters of high-grade copper-nickel mineralization (Figures 9 - 11). Highlights from the rock grab samples along the trend are presented below (Table 3) with values up to 4.37% Cu and 2.43% Ni. Rock samples were taken from outcrop at the Jantun Puma occurrence and as float samples beneath a strong conductor at the Coquimbo occurrence. No drilling has occurred along this trend and additional work is required to understand the geometry of the mineralized bodies. Table 3: Rock grab sampling highlights from high-grade prospects at the Jantun Puma-Coquimbo mineralized trend (collected by a previous operator and database made available to Sombrero): Coquimbo Sample ID Cu % Ni % Sample ID Cu % Ni % RS511419 2.87 0.75 RS511442 0.83 0.39 RS511440 2.25 0.66 RS511449 0.78 0.35 RS511447 1.74 0.76 RS511401 0.71 0.56 RS511446 1.18 0.59 RS511441 0.67 0.38 RS511434 0.97 0.47 RS511405 0.62 0.53 RS511444 0.95 0.51 RS511402 0.59 0.13 RS511404 0.91 0.62 RS511403 0.41 0.33 RS511448 0.88 0.38 Jantun Puma Sample ID Cu % Ni % Sample ID Cu % Ni % RS511417 4.37 2.43 RS511416 1.30 0.43 RS511437 2.81 1.19 RS511409 0.85 0.12 RS511413 1.90 0.49 RS511436 0.84 0.48 RS511435 1.56 0.23 RS511408 0.70 0.17 RS511414 1.52 0.48 RS511407 0.61 0.19 RS511415 1.33 0.43 RS511410 0.60 0.24 The southern third of the property, known as the Ocobamba area, is characterized by the district's strongest coincident copper, nickel, platinum, palladium and gold stream sediment anomalies. These anomalies collectively outline a 10km by 5km area that has numerous geophysical conductors, which are interpreted to be associated with base metal sulphide mineralization (Figure 12). This area is the least explored within the Takana district and will be a major focus for the Company as it begins its exploration program in the coming months. Figure 1: Illustrates the position of the Takana district in south-eastern Peru located approximately 90km northwest of the city of Cusco and 235km northeast of the Sombrero District. Figure 2: Illustrates the rock and channel sampling results from the 4km Negrohuarcuna trend and the 7km Jantun Puma - Coquimbo trend in the northern half of the Takana district. Figure 3: Illustrates the copper and nickel stream sediment anomalies within the Takana district. Figure 4: Illustrates the platinum and palladium stream sediment anomalies within the Takana district. Figure 5: Illustrates the chromium and gold stream sediment anomalies within the Takana district. Figure 6: Illustrates the terrain and select rock samples along the 4km Negrohuarcuna trend. Figure 7: Illustrates the high-grade rock samples associated with Gossan prospect within the Negrohuarcuna trend. Figure 8: Illustrates channel sampling results from the Main Sill prospect within the Negrohuarcuna trend. Figure 9: Illustrates the close proximity of the multi-kilometer long Negrohuarcuna and Jantun Puma - Coquimbo trends. Rock sample photos are from the Jantun Puma prospect. Figure 10: Illustrates high-grade channel sampling results from the Jantun Puma prospect. Figure 11: Illustrates float samples taken at the Coquimbo prospect. The magnetic and conductive anomaly identified from the regional airborne survey is situated above the high-grade float samples and represents the primary target area at the Coquimbo prospect. Figure 12: Illustrates a 10km by 5km area of anomalous copper-nickel-platinum-palladium stream sediment anomalies and associated conductors identified from regional airborne survey in the Ocobamba region of the Takana district. Michael Henrichsen (Chief Geologist), P.Geo is a 'qualified person' within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this press release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF SOMBRERO RESOURCES INC. Ivan Bebek President, CEO and Director For further information on Sombrero Resources Inc., please visit www.sombreroresources.com or contact Natasha Frakes, Manager of Corporate Communications at (778) 729-0600 or info@sombreroresources.com . Cautionary Note Regarding Historical Grab Samples, BLEG Samples, Drill Results and Related Matters The historical grab and BLEG samples from the Takana district were collected by Compania de Exploraciones Orion SAC (2007-2010), a Pembrook Copper affiliate, and were included in a database obtained in connection with the transaction. Sombrero has not conducted any due diligence on whether appropriate QA/QC protocols were followed in the collection of these samples, nor can it confirm their accuracy or repeatability. Accordingly, readers are cautioned about reliance on the accuracy or repeatability of this sampling. Sampling is of very limited geological significance and serves only to assist the development of a methodical exploration program involving geochemical, geophysical and ultimately diamond bit drill core drilling. The drilling referenced in this news release was conducted in 2010 and is described in a separate report from Compania de Exploraciones Orion SAC, which was also provided to the Company by Pembrook as part of the Takana project documentation. The Company has not performed any data verification on the drilling but based on its review of the report has no reason to doubt the work was properly done and reported. The Company is now in the process of reviewing and compiling all available technical information into a new NI 43-101 compliant report on the Takana project, which it hopes to make public in late 2021/early 2022. There is no known mineral resource of commercial interest established at the Takana district. Drill Results Historical drill samples were taken by sawing HQ diameter core into equal halves on site with one half being sent to ALS lab in Cusco, Peru for preparation and then to Lima, Peru for analysis. All samples were assayed using 30g nominal weight fire assay with ICP-MS finish for gold, platinum and palladium (PGM-MS23). Silver and base metals were analyzed as part of the multi element aqua regia digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (ME-MS41). Where MS41 results were greater than 10,000ppm Cu, 10,000ppm Zn, 10,000ppm Pb or 100ppm Ag the assay was repeated with ore grade aqua regia digestion with AA finish (Cu-AA46; Zn-AA46; Pb-AA46; Ag-AA46 respectively). Grab Samples Approximately 3-5kg of material was collected for analysis and sent to ALS Lab in Lima, Peru for preparation and analysis. All samples were assayed using 30g nominal weight fire assay. Platinum and palladium were analyzed by ICP and MS (PGM-MS23); Gold was analyzed by ICP and AES finish (Au-ICP21), for samples assaying above 10 ppm from ICP21 the assay was repeated with 30g nominal weight fire assay with gravimetric finish (Au-GRA21). Silver and base metals were analyzed as part of the multi element package (ME-MS41), or to trace levels in 36 multi element package (ME-ICP41), In 2009, Silver analysis was completed by 30g fire assay with gravimetric finish (Ag-GRA21). Where MS41, ICP41 results were greater than 10,000ppm Cu, 10,000ppm Zn, 10,000ppm Pb or 100ppm Ag the assay was repeated with ore grade aqua regia digestion with AA finish (Cu-AA46; Zn-AA46; Pb-AA46; Ag-AA46 respectively). Stream Sediment Samples Approximately 0.25kg of -80 mesh material was collected for analysis by sieving in the field and sent to the ALS Lab in Lima, Peru for preparation and analysis. Samples from regional BLEG survey are analyzed using fire assay with ICP finish (Au-ICP21) and ultra-trace multi-element Aqua Regia digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (ME-MS41L). About Sombrero Sombrero Resources is a base metals focused exploration company focused on creating value for shareholders and stakeholders through the exploration and discovery of world-class copper-gold deposits in southeastern Peru. The Company's management and technical teams have a successful track record in raising capital, discovery and monetization of exploration successes. The Company's focus is the Sombrero copper-gold project, a 130,000-hectare district-scale land position with numerous significant targets. The Company believes Sombrero is the northwestern extension of the Andahuaylas-Yauri belt, which hosts world-class skarn deposits such as Las Bambas, Haquira, Los Chancas, Cotambambas, Constancia, Antapaccay and Tintaya. Sombrero is currently an unlisted reporting issuer and is seeking Canadian and U.S. listings with a targeted first listing in 2021. For more information, visit www.sombreroresources.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements") that relate to the Company's current expectations and views of future events, including the goal of a stock exchange listing about which there cannot be any certainty. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. In particular, and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the Company's intention to secure surface access for exploration. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators, available at www.sedar.com. No regulatory organization has approved the contents hereof. SOURCE: Sombrero Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660015/Sombrero-Resources-Options-the-High-Grade-Takana-Copper-Nickel-District-in-Southeastern-Peru Theres nothing more important for a student than academic success. But unfortunately, bills dont pay themselves. Thus, finding the means to provide for a living is usually a never-ending quest. Of course, you can find a job and earn some money. However, chances are that in this case, there will scarcely be any time left for your studies, even if its only a part-time job. Its not like there are no ways to solve that problem, too. Busy students who dont have time to write essays know they can always hire professional essay writers from EssayWritingService and get help. But with a demanding job, even that might not be enough. So, is there a way to secure an income while not fully neglecting your studies at the same time? Sure! For example, you can work flexible hours at a fast-food cafe. But we have a better idea: start your own business. A micro business. What Is Micro Business? In case youre not sure what a micro business is: its the smallest of all small businesses. Speaking in numbers, micro businesses usually answer the following criteria: have fewer than 10 employees (usually 1-5); require less than $50,000 of investments; earn less than $250,000 a year. Of course, numbers may vary. But the core idea is that you can start a micro business with as few employees as possible or without any employees at all, except yourself and with as little money as you can spare. Its also much easier to start a business nowadays. Even if youre a busy student with only one laptop and your skills at your disposal, you now have all the advantages that modern technology startups and online marketplaces offer. Are you convinced yet? Read on to find out some of our best micro business suggestions for busy students. 6 Micro Business Ideas From freelance writing to house cleaning, heres what you can try even if youre terribly busy and dont have lots of money to spend. Freelancing If you have any talent or expertise you can monetize, working as a freelancer can be the best option, as well as the easiest one. Nowadays, freelancers are considered to be individual entrepreneurs, so this type of activity naturally falls into the micro business category. As to what exactly you can do, it mainly depends on your aptitude and skills. Many students work in such fields as: writing, editing, and proofreading; web and graphic design; coding; social media marketing. For example, writing services remain a staple among student businesses. To get a clearer idea of what such a company should be like, check writing services reviews. Essay reviews by NoCramming can be a great source of such information. Moreover, they can also help you choose a service for yourself in case you need one. Tutoring While it may be true that the tutoring business is largely occupied by professional teachers, theres plenty of room left for college and university students, too. In fact, some pupils and their parents would prefer a talented student to a teacher as the former often gets on better with kids. Besides, students typically charge less, which is also an advantage provided they are qualified for the job. Selling and Reselling Products For those whose talents lie in craftsmanship, selling self-made products is the best option. Whatever you can produce, be it clothes, jewelry, soap, candles, cakes, or anything else, can nowadays be sold via online marketplaces and social media. If you dont produce anything but are still good at selling, try reselling products made by others on Amazon, eBay, and other similar marketplaces. Yet, make sure youve read all the rules and regulations beforehand. Organizing Events Event business is one of the riskiest ones, but its also one of the most dynamic. Surprisingly, its also perfectly suitable for students. In fact, many event agencies started out when their owners were still in college. While organizing big events is impossible without big budgets, operating on a college-level scale is almost risk-free because you can have all the college infrastructure at hand. Its also easy to find your audience through student clubs and organizations. Blogging Although blogging is typically considered a hobby, some bloggers manage to make it big and get revenue selling ads. Of course, it doesnt normally happen overnight, but if you are creative and entertaining, you can try to monetize your talents and become an influencer. However, dont expect easy money here: professional blogging is hard work. Whether youre a writer, a YouTuber, or a TikToker, you need to have lots of various skills or a whole team of professionals to help you produce your content. Sound and Video Production Those bloggers who are ready to outsource some tasks often try to find the most affordable offers on the market. And heres exactly where you can fit in if you start a production business offering sound and video recording and editing. Surely, you wont be able to compete with big production companies that own loads of expensive equipment. Nevertheless, yours can be a profitable business, too provided you have the necessary technical skills and minimum gear and know how to promote yourself. Wrapping Up Hopefully, youve managed to choose something to your taste from the suggestions listed above. If that is not the case, but youre convinced that entrepreneurship is your thing, you can come up with your own ideas. Dont limit your imagination to something already popular. Who knows, maybe youll be able to find a new micro business niche! Browzwear, a Singapore-based developer of 3D digital solutions for the fashion industry, closed a $35m first funding round. Growth equity firm Radian Capital made the investment. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate platform development and market expansion, as well as to add new talent across areas. Founded in 2012 and led by Avihay Feld and Sharon Lim, Browzwear provides 3D digital solutions for the fashion industry, driving seamless processes from concept to commerce, for designers, technical designers and patternmakers, and manufacturers. Worldwide, more than 650 organizations such as Walmart, Lululemon, Columbia Sportswear, Nike, PVH Group and VF Corporation leverage the companys open platform to streamline processes, collaborate and pursue data-driven production strategies so they can sell more while manufacturing less, which increases both ecologic and economic sustainability. FinSMEs 17/08/2021 Dewey Scientific, a Pullman, Wash.-based agtech company advancing solutions for the cannabis industry, sold a warrant to purchase Series A preferred units to The Hawthorne Collective, Inc. for $3.2m. The funding will be dedicated to the acquisition of equipment and to furthering genetics research and development (R&D) and other lawful purposes permitted under laws of the United States. The company will also be working with Selway Holdings, which plans to build a $1.8 million cannabis greenhouse, to secure use of the planned facility. Dewey Scientific leverages genomics, data science, and classical breeding methods to improve the quality and genetic diversity of cannabis crops in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 2018 by three plant scientists from Washington State University, including Chief Science Officer Dr. Mark Lange and CEO Jordan Zager, PhD., the company is already expanding its R&D efforts and advancing genetics for varieties focused on key traits, with the recent addition of an agronomist to oversee cultivation practices and additions at the C-Suite level. The Dewey Scientific team will also be boosting its scientific staff with new hires in the coming months to further enhance its R&D pipeline. Dewey Scientific is also launching a franchise system to work with cultivators across the nation and license out Dewey Scientific genetics to share its success in other cannabis markets. The company also plans to continue developing marketing and brand guidelines to replicate across franchises and focus on intellectual property protections associated with its ventures. Dewey Scientific also holds Dewey Cannabis, a direct-to-consumer small batch, high quality marijuana supplier in Washington state. FinSMEs 17/08/2021 Nuvemshop, a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based e-commerce platform, raised $500m in Series E funding, valued at more than $3 Billion. The round, which brought total funding raised in the last 10 months to more than $620m, was co-led by Insight Partners and Tiger Global Management, with participation from Alkeon, Owl Rock, Sunley House Capital and VMG Partners, as well as existing investors Accel, Kaszek, Kevin Efrusy, Qualcomm Ventures LLC, and ThornTree Capital. The company intends to use the funds to: accelerate growth in current markets and support geographic expansion into new countries, including Colombia, Chile and Peru, accelerate its payment and logistics capabilities, which will further drive e-commerce penetration in the region, expand its sales and customer support staff, invest in resources and support for its ecosystem of app partners and agencies, explore M&A opportunities. Led by Santiago Sosa, CEO and co-founder, Nuvemshop (also known as Tiendanube in Spanish speaking countries) empowers entrepreneurs to build and grow online businesses. The platform serves more than 90,000 merchants across Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, ranging from direct-to-consumer (DTC) upstarts to an expanding roster of established brands such as PlayMobil, Billabong, Colombraro, Zaira Beauty, Osram, Lolja, Vitabe and StrappyCo. It integrates products, payments, shipping as well as provides an ecosystem with more than 1.000 partners, such as Facebook, Instagram, marketplaces and brick and mortar stores. The company currently has more than 600 employees and offices in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. FinSMEs 17/08/2021 Recyda, a Frankfurt am Main, Germany-based recyclability database startup, raised its first institutional funding from Futury Capital. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate business growth. Co-founded by Christian Knobloch, Anna Zieow and Vivian Loftin, Recyda develops a database that centralizes information on the most important parameters for packaging recyclability at an international level. This helps companies along the packaging value chain assessing the recyclability of consumer goods packaging solutions. Specifically, the software tool consolidates research on country-specific recyclability to embed it into a web application with a comprehensive database and advanced packaging management features. By visualizing how changes in the packaging specifications affect recyclability, the tool allows brand owners, retailers, and packaging producers to align with country-specific requirements and optimize their impact to contribute to the circular economy. FinSMEs 17/08/2021 Uala, a Buenos Aires, Argentine-based fintech company, raised $350M in Series D funding. The round was led by SoftBank Latin America Fund and Tencent with participation from funds managed by Soros Fund Management LLC, funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, LP, Ribbit Capital, Greyhound Capital, Monashees, Endeavor Catalyst, D1 Capital Partners, 166 2nd, along with angel investors such as Jacqueline Reses and Isaac Lee. The company, which reached a valuation of $USD2.45 billion, intends to use the funds to expand operations, with plans to have a team of 1,500 employees by the end 2021, and its business reach, developing new business verticals, providing innovation and technological development in Latin America. Led by Pierpaolo Barbieri , founder and CEO, Uala provides has developed a complete financial ecosystem that offers the possibility of accessing a free international Mastercard card, paying services, request personal loans and collect with Uala Bis , the solution for entrepreneurs and merchants that enables them to sell through a payment link or mPOS. In addition, it is possible to take out insurance and invest in mutual funds. The company currently has more than 1,000 employees, with more than 3.5 million cards issued in less than 4 years, more than a million users who invest in the mutual fund available in the app. The companys funding history includes: USD150M in Series C led by SoftBank Latin America Fund and Tencent with participation from Endeavor Catalyst and other existing investors such as funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management , Soros Fund Management LLC , Monashees , Ribbit Capital , and Jefferies LLC (November 2019). Tencent made an undisclosed initial investment (April 2019). USD34M in Series B led by funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management with participation from Ribbit Capital and Monashees (September 2018). USD10M in Series A led by Soros Fund Management LLC, along with Jefferies LLC , Point72 Ventures , Greyhound Capital, and entrepreneur Kevin Ryan , among others (January 2018). FinSMEs 17/08/2021 Norwalk, Connecticut, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ranger Ready Repellents is proud to have been selected as a winner of the Good Housekeeping 2021 Parenting Awards! The companys Ranger Orange scented Picaridin 20% pump spray was evaluated by the Good Housekeeping Institutes panel of experts and consumer testers who reviewed hundreds of products for babies, kids and caregivers. Our mission is to protect future generations from being bitten by ticks, mosquitoes, and biting insects that can cause serious disease in both children and adults, said Chris L. Fuentes, Founder and CEO of Ranger Ready Repellents. Our team is honored that Good Housekeeping has recognized Ranger Ready as providing outstanding protection from vector-borne diseases for the whole family. Using the active ingredient Picaridin 20%, the safe and effective alternative to DEET, Ranger Readys body-worn insect repellent is safe for children over 1 year old, adults, and for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. It provides protection for up to 12-hours and wont harm childrens clothing or gear. The Ranger Orange fragrance is a kid-friendly fresh citrus scent that is non-greasy and comes in a variety of sizes. To purchase Ranger Readys insect repellents and premium hand sanitizer please visit https://rangerready.com. ### About Ranger Ready Repellents Ranger Ready Inc. is a privately held company based in Norwalk, CT where it proudly designs, manufactures and distributes Ranger Ready Repellents. The companys premium products include Ranger Ready Picaridin 20%, a body-worn repellent that is the safe and effective alternative to DEET, Ranger Ready Permethrin 0.5%, a clothing-worn repellent that provides dual level protection from bites, and Ranger Ready Hand Sanitizer with Alcohol 80%. Ranger Ready products are made in the U.S.A. with recyclable components and care given to minimize waste. Visit RangerReady.com for more Attachment AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine today revealed that OJO Labs is No. 49 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. Over the last year, OJO Labs has seen rapid growth, earmarked by a $62.5 million funding round, two acquisitions, the launch of our agent referral network, and expansion into Canada, said John Berkowitz, Founder and CEO of OJO Labs. We know homeownership isnt within reach for everyone and stark inequity still exists along racial and class lines today, but OJO Labs envisions a world where everyone gets to experience the physical, financial, and emotional haven that home provides. Our phenomenal growth in the past year has fueled meaningful progress in our pursuit of closing the homeownership gap and bringing impactful change in the real estate industry. OJO Labs is thrilled to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 for the first time at #49 alongside other innovative, rapidly growing brands. Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20. The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people. CONTACT: Name: Patrick Kearns Email: pkearns@ojolabs.com About OJO Labs OJO Labs envisions a world where everyone has what they need to own a home. Today, homeownership isnt within reach of everyone. OJO Labs aims to close that gap so that all people regardless of race, class, or gender can experience the physical, financial, and emotional haven that home provides. We match each real estate moment, so everyone feels ready, equipped, and inspired to take the next step. OJO fuses machine intelligence and human expertise to provide each individual with personalized guidance as individual as they are. Through a deep understanding of each customers needs and preferences, OJO delivers tailored support and insights. Our residential search site, Movoto by OJO , provides personalized recommendations and highlights listings best suited to your needs and preferences, so you never miss a home that might be the right fit. Digs by OJO , our personal finance tool, helps you uncover hidden savings, monitor equity, and plan for the future, whether youre managing your home as an asset or identifying the right time to sell. We also have a network of top-rated real estate professionals, and will match each customer with the expert who can best support their individual journey. Whether youre buying, selling, or managing your home as an asset, OJO is a lifelong solution that helps everyone move forward when the times right with support, knowledge, and confidence. For more information, please visit OJO.com , movoto.com and digs.co . More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Methodology Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 . About Inc. Media The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com . For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/ . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/80d623e1-4bb0-423b-91ab-b473a5f14282 PROVO, Utah, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the second consecutive time, Inc. magazine has ranked Provos Aptive Environmental on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. Inc. magazine named Aptive No. 2132 on its annual list. Aptive Environmental provides environmentally responsible residential services to customers in nearly 5,000 cities across the United States. Since its launch in 2015, Aptive Environmental has quickly become the 7th largest pest control company in the U.S., out of more than 20,000 competitors, rocketing to $273 million revenue in 2020, growing revenues a total of 654%. This past year the company expanded service by more than 1,035 cities, increased employee growth by 24% and reached 1.3 million customers because of the companys focus on technology, unique training programs, and strong culture. In a year that has challenged businesses worldwide, its a great honor to be recognized once again as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest Growing Companies in America, said Co-Founder and Chairman, David Royce. Aptive is among great companies on the list, and were proud of our achievements, Vess Pearson, Co-Founder and CEO remarked, Its been an honor to lead Aptive and expand operations, providing economic growth to communities and job opportunities to so many. Our greatest accomplishment is our people and their unwavering commitment to service. The Inc. 5000 list is a distinguished award, a celebration of innovation and a network of entrepreneurial leaders. Inc. 5000 ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period. Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved exceptionally resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . To learn about Aptive Environmental, visit www.GoAptive.com or find the company on Facebook (@AptiveEnvironmental), Twitter (@Go_Aptive), Instagram (@Aptive.Environmental) or LinkedIn (@AptiveEnvironmental). About Aptive Environmental Aptive Environmental provides environmentally responsible residential and commercial pest services to nearly 5,000 cities across North America. It was the youngest company featured on Glassdoor's Top 100 U.S. workplaces in 2019 and is ranked one of Entrepreneur Magazine's Best Companies in America. Aptive is also a proud member of the EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program and has partnered with the United Nations Foundations Nothing But Nets to help stop the spread of Malaria transmitted by mosquito bites. Media Contact: Janel Hlebak, 440-488-2537 Janel.Hlebak@finnpartners.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2cfc77b0-077e-477e-bffa-3d9cf2ba3a77 Charlotte, North Carolina, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine today revealed that NUFABRX (Textile Based Delivery Inc.) is No. 50 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. Its an unbelievable honor to be recognized by the Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation! said Jordan Schindler, CEO of Nufabrx. Nufabrxs growth is a true testament to our incredible team and their remarkable vision. When the idea of putting medicine in clothing was just a dream in college, I never imagined we would get to this point so quickly. We will celebrate this win with plenty of champagne as a company; and deep down we know this is just the beginning. Onwards and Upwards! Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20. The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people. More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Methodology Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. About Inc. Media The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/. About Nufabrx Simplifying health and wellness through clothing. Nufabrx is an innovative technology company focused on controlled delivery of an active ingredient (vitamin, supplement, medication) through clothing; effective delivery lasts through 25+ wash cycles. We currently offer pain relief medicine delivered directly through a compression brace and are developing stretch mark reduction cream delivered through a maternity line of products. Patient compliance has been reimagined simply by getting dressed in the morning; A new category we call HealthWear. Every Nufabrx product is manufactured and tested here in our North Carolina facilities, #MadeInUSA. For more information, visit http://www.nufabrx.com. We have Omni channel retail partnerships with most major retailers, such as Walmart and Target, where a variety of our products can be purchased either in store or directly from their online stores. Attachments VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Sky Minerals Corp. (AUEN.V) (the Company or Golden Sky) is pleased to announce that it has mobilized to its 100% owned Hotspot property (Property) for its inaugural ~1500m diamond drill program that will commence in mid-August 2021. Diamond drilling will further test the Sure Bet Zone, which is defined by a ~600m x 400m gold-in-soil anomaly with soil samples that range from 50 ppb Au to 4110 ppb (4.11 g/t) Au. The Sure Bet Zone outlines a significant geochemical anomaly that is at the beginning of a 1.6km gold-in-soil trend that extends to the northeast and remains open. Mr. John Newell, President & CEO of Golden Sky Minerals stated: We are extremely pleased that drilling has commenced at our newly discovered Surebet Zone on the companys Hotspot property. This years drilling is our first since Golden Sky drilled a 100-gram-metre hole last year, with all six holes returning gold values. The property has significant untapped potential with multiple strong drill targets. The Hotspot property sits along the Tintina Gold belt, a world-class geologic setting where many world-class deposits have been discovered. In 2020, Golden Sky made an original gold discovery at the Sure Bet Zone with its maiden 568.45m reverse-circulation (RC) drill program. All holes encountered precious metal mineralization, with HSRC-20-2 assaying 1.34 g/t Au over 71.6m including 7.72 g/t Au over 6.09m from surface (see Figure 1). These were shallow holes that were limited to ~100m drill depth, one of Golden Skys priorities with the 2021 diamond drill program is to test the Sure Bet Zone to ~400m drill depth. In addition, Golden Sky has significantly expanded the size of the Hotspot property by staking additional lode claims based on in-house geological interpretation and regional geochemical stream samples published by the Yukon Geological Survey in 2016. This will represent a significant increase to the size of the Property from 4640 hectares to ~7364 hectares (see Figure 2). With similar prospective geology expected to exist on these newly acquired claims, Golden Sky believes there is excellent potential for discovering similar gold mineralized systems. Figure 1 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e535b9cc-94af-441b-aba4-6fb6127ce4c3 Figure 2 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a5875447-07e2-4e92-94df-a3f00cff637f The Hotspot Property Location The Hotspot property is located on the Yukon side of the Yukon-Alaska border, in the North Ladue placer district which has produced >20,000 oz of placer gold. The property is situated along the Big Creek fault, a regional-scale fault system that hosts numerous porphyry and orogenic gold deposits within the Yukon-Tanana Terrane (see Figure 3). The closest major prospect to Hotspot is Kenorland Minerals Tanacross Project, which encompasses the Taurus copper (Cu) molybdenum (Mo) gold (Au) porphyry deposit, located 25 km to the northwest (in Alaska). The Taurus Deposit has an inferred resource of 68.3 million tonnes grading 0.275% Cu, 0.032% Mo, and 0.166 g/t Au. Figure 3 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/15ca1f26-84dd-48a8-8b52-4e22f03d41d6 Mineralization Gold mineralization at Hotspot is hosted by a Tertiary-aged (Eocene, 48-58 Ma) rhyolite pyroclastic tuff. Gold is associated with limonite and pyrite and bears a pathfinder signature (silver, antimony, mercury, and arsenic) indicative of a low sulphidation epithermal system (see Figure 4). Rhyolite-hosted low sulphidation epithermal systems include deposits with significant tonnage such as the Round Mountain deposit (>20M oz gold) and the Sleeper deposit (4.7M oz gold), both in Nevada, USA. In addition to the geological and geochemical settings, the grade and style of gold mineralization show similarities to these deposits. Figure 4 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bea4ce45-113b-461a-a8e6-f1260da079b9 About Golden Sky Minerals Corp. Golden Sky Minerals Corp. is a well-funded junior grassroots explorer engaged in the acquisition, assessment, exploration and development of mineral properties through systematic exploration, located in tier-one mining districts. Golden Skys main focus is developing its portfolio of projects to resource stage. The drill-ready projects include Hotspot, Bullseye, and Luckystrike, all in Yukon, Canada. In addition, the recent purchases of the Rayfield Copper-Gold Project in southern British Columbia, and the staking of the Eagle Mountain Gold Project in the Cassiar Gold District in northern British Columbia, adds to the companys substantial early-stage Canadian project pipeline. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. More information can be found at the Companys website at www.goldenskyminerals.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD John Newell, President and Chief Executive Officer For new information from the Company's programs, please visit Golden Sky's website at www.GoldenSkyMinerals.com or contact John Newell by telephone (604) 568-8807 or by email at info@goldenskyminerals.com or john.newell@goldenskyminerals.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively, Forward-Looking Information) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as anticipates, expects, understanding, has agreed to or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results would, occur or be achieved. Although Golden Sky has attempted to identify important factors and risks that could affect Golden Sky and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors and risks that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, without limitation: inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties; the uncertainties involved in interpreting drill results and other exploration data; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with Golden Skys expectations; accidents, equipment breakdowns, title and permitting matters; labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in operations; fluctuating metal prices; unanticipated costs and expenses; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on its projects; that Golden Sky may not be able to confirm historical exploration results and other risks set forth in Golden Sky's public filings at www.sedar.com. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, Golden Sky has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information 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 Information. Except as required by law, Golden Sky does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Santa Monica, California, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, organizers of the ACT Fleet Forum announced the years upcoming programming on cutting-edge technology and opened membership to new participating fleets. Public sector and small fleets that have begun adopting clean technologies including propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and renewable fuels are now eligible to join large national fleets including Penske Transportation Solutions, Amazon, Walmart, J.B. Hunt, and Schneider. An industry-leading educational initiative for early adopters to share best practices in clean transportation technologies, the ACT Fleet Forum provides member fleets education via webinars, workshops, and in-person site visits year-round. Facilitated by clean transportation consulting firm Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA), the ACT Fleet Forum is an extension of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, North Americas largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event. Member fleets will participate in discussions and previews of the following clean technology topics in 2021 and early 2022: August 2021 Inductive Charging: Where it's Viable Today Learn from leading technology developer, Momentum Dynamics, and users on the current state of inductive charging and results from first installations. October 2021 New Opportunities for Electric TRUs Hear why eTRUs are developing so rapidly and what results fleets are seeing with their pilots. November 2021 Making BEVs Work Outside of California Workshop (Newark, NJ) Visit fleets in New Jersey that are deploying charging and battery-electric vehicles for MD and HD applications. January 2022 Using Renewable Diesel When Alternative Fuel Vehicles Won't Work Discuss with current users and providers of renewable diesel on its performance and ways to procure it cost effectively around North America. February 2022 Reality of Renewable Hydrogen Today and Tomorrow Talk with leading developers of renewable hydrogen and fleet customers on the state and future of this technology. March 2022 Visit to a Near-Zero Emission Facility Workshop (Modesto, CA) Visit one of the countrys first near-zero fleet facilities with technologies from Tesla, BYD, ChargePoint, and more. Markets for Battery Reuse and Resale Discuss current and developing resale opportunities for vehicle batteries with a leading reseller. April 2022 Making Microgrids Work: Update from Early Adopters See how leading fleets are using onsite storage and electricity generation to reduce charging costs and increase fleet resilience. May 2022 First Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Deployments Workshop (Long Beach, CA) Join the first fleets to pilot hydrogen and their technology partners to understand its performance and state of development. Fleet members gain exclusive access to regular updates on upcoming funding opportunities, analysis on the latest policy landscape, and recorded educational sessions and fleet-only best practice discussions via a web portal built exclusively for ACT Fleet Forum members. Technology within clean transportation moves swiftly. At Schneider, we have worked to develop solutions to many of the challenges that fleets face when implementing and scaling advanced vehicle technologies, said Rob Reich, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, Schneider. The insight that we can both share, and acquire, through ACT Fleet Forum gives all fleet members the collective opportunity to make strides towards their sustainable transportation goals. The ACT Fleet Forum enables fleet operators the opportunity to stay at the cutting edge of advanced clean vehicle technologies. By joining, member fleets gain access to exclusive peer-to-peer conversations and learning opportunities with the industrys most innovative and progressive fleets. The Forum brings together North Americas top commercial fleet operators to share their own learnings from and insight into staying ahead of impending regulations, securing lucrative funding opportunities, deploying zero-emission technologies, and implementing renewable fuels. As an innovative company and industry leader, J.B. Hunt is passionate about being on the forefront of technological advancements that will help our industry become more sustainable, said Craig Harper, chief sustainability officer and executive vice president at J.B. Hunt. Across the industry, we are all on the same page and striving to do the right thing. Events like the ACT Fleet Forum allow us to come together and have the conversations that will ultimately result in action, creating a more sustainable world for all. Leading fleets that have participated in ACT Fleet Forum include: Amazon, Inc. Ability Tri-Modal Transportation Services Bimbo Bakeries C&S Wholesale Grocers EVO Transportation & Energy International Motor Freight (IMF) J.B. Hunt Transport Matheson Trucking NFI Industries Penske Transportation Solutions PepsiCo Pitt Ohio Port Authority New York New Jersey Ruan Transportation Management Systems UPS US Foods Schneider Sysco Total Transportation Services, Inc. Walmart Waste Management As a founding member of ACT and early adopter of natural gas trucks, Matheson Trucking Inc. is dedicated to supporting a high level of sustainability throughout our industry, said Mark Matheson, CEO & president, Matheson Trucking Inc. By participating in the ACT Fleet Forum, weve created incredible partnerships with manufacturers who pursue technologies and solutions that brings us closer to this vision of sustainability that balances environment, equity, and economy. Leading technology providers that sponsor specific educational discussions and technology previews this year include Freightliner, Detroit, Greenlots (a member of the Shell Group), and Momentum Dynamics. Previously, Daimler Trucks North America, Nikola, Power Electronics, Hexagon Agility, ChargePoint, Siemens, Kalmar Ottawa, Beard Electric, ABB, Kenworth, Trillium, Cummins, and Toyota provided support and expertise on new clean technologies to ACT Fleet Forum members. The ACT Fleet Forum is open to fleets that have begun adopting clean technologies who are willing to share case studies and examples from their experience adopting advanced, clean technologies. To learn more about the ACT Fleet Forum, including the 2021 Forum Program and how to join, visit www.actfleetforum.com. ### About Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA) GNA is a leading North American consulting firm specializing in market development for low-emission and alternative fuel vehicle technologies, infrastructure and fuels for both on and off-road applications. The companys core practice areas are technical support, government relations, grant writing and administration, communications strategy, and market outreach and education. For more than 25 years, GNA has pioneered the nations largest and most innovative alternative fuel vehicle projects, including the development of several successful clean fuel corridor projects. In addition, the company produces a series of advanced transportation and clean energy conferencesincluding the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expoand manages the ACT News media publication. www.gladstein.org Attachment OTTAWA, Ontario, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corel Corporation today announces the appointment of Michelle Chiantera as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Following an impressive career with Cisco, Chiantera brings extensive field, corporate and channel marketing expertise to spur Corels next phase of growth. With an unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation, Corel is in the midst of an exciting transformation. In this first year as CEO, my goal has been to build an incredible team thats laser focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences and growth, said Christa Quarles, CEO of Corel. Michelle shares our passion for driving change and has an impressive track record of empowering employee, partner and customer success. As our new CMO, she will play a pivotal role in how we share our vision and connect with customers worldwide. With incredible users who are passionate about our products, and a rare, customer-first mindset that puts people at the center of every decision, Corel is delivering growth by prioritizing innovation and offering exceptional business outcomes, said Michelle Chiantera, Chief Marketing Officer at Corel. Across the board, our products share the common theme of unleashing human potential. This remarkable story is a marketers dream, and I am thrilled to be part of the team to tell it. Biography: Michelle Chiantera, Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Chiantera is Corels Chief Marketing Officer, leading the companys marketing strategy and execution worldwide. Michelle and her team support go-to-market initiatives delivering growth across the companys full software portfolio with a focus on segmentation, engagement and a passion for knowing and delighting customers. Prior to joining Corel, Michelle served as Vice President of Americas Growth Marketing and Global Partner, Segments and Industries at Cisco where she led the marketing team responsible for increasing market share and accelerating Ciscos growth. Building her career at Cisco for over 20 years, Michelle rose through the ranks within the companys marketing organization in both field and corporate marketing roles, and previously held the positions of Vice President, Global Partner Marketing and Sr. Director, Americas Partner Marketing. Michelle is known for her advocacy for diversity within the workforce and her commitment to nurturing future leaders within the technology industry. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A), Marketing from Le Moyne College and lives in New York state with her husband, daughter and their much-loved dog. About Corel Corel products enable millions of connected knowledge workers around the world to do great work faster. Offering some of the industry's best-known software brands, we give individuals and teams the power to create, collaborate and deliver impressive results. Our success is driven by an unwavering commitment to deliver a broad portfolio of innovative tools to inspire users and help them achieve their goals. Our Parallels solutions enable workers to use and access the applications and files they need across their favorite devices and preferred technology whether local or remote. Cloud-based collaboration capabilities in CorelDRAW and MindManager streamline the sharing of ideas and connect team members no matter where theyre located; while WinZip encryption, file management and compression solutions deliver secure file sharing across email, a network or the cloud. To learn more about Corel, please visit www.corel.com. 2021 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved. Corel, the Corel logo, the Corel Balloon logo, CorelDRAW, MindManager, and WinZip are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation in Canada, the U.S., and/or elsewhere. Parallels is a trademark or registered trademark of Parallels International GmbH in Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere. All other company, product and service names, logos, brands, and any registered or unregistered trademarks mentioned are used for identification purposes only and remain the exclusive property of their respective owners. Use of any brands, names, logos, or any other information, imagery, or materials pertaining to a third party does not imply endorsement. We disclaim any proprietary interest in such third-party information, imagery, materials, marks, and names of others. For all notices and information about patents, please visit www.corel.com/patent. Media Contact Jessica Gould Corel PR jessica.gould@corel.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1c98fab0-5d20-415f-a8e4-22c8178402c3 RENO, NV, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XcelPlus International Inc. (OTC PINK: XLPID) announced today that it has received a signed letter of intent to build plasma gasifiers for a landfill removal consortium based in India. The letter of intent with the consortium is the first official agreement signed by XcelPlus International in the aftermath of the Mining Disrupt 2021 show the company attended in July. "We have evaluated various processes and technologies to find one that checks all the boxes for us, from cost-effectiveness to downstream environmental impact, stated Byron Young, President and CEO of Youngster, LLC. The XcelPlus gasifier is the only one we have found to fit the bill. Our consortium, which currently holds four long-term concessions to process municipal solid waste, will need to acquire as many as 36 more of these gasifiers to convert the harmful waste from these landfills into beneficial forms of renewable energy." Xcelplus International Chief Executive Officer Charles Robinson said more agreements are in the works. This agreement with the India landfill removal consortium underscores how XcelPlus International is truly an international company, remarked Robinson. Our plasma gasifiers are global in both their scope and their need. Their capability to be easily shipped anywhere, assembled remotely, and to gasify up to 50 tons of assorted waste streams per day makes them a tremendous asset in the battle against waste and pollution. For more information on XcelPlus Internationals plasma gasifiers, please visit www.xcelplusint.com . Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements of future expectations and events, future strategic objectives, business prospects and anticipated results. Forward looking statements can often be identified by words such as will, can, would, expected, achieving, intent, and similar expressions and include, but are not limited to statements regarding or relating to completing any proposed business transactions including with the Indian landfill removal consortium, finalization of any agreements whether currently under consideration or otherwise, the scope of and need for our gasifiers, the success of our designs or re-designs, the capacity and portability of our designs and systems, the progress and ultimate success of our initiatives and programs, the future sales and distribution of our gasifiers, and the ability of our gasifiers to process waste materials into energy. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied in such statements. These statements are based on managements current views and assumptions, speak only as of the date hereof and are subject to change. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law. Boulder, Colorado, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aspero Medical, a medical device startup company developing new products for the field of gastroenterology, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company a patent that covers their PillarTM technology which improves medical device anchoring consistency inside of the body. The invention (US Patent No. 11,089,944) is a medical device balloon with textured surface that is designed to improve performance and outcomes of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy procedures. Aspero Medical is a portfolio company of the Innosphere Ventures Fund, a seed and series A venture capital fund leading investment rounds in companies who are driving innovation in SaaS software, Cleantech and MedTech sectors. This patent award is a significant milestone for our company, said Mark Rentschler, co-founder and CEO of Aspero Medical. Our mission at Aspero Medical is to enable complete procedures the first time by providing physicians tools to diagnose and treat more effectively, while reducing patient trauma. Our proprietary PillarTM technology, protected by this issued keystone patent, provides a competitive advantage as we bring products to market to accomplish this mission. The foundational intellectual property was developed at the University of Colorado. Marta Zgagacz, Director of Licensing for Venture Partners at the University of Colorado Boulder, commented, Aspero Medical continues to develop medical devices that meet crucial patient needs. This patent award is further affirmation of the novelty of their approach as they continue to expand their product and intellectual property portfolio. Aspero Medicals momentum continues to build for a significant commercial launch in the near term, said Mike Freeman, Innosphere Ventures Fund general partner. This patent award is a significant milestone for the company. Were excited to see how their technology will improve the performance of small bowel enteroscopy and colonoscopy procedures, save time for practitioners and patients, and improve patient outcomes. Balloon endoscopy is the standard of care in the drive to diagnose and treat small bowel disease as it allows for visualization of the entire small intestine. However, current balloon endoscopy technology is technically challenging and time-consuming. The Aspero Medical balloon overtube solution with patented Pillar micro-textures is designed to maximize wall traction and anchoring consistency in the GI tract. MEDIA CONTACTS: Mark Rentschler, CEO, Aspero Medical (720) 315-5165 | mark.rentschler@asperomedical.com Attachments SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerge ranks #530 on the 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies list by business media outlet, Inc. Magazine. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segment its independent small businesses. Companies included on the list are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. With this being our second company to make such an exclusive list, it really validates our dedication to our industry and the companies we build. Weve also tripled our company in the past year, so looking forward to hopefully ranking even higher next year, Michael Leto, Emerge CEO said. Emerge has been able to thrive and expand in 2021, doubling its headcount by adding over 100 new positions to the sales, strategy and product teams. Emerges hiring doesnt stop there with plans to add an additional 160 positions to their team in 2022. The growth that we are seeing here at Emerge is a testament to the vision of our founders and the culture that we are building from the ground up. This is a company built on resilience and hard work, where people with good ideas and a commitment to success are embraced and celebrated, Senior Director of Business Operations at Emerge, Chris Brychell said. Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled, says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis weve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people. Emerge has previously been recognized as a Top Place to Work by the Phoenix Business Journal, a Best Startup Employer by Forbes and was recently recognized by leading transportation publication, FreightWaves, in their FreightTech Top 25 listing. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20. About Emerge Transforming the $800 billion freight industry, Emerge empowers meaningful logistics relationships through its award-winning Digital Freight Marketplace. Built by freight professionals for freight professionals, Emerge offers solutions that enhance the procurement process, enabling shippers and carriers to make more empowered, strategic decisions. Founded in 2017, and located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Emerge is one of the fastest-growing technology startups in the U.S. Visit www.emergemarket.com to learn more. More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Methodology Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this years Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. About Inc. Media The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/. Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/EmergeMarket/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/emerge-market https://twitter.com/Emerge_Market Attachment New York, US, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Search and Rescue Robots Market Overview: According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Search and Rescue Robots Market Information by Operation, Platform, and Region - Forecast till 2027, the market is projected to grow at a significant CAGR of 18.2% from 2020-2027. Market Scope The search and rescue robots markets growth scope seems promising, backed by a number of encouraging factors including the rise in the number of disasters taking place all over the globe. Most of the disasters in the world are either man-made or natural, some of which are tsunamis, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, volcanic eruptions, industrial accidents, and nuclear meltdowns, which result in casualties that require rescue. In this situation, emergency workers are forced to risk their lives to rescue people in need. This risk of life can be mitigated with the use of search and rescue robots. Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/10599 Competitive Landscape: The important vendors in the global search and rescue robots market are: Boston Dynamics Hydronalix Kongsberg Maritime Lockheed Martin Corporation FLIR Systems, Inc. Howe & Howe Technologies, Inc. Northrop Grumman Corporation Pliant Energy Systems LLC Saab AB Thales Group These firms work on fostering their geographical reach while launching highly advanced products via numerous strategies, such as acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations. For instance, in August 2021, DEEP Robotics, a China-based technology firm with focus on building smart quadruped robots, introduced its latest robot dog called Jueying X20. The robot exhibits impressive protection performance in muddy and rain environments. It is a smart quadruped robot with significant adaptability to highly complex terrains as well as extensive applications in public search and rescue, surveying and exploration, security patrol inspection, to name a few. Primary Growth Boosters The World Risk Report suggests that most of the disaster risk hotspots around the world are in Southeast Asia, the Oceania, West and Central Africa, as well as Central America. Africa has the highest level of life vulnerability, followed by America and Asia. Search and rescue robots are cutting-edge tools used by rescuers to quickly and easily look for victims stuck in damaged buildings, gather disaster-based information, detect harmful materials, provide first aid kits and function in hazardous situations. Manufacturers are working on introducing search and rescue robots that are smaller, cheaper, more versatile, and smarter. With the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence, robots can now easily automate processes of searching for victims and detect sources of danger. It is expected that the in the coming years, these robots could autonomously navigate air or water without human intervention. Large-scale investments in search and rescue robots, their components, and software to develop advanced drones that are technically agile and can be used in harsh conditions, should have a tremendous impact on the global market in subsequent years. The search and rescue robots industry also benefits from the rise in defense expenditure, and the surge in terrorist attacks. With the strong presence of various global as well as regional firms, the competition level in the market is an at an all-time high. Other factors with major impact on the global market include the frequently changing government policies, and vendors competing on the basis of product quality, reliability, and cost. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (174 Pages) on Search and Rescue Robots: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/search-and-rescue-robots-market-10599 Market Restraints Majority of the search and rescue robots are battery-powered with extremely short lives as well as range. Hence, these robots are not ideal for long-distance missions. This restricted endurance of search and rescue robots can work against the global market in the years to come. COVID-19 Analysis The COVID-19 pandemic had a grave effect on the defense, maritime, and aviation industry worldwide. The defense industry faced a fall in tax revenues in line with the decrease in GDP, while the governments major focus is on financially assist the healthcare sector. This has led to the search and rescue robots market growing at a slower pace than before. Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=10599 Market Segmentation With respect to operation, the market caters to autonomous as well as remotely operated. Autonomous robots have the potential to enhance operations and the overall productivity. They help reduce risks to lives, costs, while improving data collection, as a result of which they are heavily used in in hazardous situations and have secured the lead in the global market. The platforms considered in the MRFR report are maritime, airborne, and land. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are majorly responsible for the maritime segments dominance in the global industry. AUVs come in a variety of types including medium, large, and shallow. AUVs are used extensively in the oil & gas industry, in addition to oceanography, military & defense, archaeological & exploration, search & rescue operations, and environmental protection & monitoring. Regional Status Asia Pacific could project the fastest growth in the next few years, backed largely by rapidly emerging countries like Japan and China that invest substantially in robotics. The robotics sector in the region is thriving as a result of the surge in natural disasters like earthquakes, volcano eruptions and more. The governments surging involvement to advance the field also works in favor of the APAC market. The North American market is currently the leader, with Canada and the U.S. standing at the vanguard. These counties make a huge demand for combat search and rescue robots that offer medical services to victims stuck in structural collapses post natural calamities. The focus on upgradation and modernization of search and rescue robots by the governments across the US also facilitates market growth in the region. Share your Queries @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/10599 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Pune, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Honey Market Outlook To 2026: "Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry." Global Honey Market Research Report 2021-2026 is a historical overview and in-depth study on the current & future market of the Honey industry. The report represents a basic overview of the Honey market share, competitor segment with a basic introduction of key players with their sales value, top regional data, product types, and end industries. This report gives a historical overview of the Honey market trends, growth, business challenges, sales value, revenue, capacity, cost structure, and key drivers analysis. This report is an exhaustive quantitative analysis of Honey and provides data for making strategies to increase market growth and effectiveness with the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Honey market. Get a Sample PDF of report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-sample/18810526 Considering the influence of COVID-19 on the global Honey market, this report analyzed the impact from both global and regional perspectives. From production end to consumption end in regions such as North America, Europe, China, and Japan, the report put emphasis on analysis of market under COVID-19 and corresponding response policy in different regions. This report also analyses the strategies for different companies to deal with the impact of COVID-19 in detail to seek a path to recovery. Under COVID-19 Outbreak, how the Honey Industry will develop is also analyzed in detail in Chapter 1.8 of this report. TO UNDERSTAND HOW COVID-19 IMPACT IS COVERED IN THIS REPORT REQUEST A SAMPLE The Major Players in the Honey Market include: The research covers the current Honey market size and its growth rates based on 5-year records with company outline of key players: Steens Ltd (New Zealand) Dabur India Limited (India) R Stephens Apiary (Australia) HoneyLab Ltd. (New Zealand) The Honey Company (US) Comvita Limited (New Zealand) Savannah Bee Company (US) Yanbian Baolixiang Beekeeping Co., Ltd. (China) Golden Acres Honey Products Ltd. (Canada) Sioux Honey Association/Sue Bee Honey (US) Bee Maid Honey (Canada) Shanghai Guan Sheng Yuan (Group) Co., Ltd. (China) Polar-Honey Finland (Lappi-Hunaja) (Finland) Capilano Honey Pty Ltd. (Australia) Dutch Gold Honey, Inc. (US) Billy Bee Products Company (Canada) Dalian Sangdi Honeybee Co., Ltd. (China) Beeyond the Hive LLC (US) Barkman Honey (US) Rowse Honey Ltd. (UK) Little Bee (India) Enquire before purchasing this report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/18810526 On the basis of product type, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share, and growth rate of each type, primarily split into: Natural Honey Honeydew Honey On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share, and growth rate for each application, including: Food Medicine Cosmetic Chapter-wise Covid-19 Impact Analysis: - In Chapter 3.4, the report provides an analysis of the reasons behind price fluctuations. - In chapters 5, 6, and 7, the impact of COVID-19 on the different regions in both production and consumption end and SWOT analysis are pointed out. - In Chapter 8, the report presents the company's recent development and strategies to deal with the impact of COVID-19. Get a sample copy of the Honey Market report 2021-2026 Some of the key questions answered in this report: What is the global ( North America, Europe, China, Japan, Middle East and Africa, South America, India, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Others ) sales value, production value, consumption value, import and export of Honey? ) sales value, production value, consumption value, import and export of Honey? Who are the global key manufacturers of the Honey Industry? How is their operating situation (capacity, production, sales, price, cost, gross, and revenue)? What are the Honey market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Honey Industry? Which application/end-user or product type may seek incremental growth prospects? What is the market share of each type and application? What focused approach and constraints are holding the Honey market? What are the different sales, marketing, and distribution channels in the global industry? Purchase this report (Price 3000 USD for a single-user license) - https://www.industryresearch.biz/purchase/18810526 Years considered for this report: Historical Years: 2016-2020 2016-2020 Base Year: 2020 2020 Estimated Year: 2021 2021 Honey Market Forecast Period: 2021-2026 With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Honey market trends, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. Detailed TOC of Global Honey Market @ https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/18810526 Global Honey Industry Report Covers following Topics: 1 Honey Introduction and Market Overview 2 Industry Chain Analysis 3 Global Honey Market, by Type 4 Honey Market, by Application 5 Global Honey Consumption, Revenue ($) by Region (2016-2021) 6 Global Honey Production by Top Regions (2016-2021) 7 Global Honey Consumption by Regions (2016-2021) 8 Competitive Landscape 9 Global Honey Market Analysis and Forecast by Type and Application 10 Honey Market Supply and Demand Forecast by Region 11 New Project Feasibility Analysis Continued Global Honey Food Market Outlook To 2027: Honey is a sweet food produced by bees foraging nectar from flowers. Honey bees convert nectar to honey through regurgitation and evaporation. The bees store the honey as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside beehives. The beekeepers extract the honey by removing the honey comb and then by crushing it or using a honey extractor. Honey bees form an important part of the food chain as they aid in pollination, which is required to support the food chain. The industry's leading producers are Capilano Honey, Comvita and Dabur, with revenue ratios of 2.34%, 2.08% and 1.46% in 2019, respectively. Request for a Sample PDF of Report at https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-sample/18876994 Market Analysis and Insights: Global Honey Food Market In 2020, the global Honey Food market size was USD 6447.6 million and it is expected to reach USD 8551.7 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 4.1% during 2021-2027. Global Honey Food Scope and Market Size: Honey Food market is segmented by region, by country, company, type, application and by sales channels. Players, stakeholders, and other participants in the global Honey Food market will be able to gain the upper hand as they use the report as a powerful resource. The segmental analysis focuses on sales, revenue and forecast by region, by country, company, type, application and by sales channels for the period 2016-2027. For More Information or Query or Customization before buying, Visit at https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/18876994 Segment by Type, the Honey Food market is segmented into: Bottle Jar Tube Tub Others Segment by Application, the Honey Food market is segmented into: Hypermarkets and Supermarkets Convenience Stores Specialty Stores Others Regional and Country-level Analysis: North America United States Canada Asia-Pacific China Japan South Korea India Southeast Asia Australia Rest of Asia-Pacific Europe Germany France U.K. Italy Russia Nordic Countries Rest of Europe Latin America Mexico Brazil Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa Turkey Saudi Arabia UAE Rest of MEA Buy this report (Price 5900 USD for a single-user license) - https://www.industryresearch.biz/purchase/18876994 Competitive Landscape and Honey Food Market Share Analysis: Honey Food market competitive landscape provides details and data information by companies. The report offers comprehensive analysis and accurate statistics on revenue by the player for the period 2016-2021. It also offers detailed analysis supported by reliable statistics on sale and revenue by players for the period 2016-2021. Details included are company description, major business, Honey Food product introduction, recent developments, Honey Food sales by region, type, application and by sales channel. The major companies include: Capilano Honey Comvita Dabur Dutch Gold Manuka Health Bee Maid Honey Anhui Mizhiyuan Group Langnese Barkman Honey New Zealand Honey Co. Nature Nate's Rowse Billy Bee Honey Products Little Bee Impex Heavenly Organics Beeyond the Hive Madhava Honey Dalian Sangdi Honeybee Hi-Tech Natural Products Y.S. Organic Bee Farms To Understand How Covid-19 Impact Is Covered in This Report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-covid19/18876994 Extrapolates Covered in The Global Honey Food Market Report: Study over changing competitive market dynamics Latest opportunities & challenges, threats, historical & future trends Analysis of the geographical distribution and competitive landscape for better The report also covers key drivers latest development trends, new product launches, and other vital aspects as well. A statistical study covering market size, share, and revenue for a better understanding of the current market status. Key Points from TOC: 1 Study Coverage 2 Executive Summary 3 Global Honey Food by Manufacturers 4 Company Profiles 5 Breakdown Data by Type 6 Breakdown Data by Application 7 North America 8 Asia-Pacific 9 Europe 10 Latin America 11 Middle East and Africa 12 Supply Chain and Sales Channel Analysis Detailed TOC of Global Honey Food Market Size, Manufacturers, Supply Chain, Sales Channel and Clients, 2021-2027: https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/18876994 About Us: Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in technology has provided todays businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is a credible source for gaining market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. New York City, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of the nations leading grocers, today, committed to taking a staggered approach to improving broiler chicken welfare. Sprouts Farmers Market, which has more than 360 stores in 23 states, released an updated animal welfare commitment after two years of discussions with animal welfare organizations such as Compassion in World Farming, the worlds leading farm animal welfare organization, and other industry partners. The new commitment includes a timeline for providing meaningful and measurable sourcing standards for the chickens raised for consumption in its own-brand fresh chicken, one-pan meals, full-service case, and roasted deli offering. Todays news comes a week after the announcement of a US Working Group for Broiler Welfare by seven of the nations leading food and restaurant companies. There is now real momentum in the movement for improving broiler chicken welfare, said Ben Williamson, US Executive Director, Compassion in World Farming. Sprouts has been working with our technical experts for at least two years to ensure its commitment will improve broiler chicken welfare meaningfully and measurably. This approach is indicative of a company that wants to deliver on its promises. Over 200 brands in the United States have committed to improving welfare standards in alignment with the Better Chicken Commitment, which sets a baseline welfare standard for breed selection, space allocation, environmental enrichments, slaughter method, and third-party auditing. Other retailers that have adopted the Better Chicken Commitment include Whole Foods Market, Giant Eagle, and Thrive Market. Sprouts phased approach will provide enrichments by 2024, reduce stocking density by 2025, and allow for more humane slaughter, through controlled-atmosphere stunning, by 2026. The retailer also recognizes the welfare issues experienced by conventional breeds of chickens raised for meat and will continue to explore how to adopt higher welfare breeds. About Compassion in World Farming Founded in 1967 by a British dairy farmer, Compassion in World Farming works closely with companies, policymakers, and the public to drive large-scale and meaningful improvements for farmed animals. Media Contact: Ben Williamson at ben.williamson@ciwf.org -ends- BRAVERY MEDAL (BM) Senior Constable William Robert ATWOOD, Queensland Police Senior Constable William Atwood displayed considerable bravery during the attempted rescue of a man in Bowen, Queensland on 12 December 2015. In the early evening, a triple 0 call was received from a man who said that his home unit was full of gas and he was threatening to ignite it. Senior Constable Atwood, then a Constable, and another officer were despatched to the block of home units. On reaching the front door of the man's unit, the officers detected the smell and sound of gas being released from a cylinder inside the unit. Senior Constable Atwood and his colleague issued verbal commands to the man to turn off the gas and come outside. With the man refusing to the leave the unit, Senior Constable Atwood forced entry by kicking the front door and the officers entered. Without warning, a large explosion occurred, and Senior Constable Atwood and his colleague were thrown backwards by the force. Regaining their feet, and despite their injuries, Senior Constable Atwood's colleague then re-entered the unit telling the man to get out as fire began to take hold. Due to the heat the officer had to exit the unit. Senior Constable Atwood then re-entered the unit to remove the man, but also had to leave. Both officers then evacuated the other units in the complex. The badly injured man emerged from the unit and was taken to hospital for treatment, but sadly, he did not survive his injuries. Senior Constable Atwood and his colleague were also taken to hospital and treated for second degree burns caused by the explosion. Sergeant Clint William DREW, Queensland Police Sergeant Clint Drew displayed considerable bravery during the rescue of people from a burning vehicle on Palm Island, Queensland on 27 December 2017. At about 6.30am, a vehicle containing three people collided with a power pole and burst into flames. The vehicle had been severely damaged, trapping the occupants inside. Sergeant Drew, then a Senior Constable, and other officers arrived at the scene and approached the burning vehicle. Sergeant Drew approached the vehicle and, together with another officer, managed to free one of the occupants through the rear window, and remove him to a safe distance. He then called for bystanders who had gathered to source water to help douse the growing flames. He returned to the vehicle to assist another officer who was trying to remove the two remaining occupants trapped by crumpled vehicle panels. They worked together in an attempt to extricate one of the occupants, but he was unable to be freed from the wreckage. Sergeant Drew and the other officer were then directed to move away from the vehicle as the flames and smoke were intensifying. Emergency services arrived and extinguished the flames. Sergeant Drew assisted with the removal of the remaining two occupants and all three occupants were taken to the hospital for treatment. Sadly, one of the occupants died at the scene. Sergeant Drew also proceeded to the hospital where he was treated for smoke inhalation Mr Michael Francessco FORMICA, Gayndah Qld 4625 Mr Michael Formica displayed considerable bravery during the rescue of people from a burning house in Harristown, Queensland on 10 September 2019. Mr Michael Formica, an off-duty ambulance officer, was visiting family in Harristown when he noticed a house on fire. As he approached the residence he heard screaming coming from inside. He entered through the back door of the house and found a woman inside who was covered in soot and very distressed. He pulled her outside and she told him that her eight year old daughter was still inside. He re-entered the house which was full of thick, black smoke and, dropping to his knees, crawled in the direction of the living room but was forced back due to the heat and smoke. Using the torch on his phone he crawled into the house again but was unable to locate anyone. He exited the house and broke some windows to allow the smoke to ventilate. He went inside again and checked the living room before making his way to a bedroom. On hearing a noise he opened a cupboard and located a dog which he took outside to safety. He entered the house again and heard a noise coming from another bedroom. He went into the room and located another dog which he also took outside. Mr Formica noticed the young girl had made her way to the garage and took her to her mother before moving them to safety at the front of the house. He remained with the woman and young girl until emergency services arrived. Senior Constable Dylan Michael MAESTRI, Queensland Police Senior Constable Dylan Maestri displayed considerable bravery during the rescue of people from a burning vehicle on Palm Island, Queensland on 27 December 2017. At about 6.30am, a vehicle containing three people collided with a power pole and burst into flames. The vehicle had been severely damaged, trapping the occupants inside. Senior Constable Dylan Maestri, then a Constable, and other officers arrived at the scene and approached the burning vehicle. Senior Constable Maestri alerted other emergency services and requested their attendance. He approached the vehicle and, together with another officer, managed to free one of the occupants through the rear window, and remove him to a safe distance. He noticed another occupant in the front of the vehicle who was unresponsive. He attempted to remove the person but they were trapped by crumpled vehicle panels. Another officer then joined him and they worked together in an attempt to extricate the other occupant, but he was also unable to be freed from the wreckage. Senior Constable Maestri and the other officer were then directed to move away from the vehicle as the flames and smoke were intensifying. Emergency services arrived and extinguished the flames. Senior Constable Maestri assisted with the removal of the remaining two occupants and all three occupants were taken to the hospital for treatment. Sadly, one of the occupants died at the scene. Senior Constable Maestri also proceeded to the hospital where he was treated for smoke inhalation. Senior Constable Kimberley Jayne MURPHY, Queensland Police Senior Constable Kimberley Murphy displayed considerable bravery during the attempted rescue of a man in Bowen, Queensland on 12 December 2015. In the early evening, a triple 0 call was received from a man who said that his home unit was full of gas and he was threatening to ignite it. Senior Constable Murphy, then a Constable, and another officer were despatched to the block of home units. On reaching the front door of the man's unit, the officers detected the smell and sound of gas being released from a cylinder inside the unit. Senior Constable Murphy and her colleague issued verbal commands to the man to turn off the gas and come outside. With the man refusing to the leave the unit, Senior Constable Murphy's colleague forced entry and the officers went inside. Without warning, a large explosion occurred, and Senior Constable Murphy and her colleague were thrown backwards by the force. Regaining their feet, and despite their injuries, Senior Constable Murphy re-entered the unit telling the man to get out as fire began to take hold. Due to the heat, Senior Constable Murphy had to exit the unit. The other officer then re-entered the unit, but also had to leave. Both officers then evacuated the other units in the complex. The badly injured man emerged from the unit and was taken to hospital for treatment, but sadly, he did not survive his injuries. Senior Constable Murphy and her colleague were also taken to hospital and treated for second degree burns caused by the explosion. She was later airlifted to Townsville hospital for further treatment. COMMENDATION FOR BRAVE CONDUCT Senior Constable Benjamin Dallas BREWSTER, Queensland Police Senior Constable Benjamin Brewster is commended for brave conduct for his actions during the rescue of a person at Mooloolaba Beach, Queensland on 11 December 2017. Around midnight, Senior Constable Benjamin Brewster and another officer were on duty when they were notified that a man was threatening to throw himself onto rocks at Mooloolaba Beach. When Senior Constable Brewster and his colleague arrived at the beach they used torches to locate the man, who had entered the water and was being swamped by the heavy swell. Senior Constable Brewster threw his gunbelt to his partner and entered the water, battling the heavy conditions and the darkness. The distressed man was about 75 metres from the shore when Senior Constable Brewster reached him. He grabbed hold of the man who put up a struggle. Both men were submerged several times before Senior Constable Brewster was able to get hold of the man again and swim him back to shore. On reaching waist deep water, the man broke free and swam back out behind the breaking waves. Senior Constable Brewster followed him and grabbed the struggling man again and returned him to shore. Despite being exhausted from the incident, Senior Constable Brewster restrained the man until paramedics arrived and took him to hospital. Senior Constable Kylie Rae GUNTER, Queensland Police Senior Constable Kylie Gunter is commended for brave conduct for her actions during an incident with an armed offender in Mackay, Queensland on 30 May 2018. In the afternoon, Constable Kylie Gunter and two other officers were first on the scene in response to multiple triple 0 calls regarding a gunman in the Central Business District of Mackay. The offender, armed with multiple rifles, had walked up and down Gregory Street, discharging his weapons on several occasions. He then leant against a vehicle and pointed the gun towards his head. Senior Constable Gunter and the other officers surrounded the gunman so as to prevent him from being near members of the public, and drew their service pistols. They directed him to drop his weapons, but he refused. Officers began to negotiate with the gunman and, after 20 minutes, police negotiators then spoke to the gunman via phone. Despite knowing the offender's weapons were loaded, Senior Constable Gunter and the other officers stood their posts for approximately 50 minutes until the gunman placed his weapons on the ground and surrendered. Detective Senior Constable Liam James McWHINNEY, Queensland Police Detective Senior Constable Liam McWhinney is commended for brave conduct for his actions during an incident with an armed offender in Mackay, Queensland on 30 May 2018. In the afternoon, three police officers were first on the scene in response to multiple triple 0 calls regarding a gunman in the Central Business District of Mackay. The offender, armed with multiple rifles, had walked up and down Gregory Street, discharging his weapons on several occasions. He then leant against a vehicle and pointed the gun towards his head. Arriving on the scene, Detective Senior Constable Liam McWhinney joined the three other officers and surrounded the gunman so as to prevent him from being near members of the public, and drew his service pistol. The officers directed the offender to drop his weapons, but he refused. Detective Senior Constable McWhinney and another officer began to negotiate with the gunman and, after 20 minutes, police negotiators then spoke to the gunman via phone. Despite knowing the offender's weapons were loaded, Detective Senior Constable McWhinney and the other officers stood their posts for approximately 50 minutes until the gunman placed his weapons on the ground and surrendered. Mr Jack Callum MOHR, Marcoola Qld 4564 Mr Jack Mohr is commended for brave conduct for his actions during the rescue of a woman from rough surf at Peregian Beach, Queensland on 18 February 2018. At about 4.30pm, Mr Jack Mohr, then aged 16 years, and a friend, both off-duty surf lifesavers, were walking along Peregian Beach when they saw a woman struggling in difficult surf conditions about 100 metres from shore. Another person had entered the water in attempt to reach the woman but the conditions forced him back. While his friend alerted emergency services, Mr Mohr entered the hazardous surf and swam out to the woman, who was caught in a strong rip. When he reached the distressed woman, she was having difficulty keeping afloat and was being swamped by large waves. He grabbed hold of her and provided reassurance and swimming techniques before pulling her diagonally across the rip. A short time later they reached the safety of the shore where the woman was checked by lifeguards. Sergeant Tasman Garrick PLACE, Queensland Police Sergeant Tasman Place is commended for brave conduct for his actions during an incident with an armed offender in Mackay, Queensland on 30 May 2018. In the afternoon, Sergeant Tasman Place and two other officers were first on the scene in response to multiple triple 0 calls regarding a gunman in the Central Business District of Mackay. The offender, armed with multiple rifles, had walked up and down Gregory Street, discharging his weapons on several occasions. He then leant against a vehicle and pointed the gun towards his head. Sergeant Place and the other officers surrounded the gunman so as to prevent him from being near members of the public, and drew their service pistols. They directed him to drop his weapons, but he refused. Officers began to negotiate with the gunman and, after 20 minutes, police negotiators then spoke to the gunman via phone. Despite knowing the offender's weapons were loaded, Sergeant Place and the other officers stood their posts for approximately 50 minutes until the gunman placed his weapons on the ground and surrendered. The US Bureau of Reclamation released the Colorado River Basin August 2021 24-Month Study. This months study projections are used to set annual operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead in 2022. Releases from these massive reservoirs are determined by anticipated reservoir elevations. Most of the flow of the Colorado River originates in the upper portions of the Colorado River Basin in the Rocky Mountains. The Upper Basin experienced an exceptionally dry spring in 2021, with April to July runoff into Lake Powell, the reservoir created by the Glen Canyon Dam, totaling just 26% of average despite near-average snowfall last winter. The projected water year 2021 unregulated inflow into Lake Powellthe amount that would have flowed to Lake Mead, the reservoir created by Hoover Dam, without the benefit of storage behind Glen Canyon Damis approximately 32% of average. Total Colorado River system storage today is 40% of capacity, down from 49% at this time last year. Given ongoing historic drought and low runoff conditions in the Colorado River Basin, downstream releases from Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam will be reduced in 2022 due to declining reservoir levels. In the Lower Basin the reductions represent the first shortage declarationdemonstrating the severity of the drought and low reservoir conditions, the Bureau said. Map of Colorado Basin reservoir conditions, showing percent average contents, 16 Aug 2021. Source: Colorado River Basin Forecast Center, NOAA. Plans that have been developed over the past two decades lay out detailed operational rules for these critical Colorado River reservoirs: Based on projections in the study, Lake Powell will operate in the Mid-Elevation Release Tier in water year 2022 (1 October 2021 through 30 September 2022), and Lake Mead will operate in its first Level 1 Shortage Condition in calendar year 2022 (1 January 2022 through 31 December 2022). Lake Powell Mid-Elevation Release Tier: The study projects Lake Powells 1 January 2022 elevation to be 3,535.40 feetabout 165 feet below full and about 45 feet above minimum power pool. Based on this projection, Lake Powell will operate in the Mid-Elevation Release Tier in water year 2022. Under this tier, Lake Powell will release 7.48 million acre-feet in water year 2022 without the potential for a mid-year adjustment in April 2022. Lake Mead Level 1 Shortage Condition: The study projects Lake Meads 1 January 2022, elevation to be 1,065.85 feetabout 9 feet below the Lower Basin shortage determination trigger of 1,075 feet and about 24 feet below the drought contingency plan trigger of 1,090 feet. Based on this projection, Lake Mead will operate in a Level 1 Shortage Condition for the first time. Lake Powell water elevation. Source: Bureau of Reclamation The required shortage reductions and water savings contributions under the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, 2019 Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan and Minute 323 to the 1944 Water Treaty with Mexico are: Arizona: 512,000 acre-feet, which is approximately 18% of the states annual apportionment Nevada: 21,000 acre-feet, which is 7% of the states annual apportionment Mexico: 80,000 acre-feet, which is approximately 5% of the countrys annual allotment In July 2021, drought operations to protect Lake Powell were implemented under the Upper Basin Drought Response Operations Agreement which project releasing up to an additional 181,000-acre feet of water from upstream initial units of the Colorado River Storage Project to Lake Powell. The Colorado River is a critical resource in the US West because seven basin statesArizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyomingdepend on it for water supply, hydropower production, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and other benefits. GREENWICH Whatever the result, todays special election in the 36th Senate District will provide grist for the continuing debate over the political identity of this affluent corner of Connecticut, a region of outsized political and economic influence. Greenwich is a brand synonymous with wealth and power, a community of 63,518 that trails only London, New York City and Chicago in hedge fund jobs, and where million-dollar homes are sold as tear-downs. But its status as a Republican town where Prescott Bush Sr. once embodied Grand Old Party values as a U.S. senator and raised a future president, George Herbert Walker Bush reached a tipping point this year. Democratic voters now outnumber Republicans, 12,435 to 11,973. There are 15,917 unaffiliated voters, meaning that the GOP ranks third in Greenwich a stunning fall that accelerated with the nomination of Donald J. Trump in 2016. On the ballot today are three candidates vying to succeed Alex Kasser, a wealthy Democrat who spent freely in 2018 to capitalize on the animus towards Trump, unseat Republican Scott Frantz and put a Greenwich Democrat in the state Senate for the first time since the Great Depression. Kasser was re-elected in 2020, beating Republican Ryan Fazio by 2 percentage points. She resigned abruptly in the midst of an ugly divorce. Today, Fazio faces Democrat Alexis Gevanter and a potential spoiler, John Blankley, a Democrat running as a petitioning candidate. The 36th Senate District covers all of Greenwich and slices of Democratic Stamford and Republican New Canaan to the north and east. All three candidates are from Greenwich, which has 62 percent of the districts 66,811 voters. Stamford has 28 percent and New Canaan 11 percent. But members of both parties are reluctant to handicap a mid-August special election in what only recently became a swing district, as did the neighboring 26th District, which covers the other half of New Canaan and six other Fairfield County communities. It all comes down to Greenwich, because Stamfords going to go for [Gevanter], and New Canaan certainly is going to go for Fazio, is my bet, said Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport, who flipped the 26th District the same year as Kassers upset of Frantz in Greenwich. Overall, voter registration in the district now slightly favors Democrats over Republicans: 21,291 to 19,194, with 25,079 unaffiliated voters. Frantz, who supported Fazio in 2020 and is backing him again this year, cautioned against anyone trying to reach a conclusion about the districts political leanings based on the special election. I think any conclusions that we make Wednesday morning will be inconclusive, because it is a special election, and turnout is ridiculously low, Frantz said. Next years election will be much more revealing in terms of what actually has happened. The struggles of a late-summer campaign were evident on recent rounds of door-knocking. In New Canaan, Fazio found himself trying to persuade an absent voter through a video and audio security system activated by him ringing the doorbell. Gevanter had slightly better luck trying to engage a Democrat leaving his house in Old Greenwich, dressed for the beach. You the Democrat? he asked. When she nodded, he promised, You have my vote. You have the vote of everybody in this house. At least with the voters at home, both candidates found voters aware of the special election and decided on their vote. At Republican doors, two voters assured Fazio they already had absentee ballots ready to cast on his behalf. Fazio, who prefers in-person voting, said promoting the use of absentee ballots was a challenge for a Republican after 2020. Trump had equated absentee ballots with fraud. It became political, to put it lightly might have become a little religious last year, Fazio said. Fazio faces the challenge of tacking to the center while not antagonizing Trump voters. Hillary Clinton carried Greenwich in the 2016 general election, but Trump won the primary here inviting an examination in the New Yorker by Evan Osnos, a writer who grew up in Greenwich, about the degree to which financial elites in the GOP really were turned off by Trump. Clearly, some Republicans were. Twenty years ago, when George W. Bush became president, the GOP dominated the voter rolls here: There were 15,107 Republicans, 6,884 Democrats and 12,434 unaffiliated. In 2015, when Trump launched his campaign, the split was still favorable: 11,719 Republicans, 7,434 Democrats and 10,964f unaffiliated. But the differences shrank throughout the Trump administration. On the eve of the election in 2020, the Republican advantage had shrunk to fewer than 300 voters in Greenwich. The last presidential election was very kind of polarizing, and I think that caused many people to either change parties or go independent, Frantz said. Another factor, he said, is an influx of New Yorkers during the COVID pandemic, few of whom registered Republican. (The town also became more racially diverse in the past decade, with the non-Hispanic white population shrinking from 80 percent to 72 percent. Hispanics are the towns largest minority group at 12.8 percent, followed by Asians at 7.4 percent.) Democrats say Trump moved the party right, too far right for some Gold Coast Republicans. The voters have stayed the same. They still care about lower taxes, they still care about growing jobs, Gevanter said. Issues with the economy are still of the utmost importance to the district. The race is inconsequential by one metric: A Republican pickup might be a symbolic boost for a party that badly needs one, but Democrats either will resume the 24-12 advantage in the state Senate won last fall or remain in power with a considerable 23-13 majority. The off-cycle, mid-summer race has been nationalized to a degree, with Democrats pegging Fazio as a Trump acolyte and Republicans suggesting that Gevanter, a business lawyer married to a Greenwich investor, is the second coming of Nancy Pelosi. The jab is a reference to Gevanter moving from San Francisco to Greenwich in 2018. Fazio is a former commodities trader who works for a small venture-capital firm. Gevanter, 39, who interrupted a legal career after the birth of the first of her two sons four years ago, joined the gun-control group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America after the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. She was the state chapter leader until beginning her campaign. Fazio framed his campaign as a plea to keep the Democrats from holding a super-majority. His pitch resonated in New Canaan with Mike Allocca, a retired manufacturing executive. I think what we need is more balance in the country, and certainly in the state, Allocca said. Gevanter counters by arguing the district can best be served with a moderate voice inside a Democratic caucus led by a liberal, Sen. Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven. An arm of the Democratic National Party, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, has highlighted the race, though the influence of outside groups is limited by Gevanter and Fazio both accepting the spending limits that come with public financing. Both major party candidates can spend about $94,000 about $16,000 in qualifying contributions and public grants of nearly $78,000. Blankley reported having $26,000 to spend, much of it his own money. But surrogates have flocked to the race, knowing that it never is bad politics to be seen and heard by voters who might turn out to be donors in coming races. Greenwich is home to the two Democrats expected to lead the ticket next year: Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Being on the ballot for the second time in nine months is an advantage for Fazio, a 31-year-old conservative who has written for The Federalist and has turned over management of his campaign to Patrick Sasser, a pugnacious Stamford firefighter who led a successful grassroots campaign against Gov. Ned Lamonts proposal for highway tolls. Lamont rebounded from that failure in 2019, winning bipartisan support in most polling for his management of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Lamont blocked efforts by progressives to raise taxes on the rich, insisting no broad-based tax increase was necessary. Gevanter has been happy to accept Lamonts endorsement and campaign with him. Im the partner he needs, Gevanter said. He said it again and again. GREENWICH With the start of Greenwichs new school year just two weeks away, district officials updated parents about what students can expect when classrooms reopen with rising COVID-19 cases reported in the community. The plan is still to open schools on time with an orientation day for sixth- and ninth-graders on Aug. 31 and for all students with a full day of classes on Sept. 1, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones said via a Zoom meeting Monday night. And masks will be required, Jones said as she and other district officials answered questions sent in over the last week by students and parents. Jones offered a note of warning about the tenuous nature of the COVID-19 situation, as she recalled how the state allowed schools to open late last year. Absolutely school is set to begin on time, Jones said. We are driven by state decisions, not only from the Connecticut Department of Education but (also) the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the governors executive orders. So they can always make a change a week or two that can change things by a couple of days. As of right now, were anticipating (the start of school) being on time. The recent spread of the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 has made reopening the schools a challenge, she said, especially since vaccines have not been approved for use for children under the age of 12. Currently, masks are required in all school buildings under a state mandate through an executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont, Jones said. That order requires masks in certain settings, such as schools and health-care facilities, regardless of vaccination status unless a person has an exemption signed by a physician. A mask exemption form is available on the districts website. A parent, identified only as Jennifer with kids at Old Greenwich School and Eastern Middle School, asked why it was not an option for parents to make the choice that best fits their family. We have our children wear these masks because breakthrough infections do occur, and we still have asymptomatic carriers of infections, said Mary Keller, the districts supervisor of school health programs. Although were hoping that at some point in time this will change, right now in the best interests of all the children we ask everyone to wear masks. Katherine Noble, the districts medical adviser, said most children who become infected with COVID tend to have mild to no symptoms. But, she said, There is that very small but very significant risk of life-threatening complications from COVID that do exist in children and very importantly children spread the infection to one another and to teachers and potentially to other relatives who are at risk. That governors order is set to expire Sept. 30, but it can be extended. Jones said it was unclear what further direction might come from the state on masks or other policies. I cant really speak to what will happen after Sept. 30, she said. I think if we learned anything over the last year-and-a-half its that every week can be different, every month can be different. As we get closer to Sept. 30, well be evaluating that. The one thing that we have relied on heavily is our health professionals to help us make those decisions about what will keep our schools and our children the safest. We will continue to do that. The district will weigh guidance from the state but also from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the town Department of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as from Keller and other district health officials, Jones said. When asked what would happen if the use of vaccines were to be approved for children under the age of 12, Keller said the district would likely set up partnerships with the state or a local health center for clinics, which it did earlier in the year to vaccinate teachers and students over the age of 12. We would want to make (the vaccine) available to anyone who wants it, Keller said. According to information from the town, as of last Friday, 77.46 percent of Greenwich residents ages 12 to 17 are vaccinated, or 4,221 children of the 5,449 population. The remote learning that was offered last year will not be an option, at least for now, in the 2021-22 school year, Jones said. It is different than it has been the last year-and-a-half, she said. Our legislature decided that remote learning was not going to be allowed. Unless we have a governors order or something of that nature, which we had in the spring of 2020, that is not an option. Also, students will no longer be divided into cohorts as they were last school year, Deputy Superintendent E. Ann Carabillo said, because there will be no remote or hybrid options. However, the district will enforce social distancing of 3 feet in classrooms, and the same rules about student traffic and school lunches that were put in place last year will be used again this fall, she said. School administrators are still working out other details, Carabillo said. When asked about the option for home schooling for children, Jones said parents can contact the districts office and fill out a form. Jones also pledged that the district will continue to report cases of COVID-19 within the schools to parents, just as it did last year. She promised to be as transparent as possible so that all of our families understand what is happening with COVID. Individual notices will be sent out, and the district will update its online COVID-tracker, Jones said. There was no public comment session during the meeting. More than 170 questions were sent in to the district for the meeting. Jones and other administrators read many questions out loud during the hourlong meeting, identifying the students or parents only by their first names and schools, and provided answers. The Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Aug. 23 to further discuss the fall reopening of schools. The district is slated to post the video of Mondays presentation on its website at www.greenwichschools.org. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Haiti - Earthquake : Mexico, Chile, Taiwan, Japan, Venezuela, International aid is coming Following the deadly earthquake that hit southern Haiti on August 14, 12 km north east of Saint-Louis du Sud https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes.html, international aid is arriving in Haiti. Chile : Chilean President Sebastian Pinera expressed his solidarity with the Haitian people and declared "The earthquake in Haiti means a huge humanitarian tragedy, lives lost and infrastructure destroyed. Today, Chile is sending humanitarian aid, medicines, sanitary items, food, among other things that the Haitian people need [...] Chileans know what a devastating earthquake means and what it means. means in terms of suffering and pain for people who have to live these ordeals, and that is why we have every reason in the world today to accompany, support and help Haitians in these moments of pain and anguish," confirming "the dispatch on Monday evening of a Boeing KC-135 with more than 16 tons of humanitarian aid : medicines, sanitary items, food, water and other facts and things necessary in Haiti." In detail, the aid includes 11,000 liters of purified water, feeding kits and food rations with non-perishable foods (flour, sugar, noodles, rice, tea, potted tuna, beans, chickpeas, milk powder, soybeans, horse mackerel, biscuits, salt, mashed potatoes, coffee, sweeteners and jam, among other products), as well as personal hygiene kits for men and women and medicines. In addition, Sebastian Pinera revealed that he had met with the presidents of Panama and Costa Rica "in order to coordinate the humanitarian aid that they will also send to Haiti and for which Chile will provide air transport." Mexico : The Mexican Air Force (FAM) sent two heavy and medium transport planes to Haiti, with humanitarian aid to support its population following the earthquake. FAM Commander General Gerardo Vega Rivera ordered the departure of two planes: A C-295W CASA, with a capacity of 8 tons, took around 60 members of the Mexican army specializing in medical and rescue care and their equipment, to support Haitians affected by the earthquake A Hercules L-100-30 which carries a cargo of nearly 20 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of medicine, clinical supplies, food and rescue equipment, in addition to transporting support equipment. Japan : On Monday August 16, in response to the request of the Government of Haiti, the Government of Japan decided to provide emergency aid (sheets, floor matekas, woolen blankets, plastic sheeting, jerry cans etc...) to Haiti by through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to support the victims of the August 14 earthquake. Taiwan : The Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES), with the support of Taiwan (Republic of China) stands in solidarity with the inhabitants of the departments of the South, Grand-Anse and Nippes hard hit by the earthquake of August 14, 2021 via the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES). To this end, in the aftermath of the earthquake, the FAES dispatched several convoys containing thousands of food kits for distribution to victims of the Great South. Operations began the same day in various places, in a spirit of solidarity and sharing. FAES thanked Taiwan which has never spared its efforts to help the Haitian Government and people in such circumstances. Venezuela : On Monday, Venezuelan Ambassador to Haiti Pedro Antonio Canino Gonzalez extended to the Haitian people the sympathies of his government and the people of Venezuela. According to the diplomat, all measures have already been taken by Venezuela to bring solidarity to the victims. Boats with all the technical structures should arrive in the country in the coming days, stressing that the day after the disaster, a first boat carrying aid had already arrived in Haiti. Read also about the earthquake : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34507-haiti-flash-1-417-dead-6-975-injured-84-225-houses-destroyed-or-damaged-partial-assessment.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34501-icihaiti-earthquake-food-for-the-poor-in-action.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34500-haiti-usa-american-aid-arrives-in-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34498-haiti-flash-the-partial-death-toll-increases-nearly-1-300-dead-and-5-700-injured.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34496-haiti-flash-the-toll-is-increasing-724-dead-international-aid-is-arriving.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34493-haiti-earthquake-rain-of-messages-of-sympathy-part-1.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34492-haiti-earthquake-the-international-community-has-started-to-show-its-solidarity.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34488-haiti-flash-more-than-300-dead-nearly-2-000-injured-very-significant-material-damage-provisional-assessment.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34487-haiti-flash-the-human-toll-promises-to-be-heavy-already-227-dead-and-hundreds-injured.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34486-haiti-flash-7-new-aftershocks-in-the-southern-peninsula.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34480-haiti-flash-second-earthquake-in-haiti-magnitude-52.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes-updated-10am.html SL/ TB/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Message from the Queen of England Her Majesty the Queen of England Elisabeth II sent a message of condolence to the Prime Minister of Haiti "I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the earthquake in Haiti. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost their lives, loved ones and homes, as well as the emergency services working in the recovery effort." Port-de-Paix : The power plant burgled On the night of August 13, the new power plant in Port-de-Paix was the victim of a burglary by unidentified individuals who left with several batteries. The guard of the La Saline Power Plant was taken into custody. 3 days of national mourning The Government has decreed three days of national mourning from Tuesday August 17 to August 19, 2021, in memory of all the victims of the earthquake of August 14, 2021 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes.html . The flags will be half mast. A week of prayer In a note published on Monday, August 16, 2021, the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince calls on the priests responsible for the parish and the various religious communities working in the archdiocese to organize a week of prayer from August 18 to 24, 2021, by way of solidarity with the victims of the earthquake of August 14, 2021. Throughout this week, specifies the archdiocese, the parishes will collect donations from the faithful for the victims of the earthquake. Les Anglais and Tiburon, electricity restored "I have just confirmed with the local company operating the Les Anglais and Tiburon microgrids. Electricity service is restored in the city center of these two municipalities. The electrical infrastructure was not severely damaged," said Evenson Calixte, Director General of the National Energy Sector Regulatory Authority (ANARSE) See also https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34507-haiti-flash-1-417-dead-6-975-injured-84-225-houses-destroyed-or-damaged-partial-assessment.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes.html Senator Fourcand is organizing an airlift with his plane South Senator Herve Fourcand (PHTK) has been organizing an airlift since yesterday to help transfer the wounded from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince. The senator made his own plane available to the victims and received assistance from other air carriers Taiwan : Donation of 500,000 US dollars Following the deadly earthquake of August 14, the President of Taiwan (Republic of China) TSAI Ing-wen, aware of the gravity of the situation and the needs of the people and the Haitian Government, announced emergency humanitarian aid of 500,000 US dollars, to help the Haitian government meet the immediate challenges. The Taiwanese Embassy in Haiti will coordinate with the Haitian side the use of this financial assistance. HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2021/08/17 | Source New poster added for the upcoming Korean movie "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" (2019) Advertisement Directed by Pil Kam-sung With Hwang Jung-min, Kim Jae-bum, Lee Yoo-mi, Ryu Kyung-soo, Han Kyu-won-I, Jeong Jae-won,... Synopsis After a VIP movie premiere, Korean top movie star Hwang Jung-min gets kidnapped by strangers. Jeong-min first thinks that someone is playing pranks, but the kidnappers' cruelty helps Jeong-min realize that the abduction is no joke. Jeong-min tries to find his way out, while the kidnappers demand him a huge amount of ransom within 24 hours. Jeong-min encounters a real brutality that is way different and more extreme than the ones he has seen in the movies. Release date in Korea : 2021/08/18 Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up Email Password Password Username Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password. Stay logged in Help Recommended evacuations in Hays and Lodge Pole areas; Agency fire contained Editor's note: This version uses updated information from mtfireinfo.gov to correct the names of the fires. Fires on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation leading to evacuations. 9:15 a.m. A post on the Phillips County Sheriffs Office at about 9 a.m. said incident command has issued a mandatory evacuation notice for Zortman-area residents. Law enforcement will be going door to door to advise residents to evacuate the area. High winds will be pushing the fire to the Zortman area. People are asked to take essentials only and evacuate to Malta to the old National Guard Armory. 3:15 p.m. A post on the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council Facebook page about midnight warns that Hay,s Pine Grove and Star Hill are on a warning status for evacuation. Posts there and on the Phillips County Sheriff's Office Facebook page also warn that the fire is moving toward Zortman. "Pack essentials and be prepared to leave at a moment's notice," the sheriff's office post says. "We will advise if an evacuation is mandatory, at this time just be prepared." A post about 11 p.m. on the Fort Belknap council page said a purposeful burnout operation was taking place to eliminate fuel to protect the surrounding structures from Pine Grove throughout Carry Water Hill. A post about 8 p.m. said the fire near the Fort Belknap Agency was contained and hot spots were being mopped up. 4:20 p.m. A post on the Fort Belknap council Facebook page said the Red Whip center will be available for agency residents for the time being while the situation of a fire near the agency is being monitored. 3:30 p.m. A Facebook post about 3:30 said due to Agency fire emergency, an evacuation of Agency residents and office buildings was under way, for all employees and residents along the river at the agency. A post shortly before 4 p.m. reported that due to a wind shift, the fire was turning toward Lodge Pole. All residents were told to evacuate to the Lodge Pole school. A post about 4:40 p.m. reported The Eagle Child Healthcare Center __ the Hays Clinic --) was closed, although the emergency room still was open. Http://mtfireinfo.org lists the Pine Grove Fire between Hays and Lodge Pole and the Runway Fire just west of the Fort Belknap Agency. The site reports that the Pine Grove Fire was discovered today about 11:36 a.m. and the Runway Fire was discovered today about 3;03 P.M. 12:30 p.m. A Facebook post on the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council website said a large fire was burning in the Carrywater Hill area and surrounding homes were being evacuated. We are advising all non emergency personnel to stay away from the Carrywater hill and White Cow areas at this time to allow emergency personnel to evacuate the residents safely. "We are advising all non emergency personnel to stay away from the Carrywater Hill and White Cow areas at this time to allow emergency personnel to evacuate the residents safely," the post said. Shelters are being set in the Hays school, the John Capture Center in Hays, Lodge Pole Elementary schools, and the Chief Nosey Center in Hays, a post about 1 p.m. ago said. A post said Indian Health Services emergency medical technicians are available in a center in Hays if services are needed, a post about 3:15 said. Ron Speakthunder, Fort Belknap Council Facebook page An incident command center is being set up in the green Kills at Night Recreation Center in Hays if people have questions, a post about 2:30 p.m said. A post about 2:45 p.m. asked people who are not actively engaged in the evacuation process to stay off all roadways to allow emergency responders and emergency personnel to respond to the situation. This includes all routes, roads public and private, the post said. No vehicles of any kind, including four-wheelers, side-by-sides and horses, are allowed. A post also says that If people are obstructing or fail to yield to emergency vehicles or personnel they will be charged offenses including refusal to obey and negligent endangerment. Watch for more here and in Tuesday's edition of Havre Daily News. Council approves work on a splash park, Festival Days requests At its second meeting of the month, Havre City Council had a busy night last night, giving its blessing for work to continue on a splash park in Havre, approving the closure of streets for the 41st celebration of Havre Festival Days and confirmed the appointment of Havre Police Patrol Officer Brandon Murnion. At an ordinance committee meeting immediate following the Havre City Council meeting, the committee discussed a proposed ordinance concerning abandoned and boarded up structures, an issue the council has been looking at for several years. The draft ordinance says these structures pose a risk to health and safety and standards in the ordinance will help improve the appearance of the structures and preserve neighborhood property values. The ordinance then defines abandoned and boarded up structures and other terms before discussing enforcement. The ordinance says if an officer finds there is a violation, a written notice will be given in person or by certified mail to the property owner and the owners agent of the specific nature of the violation, the specific condition to be abated and the specific abatement requirement. Unless otherwise notified, the owner or the owners agent will have 60 days to voluntarily abate the premises. Violation of this ordinance, a misdemeanor, is punishable by civil penalties. The ordinance will be effective 30 days after the second reading and final adoption as provided by the law. Following discussion, the committee then set a date to bring this ordinance to the public, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. During the full council meeting, Brett Patrick of the Natalie Patrick Foundation spoke about a project to create a splash park. Patrick said the nonprofit foundation has been raising funds for different causes his late sister was passionate about, ranging from scholarships to parks and recreation projects and things of that nature, for about 20 years. For about the last three years, he said the foundation has been setting funds aside for a splash park in Havre which would be next to the city pool. Patrick said this would allow the pools bathrooms and changing areas to become dual-purpose areas. A splash park, also known as a splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. He said the splash park would be fully funded by the foundation during the construction process and then it would be turned over to the city. He said the foundation has already met with the parks and recreation department, Mayor Tim Solomon, City Finance Director Doug Kaercher and Havre Public Works. A letter sent to the council addresses this and says all parties have aligned on the matter. The foundations letter continues, saying the foundation hopes to break ground on the project during spring 2022 with a grand opening planned for June 17, 2022. The council expressed some concern regarding maintenance. The engineering firm figures that you have about 4,500 bucks in yearly maintenance costs for the maintenance, the general work on it and the wear and tear as well as kind of the savings for repairs and stuff like that, Patrick told the council. So the city would be looking on average by their reports and their proposals between about 4,500 and 5,000 bucks a year to be put towards that, he added. Discussions about if the splash park will be free or charge for use are ongoing. Patrick also said the foundations proposal includes a water recirculation system for the park, reducing water usage and cleaning the water by way of filters. The council gave its approval for the project to continue. the council also confirmed Brandon Murnion as the newest patrol officer of the Havre Police Department and awarded a certificate. Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich said Murnion has met all the necessary requirements for the position of a full-time patrol officer. He added that Murnion has undergone the extensive background investigation, completed the Montana Basic Law Enforcement Academy and completed the departments 14-week field training program. Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julea Robbins asked for the councils approval of the planned parade route for Festival Days, assistance from the police and Public Works Departments and also the closure of Third Avenue from First and Second Street for a downtown vendor show. A letter from Robbins to Mayor Solomon says the parade will again line up on Bullhook Road and be staged in the parking lot of Havre High School. starting at 7:30 a.m. Parade entries will enter the HHS parking lot from 17th Street. The parade route will head north on Fifth Avenue from Rods Drive-In at 10 a.m. The parade will continue North on Fifth Ave. to Third Street, turn west on Third Street to First Ave. and the area around the Post Office to disassemble the parade. The letter says the chamber has submitted a plan for both the parade and vendor show and will continue to incorporate any health precautions the department asks of the chamber. The council gave its approval. The council also approved a request to close Third Avenue between Second and Fourth Street to hold the Annual Steve Heil Memorial Car Show Saturday, Sept. 18, during Festival Days. The council approved a request a request from PJs Restaurant and Casino to close Main Street behind the bar to host a Street Dance with live music Saturday, Sept. 18, during Festival Days. The next Havre City Council meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. Evacuations recommended in Fort Belknap reservation Pine Grove and Star Hill areas, fire near Fort Belknap Agency contained Flames can be seen on a smoke-shrouded mountainside near Lodge Pole Monday. The fire burning in the Little Rockies has led to the evacuation of Zortman and recommended evacuations in the Hays and Lodge Pole areas. A fire near the Fort Belknap Agency also discovered Monday was contained relatively quickly. A wildfire discovered Monday in the Little Rocky Mountains has led to the mandatory evacuation of Zortman and recommended evacuation of the Pine Grove and Star Hill areas of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and a warning of evacuation for Hays. Another fire discovered Monday near the Fort Belknap Agency has been contained, a post on the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council Facebook page reported Monday evening. Facebook posts have been issued regularly by the Fort Belknap council and the Phillip's County Sheriff's Office about the fires. Groups and agencies contacted this morning by Havre Daily News including The Fort Belknap tribal council, Fort Belknap Police Department, Fort Belknap Incident Command, Blaine County Sheriff's Office, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Public Information Office, DNRC Headquarters, and DNRC Fire Protection Bureau chief, either did not pick up or had no detailed information about the fire. During a regional fire call this morning, the Blaine County commissioners said they had no information on the fire beyond it's location during a regional fire call this morning. Greg Kelsey of Philips County said the fire has moved into his county and they're mobilizing everything they've got. Kelsey said they're waiting to see what the wind does, but they just put in a mandatory evacuation order for the Zortman area. Http://mtfireinfo.org said in a 10:29 update this morning the fire had burned 5,000 acres. A post on the Phillips County Sheriff's Office Facebook at about 9 a.m. said incident command had issued a mandatory evacuation notice for Zortman-area residents. Law enforcement would be going door to door to advise residents to evacuate the area. High winds will be pushing the fire to the Zortman area. People were asked to take essentials only and evacuate to Malta to the old National Guard Armory. Montana Fire Information dashboard at http://mtfireinfo.org reported that the Pine Grove Fire near Hays and Lodge Pole - and now threatening Zortman - was discovered about 11:36 a.m. Tuesday and the Runway Fire near the agency was discovered about 3:03 p.m. Monday. A post on the Fort Belkap council page about 12:30 p.m. Monday said homes near the Pine Grove fire were being evacuated. About 4 p.m. a post reported the fire was turning toward Lodge Pole and residents were told to evacuate to the Lodge Pole school. Shelters were being set in the Hays school, the John Capture Center in Hays, Lodge Pole Elementary schools, and the Chief Nosey Center in Hays, a post about 1 p.m. said. A post said Indian Health Services emergency medical technicians are available in a center in Hays if services are needed, a post about 3:15 p.m. said, and the Hays clinic was closed although the emergency room still was open. An incident command center was being set up in the green Kills at Night Recreation Center in Hays if people have questions, a post about 2:30 p.m. said. A post about 2:45 p.m. asked people who are not actively engaged in the evacuation process to stay off all roadways to allow emergency responders and emergency personnel to respond to the situation. This includes all routes, roads public and private, the post said. No vehicles of any kind, including four-wheelers, side-by-sides and horses, are allowed. A post also said that if people are obstructing or fail to yield to emergency vehicles or personnel they will be charged offenses including refusal to obey and negligent endangerment. At the agency, a Facebook post about 3:30 p.m. Monday said an evacuation of agency residents and office buildings was under way, for all employees and residents along the river at the agency. About 4:20 p.m. a post said the Red Whip Center would be available for agency residents for the time being while the situation of a fire near the agency is being monitored. A post about 8 p.m. said that fire was contained and hot spots were being monitored and mopped up. Http://mtfireinfo.org reported in a 9:40 update this morning that the fire burned 100 acres. The fire is burning in the same general area as one of the earliest fires in the heave fire season of 2017, the July Fire that charred 11,699 acres in the Little Rocky Mountains, leading to evacuation orders for the towns of Zortman and Landusky. -- Havre Daily News reporter Patrick Johnston contributed to this report. Michael A. Mord, 61, went home to be with his Lord at Northern Montana Care Center on Sunday, August 15, 2021. Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of his life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 20, 2021, at the Augusta Community Church. Mike's family has suggested memorial donations be made in his memory to the charity of the donor's choice. Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. Please visit Mike's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for his family at http://www.hollandbonine.com . Mike was born on October 3, 1959, in Havre to Elmer and Irene (Buhmann) Mord. He was raised in Zurich, attending grade school there, and he graduated from Chinook High School in 1977. For a few years, he worked as an EMT serving on the ambulance crew. In 1989, Mike married Tari Mord, and the couple had two children. While in the late '80s and early '90s, Mike owned and operated a cattle feed business, and in the early '90s he began ranching outside of Chinook and at the family ranch in Augusta. In 2018, the couple sold their ranch in Chinook and moved to Havre, and Mike split his time between the ranch in Augusta and their home in Havre. Mike was a hard-working man who enjoyed landscaping, carpentry, Sudoku puzzles and spending time with his dogs. His granddaughter was a constant source of joy to him, and he spent as much time with her as he could. Mike had a close relationship with his Lord, and his faith carried him through many difficult times. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Irene Mord, and all of his grandparents. Mike is survived by his wife, Tari Mord of Havre; daughter, Jillian (Donnie Walker) Mord of Billings; son, Troy Mord of Pullman, WA; granddaughter, Claire Walker; sister, LuAnn (Sam) Brabson of Chinook; brothers, Ken Mord of Butte, Richard (Michael) Mord of White Suphur Springs, Cory (Ora) Mord of Gonvick, MN, and Todd (Tina) Mord of Zurich; and several nieces, nephews, and their children. Appointment 17 August 2021 Lamington Group (the "Group"), operators of room2, the world's first hometel brand, have appointed Rob Cahn to the newly created role of Head of Group Operations, effective immediately. This latest senior hire is an important step for the continued growth of room2 and the Group as a whole, ahead of the opening of its third hometel in Chiswick in November this year. Rob, who will be based in London and report directly to the Managing Directors, will be responsible for implementing new systems and procedures, along with co-ordinating operational and human resources activities across the Group's aparthotel, residential lettings and co-working portfolio. His immediate focus will be on overseeing the successful launch of room2 Chiswick, the Group's third hometel, which will offer 86 studios in a sought-after West London location. He will also play a key role in further defining and elevating the room2 brand. Rob brings over 10 years of hospitality sector and start up experience, and joins room2 from Locke Hotels, where he spent over two years as General Manager. During this time, he was responsible for the day to day running and successful launch of Locke at Broken Wharf hotel. Latterly he supported across additional new property launches in London. Prior to this, he was Owner and General Manager of the Witch Alm Bar & Restaurant in Innsbruck region, Austria. The restaurant achieved rapid growth to be ranked in the top 10 restaurants in West Austria within a year of opening, and then led to the successful sale two and a half years after launch. Appointment 17 August 2021 CGI Merchant Group, LLC (CGI) a global investment management firm with a focus on real estate and private equity recently welcomed Robert Festinger as vice president of hospitality asset management. Festinger, an award-winning industry veteran, will play an integral role in driving the success of the firm's growing hospitality investment portfolio. In this new role, Festinger will leverage his three decades of industry experience across Chicago, New York, and South Florida markets, to oversee the day-to-day operations and play an active role in the firm's $650 million Hospitality Opportunity Fund (H-fund), which looks to acquire 20 hotels throughout North America and the Caribbean over the next three years. Since joining the CGI team, Festinger has already played an essential role in the reopening of the H-Fund's seed asset, The Gabriel Miami, a Curio Collection by Hilton property in the heart of downtown Miami. The property is the first in a soon-to-be-announced hotel concept, which looks to set a new standard in the hospitality industry while simultaneously driving positive change in host communities. Prior to CGI, Festinger most recently served as vice president of hotel operations for Menin Hospitality, managing all day-to-day operations for the hospitality management and development company's portfolio of hotels, including the Mondrian South Beach, Shelborne South Beach, Gale South Beach, Gale Boutique Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale, and Raffaello Chicago. Going beyond his role, Festinger also served as a mentor to property general managers and their management teams. Festinger graduated from Hofstra University with a bachelor's degree in political science and economics, and then went on to hold prominent management positions with notable hospitality brands, such as Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and The Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort. Press Release 17 August 2021 Sandpiper Hospitality a Virginia-based hotel management company with vast expertise in the extended-stay segment has entered the Colorado market and is expanding its presence in Texas with the addition of two new Savannah Suites Extended Stay Hotels, one in Arvada, Colorado and one in Pleasanton, Texas. Advertisements The 116-room metro Denver property has already been repositioned as a Suburban Extended Stay hotel, part of the Choice Hotel Group. Sandpiper Hospitality will soon launch a major renovation of the Arvada property, including extensive upgrades to all guest rooms, public spaces, and the exterior of the hotel. Located near San Antonio, the 64-room Pleasanton, Texas hotel will continue to operate as a Savannah Suites hotel in the short-term. Sandpiper Hospitality will relaunch and reposition the hotel in early 2022 with its own extended stay hotel brand. The company has aggressive plans for both hotels and has already started making improvements. In the first week of operation, we placed a $150,000 piece of business into the Suburban hotel, immediately providing a significant boost to the hotels occupancy and revenue, said Trisha Grisko, Corporate Director of Sales & Marketing for Sandpiper Hospitality. In Pleasanton, we are presented with an amazing opportunity to launch our own new independent hotel brand that will focus on the unique characteristics of extended stay segment while also highlighting what makes each individual location special. Both properties were purchased last month by Sandpiper Lodging Trust, a nationally-focused real estate investment trust recognized as one of the leading companies specializing in extended stay lodging properties. Sandpiper Hospitality is enjoying this period of pronounced growth in the extended stay segment, said President & CEO Jim Darter. We have aggressive plans for expansion with third-party management in markets that include California, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada and Minnesota. Approved by Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels and Extended Stay America to manage their select-service and extended stay brands, Sandpiper Hospitality now has a portfolio of 47 open and managed hotels in 13 different states. Last month, Sandpiper Hospitality added the Suburban Extended Stay Hotels brand to its roster with the management contract for North Carolinas Suburban Extended Stay Hotel Camp Lejeune. Sandpiper Hospitality continues to demonstrate its unique ability to combine a flexible approach to 3rd-party management with extra-ordinary financial results for its investors and clients. For more information, please visit www.sandpiperhospitality.com. External Article 17 August 2021 With more than two decades of experience in the global hospitality industry, Markus Schreyer has witnessed a number of shifts in what the most successful hotels offer and what travelers have now come to expect. Here, the Design Hotels senior vice president for the Americas and business innovation discusses his background, what makes a property stand out, plus his own travel preferences. How would you describe the Design Hotels community? We currently collaborate with just over 300 member hotels internationally. Were more than a collection of unique hotels. We are part of a community of visionaries in travel and hospitality, who recognize the truly transformative power of space and design. How have you seen the hotel industry evolve? Hospitality is evolving into a space of culture, community, creationfrom lobby to lab. For us, this means taking an exploratory mindset. For example, weve turned hotels across the world into temporal hubs of thematic exploration via Further, the traveling laboratory for experiential hospitality and collaborative culture that we launched in 2017. This type of forum for experimentation drives overdue innovation. Being boutique is no longer unique. Its all about transformation: taking guests on a journey thats beyond the space theyre in, which makes them think and learn, and gives them an opportunity to contribute [to the local community], collaborate and problem-solve. Hospitality has the power to bring people of diverse backgrounds together and use space in a meaningful way, and so it shouldfor the benefit of everyone involved. Press Release 17 August 2021 London, UK: According to research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the South African economy could face massive losses of more than ZAR 181 million every week its on the UKs red list for travel. Advertisements The comprehensive study conducted by WTTC, reveals the staggering consequences the UK red list represents to the South African Travel & Tourism sector, and the nations economy, which have both been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. All UK travellers, regardless of their vaccine status, travelling to countries on the red list, which includes South Africa, are required to cover the expensive cost of a 10-day hotel quarantine upon returning to the UK, plus the fees for COVID-19 tests. The approach taken by other European countries such as Germany, France and Switzerland, where quarantine is no longer required for fully vaccinated citizens travelling to South Africa, can still slow the spread of COVID-19 while enabling mobility and providing a boost to the economy. Based on 2019 UK visitor numbers and spending, the global tourism bodys research shows these restrictions, which are deterring Brits from travelling to South Africa, could represent losses of over ZAR 790 million every month, equating to more than ZAR 26 million every single day. Virginia Messina, Senior Vice President, said: The impact the UKs traffic light system imposes on red list countries is not only damaging the Travel & Tourism sector, but also economies around the world. Our data shows that every day South Africa remains on the UKs red list, the country faces losing millions of dollars, effectively delaying the global socio-economic recovery. Our data shows how vital the Travel & Tourism sector is to rebooting the countrys economy. As a result of the pandemic bringing Travel & Tourism almost to a halt, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost across South Africa, pushing more people into poverty, which shows how crucial it is to restart safe international travel and reduce mobility restrictions. WTTC is calling on governments around the world to accelerate the rollout of vaccines as a catalyst to restart international travel and rescue the struggling global Travel & Tourism sector. Furthermore, we are also encouraging governments of red list countries to work closely with their UK counterparts to ensure the very latest data is shared, so the country can be moved from the economically damaging red list, to the amber list as soon as possible. In the UK, more than half of all adults have been fully vaccinated, which significantly reduces the risk of any citizens travelling abroad. Whilst the vaccine rollout has picked up pace, the figure is considerably lower in South Africa. It is therefore critical for the South African government to continue ramping up the vaccination programme to restart international travel, and enable the economic recovery as a result. According to WTTCs annual Economic Impact Report (EIR), in 2019 South Africa was among the most popular destinations for UK travellers, accounting for 7% of international visitor spending, representing ZAR 9.4 billion. WTTCs report also shows the punishing impact the pandemic has had over the countrys employment, with over 470,000 jobs lost due the lack of international travel. The EIR also reveals the terrible effect COVID-19 had on South Africas economy, with the Travel & Tourism sectors contribution to the national economy falling from ZAR 363 billion (6.9%) in 2019, to just ZAR 182 billion (3.7%) in 2020. International visitor spending also plummeted by 66%, from more than ZAR 134 billion in 2019, to a mere ZAR 46 billion in 2020. Download the press release. Opinion Article 17 August 2021 Over the past year and a half, technology has become more relevant in human resources for a variety of reasons. The economys gradual recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has created a labor shortage that is quickly becoming a labor crisis. HR leaders are focusing on finding tools to improve the recruiting process and streamline workforce management. Automation is at the core of this, and it is being applied in ways that free associates and managers from tedious tasks, allowing them to focus on problem solving, improving operations, and elevating the guest experience. I recently discussed the purpose and value of HR automation in hospitality with Daniel Waite, Vice President of People Operations for SH Hotels and Resorts. An affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, SH Hotels and Resorts operates some of the most innovative hotel brands in the industry, such as 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels, Treehouse Hotels, and the SH Collection. During the pandemic, SH Hotels was able to adopt new business practices built around HR automation to improve the hiring and onboarding process at several of its properties. Waite credits his parent companys willingness to embrace new ideas for the speedy adoption of new technology and strategies, but he was also quick to point out that many of these capabilities were already possible using technology they already had access toBeekeeper. Faced with a challenging labor market, SH Hotels chose to take a different approach to the tools they had on hand. By taking a fresh look at digital communications, paperless scheduling, and automated interactions, the company has repositioned itself for successful talent acquisition and retention. What trends have you seen take place over the last year in HR automation? Waite: Automation is improving human resources in every way possible. The key to automation is finding ways to keep it personable. No one likes interacting with automatically generated responses, so we took a different approach. Our interviewees take an assessment, and interview questions are pre-populated based on the responses to those questions. This allows us to approach the interview based on the candidates profile. The onboarding process is also an ideal place to use automation. There is often an awkward time between when a new associate signs an offer letter up to their first 30 days with the company. During that time, both parties are still learning about each other. We created a self-paced program to help new hires learn about us, providing information on Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, as well as SH Hotels and Resorts CEO Arash Azerbarzin. It also delves into all our brands, such as 1 Hotels mission around sustainability. We do this so new hires dont get lost as they acclimate; especially as digital communication becomes more common. How did you decide which technology to invest in to best improve communication and automation? Waite: While we were in the midst of dealing with COVID, it didnt seem like the right time to launch new programs. Instead, we investigated ways we could leverage the technology we already had. It was a challenge, but ultimately, we looked into the tech that not only we had but was already in everyones handsmobile devices. Years ago, there were concerns that people lacked access, but 90 percent of our team members have smartphones today. By partnering with Beekeeper, we were able to communicate with our team members all over the globe, instantly and in real time. Using Beekeepers communication tools, we kept every team member active throughout COVID by informing them about closures and openings. We also used Beekeeper to inform furloughed workers how to access unemployment, tap into their employment benefits, where to find resources in their local area, and how to make use of the Starwood Cares Employee Relief Fund. All of this was automated and accessible to each of our employees. In a traditional environment you may not want your employees on their phone, but today we encourage its use to keep in touch with what is going on at their property. Using this technology, we can automatically push out alerts for information beyond emergencies such as COVID. We can alert frontline workers to the arrival of VIP guests and circulate daily rallies to everyone each day as well. What excites you the most about the future of HR technology? Waite: One of the biggest things we have used technology to improve is the career tracks for employees on a personalized level. We spent about 14 months or so gathering over 700,000 data points from online worker assessments. This gave us insight into what profiles were associated with our best employees. Using that information raises the bar for how we can locate the ideal candidate. Its all about leveraging big data to find the best person for the position. Most organizations provide three or four different career tracks based on the available positions on property. Thanks to our automated systems ability to apply data to different employee profiles, we have 21 different assessments we can apply to each position. This is great for looking at succession planning and can help us make the right moves for the right people in the right places. One area Beekeeper has helped us in is consolidating information channels to make all of this possible. Most companies use four or five different apps to navigate what we do through one channel thanks to Beekeeper. We can use the app to provide links to access the assessment, our internal learning program SH University, or our job board. "We are also using this technology to predict turnover. Our internal engagement team launched a campaign, 'Share the Love,' where our workers were encouraged to post flashback pics of themselves on the Beekeeper app, as well as other instances designed to drive engagement with Beekeeper and increase communication. We found a correlation between increased engagement with Beekeeper and employees staying on for longer periods." With companies so focused on ROI, what is the benefit of investing in automated HR technology? Waite: When people talk about ROI they automatically go to financial returns, but the ROI of automation and training in HR goes beyond financial. For example, about 18 months ago we launched SH University to better train workers internally, with more than 6,000 courses all accessible from mobile devices. This program offers a path for team members to acquire GEDs or bachelors degrees through accelerated programs and it also provides a development program to help prepare our leaders for the next step in their careers. As a result, the last four GMs in our company were promoted internally. So, what is the ROI? That program has already paid for itself several times over, simply from those four promotions, and we are just getting started. This is like the ROI of Beekeeper. Investing in technology and new programs is all about understanding your internal culture, your business needs, and your people. If something reinforces those values, I'm all ears. The question that every HR professional and CEO should be asking themselves is: What do we want to be known for, and what are the systems we need to put in place to get us there?When you can identify what you want to be known for, you can focus on what it takes to get there. We are not a commodity, we really are focused on creating distinct, unique brands, and we want to change the world one guest and team member at a time. Explainer The trend of Slow Travel has become increasingly popular over recent years, however through COVID19 it has accelerated immensely and has almost become a new norm without people even realising. Slow tourism is forecasted to continue to grow in popularity, becoming an alternative to more traditional holidays and is estimated to grow at a 10% compound annual growth rate. Now what is Slow travel, where did it come from and how could hoteliers adapt? Advertisements The trend of Slow Travel has become increasingly popular over the past years, however through COVID19 it accelerated immensely and has almost become a new norm without people even realising. The crazed race to visit as many places as possible, which was influenced through renowned books like 1000 Places to See Before You Die or through movies such as The Bucket List, is slowly becoming less popular. Slow tourism is forecasted to continue to grow in popularity, becoming an alternative to more traditional holidays with an estimated 10% compound annual growth rate. What is Slow Travel? The online definition describes it as an approach to travel that emphasizes connection to local people, cultures, food and music. It relies on the idea that a trip is meant to educate and have an emotional impact, while remaining sustainable for local communities and the environment. Where did Slow Tourism come from? This trend or better yet movement has been evolving through time and is connected to the Slow food movement. Slow Food was started by Carlo Petrini and a group of activists in the 1980s to resist the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome, with the initial aim to defend regional traditions, good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slow pace of life. The further popularity can be correlated with the growing focus on sustainability and self - care. How can you travelslower? Travelling slower involves transitioning from materialistic and consumerist luxury to wanting purposeful experiences and creating meaningful moments. People no longer want to have a schedule full of tours of classic sightseeing spots. They want to travel at their own pace while experiencing and tasting the local culture. A word used a lot when discussing Slow travel is experience-based. Experience-based travel can be accomplished in different ways, such as connecting with people, creating a community, experiencing local culture and making conscious decisions. These conscious decisions impact ones own cultivation and regeneration as well as helping the environment by reducing your own global footprint. Slow tourism is characterized by reducing mobility and by taking time to explore local history and culture, while supporting the environment. The travellers main goals are relaxation, self-reflection, escape, novelty seeking, engagement and discovery. - Journal of Travel Research Prior to the pandemic global tourism hit record highs with 671 Million global international arrivals. Both the influence of the pandemic and these high numbers has motivated travellers to explore new destinations and lesser - known countries such as Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Georgia, Nepal and others. How can hotels adapt to this movement? There are simple approaches which both urban and rural hotels can adapt to enhance their guests experience through different hotel departments. Food & Beverage: An already commonly practiced way is through F&B outlets, where the local culture can be easily incorporated by serving regional dishes with local and seasonal produce. A significant trend that many businesses have already adapted to is going back to the roots. The more we learn about food, nutrition and the planet, the more its understood that natural is best. Taking food back to its roots pays homage to local herbs, vegetables and as well as cooking practices. Teaching these cooking practices to guests also offers a way for guests to delve deeper into the local culture. An already commonly practiced way is through F&B outlets, where the local culture can be easily incorporated by serving regional dishes with local and seasonal produce. A significant trend that many businesses have already adapted to is going back to the roots. The more we learn about food, nutrition and the planet, the more its understood that natural is best. Taking food back to its roots pays homage to local herbs, vegetables and as well as cooking practices. Teaching these cooking practices to guests also offers a way for guests to delve deeper into the local culture. Wellness & Wellbeing: As everyday life continues to become more technology-driven, there is a strong desire for down-to-earth therapy and spa practices that use traditional foods, plant-based medicines, oils and ancient rituals. As everyday life continues to become more technology-driven, there is a strong desire for down-to-earth therapy and spa practices that use traditional foods, plant-based medicines, oils and ancient rituals. Experiences & Activities: Transformational travel inspires travellers to disconnect from their busy day to day life, this includes learning new skills which will be a motivating force for future travellers. Experiences can allow guests to engage with the local community and interact with others to expand their cultural knowledge and understanding. Transformational travel inspires travellers to disconnect from their busy day to day life, this includes learning new skills which will be a motivating force for future travellers. Experiences can allow guests to engage with the local community and interact with others to expand their cultural knowledge and understanding. Off - Grid: Along with the movement of Slow travelling came the trend of Off - Grid travel, which is made possible by modern technologies. An example being solar power providing electricity anywhere, such as in mountain cabins, a boat or other remote locations. Both urban and rural hotels can adapt to travellers trying to get away from the hustle and bustle of their daily life, by offering digital detox experiences, which are becoming increasingly more popular. Along with the movement of Slow travelling came the trend of Off - Grid travel, which is made possible by modern technologies. An example being solar power providing electricity anywhere, such as in mountain cabins, a boat or other remote locations. Both urban and rural hotels can adapt to travellers trying to get away from the hustle and bustle of their daily life, by offering digital detox experiences, which are becoming increasingly more popular. Transportation: With sustainability being a priority for slow travellers, hotels should offer or organise different means of transportation to their guests. Bike rentals, walking tours or excursions by train are all attractive options for todays traveller. To conclude, slow tourism is most likely the way our industry will cautiously but surely start to recover as soon as global travel is fully encouraged again. Opinion Article 17 August 2021 Google is taking the hotel industry by storm to gain market share and grow their advertising revenues. We will take a look at how Google is penetrating the hotel distribution vertical with Google Hotel Ads, and what opportunities this gives in terms of hotel revenue management and marketing. Advertisements From Hotel Finder to GHA Exactly ten years ago, Google launched what Andrew McCarthy, at the time Software Engineer for the Mountain Views company, described as an experimental search tool designed to help users locate and book hotels. Were talking, obviously, about Hotel Finder. In that distant summer of 2011, however, Googles metasearch engine looked way different from what it is today. You may remember how, for example, the ads were shown inside a traditional Googles yellow paid search box, just below the search ads results and above the organic ones. When clicking on the ads, users were taken to a dedicated URL, google.en/hotelfinder, a page providing information, reviews, and photos principally taken from Google My Business property listings. Originally, moreover, published rates were solely coming from third-party advertisers (such as OTAs), while the official websites were only visible thanks to a backlink to brand.com, not unlike TripAdvisor.com s Business Advantage. Looking back, the system looked almost clumsy, at least in terms of pure user experience. However, flash-forward to just a decade later, and Google has taken the metasearch world by storm, with a staggering percentage of market share estimated between 64% and 80%. But how did we get here? Google in Travel: Some History Going through the history of Google, it is not particularly hard to identify some of the most significant milestones that created this perfect storm. Apart from the abovementioned introduction of Hotel Finder in 2011, there are some other crucial dates that helped the growth of Google in our industry over the last 15 years. Amongst them, its worth mentioning the acquisition of Where 2 Technologies and the consequent launch of Google Maps in 2004-5; the introduction (dubbed by Search Engine Land as the most radical change to SERP) of Universal Search in 2007; the launch of Google Places (later renamed Google My Business) in 2009; the acquisition of ITA Software and the rebranding to Google Flights in 2011, and the release of the, later discontinued, intelligent travel assistant app, Trips, in 2016. All these features opened the way, in 2019, for what may be described, without exaggerating, as Googles OTA on steroids: Google Travel (google.com/travel). The Evolution of Google Hotel Ads Current view of the search result page when searching for a specific hotel. Similarly, Google kept improving its advertising system for hotels, with a huge acceleration over the last couple of years. Here are just a few additions Big G made to its hotel ads platform that are worth remembering: April 2020: The Pay-per-Stay program (formerly known as Google Hotel Ads Commission Program) became available to all Google Hotel Ads partners globally. Instead of paying for each click or per transaction, advertisers finally had the opportunity to pay Google a commission only after the guest stay occurred. This means that, in case of cancellation, no commission is due to Google. What became clear as the COVID crisis unfolded, Michael Trauttmansdorff, Googles Group Product Manager for Travel Ads, stated, was that cancellations especially were a major factor. Helping our partners manage cancellation risk motivated us to prioritize and scale up the Pay-per Stay program and accelerate it. Revenue management-wise, adopting a PPS approach is a no-risk opportunity to deal with the last-minute conversions and high cancellation ratios were experiencing since the start of the pandemic. Moreover, it does not prevent advertisers from switching back to a CPC model if and when the market will recover and stabilize. On top of that, most metasearch advertising management platforms, such as Meta I/O, also give advertisers the opportunity to work in PPS on some markets and in CPC for others, maximizing ROAs and increasing NRevPAR. March 2021: Introduction of Free Booking Links (FBLs). Thanks to this update, accommodation providers can appear on Google Ads even without bidding on the platform. Free booking links appear just below the featured (paid) options in a distinctive tab called all options (see below screenshot), which closely mimics the traditional SERP. An extensive study by Mirai (Google free booking links impact; time for the numbers, 2021) showed that the share of these links is around 17% in clicks and 11% in sales, and PhocusWire published similar results (10%), making it appealing even for properties not interested in advertising on the platform to be listed organically. Free booking links appearing just below the Featured (paid) options in the Prices tab of a hotel listing. July 2021: Launch of the Check-In-Date multiplier. Not unlike traditional Google Ads campaigns, GHA also gives its advertisers the ability to apply bid adjustments (known as multipliers) to their campaigns. Among the most common, there are multipliers based on length-of-stay, check-in-day of the week, booking window, location, device, or even remarketing lists. This made Google Hotel Ads particularly appealing for revenue managers in recent years, excited by all the bidding opportunities. Moreover, the latest multiplier addition is particularly welcomed by RMs, as it allows hoteliers to adjust their bid for specific dates based on variables such as events in the area, pace of pick-up, occupation rate, and so forth. On top of that, Google is constantly beta-testing new features for GHA. In July, 2021, it started supporting image extensions in the ads. Example of image extensions on ads appearing in the SERPs (source: Lluc B. Penycates Twitter post). Its early to say if the feature will be maintained and, here at XOTELS, we were not able to find a single ad with image extension, anyhow its interesting to see how Google is always keeping a trial and error approach in the way it promotes its travel products. And this happened many times before with Google Hotel Ads: in 2018, for example, Google tested Room Booking Module (RBM) extensively. Thanks to this feature, Google was able to incorporate room photos into the hotel ads results. The same happened with Book on Google. BoG, according to the official support blog, enables users to complete their booking and payment with partners directly on Google, without being redirected to the partners site. The possible benefits of BoG are, always according to Google, simple user experience, convenience, convenience, and easier conversions. As of today, it doesnt seem like either of these features are out of the beta test stage yet, and its probably unlikely that they ever will. However, this says a lot about the will to innovate that Google is showing in travel. Why Is GHA so Important Now? Direct booking is living its momentum post-pandemic; its no mystery. The Website Direct channel, a recent study published by D-EDGE stated, surpassed Booking and OTAs in Asia (41% share), and is the second-largest in Europe (32%). SiteMinder comes to similar conclusions, talking about a market share increase of up to 300% (Top Booking Channels Global, 2020). Most vendors agree on what the main drivers behind this historical shift in distribution are. In the abovementioned publication five major factors are identified which, here at XOTELS, we tend to agree with: More relevant information on hotel websites when compared to OTAs, especially regarding anti-COVID measures, More flexible policies on website direct, Rate disparity favoring direct channels, especially on metasearch engines, More domestic/local travelers, with no need for air transportation, The lower overall volume of bookings giving preference to frequent travelers who are more informed about the advantages of booking direct. Point three is particularly important when it comes to advertising in GHA: with more and more users relying on metasearch engines (especially Google) to find the best available rate, its not surprising that properties bidding in GHA (possibly with a discounted rate) are seeing their conversions going up. Not to mention that the competitiveness of your rates, compared with other distribution channels, is a key variable to rank on FBLs. According to a recent study by Mirai (How to maintain or increase your direct sales quota after the pandemic, 2021), in fact, FBLs have given an extra boost to hotel direct channels with an increase of 0.84% to 4.32% in direct sales even for those properties not actively participating in the bidding game on GHA. In order not to lose grip over ones distribution (and find ourselves in two years time exactly where we were pre-pandemic: overdependent by Booking.com and Expedia), its time for hotels, apartments, resorts, and vacation rentals alike to use all the arrows in our distribution quiver, starting from Google Hotel Ads. The Gloves are Off And dont wait too long, because the OTA are all geared up to regain market share, or even penetrate your hotel business mix even further. To give a bit of insight on how they plan to do this, read a recent article by Mirai titled What Booking.com was doing to gain market share while we were all in lockdown. And now they have also just launched Flash Sales promotions. And they are not the only ones. Expedia has also launched options in their extranet which seem to have been activated automatically to break your rate parity. Conclusions: Five Tips to Start Getting the Best Out of GHA Of all the moments in the history of our industry, there is probably none better than this one to start implementing a proper Google Hotel Ads strategy. Over the last ten years, weve witnessed an increasing interest in hotel metasearch advertising. However, only Google was able to consolidate and become THE big guy at the table. Weve already discussed percentages of market share for GHA, and its not uncommon that when hoteliers talk about metasearch advertising, theyre mainly referring to Google Hotel Ads. GHA is, slowly but steadily, becoming a synonym with the metasearch concept tout-court, not something to simply add on top of the other distribution strategies. If you still havent started using this channel, here are five tips to get the best out of the platform: GHA offers multiple bidding options: CPC, CPA, PPS, together with half a dozen bidding multipliers. Its virtually impossible not to find the right fit for your property. Our suggestion is to start with a low/no-risk bidding system (CPA or PPS), and expand from there; Even if youre not actively bidding on GHA, as long as your booking engine is feeding Google with ARI (Availability, Rates, and Inventory), then you can benefit from the extra visibility provided by FBLs, without investing one euro; Being listed (organically or via paid ads) on GHA with your best available rate dramatically increases your direct revenue. Its not uncommon to see hotels generating over 1/4 of their brand.com revenue through GHA, so why shouldnt this work for you? Rate leakage is one of the principal obstacles to satisfying ROAs in GHA (and in metasearch advertising, in general). Make sure you work with a proper revenue management company to get better control over your distribution, and review your OTAs policies (especially virtual card payments, mobile rates, accelerators, etc.) periodically to avoid possible commission cuts; There is no right or wrong when it comes to metasearch advertising. The only way to optimize results is by testing, adjusting, and testing some more. Luckily, GHA is a pretty forgiving platform, unlike more expensive advertising programs, such as Expedia Travel Ads or TripAdvisor Sponsored Placements. Dont be afraid to try new, different approaches. We see very good ROI results at our hotels bidding 9% to 10% in the main source markets. And in secondary markets we achieve a 90%+ coverage in add exposure bidding 5% 6%. And be ready, this is just the beginning, many more updates will be coming our way in travel search on Google. Some of you might already see the hotel carrousel showing alternative hotel suggestions when searching for your own hotel. This is the biggest shift in the power balance of hotel distribution we have seen in the last decade. So I would recommend every hotelier to get with the program Cheers, Patrick Landman Need help with navigating GHA and the meta search landscape for your hotel? See which Hotel Management & Consulting Services we provide to maximize your hotels performance. Opinion Article 17 August 2021 Energy consumption is a big topic in building operations, especially in light of todays challenges around the climate crisis and ever-rising energy costs. It is thus not surprising that building operators are on the lookout for ways to increase the energy efficiency of their buildings. In this context, the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system installed in the building is often the first target, as it is usually the biggest energy consumer. Unfortunately, it is usually challenging to retrofit energy efficiency measures into existing buildings as most available solutions focus on the production of cooling, i.e. replace existing chillers and compressors with more energy-efficient ones or install Variable Speed Drives (VSD) for pumps. These expensive measures tend to yield very long-term ROIs and can come with a lot of installation effort and disruption to ongoing operations. There is however another often overlooked angle for energy optimization: optimizing the consumption of cooling. Currently, most hotels stop at installing a keycard energy switch in their guest rooms, but there is much more that can be done. Waste cooling consumption in rooms can come from many factors such as: Over cooling by setting the HVAC to very low setpoints Inefficient room allocation Lack of maintenance of the Fan Coil Unit (FCU) Cooling empty/unoccupied rooms So what can you do about these? How to reduce overcooling? Here at SensorFlow, we have recorded the usage data of hundreds of thermostats in Southeast Asia which allowed us to develop a deep understanding of how people use them and what are the most common AC settings chosen by guests. One thing that we found over and over again in our data is the evidence that the vast majority of people are comfortable at a temperature level between 22 25C. Unfortunately, most thermostats on the market allow users to choose a setpoint well below this range, often down to 16C. The ability for guests to choose setpoints way below their comfort level leads to a lot of energy wastage as it promotes the wasteful usage pattern we see over and over again in our data. Guests will choose the lowest available setpoint when they first enter an uncooled room with the expectation that a lower setpoint will lead to the room cooling faster. This is based on the misconception that the setpoint defines the temperature of the air coming out of the fan coil and not the target room temperature. Due to this, the AC will cool the room far below what is experienced as comfortable by the guest and thus we quickly see the guests raising the temperature back to something between 22 25C. To prevent this energy waste resulting from overcooling, a good policy is to limit the lowest selected setpoint to something that is closer to the average users comfort zone. The SensorFlow HVAC automation system allows you to do this with the click of a button and we consult our clients as to what setpoint limitation level they should ideally choose based on the data we record. We have implemented setpoint limitations at 23C in properties without causing guest complaints, reducing HVAC consumption in the room by up to 10% with this action alone. As a matter of fact, this often increases guest comfort as it removes the overcooling of the room which will result in guests feeling cold. Should a guest still feel that the room is not getting cold enough, the setpoint limitation can be reduced or removed equally fast through our dashboard, without the need of an engineer entering the guest room. Inefficient room allocation Many hotels are currently operating under low or very low occupancy due to the pandemic resulting in travel restrictions. In this scenario, one thing that often gets overlooked is the impact of low occupancy on the overall buildings efficiency and many are surprised to find out how much of an impact guest room allocation can have on your hotels overall energy consumption. Most HVAC systems are designed to be most efficient under full or almost full load, i.e. the more rooms are being cooled the less energy is used per individual room. This works great during high occupancy but quickly becomes a problem when hotels have to cool only a single room when a whole VRV bank is designed to service 15 rooms. In these scenarios, the energy required to cool one room can easily triple, eating away the little profits the hotel was hoping to make from renting out even a small amount of rooms. In a big property, it can make a huge difference if you are running 15 VRV banks to cool 15 rooms or just one. There are many other factors that can impact energy consumption when it comes to room allocation: Sun-facing or corner rooms will consume more energy than other rooms as they are more exposed to external heat Unrented rooms between rented-out rooms will increase energy consumption in their neighbouring rooms as they will require passive cooling through the walls. Rooms with poorly maintained fan coils will use more energy than rooms with recently serviced fan coils. But how would you know which room to allocate a reservation to if there are so many factors to consider? A basic rule to follow that can help to improve the situation is to allocate north-facing rooms first and try to allocate all booked rooms next to each other on the same floor or on floors above and below. At SensorFlow, we go one step further. With our patented SmartALLOC technology, we use our real-time detailed data of your HVAC systems performance to automatically calculate the next best, most energy-efficient room to allocate to a given reservation. The SensorFlow system develops a deep understanding of your HVAC system and calculates an efficiency score for every room in your property with respect to the present occupancy and all the aforementioned factors. This enables your front-of-house staff to play an important role in your energy savings initiative, by empowering them to always allocate the most energy-efficient room to a reservation. Through further integration of this solution with your PMS system, we can turn this into an effortless step during your check-in process. Our studies have shown that this can save up to 30% of overall HVAC usage during low occupancy. Cooling of empty rooms It is generally good practice in hotels to have some form of key card system installed, its supposed to switch off energy whenever the guest is not in the room. These key card systems however often have significant drawbacks: Guests can override them with extra key cards, name cards, or credit cards Key cards, in general, are getting out of fashion with regards to contactless and self-check-in processes Key cards are all or nothing, either switching the whole unit on or off and not individual rooms. To address the common issues faced by keycard systems, modern solutions are focusing on the use of occupancy detection systems rather than key cards. While this helps with preventing keycard bypass and enables energy savings, even if a contactless check-in process is used in combination with smart locks, it does enable another often unrecognized opportunity for energy savings in suite rooms. If the installation of occupancy sensors is combined with the use of smart thermostats such as the ones installed as part of the SensorFlow system, more energy savings can be generated in spaces with multiple rooms. Take for example a suite with a living room and a bedroom. In this setup, the HVAC system can be configured to automatically switch off in the living room at night once its detected as empty once the guests go to sleep in the bedroom. Key card systems are not able to perform this fine-grained level of automation which can save 5-8 hrs of cooling/heating in suite-style rooms per night, leading to a significant reduction in energy consumption. A big concern regarding the measures described in this article is often the maintenance of guest comfort in the rooms. Many people shy away from implementing measures on the consumption side in fear of creating additional guest complaints. This is a valid concern, especially with regards to thermal comfort, which is one of the most difficult parameters to optimize as preferences vary widely between people. There can never be a one size fits all solution. This makes it important to constantly monitor the impact of optimizations on the consumption side regarding guests complaints and HVAC performance and thus demands a system that is easily configurable and can be adapted to changing situations and demands. SensorFlows solution offers remote and real-time configuration so that each optimization can be tuned to the guests preference without entering the guest room. This empowers employees to efficiently address guest complaints and prevents unwanted intrusions into the guests space, ultimately leading to higher guest satisfaction and lower energy consumption. If you want to know how SensorFlows solution can help your hotel be more energy-efficient, contact us here! When the Taliban took over Afghanistan the first time in 1996, China refused to recognize their rule and left its embassy shut for years. This time around, Beijing has been among the first to embrace the Islamist militants next door. Chinas remarkable shift was on display little more than two weeks ago, when Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed a Taliban delegation to the northern port of Tianjin as the group made gains against the administration of President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country on Sunday. Wangs endorsement of the Talibans important role in governing Afghanistan provided a crucial boost of legitimacy for an organization that has long been a global pariah due to its support of terrorism and the repression of women. Chinas reasons have as much to do with its own rise as a global power as the Talibans surprisingly swift march on the Afghan capital. China today commands an economy worth $14.7 trillion -- more than 17 times its size in 1996 -- and a massive trade-and-infrastructure initiative that stretches across the Eurasian landmass. Beijings fears about Islamist extremism among its own Uyghur minority have also deepened in recent years, leading it to build a vast police state adjacent to Afghanistan. Moreover, an increasingly intense rivalry with the U.S. has prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to seize any opportunity to push back against Washingtons dominance and push American forces away from his borders. Those interests make China look like the next great power with a stake in bringing order to Afghanistan as the Taliban prepare to declare an Islamic emirate in Kabul. After the failures of the Soviet Union and now the U.S., China will be hard pressed to avoid repeating the same mistakes in a rugged and landlocked nation notorious for exhausting empires. Twenty years ago, China wasnt a global power and what was happening in Afghanistan didnt bother China, said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center. But today, there are so many new factors -- theres the Uyghur issue, theres economic interests and Chinas self-perception as a global power. China has sought to portray itself as more pragmatic and less interventionist than the West while urging a negotiated peace. China hopes the Afghan Taliban can unite with other political parties and with all ethnic groups and build a political framework in keeping with national conditions that is broadly inclusive and will lay the foundation for enduring peace, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Monday in Beijing. Still, Hua stopped short of endorsing the Talibans rule, saying only that the situation in Afghanistan had experienced major changes. It was all part of a long evolution by China, which once denied any connection with the Taliban before hosting the first delegations from the group in 2013. Now, as Taliban fighters made their entrance into Kabul, posts circulated on Chinas heavily censored social media comparing the event to Mao Zedongs taking of Beijing in 1949. Meanwhile, state media gloated over the American withdrawal, with a commentary in the official Xinhua News Agency declaring it the death knell for declining U.S. hegemony. The sound of roaring planes and the hastily retreating crowds mirrored the last twilight of the empire, the piece said. Even so, China is one of the few countries that saw some benefit from the U.S.s $840 billion nation-building debacle, which bogged down Beijings rivals while creating a relatively stable environment for its companies. Thats left China with economic interests to secure, including a copper mine and several oil blocks. The country evacuated some 200 business people last month. Afghanistans stability is key to protecting more than $50 billion worth of Belt-and-Road projects in neighboring Pakistan that provide an overland route to the Indian Ocean. Fu Xiaoqiang, vice director at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said in a commentary on the think tanks social media account Tuesday that the Afghan chaos has spilled into Tajikistan, as well as Pakistan, and would continue to implicate the peace along Chinas Western borders. It is necessary for China to coordinate its rivalry with the U.S. and the periphery security situation, and allocate resources reasonably, Fu said. Wang, the Chinese foreign minister, told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call Monday that the turmoil in Afghanistan highlighted the danger of trying to impose a political system on a foreign culture. Perhaps no issue is as pressing for Beijing as ensuring that Afghanistan doesnt become a source of extremism that bleeds over the border. Wang pressed chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar during their July 28 meeting to make a clean break with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. China blames the group, which had reportedly operated in Afghanistan during the Talibans last period in control, for terrorist attacks it has cited to justify crackdowns in the Xinjiang region that the U.S. and others say amount to genocide. Baradar pledged that the Taliban would never allow any force to use Afghan territory to engage in acts detrimental to China, according to the Chinese statement. Similarly, Wang urged Blinken during their call to reverse the Trump administrations decision to remove ETIM from its list of designated terrorist organizations. The Bush administration had granted Chinas demand for the designation in 2002 while seeking Beijings cooperation with its War on Terror, including the Afghanistan action. Chinas attitude toward a Taliban-led regime will depend on its policies, for instance, whether the Taliban will honor its promises and not to become a hotbed for extreme forces that have links to China, said Fan Hongda, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University. Afghanistan could become the biggest test yet of a Chinese diplomatic model thats driven by loans, commodities and infrastructure deals rather than demands for liberal policies. If the Taliban pursue moderate policies toward women that dont alienate other nations, and achieves political stability, Beijing might consider an array of investments similar to what it has done in Pakistan, according to Sun, of the Stimson Center. The Chinese approach is, Through economic infusion we create roads, we create infrastructure, and we make sure everyone has jobs, she said. And if everyone goes to work at nine in the morning and comes home at 6 p.m., they dont have time to think about terrorism. The popularity of at-home COVID-19 testing kits has skyrocketed as the delta variant has spread, leaving many consumers scrambling to find them as retailers struggle to catch up with demand. Over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits are now the top-selling items in CVS stores, a spokeswoman said. Manufacturers of BinaxNOW Self Tests said demand for its products is increasing as cases rise and its working with retailers to keep store shelves stocked. The phrase flying off the shelves would probably be appropriate, said Tim Halfin, regional pharmacy director for H-E-Bs Houston Division. On HoustonChronicle.com: Struggling to find COVID tests in Houston? You're not alone as delta variant rages, schools reopen The home testing kits have grown in popularity with the concurrent rise in delta cases and the return of students to school this month, he said. Vaccination volumes at H-E-Bs Houston pharmacies have also returned to the peak volumes they reached in April. Supply throughout Houston has been spotty as demand for home test kits soars, but Halfin said H-E-B should be well-stocked for at least the next couple of weeks. We placed what Ive been told was a very large order of them, he said. Leslie Santamaria, of Houston, had to do a bit of hunting to score her kit last week after learning shed been exposed to COVID-19. She wanted immediate results she is fully vaccinated, she said, but her young children are not. I wanted to know ASAP to protect my under-12 children, she said. The first pharmacy she went to was sold out of the kit she wanted, Santamaria said, so she searched CVS website for which stores had them in stock and found one on South Main. Walmart said it, too, is noticing and adjusting to an uptick in home test sales. While we have seen increased demand for COVID testing kits, we are not experiencing major supply issues overall and if a particular store has low or no inventory, it said in a statement, we expect it is temporary as product moves through the supply chain. Rapid tests at drive-thru operations by Walgreens and CVS are also getting harder to schedule as people scramble for tests. Testing slots are booked days in advance. Compounding the demand for testing in recent weeks was the rampant spread of colds and other viruses that had been suppressed as people wore masks and socially distanced earlier in the pandemic, said Steve Hoffart, owner of Magnolia Pharmacy in Magnolia. He said his customers are blowing through cough and cold medicines. You would think its the fall, he said, noting a run like this is abnormal for summer. You dont ever see this. Hoffart said he received so many requests for home testing kits last week that he ordered his first batch, which arrived on shelves Monday. He said people are out and about more than they had been in a while and are catching all kinds of viruses en masse, are experiencing allergy symptoms and are wondering which is which. Immune systems got weaker during the pandemic as people masked up and limited their exposure to others, he said, urging use of Vitamin D to help give it a boost. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston retailers update mask policies as delta spurs COVID surge Your immune systems like a muscle, he said. We didnt let our immune system work. Catherine Troisi, an epidemiologist with UTHealth School of Public Health, said resources shifted away from testing and toward vaccination earlier in the pandemic, but testing remains an important piece of the pandemic puzzle. Knowing your test result influences how careful you are about socializing and potentially sharing germs with others. Your inclination might be youre not as careful as you would be if you had a positive test in-hand, she said. The PCR tests available at doctors offices and pharmacies are the gold standard for accuracy, Troisi said. The downside is results take longer a day or two or sometimes more to produce, while rapid antigen tests take around 15 minutes. Rapid tests, meanwhile, are not as sensitive so false negatives are possible. Troisi also recommended taking two rapid tests in the event a test is positive, as false positives are possible but less likely to happen twice. The advantage of rapid tests is they can be taken so quickly and regularly, she said. In settings where people take rapid tests every three days, its actually very good at detecting infections and it rivals the PCR. Theresa Mueller Richardson, of Houston, said her daughter snagged a test kit last week and she foresees it becoming a household staple. Its probably a good idea to keep a box at home as were probably all being exposed daily, she said. amanda.drane@chron.com Twitter.com/amandadrane The opportunity to network with key figures in the oil and gas industry at this weeks Offshore Technology Conference was too good to pass up for Egyptian-born Laila Darwash. The 18-year-old Houston resident, a model at Saudi Arabias booth at NRG Center, hopes to pursue a career in the energy business. Darwash, who is vaccinated, wasnt nervous about attending OTC, especially since attendance is reduced this year with the delta variant surging. Its not too big of a crowd, where people are going to get overwhelmed because of COVID-19, Darwash said. But its a pretty good amount of people. OTC runs through Thursday, and early estimates put the four-day attendance at about 30,000 people, about half the number that attended in 2019, the most recent show unaffected by the pandemic. The 2020 show was canceled when the virus began to sweep the nation. PLAYING IT SAFE: Schlumberger pulls out of OTC due to COVID surge Although OTC is offering online options for attendees and panelists who wanted to avoid the health risks, some, like Darwash, wanted to connect face-to-face with people in the oil and gas field. For Salvatore Grignano, director of marketing and promotions with the Italian Trade Agency, it was important to be at OTC to forge new international connections as well as to meet potential investors and partners. He and the rest of the delegation are vaccinated, and OTC seemed like a good place to relaunch their in-person efforts, he said. This year you have less people, but I think the quality is here, Grignano said. The people who are going to make decisions, who are going to make business deals, they are the ones who are here. Monday marked the first trade show Grignano had attended since March of 2020. He and most of the delegation left a Las Vegas conference early to travel to Houston, after the United States announced a travel ban on Italy. The countrys booth at OTC represented five companies, with seven more setting up space on the conferences digital pavilion. Its a far cry from the 46 companies Italy sent in 2019. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox Elena Gurganian, an OTC contractor, handed out conference-branded iPhone cases and hats at a gift booth set up in the middle of NRG Centers floor. Most of the people buying souvenirs Monday were from other countries, eager to take back goodies to their coworkers and families. And, despite the smaller-than-usual crowd on Monday, business was good. Compared with other trade shows shes worked since the pandemic, OTCs crowd seemed to be the biggest, Gurganian said. I think people are excited to be out and be here, she said. I havent seen any unhappy people. About 70 people from the West African nation of Ghana mingled around their booth near the east end of NRG Center. Representatives from some of the countrys regulators handed out chocolates and pointed to maps that outlined parcels where companies could drill exploratory wells. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Ghanas minister of energy, said having a physical presence at OTC was an effort to attract new energy investments and partnerships in his country. He wasnt concerned about COVID-19. I think with coronavirus, if we take the necessary precautions, life will have to continue, Prempeh said. Its moving on with life. Bruce Cashat, who works at Chinese shipping firm Cosco, said he was happy to attend OTC. But Cashat worried about the lean turnout. Cashat estimated seeing only about 20 percent of the normal crowd at his booth Monday. This year is very different, Cashat said. I think it was just bad timing. Century Communities has begun selling homes in Woodridge Forest, a 332-acre community at Interstate 69 and Northpark Drive in Porter. The neighborhood is about 26 miles northeast of downtown Houston. The homes, which start in the high $200,000s, will be ready for move-in beginning this fall. The Colorado-based builder plans to build 77 homes in the neighborhood, with options ranging from three to five bedrooms and up to 3,075 square feet. Airbnb is getting a jump at Halloween planning. But instead of costume ideas, it includes party bans. The popular vacation rental company has announced its plan to combat unauthorized, large parties over the Halloween weekend by imposing specific restrictions in Houston and throughout the U.S. Airbnb will block one and two-night reservations of entire home listings with exceptions for guests with a history of positive reviews. "As Halloween approaches, we will deploy more stringent restrictions on two-night reservations that may pose heightened risk for parties," the release said. "For example, we will leverage our technology that restricts certain local and last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb and also block reservations within an expanded radius." RESTRICTING RENTALS: Property rights vs noise complaints: Bellaire considers restricting short term rentals on sites like Airbnb, Vrbo Guests making one or two-night reservations will need to attest that they understand Airbnbs party ban and that they may be subject to legal action if that rule is broken, according to the release. The initiative aligns with the company's ongoing global party ban introduced in August 2020 to crack down on "party houses" and in the wake of the ongoing public health crisis. Courtesy of Airbnb This year marks its second holiday variation, which kicked off with Halloween 2020 and resulted in a decline in incidents by more than 49 percent in the U.S. and Canada. In Houston, Airbnb deterred more than 500 people from booking entire home listings over Halloween 2020, according to a release. AIRBNB NIGHTMARE: Houston bachelorette party ends badly when thieves steal everything, from toothbrushes to 2 cars Last year, Airbnb implemented similar specific anti-party restrictions ahead of major holidays in the U.S. and Canada that are traditionally associated with a party-type behavior, including New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July. "We also know that the great majority of guests are respectful of neighbors and treat their hosts homes with the utmost respect," the release said. "We believe this plan will help prevent large gatherings while supporting the type of safe, responsible travel that benefits guests, hosts and the neighborhoods they call home." San Antonio-based Joske's would soon be moving into the old Foley's building, it was announced today in 1947. At the time, Foley's was getting ready to move a few blocks down Main to a more modern building. With that, Joske's was able to sign a lease at the old site, at 407 Main. This store would only sell home furnishings. A woman fatally stabbed her mother on Monday night at a northwest Houston apartment, police said. Officers responded around 9 p.m. to an apartment complex on Willow Place Drive in the Willowbrook neighborhood where they found two women stabbed multiple times, said Detective R. Naughton of the Houston Police Department. Investigators believe a woman in her 20s stabbed her mother and another female relative. The mother died at the hospital from her injuries. The second victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Police arrested the daughter. It's unclear what motivated the act of violence. Harris County will offer $100 gift cards to residents who receive a COVID-19 vaccine, County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Tuesday, the latest attempt by local government officials to boost the regions vaccination rate. The gifts, prepaid debit cards, will be available at all Harris County Public Health vaccination sites through Aug. 31. This initial program includes $2 million for 20,000 cards. Anyone can sign up at readyharris.org; the vaccines are free and do not require proof of insurance. Theres no excuse, Hidalgo said. We have the power to put this crisis to rest in two to four weeks if each person who does not have the vaccine steps up right now. Through Monday, 56.6 percent of Harris County residents 12 and older were fully vaccinated. In the past month, the county has increased its vaccination rate by an average of 0.7 percent per week. At that pace, the county would not reach 70 percent until the final week of December. Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, CEO of the Harris Health hospital system, described this fourth wave of COVID-19 as a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Ninety-eight percent of virus patients at Ben Taub and Lyndon B. Johnson hospitals, he said, are unvaccinated. All the COVID-19 deaths the system has recorded this year were among unvaccinated patients. The Houston region is on track to set a new COVID-19 hospitalization record this week. With more than 2 million unvaccinated Harris County residents, Porsa said the virus still can thrive. The delta variant is proving to be way too contagious for this degree of vaccination to have an impact, Porsa said. I am begging you, do the right thing: get yourself vaccinated. Get your children over 12 vaccinated. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced at a City Hall news conference Tuesday afternoon that Houston had passed 3,000 COVID-19 deaths. One, he said, was a 24-year Public Works employee. Fire Chief Sam Pena said ambulance crews continue to experience long waits to deliver patients at emergency rooms because of the shortage of beds caused by the increase in virus patients. This spike in coronavirus is not just affecting those sick or symptomatic, Pena said. Its affecting all our patients and calls for service. On a 3-2 party line vote last week, Commissioners Court approved $10 million for vaccine incentives, for which the county plans to seek reimbursement through the federal American Rescue Plan. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, though supportive of efforts to boost the vaccination rate, said he opposes paying residents to get the shots. It just is reminiscent of some unsavory things in times past, Cagle said Aug. 10. People used to get paid for donating blood, and disease outbreaks broke out from that. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey also voted against the plan. In June, Harris County also launched a raffle for teenagers under 18 who got vaccinated. The county distributed 10 scholarships worth $5,000 each. zach.despart@chron.com A child does not have to go missing for that startling alarm to sound on your phone. In addition to AMBER alerts, Texas sends blue alerts warning residents across the state of a suspect on the loose that has imposed harm toward a law enforcement officer. Former Gov. Rick Perry launched the state's alert system in 2008 to "speed in the apprehension of violent criminals who kill or seriously wound local, state, or federal law enforcement officers," according to the Texas Department of Safety. On both Android and iOS devices, the message comes as an emergency alert with information regarding the suspect, facilitating tips and leads to law enforcement. According to DPS, a blue alert must meet the following criteria: A law enforcement officer must have been killed or seriously injured by an offender. The investigating law enforcement agency must determine that the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel. A detailed description of the offender's vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag must be available for broadcast to the public. The investigating law enforcement agency of jurisdiction must recommend activation of the Blue Alert to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Some are very detailed and provide specifics such as the suspects' age, attire, gender, height, or race. Laura Duclos | Chronicle But others, like the one sent just before 11:30 p.m. Monday, can be very vague. The notification provided few details, only urging Texas residents to monitor radio and TV. The state issued the alert in search of a man accused of shooting a Clay County Sheriff's Office deputy on Monday night southeast of Wichita Falls. It is not unusual to receive a blue alerts for incidents far outside one's local area. This was true for many Texans who were annoyed with last night's alert and took to Twitter to complain about it. "Will send a vague color-coded alert for a remote part of Texas to the entire state in the middle of the night with no context but not during us almost freezing to death in the winter," wrote one user @AfroChingona, "pretty par for the course." "Omg. Really?" wrote another Twitter user, @republicinexile. "A blue alert texted to the entire state with no information about something that happened 4 hours earlier in a fairly isolated part of the state. I mean, come on." Clay County is a small north Texas county home to 10,218 people as of April 1, 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. It's population has declined by 4.97 percent in the last 10 years. Clay County Sheriff Jeffrey Lyde elaborated on the agency's Facebook page just after midnight and said that the deputy, who KFDX-TV identified as Breanton Chitwood, was shot in the chest during an attempted traffic stop at the Jolly Truck Stop. The gunman drove away in a white Cadillac four-door sedan that is believed to have a stolen Texas plate (FXJ 1334), according to Lyde. Lyde said multiple agencies chipped into to attempt to prevent the gunman from escaping, but he got away. They searched for hours, but were unsuccessful. "We threw a net around this place and unfortunately didn't get him," he said on a live video. "I'm hoping that he's leaking somewhere." Lyde said Chitwood described the gunman as a white male, in his mid-20s, and kind of thin, but said he wasn't able to get a real good look because as soon as he got to the door he was shot in the chest. He commended Chitwood for his composure, but sent a direct message to the gunman. "To the guy that did this today, you didn't get my guy," Lyde said. "You shot him in the vest, you didn't get him, but we are going to get you. Bet that." Lyde posted a separate video to Facebook Monday night, from the hospital room at Clay County Memorial Hospital with Chitwood, and showed a bruise on his chest where the bulletproof vest protected him from the round. "God is good," he said, "and deputy Chitwood is going to be OK. Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, and Lyde said his department is matching it for a total reward of $10,000. If you have information, you can call Crime Stoppers at (940) 322-9888. For Ted Matthews, the last several weeks have been a succession of COVID-related nightmares. As CEO of Eastland Memorial Hospital, Matthews is used to a high volume of patients a monthly average of 2,400 outpatient discharges in a tiny town of only 3,800 people, midway between Abilene and Fort Worth. But the surge of the delta variant has kept his seven emergency room beds full and forced his exhausted staff to make excruciating decisions, Matthews told Texas senators during a Health and Human Services Committee hearing last week. One of Matthews best night shift nurses turned in her resignation, explaining that she could make far more money elsewhere than he could pay, even with bonuses and overtime for extra shifts. Matthews is pooling every available dollar together to try to retain and recruit staff, but thus far, not a single registered nurse has applied. THE LATEST NUMBERS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID across Houston Two weeks ago, Matthews and his staff spent more than 30 hours desperately trying to transfer two patients to a nearby hospital, one with COVID, the other non-COVID. One of the patients died waiting. We just couldnt get them transferred in time, Matthews told senators. Across Texas, hospitals of all sizes are in chaos, scrambling to quell yet another wave of COVID-19. As of Saturday, in the 25-county hospital region that includes Houston, there were more COVID patients in hospital beds more than 2,700 than at any point this year. A region with an estimated 9.3 million residents now has only 49 available intensive care unit beds, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, a coalition of health care providers coordinating trauma care. Of course, totals for available beds often dont reflect a hospitals ability to staff them, an acute concern for small and rural hospitals, which make up roughly 60 percent of the regions health care system. WHERE TO GET TESTED: COVID testing sites around Houston that don't require a doctor's note In rural East Texas, small hospitals are attempting to transfer patients as far away as North Dakota to find critical care beds and theyre using orthopedic pillows to prop up patients struggling to breathe because they dont have advanced machines, Chronicle reporter Zach Despart reported recently. For weeks as the delta variant began to spread, counties across Texas sent requests to the state begging for help in providing staff so their hospitals could open up more beds. During the previous surge in January and February, the state used $5.3 billion in federal relief funds to contract with staffing agencies and bring in 14,000 nurses, a successful effort that helped keep hospitals afloat during the winter This time, though, the state had another response for local governments pleading for nurses: youre on your own. A July 29 letter sent by W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, informed local officials that they could instead rely on $9 billion in federal COVID relief that had already been disbursed directly to 75 cities and the states 254 counties to meet staffing needs. Problem solved? Not hardly. Local officials say it is far more cumbersome and time-consuming for each individual county to contract with staffing agencies than it is for the state to coordinate like it did last winter. A decentralized system pits hospitals against one another, and can drive up wages. And in many cases, those federal dollars have been tapped to plug budgets and government service holes left by the pandemic. Eleven days after Kidds letter, and days after news reports of harrowing hospital conditions across Texas, the state offered a concession of sorts. Gov. Greg Abbott said health officials would begin recruiting 2,500 out-of-state nurses to help fill gaps. But that number falls woefully short, says Darrell Pile, CEO of the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. Pile told the editorial board on Friday that hospitals in the Southeast Texas region alone needed 1,650 nurses but would only be getting 747 out of the initial pool. Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Department of State Health Services told the editorial board the additional nurses would be deployed to hospitals as early as Saturday and that 2,500 is the most that staffing agencies could immediately supply. He said the state would keep assessing and help provide staff as needed. The states help is a godsend, obviously, but its too little too late. Lives have been in danger for weeks. If the state had answered hospital pleas initially, Texas could have avoided having to ramp up staffing mid-surge. Whats so frustrating is that the state knew what to do to stabilize hospitals and save lives. It did it once before, this past winter. Why did Abbott drag his feet this time? Did he think that by ignoring the problem he could make it go away and reduce the likelihood of another disaster reflecting poorly on his re-election prospects? We cant say for sure but money apparently wasnt the issue: FEMA has promised to reimburse Texas for hospital staffing through Sept. 30, and Texas can follow other states in asking the federal government for direct staffing assistance. It seems the only thing lacking is the political will to meet the moment. VACCINE TRACKER: Interactive map shows where you can get vaccinated in Houston This disjointed, haphazard relief effort is emblematic of the states glaring lack of organization in allocating resources to combat the spread of COVID-19. Abbotts refusal to reinstate a mask mandate, and his prohibition of local governments and school districts doing so, is only exacerbating the situation. So is the lack of any coordinated, top-down effort to encourage people to get shots in a state that still lags the national average in vaccinations. The result is that Texas is in a near-constant state of triage, forced to stanch the bleeding whenever the next wave of COVID infections begins to crest. This reactive approach to the virus puts a devastating strain on the states health care facilities. And rural hospitals, many barely hanging on before the pandemic, bear the brunt of Abbotts poor planning and lacking leadership. These days, that leadership amounts to little more than asking Texans to practice personal responsibility. I think weve kind of got all the juice were going to get from that squeeze, says John Henderson, CEO of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals. There are a lot of people that are getting sick and dying, and our health system cant keep doing this. Hospitals should not have to devote their few available resources to finding nurses. Sick patients shouldnt have to wait days for available hospital beds or be flown cross-country for critical care. When rural hospitals pleaded for a lifeline, our governor told them to get in line. That cant happen again. The statewide nursing shortage is not a matter of politics or philosophical debates over local control. Its a matter of life or death. Less than a week after students returned to school in the rural West Texas town of Iraan, district officials were facing a COVID crisis on two fronts the virus was rapidly infecting students and staff, and so many teachers were sick or in quarantine that there werent enough left to run the classrooms. The district was forced to shut down just six days after it had welcomed students back, Iraan-Sheffield ISD Superintendent Tracy Canter announced Monday. About 16 percent of students were either COVID-positive or in quarantine, as were 28 percent of teachers, she said in an interview. We have more cases here in the first week than we had all of last year combined, Canter said. In East Texas, two other rural districts Bloomburg and Waskom ISDs made similar choices this week, closing some or all of their schools. Their decisions could spell the future for larger districts in urban counties, where shutdowns may be the only way to quell a surge in COVID cases compounded by conflicting local and state orders on mask mandates and low vaccination rates among children. Its about to get real bad, and I hate to say it, but right now they dont have to wear masks; the students dont and the teachers dont and theyre not taking it as serious as they should be, said Melissa Johnson, a 38-year-old parent of a middle schooler from the town of Waskom, near the Louisiana border. There, only the elementary school has closed so far because 15 of 26 teachers tested positive for the virus, said Rae Ann Patty, the superintendent of Waskom ISD. IN-DEPTH: A world of trouble: NIH director Collins addresses COVID threat in Texas schools Texas health officials have confirmed an average of roughly 12,000 new COVID cases over the past week, nearly as many as during the states winter surge and exceeding last summers first wave. The increase is mostly attributable to the more transmissible delta variant, even as more than half of Texans age 12 and over have been fully vaccinated against the virus. In more urban areas, local Democratic officials have attempted to force mask-wearing in schools despite Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts order barring such mandates. Leaders in Harris, Bexar, Dallas and other counties have required face coverings in the classroom, initiating court battles with state officials that have produced mixed results. The Texas Supreme Court is still considering the matter, and a final ruling could take weeks or months. In the meantime, more schools are reopening each day, many debating whether to abide by state or local mandates. Unfortunately, the closure of these small school districts is more proof that the COVID pandemic is still dangerous and needs to be taken seriously by the governor and school officials, said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. People must get vaccinated, and educators and students need to wear masks to school. These closures could occur in the larger urban and suburban school districts if Gov. Abbott doesnt withdraw his order prohibiting mask mandates in schools. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The Texas Education Agency has not issued public guidance on school closures. But the issue of school closures is not just one of public health its also one of school performance, said Michelle Smith, the vice president of policy and advocacy for the education activism group Raise Your Hand Texas. STAAR test scores dropped dramatically amid the pandemic, and students have a huge learning gap to make up for in the coming months and years, she said. While theres no easy answer for a return to the classroom, its crucial that students have a safe space to learn in person, she said. As Texas students return to school this month, the doors will open, teachers and students will arrive, and the learning will begin, Smith said. How long we can keep those doors open is up to all of us. School districts count cases, weigh next steps Houston ISD, the largest public school district in Texas, says in its reopening plan that it does not anticipate full or partial closures but Superintendent Millard House II said in recent weeks that the district would evaluate its options on a case-by-case basis. I think we have to look at every situation separately, House said. It may be that, because we have had spread in a particular classroom but there hasnt been exposure outside of that classroom, that we shut that classroom down. It may be that we shut a grade level down. Officials from Conroe ISD, which is currently reporting 610 active COVID cases among students and staff, said the school system has discussed a variety of contingency plans should a campus need to close due to staff absences. However, we are working to avoid that scenario if at all possible while also adhering to Gov. Abbotts executive orders and guidance from TEA, district officials said in an email Tuesday. Any potential closure will be communicated by the district directly to our families. Prevention of disease transmission in our schools takes all of us working together. Clear Creek ISD plans on moving one class or grade level to virtual learning at a time as part of what it calls a phased approach to closures. We are monitoring absences due to illness and COVID-19 positive cases by school and classroom, said Elaina Polsen, a spokeswoman for the district. Fort Bend ISD, which is currently reporting 553 active COVID cases, said it would close all or part of a building for disinfection, notifying the occupants of that building in advance. The district diligently monitors data and receives guidance from local, state and national authorities and data like the number of positive cases among students and staff are key factors, said spokeswoman Sherry Williams. Some student infections may go unreported Since the vaccine became widely available, Abbott has said COVID-19 protection boils down to personal responsibility. He had implemented a statewide mask requirement last year, as COVID cases first began rising in Texas, but rescinded the order as the states vaccine rollout picked up in March. Every Texan has a right to choose for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, or get vaccinated, Renae Eze, Abbotts spokeswoman, has said. Eze has declined to say whether there is any situation in which the governor would allow schools to implement mask mandates, but she reiterated that vaccines are the most effective defense against contracting COVID and becoming seriously ill. Children under age 12 are ineligible for the vaccine, and Texas youth are the least vaccinated of all age groups. State data show a small uptick in vaccinations among 12- to 17-year-olds in the lead-up to the academic year. Still, just about 1.2 million Texans in that age group have received at least one shot a little less than half of the states entire population of 12- to 17-year-olds, a rate that lags far behind the statewide average. It is also exceedingly difficult to track COVID cases in schools, since the virus often presents without symptoms in children, and some parents may not report the illness to the school. State data on COVID spread in the classroom is sparse, at least for now, featuring only one data point for the week that ended Aug. 8. Then, there were roughly 1,700 confirmed student and staff cases, split about equally between those two groups. Complicating the matter, the state has left it up to parents to decide whether to send their students to class after theyve been exposed to COVID-19 but havent yet tested positive. Patty, the superintendent in Waskom, says that rule makes it more difficult to keep her school safe and could lead to more school shutdowns. Its a potential at every school district with the way that the rule and the protocols have changed, she said. If parents choose to send their kids to school and not quarantine them, any school district could see this happen. Johnson, the mother of a student, said she expects the middle school to soon close down, like the elementary has. I mean, my kids life is pretty important if you ask me, Johnson said. Ill figure it out if it happens, but its coming. Its coming. Alejandro Serrano contributed reporting from Houston. cayla.harris@express-news.net edward.mckinley@chron.com Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of a handful of GOP governors trying to block school districts from requiring masks in the classroom. Under DeSantis direction, the state health department adopted a rule that gives families the ability to opt out of locally ordered school mask mandates. The state board of education approved another rule that allows parents to secure vouchers for their children to attend a different school if they encounter pushback on their refusal to use masks. The DeSantis administration threatened to penalize school officials financially if they bucked the rules. Much of DeSantis argument was based on his belief that parents have a right to determine whats best for their child, as well as his doubts about whether mask mandates are effective at curbing the virus in a school setting. (When we looked into the latter argument, multiple experts pointed to research showing that mask-wearing is effective in protecting children from COVID-19 and preventing COVID transmission in schools.) THE LATEST NUMBERS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID across Houston But DeSantis also cited some specific negatives for mask wearers health. In an executive order, DeSantis wrote that "masking children may lead to negative health and societal ramifications" and that "forcing children to wear masks could inhibit breathing, lead to the collection of dangerous impurities including bacteria parasites, fungi, and other contaminants, and adversely affect communications in the classroom and student performance." DeSantis press secretary, Christina Pushaw, told PolitiFact that "there are potential downsides to masking children for eight hours per day, from a developmental, emotional, academic, and medical perspective. These potential downsides are largely unexplored." She cited concerns raised in an op-ed by Marty Makary, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Cody Meissner, the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Tufts Childrens Hospital, that said "masks can lead to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood" and that they "can be vectors for pathogens if they become moist or are used for too long." Makary and Meissner also warned of impacts on verbal and nonverbal communication. VACCINE TRACKER: Interactive map shows where you can get vaccinated in Houston Other people aligned with DeSantis view have put the harm of kids wearing masks in even starker terms. During a panel discussion convened by DeSantis, clinical psychiatrist Mark McDonald said, "My position is simple: Masking children is child abuse," according to the Miami Herald. (Meissner was also on the panel.) Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., spoke out against a proposed school mask mandate by the Buncombe County Schools Board of Education, saying a mandate is "nothing short of psychological child abuse." And on the July 27 edition of his Fox News show, Tucker Carlson asserted that its a "scientifically established fact that masks pose a far greater threat to children than COVID does. So, strictly speaking as a scientific matter, this is lunacy." What does science say about whether masks can cause harm for the wearer? Generally, we found that concerns about significant negative impacts on breathing arent well supported. Worries about masks interfering with communication and serving as a barrier to social connection in the classroom may be more reasonable, experts say. Breathing concerns The first thing to note is that masks arent recommended for everyone. The American Lung Association, for instance, cautions people with preexisting lung disease to consult their doctor before wearing a mask regularly. In addition, the CDC does not recommend that children under 2 years old wear masks. Masks are also generally not recommended during heavy exercise. But what about people who do not fall into these categories? Could they be hurt by wearing a mask? Some of the most common concerns raised involve a lack of oxygen, or a buildup in carbon dioxide. We have previously found such concerns to be oversold, as have other fact-checkers. The issue "has been convincingly debunked," said Babak Javid, a professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco. We should note that studies specific to children have been rare, so most of the scientific literature has involved research on adults. Two studies on children used N95 masks, which are more sophisticated than the masks most school children will use, but even these found no significant impacts on breathing. Other peer-reviewed studies of adults have produced similar results. A mask "will add some resistance to the breathing process, meaning it may feel like it takes a bit more work to take a breath, but it won't materially change the makeup of air that comes through the mask," said Benjamin Neuman, a biology professor at Texas A&M University and chief viologist of the universitys Global Health Research Complex. One paper published in February 2021 looked at 10 previous studies of adults or children that addressed questions of breathing while wearing a mask. The authors expressed disappointment at how few studies looked specifically at the impacts on children, and they urged that more research is needed on that specific question. However, the paper found little reason for worry. "The eight adult studies, including four prompted by the pandemic and one on surgeons, reported that face masks commonly used during the pandemic did not impair gas exchange during rest or mild exercise," the authors wrote. A June 2021 study that seemed to indicate breathing challenges for masked children was retracted by the journal JAMA Pediatrics 16 days after its publication, due to methodological shortcomings and other concerns. David G. Hill, a physician and American Lung Association board member, has written that masks "absolutely" do not cause low oxygen levels. "We wear masks all day long in the hospital," Hill wrote. "The masks are designed to be breathed through and there is no evidence that low oxygen levels occur." Another reason medical experts arent too worried is that "the world has engaged in a massive study observational, but literally billions of people on mass mask wearing, and people are not dropping dead left, right and center," Javid said. Other possible impacts A few other complaints about masks sometimes surface, such as fear that they could concentrate toxins or harm the immune system. But these arent well supported either, experts say. As long as masks are regularly replaced or laundered, "theres no reason to worry about toxins, said Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen. And theres "no evidence that masks have any effect on the immune system or immune function," she said. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told PolitiFact that swabbing a students backpack would probably generate as many or more pathogens as swabbing their mask. And Nicole Gatto, an associate professor of public health at Claremont Graduate University, said that pathogens on masks may be evidence that theyre being kept "out of the mouths and noses of those who wore them, preventing people from potentially getting ill." While the scientific evidence for specific ills such as low oxygen or high carbon dioxide is weak, experts say its more plausible that the annoyances of masking could distract from in-class lessons and make it harder to hear other students or the teacher. In a September 2020 paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the authors wrote that "while there are minimal physiological impacts on wearing a mask ... there may be consequential psychological impacts of mask wearing on the basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness." Such downsides may be especially acute for students who are English language learners, or those who are deaf or hard of hearing. "Masks interfere with lip-reading, which has a major impact on communication," Javid said. The reality is that "there is minimal evidence" on how severe these sorts of impacts could be for most children. "This is the first time in most of our lifetimes we have faced the prospect of continued isolation and masking, so it is not surprising we have insufficient evidence to guide us," said Amy Price, a senior research scientist at Stanford University. Still, there is evidence that children are adaptable. In a December 2020 study of childrens ability to read facial expressions of masked people, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that "while there may be some challenges for children incurred by others wearing masks, in combination with other contextual cues, masks are unlikely to dramatically impair childrens social interactions in their everyday lives." And child-development experts caution against assuming that any deficits from masks will linger over the long term. Most children "don't like wearing pants or shoes at first, but they adjust, like they do for all the other things we require of them," said A. E. Learmonth, professor with the cognition, memory and development lab at William Paterson University. "In many ways, a mask is just another article of clothing. In the beginning it could be distracting and uncomfortable, but like shoes, they will get used to it." Meanwhile, polling suggests that parents are open to masks in schools. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey taken in July and August found that 63% of parents wanted masks required in schools for people who are unvaccinated. Gabrielle Settles and Jason Asenso contributed to this article. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. US legislation has Apple, Google Play app stores in crosshairs with fair, clear, and enforceable rules Several US senators have introduced a bill, known as the Open App Markets Act, aimed at loosening Apple and Googles current stranglehold on the app economy. Guest post by Emmanuel Legrand of the Legrand Network US Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) have introduced a bill, the Open App Markets Act, which seeks to promote competition and reduce gatekeeper power in the app economy, increase choice, improve quality, and reduce costs for consumers. The Open App Markets Act is targeted at Google and Apple, whose respective app stores are the market leaders in the Android and iOS eco-systems. The two companies are described as having gatekeeper control of the two dominant mobile operating systems and their app stores that allow them to exclusively dictate the terms of the app market, inhibiting competition and restricting consumer choice. Break tech giants grip on the app economy Blumenthal said that the bipartisan bill will help break these tech giants ironclad grip, open the app economy to new competitors, and give mobile users more control over their own devices. In a statement, Apple said it would continue to focus on connecting developers with consumers: Since our founding, weve always put our users at the center of everything we do, and the App Store is the cornerstone of our work to connect developers and customers in a way that is safe and trustworthy. The result has been an unprecedented engine of economic growth and innovation, one that now supports more than 2.1 million jobs across all 50 states. At Apple, our focus is on maintaining an App Store where people can have confidence that every app must meet our rigorous guidelines and their privacy and security is protected. The new law which would only apply to any person that owns or controls an App Store for which users in the United States exceed 50,000,000 has the ambition to set fair, clear, and enforceable rules that will protect competition and strengthen consumer protections within the app market, according to a joint statement by the three Senators. Provide guidelines for app tores According to the law, an app store, described in the bill as a Covered Company, will not be able to: (1) Require developers to use an In-App Payment System owned or controlled by the Covered Company or any of its business partners as a condition of being distributed on an App Store or accessible on an operating system; (2) Require as a term of distribution on an App Store that pricing terms or conditions of sale be equal to or more favorable on its App Store than the terms or conditions under another App Store; or (3) Take punitive action or otherwise impose less favorable terms and conditions against a devel- oper for using or offering different pricing terms or conditions of sale through another In-App Payment System or on another App Store. Tear down anticompetitive walls This legislation will tear down coercive anticompetitive walls in the app economy, giving consumers more choices and smaller startup tech companies a fighting chance, said Blumenthal. For years, Apple and Google have squashed competitors and kept consumers in the darkpocketing hefty windfalls while acting as supposedly benevolent gatekeepers of this multi-billion dollar market. Im proud to partner with Senators Blackburn and Klobuchar in this breakthrough blow against Big Tech bullying. Added Blackburn: Big Tech giants are forcing their own app stores on users at the expense of innovative start-ups. Apple and Google want to prevent developers and consumers from using third-party app stores that would threaten their bottom line. Their anticompetitive conduct is a direct affront to a free and fair marketplace. Senator Blumenthal, Klobuchar, I are committed to ensuring US consumers and small businesses are not punished by Big Tech dominance. Klobuchar said that a few gatekeepers control the app marketplace, wielding incredible power over which apps consumers can access, and that this situation raises serious competition concerns. She added: By establishing new rules for app stores, this legislation levels the playing field and is an important step forward in ensuring an innovative and competitive app marketplace. Protect developers rights The co-sponsors of the Bill explain that the Open App Markets Act would: > protect developers rights to tell consumers about lower prices and offer competitive pricing; protect side-loading of apps; > open up competitive avenues for startup apps, third party app stores, and payment services; > make it possible for developers to offer new experiences that take advantage of consumer device features; give consumers more control over their devices; prevent app stores from disadvantaging developers; > and set safeguards to continue to protect privacy, security, and safety of consumers. Greater consumer choices The Open App Markets Act has been endorsed by a number of technology and consumer groups, including Consumer Reports, Internet Accountability Project, Public Citizen, Coalition for App Fairness, Color Of Change, News Media Alliance, Public Knowledge, Lincoln Network, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE), Digital Progress Institute, Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Principles Project, and the American Economic Liberties Project. The Open App Markets Act will ensure fairness for both users and developers without forcing security or privacy compromises, resulting in greater consumer choices and lower prices in the app ecosystem, said John Bergmayer, Legal Director at Public Knowledge. In an interview with Reuters, Blumenthal said that he expected a companion legislation to be introduced in the House of Representatives very soon. Share on: About 40 residents attend the ARPA public hearing at Conte Community School on Monday night. Mayor Linda Tyer explains the purpose of the hearing. After attendees took a survey on their phones, the results of the most selected public health issues were displayed in a cluster graph. PreviousNext Pittsfield Sets Mental Health, Housing as Priorities for ARPA Funds Commissioner of Public Services Ricardo Morales writes down public issues on a board as residents bring them up. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Mental health and housing services were identified as top priorities for the $32.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds coming to the city. On Monday, around 40 people gathered at Conte Community School for the first of four public hearings on the use of the federal funds. When prompted, the group identified mental health and housing as the greatest COVID-19-related public health needs. Attendees voted that addressing "disparities in public health outcomes in the community" is the most urgent category of improvement needed and believed the top three services in need of help are homelessness prevention, behavioral health services, and services for at-risk children. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act was passed by Congress and signed into law in March with the goal of stabilizing local government operations, households, small businesses, and other sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. "The need for this money came out of looking at the Great Recession, and where the federal government put money in and where they didn't," Director of Community Development Deanna Ruffer said. "And theoretically this is where they feel more work can be done and with the help of local governments, we can kickstart a little faster some of that recovery, and we can get closer to everyone that was impacted." Pittsfield is receiving $32.4 million that is being allocated in two parts. The first deposit of $16.2 million happened about a month ago and the second will happen next year at this time. Obligations for the spending must be made by the end of 2024 and the funds must be spent by 2026. The city is also receiving a county allocation of $8.4 million in two phases. The funds are being distributed to communities on a per-capita basis because Berkshire County no longer has a county administrative structure. "There was a belief at the beginning of the American Rescue Plan from some of our friends in the federal government that this was going to be the communities can do whatever they want with this money, and then we got 150 pages of rules," Mayor Linda Tyer explained. "And we spent about, I don't know, a couple of weeks at least, all of us read the rules and then we got some summaries of the rules, and then we participated in a whole bunch of webinars and it's taken us two months to really for us to understand what this really is all about, and it has so much potential, and our view is that we want to have as much community engagement as possible." The funds can be dispersed into the community in seven different ways to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency but Pittsfield only qualifies for six because the city was not deemed in need of broadband infrastructure. The money can be used to respond to the public health emergency, address negative economic impacts, help neighborhoods disproportionally impacted such as Morningside and West Side, give premium pay to low-income essential employees, offset the loss of local government revenue, and invest in water/sewer infrastructure. It can not be used for tax cuts, pension funds, to pay legal settlements, or to match other federal grant funds. Ruffer outlined some possible public health uses including testing, infection prevention, paying medical expenses for individuals, and new or enhanced services for mental health in response to the trauma of the pandemic In a group query, mental health and housing were identified as the greatest COVID-19 related public health needs. The attendees also discussed equity and human service needs, which are said to play into each other. A member of the public relayed a message that was gathered through community outreach, stating that there is a need for respect of marginalized peoples' voices and that they dont feel heard by the city in such meetings. Many spoke about lacking resources in human service fields including child care, mental health care, disabled and elderly care. "I work in human services and one of my questions and in some of these gaps and services are due to the fact that we don't have enough mental health workers to do the job even if the funds are allocated to that," one attendee said. "And so my question is, can this money be given at all to make to make the career more attractive to help people loan forgiveness, higher wages, I'm one of the CO responders you reference, and I love my job and we need more people, and I wonder if kind of delegating this money without realizing that we don't have a workforce to execute it is short-sighted." It was mentioned that the United States may need nationwide post-traumatic stress services for frontline workers, especially for medical workers. Several other pandemic-related public health needs were brainstormed during the hearing. These include re-defining basic needs; disability care; child-care infrastructure; alternatives for elderly residents; and reviving programs that ended during the pandemic. The next hearing, on economic recovery, will be held at on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Berkshire Innovation Center. A housing and neighborhoods hearing will be held on Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Morningside Community School and a hearing for cultural organizations will be held at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts on Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. Residents can find more information about the ARPA on the city website and can submit feedback to ARPA@cityofpittsfield.org. Berkshire Money Management Donates to Firefighter Challenge DALTON, Mass. Berkshire Money Management has donated $25,000 to bring the 3M Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge back to the Berkshires Berkshire Money Management along with the Pittsfield Fire Department will present the 3M Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge, which will be held at Berkshire Crossing in Pittsfield, September 16-18, 2021. The full competition course, as seen on ESPN for more than a decade and now televised on FFCC.com and ESPN3, will be set up at Berkshire Crossing, 555 Hubbard Ave. There will be food trucks, fire safety demos, and Eversource will have a demonstration as well. There will be firefighters from across the state and country, and firefighters from Canada and across the globe. Retired firefighters are also welcome to compete. "The pandemic had nearly eliminated this event worldwide, which is basically the recognition ceremony and the showcase for what firefighters do every day. And they did it during the pandemic, and they will continue to do it whether or not there is a Combat Challenge. However, that kind of public recognition, and comradery building is absolutely essential to keep growing the awareness and appreciation for firefighters and first responders whose role has changed dramatically in the last 10 years," said BMM CEO Allen Harris. "They're no longer 'just fighting fires.' They're mental health workers, wellness check-in folks, community liaisons, grief counselors. They're everything. BMM didn't want the event to lose steam, especially now. We want the Berkshires to be a fond stop for our local community as well as for firefighters from around the world." The challenge annually attracts hundreds of U.S. and Canadian municipal fire departments at more than 25 locations and is now expanding to countries around the world, including New Zealand, Poland, Germany, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Dubai, Slovenia, France and South Africa. The challenge seeks to encourage firefighter fitness and demonstrate the profession's rigors to the public. Wearing "full bunker gear" and the SCOTT Air-Pak breathing apparatus, competitors race head-to-head as they simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting by performing a linked series of five tasks, including climbing the five-story tower carrying a 45-lb hose pack, hoisting a 42-lb hose pack five stories up, chopping a 160-lb I-beam to move it 5 feet, dragging charged hoses and dragging a life-sized, 175-lb "victim" 100 feet as they race against themselves, their opponents and the clock. Berkshire Money Management has already put together a competitive team and training for the event has begun with our friends at Community Fitness Pittsfield (CFPitt) on East Street. "Let's admit it, nothing is ever going to be enough to thank these brave people for protecting us. Before the pandemic we were able to help bring the Firefighter's Combat Challenge to the Berkshires for the first time ever in 2019," says Harris. "The firefighters were so happy and thankful that we knew we had to step up to fully present the event this year. We wanted to unite the tribe in our backyard." More information about the course, registration and rules Is a is available here. For information about the Pittsfield event, contact Dan Garner at dgarner@cityofpittsfield , call 413-448-9754 or visit the event page Individual races will be held Friday, Sept. 17, beginning at 5 p.m. The tandem and relay races will be held Saturday, Sept. 18, starting at 10:30 a.m. The Director of Baronnie de Byakato radio television, Joel Mumbere Musavuli, was stabbed and killed with his wife at his home by suspected Mai- Mai militiamen, a community based militia group, in the early hours of Saturday, 14 August 2021. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the murders and calls on the Congolese Government to bring the perpetrators to justice. Joel Mumbere Musavuli is a journalist and the director of Baronnie de Byakato, the Biakato Community radio station. According to local reports from Ituri, the troubled north eastern province of the DRC,Musavuli was stabbed in the ribs and neck at around 1:30 am while his wife was seriously wounded with a machete and later died from her injuries. Joel Musavuli had been threatened after fronting a programme on 26 June, which looked into the activities of the armed groups. IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said that freedom of expression and media freedom are at great risk in the DRC. Once again a journalist has paid the high price for telling the truth. Within the space of just eight days, two journalists, Heritier Magayane and Joel Musavuli, have been killed in the country in relation to their work. There is no doubt that the intention of the murderers was simply to silence Joel, while at the same time sending an intimidating message to the Congolese media. The IFJ calls on the Government of Felix Tshisekedi to do everything possible to bring the killers of Musavuli and his wife to justice. "The Congolese government must do more to protect journalists, human rights activists and all citizens from the trigger happy militias", the Federation said. Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced that it has received the 2020 Google Cloud Global Technology Partner of the Year award for Security. Fortinet was recognized for the companys achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem, helping joint customers: Simplify security management with single-pane control across Google Cloud and on-premises data centers. Gain cloud-native visibility and control into Google Cloud workloads and applications. Strengthen endpoint security with cloud-native endpoint protection, detection and response that is behavior-based rather than signature-based. Leverage Fortinet Cloud Security Services Hub for scalable and multi-layer secure connectivity. Optimize cost management with various consumption models based on customer choice, easily deploying native cloud security offerings in VM, and SaaS form factors with the flexibility of BYOL and PAYG (pay as you go) billing options. Fortinets Adaptive Cloud Security for Google Cloud Fortinet has partnered with Google Cloud for more than 5 years and has been significantly accelerating the partnership to support mutual customers in their transformation and journey to cloud. With Google Cloud, Fortinet has now established a mutual top-tier partnership across companies to ensure customers workloads are secure and compliant, helping ease the burden around company overall brand protection. Fortinet is an established Google Cloud Premier Partner and Google Cloud is an established Fortinet Fabric-Ready Partner. Fortinet being recognized as Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year for security is a natural continuation of the work the companies are doing together to help solve customers security concerns and simplify the migration to Google Cloud. The Fortinet adaptive cloud security for Google Cloud provides consistent, advanced enterprise security for customers with Google Cloud-based environments. The Fortinet Security Fabric protects business workloads across on-premises, data centers and cloud environments providing multi-layered security for cloud-based applications. The solution offers network, application and cloud platform security capabilities provided in a variety of form factors including VM-, container-, and SaaS delivered protection that natively integrates Fortinet security functionality into Google Cloud. Fortinet offers its advanced series of network security solutions integrated with Google Clouds platform, enabling protection for cloud-based infrastructure and applications. These solutions include: FortiGate-VM and Secure SD-WAN on Google Clouds platform delivers next-generation firewall (NGFW) capabilities for organizations of all sizes, with the flexibility to be deployed as a NGFW and/or a VPN gateway. FortiGate-VM delivers integration with Google Clouds recently announced Network Connectivity Center (NCC). NCC bridges a first-party native cloud underlay from Google Cloud with Secure SD-WAN and cloud on-ramp service from Fortinet across hybrid and multi-clouds. on Google Clouds platform delivers next-generation firewall (NGFW) capabilities for organizations of all sizes, with the flexibility to be deployed as a NGFW and/or a VPN gateway. FortiGate-VM delivers integration with Google Clouds recently announced Network Connectivity Center (NCC). NCC bridges a first-party native cloud underlay from Google Cloud with Secure SD-WAN and cloud on-ramp service from Fortinet across hybrid and multi-clouds. FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF & WAFaaS) complements IaaS Cloud provider security with features and AI-based machine learning detection engines that defend web applications from vulnerability exploits. More specifically bots, malware uploads, DDoS attacks, advanced persistent threats (APTs), and zero-day attacks. (WAF & WAFaaS) complements IaaS Cloud provider security with features and AI-based machine learning detection engines that defend web applications from vulnerability exploits. More specifically bots, malware uploads, DDoS attacks, advanced persistent threats (APTs), and zero-day attacks. FortiManager provides single-pane-of-glass management for unified, end-to-end protection across the extended enterprise. It delivers insight into network traffic and offers enterprise-class features for threat containment. provides single-pane-of-glass management for unified, end-to-end protection across the extended enterprise. It delivers insight into network traffic and offers enterprise-class features for threat containment. FortiCWP delivers cloud workload protection and cloud security posture management for workloads running on Google Cloud using API level integration into Google Cloud management and security services. This enables organizations to monitor and track cloud resources including their configurations, activity and traffic flows. FortiCWP also integrates with Google Security Command Center (SCC) for visibility and integration of threat feeds across platforms. delivers cloud workload protection and cloud security posture management for workloads running on Google Cloud using API level integration into Google Cloud management and security services. This enables organizations to monitor and track cloud resources including their configurations, activity and traffic flows. FortiCWP also integrates with Google Security Command Center (SCC) for visibility and integration of threat feeds across platforms. Secure SAP S/4HANA on Google Cloud provides customers with enhanced security and orchestration that scales across cloud workloads. The Fortinet Security Fabric for Google Cloud protects attack surfaces that span hybrid- & multi-cloud infrastructures providing flexibility for SAP projects. Cloud Native Edge and Endpoint Security Fortinet has also partnered with Google Cloud to deliver modern endpoint protection, detection and response to reduce the risk of compromised devices that enable user productivity and application delivery anywhere, any time. Specifically, Fortinet FortiEDR enhances Google Clouds edge and zero trust solutions and provides customers patented, behavior-based capability. These capabilities detect violations of legitimate operating system activity, defuse violations in real-time without interrupting normal system operations and classifies them with the help of both Artificial Intelligence in the cloud and remote expert human analysis in FortiGuard Labs. This capability has been consistently validated through independent, comparative tests run by AV Comparatives, MITRE Engenuity and customers themselves. Fortinets FortiEDR will also soon be available directly from the Google Cloud Marketplace. With product names like "Lava Breath," "Sour Chillz," and "Garlic Mints," you'd be excused for not taking the cannabis industry seriously. But you'd be wrong. No. 4 2021 rank G. Ryan Ansin & Keith Cooper Revolutionary Clinics 32,997% Three-year revenue growth With states increasingly legalizing the sale of medical and recreational marijuana, cannabis is already a bona fide cash crop. The global cannabis market size was valued at $10.6 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach $97.35 billion by the end of 2026, according to Fortune Business Insights, a market research firm. Companies like Revolutionary Clinics, which launched in 2016, got in on the ground floor. In 2020, the Somerville, Massachusetts-based retail dispensary and wholesale cannabis seller booked $40.7 million, up 32,997 percent from 2017--and it only began selling recreational marijuana in 2018. Massachusetts legalized recreational marijuana in November 2016 and retail sales began in November 2018. This year, the company landed at No. 4 on the Inc. 5000, with roughly 400 employees, three retail locations in the Boston metro area, hundreds of products under a dozen brands, and more than 80 wholesale cannabis customers. "Rev's growth and management through constantly variable and often overwhelming winds is something that I am very proud of," says co-founder G. Ryan Ansin. "Goes back to the first rule in building a company: Build a world-class team." Achieving this kind of scale was always the plan, but the steps leading up to this point were steep. The state first legalized cannabis for medicinal use in 2012, but initially only 501(c)3 not-for-profits were permitted to sell it. Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes Foundation, an organization founded to promote heart screenings, was an early adopter. After founder Jayne Vining lost a daughter to an opioid addiction in 2010, she turned the organization's attention to medical marijuana, thinking that cannabis could be used as a non-addictive replacement to help aid addiction recovery. Meanwhile, Ansin had an empty 250,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, that used to be a shoe factory. And while he had the desire to go all in on cannabis, he lacked the necessary licenses. That's where Vining came in. Eventually, Ansin won her over with his vision for not just selling cannabis but growing it too. Outfitting the facility, now called Revolutionary Farms, took three years and over $50 million in funds, which Ansin was able to secure from angel investors, who saw the long-term potential in his vision. "We wanted to create a model in post-industrial towns to attract new industries to let jobs follow, and bring energy back to such beautiful bones of infrastructure, which needed a new lease on life," says Ansin about the space. By 2016, the facility was transformed and ready to grow and produce as many as 50 exotic strains of cannabis plants. The facility also now produces close to 200 original cannabis products in various forms, from the traditional flower (a.k.a. the plant itself) and edibles to vaporizers, tinctures, and topical creams. To help with producing medical-grade cannabis and growing their company, the founders in 2017 brought in Keith Cooper, a veteran CEO and executive for multiple previous Inc. 5000 honorees. "There was a big opportunity because the market already existed, and already had lots and lots of customers," says Cooper, noting the job's appeal. Plus, medical conditions exacerbated by the global pandemic may make cannabis all the more necessary, says Michele Scott, a senior cannabis analyst at market research firm Mintel. "I think if cannabis brands can help people find solutions for these new, maybe unexpected stressors, in addition to all of the things that were driving people to use before the pandemic, that's a huge opportunity." While cannabis remains in limbo on a federal level, as more states legalize cannabis, the industry is expected to grow accordingly, adds Scott. Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have approved recreational and medical marijuana, while an additional 18 states have approved just medical. "What has been the most surprising thing, frankly, is how difficult it has been to navigate the dynamic of a startup company, in a startup industry, in a state whose laws and regulations do not always match," says Ansin. "We're all building the plane while flying it." To wit, businesses will still find operating across state lines tricky, as the sale of cannabis remains illegal on a federal level. But Revolutionary Clinics is starting to plan for making the jump. Cooper says he's designing the company's processes so they can supply other states as soon as regulations change. This dedication to growth is what originally sparked Taylor Halsted's undisclosed investment in the company. "It's easy to make brands, but brands are a dime a dozen," says Halsted, a business strategist and angel investor. "The intellectual property they're figuring out--this laboratory in Massachusetts--could very well be a playbook for how to grow efficiently all over the place." EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES It's certainly scary, says Rory Sudbeck. No, not scaling a 13-story-tall water tower--you get used to that. Scary is leaving a lucrative livelihood to start a new business, and then blowing through your credit line and wondering if you'll run out of cash. "That was as scared as I want to be," says Sudbeck, who, even as the boss, has no problem strapping on a harness and climbing atop water towers. No. 174 2021 rank Rory Sudbeck Viking Industrial Painting 2,433% Three-year revenue growth Sudbeck was in the business of selling coatings for things like water tanks when he met his co-founder, John Snodgrass, who worked for a tank-maintenance company. Three years ago, the two bought a small family-owned shop called Viking Industrial Painting (V.I.P.). They knew that competitors were leaving the business; they also knew that water towers can last a long time. Operating out of Omaha, they began using their industry connections to generate business. "Most of the tanks we get on are 50 to 100 years old," says Sudbeck. "That's pretty standard. It costs a lot more to build a tank than to fix the one you have." Tower crews are like a traveling circus: They pull into town, set up shop for three weeks to six months, and then move on to the next job. The steel tanks themselves rely on a force as old as the universe--gravity--to create the pressure needed to supply water to the town below. The tanks also function as a reserve supply for emergencies and to even out peaks in demand. Water towers need to be patched and repainted every 15 to 20 years to maintain their integrity. (Two things to keep out of a water tank: dead animals and live bacteria.) "We do the dirty work," says Sudbeck. "The stuff that no one else really wants to do." EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES Horowitz (left) and Geoffrey Goldberg are big on no screen time for their 3-year- old daughter. She thinks TikTok is when her dads swing her upside down by her feet. Photograph by Nolwen Cifuentes Geoffrey Goldberg and Evan Horowitz were married and living in a one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment in 2016 when they wondered if they should hitch their careers together, too. Goldberg was a former Broadway dance captain turned director and choreographer, and Horowitz was a marketing pro with a Harvard MBA. They combined forces and called their new venture Movers+Shakers. The Santa Monica, California-based business puttered along as a two-man digital-marketing shop for a few years until one of their campaigns exploded on TikTok, hitting a billion views in a week. They'd reinvented the marketing jingle for Gen-Z, and it sent their business soaring--from $130,000 in 2017 revenue to $6.6 million in 2020. That's on track to at least quadruple this year, and now the creative couple have 60 employees along for the ride. --As told to Christine Lagorio-Chafkin No. 78 2021 rank Geoffrey Goldberg & Evan Horowitz Movers+ Shakers 4,802% Three-year revenue growth Goldberg: On Broadway, any night of the week, I would play one of about 14 different roles in Mary Poppins. I'd train new cast members during the day, and then at night--with a half-hour's notice--hop onstage in whatever costume I needed. It was wild. When the show was ending its run, I started putting myself out there more as a director and choreographer, posting some short pieces online. Horowitz: He made mini tap-dance duets that are so engaging and cute you can't help but smile when you see them. As a marketer, I thought it was an amazing way of telling stories. I asked him if he'd ever thought about taking his really joyful way of using music and dance to tell stories for brands. Goldberg: I hadn't. But I thought there might be something there. Horowitz: We put faith in the idea and then mocked up a logo, registered a domain, and started pitching without knowing where we were going. We started doing work with original music, we did a mini musical for Match.com, and we did a video billboard in Times Square for a clothing brand. But it was mostly social ads. Goldberg: Work was sporadic. Our storytelling style was pretty niche. For the first few years, it was very hand-to-mouth--there were good periods, but there were also dry periods. Horowitz: By the time we were going to adopt our daughter, it wasn't clear we could keep going. To network, we flew to Los Angeles for my 20-year high school reunion. A friend I hadn't spoken to in years was the VP of brand marketing at E.l.f. Cosmetics. The idea of collaborating on something businesswise was really exciting for two old high school friends. E.l.f. asked us whether we'd heard of this app called TikTok. We hadn't. Goldberg: We downloaded the app, dove in, and studied it. Horowitz: This was 2019, and there were maybe five brands that had even done anything on it. It was pretty fringe. Goldberg: At that point, we looked at each other and realized: Wait, this is exactly what we do! We work with brands to use music to bring their story to life in a culturally relevant way. Horowitz: TikTok itself advised against writing original songs for people to use in their videos. Everyone else licensed existing music clips. But we thought, if we're going to get thousands of people to make a video and they're all going to use the same song--duh--that song should be about this brand. E.l.f. was hesitant; there was no playbook for what its brand sounded like. It's a lot of pressure to define a brand with just a few seconds of play. There was concern it would sound cheesy or be a jingle. Goldberg: We said no, no, no, no! Let's create a hip-hop-inspired brand anthem that would naturally be in the playlist of the people who were using TikTok. We knew we could make it sound cool. We contracted producers and artists and demoed about a dozen versions of the song, which sets what E.l.f. stands for--eyes, lips, face--to music. It was the brand's goal to introduce Gen-Z to what E.l.f. actually stands for. In October of 2019, we launched E.l.f.'s #eyeslipsface campaign. Horowitz: It was in the form of a hashtag challenge: People would post a video of themselves showing their eyes, lips, face, maybe made up in an interesting way, with the hashtag and song. In the first week, it really snowballed. We had Reese Witherspoon join in from a barber chair, and pretty soon you had Ellen strutting to the music, you had Lizzo, pulling on her curly hair, you had Terry Crews, Kevin Hart, all these huge names creating videos totally organically because we had made something so cool that it was good for their brand to participate. "Our mission is to spread joy--and to put out more positivity into the world." Goldberg: It became the most viral campaign in TikTok history: It hit a billion views faster than any campaign had, in just six days. Horowitz: It wasn't just organic growth, though--it was a lot of fast follow-up by us. People loved the music--they were asking why they couldn't find the song on Spotify. We had created only 15 seconds. Within a week, we'd created the full-length song, and 200,000 people put it on their Spotify playlist. It hit No. 4 on Spotify's global 50 chart. Goldberg: Over the first two months, there were a lot of "I can't believe this is happening" kind of moments. Horowitz: Our mission is to spread joy--and to put out more positivity into the world. As we grow, we're trying to create a really supportive, creative culture that rewards risk-taking. We know it is working: Our clients tell us we're their favorite meeting of the week. EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES Kim Lewis launched her first business, a social network for women with curly hair, with money her husband, Tim, won on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Luck? More like strategy. After seeing him rip through question after question while bingeing on old episodes one night, she got him booked him for a tryout and a trip to New York. On the show, he locked in the $25,000 they needed for seed money and bowed out after correctly answering the $100,000 question. Kim quit her job the following Monday. The startup failed, but it inspired her follow-up beauty brand, Chicago-based CurlMix, and taught her how to build a committed following. She didn't know then how crucial that last part would be. --As told to Eric Hagerman No. 93 2021 rank Kim Lewis & Tim Lewis CurlMix 4,149.7% Three-year revenue growth Kim: If you're Black in America, when you go into the office, you alter your hair to avoid discrimination. Black women grow up wearing chemical relaxers that straighten and damage our hair so we can fit in. By 2010, my hair had begun falling out, and I asked Tim to shave it all off so I could let it grow back naturally. Because I didn't trust the ingredients in existing products dedicated to curly hair, I started mixing things at home. Many of us were doing that. Tim: She would spend hundreds of dollars at Whole Foods and then hours making products that might not work--and leave me with the dishes. Kim: We launched CurlMix as a DIY box, like Blue Apron for hair. It included prepackaged, organic raw materials--flaxseeds, guar gum, hemp seed oil--along with an instructional video. We sold $130,000 worth of kits the first year and $140,000 the second, but I felt like subscription boxes should have been snowballing. That's when I started looking at my customers--what do they actually want? It was our flaxseed gel. People had emailed asking us to send it to them ready-made, because it's a real pain to do yourself. You have to boil flaxseeds, and it's really hard to separate the seeds from the gel. It's gooey. We started going to manufacturers to see if they would make it for us, and even they didn't want to. My adviser was like, "Why don't you just figure it out?" Tim: Kim was seven months pregnant. She spent a month in the kitchen and tried 50 different batches to get the product right. We sent a presale of 60 bottles to our email list and sold out in minutes. We did another round and sold out that one, too, and then another. We just knew that we had something people wanted. "My goal is to build the first Black-woman-owned beauty conglomerate traded on the stock market." Kim: We were the first ones, to our knowledge, to mass-produce shelf- stable flaxseed gel by boiling real flaxseeds, extracting the gel, and then putting it in a bottle. Tim: We went from $3,000 to $30,000 in sales within three months, and we were like, "We gotta get out of our kitchen!" We found a commercial kitchen and started growing twofold, threefold month-over-month, until we hit our first six-figure month. Within a few days of that, my aunt called to tell us about a Shark Tank tryout the next day. We couldn't find a babysitter; we worked overnight to get a pitch ready. Kim: It was a casting call at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the baby started crying in the middle of our pitch to the producers. Tim: We thought we bombed, but they were like, "Oh, we love your story! Kim and Tim--your names rhyme. That's so cute! High school sweethearts!" They just ate it up. We filmed for Shark Tank in September 2018 and ended up getting past a million in sales that year. Kim: We got an offer from Robert Herjavec for $400,000 for 20 percent equity. I didn't want to give up more than 15 percent of my business, and Robert would not negotiate. We turned it down. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done--second to natural childbirth. Tim: We started with the flaxseed gel, but we built on products as we needed them, and each time we launched, it was with a lot of customer approval. For a long time, Kim would livestream to our Facebook group every Wednesday doing her hair in the shower--fully clothed--to show how to use the products. We just continued to feed demand and improve products using the community's feedback, and that's what allowed us to grow quickly. Kim: In 2019, we ended up hitting $5 million in revenue. I went out to fundraise, but no one invests in women of color because they feel like it's too niche. Or you get a deal, but it's a crappy deal. Black women get less than 1 percent of venture capital. It's devastating. We decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign at Wefunder instead. We raised a million dollars in four hours. We ended up raising more than $5 million total--from our customers. My goal is to build the first Black-woman-owned beauty conglomerate traded on the stock market. I want to be like Procter & Gamble. That's my dream. EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES In 2010, Cassandra Morales Thurswell launched her $87 million beauty brand, Los Angeles-based Kitsch, with a simple hair tie and a knack for divining the emotional backstory behind even the simplest purchases. She'd already learned the fundamentals of product development creating private-label jewelry for brands like Hot Topic and Nordstrom. While so many of her CPG peers scrambled to blitzscale like tech startups, Morales Thurswell's slow and steady approach turned out to be the secret to skyrocketing growth. --As told to Marli Guzzetta No. 370 2021 rank Cassandra Morales Thurswell Kitsch 1,304% Three-year revenue growth I grew up in the Midwest, and my stepdad was an orthodontist; he gave me an allowance for making retainers in the garage. So there I'd be, out in the garage in the middle of winter, with the generator blasting to keep the heat on, bending wires and making acrylics, putting pink glitter into things. I love adding an aesthetic to something to make it special. One of the first jobs I applied for out of school was at a private-label jewelry maker for brands like Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and Nordstrom. When they asked if I had experience making jewelry, I lied and told them I did, because I'd worked with wires and fine materials. When they sat me down at a jewelry bench, it was all second nature to me. Working for private labels, I learned about how retailers think about products, how they follow trends. Hot Topic wasn't my aesthetic, but it was my favorite client to design for, because I loved hearing how the brand talked about its customer and what she'd want to wear. Sitting at the bench, making jewelry, I realized two things: One, I've never been much of a jewelry person. (My husband and I have been married eight years, and I love him, but I don't even wear a wedding ring.) Two, I realized I just really loved serving people. I loved listening to people and making beautiful products by hand. "I've always felt strongly that you really have a business if you have a repeat customer." So I saved. I saved $30,000, which was a fortune to me then. And I remember thinking, "OK, I have my money and my abilities. Now, who am I making products for? Who am I?" I think when people dream about being in fashion, they dream about being wild visionaries who change the industry and get full-page write-ups in fashion magazines. I've always thought about where I shopped and where I grew up. I'm from a small Wisconsin town of 2,000 people. I wanted to make products for the people I know, people I can relate to. That's where I set my sights. I thought about that customer and I wondered: What's fun for them to buy on the regular? What do they reach for every morning? The answer was simple: a hair tie. I started handmaking hair ties at home, and then selling them door to door at boutiques and trade shows. I made sure they were easy on your hair--no snagging your hair or bending your ponytail--and also cute to wear on your wrist. Ulta, one of our biggest customers and the client that made us, started out as a cold call. We called a buyer I know there and said, "Hey, are you going to be at Cosmoprof?" We couldn't afford a booth, but we took her to lunch just outside the beauty trade show in Las Vegas. She gave us a chance, and that turned into an end cap, and then two feet of retail space, and then four and six. Working in private label prepared me exceptionally well to run this business. I learned how to make a profit margin, how to create a vendor manual, and how to scale product. I learned quality control procedures and how to source factories and find ethical manufacturing and distribution. I took all of that strategy from retailers and used it for our infrastructure, but I took a different path. My approach to building a business has been slow, thoughtful, and purposeful. Design development has been one of our easier areas, because it's happened so naturally. Our hair ties led to hair towels, which led to the shower caps, which led to something else, which led to something else. I've always felt strongly that you really have a business if you have a repeat customer. I never want our customers to have buyer's remorse. Maybe a customer has $20 to spend and that's it. If she spends $8 of that on our products, I want her to feel it was well spent. I think about how she shops, how she uses the product, how she feels. How does the product look to her on the card? Does it feel like a gift to herself? I could spend 45 minutes talking about what makes our products special. And that's really been the story of the company. Ours is different than the fast in-fast out strategy. Parts of our business are really fast: our customer service, our shipping. But you need the time to build the infrastructure, so when the orders do come in, you're able to sustain them. We emphasize organic evolution and not being in a rush. I think "slow and steady" is a compliment. EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES Friends of Eren Bali talk about a certain kind of glow that lights up his face when he gets into conversations about solving problems. The soft-spoken co-founder and CEO of Carbon Health, this year's second-fastest-growing company on the Inc. 5000, has what longtime investor and friend Paul Lee describes as "a weird, quiet confidence about him. He has a calm demeanor, but also this deep curiosity." No. 2 2021 rank Eren Bali Carbon Health 39,734% Three-year revenue growth Lee, who, like Bali, has a degree in mathematics, recognizes a mathematician's way of thinking. "Math is not about throwing a bunch of formulas at something. It's about solving problems in a very thoughtful, logical way," he says. "And I think that's the fundamental thing that Eren brings to being a founder: He falls in love with problems and breaks down those problems, and then attacks them with solutions." Bali's college classmate Erbil Karaman saw those tendencies early on, while the two attended the elite Middle East Technical University, in Ankara, Turkey. "In everything he did, he wanted to learn the very deepest levels of it, like what it is and how it's done, and how to do it the best way," recalls Karaman. "We would get into these very deep discussions about minute details." Karaman and Bali are still close, and these days the conversations revolve around not just math or computer concepts, but also chess, parenting, or the various social areas, like health care, that Bali feels passionately are unfair or inadequate. "He can go on forever if you hit on one of his topics," Karaman says. Carbon Health, which grew 39,734 percent over the past three years and brought in more than $45 million in revenue in 2020, aims to solve one of the knottiest problems in America today: to fix not some specific aspect of health care, but rather the whole broken system. The spiraling costs that force workers and employers to swallow double-digit annual percentage increases and some small businesses to drop coverage entirely; the lack of transparency that leads to exorbitant and indecipherable bills; the stark disparities in access and outcomes for people of color. The list goes on. The company, based in San Francisco, is one of several that have risen in recent years to combine brick-and-mortar clinics with app-based telehealth. Forward and One Medical offer subscription-based care as a supplement to health insurance. Walmart and CVS are building chains of in-store clinics with retail-like pricing. Many regional providers offer virtual appointments now, a trend that has accelerated across the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. But few, if any, have the overarching vision of Carbon Health, which Bali describes as "a full-stack, omnichannel primary care provider with an obsession for inclusion and being accessible to everyone." Translation: cheap health care delivered however and wherever are most convenient for you. As of late July, there were 81 Carbon Health clinics in 11 states, with 1,500 more planned by the end of 2025--an ambitious growth target intended to sway the industry toward Bali's vision of expanded access. inlineimage Whether Bali can pull off such a large trick is impossible to say, of course, but it's worth noting that he's tried before to reinvent an industry that's core to a functioning society and ended up creating an innovative company worth billions. That would be Udemy, the world's largest online education platform, which Bali co-founded in 2010 and is widely expected to IPO this year. (He was CEO until 2014, and chairman until earlier this year.) Carbon Health is also planning an IPO--possibly next year--and its most recent round of funding, in July, valued it at more than $3 billion. That number vaults Bali into the rare pantheon of founders who have created multiple multibillion-dollar businesses. Call it the league of double unicorns. "I tell him all the time, 'You're among a handful of people on this planet who have done that,' " says Lee. "I believe that Eren is up there with Elon Musk and Steve Jobs in terms of his entrepreneurial vision," says Karaman, himself a tech executive who has held high-level roles at Facebook and Lyft, among other companies. "But Eren isn't ego-driven. He has these passions and truths that are built into him--like that people should have access to good education and good health care. They're just core beliefs, and everything in his work comes back to those first principles." What forces shape an entrepreneur with the audacity to do something as seemingly foolhardy as rebuilding American health care? That's where the story of Eren Bali and Carbon Health gets interesting. And it begins not in a Harvard dorm room or on a whiteboard in some Silicon Valley incubator--but in a conflict-torn Turkish apricot-farming village near the Iraqi border in the 1980s. In the years following the 1980 military coup in Turkey, services such as health care and education were in short supply in the mostly Kurdish southeastern village of Durulova. Few doctors and teachers wanted to work amid the tension between the Kurds and Turkish nationalists. Eren Bali's Kurdish parents, both educators, took the opposite view: They moved back to Durulova precisely to fill that gap. At Bali's one-room primary school, his mother was the sole teacher and rotated between the five grades. Somehow that worked, and, as Bali tells it, many students went on to some of the country's top universities. "My mom was a very idealistic teacher," he says, "and I think she injected this idealism into a lot of students." (His father, meanwhile, was banned from teaching after the coup because of his activism.) When the family got a computer in 1998, Bali's world opened up. He'd been drawn to math as a student, and suddenly he found himself exploring advanced concepts on the internet. That led him to the Turkish National Mathematical Olympiad, where he won a gold medal, and eventually to the U.S., where he took silver at the 2001 International Mathematical Olympiad in Washington, D.C. That was his big ticket, and he began studying at Middle East Technical University the next year. It was at METU where Bali met a group of other math geeks who hung around the computer science labs, and they started building various online services in their off time--a music player, a news aggregator--and talking about problems they might solve. "What he cared about from very early on," Karaman remembers, "was turning anything we learned about in school into things he could play with and other people could play with." Entrepreneurship was unheard of in Bali's family, but the three intellectual threads of his life--deep-seated idealism, a drive to understand things all the way down, and a yen for building stuff--combined to create a sense that he could have the greatest impact on the world via capitalism. "A lot of the people I grew up with became political idealists," he remembers. They went on to pursue journalism or education or, like his sister, medicine. (She practices in a city near Durulova.) "But there is also commercial idealism," he says. "You can start a company and actually affect more people. And it's more sustainable." Among Bali's first acts after college, when he was still in Turkey, was co-founding an education-focused social network called Knowband that allowed users to share their expertise. It was an idea he came back to several years later, after Karaman took an internship in Silicon Valley and invited Bali to share a house there. Along with his Knowband partner Oktay Caglar and another friend, Gagan Biyani, Bali co-founded Udemy in 2010. Despite being rejected by dozens of investors dubious about a team of starry-eyed unknowns, they bootstrapped a platform that, within months, attracted more than a thousand instructors and 10,000 students. Lee first invested in Bali the following year, as part of a $3 million Series A funding round that Udemy scratched together. "One of the concerns we had was just how big that mission was," Lee remembers. "I was recently reviewing some of my underwriting notes from back then, and one of the things Eren literally said was, 'I want to overhaul education for the masses.' " "He really wanted other people to have that access to education that could change their lives as it had for him," says Claire Hough, who spent five years as Udemy's CTO and early this year joined Carbon Health in the same capacity. "That was our north star at Udemy for everything we did. I'm also an immigrant, and I also think education enabled me to do what I do. I think that's how I ended up choosing Udemy, even though it was at the time only a 35-person company." And then, in 2014, with online education booming and Udemy on track to becoming the industry leader it is today, Bali handed the CEO reins to a more experienced operator, his COO, and stayed on to head product and strategy. He recently had spent time back in Durulova, had an epiphany, and had begun training his focus on another huge industry with overwhelming disparities in access and quality. As he told Lee one day: "I want to build the world's largest hospital system." In 2013, While Bali was still running Udemy day to day, his mother began suffering from chronic abdominal and backpain. A parade of doctors failed to diagnose the problem, and eventually she suffered a stroke that left her entire body paralyzed. Bali flew back home to Turkey from the Bay Area and for three months teamed up with his physician sister to find his mother help. Each doctor they saw, Bali noticed, had to navigate a disorganized mess of notes, images, and reports from previous doctors. His sister compiled and collated all the files about their mother's care, and eventually they found a doctor who nailed the diagnosis (a rare disease called neurosarcoidosis). In the process, Bali saw a need for someone to build a new system in the U.S. for medical records, one centered on patients rather than providers. When he returned to the States, he began designing just such a framework in his spare time, thinking that it could be the foundation for the reinvented health care system he'd been dreaming about. Not wanting to tackle the whole industry at once, he was looking for a sort of gateway problem. "And the first observation I made was that health care services are probably the single most complex service industry," he says now. "It's far more complicated than food or transportation--and yet the tooling that we gave doctors was worse than in those industries. Essentially, the most complex operational industry had the worst tooling." Just the kind of thing to give an ambitious tech entrepreneur a foothold. Two years later, when Carbon Health was born as an actual company, its name was inspired by the structure of the software system Bali and a small team ended up building--its central node (the patient) and satellite nodes (health care providers) resemble a carbon molecule. The scope of its work quickly broadened into providing a full-service tech platform for clinics--first a supplement to electronic health records, then a full-blown EHR system, and then telehealth tools, prescription fulfillment, payments, and scheduling. The business model started to look viable--optimal even, for a venture capital-backed company. Without having to spend a bunch of money on real estate and doctors, Carbon Health could take a piece of clinics' revenue and essentially run their operations. The clinics would belong to someone else, technically, but Bali's software would be behind the scenes running the operations. The system more or less worked like that, but the team began to realize an unintended consequence: Whereas they'd hoped to increase clinics' efficiency in order to start nudging down the cost of care and increasing accessibility, medical practices were instead seeing the improved software as a premium innovation and a way to nudge prices up. Trickier still, Bali's team was finding it difficult to roll out big changes to the way clinics operated without getting hospitals to sign off. That not only posed a challenge to growth but kept affordability out of reach as well. "To make things more affordable for people," Bali reflects now, "you can't just bet on making the components more efficient. You have to bet on scale. But a lot of health care providers have just one or two locations, and they're not interested in scale." There was one client, a chain of seven urgent-care clinics in the Bay Area called Direct Urgent Care, that stood out as an exception. The company's mission aligned well with Carbon Health's, and as the two groups shared patient and operational data, they began to see better results, such as a nearly 300 percent boost in patient retention. Bali decided to buy the chain and turn those locations into Carbon Health clinics--and then build more. "We just said, you know what, screw it, we're going to own the clinics," he says. "We're going to own the brand. We're going to own the services. We will own every piece of it." It was late 2018, about three years into Carbon Health's life, and Bali had learned a hard lesson about the health care industry: It's a mess--and the difficulty of bringing about broad change in it leads many to focus on a narrow slice they can conceivably control. Hence the splintered landscape of regional chains, the tendency for healthtech startups to focus on serving other tech people, and so on. As his parents did when they chose to become teachers in Durulova, Bali took an opposite view. The only way to fix the system, he decided, was to grapple with the whole thing. "We can do anything here," says Fletcher Munksgard, Carbon Health's East Bay clinician manager, on a recent Tuesday at the Telegraph Avenue clinic in Berkeley. Munksgard is a skinny guy with a bushy beard who's wearing a T-shirt that reads "Into the Storm," which he explains has been his mindset for dealing with Covid-19: Don't run away--run into the storm. The Telegraph clinic, which opened in 2013 as a Direct Urgent Care and was rebranded in 2019, has six rooms that serve both primary and urgent care patients. At the height of the pandemic, the clinic saw as many as 120 patients in a day, almost all of them for Covid testing and treatment. Now they see maybe 60 patients per day, for everything from Covid tests to women's health to basic checkups. Other than the nearly complete absence of paper anywhere (doctors carry iPads and can throw images over to the wall-mounted flatscreen in each exam room), the space feels more or less like you'd expect: clean and sparse and modern, as if Ikea had designed it. For patients paying out of pocket, there's a simple list of prices: $145 for an in-person visit, plus an additional $19 for a strep screening, $175 to stitch up a wound, and so on. (The base is $69 for a telehealth visit.) For those paying with insurance, well, it gets a little more complicated with co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles. Bali admits frustration that the company can't offer more transparency for those patients, and he blames insurance companies for obfuscating their own calculations. (One possibility the company has mulled is offering insured patients capped prices per procedure based on an educated guess of what insurers will charge--with Carbon eating the difference if there is one.) Acquiring clinics. Building more of them. Offering guaranteed prices based on guesstimates of how insurance companies will act. It all costs more money than just building software. The trouble is, it has been hard to persuade venture investors to get on board with the broadest vision of Carbon Health. Despite Bali's track record with Udemy, he says, "investors really kind of rejected the idea that we needed to rethink the entire health care stack. They were actually surprised that I would try to do some of these things. They thought it was stupid. There were a couple of times we almost ran out of money, when we had less than 10 days of capital left." "People like me, VCs, we don't have imagination," says Lee, who followed his original investment in Udemy by investing in Carbon Health--and then trying to keep Bali's ambitions stuffed into a tidy box. "We say software, software, software; focus, focus, focus. We're too pragmatic, too conservative." But then came Covid, and Carbon Health's business took off, not only with telehealth appointments but in-person Covid screenings and, later, vaccinations. The company rolled out some of the first mobile testing clinics (those shipping-container test sites that various outfits have plunked down in parking lots all over the country) and eventually created an at-home test kit. Earlier this year, the city of Los Angeles tasked Carbon with running its mass-vaccination site, the country's largest, which at its height was administering some 10,000 shots per day. Revenue grew fourfold in 2020. All of which gave the company a vastly higher profile and helped make it possible to raise $350 million in July--which will go to the goal of 1,500 clinics by 2025, many of them in underserved areas that Bali terms "health care deserts." "Our business model demands that we grow as fast as possible," Bali says--meaning that the company's only hope of reaching profitability and maintaining low, transparent prices is by getting big enough to pressure the rest of the industry. "If we put this much investment in R&D and opening clinics, we are going to be a horribly unprofitable company forever--unless we get to scale. The more size you have, the more you can leverage innovation. I want to pressure the competitor. I want to pressure the U.S. health care market, so that other providers have to become more efficient." And what could help other providers do that? Carbon Health, of course. In the early days, the company had hoped its software would take hold in enough clinics to pull prices down industrywide through increased efficiency. Now the company hopes to achieve that scale with its own clinics and push prices down through competitive pressure--thus opening a need for others to use the software. That is to say: Carbon Health's early plan to sell enterprise software could wind up being part of the endgame. Meanwhile, CTO Hough and new chief strategy officer Myoung Cha, who most recently was Apple Health's head of strategic initiatives, are focused on building out all the ways Carbon Health can provide care beyond basic telehealth and in-person clinics. They see one big opportunity in providing in-home specialty care, the model followed by Steady Health, a tech-enabled diabetes care company that Carbon Health acquired in June to lay the groundwork for expansion into the continuous care of other chronic conditions. And as more people wear Apple Watches and use other smart devices in the home, Cha believes, the ability to use the data they generate for preventive care will be vital: "This kind of data allows doctors to have eyes and ears on biometrics that they just traditionally haven't had access to in episodic care." It's enough to make Lee marvel at the all-encompassing version of Carbon Health that's emerging now, despite his and others' efforts to rein it in along the way. "I would argue, the very first vision that Eren had is what it is today," he says. Then he pauses, chuckling at the audacity of what Bali is doing-- trying to fly a moon-shot idea all the way to the moon. "Like, he actually wants to build the world's largest hospital system." EXPLORE MORE Inc. 5000 COMPANIES Broadway star, Laura Osnes claims she was not fired from a benefit show after allegedly refusing to get vaccinated. In an Instagram post, she insists she has withdrawn from taking part in a one-night production of Crazy For You at the Guild Hall in East Hampton later this month after safety protocols mandated that all performers and audiences be vaccinated. The Tony nominated star of Bonnie & Clyde has still not received a vaccine and double downed on her refusal to get the jab: Every soul is entitled to live according to their convictions and work without being publicly ostracised. The New York Post had previously reported that Osnes had been fired from the production and that co-star Tony Yazbeck was concerned that she continued to be unvaccinated. In her post, Osnes states that no members of the cast pressed her on her views and that leaving the show was a discrete transition. Osnes also elaborated on her views on vaccinations: I stand by the decision my husband and I, with input from our position, have made for ourselves, our family planning, and our future. There is much that is still unknown. She also denied reports that she was offered Covid tests instead of a vaccination: I would have tested in a heartbeat something I have been doing for months, and will continue to do, in order to keep working safely. Osnes was replaced in the one off production by Sierra Boggess, who previously played Ariel in a Broadway adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Osnes other Broadway roles include the title role in Cinderella and Sandy in Grease. One Tree Hills former stars have discussed the heinous episode involving the sexual assault of main character Peyton. On Mondays (16 August) episode of the Drama Queen Podcast, actors Sophia Bush (who played Brooke), Hilarie Burton (Peyton), and Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley) discussed episode eight of season one of the famous drama series. The co-actors began by discussing how the episode starts in an ultimately heinous way. I wish we were able to take a whole episode to work out that storyline and all the implications of that because it felt a bit glossed over, said Burton. Bush added: Yeah, I mean, if you have never been assaulted and youre writing an episode about assault, it is really easy to be like, Hey man, nothing happened, youre fine, wake up the next day and put on your backpack and go to school. The actors continued discussing what would have happened if the show was made today. If this show was made today, [the characters] would be definitely reporting this, because if he (Gabe) is going to roofy Peyton, hes going to roofy others, Burton said. He had a pack of pills. There is something that is so deeply traumatic about the realisation as a young woman that you move through the world and by more people than you thought are looked as prey rather than as a person and we really just gloss over that, Joy Lenz added. Bush likewise commented on the blaring tone that the episode sets. This episode is blaring, because the girl starts off [by] going to shop in a lingerie store and the result is that she is sexually assaulted, she said. And nowhere in [the episode] is the conversation that baby you didnt ask for this, it is just assumed that [a girl] dressed up in cheetah print like a slut at a party and this is what happens, [so] just sleep it off. The actor then corrects the narrative by commenting and giving advice that dont sleep it off, [and instead] report it, and get checked up on as the shame that makes [a woman] feel that it's going to plague me forever and Im not going to be believed, you will feel better after reporting it. I wish we had done a better job with this episode, she added. Hilarie Burton in 2004 (Getty Images) They acknowledged that these things can be triggering for everyone to watch. That was triggering for all of us to watch, Burton said. She also had a special message for the fans. She said: So many of you have trusted us with your narratives and with the things that have happened in your personal lives aside from the show, we hope, girl to girl, that you have the resources and the support system to deal with it. In the previous weeks episode, the trio had explored Burtons experience of filming her first sex scene on the show. A doctoral student who allegedly poured salt over snails to kill them in Hong Kongs Kowloon has been arrested for animal cruelty, reported the South China Morning Post. The 25-year-old student from Hong Kong Polytechnic University was arrested by the police on Monday, SCMP reported. Police launched a probe earlier this month after reports of a man killing snails off the East Ocean Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui surfaced. According to the SCMP report, the man was seen holding a bag of salt and was sprinkling it on wild snails. Even as the people appealed to the man to stop, he told passers-by that snails posed a danger to the ecosystem and he was taking action to remove them. His action amounted to animal cruelty as salt yields a chemical reaction of osmosis drawing the water out of the shelled creatures, eventually killing them through dehydration. Animal crime team officials from Yau Tsim district arrested the student on Monday evening and took him to his Hillwood Road flat in Tsim Sha Tsui. The police also seized the doctoral students clothes he is believed to be wearing while committing the alleged crime. Many have questioned the usefulness of parliament meeting after the fall of Afghanistans capital Kabul, but it makes sense in principle that our representatives should discuss a significant moment in British foreign policy even if it is too late to affect the immediate outcome. There are always lessons to be learned about the wisdom and nature of military interventions, as well as early questions to be asked about how western intelligence about the strength of the Taliban seemed to be so mistaken. It would seem that the important decision was taken by US President Joe Biden, but that raises important questions about the extent of British and Nato influence on American policy, and about the willingness of other Nato members to work together to fill a gap that the US has left. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said that he had tried to work with other nations to maintain a military presence in Afghanistan, but that they werent particularly interested. Today he seemed close to tears when he said that some people wont get back. And there are still important questions for the future, about the nature of our civilian engagement with the Afghan people, and about what leverage the international community has over a Taliban government in defence of human rights. What would you like to hear from your MP? What do you think the prime minister should say? What about Sir Keir Starmer? And what do you expect from Jeremy Corbyn, who founded Stop the War in 2001 to oppose the US-led intervention in Afghanistan? I will be here at 4pm on Tuesday (17 August) to answer your questions. If you have a question, submit it now, or when I join you live at 4pm. All you have to do is register to submit your question in the comments below. If youre not already a member, click sign up in the comments box to leave your question. Dont worry if you cant see your question they will be hidden until I join the conversation to answer them. Then join us live on this page at 4pm as I tackle as many questions as I can. Afghan women staged their first protest against the Taliban since the militant group seized Kabul on Sunday. Four women in black abayas and black and green hijabs can be seen in a video of the protest, holding up signs, demanding that the Taliban give them proper rights. In another clip more women are seen marching through the streets of Kabul, chanting and holding their paper signs above their heads. An Al Jazeera correspondent tweeted the video, captioning it Taliban: We want our rights, here are women, we want social security, the ban on work, the right to education and the right to political participation. No force can ignore and stifle women. All our achievements over the years should not be compromised and our basic rights! While armed men are seen near the women in one video, speaking and pointing at the women, they do not appear to interfere with the protest. Earlier on Tuesday, Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Talibans cultural commission said on state television that women in Afghanistan had no reason to be afraid. The Islamic Emirate doesnt want women to be victims, he said. The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join. Mr Samangani added that women should be in the government structure according to Shariah law. If this policy proves to be true, it would mark a clear departure from the last time the Taliban were in power, and women were largely confined to their homes, prevented from working, attending school or even travelling without a male chaperone. However, many remain concerned for the wellbeing of women and minorities under a Taliban-led Afghan government, including Malala Yousafzai. Hours after the Taliban seized control of the country, the Nobel laureate asked for action from global agencies to protect civilians and refugees. We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates, she said. Adding: Global, regional and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians. One of Afghanistans first female mayors has said that she is waiting for the Taliban to find her and kill her. Zarifa Ghafari, the 27-year-old former mayor of Maidan Shar in Wardak province, told the i newspaper: Im sitting here waiting for them to come. There is no one to help me or my family. Im just sitting with them and my husband. And they will come for people like me and kill me. I cant leave my family, she said. And anyway, where would I go? Just three weeks ago, she told the i newspaper that she had hope for the future of her country. Younger people are aware of whats happening, she said. They have social media. They communicate. I think they will continue fighting for progress and our rights. I think there is a future for this country. In 2018 Ms Ghafari was appointed mayor of Maidan Shar by president Ashraf Ghani, making her Afghanistans youngest mayor and the first woman to hold office in the conservative city. The i reported that the Taliban has frequently vowed to kill Ms Ghafari, adding that her father was gunned down on 15 November 2020, just 20 days after a third attempt on her life had been made. As the Taliban continued to gain ground across Afghanistan, Ms Ghafari was given a job at the Defence Ministry in Kabul, where she was responsible for the welfare of soldiers and civilians injured in terrorist attacks; this role offered a relative degree of safety, compared with the public profile of her role as mayor in the central Wardak province. On Sunday, after president Ghani had fled the country and the Taliban had seized control of Kabul, Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesperson for the Taliban said that the lives of women and opponents would be protected. The Taliban have added that amnesty would be offered to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces. No ones life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk, the Taliban said. On Tuesday, the Taliban even urged women to engage in the new government, which is expected to emerge within days. Enamullah Samangani, a member of Talibans cultural commission, said: The Islamic Emirate doesnt want women to be victims. The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join. Mr Samangani added that women should be in the government structure according to Shariah law. But many remain skeptical as reports of revenge killings and brutal tactics have already begun to emerge from areas seized by the militant group. On Monday, Afghanistans UN ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai said: We have seen gruesome images of Talibans mass executions of military personnel and targeted killing of civilians in Kandahar and other big cities. Kabul residents are reporting the Taliban have already started house-to-house searches in some neighbourhoods, registering names and looking for people in their target list. There are already reports of target killings and looting in the city. Mr Isaczai urged the UN Security council to use ever means at its disposal to end all violence and respect human rights and international law. A British student who claimed he was trapped in Afghanistan after deliberately choosing to holiday in one of the most dangerous places on earth, has been evacuated to safety by the UK military. Miles Routledge , 22, a physics student from Birmingham, became trapped in Afghanistan after deciding to visit the country despite the danger. Previously he said he was fully prepared for death as his visit coincided with the collapse of the Afghan government and the takeover by the Taliban. But on Tuesday he was part of an evacuation flight that took rescued Britons and others to the United Arab Emirates. Mr Routledge said he was exhausted and relieved, posting on Facebook: Ive landed in Dubai thanks to the brilliant people at the British Army. All safe! Others were less impressed however. One Facebook poster wrote: Selfish actions, your seat on a plane home should have been given to an Afghan interpreter who now faces certain death . The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office had earlier confirmed he was in the country and said that the efforts to rescue all British nationals from Afghanistan were underway. An FCDO spokesperson said: We are aware of this case and are attempting to reach the individual to offer assistance. We are working hard to contact all the British nationals we are aware of who remain in Afghanistan, to help them leave the country. The safety of British nationals is our top priority which is why we have been urging British nationals to leave Afghanistan by commercial means since 21 April. On 6 August we updated our advice to urge British nationals to leave immediately and to update us on their plans for departure, the spokesperson said. Talking to The Spectator magazine, Miles said he was fully prepared for death and had accepted his fate. This trip has been a test of God. Im very religious so I believe Ill be looked after. Before I left I wrote a letter to my friends saying that if I died, not to feel guilty, that I would die happy and religious and proud, Miles said. He also said he seen the Taliban driving up and down Kabul, with people shooting in the air. Ive seen the Taliban, Ive been speaking to the locals who have seen them kill people, beat people up for not wearing burqas or for wearing eyeliner or mascara, Miles said. Seemingly unshaken by the tragedy unfolding in the country, Miles said he would set out for this adventure all over again if he got a chance. I have no regrets, I would do this all again. If I could back to myself on day one, I would go - Just trust yourself and you would be fine... youre gonna be in hell but youve got Christ on you and hes looking after you. The UK Government has advised against all but essential travel to Afghanistan for more than two decades. Human remains have reportedly been found in the wheel well of a US military plane after an evacuation flight left Kabul airport. Video footage showed desperate Afghans running alongside and climbing on to a US Air Force C-17 transport plane as it was taxiing on a runway on Monday. A plane later diverted to a nearby third country after its crew struggled to put up their landing gear and declared an emergency, according to the Washington Post. The newspaper said a body was then found in the aircrafts wheel well during an inspection. A separate video also appeared to show at least two people falling from an airborne plane, something an unnamed official reportedly told the paper absolutely happened. The Independent previously reported how at least seven people were said to have been killed after chaos erupted in Kabul airport as desperate Afghans attempted to flee Taliban rule. Both US troops and Taliban fighters fired into the air as thousands streamed into the airport in the hope of boarding civilian flights although most had been cancelled. Others moved on to the military side of the airport where American, British and other foreign governments were airlifting their nationals and some Afghans who had worked for them out of the country. Hundreds of people run alongside a US Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves down a runway of the international airport in Kabul (Screengrab/AP) It is unclear whether the deaths were a result of the shots or a stampede. Evacuation flights were subsequently suspended for most of Monday but resumed a day later after the runway at Kabul was cleared. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the situation was stabilising on Tuesday following a new surge of US troops and 600 additional personnel from the UK. US president Joe Biden stood by his decision to withdraw American troops from the country after 20 years despite the chaotic scenes. In a national address called by the White House hours after Kabul fell to the Taliban, Mr Biden said he stood squarely behind his decision and insisted the only alternative was a return to all-out war with the Taliban. He blamed the Talibans takeover on Afghan political leaders who fled and its armys unwillingness to fight. Flight operations at Kabul airport to evacuate diplomats and civilians have resumed on Tuesday after being halted on Monday, as a top Taliban leader reportedly held talks with Afghans political leadership to build a new government. The crowd had thinned down at the airport amid reports the situation had reportedly stabilized, a day after chaotic scenes unfolded at Hamid Karzai International Airport leaving several people dead. Thousands of people arrived at the Kabul airport on Monday in a desperate attempt to escape as the Taliban took over the country after president Ashraf Ghani fled with his aides on Sunday. Crowds chased departing US evacuation aircraft and some were seen in the videos clinging on to planes in haunting scenes. It prompted US authorities, who control the airport, to halt the evacuation flights, cutting off one of the last avenues in the country for people to escape the Taliban rule. A western security official told Reuters on Tuesday that most of the people who thronged at the airport on Monday had returned and the tarmac is now clear of crowds. In the presidential palace, talks are reportedly ongoing between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials including former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and former chief peace negotiator, Abdullah Abdullah on the formation of a government. Senior Taliban leader, Amir Khan Muttaqi flew from Qatar to Kabul to attend the talks, an official familiar with the talks told AP. Afghans familiar with the talks said some rounds were held late into the night and have been underway since the sudden departure of President Ghani to an unknown location. Meanwhile, a member of the Talibans cultural commission has said the militant group will grant an amnesty across Afghanistan and have urged women to join the government. Enamullah Samangani made the comments on Afghan state television, which the militants now control. The Islamic Emirate dont want women to be victims, he said, using the militants term for Afghanistan. He added: The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join. On Monday, a joint statement by the international community, including dozens of countries such as the UK, New Zealand and Germany, demanded that those Afghan civilians who wished to leave the country should be allowed. Given the deteriorating security situation, we support, are working to secure, and call on all parties to respect and facilitate, the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country, it said. Those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility - and accountability - for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order, it added without naming the Taliban leadership. British foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the UK will hold them [Taliban] to account for their commitment, and never to allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for terror. He said the situation is stabilizing at the Kabul airport. "The position at the airport is stabilising," Mr Raab told Sky News. "The stability at the airport is absolutely key," he added. According to media reports, at least seven people have died in airport chaos in one day with five dead in one incident. Russias ambassador to Afghanistan has praised the Talibans conduct, saying that the group which is still designated a terrorist organisation in Russia made Kabul better than it had been under the Afghan government. While Dmitry Zhirnov did not yet officially acknowledge the Taliban to be the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, his comments reflect a Russian effort to deepen ties with the Taliban. Speaking on Moscows Ekho Moskvy radio on Monday, Mr Zhirnov said that he was impressed with the Talibans reasonable and business-like conduct so far. The situation is peaceful and good and everything has calmed down in the city, he said. The situation in Kabul now under the Taliban is better than it was under Ashraf Ghani. After president Ghani fled the country on Sunday, Mr Zhirnov said the regime fell like a house of cards. There was a feeling of disorder, a power vacuum, and looters came out on the streets. He told the radio station that unarmed Taliban units entered Kabul, asking government and US forces to surrender their weapons; later he said that armed units entered the city and imposed a curfew. He added that schools in Kabul, including those for girls, had started functioning again. Mr Zhirnov said that he was expecting to hold security talks with the Taliban who already surrounded the Russian embassy on Tuesday, adding that the militant group had previously promised to protect Russian diplomats. President Vladimir Putins special representative on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that Moscow had been building ties with the Taliban over the last several years, ties that they hoped would now pay off. Its not for nothing that weve been establishing contacts with the Taliban movement for the last seven years, Mr Kabulov said, also speaking on Ekho Moskvy radio. We saw that this force would in the end if not completely come to power would play a leading role in the future of Afghanistan in any case. He added that Russia would decide on whether or not to recognise the new Taliban government depending on the conduct of the new authorities and how responsibly they govern the country in the near future. Speaking on Russian state television on Monday, Mr Kabulov added: I have long decided that the Taliban is much more able to reach agreements than the puppet government in Kabul. Strengthening ties with the Taliban is an important geopolitical move for Russia, as an unstable Afghanistan risks becoming a launchpad for other extremist groups, enabling instability to spill into Central Asia, Russias backyard. Taliban representatives have been hosted in Russia several times in recent years, and in July it was reported that Russia received assurances from the group that Afghanistans northern borders would not be used as a base for attacks on Central Asian states. With additional reporting from Reuters False claims women are not being rescued from Afghanistan have been debunked by campaigners after cropped photos were shared online. And activists told The Independent the altered images eradicate Afghan womens agency by perpetuating the racist notion that women from black and minority ethnic backgrounds need rescuing by the West. A leading columnist who writes for The Guardian, Polly Toynbee, erroneously claimed there were no women in a distressing image of a US military cargo plane jam-packed with hundreds of Afghan men, women and children striving to escape Afghans capital of Kabul. It comes after Afghanistan was seized by the Taliban, who entered Kabul on Sunday. Toynbee, who was fiercely criticised on social media for her intervention, said: Notice anything about this picture of people escaping in a US plane? No womenodd? Tell Mama, which documents anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, hit out at Toynbee as they warned pushing a misleading perspective perpetrates harm. The uncropped photo in the story pictures at least 10 women and girls in the front row alone, Tell Mama warned in a statement. Why claim otherwise? You can spot plenty of women in the main image the story uses also. Such a misleading talking point is harmful. Toynbee later deleted her tweet and apologised. Apologies for previous tweet, she said. Appears there are some women among those in the plane, though cropped picture hid them. Uncropped image (US Airforce/AFP/Getty) Heather Barr, of Human Rights Watch, told The Independent there may be more men forced to leave Afghanistan due to them being more likely to work in roles that face them at risk of reprisals. She said: Though many women are also at risk, there has always been a big gender disparity in the workforce in Afghanistan, including in military organisations. Some occupations, such as working in military translation, are almost entirely made up of men. Men are more likely to travel to flee than women for lots of reasons including family responsibilities and perceptions about safety. Huda Jawad, co-director of Musawah, a Muslim feminist organisation, warned the cropped image which surfaced on social media glossed over the complexity of the highly fraught situation unfolding in Afghanistan. Claiming women are not being evacuated seems aimed at highlighting a patriarchal situation, Ms Jawad told The Independent. You have got this white savour mentality of saving these wretched people from themselves and then also the reinforcement of this obsession with how women of colour are inherently oppressed by their menfolk. Ms Jawad, who has worked in gender-based violence and anti-racism for over a decade, added: Erasing truth and reinforcing stereotypes is a very narrow view of feminism which removes womens agency. There are secular white men who also oppress women. Patriarchy is not embodied by black and brown men. Misogyny transcends race, class, religion and all different creeds and borders. We have incel men across the western world abusing, targeting and killing women as well. The cropped image pushes a simplistic ultimately racist view that all black and brown men are inherently oppressive or misogynistic. While Ash Sarkar, a journalist who works for Novara Media, also hit out Toynbee, saying: Time to cancel some refugees in the name of feminism! Why are there more men than women in this photo? 1) Men are more likely to have worked assisting foreign institutions, and therefore be at immediate risk of reprisals. 2) Its harder for women to just pick up and leave, for all sorts of (bad) reasons. This isnt a situation where people are able to make careful and planned decisions. Its a last gasp scramble, and if you were weighing up the dangers of leaving vs the dangers of staying, whos to say that you would get it right in the eyes of some comfortable westerners? The controversial image, which American defence and security news site Defense One first obtained, is thought to show almost 700 people rammed into a C-17 Globemaster III. This is deemed to be among the most individuals ever transported in this type of air vehicle with those travelling on it believed to have been taken to safety from Kabul to Qatar on Sunday. Some residents are so desperate to escape Afghanistan that they even clung to moving aeroplanes departing from Kabul airport. At least two are reported to have died after falling from a military planes undercarriage just after it set off. The Taliban launched a lightning advance across Afghanistan in recent weeks, after the gradual departure of American troops since May. Women have been some of those worst affected in the nation, with reports of them being forced to marry fighters, quit their jobs and remain at home, as well as enduring public flogging. Female Afghan journalists and healthcare workers have been killed in a slew of attacks since peace negotiations started between the Taliban and the American-backed Afghan government last year. The Taliban denies perpetrating these attacks but government ministers held them responsible. Experts around the world are acutely fearful some of the hard-fought rights Afghan women have won in the two decades since the Taliban were defeated could be rolled back. Women were blocked from working and girls were barred from going to school when the Taliban last ruled the country between the mid-1990s and 2001. And women had to be chaperoned by a male relative if they wanted to leave the house during this period. Recommended Taliban urges women to join its government in Afghanistan On Monday, The Independent reported on the case of a womens rights activist currently trapped in the capital. We are lost and confused and hurt, the activist, who cannot be named as she is well-known by the Taliban, said. As you can imagine, in this fight between egotist men, it is women and children who get affected. Pray for us. The activist warned the Taliban has come to seek revenge this time. Speaking on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid promised the group would honour womens rights, but within the norms of Islamic law. How much do the two groups have in common? The Talibans five-year rule over Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 saw the Islamist group form ties with Osama bin Ladens al-Qaeda, providing their fellow fundamentalists with a base from which they could orchestrate the devastating attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, which killed 2,996 people and left 25,000 injured. Bin Ladens organisation - more globally-minded in their ambitions than the Taliban, born out of the mujahideen victory over the Soviet Union in 1989 - reportedly paid $20m a year for the privilege of the Afghans protection, which would ultimately cost the latter dearly when its repressive, tyrannical regime was swiftly overthrown by US-led coalition forces in December 2001 at the outset of George W Bushs War on Terror. Fighters from both groups found themselves scattered to the winds by the western invaders before subsequently regrouping as insurgent factions, often collaborating, as the emergence of Isis in 2014, another violent terrorist organisation, briefly eclipsed their shared notoriety. Most recently, the Taliban signed a questionable peace accord with the Donald Trump administration in Doha, Qatar, in February 2020 - just prior to the coronavirus pandemic dawning in the West and nine months before the Republican lost the White House - which saw them pledge to keep other Islamist extremists, including both al-Qaeda and Isis, out of Afghanistan. But few international experts were convinced by the promise. The Taliban are terrorists, and theyre going to support terrorists, former US defence secretary Leon Panetta told NPR last week. If they take control of Afghanistan, there is no question in my mind that they will provide a safe haven for al-Qaeda, for Isis and for terrorism in general. And that constitutes, frankly, a national security threat to the United States. What kind of a presence do al-Qaeda retain in Afghanistan? Also speaking last week was UK defence secretary Ben Wallace, who likewise told Sky News that he was absolutely worried that failed states are breeding grounds for those types of people and that al-Qaeda will probably come back. But according to the UN Security Council, they already have - or indeed, never went away. As recently as June, the council published a report based on intelligence received from its member states that suggested al-Qaeda is present in at least 15 Afghan provinces and that its wing on the Indian Subcontinent operates under Taliban protection from Kandahar, Helmand and Nimruz provinces. Al-Qaedas media arm, as-Sahab, routinely celebrates its fighters seemingly regular operations in Afghanistan and its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is believed to reside in the country - assuming rumours of his death last year are not to be believed. The UNs report also states that the Taliban has started to tighten its control over al-Qaeda by gathering information on foreign terrorist fighters and registering and restricting them while continuing to arm and train its estimated 200-500 men gathered along the Afghan-Pakistani border. The UN has considered the two groups to be linked since at least 1999 when it adopted Resolution 1267, creating the so-called al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, which sought to block their funding, travel and arms shipments and contain the threat. They are not identical, however, and the Taliban is now seeking international recognition for its new regime, a legitimising pursuit that will presumably necessitate it disassociating from al-Qaeda and its record of terrorist atrocities. How sincere such a move would be is also in doubt, as Asfandyar Mir of the United States Institute of Peace points out, given that the Taliban sought to downplay its ties to al-Qaeda once before in the late 2000s, apparently having consulted with leaders of the rival faction before doing so and during which time the latter continued to swear an oath of allegiance to its leader, Mullah Omar at the time and now Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada. Of course, the Talibans policy is to avoid being seen with us or revealing any cooperation or agreement between us and them, al-Qaeda ideologue Atiyyat Allah al-Libi wrote at the time to his peers. That is for the purpose of averting international and regional pressure and out of consideration for regional dynamics. We defer to them in this regard. As the UN report suggests, the groups remain interlinked, with al-Qaedas current leadership continuing to consider Afghanistan the seat of the anticipated caliphate and the Afghan Taliban chief its caliph-in-waiting, according to jihadism scholar Cole Bunzel, suggesting their relationship is unlikely to shift until a change of leadership occurs on either side. Why are we asking this now? Afghanistan is again in a state of turmoil after the Taliban recaptured the capital on Sunday, declaring the country an Islamic Emirate once more after president Ashraf Ghani abandoned the presidential palace and fled to Tajikistan. The operation followed swiftly on from the withdrawal of American troops from the country last month at the order of US president Joe Biden, their exit coming almost 20 years after the US military drove the same faction out of Kabul. Biden has expressed his determination not to hand the responsibility for policing Afghanistan on to a fifth commander-in-chief following the completion of his own tenure in the White House and trusted in the Afghan military, in whom the US had invested almost $1trn over two decades, to keep the Taliban at bay. The fact of the matter is weve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country... and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken lamented on Sunday. The Taliban has since asked women to join its future government as the group seeks to ease widespread fears of a return to its ultra-conservative reign prior to the US-led invasion of 2001. UK foreign minister Dominic Raab meanwhile said the situation at Kabul airport was stabilising on Tuesday morning after thousands of panicked people took to the runway in an attempt to flee the country. Seven people died at the airport in their bid to seek sanctuary abroad, including two who are believed to have dropped from the sky after falling from a US Air Force C-17 aircraft. Raab said he would not dissent from the view that the Taliban are a rag tag bunch of thugs but suggested the West would need to be pragmatic in its attempts to moderate the countrys new rulers: They are now in power, and we now need to deal with that reality. The swift Taliban military onslaught that saw the militant group take over the whole of Afghanistan in a matter of weeks revealed how wealthy it has become since the ousting of its regime in 2001. In the past two decades, the insurgents have run a state-like economy in the areas they controlled. They relied on various fundraising sources, such as drug trafficking and other criminal activities, extortion and taxes, charitable donations and foreign assistance. The Taliban operates a classic territory controlling financial model; in other words, it earns the bulk of its funds from the people and businesses in areas that it controls, Tom Keatinge, Director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told The Independent. It remains almost impossible to project precisely how much the Taliban raise every year. However, according to a recent UN report, the group manage to collect from 220 million to 1.17 billion every year. The most well-documented source of income for the Taliban is the trade of opium hashish, methamphetamines and other narcotics. The Taliban have a very diverse portfolio in criminal enterprise and front companies. The primary source is narcotics, both heroin and synthetic drugs, said Sajjan Gohel, international security director at the Asia-Pacific Foundation and a visiting teacher at the London School of Economics in London. The Taliban earns the bulk of its funds from the people and businesses in areas that it controls Tom Keatinge, Director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at RUSI For years, Afghanistan provided around 84 per cent of the global opium production, according to the UN World Drug Report 2020. Taliban commanders have imposed a tax over every stage of opiums production, transportation and selling. The Taliban designed a tax system in the areas under its control, including companies, shopkeepers, trucks using motorways and international aid projects. They also collect a 10 per cent Ushur Islamic tax and a 2.5 per cent Zakat the Islamic annual tax on wealth. Last year, a classified Nato report published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty cited a senior Taliban figure, Mullah Yaqoob, as estimating the group took around 117 million in taxes. We use the term taxation here, but what we really mean is extortion This is not a normal taxation system - it is much more like racketeering enterprise, Laurel Miller, director of the Asia programme at the International Crisis Group, told BBC Radio 4s The Briefing Room. Asked about the sources of the Taliban massive amounts of arms, she said: Afghanistan is a place, after decades of war, awash in weapons. It is not difficult to get weapons. But the highest Taliban income comes from moving legal goods, such as fuel, food, medicine and essentials, through border crossings and customs. Last month, the Afghan Finance Ministry spokesman Rafiullah Tabeh said that the previous government generated an estimated 66.5 million worth of revenue through customs until May. But as the Taliban rampage went on, more key border crossings have fallen. The government revenues in June, therefore, plummeted to 41.5 million. A Taliban spokesperson said that the routine work of the US-built Sher Khan Bandar border crossing, a crucial gateway to Tajikistan in Kunduz Province, will continue as before: the reason is that we dont want to create problems for businessmen, for traders, for common people. Official figures showed that more than 1.46 billion in trade passed through the three Afghan border crossings with Iran last year. However, a study by the Overseas Development Institute said that informal trade would make this figure twice as high. Drug trafficking and border crossings will continue to be the main income source for the Taliban, but as they are taking control of most of Afghanistan, the Taliban will want to exploit and cultivate the nations natural mineral resources, Gohel noted. How the Taliban will run the Afghan economy? (EPA) It will be looking for partners to help in this, and China and Pakistan are the most likely suitors to support them in this, he said. Mining has also been a prime source of income for the group. The UN report, and NATO, estimate that the Taliban generated nearly 340 million from the mining sector every year. But other countries wouldnt help the Taliban through trade or boosting the mining sector only, but their support includes direct funding as well. The US and its allies have long accused specific countries, such as Pakistan, Iran and Russia, of funding and arming the radical group and providing a safe haven for Taliban leaders. These countries vehemently deny these accusations. Nonetheless, experts have repeated that individuals from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries can be considered a lucrative source of funds for the Taliban. The BBC has estimated that charitable contributions by these individuals could be as much as 365m a year. The Taliban will continue to rely on their networks in Pakistan as that is their primary route and source of incoming revenue, Gohel told The Independent. But after their stunning takeover of Kabul last weekend, the Taliban now face the precarious situation of dealing with the crumbling Afghan economy, which was kept on life support by foreign aid. The World Bank has confirmed that foreign powers cover almost 75 per cent of the Afghan government spending by sending nearly 3 billion to Kabul every year. Despite the shambolic economic situation, the Talibans control over the whole country would likely boost their coffers and provide greater financial autonomy from their foreign patrons. Any organisation like the Taliban will want to limit its financial vulnerability, so it will maximise the extent to which it can fund its activities from resources within its control, Keatinge said. However, it will be worth watching which foreign governments are sympathetic towards them, recognise their legitimacy and, potentially, develop trade or other economic ties with the new regime. International legitimacy seems to have become the ultimate goal for any future Taliban government. In addition to allowing Taliban officials to participate in international meetings with world leaders, it would guarantee the flow of international aid, which is essential to prop up their rule. The groups commanders have been out of government for 20 years and many of them may have lost touch with governing the daily life of a nation in despair. The new reality will require additional funds as the group seeks to win the hearts and minds of the highly sceptical Afghans. There is a potential risk for the Taliban, however, which is that they are no longer opposing the national government; they are in effect the national government, and thus this requires them to fund and maintain many of the services the previous government provided, Keatinge said. The Taliban will continue to rely on their networks in Pakistan as that is their primary route and source of incoming revenue Sajjan Gohel, international security director at the Asia-Pacific Foundation This is the ultimate test facing the western powers who have taken part in ousting the previous Taliban regime. In the US, for example, about $7 billion of the Afghan central banks $9 billion in foreign reserves are still being held by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, according to the former acting governor of the Afghan central bank. The Biden administration has already vowed to block access to these funds. The International Monetary Fund also said it would withhold more than $400 million, previously scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan. I fear that in all of this, those that will suffer will be those that have relied on international humanitarian funds this could be the lasting legacy of the collapse of the Afghan government in the past week, Keatinge said. The international community is now in a bind. They must not recognise or legitimise the Taliban militia and continue to find ways to cut off their clandestine funding streams as that can contribute to funding terrorism, Gohel told The independent. There is also a need to continue to enable UN organisations and NGOs to work at a grassroots level to ensure humanitarian support is sustained in Afghanistan, he added The people of Afghanistan must not fall victim to the mercy of the Taliban. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said that the Taliban are breaking the chains of slavery, inviting the wrath of locals trapped in Afghanistan. His comments came a day after the Taliban took over Kabul and the presidential palace, prompting chaos and fear among the locals who fled to the international airport and several clung to the wheels of the departing US military aircraft. One disturbing video that was circulated online showed a few men falling to their death as one of the evacuation planes took off. During a ceremony launching the first phase of the single national curriculum across schools in Pakistan, Mr Khan said that adopting someone elses culture was worse than actual slavery. He said: When you adopt someones culture you believe it to be superior and you end up becoming a slave to it. He added: You take over the other culture and become psychologically subservient. When that happens, please remember, it is worse than actual slavery. It is harder to throw off the chains of cultural enslavement. Mr Khan said of the Taliban in Afghanistan: What is happening in Afghanistan now, they have broken the shackles of slavery. Two days ago, the former president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the Taliban took over the capital. There was massive uncertainty in Kabul and other parts of the country with hundreds trying to flee the country. The Washington Post reported that human remains were found in the wheel well of a US Air Force plane that departed from Kabul airport on Monday. A picture of hundreds of desperate Afghan civilians crammed into a US Air Force cargo plane went viral online. Activists were outraged that US military dogs and their handlers belonging to the US forces were evacuated even as thousands stormed the airport in an attempt to flee the Taliban regime. Pentagon officials confirmed US troops killed two armed men after they reportedly fired on US forces amid the mayhem. The Afghan airspace has been closed for any commercial flights. Meanwhile, one user commented on Mr Khans comments: Playboy of yore years... this man has the cheek to talk about culture. Another commented: Prime minister of Pakistan needs to go back to school to learn about Afghanistans history misinformed I must say. China said on Monday that it is ready to develop friendly relations with the Taliban a day after the group completed its military takeover of the South Asian nation, AFP reported. Reuters, quoting two anonymous sources, reported on Tuesday that Turkey has dropped plans to take over Kabul airport after US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan but is ready to provide support if the Taliban request it. Afghanistan is again in a state of turmoil after Taliban fighters recaptured the capital city of Kabul on Sunday, declaring the country an Islamic Emirate once more after president Ashraf Ghani abandoned the presidential palace and fled to Tajikistan. The operation followed swiftly on from the withdrawal of American troops from the country last month at the order of Joe Biden, their exit coming almost 20 years after the US military drove the same faction out of Kabul at the outset of George W Bushs War on Terror in response to 9/11. Joe Biden expressed his determination not to hand the responsibility for policing Afghanistan on to a fifth commander-in-chief following the completion of his own tenure in the Oval Office and trusted in the Afghan military, in whom the US had invested almost $1trn over two decades, to keep the Taliban at bay. The fact of the matter is weve seen that that force has been unable to defend the country... and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken lamented on Sunday. Mr Bidens defence secretary Lloyd Austin also regretted the lack of resistance that the Taliban faced from Afghan forces, a collapse he said he found extremely disconcerting during a call with military leaders, according to CNN. They had all the advantages, they had 20 years of training by our coalition forces, a modern air force, good equipment and weapons, Mr Austin said. But you cant buy will and you cant purchase leadership. And thats really what was missing in this situation. The Taliban came to prominence in 1994 during the Afghan Civil War, its ranks composed largely of students - from which the group derives its name (translating from Pashto as students or seekers) - many of whom had been mujahideen resistance fighters who had battled occupation by the Soviet Union in the 1980s. At that stage, Reaganite America supported the rebels in their fight against its own Cold War enemy, so much so that Sylvester Stallone famously fought alongside the gallant mujahideen in Rambo III (1988). A Deobandi fundamentalist Islamist movement originating in the Pashtun areas of eastern and southern Afghanistan and in northern Pakistan, the Taliban was led by Mullah Mohammed Omar and conquered first the province of Herat and then the whole country by September 1996, overthrowing the Burhanuddin Rabbani regime, establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and making Kandahar the capital. Although their new state was only recognised diplomatically by Pakistan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Taliban were initially popular with local citizens, according to the BBC, largely due to their success in stamping out corruption, curbing lawlessness and making the roads and the areas under their control safe for commerce to flourish. But its rule by strict Sharia law would prove as tyrannical as it was ruthless, characterised by the massacre of opponents, the denial of UN food supplies to starving citizens and the oppression of women, which meant forcing them to wear burqas and denying girls the right to work, study or travel. Films, music and other non-Islamic cultural influences were also outlawed and historic artefacts like the Bamiyan Buddha statues destroyed. The Talibans brutal rule was then brought to an abrupt end by US-led coalition forces in December 2001 in retaliation for the devastating Islamist terror strike on the World Trade Center in New York City, which killed 2,996 people and left 25,000 injured, an atrocity orchestrated by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from within the sanctuary of Taliban-held Afghanistan. Despite their defeat, Taliban fighters subsequently regrouped as an insurgency and have continued to battle to retake the country from US peacekeeping forces ever since. Religious cleric Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada is the current leader of the movement, having succeeded Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour in 2016 when he was killed in a US airstrike on Pakistan. He commands as many as 85,000 fighters, according to a recent Nato estimate. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Talibans co-founder, is still part of its hierarchy and remains a key influence, even meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Tianjin, China, late last month to discuss the likely consequences of the American withdrawal. The Taliban previously reached out to Donald Trumps administration when the Republican took office in 2017 - recognising a fellow opponent of US involvement in costly forever wars overseas - and subsequently signed a peace accord in Doha, Qatar, in February 2020. The agreement saw the extremists promising to prevent Americas enemies from using the country as a base for future terror attacks in exchange for troop withdrawal and the release of 5,000 of its prisoners. Recommended Taliban hunts down government staff despite amnesty But that did little to end violence in the territory, with the UN Security Council reporting last June that the Taliban had won back between 50 and 70 per cent of land outside of major urban centres and demonstrated little interest in securing peace for its own sake. The group has made some moves to modernise its image of late, indicating it would be willing to permit a more liberal role for women in society and allow them to complete their education, but few international observers are convinced by the more temperate rhetoric, with many fearing a swift return to the old tyrannies of the 1996-2001 epoch. If youve so much as glanced at the news cycle in recent days, you will know that a massive political and humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Afghanistan. Following the withdrawal of US troops and the collapse of the Western-backed government, Taliban militants have taken the capital, and are now in almost complete control of the country. Extremely distressing videos circulated widely on social media, show civilians desperately clinging to the sides of departing planes at Kabul airport, and what appear to be revenge attacks against the groups previous opponents. Thousands of refugees are already flooding out of the country, and many more remain trapped in desperate situations. Heres how you can help Afghans affected by the crisis, both with time and with money Petition your local MP Campaigners are urging citizens to write to their local MPs to demand that vulnerable Afghans be granted refugee status in the UK particularly interpreters and support staff who risk reprisals for cooperating with western powers in the past. Parliament will meet on Wednesday to discuss the UKs response to the crisis, and many social media users have already shared template letters that you could send to the relevant representative. Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to set up a safe passage and resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees. There are particular fears that high-profile women and anyone with links to the west will be targeted by the Taliban if they cant escape. At the moment, the UK is far behind the likes of Canada and the US who appear likely to resettle tens of thousands of refugees from the country, so a large surge of public pressure could go a long way. Donate to charities As is usually the case with overseas crises, its vital to support those that can provide direct relief. Afghanaid is providing emergency assistance to families displaced and broken up by the conflict, Unicef is supporting children that have lost their homes, and Islamic Relief is providing food packs to vulnerable families as Afghanistan has also suffered a recent drought. The International Rescue Committee has launched an appeal for funds to provide a safety net for displaced citizens, particularly in Kabul, while former Conservative MP Rory Stewart tweeted a fundraiser for the Turquoise Mountain Trust which has supporting victims of violence in Afghanistan for over 15 years. Donations dont necessarily have to be financial either. Miles4Migrants is asking citizens to donate their air miles and credit card points to refugees who need to flee the country, but do not have money for flights. Raise awareness on social media Awareness-raising on social channels sometimes gets a bad rap, and certainly its no substitute for funds or concrete action, but spreading understanding can catalyse countermeasures and boost charity appeals the world over. If youre not especially keyed in to the intricacies of the situation, avoid over-simplified takes and narratives, and instead amplify the voices of NGOs, and local Afghan activists and journalists. Petitioning government representatives on social media can also be as worthwhile as addressing them directly. Apple could be forced to ship future iPhone models with USB-C connections found on Android phones, rather than the conventional Lightning cable, should new legislation from the European Commission come to pass. The executive is currently drafting a law that would establish a common charger for smartphones and other electronic devices within the 27 countries that make it up, according to an anonymous source speaking to Reuters. It follows years of attempts by the European Union to standardise chargers, and a 2020 vote in which lawmakers overwhelmingly supported a common plug, arguing that it would be more convenient to users and save on environmental waste. That rule would not only apply to phones and tablets but also e-readers, cameras, and wearables such as the Apple Watch. The motion passed by 582 votes to 10. At the time, Apple retorted that any common charger legislation would apparently hurt innovation and create more waste if users were forced to switch cables, but whether that argument will hold water remains to be seen. Apple does already use the more standard USB-C charger in its MacBook laptops, as well as certain iPad Pro and Air models. Other companies including Google, Samsung, and OnePlus have added new innovations in software and hardware while maintaining the same charging port. Apple did not respond to The Independents request for comment before time of publication. Half of all chargers sold in the European Union in 2018 used USB micro-B, while another 29 per cent used USB-C and a further 21 per cent used a Lightning connector, an impact study by the EU found. Apple has used the Lightning charger on devices since it was first released in 2012, and is a proprietary standard meaning that it is not available to be used by other phone manufacturers. Last year, Apple claimed that there was no case for regulation as "the industry is already moving to the use of USB Type-C through a connector or cable assembly. "This includes Apples USB-C power adapter which is compatible with all iPhone and iPad devices. This approach is more affordable and convenient for consumers, enables charging for a wide range of portable electronic products, encourages people to re-use their charger and allows for innovation." Apple has said that it would be more fruitful to focus on the other end of the cable, which plugs into the wall rather than the phone, to ensure that customers could more easily charge their devices. The company has also been accused of making its devices less accessible in other ways, such as by legally lobbying against the right to repair movement, which argues that owners of iPhones and other devices are being forced to damage the environment by not being able to fix their own gadgets. In emails published in June 2020, former director of corporate communications Lori Lodes said that Apple was supporting right to repair options while actively fighting Right to Repair legislation in 20 states. Apple argues that this would pose a danger to users, as well as hampering its own designs, and did not respond to The Independents request for comment at the time asking it to clarify its stance on the right to repair. Kirsty Alley has claimed that the use of the gender neutral term chest-feeding is insanity because it is degrading to women. Gender-inclusive language is being used more in hospitals to accommodate trans and gender-neutral people. New guidelines by the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine are urging the use of gender-inclusive terms such as chestfeeding, parents milk and human milk feeding. Alley responded to the news with a Twitter thread in which she claims the terminology is nullifying of women and their abilities. BREAST-FEEDING IS what WOMEN do, Alley wrote on Saturday. Women also bottle feed. Men bottle feed too. We do not have to buckle to the insanity of the minuscule minority of lunatics who make us feel guilty for not sharing their insanity. Chestfeeding? human milk feeding? WTF STOP IT!!! Im a little tired of the degrading and nullifying of women and their abilities. Breastfeeding is one of our abilities. Its a beautiful and important ability. Knock off the nullifying of women [for] the sake of lunatics. Equal rights does not equal insanity. Defending her comments, Alley added: We all have opinions. Probably the main reason social media is so popular. Especially on our own sites. I guess its also inviting other opinions of our opinions but I dont feel obligated to be sweet when people are nasty to me about my own site opinions. Its our personal responsibility to agree or disagree with concepts. My only point here today is dont let insanity force you to pretend like you agree with the insanity. Its part of the insanity to shame you into agreement. Responding to a follower who said no one asked you to speak for cis womens breasts or bodies in general, Alley said : I dont need to speak for cis women. I am a woman and feel comfortable just calling myself a woman and having a womans point of view. I dont need to be ASKED to speak Deb. We handled that pretty well in 1920. Mae Whitman has revealed she identifies as pansexual, as she shared her appreciation for a Disney Channel show in which she voices a character. The Good Girls actor wrote in a tweet: Just taking a moment to say I am SO proud to be even a small part of a show like The Owl House. Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Lutz in my life when I was growing up. Queer representation is sososo important, she added, with a smiley. Keep it up world! She said in an additional tweet: I know people might be unfamiliar with what pansexual means; for me it means I know I can fall in love with people of all genders. This is the word that fits me best and Im proud and happy to be part of the Bi+ community. So what exactly is pansexuality? Heres everything you need to know. What is pansexuality? In Greek, pan translates to all and therefore, the term pansexual can be understood as a sexual identity used to describe being attracted to people of all genders, beyond male-female parameters. London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Show all 60 1 /60 London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou/The Independent London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou/The Independent London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou/The Independent London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou/The Independent London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou/The Independent London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou/The Independent London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou London Pride 2019: Best pictures by The Independent Angela Christofilou This can include those who identify as transgender, non-binary, intersex and more. When did the term become more widely used? The term pansexual has been around for quite some time. However, Google trends shows that the search term peaked in August 2015 after Miley Cyrus came out as pansexual in an interview with Elle UK. How does it differ from bisexuality? Recommended Bella Thorne comes out as pansexual in new interview The terminology: bi meaning two and pan meaning all, suggests a clear difference between people who are attracted to two genders and those who are attracted to people of all gender identities. In actual fact, bisexuality is applied to mean different things by different people. To some, bisexuality means to be sexually attracted to both men and women. But others see bisexuality as simply a way of describing those who are not exclusively sexually attracted to one specific gender, seeing it used interchangeably with the term pansexual. Which celebrities identify as pansexual? In addition to Mae Whitman, Cara Delevingne, Bella Thorne, Miley Cyrus and Janelle Monae, other celebrities who have described themselves as pansexual include singer Angel Haze, Christine and the Queens Heloise Letissier and Kristen Stewart, who told Nylon that she does not conform to binary labels when it comes to defining sexuality. I think in three or four years, there are going to be a whole lot more people who dont think its necessary to figure out if youre gay or straight, the actor said. Its like, just do your thing. Its great to see celebrities being open about their pansexual identities, said Laurence Webb of the LGBT foundation. We know that LGBT visibility has an effect on confidence and wellbeing in LGBT communities, and LGBT people of colour are especially underrepresented in mainstream culture, he told The Independent. It sends a message to everyone that says we can be proud of who we are. Hundreds of Central American migrants many families with young children expelled by the United States on flights deep into southern Mexico have been dropped this week at this remote jungle outpost on the Guatemalan border. They walk into Guatemala with children in their arms and their few possessions in plastic bags, pause to put the laces back into their shoes, disoriented by their sudden arrival in a third country in 24 hours. In part, that is the point. The new U.S. measure aims to dissuade them from trying to reach the U.S. border again. In El Ceibo, they find little more than roadside diners, a small, overwhelmed shelter and suffocating 100-degree heat. Many are not from Guatemala. There are Hondurans and Salvadorans. Some start walking south, hitchhiking or looking for a bus if they have money. The next small community is 11 miles (18 kilometers) away and in between is only jungle interrupted by ranchland. Others say they will head north again. What weve seen here is the suffering of these people, said Andres Toribio, who runs the Bethlehem Migrant Shelter in El Ceibo. They dont know where theyre being left. They dont know what Peten is like. It is a huge territory. People think theyll be in a city in 20 minutes, but Santa Elena is the closest city and its 108 miles. He said since the U.S. started the flights his shelter has been strained by the new arrivals on top of the usual deportations made by Mexican authorities. He estimated he had seen 4,000 migrants expelled from Mexico here in the past eight days. We have capacity for 30 people. Yesterday we received 100, he said. Were talking about those that Mexicos immigration expels and the ones theyre sending on the (U.S.) flights every day, some 500 migrants left here at the border. Most are women and children, he said. We know that in these situations women and children are victims of all kinds of abuse in the street. Human traffickers were also there giving the migrants bad information to keep them from seeking help so instead they could sell their services, he said. When the expelled migrants board their flights in Brownsville, Texas they dont know where they are going. Some think California, others back home. Some said when they got off the Mexican buses, authorities told them buses waited for them in Guatemala to return them to their countries. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas explained Thursday that the new measure aims to make it harder for migrants expelled under pandemic-related restrictions that prohibit them from seeking asylum to return to the U.S. border. Migrants interviewed this week said they were not asked by U.S. or Mexican authorities if they needed protection. The U.S. has flown Mexican migrants deep into Mexico before to deter them from trying to enter the U.S. again, but this is the first time it is flying Central Americans to southern Mexican cities like Villahermosa and Tapachula. The administration is starting the flights at 24 times a month, with hopes of ramping up, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Mexico agreed to support the effort amid strains between the administration and Central American governments and their reluctance to accept more direct deportation flights from the United States. Maritza Tepata arrived in El Ceibo Wednesday with her two children ages 3 and 8, after starting the day in Brownsville. On Friday, she was working in a diner, washing dishes, scrubbing floors and waiting on customers along with a Nicaraguan migrant. In exchange, she received food for her family, but otherwise was not paid. She had fled El Salvador because a gang threatened her for not making extortion payments. Tepata, 26, had been trying to reach Los Angeles. In addition to her children, she had been traveling with her mother, but they were separated by U.S. authorities after crossing the border into Texas. On her flight Wednesday, Tepata said, I asked how many hours it was from the U.S. to El Salvador, thats when they told me it wasnt going to El Salvador, but to Mexico. She had paid $14,000 to a smuggler to cross and now faced a debt she had little hope of repaying without reaching the U.S. United Nations agencies and human rights organizations expressed concern this week over the new U.S. measures. Without screening migrants for what they were fleeing the governments were potentially putting them at risk. They didnt ask me anything, Tepata said. I left my country because we were extorted, the father of my children didnt help me ... I emigrated to give my children a better future. Leaders from five ex-Soviet Central Asian nations on Friday voiced concern about instability possibly spilling out of Afghanistan and discussed their response to potential security threats, while Russian heavy bombers carried out practice strikes in joint drills near the Afghan border. The leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan met in Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea to talk about the regional challenges. A quick settlement of the situation in Afghanistan is a key factor for preserving and strengthening security and stability in Central Asia, the five leaders said in a statement after the talks. Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that the talks give a boost to regional cooperation. The five leaders talked about expanding trade and economic ties and establishing a permanent regional security dialogue. The fighting between the Taliban and Afghanistans government forces has escalated recently as U.S. and NATO troops complete their pullout from the war-torn country. The Taliban currently control more than half of Afghanistan's 421 districts and district centers after pressing their offensive at unexpected speed and are aiming to seize provincial capitals. Regrettably, the Taliban has taken control of the entire length of the border with our country, Tajikistans President Emomali Rakhmon said during Fridays summit. Rakhmon said that more than 2,000 Afghan army soldiers have fled to Tajikistan following the Taliban offensive. It's quite surprising that they retreated and abandoned their positions without offering any resistance to the Taliban, he added. He also expressed concern about the concentration of terrorist groups in Afghanistan along the border with Tajikistan that together number more than 3,000 militants from the ex-Soviet states and China. These are extremists who are well-trained in sabotage, terrorism and propaganda activities and have far-reaching plans concerning our region, Rakhmon said, noting that Tajikistan has moved to strengthen the protection of its border with Afghanistan. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also emphasized that stability in Central Asia hinges on the situation in Afghanistan. Russia, which has a security pact with Central Asian nations and military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, has pledged to provide military assistance in order to fend off any potential threats coming from Afghanistan. On Friday, Russian and Uzbek troops wrapped up joint war games involving 1,500 troops and 200 military vehicles. The maneuvers featured four Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers flying from a base in western Russia to strike mock militant camps at the Termez firing range in Uzbekistan near the border with Afghanistan. Another joint military exercise that began Thursday in Tajikistan near the Afghan border involves 2,500 Russian, Tajik and Uzbek troops as well as 500 military vehicles. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the war games were intended to train for joint action to destroy invading enemy forces. ___ Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report. Hong Kong will tighten entry restrictions for travelers arriving from the United States and 15 other countries beginning Friday, extending the quarantine period to 21 days. Previously, the 15 countries, which also include Malaysia, Thailand, France and the Netherlands, were classified as medium-risk, with travelers able to serve only 7 days of quarantine if they were fully vaccinated and tested positive for antibodies prior to leaving for the city. A resurgence of coronavirus cases in these countries due to the delta variant led the to be recategorized as high high-risk and stricter measures imposed, as the government sought to uphold the local barrier against the importation of COVID-19, it said in a statement. The changes come after a domestic worker who had returned to Hong Kong from the U.S. earlier this month tested positive for the coronavirus, despite receiving two shots of vaccine and testing positive for antibodies. Also Friday, the mandatory quarantine period was extended from 7 to 14 days for fully-vaccinated travelers with a positive antibody test arriving from Australia now categorized as medium-risk. Quarantine requirements for New Zealand which is the only country considered low-risk, remain at seven days for fully-vaccinated passengers. Hong Kongs zero-Covid strategy has seen authorities impose strict border restrictions and ban flights from extremely high-risk countries, in the hopes that no local community spread would allow it to re-open borders with mainland China. The city had nearly two months of no cases within the local community, but its streak was broken earlier this month when a 43-year-old construction worker with no travel history was found to have antibodies in his blood despite not being vaccinated indicating that he was probably infected some time ago. Hong Kong has recorded a total of 12,037 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, with 212 deaths. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: Australias most populous state on Tuesday reported its third-highest number of daily infections of the pandemic, but the government leader said the spread of the delta variant in Sydney the country's largest city, had not yet peaked. There were 452 new infections recorded in New South Wales, down from 475 on Monday and 466 on Saturday. An unvaccinated woman aged in her 70s had died in a Sydney hospital on Monday, bringing the death toll from the outbreak discovered in mid-June to 53. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she expected daily infections counts to remain high. We are assuming that case numbers will go up. Now, I say that only as a realist because when you have cumulative days of high case numbers, there is a tipping point where case numbers go up, Berejiklian said. But our challenge is to make sure that we keep vaccination rates up, she added. About half of New South Waless population has had at least one injection of the two-shot Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. The government wants 80% of the population fully vaccinated before it eases Sydneys lockdown, which began on June 26. New Zealand has detected its first community case of the coronavirus in months, triggering urgent meetings among top lawmakers. Health officials say the positive case was found in Auckland on Tuesday afternoon and has no known link to the border. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to brief the nation within a few hours. She had promised a tough approach, including possible lockdowns, for any outbreaks of the delta variant as New Zealand continues to pursue a zero-tolerance approach toward the virus. The last community outbreak was in February and New Zealand has reported just 26 virus deaths among less than 3,000 cases since the pandemic began. A murder investigation has been launched after a man was found dead in an east London cemetery. The Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service (LAS) were called to reports that a man had been found unresponsive in Tower Hamlets Cemetry Park at around 7am on Monday. On arrival, officers and LAS paramedics found the man, who had sustained a head injury. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He is believed to be aged 50. A post mortem examination will be scheduled in the coming days. Detective Chief Inspector Claire Hine, of the Mets Specialist Crime Command, said: The discovery of a body in these circumstances will understandably cause concern in the local community. I would like to reassure them that an investigation is already underway, led by specialist homicide detectives. At this early stage, we are keeping an open mind as to what has caused this fatal head injury." She added: I would urge anyone who saw or heard anything unusual in the vicinity of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, either this morning or last night, to come forward." Any information, no matter how small, could be extremely important to our investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, providing the reference 1277/16. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. The UK will be sending a further 200 troops to Kabul to speed up efforts to evacuate British citizens and local allies from Afghanistan, after the Taliban swept across the country, securing near-total control. The ministry of defence told the PA news agency that the additional armed services personnel would be sent to Afghanistan following the western-backed governments demise and the Talibans swift takeover of Kabul. These additional forces will bring the total number of troops sent to the Afghan capital to around 900. On Monday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said that the government had been surprised by the scale and pace of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan He also raised the prospect of sanctions and withholding aid if the Taliban breach human rights and allow the country to become a base for terror. Everyone has been surprised by the scale and pace of which the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, and thats a lesson weve all got to learn from, he said. He added that a further 50 British nationals are expected to arrive back in the UK in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Already, 370 people UK citizens and Afghans with visas have been evacuated to the UK. According to the prime ministers spokesperson, significant numbers of people are set to be evacuated from Afghanistan in the coming days. A No 10 spokesperson said that capabilities in Afghanistan had been reinforced with military personnel to facilitate the removal of British nationals and those with UK visas. They said: Hundreds everyday will be leaving on flights, but it is a fluid situation. We want to obviously continue to do this as long as we are able to do so and as long as this is safe to do so. They noted that Sir Laurie Bristow, the UKs ambassador to Kabul, remains in Afghanistan and is helping to process visas at the airport alongside diplomatic staff and Home Office officials. The spokesperson added: There are people on the ground who can consider visa applications and there are some rules as regards to those who have family members who can be considered, I think, on a case-by-case basis but we have already removed a large number of Afghan nationals under the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) scheme and well continue to do so. Despite the military assistance in processing and repatriating British citizens and evacuating selected Afghan nationals, the government has not said how many Afghan refugees the UK might take in. However, a new and bespoke resettlement scheme for most in-need Afghans is set to be announced in the coming days, Downing Street has said. A No 10 spokesperson said: The UK team in Afghanistan is working around the clock in incredibly difficult circumstances to help British nationals and as many others as we can get to safety as soon as possible. At the same time, we are bringing together the international community to prevent a humanitarian crisis emerging in Afghanistan - its in everyones interest not to let Afghanistan fail. That means providing whatever support we can to the Afghan people who have worked so hard to make the country a better place over the last twenty years and who are now in need of our help. British intelligence agencies are monitoring the impact of the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan on jihadists in the UK and groups that may take advantage of ungoverned spaces. In a 2020 deal that ensured the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban pledged to ensure terrorist groups including al-Qaeda and Isis were not able to use Afghan territory to train and plot foreign attacks. But there are concerns that the agreement may not be honoured, or that the Taliban may lose control of parts of the country to its rivals. Security services in the UK are also monitoring the impact of the Talibans sweep to power on jihadists in Britain and around the world, and if it could increase the threat of lone-actor attacks. They are watching for any indication of foreign fighters attempting to travel to Afghanistan, either from the UK directly or from Syria. All refugees being relocated to Britain under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) are also undergoing security checks. Ben Barry, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that jihadists worldwide would be encouraged by an Islamist groups apparent victory over western superpowers. Violent extremists right across the spectrum will see this as a strategic shift and a victory they will take encouragement from and should take advantage of, he told The Independent. British intelligence agencies also fear that areas of Afghanistan will become permissive environments for Isis and other terrorist groups to operate in. The stance the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will take towards al-Qaeda is unclear, following a long-running association and links between senior figures. Isis, which has a smaller presence in Afghanistan, has fought the Taliban and officially declares the group an apostate militia, although the two groups have also collaborated in the past. Official propaganda announcements seen by The Independent show that Isis was claiming regular attacks on Taliban militants as recently as Saturday. A propaganda photograph of an Isis militant alongside rockets the group claimed were used to attack the presidential palace in Kabul on 20 July 2021 ( Isis propaganda channel) A discussion on a pro-Isis forum monitored by the Site Intelligence Group showed some supporters saying they were optimistic over the situation, particularly because of the release of jihadists from prisons. A post said that instability could also give Isis fighters opportunities to work freely, because they are difficult to distinguish from Taliban militants, adding: All this must be exploited. Mr Barry said the Taliban was likely to attempt to uphold the agreement struck with the US, or at least appear to, to prevent any military intervention or financial retaliation. If they get the slightest hint of an emerging threat the US certainly would attack them, he added. Isis are going to be concerned about the degree to which the Taliban controls the security inside Afghanistan whether Isiss previous havens can be re-established or whether the Taliban are going to bear down on them. There is also a question about whether the US might assist the Taliban in that by passing them intelligence. But Mr Barry warned that it was unclear how US and UK intelligence flows would recover from the sudden loss of Afghan allies and the withdrawal of their own staff in the country. Emily Winterbotham, director of the terrorism and conflict research group at the Royal United Services Institute, said the UK would no longer have eyes on the ground in the same way, adding: That means our ability to assess threats is greatly diminished. Ms Winterbotham said that al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups never went away after the 2001 invasion. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 20 August 2021 Bangladeshi vendor sells a religious item during a Muharram event at the premises of Hussaini Dalan in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA World news in pictures 19 August 2021 Law enforcement officers with rifles take position near the US Capitol building in Washington DC as police investigate a possible explosive device in a truck near the heart of American government AP World news in pictures 18 August 2021 A Taliban fighter patrols in Wazir Akbar Khan in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 17 August 2021 Art students paint messages of solidarity with people at risk in Afghanistans crisis outside an art school in Mumbai AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2021 Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport AFP via Getty World news in pictures 15 August 2021 Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Kandahar province in southwest Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 14 August 2021 A collapsed building is seen in Les Cayes, Haiti following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake which left at least 29 people dead Reuters World news in pictures 13 August 2021 Perseids are seen next to Milky Way during the annual Perseid meteor shower at Tres Mares peak, in Cantabria, northern Spain EPA World news in pictures 12 August 2021 A woman sits along the broken steps of a partially-collapsed building destroyed by bombardment during the May 2021 conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City AFP via Getty World news in pictures 11 August 2021 People stranded at the Pakistani-Afghan border wait for its reopening after it was closed by the Talibans, who have taken over the control of the Afghan side of the border at Chaman, Pakistan EPA World news in pictures 10 August 2021 Supporters cheer outside French football club Paris Saint-Germains Parc des Princes stadium in Paris after Argentinian football player Lionel Messi landed in Le Bourget airport to sign for the club AFP/Getty World news in pictures 9 August 2021 People perform a folk dance to traditional music as they celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Mumbai, India EPA World news in pictures 8 August 2021 Thank you messages is displayed inside the stadium during the Olympic closing ceremony in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 7 August 2021 Pro-democracy protesters clash with police during a demonstration demanding Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-Ochas and King Maha Vajiralongkorn be held accountable for the governments failure to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, in Bangkok AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 August 2021 Members of local NPO release paper lanterns on Motoyasu River in front of beside the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, as it was known before 1945, and now called the Atomic Bomb Dome, as the city marks the 76th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack AFP/Getty World news in pictures 5 August 2021 The Men's Decathletes pose for a photo following their competition on day thirteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan Getty World news in pictures 4 August 2021 Maronite clergymen pray near damaged grain silos at the port of Lebanons capital on the first anniversary of the blast that ravaged the port and the city AFP/Getty World news in pictures 3 August 2021 An underwater view shows Frances Charlotte and Laura Tremble during the womens duet technical routine artistic swimming event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games AFP/Getty World news in pictures 2 August 2021 Germany compete in the women's team pursuit qualifying event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Izu Velodrome AFP/Getty World news in pictures 1 August 2021 enezuela's Yulimar Rojas competes in the women's triple jump final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Rojas took gold and broke the Olympic and World Record in the process AFP/Getty World news in pictures 31 July 2021 Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the gold medal ahead of Jamaican teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the women's 100m final at the Tokyo Olympic Games Reuters World news in pictures 30 July 2021 Athletes compete during the mens 3000m Steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics Reuters World news in pictures 29 July 2021 Athletes compete in the BMX mens Olympic quarter-finals run at the Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 July 2021 A picture taken with a drone shows researchers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University investigating a dead fin whale found in the harbor of Terneuzen, The Netherlands EPA World news in pictures 27 July 2021 People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk past extra papers reporting on Japanese gold medalists at Tokyo Olympics AP World news in pictures 26 July 2021 The ball hits Thailand's Orawan Paranang's face as she competes against Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa during her women's singles round 3 table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games AFP via Getty Images World news in pictures 25 July 2021 A woman walks in the rubble after flooding due to heavy rains in Dinant, Belgium, a week after more than 30 people were killed in floods in the country EPA World news in pictures 24 July 2021 A firefighter uses a drip torch to light a backfire in an effort to stop the spread of the Dixie fire in Prattville, California AFP/Getty World news in pictures 23 July 2021 An overview shows Japan's tennis player Naomi Osaka lighting the flame of hope in the Olympic Cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium, in Tokyo AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 July 2021 People wade through a flooded street following a heavy rain in Zhengzhou, in Chinas Henan province AFP/Getty World news in pictures 21 July 2021 People celebrate in Brisbane, Australia, following an announcement by the International Olympic Committee that the city was picked to host the 2032 Olympics AAP Image via AP World news in pictures 20 July 2021 Muslims attending the Eid Al-Adha prayer at Skenderbej Square in Tirana AFP/Getty World news in pictures 19 July 2021 Muslim pilgrims gather on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual Haj pilgrimage outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia Reuters World news in pictures 18 July 2021 People protest against the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan Reuters World news in pictures 17 July 2021 A long exposure photograph shows Muslim pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand mosque in the holy Saudi city of Mecca during the annual hajj pilgrimage AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 July 2021 A van crushed by the torrents is pressed against a tree after the floods caused major damage in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, western Germany AFP/Getty World news in pictures 15 July 2021 A staff member sits at an interactive digital installation "Fire / Forest and Spiral of Resonating Lamps in the Forest" during a media preview of "teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live" at the lobby of Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel, Takeo Hot Springs in Saga prefecture AFP/Getty World news in pictures 14 July 2021 Pupils of the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr march during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris AFP/Getty World news in pictures 13 July 2021 Rescuers look for bodies after a catastrophic blaze erupted Monday at a coronavirus hospital ward in the al-Hussein Teaching Hospital, in Nasiriyah, Iraq AP World news in pictures 12 July 2021 People try to recover a car damaged during flash floods after heavy monsoon rains in Bhagsunag, a popular tourist town in Himachal Pradesh, India AP World news in pictures 11 July 2021 Police cars are seen overturned in the street in the framework of a demonstration against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana AFP via Getty Images World news in pictures 10 July 2021 Tanya and Evance Chanda from Mechanicsville look on as a statue of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson is removed after years of a legal battle over the contentious monument, in Charlottesville, Virginia Reuters World news in pictures 9 July 2021 Hundreds of Haitians gather in front of the US embassy in the hope that they will be granted a visa to leave their country, due the uncertainty of what may happen after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti EPA World news in pictures 8 July 2021 NGOs fly huge rainbow balloon at Hungary's parliament protesting against anti-LGBT law in Budapest Reuters World news in pictures 7 July 2021 The Ever Given leaves the Suez Canal after its Japanese owners reached a settlement following more than three months and a court standoff over compensation for it blocking the crucial east-west waterway for nearly a week earlier this year Getty World news in pictures 6 July 2021 Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrives to be greeted by German Chancellor at the Chancellery in Berlin AFP/Getty World news in pictures 5 July 2021 Firefighters work at the site of an explosion and fire at a plastics factory on the outskirts of Bangkok AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 July 2021 In this photo released by authorities, rescuers search for bodies from the site where a Philippine military C-130 plane crashed in Patikul town, Sulu province, Philippines AP World news in pictures 3 July 2021 A fire on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico erupted after a gas leak from an underwater pipeline sparked a blaze, according to Mexicos state-owned Pemex petrol company Twitter/Manuel Lopez San Martin World news in pictures 2 July 2021 A human chain is formed by workers from the civil society, humanitarian aid, and medical and rescue services in a vigil calling for maintaining a UN resolution authorising the passage of humanitarian aid into Syrias rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey AFP/Getty Afghanistan was always touted as a location where Isis might go next after its losses in Syria and Iraq, she added. The reality is the Taliban have been a very successful insurgent force, but thats a very different thing from maintaining control of the whole country, and an army and air force. Its so beyond their recent experience that they could well struggle to maintain stability. If security deteriorates you have more ungoverned spaces, more safe havens for groups and thats fertile ground for terrorist activity. Ms Winterbotham said the membership of Isiss Khorasan Province included disgruntled former Taliban fighters who may be falling back on old allegiances in light of the groups recent success. Links to the Taliban, either personally or through relatives, are among the criteria being examined for Afghans applying to be relocated to the UK under the ARAP scheme. It is intended to protect interpreters and other Afghan staff who worked for the British government and military, but the government said anyone judged to present a national security risk or who has committed violent or sexual crimes would be refused. Officials are also working to ensure that people approved under the scheme cannot be impersonated by others seeking to reach Britain. More than 3,000 former Afghan staff and relatives have so far been relocated to the UK under the scheme, which started in April, and military personnel have been drafted in to speed up processing. A small proportion of applicants are believed to have been refused over national security or public safety concerns, but the Home Office would not give numbers. The mother of a five-year-old boy is taking the regulator of a landfill site to court over health problems which she alleges could shorten his life. Mathew Richards has grown up next to Walleys Quarry in Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and, according to his mother Rebecca Currie, suffers from chest problems brought on by breathing in hydrogen sulphide (HS2) gas which she claims is being emitted from the site. Ms Currie, who has been supported by the Stop the Stink campaign group, has said not enough is being done by the Environment Agency to regulate the activities of landfill operator Walleys Quarry Ltd, and as a result the family lodged an application for a judicial review of the Environment Agencys regulatory decisions at the site, reported Stoke on Trent Live. The 41-year-old mother said she hoped the case will result in the landfill being capped off, as well as HS2 emissions from the site being stopped. The case is being funded through legal aid, and will be heard at the High Court in London on 18 and 19 August. Professor Ian Sinha, a respiratory paediatrician at Alder Hey Childrens Hospital in Liverpool, has written a report in support of the case, in which he explains how the gas can have a particularly damaging impact on the health of young residents like Mathew. The report also underlines the potential health impacts that the long-term exposure to relatively low levels of H2S can have on children. Ms Currie explained: We have the doctors report that says that Mathews life expectancy is being reduced by the landfill. She added: Its damaging his lungs, and it could be something that will affect him for the rest of his life if it isnt sorted out soon. I dont really know what our chances are of winning. As far as Im concerned, this should be an open and shut case, but I know things arent going to be as simple as that. The case will take two days and there might not be a decision straight away, but the judge might give us an indication. More recently, the Environment Agency has been monitoring air quality at a number of locations near to Walleys Quarry following complaints from residents about the landfill site. So far, action against the operator has resulted in the permanent and temporary capping of about half the site. An action plan to improve landfill gas management has also been put into place, this includes implementation of a number of gas collection wells. Ms Currie does not however believe that these actions will make any significant difference to the levels of HS2. She said: The stink we have to put up with is horrific. Its actually worse now knowing that it isnt just a bad smell, its actually poisoning Mathew. The Environment Agency says that its doing all it can to sort out the problem, but nothing has changed since theyve been taking action. Things havent improved at all. Hopefully, this case will result in inert material being placed on the landfill to cap it off. Thats the outcome were hoping for. In a statement the Environment Agency said that they did not want the community to continue to suffer from impacts of odour from Walleys Quarry and that they were doing as much as possible to bring the odour under control. They explained: We have been working in partnership with Public Health England, along with Staffordshire County Council and Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council since March to understand any risk that the site may pose and provide the right advice to the local community. The work we are requiring the operator to do is making a difference and producing some improvements that will significantly reduce the amount of landfill gas escaping from the site and reduce odour in the long-term. There is still a long way to go and we recognise that for residents at the moment it still smells, but hydrogen sulphide levels are reducing. We understand that many residents want the landfill closed. Walleys Quarry is an active landfill and closing it would not stop emissions from the site, and these emissions would still need to be managed. Meanwhile, the CEO of Walleys Quarry Ltd, Nigel Bowen, said in a statement that Walleys Quarry was going everything that it within [their] power to help remedy the situation. He said: We have every sympathy for the health of Mathew Richards, and the well-being of his family. Upon receiving the report by Dr Ian Sinha, we moved swiftly to seek independent medical opinion and will present the findings at the forthcoming judicial review hearing at the High Court later this month. In the meantime, we will be following the relevant processes and are not able to comment further at this time. We continue to assess and implement identified measures, for example capping and gas infrastructure works as part of the natural cycle of site operation, he added. Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has served a statutory nuisance abatement notice to the landfill site, while the Environment Agency received 1,115 complaints between 2 and 8 August about odour being emitted from the landfill. Dominic Raab has claimed no one saw the swift Taliban takeover in Afghanistan coming, as he suggested the UK government would have taken action earlier if they had. The frank admission came as the foreign secretary also said he would not have taken a holiday overseas in retrospect after the rapid fall of Kabul to the insurgents over the weekend. Weve monitored this very carefully, but the truth is across the world people were caught by surprise, he told Sky News amid criticism of the governments strategy. I havent spoken to an international interlocutor, including countries in the region, over the last week, who hasnt been surprised. He added: We saw a very swift change in the dynamics and of course this has been part and parcel of the withdrawal of Western troops, but its also been the way and approach of the Taliban, and of course its been a test for the Afghan security forces. All of those factors have been very fluid, but no one saw this coming of course we would have taken action if we had. Echoing comments from yesterday following the end of a third emergency Cobra meeting of senior UK ministers, including Boris Johnson, he added: We were all caught by surprise by the speed, pace and scale of the Taliban takeover. It comes after the US president Joe Biden told the American public he stood squarely behind his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan after 20 years in the region, but also admitted the Taliban takeover did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. On the rapid collapse of the countrys US-supported government, Mr Biden claimed that in many cases, the Afghan civilian and military forces simply gave up rather than resisting a takeover by the insurgents. The foreign secretary also suggested a situation update he received on Tuesday morning showed the situation at Kabul international airport was stabilising following scenes of chaos yesterday, as thousands attempted to flee the country following the insurgent takeover. Theres been a surge of UK and US troops, he said. The situation is stabilising, but were monitoring it very careful. The cabinet minister suggested around 2,000 British nationals had contacted the Foreign Office from the middle eastern country as he said there was always a risk some people could be left behind if the situation deteriorates. He added: We have made real progress, we had 150 British nationals come out on Sunday, over the last week we have also had 289 of those Afghan nationals who have served the UK so loyally in Afghanistan, and we expect over the next 24 hours to have 350 more both British nationals and Afghan nationals who have worked for us coming out. So the situation is stabilising, but obviously we are monitoring it very carefully. I do think that the airport is more stable today than it was yesterday, and we need to make sure that we consolidate that in the days ahead. Addressing criticism of his overseas holiday as the crisis unfolded, he said everyone was caught off-guard by the pace, scale of the Taliban takeover, but stressed he was engaged in Cobra meetings and speaking to foreign counterparts on an hour-by-hour basis. I left as soon as the situation deteriorated and demanded it, he added. Weve been monitoring the situation in Afghanistan since the 2020 Doha agreement. We didnt predict we would be doing this on this scale because of the Taliban takeover, but look in retrospect of course I wouldnt have gone on holiday if I had known. A British holidaymaker told the Daily Telegraph that Mr Raab was relaxing on a beach on the Greek island of Crete on the day the Afghan capital was seized. It was definitely him, the source told the newspaper. Im not political and obviously accept everyone is allowed a holiday. But the foreign secretary shouldnt be on the beach on the very day Afghanistan is imploding. Joe Bidens National Security Adviser has clarified his comments to insist that all Americans will be brought home from Afghanistan. Jake Sullivan took to Twitter to confirm that the Biden administration is committed to achieving that goal before US troops leave the country at the end of the month. When I was asked about whether were going to get all Americans out of Afghanistan I said thats what we intend to do and thats exactly what well do, and are accomplishing right now with HKIA [Hamid Karzai International Airport] re-opened and operational, thanks to the incredible work of our troops and diplomats, tweeted Mr Sullivan on Tuesday evening. Earlier at a White House Press conference he had refused to confirm if US troops would remain at Kabuls international airport beyond the end of August if all Americans had not yet been evacuated from the country. Im not going to comment on hypotheticals, Im going to focus on the task in hand, which is getting as many people out as rapidly as possible and we will take that day by day, he told reporters. Mr Sullivan faced reporters a day after chaotic scenes unfolded at Kabul airport, with thousands of Afghans trying desperately to climb onto flights leaving the country to escape the Taliban. The hardline Islamist group swept into Kabul over the weekend to take control of the country as US forces prepared for their final withdrawal after 20 years in Afghanistan. The Biden administration has come under withering criticism for the debacle, which saw at least seven people die at the airport, but has defended the withdrawal as a necessary action. Mr Sullivan said that the US was putting 300 Americans and allies on every cargo plane leaving Kabul and insisted, We are getting people through the gate. He said the Taliban had given assurances that the US would be allowed to get its people out fo the country safely via the airport. And Mr Sullivan insisted that the US had told Americans in Afghanistan for weeks that they should leave the country. We communicated with American citizens for weeks telling them to get out of the country ... many chose to stay right until the end, he added. He was also asked whether the countrys former president, Ashraf Ghani, would be granted asylum in the US after fleeing the country and leaving it to Taliban forces. Im not familiar with any such requests and Im not going to get into hypotheticals, he said. Mr Sullivan also addressed US military equipment now being in the hands of the Taliban. Certainly a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and obviously we dont have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport, he said. Former US President George Bush has been accused of lacking any self awareness after breaking his silence on Afghanistan and saying American troops had not died in vain after falling to the Taliban. The former president said in a statement on Monday that American soldiers had shown the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror, which he started in the aftermath of the terror attacks of 11 September 2001. Mr Bush said US forces kept America safe from further terror attacks during the 20-year war, after removing both Al-Qaeda and the Taliban from Afghanistan. The Republican was accused of showing no self awareness after Afghanistans government, backed by the US, collapsed on Sunday without US forces, who are withdrawing. The Taliban retook Kabul, the countrys capital, forcing Americans others to flee. On Twitter, dozens reacted to the chaotic scenes in Kabul and said the Bush administration was to blame for the US invading Afghanistan in the first place. And here I was foolishly hoping for even a half-hearted apology from Bush for embarking on a nation-building experiment that led to a costly and unwinnable quagmire, tweeted a critic, who added: Silly me. No contrition or self-awareness at all. Let's never forget that what we are watching happen right now in Afghanistan is the final act of George W Bush's 2004 reelection strategy, tweeted another of the fall of the Kabul government. Writer Mikel Jollett also alleged in a tweet: Donald Trump ordered the unilateral withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, not Joe Biden. But if youre really looking for someone to blame for the utter disaster, its Dick Cheney and George W Bush. Mr Bush added in his statement that he and his wife "have been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness. Our hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much. He also called for the US government, which has been accused of underestimating the return of the Taliban, to allow refuges into the US, and those Afghans on the forefront of progress who at risk of retaliation from the Taliban. Tens of thousands of Afghans, and thousands of US soldiers, died during the 20-year war. Joel Valdez was shot six times outside of a grocery store in Houston after witnessing a domestic dispute. Eleven days later, hes still awaiting surgery to remove the bullets that pierced his left shoulder and neck, as Covid-19 patients have overwhelmed the Texas health system. Mr Valdez is in a ward at the Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, where the ICU was at 103 per cent capacity on Monday, The Washington Post reported. One-third of patients at the hospital had Covid, a spokesperson from the Harris Health System told KRIV. The intensive care unit at Houstons Lyndon B Johnson Hospital was at 94 per cent capacity with more than half of patients suffering from Covid-19. Valdez, the father of a three-month old baby boy, said it had been a painful, stressful wait for a surgery space to free up. Having broken bones and bullets in me for over a week now, its a little frustrating, Valdez said in an interview with KRIV news station. Everybody is really surprised Im still in this bed a week later. Mr Valdez is awaiting surgery for gunshot wounds and broken bones in Ben Taub Hospital (KRIV) Recounting the shooting, Mr Valdez said he had gone to a Kroger grocer in southeast Houston early on Saturday, 6 August, to buy supplies for his food truck business. He noticed a domestic dispute, and the aggressor allegedly took exception to Mr Valdez, who also goes by JD. He did not like the way my brother was looking and walking, Daniel Valdez, his brother, wrote on GoFundMe , where a fundraising effort had attracted $24,400 in donations on Tuesday. He then proceeded to shoot at my brother from his car 8 times, 6 of the bullets hit JD. He was shot in both arms, his neck and chin was grazed. His left arm is broken from the bullet penetrations and to our knowledge right now there is currently a bullet stuck somewhere in his chest. Mr Valdez, who will require several surgeries to recover from his wounds, had a warning for others. "Do your best to maintain your health and not end up in a situation that puts you in the hospital right now," Mr Valdez told KRIV. Houston man Kendrick Green has been arrested and charged over the shooting. Anticipating a surge in deaths in the coming days, Texas state health officials have requested five mortuary trucks on Monday from the federal government. The state suffered 144 deaths on Saturday, and had a seven-day rolling average death rate of 80, the highest its been since March. The death toll from an earthquake in Haiti has risen further, with officials reporting 1,419 fatalities from the magnitude 7.2 tremor that flattened several towns last weekend. Haitian authorities said on Monday that 6,900 people were injured in the quake which struck the Caribbean island nation on Saturday. That is in addition to 1,419 deaths, which are continuing to be reported as more victims are recovered. In Les Cayes, a seaside town that bore the brunt of the quake, rescuers found a blood-stained pillow amid the rubble on Tuesday, which was followed by the body of an infant. Bodies continue to be recovered. Rescue efforts resumed on Tuesday with reports of volunteer firefighters working through debris. That work was hampered by the landfall of a tropical storm, Grace, with heavy rainfall overnight. The number of people trapped underneath debris remains unknown, although time is running out. Tens of thousands of homes are also believed to have fallen, and hospitals and churches have also seen damage. According to authorities, as many as 30,000 families are currently homeless, and have so far spent four nights with limited shelter. Survivors in Les Cayes, which was southwest of the quakes epicentre last week, have been staying at a makeshift tent city. The site was damaged by the rainfall overnight, which saw survivors repairing makeshift structures. Images from the camp are reminiscent of an earthquake in 2010 that displaced more than a million Haitians, many of whom were forced to live in tents for years afterwards. Hundreds of adults and children at the site in Les Cayes are in need of food and humanitarian aide, and have been sleeping on plastic sheets. Others have tried to escape the midday sun by constructing makeshift structures with sheets and wooden sticks. We don't have a doctor. We dont have food. Every morning more people are arriving, said the deputy head of a committee for the survivors in Les Cayes, Mathieu Jameson. We have no bathroom, no place to sleep. We need food, we need more umbrellas. Those calls were echoed by the United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef) representative in Haiti, who said tens of thousands of families have lost everything and are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding. Right now, about half a million Haitian children have limited or no access to shelter, safe water, healthcare and nutrition, the Unicef representative, Bruno Maes, added. Government aid has been slow to reach the city of Les Cayes, which is roughly 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, and other areas that were also hit. Speaking from the Haitian capital, the prime minister, Ariel Henry, said the western hemispheres poorest nation was facing exceptional circumstances. His government, formed after the assassination of his predecessor last month, was committed to dispersing aid more effectively than in 2010. Covid, rising violence, and political instability are among the biggest issues facing the country, which is still suffering from the fall out of the 2010 earthquake that killed 200,000. Additional reporting by Reuters. US retailer Hobby Lobby has been fined for blocking a transgender woman employee from using its womens bathroom for 11 years, following a court ruling that is a first for transgender people in the state. The 51-year-old employee, Meggan Sommerville, had worked at the same Hobby Lobby location in Illinois for almost 23 years, but was barred from using the womens bathroom after transitioning between 2007 and 2010, according to court filings. She argued that Hobby Lobby had even acknowledged her transition and updated its records for her, but refused her request to access the womens bathroom in violation of Illinois state law and the Human Rights Act. In a ruling on Friday, the Illinois Second District Appellate Court said the retailer had unlawfully discriminated against Ms Sommerville, whose sex is unquestionably female, reported Forbes. It added that she should have access to the womens bathroom just like the women who are permitted to use the womens bathroom. Hobby Lobby, which has been ordered to allow Ms Sommerville to use the womens bathroom and pay $220,000 (160,000) in damages, argued that it was protecting women by barring the 51-year-old from using the womens bathroom. The court rejected that claim, and said the only reason that Sommerville is barred from using the womens bathroom is that she is a transgender woman, unlike the other women (at least, as far as Hobby Lobby knows). She said in an interview with Forbes that the court stuck to the law, and that that it was precedent-setting case in Illinois because the Human Rights Act has never been tested in this way in Illinois and actually in the country. Hobby Lobby had fought the case for 11 years, with Ms Sommerville first filing a complaint with the Illinois Human Rights Commission in 2013. The body, which was filled with Republicans, had delayed her case until 2019, which led to Fridays ruling following an appeal, Forbes reported. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said of the ruling, which will force employers to honour the rights of transgender individuals, that Discrimination of any kind has no place in our society. I will continue to protect the rights of transgender individuals and fight to hold all employers accountable for following anti-discrimination laws, he added. The Independent has approached Hobby Lobby for comment. Another woman is claiming she was abused by financier Jeffrey Epstein while she was visiting his Manhattan townhouse in her teens. The woman's lawsuit claims that Epstein "sexually assaulted, abused, battered and raped her" on at least two occasions at his Manhattan home in 2003. The woman was 17 at the time of the alleged attack. The identity of the woman is not currently known, as she filed the lawsuit anonymously in Manhattan's Supreme Court on Friday. The filing was made the day before New York's Child Victim's Act closed its "look-back" window for adults seeking justice for crimes they suffered as children. The window allowed for people who believed they were abused to sue their suspected attackers or institutions even if the statute of limitations on the crimes had expired. The woman said in her filing that due to her encounter with Epstein, "she suffered, and continues to suffer from, extreme mental distress, humiliation, anguish, emotional and physical injuries as well as economic losses." She seeks unspecified damages from Epstein's estate. A week before the woman filed her lawsuit, the Epstein Victims Compensation Program paid out a total of $121m to more than 130 victims of the former financier. Many other accusers have opted out of the fund, preferring instead to take their cases to court. Epstein was arrested on child sex trafficking charges and later died in his cell after an apparent suicide. The financier was infamous not only for the sheer scale of his alleged crimes most often sexually abusing young women but also for his proximity to wealthy and powerful figures. His former girlfriend and confidante, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, has been in jail for more than a year awaiting trial for her alleged role in Epsteins abuses. Ms Maxwell has been described as Epstein's "pimp", as it was allegedly her job to recruit and train the teenage girls that Epstein abused. She has repeatedly and strenuously denied any wrongdoing and insists she is being used as a scapegoat for Epsteins crimes. Ms Maxwell's trial will begin on 29 November. The case was originally slated to start over the summer, but evidence prosecutors introduced forced the date back to allow the defence time to review. A photo of a Kabul airport tarmac scattered with shoes has captured the desperation of those attempting to flee Afghanistan, following the Taliban takeover. In the image posted by Indian journalist Kanika Gupta on social media, flip-flops and shoes are scattered around Hamid Karzai International Airport in the wake of mass attempted evacuations. Kabul airport slippers strewn all over the tarmac such a disaster that the world left behind. The desperation and sheer helplessness of people who now have to spend a lifetime under the butt of a Kalashnikov. My heart beats for you, posted the reporter with the picture. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is on defence over the images of the chaotic evacuation, saying that no plan is perfect. No plan is ever perfect and no plan can be perfectly predictive in terms of what friction, what unknown aspects and factors youre going to deal with no the back side, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in an interview on Tuesday with MSNBCs Morning Joe. US ambassador Ross Wilson, the current US charge daffaires in Kabul, confirmed that he had not left the country and he and other US embassy officials would remain to help citizens and vulnerable Afghans. The Taliban seized control of the capital at the weekend, after the US withdrew its troops, which had been occupying Afghanistan for 20 years. Our commitment to the Afghan people endures, posted Wilson on Twitter on Tuesday. There have been desperate scenes at Kabuls international airport this week when swarms of panicked Afghanis were seen running onto the tarmac, clamouring up jet bridges and hanging off aircraft. In one video, a person is seen falling from the side of a military plane after it took off from the runway. The Pentagon has sent thousands of US troops to Kabul airport to help with evacuations. President Biden said the takeover of Afghanistan unfolded more quickly than we had anticipated. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight, said Mr Biden. American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. A photograph believed to show a US soldier cradling the flag from the American Embassy in Kabul as it was loaded onto a plane departing Afghanistan has emerged. The picture was apparently taken amid chaotic scenes as the US raced to exfiltrate some of the 4,000 embassy employees both Afghan and US citizens from Kabul on military flights, as the Taliban took control of the country after 20 years of occupation by western forces. The lowering of the flag on Sunday marked the symbolic withdrawal of the official US presence in Afghanistan, inviting comparisons with the rooftop escape from the Saigon embassy at the end of the Vietnam War. Embassy staff were reportedly destroying sensitive documents and equipment as the Taliban bore down on the fortified precinct on Sunday. Ambassador Ross Wilson and other US diplomats were taken from the embassy to the airport on Chinook helicopters where they were assisting thousands of people trying to board US military flights out of the country. The US flag which flew over the embassy in Kabul has also been taken to the airport and will soon be removed from the country. An ignominious end just weeks before the 20th anniversary of 911. https://t.co/ucwMtLVEjH Nick Bryant (@NickBryantNY) August 15, 2021 A photo allegedly showing the last flight from the US embassy in Kabul with the US Flag. pic.twitter.com/c2p2LqyL2e Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) August 15, 2021 Contrary to false reports, @USEmbassyKabul staff & I remain in #Kabul working hard to help 1000s of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans & continuing engagement here. Our commitment to the Afghan people endures. Charge dAffaires Ross Wilson (@USAmbKabul) August 17, 2021 Fox News first obtained the photograph of the US soldier clutching the folded embassy flag. The Independent has approached the State Department to verify its authenticity. On Tuesday, flights resumed from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul after they had been temporarily halted on Monday when thousands of Afghans swarmed the airport in desperate search of a way out of the country. Pentagon spokesman Maj Gen Hank Taylor told a press briefing on Tuesday that one flight per hour was leaving the airport. Negotiations between the US military and the Taliban were continuing to ensure safe passage of the remaining Americans, the Pentagon said. It came as the Talibans de facto leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Kandahar from Doha on Tuesday. He was released from prison in Pakistan under a deal brokered by the US Government. Some 640 Afghans crowded onto a C-17 transport Globemaster II cargo flight to Qatar as they fled the country with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Earlier on Monday, US troops shot and killed two men who opened fire on them as thousands of Afghans tried to make their way onto flights out of the country. Three people fell to their deaths from a C-17 after it had taken off from Kabul airport. In a televised address, President Joe Biden conceded the situation had unfolded more quickly than we anticipated. The Biden administration froze Afghan government reserves held in US bank accounts on Sunday, blocking the Taliban from accessing billions of dollars. Two people familiar with the matter spoke to The Washington Post about the decision, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss government policy not yet made public. The decision was made by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and officials in Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, the people said. The State Department and White House were also involved in the decision. An administration official said in a statement: Any Central Bank assets the Afghan government have in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban. The Biden administration is also likely to face hard choices over how to manage existing sanctions on the Taliban. This may make it difficult to deliver international humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. The previous Afghan regime held $9.4bn in gross reserves at the end of April, the International Monetary Fund reported. Most of those reserves were held outside of Afghanistan, a source told the AFP. The US Government has previously seized the reserves of countries whose governments it doesnt recognise, such as Venezuela. After the US Government named opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas rightful head of state, it freed up some of the billions of dollars in seized reserves to pay health sector workers. Central governments typically hold assets offshore to ensure access to backup funds if their national currency rapidly devalues. Last week, Republican lawmaker Andy Barr had urged the Federal Reserve to make sure that official assets held by Afghanistan in the US dont fall into the hands of the Taliban. I sent a letter to @NewYorkFed calling on them to ensure Afghan government financial assets at the Fed dont fall into Taliban control. Access to these accounts would bolster the Taliban. @annmarie for @business reports https://t.co/10QGoKwW0o Rep. Andy Barr (@RepAndyBarr) August 15, 2021 Access to these accounts would bolster the Talibans rise, Mr Barr, the ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committees national security panel, said. Mr Barr made the request in a letter to New York Fed President John Williams. The Talibans rapid takeover of Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of US and allied troops has caught the international community off-guard. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK was considering imposing sanctions on the Taliban. Mr Raab said Britain would use all of the financial means at our disposal to pressure the Taliban. President Joe Biden characterised the US mission in Afghanistan as accomplished on Monday, even as the Afghan government collapsed in the face of advancing Taliban militants in Kabul. In a national address called by the White House in the hours after Kabul fell to the Taliban and as videos showed a chaotic evacuation of US personnel from the citys airport, Mr Biden said that he stands squarely behind his decision, explaining that the only alternative was a return to all-out war with the Taliban. Fault for the fall of Afghanistans government was laid on the shoulders of former President Donald Trumps administration for signing a deal with the Taliban that began the military withdrawal and set a timeline for the US exit, as well as Afghan officials who he argued lacked the will to fight for their country. We severely degraded al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Mr Biden said, adding, our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building. As president, Im adamant that we fight the threats we face today, not yesterday, he continued. Of the rapid collapse of Afghanistans US-supported government, Mr Biden said that in many cases, the countrys civilian and military forces simply gave up rather than resisting a Taliban takeover. The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated, the president admitted. But, he asserted, [w]e gave them every tool they need to resist the Taliban. The situation at Kabuls Hamid Karzai Airport remains under US control, the president said, where US forces continue to evacuate both US personnel and Afghan civilians with ties to the American military and civilian authorities, including those who served as translators and other aides. We have made it clear to the Taliban: if they disrupt our operation ... we will defend our people with devastating force, if necessary, Mr Biden vowed. Once we have completed this mission, we will conclude our military withdrawal. We will end Americas longest-running war, after nearly 20 years of bloodshed, he continued. US forces at the airport will continue to evacuate both thousands of Afghan civilians who wish to leave as well as US personnel from the embassy, who Mr Biden said were now consolidated at the airport. The president gave no mention to reports that US generals had met with Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar, and secured an agreement to allow the evacuations to continue unhindered, indicating only that his administration would defend those at the airport with deadly force. He also attempted to battle critics who slammed the frantic nature of the evacuations, asserting that officials with the now-ousted government had requested that evacuations not begin sooner to prevent a crisis of confidence in President Ashraf Ghanis administration. Mr Ghani fled the country on Sunday, reportedly for Tajikistan. His address followed the shocking scenes that unfolded in videos on social media and news channels throughout Sunday and early Monday as thousands of Afghans crowded the airport in the hopes of making it out on a commercial flight or US military aircraft. In one video, at least a dozen people are seen physically clinging to the side of a military AC-130 attempting to depart. At least one shooting has already reportedly occurred, with US forces allegedly firing on two armed individuals in an incident early on Monday that occurred as massive crowds were overwhelming the airport. It wasnt clear if the individuals had any links to the Taliban, which as of yet has not made a serious effort to stop the evacuations. The Biden administration has deployed thousands of US troops to coordinate the evacuations of US personnel and others from the country, and added to that number on Sunday as the Afghan government dissolved. Over Sunday and early Monday, his administrations top officials tried to distance events in Kabul from imagery of the US defeat in Vietnam, which Mr Biden himself had conjured in July when predicting that diplomats would not be airlifted from the grounds of the roof of the US embassy, a scene that essentially played out in the Afghan capital on Sunday. At the same time, he denied an assertion by a reporter that his own intelligence agencies had concluded that it was likely the Afghan government would fall. In interviews on Sunday, the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, insisted that this is not Saigon, arguing that the US had not asked the Taliban for anything. The defences provoked stinging criticism from many in the media, who noted that the administration had no explanation for why it could not foresee the quick victory of the Taliban. Americas longest military conflict has cost the US more than $2.2 trillion over the past 19 years, and resulted in the deaths of more than 2,400 American service members as well as tens of thousands of Afghans. Some 456 Britons also lost their lives during the conflict. Joe Biden on Monday refused to answer questions about terrifying visuals of Afghans clinging to a US military aircraft in a desperate attempt to escape the country under Taliban rule. The US president could be seen leaving after delivering a national address on the situation, without acknowledging reporters who got up from their seats and tried to ask him about the ongoing crisis. What do you think of the Afghans clinging to aircraft? Peter Alexander, the chief White House correspondent for NBC News, can be heard asking Mr Biden, as the president is seen stepping away from the podium and leaving. Visuals of thousands of Afghans running and trying to board a moving aircraft and crowding Kabuls international airport to flee the country were shared on social media as the Taliban took control of the national capital. At least seven reportedly died in the chaos at the Kabul airport. Military flights to evacuate diplomats and civilians continued, while the airport runway was cleared of thousands of people on Tuesday, reported news agency Reuters. The number of civilians at the airport had thinned out, a western security official at the facility told Reuters on Tuesday, although occasional firing coming from the direction of the airport could be heard. The Talibans control of national capital Kabul shortly after president Ashraf Ghani fled the country has sparked global concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country. The Taliban has said there would be no retribution. There have, however, been reports of executions in areas under Taliban control, including in Spin Boldak and Ghazni. Mr Biden said he stands squarely behind his decision to pull the US out of Afghanistan, adding that the other alternative would have been to return to war with the Taliban. This was Mr Bidens first in-person interaction with the media after what has been called by many as the biggest foreign policy crisis to have emerged in less than a year during his presidency. The decision to pull US troops from the country has resulted in fierce criticism, with several alleging the pullout was hasty and will now result in a rule that will severely impact the freedoms of the countrys citizens, especially women and minorities. Mr Biden said the crisis was gut-wrenching and admitted that the insurgents seized control of most of the country sooner than his administration expected. The president, in his address, said 6,000 troops have been dispatched to Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation of the allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan, and to evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of Afghanistan. Mr Biden said he inherited the decision to pull US troops out from the country from his predecessor Donald Trump. When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban, he said. Under his agreement, US forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 just a little over three months after I took office, he added. Mr Biden, in his address, said he urged Afghanistans president Ashraf Ghani to deal with the Taliban. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the US military departed, to clean up the corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people, he said. The president, defending his decision, said the US was dissuaded from organising a mass exodus to avoid triggering a crisis of confidence. I know that there are concerns about why we did not begin evacuating Afghans civilians sooner. Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier still hopeful for their country, Mr Biden said. And part of it was because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organising a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence, he added. US Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke submitted a 20-page statement and delivered remarks to a congressional committee urging lawmakers to restore the Voting Rights Act, the landmark civil rights law weakened by the US Supreme Court and undermined by a wave of Republican-backed legislation to restrict ballot access. Ms Clarke, recently appointed to lead the civil rights division at the US Department of Justice, warned a House Judiciary subcommittee on 16 August that the progress that we have made is fragile as we watch the current resurgence and attacks on voting rights while congressional Republicans reject a pair of bills to expand voting access and revive elements of the 1965 law that were gutted by the nations high court. The 2013 decision in Shelby v Holder rejected a long-held formula to determine whether a state or local government with a history of discriminatory elections laws required federal permission or preclearance before changes to its elections laws could take effect. In July, the court upheld a pair of restrictive Arizona voting laws that also weaken the Voting Rights Acts reach. Congress has broad enforcement powers and must act now to restore the Voting Rights Act to prevent us from backsliding into a nation where millions of citizens, particularly citizens of colour, find it difficult to register, cast their ballot and elect candidates of choice, Ms Clarke told the committee. In 2013, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote against preclearance provisions for the courts 5-4 opinion, writing that things have changed dramatically following the Voting Rights Acts passage, suggesting that discriminatory laws were a thing of the past. After passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the Justice Department rejected more than 3,000 proposed changes to voting laws to prevent discriminatory outcomes, Ms Clarke said. The high courts ruling in 2013 gave a green light to jurisdictions to adopt voting restrictions, she said. States closed hundreds of polling places, disproportionately targeting areas with voters of colour, and GOP lawmakers have filed scores of restrictive voting laws, culminating in a massive, right-wing lobby-backed campaign to flood state legislatures in 2021 with bills fuelled by Donald Trumps baseless stolen election narrative. Nearly 400 pieces of copycat legislation were filed by Republican lawmakers in nearly every state within the first few months of 2021. A parallel effort from GOP state lawmakers has seen more than 200 bills in 41 states that give themselves more authority over the electoral process, with the potential to overturn the results. At least 24 of those bills have been signed into law. The proposed John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore elements of the 1965 law struck out by the Supreme Court, which in 2013 also suggested that Congress should update the formula used to determine discriminatory impacts. Its passage is a matter of great urgency, Ms Clarke said. But the measure is nearly universally opposed by congressional Republicans, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calling it unnecessary after steering a GOP blockade against the For The People Act, Democrats sweeping voting rights legislation aimed at combatting the tide of suppressive laws across the US. Ms Clarke said the US is on the cusp of potentially another transformational moment as state legislatures race towards a redistricting process that could reshape voting boundaries for at least the next 10 years, ahead of critical 2022 midterm elections that could determine the balance of power in Congress. Without preclearance, the Justice Department will not have access to maps and other redistricting information for many jurisdictions where there is reason for concern, even though this kind of information is necessary to assess where voting rights are being restricted, and to help inform how the department directs its limited enforcement resources, she told lawmakers on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to introduce a compromise version of the For The People Act in September. We have made a great deal of progress on that legislation, he said last week. We intend to rally around it. Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was inundated with abuse upon her return to Twitter after a week-long ban from the social media platform for spreading vaccine misinformation. She made her way back to Twitter on Tuesday morning after tweeting last week that the Food and Drug Administration should not approve the covid vaccines, arguing that they were failing. A spokesperson for the social media platform said the tweet was labelled in line with our Covid-19 misleading information policy. The account will be in read-only mode for a week due to repeated violations of the Twitter Rules. Twitters policy on misinformation about Covid-19 states that a seven-day account lock will occur after a users fourth strike. Last month, Ms Greenes account was suspended for 12 hours after sending out two tweets claiming that the coronavirus isnt dangerous for anyone under the age of 65 who isnt obese and said vaccines shouldnt be required because of vax-related deaths and many concerning side effects. If Ms Greene commits a fifth violation of the misinformation policy, she could be permanently banned from Twitter. Data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention showed earlier this month that more than 99.99 per cent of people who have been vaccinated have not had a breakthrough case of Covid-19 that led to hospitalisation or death. Ms Greene announced her return to the platform by trashing Twitter and urging her followers to join GETTR, the social media platform catering to Trump supporters that has struggled in its initial period with hacking attacks and being flooded with jihadist propaganda. After 7 days of Twitter jail, I just have to say @GettrOfficial is GREAT! Ms Greene tweeted on Tuesday morning. Terrorist[s] like the Taliban dont have an account. GETTR doesnt send me emails about violating German law. And I have freedom of speech, absolutely love it! GETTR is very American! Germany enacted an anti-hate speech law in 2018, making social networks responsible for removing content that can be considered toxic. Some US users of the platform have changed their registered location to Germany, where hate speech regulation is much stronger. Critics were quick to bash the Georgia lawmaker. There are two types of criminals. Those who learn from being punished and those who become more criminal when they return. Just because you found a platform for your deceit and fraud, doesnt make it right, one user wrote. Only one more strike to go before Marge is gone for good. Let her talk. Stupid always finds a way out of her mouth, Twitter user Anthony Laura responded. Who didnt know she would come back on here the very second her suspension was over, only to be childish and talk about another platform being better than Twitter? Like you think [youre] hurting [Twitters] feelings [because] you like another platform better? One that thinks like you! another account holder said. I love how comfortable you are with your trash mouth. This will only help as evidence against you. We deserve better than you. We want an actual adult to represent us #VillageIdiot, the user, who identified as a new Democrat because of Donald Trump, added. Marge getting an early start on that next suspension, another account holder added. The Independent has reached out to Ms Greene for comment. A spokesperson for the Taliban has said the US should "withdraw all their forces" from Afghanistan by 9/11, but that it was "committed not to attack them", after the militant group took control of the capital city of Kabul. Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, said the Taliban had already announced a "general amnesty" to people in Afghanistan, and that it would not attack remaining US forces in the country. The US has sent as many as 7,000 total troops to assist in the evacuation of civilians and refugees from Kabuls international airport following the sudden collapse of the countrys armed forces and government just weeks after most US forces left. Asked how long the Taliban was giving the US to evacuate, Mr Shaheen said US president Joe Biden should respect the Doha agreement signed by the Trump administration last year, which had committed Washington to pulling out of Afghanistan by mid-May. That deadline was extended to 9/11, the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks that led to the US invasion in 2001, after Mr Biden took office in January. I think they should get their troops out of Afghanistan, Mr Shaheen told Sky News. [The US] have already violated the time frame which was enshrined in the Doha agreement. Then they announced that they will withdraw all their forces by September 11, so they should withdraw all their forces. He went on to say that the Taliban was committed not to attack them and that we have not attacked. The US suggested on Tuesday that between 5,000 and 9,000 people could be evacuated per day, with American troops still stationed at the airport for the coming weeks, according to reports. It follows images of hundreds of Afghans amassing at the airport in an attempt at fleeing the Taliban, who Mr Shaheen said on Tuesday had the support of the people. Tucker Carlson has claimed that bringing Afghan refugees to the US would be an invasion, despite many being from hunted down by the Taliban for working with American and NATO forces. The Fox News anchor told viewers of his show on Monday night that, if history is any guide, and its always a guide, we will see many refugees from Afghanistan resettle in our country in coming months, probably in your neighbourhood. His remarks, which appeared planned to stoke fear amongst Fox News viewers, added: And over the next decade, that number may swell to the millions. So first we invade and then were invaded. Mr Carlson, who recently was called out for saying Democrats wanted to change the demographics of the country through immigration or replacement theory, as the far-right alleges - and again faced condemnation for fear-mongering. Tucker Carlson is a piece of s****, wrote a Twitter user on Monday. Afghan refugees risked their lifes everyday with US military and also their families by assisting or helping us in any form. The Taliban will kill them in time if allowed. There is no Afghan refugee who could possibly do more damage to America in their entire life than Tucker Carlson does every night, another wrote of the Fox News hosts claims. We are literally abandoning thousands of Afghan allies right now and the trust fund trio of Tucker Carlson/Charlie Kirk/Don Jr are all actually we are being too NICE to Afghan refugees lets let them die and piss on their graves, argued Tim Miller, a political analyst for MSNBC. We are definitely in the bad place. Mr Carlsons remarks came as US president Joe Biden came under fire for overseeing a chaotic exit of American officials and citizens as well as refugees from Kabul on Sunday, as the Taliban retook the Afghan capital after two decades. Analysts had expected the Taliban to take longer to regain territory, while Mr Biden told reporters five weeks ago that it would be unlikely that Kabul would fall to militants. Mr Biden, who by withdrawing troops went ahead with an agreement brokered by the Trump administration and the Taliban, told Americans on Monday night that he stood by his decision to fully withdraw US forces from the country. About 300,000 Afghan civilians are believed to have helped the US in the past 20 years, but only a few are guaranteed asylum, and ever fewer were evacuated from the country along with US citizens, according to the International Rescue Committee. Mr Biden said in his address to the nation that more refugees would be airlifted from Kabul in the coming days, although it is unclear how. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has defended the United States rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan by noting the countrys vast investment in the decades-long conflict. We gave 20 years of American blood, treasure, sweat, and tears in Afghanistan. And at some point, it was the time for the United States to say that the Afghan people had to stand up for themselves, Mr Sullivan said during the White House briefing on Tuesday. Mr Sullivans assertion comes after chaotic scenes of desperate Afghan civilians clinging to US military aircraft in an attempt to flee Taliban rule. The militant groups surge seemed to catch the American government off guard, forcing helicopter evacuations of the US Embassy in Kabul. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Taliban has said the US should "withdraw all their forces" from Afghanistan by 9/11, but that it was "committed not to attack them", after the militant group took control of the capital city of Kabul. Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, said the Taliban had already announced a "general amnesty" to people in Afghanistan, and that it would not attack remaining US forces in the country. The US has sent as many as 7,000 total troops to assist in the evacuation of civilians and refugees from Kabuls international airport following the sudden collapse of the countrys armed forces and government just weeks after most US forces left. Asked how long the Taliban was giving the US to evacuate, Mr Shaheen said US president Joe Biden should respect the Doha agreement signed by the Trump administration last year, which had committed Washington to pulling out of Afghanistan by mid-May. That deadline was extended to 9/11, the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks that led to the US invasion in 2001, after Mr Biden took office in January. I think they should get their troops out of Afghanistan, Mr Shaheen told Sky News. [The US] have already violated the time frame which was enshrined in the Doha agreement. Then they announced that they will withdraw all their forces by September 11, so they should withdraw all their forces. He went on to say that the Taliban was committed not to attack them and that we have not attacked. The US suggested on Tuesday that between 5,000 and 9,000 people could be evacuated per day, with American troops still stationed at the airport for the coming weeks, according to reports. It follows images of hundreds of Afghans amassing at the airport in an attempt at fleeing the Taliban, who Mr Shaheen said on Tuesday had the support of the people. Joe Bidens press secretary Jen Psaki has been accused of vacationing amid turmoil in Kabul, Afghanistan, where the Taliban seized control of the countrys capital weeks after the US president said it was highly unlikely. Ms Psaki, whose email address was returning automated out of office replies on Sunday, was accused of remaining silent on the issue as Americans were airlifted out of Kabul on the heels of an advancing Taliban. Hundreds more descended on Kabuls international airport in an attempt to flee militants, who are returning to power after two decades of US and NATO intervention in Afghanistan following 9/11. A Republican staffer, Matt Whitlock, tweeted on Sunday: This is wild. Biden has no public events tomorrow, he's out of the White House until mid-week, and Psaki has an out-of-office reply that she's out for a week. According to reports, both Ms Psaki and Mr Biden were away from the White House, with the president staying at Camp David the presidential country retreat in Maryland as Kabul fell to the Taliban. Both were not expected to return to DC for days. Mr Biden said only last month it was highly unlikely that Afghanistan would fall to the Taliban after the withdrawal of American forces by the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The Trump administration had previously agreed with the Taliban and the Afghan government to leave the country this spring. The former US president was among the Republican voices calling out Mr Biden on Sunday for what has widely been seen as a failure in American foreign policy, with the speed of the Taliban's advance surprising officials and lawmakers alike. "What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan is legendary, wrote Mr Trump in a statement on Sunday, which called for his resignation. It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history! The former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, added of Ms Psaki and the White Houses apparent silence: [The] world watches a collapse of 20 years of US involvement in Afghanistan and White House takes vacation. I guess she will circle back. Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican senator John McCain, added: Is anyone in the White House going to do anything?!? or will the Afghan interpreters who helped our troops for 20 years just be slaughtered while our President and his staff gets brunch and goes sailing? This is all so bad its like some kind of twisted parody. Anthony Blinken, the US secretary of state, told ABC News on Sunday that the retreat of US and international citizens and troops from Afghanistan and the the Talibans return was not Saigon, in reference to the countrys withdrawal and defeat in Vietnam in 1975. We went into Afghanistan 20 years ago with one mission in mind, and that was to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11, and that mission has been successful, said Mr Blinken. Removing US forces from the country has been largely supported by polling in the US, with 70 per cent of Americans telling the Chicago Council they backed the idea. The Kremlin has long prided itself on what it calls a multi-vector foreign policy, making alliances with sworn enemies Iran and Israel, Turkey and the Kurds, without so much as breaking a sweat. But its approach on Afghanistan and the Taliban pushes the diplomatic double-life to a schizophrenic extreme. On the one hand, Russia still officially views the Taliban as a terrorist organisation. That, at least, is the classification on its security agency lists the same lists used to prosecute followers of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. And yet the Taliban are also regularly returning VIP guests in Moscow, reasonable guys (foreign minister Sergey Lavrov), not some crazy terrorists (Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov), and better negotiation partners than the previous puppet government (Kremlin envoy Zamir Kabulov). On Sunday, the Taliban became guarantors to the security of the Russian embassy in Kabul, at a time when Western powers were fleeing in haste. The next day, Lavrov insisted Moscow was in no hurry to recognise their new hosts. Russias contradictory positions on the Taliban appear to reflect a deep unease with the way their latest alliance could develop. Propaganda has certainly been gleeful at the ignominious collapse of the 20-year US operation in Afghanistan. US president Joe Biden has become a particular target for attacks, portrayed as a selfish, cynical operator. Uncle Joe was only worried about Uncle Joe, said state medias lunchtime talk show 60 Minutes. Biden couldnt say anything about the Afghans clinging from the plane. Representatives of the political elite scored similar points, but they also appeared more reserved about what the changes meant for Russia. America has no claims to leadership, but this is the only good news of the whole Afghan drama today, said Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of Russias upper parliament. Russias position appears to be much promising, he continued, bringing together interested parties... including from the EU, provided they dont repeat American mistakes. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov (REUTERS) Arkady Dubnov, an independent expert, said the Kremlins risky bet on the Taliban would likely pay immediate dividends not so much within Afghanistan as among nervous allies in former Soviet Central Asia. Undoubtedly we can expect Russian military influence across that region to increase, Dubnov said. There is a demand for Russian security guarantees even if the Taliban have shown no previous evidence of expansionism beyond Afghan borders. But the flip side to Moscows agreement was that it now bore direct responsibility for the Talibans excesses. On Tuesday, the Kremlins envoy Zamir Kabulov held out a carrot to the new Afghan government, suggesting they could remove the terrorist label if they behave well. For now, the Taliban are behaving decently, he said. We will judge them on their deeds. The danger for Moscow is that any future deed will tarnish Russia with the speed of a social media post. Eventually, the videos will come out showing people being hung and getting their hands chopped off, says Dubnov, and then Russia will be reminded about how it told everyone these were guys you could do business with. The EU must talk to the Taliban since they have won the war in Afghanistan, the blocs foreign policy chief has said. Josep Borrell said Brussels had decided it was necessary to engage with the countrys new ruling power after an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the crisis. We have to get in touch with authorities in Kabul. The Taliban have won the war and we have to talk to them, said Mr Borrell at a news conference on Tuesday. But the foreign policy chief insisted that the EU will only cooperate with the Taliban if it respects womens rights and prevents the use of Afghanistans territory by terrorist groups. I havent said that we are going to recognise the Taliban, he said. I just said that we have to talk with them for everything even to try to protect women and girls. Even for that, you have to get in touch with them. Mr Borrell added: We will put conditions for continual support, and we are going to use our leverage ... to make the human rights to be respected. I know that when Im saying that it looks a little bit wishful thinking. But we will use all our leverage. The Taliban claimed animosities with foreign powers were over at a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday afternoon. The militant groups spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told journalists: We do not have any grudges against anybody. We have pardoned all those who have fought against us. The spokesman also claimed that womens rights were very important and would be respected within the framework of Sharia. Mr Mujahid added: Our sisters ... have the same rights, will be able to benefit from their rights. The international community if they have concerns we would like to assure them that there is not going to be any discrimination against women, but of course within the frameworks that we have. Although Germany has decide to temporarily halt development aid to Afghanistan, the EU will continue to provide assistance to the Afghan people to address the worsening humanitarian situation, Mr Borrell announced. UK foreign minister Dominic Raab suggested on Tuesday that aid spending to Afghanistan could be increased by 10 per cent, despite millions already being removed from the budget due to government cuts. Mr Borrell called on the Taliban to allow safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to Afghan women, men and children in need, including internal refugees. The EU calls on the Taliban to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law in all circumstances. The EU will also support Afghanistans neighbours in coping with negative spillovers, which are to be expected from an increasing flow of refugees and migrants, he added. Mr Borrell also said that while the fight against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan succeeded, the process of nation-building failed, despite the enormous amount of resources directed to the country. The foreign policy chief said the immediate priority was to evacuate remaining EU staff, their interpreters and others working with the blocs officials in Kabul. The first objective, the priority, is to ensure the evacuation in the best conditions of security of the European nationals still present in the country, and also of the Afghan citizens who worked with us for more than 20 years, if they want to leave the country, he said. Meanwhile, Russias ambassador to Afghanistan praised the Talibans conduct, saying that the group still designated a terrorist organisation in Russia made Kabul better than it had been under the Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani. Greece cannot be the entry point for Afghans trying to flee to Europe, the countrys migration minister has warned. Notis Mitarachis comment comes two days after the Taliban took full control over Afghanistan by capturing Kabul. Amid the ensuing chaos, thousands of Afghans hurried to the citys airport, where they desperately attempted to board flights to flee the militant groups rule. Some countries have said they intend to launch resettlement schemes for Afghan refugees, but have not outlined specific plans. Greek ministers, however, are worried about what a mass exodus from Afghanistan could mean for their country. During the 2015 migration crisis, almost one million people escaping conflict arrived on Greeces shores. "We are clearly saying that we will not and cannot be the gateway of Europe for the refugees and migrants who could try to come to the European Union," Mr Mitarachi said on Tuesday. "The solution needs to be common, and it needs to be a European solution," he added. EU foreign ministers will convene on Tuesday to talk about the fall of Afghanistan. The blocs home affairs ministers are then meeting on Wednesday, with Greece requesting that the issue also be discussed then. George W. Bush, who started the war on terror, is among those who has spoken of the urgent need for countries to accommodate refugees from Afghanistan. He said that the US has the responsibility and the resources to secure safe passage for them now, without bureaucratic delay. Albania, Kosovo and Uganda have all agreed to accept Afghan refugees temporarily, after receiving requests from the US. In the UK, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said a bespoke resettlement scheme was being considered after the Talibans power grab. The UK has "always been a country that has provided safe haven for those fleeing persecution, he told BBC Breakfast. Reports suggest it could be modelled on the scheme used to bring 20,000 Syrians to Britain. Additional reporting from agencies New Zealand will go into lockdown after the first coronavirus case since February was reported, after a person in Auckland tested positive on Tuesday. It is assumed the case will be confirmed to be the more contagious Delta variant, and as no link to travel or managed isolation has been established, the health ministry is wasting no time in locking down in order to effectively investigate the origin of the case. In a press conference on Tuesday, prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country would be moving back to an alert Level 4 from 11.59pm this evening the countrys highest level of lockdown in order to trace the current case and locate any associated cases. At Level 4, people are expected to remain in their household bubbles and leave their homes only for physical exercise in their neighbourhoods, to access the supermarket, to access necessary medical care or coronavirus tests, or to go to the pharmacy. Schools and childcare facilities will be closed, and coronavirus vaccinations will be suspended for 48 hours. The prime minister also urged people to wear face coverings when leaving their homes, adding that official guidance on masking would be released in the next 24 hours. While the measures may seem extreme in response to a single case, its unknown origin and genomic sequence are causes for concern in a country that has largely kept the Delta variant at bay. In the press conference, Ms Ardern said: We have a positive case of Covid-19 in the community. We will not be in a position to identify if this is a case of the Delta variant of Covid-19 until genome sequencing is returned tomorrow. However, every case we have had in MIQ (managed isolation quarantine) recently has been the Delta variant of Covid, and Delta is surging around the world. While we cannot confirm it yet, we need to assume our case will be too, and that has shaped all of the decisions we have made this afternoon. I want to assure New Zealand that we have planned for this eventuality and that we will now be putting in place that plan to contain and stamp out Covid-19 once again. Going hard and early has worked for us before. While we know that Delta is a more dangerous enemy to combat, the same actions that overcame the virus last year can be applied to beat it again. The chief executive of the ministry of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, added details about the positive case: The case is a 58-year-old male from a household in Devonport on the north shore of Auckland. He became symptomatic on Saturday 14 August, so the infectious period is believed to have started on Thursday 12 August. Dr Bloomfield said that the man was unvaccinated, although added that he had made efforts to book his vaccination before testing positive. The mans wife, who is fully vaccinated, has not tested positive for the virus; both he and his wife remain in self-isolation as investigations continue. Importantly, and this has been fundamental to our advice to the government, at this point there is no obvious link between this case and the border, Dr Bloomfield said. This case was identified in Auckland, but it is a national issue. Because we cannot link the case to the border at this point it is possible there are other cases around in Auckland and other possible chains of transmission. People from around the country will have travelled to Auckland and back to other parts of New Zealand. Therefore, whilst its a case identified in Auckland, it requires us all to be part of the response. Hard work from everyone across the country will help us get on top of this outbreak. He added that genomic sequencing should give more information about potential links to other cases, and that ongoing interviews were assisting in the contact tracing process. In announcing the new lockdown, Ms Ardern said: We are one of the last countries around the world to have the Delta variant in our community We are in the position to learn from experience overseas on what actions work, and what actions dont work. We only get one chance, thats why cabinet has met this afternoon and made the decision New Zealand will move to alert Level 4 from 11.59 pm tonight. Level 4 will be for an initial period of three days, except for Auckland and the Coromandel peninsula, who we anticipate will likely be at Level 4 for seven days, due to them being most closely linked to our current case. She added that it was better to come out strong and defeat the virus initially, rather than slowly ramping up measures and risking widespread health consequences. It is better to start high and go down levels, rather than start too low, not contain the virus, and see it move quickly. Weve seen the dire consequences of taking too long to act in other countries, not least our neighbours. Just as we successfully stayed home and saved lives last year, Im asking the team of five million to unite once more to defeat what is likely to be this more dangerous and transmissible variant of the virus. Throughout the pandemic, New Zealand has reported just 2,500 confirmed Covid cases and 26 related deaths. The low figures are largely due to a swift and strict government response that kept its borders mostly closed throughout the last year and a half. Its a crisp winters day with wood smoke clinging to the air, and high in the Kasbah of Tangier, Cafe Baba is busy. A knot of teenagers has blocked off a corner of the balcony in pursuit of a board game. A lone smoker stares out to sea through tall horseshoe windows that skim white rooftops. If it werent for the flatscreen TV pumping out hip-hop you could say this Tangier coffeeshop, with its ripped seats and chipped Arabesque tiles, has changed little since the 1950s, when it served marijuana to writers like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. Like so many establishments in Tangier, Cafe Baba is legendary for its back catalogue of visitors. First came the Beat writers, then the hippie generation and musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, Santana and Sting. A black-and-white photo on the wall shows the bleary-eyed Rolling Stones lounging here in 1967 with cafe owner Hnifza. Hnifza is still around, but these days its his grandson Mohamed who manages the flow of mint tea at Cafe Baba. Dissolute past Crowing over the tip of Africa just 35 miles from Spain, Tangier has always had a reputation for being different. Between 1912 and 1956, the city was an international zone that belonged collectively to Morocco, France, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, England, Italy and Spain. It became a place where artists, misfits, libertarians and dissidents came to lead freewheeling lives, in a stop-gap between the Moroccan French protectorate and the corseted powers of Europe across the Strait of Gibraltar. Even today, the population of Tangier is more diverse than anywhere else in Morocco, with 40 per cent being non-Muslim. Street art in the medina (Lorna Parkes) After Moroccan independence, King Hassan II effectively locked the doors on Tangier and threw away the key. Rot took hold, wafting through the streets of the medina like a sour sea breeze. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city became known as a dodgy destination for tourists, with a down-at-heel medina full of hustle. It wasnt until King Hassan IIs progressive son, Mohammed VI, took over, that Tangier was slowly brought back into the fold. Today investment is pouring in, and the city is changing as a result. City on the brink of change Tangier is the gateway to Africa and the gateway to Europe, said my guide Ali as he led me around the medina, his djellaba billowing as we encountered coastal breezes high in the Kasbah lanes. The citys geographical position, which once helped forge Tangiers unique relationship with Europe, is now being used to turn Tangier into a key industrial zone for the Moroccan government and a commercial gateway to Africa. The pre-pandemic completion of the Tanger Med 2 port expansion, 50km east of the city, is set to make Tangier the largest commercial port in the Mediterranean by container capacity. Meanwhile, a recent high-speed TGV train link to Casablanca and the capital Rabat is bringing in wealthy Moroccan weekenders, and redevelopment of the city-centre ferry port - to include a lifestyle marina - is expected to entice the luxury yachting set. There was unmistakably something in the air besides the perfume of rose water and grilling sardines that lent a little bit of magic to Tangier After showing me the citys Roman cemetery, seated so precariously on a cliff edge it looks ready to topple into the Mediterranean, Ali and I skirted the dramatic fortified Kasbah walls built by the Portuguese in the 15th century to keep out invading Brits (Tangier was later given as a dowry pledge to King Charles II when he married Portugals Catarina de Braganza in 1662). At Bab Al Bahr, a clifftop gate that frames Tarifa in Spain like a postcard across the Strait of Gibraltar, Ali pointed to the marina below. We say you can see Tangier in the future down there, he said. Forty years ago there was nothing. Now look at all the buildings. When I visited in 2019, Tangiers construction boom was in full swing. On my way into town from the airport, I passed empty parcels of land, hoardings advertising soon-to-be golf resorts and a new giant mall. Down at the waterfront, 8ft boards promised a W hotel conference centre and showed a slick, landscaped vision of the Tanger Ville port and marina redevelopment, temporarily obscuring the sea view from a row of Italianate period buildings along the promenade. Cafe inside Cinema Rif (Lorna Parkes) Tangiers soul Yet Tangiers old core was still disarmingly lovely. Buildings that date from the 14th century were being repainted brilliant white, green spaces were being landscaped, and investment had inspired a legion of entrepreneurs who embraced the citys bohemian spirit. One of them was Sabas House, the first five-star riad where I stayed, around the corner from Cafe Baba. It opened in February 2019 and had already hosted the Prince of Chad by the time I visited. Owner Roya is a Tunisian businesswoman whose husband was born in this house. It took her two years to convert it into a stylish art-deco retreat with six rooms named after luminaries with links to Tangier. I was in the Mick Jagger room; the others are Antoni Gaudi, Elizabeth Taylor, Ibn Battouta (a 14th-century Tangiers-born explorer), Malcolm Forbes and Barbara Hutton. Hutton, a troubled New York socialite who decamped to Tangier after a brief marriage to Cary Grant in the 1940s, lived in the riad that adjoins Sabas House. Outside the door of the hotel, the Kasbah streets are a warren of small boutiques. A sparkly tarbouche here, some 1960s-style harem pants there. Posters in shop windows advertised book readings, gallery exhibitions and jazz nights. There was unmistakably something in the air besides the perfume of rose water and grilling sardines that lent a bit of magic to Tangier. Shop owners talked about the citys soul. At concept store Las Chicas, I met Yasmine and Ayda, who sell high-end Moroccan-made homeware and fashions, while running an in-shop tea room with gilded rococo chairs and a menu of tarte tatin and Buddha bowls. Its true theres a lot of change, said Yasmine, but Tangier is always Tangier and I have this feeling like time has stopped here. Cafe culture My tour of the medina also took in the renovated Kasbah Museum and the American Legation Museum, with its wing dedicated to American composer Paul Bowles, who settled in Tangier in 1947. Tourist attractions are few and far between though, so I returned to Tangiers storied coffeehouses. Perhaps the most unique is the period cafe inside art-deco Cinema Rif, where I found Tangiers creative types in skinny jeans and lumberjack shirts communing over espresso amid vintage posters advertising Joan Fontaine flicks. The terrace at Cafe Hafa (Lorna Parkes) I followed the trail of the Beat writers to Gran Cafe de Paris, an old-fashioned people-watching spot. And Cafe Hafa, founded in 1921, where the magnanimous sea views from bare terraces inspired visions of Burroughs bent over his manuscript of Naked Lunch here in the early 1950s, his prose no doubt fuelled by a never-ending stream of mint tea. High on caffeine, I made my last stop at the Morocco Club, a busy bar and restaurant inspired by the 1930s Manhattan club of the same name. I was shown to a zebra-print sofa in a saffron-coloured room with photos of Elizabeth Taylor and Mick Jagger on the walls. Oysters were being ordered, lavish parties discussed, and it felt like Id entered a clubhouse for Tangiers literati, expats and entrepreneurs. It was utterly seductive, and a perfect tribute to Tangiers louche past. The city may be evolving, but the beat of old Tangier goes on. Travel essentials Where to stay High in the Kasbah, with sea views from an elegant glass-walled roof terrace, Sabas House is a luxurious riad with excellent service. Doubles from 233, B&B. For a budget option try Dar el Kasbah, set in a period building on lively Rue de la Kasbah with a reading corner, occasional art exhibitions and comfy courtyard. Doubles from 39, B&B. Getting there Its usually possible to visit Tangier from Europe without taking a flight, thanks to a handful of ferries from Spain and France. The most convenient route is Tarifa-Tangier Ville with FRS, although it has been paused during the pandemic. Intershipping is operating a regular service from Sete and Marseille in France, with the journey taking around 45 hours and currently costing around 370 return. Air Arabia flies direct to Tangier from London Gatwick. A flight attendant for Southwest Airlines allegedly told a woman on board one of their flights to glue a mask on to the face of her two-year-old daughter who was refusing to wear one. Ali Cleek had boarded a Southwest flight from Orlando, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia, on 12 August with her husband and two children. Two-year-old Drew was crying and would not wear a mask, because of which two flight attendants approached the couple and watched them. Ms Cleek, in an Instagram post, said the only way her daughter knew how to calm herself was to suck her thumb, something damn near impossible with a mask. Drew is a thumb sucker and her only way she biologically knows how to soothe herself is by sucking her thumb which is damn near impossible with a mask, Ms Cleek said in the post. Well two flight attendants stood over me watching as we held her down and tried to get her to wear it, she added. Ms Cleek said one of the attendants then allegedly gave her two options, comments she said that have left her still shaking. She said the attendant sarcastically told her she could cut a hole on the mask or that she could glue it to her face. The flight attendant indicated she had glue available, Ms Cleek told Fox News. Ms Cleek said in her social media post that she was aware of the federal mask mandate in the US, but that at some point we have to have human decency and compassion. I dont like being this person. Wearing a mask is the federal mandate I get it. I respect it, she said in the post. Ms Cleek told Fox News that she was a rule follower and did not want to come across as being against wearing masks. I just know that regardless if it was sarcasm or not I was embarrassed and trying to follow the mandate as much as I could, Ms Cleek was quoted as saying by the news channel. My daughter is 2. We were doing everything we could to comply, she added. The airline, in a statement emailed to Fox News, did not mention the specific incident, but said passengers over the age of two should wear a mask at all times throughout the travel journey. The federal mask mandate for travellers has been in effect since February 2 2021 and requires all passengers over the age of two to wear a mask at all times throughout the travel journey, the statement said. We [Southwest] appreciate the ongoing cooperation among our customers as we work, collectively, to follow the federal mandate and support the comfort and wellbeing of all who travel with us during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it added. Ms Cleek said she received a call from customer care of the airline and got an apology. They said they would essentially talk to the flight crew, she said, adding that she hoped there will be a discussion within the airlines on what should be done in similar situations. I know I never want another parent to be in tears on an airplane because their 2-year-old wont wear a mask, Ms Cleek was quoted as saying by Fox News. I really dont want parents to feel like they have to hold down their child to put on a mask. I also dont want to feel like I cant travel with my kids by plane, she added. The UK government is promising a resettlement scheme for Afghans who have fled their country, modelled on the one it set up for Syrian refugees in 2015. Ministers say a bespoke and world leading scheme will help those Afghans most in need, particularly women and girls, by providing a direct route to the UK outside the normal asylum system. Given the humiliating retreat from the country, the government will come under pressure from some Conservative MPs, as well as opposition parties, to make the programme generous. Labour says it should help tens of the thousands of Afghans, and it probably will. But the painfully slow and inadequate scheme to admit Afghans who helped the UK during its time in their country, including interpreters and others still trapped there, will not fill the governments critics with confidence. The Syria scheme was announced by David Cameron after the global outcry over photographs of the body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, who was washed up on a Turkish beach. The pledge to take 20,000 refugees sounded big but was over five years. Initial progress was slow, and the UK narrowly missed its target in May last year after it paused its vulnerable persons resettlement scheme during the coronavirus pandemic. Some 20,319 had been admitted by February and there have been some heart-warming success stories. But ominously, the government has scrapped its initial target to take 5,500 refugees in the first year of its successor, the global resettlement scheme, which has alarmed the UNHCR. This suggests a switch to ad hoc decisions about refugees in response to events rather than a commitment to take a certain number. The Commons home affairs select committee said the Syria scheme showed that a well-funded, well-organised refugee programme can attract public support, citing the number of local authorities who signed up and received additional funding. But the cross-party group also warned the government against watering down the UKs humanitarian obligations, urging it to do more to challenge public misconceptions about asylum-seekers and to differentiate more clearly between them and migration for other reasons. No one will doubt there is an overwhelming case to help the Afghan people. For now, ministers are urging doubters to trust them as they work out the details of the new scheme, though Canada has already promised to take 20,000 Afghans and Germany 10,000. One potentially tricky issue for the government is what to do about the thousands of asylum-seekers from Afghanistan who have already managed to reach the UK. We have always been a big-hearted nation, Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme this morning. You have a home secretary and foreign secretary who know what this means from our personal history. Priti Patels parents were born in India and emigrated to the UK from Uganda in the 1960s. (She has admitted they might not be allowed in today under the post-Brexit points-based immigration system she has introduced). Raabs Jewish father came to Britain from Czechoslovakia in 1938. However, MPs in all parties suspect Patel will instinctively be cautious about how many Afghans should be allowed into the UK. The home secretary is fighting to keep her current post when Boris Johnson reshuffles his cabinet and is under enormous pressure: despite her tough rhetoric, refugees are still crossing the English Channel in record numbers. Johnson is deeply frustrated; his allies, as ever, worry about how these images play in the red wall seas in the North and Midlands. The Home Office has denied as categorically incorrect suggestions from military sources that it is reluctant to have a generous scheme for Afghans because of the message that would send to other refugees. But MPs suspect it rings true. Damian Green, who was de facto deputy prime minister under Theresa May, said: There are times and places where we should be strict with asylum applications. Afghanistan today is the exact opposite. We should take anyone who can make a case. As in Syria, the government will probably be generous in funding neighbouring countries who admit Afghan refugees. But no amount of money will obviate the need to make a big offer to Afghans to come to the UK. Johnson may have to overrule his home secretary to ensure the scheme for Afghans measures up to the scale of the crisis and recognises the UKs role in causing it, even if that is subsidiary to the United States. The President of Afghanistan has fled the country. The government has fallen. Taliban has taken control of the nation once again after 2001. The violence has once again been intensified. Women are being abducted from their houses. There are rumours of girls and women being forced to marry militants. Desperate to flee the country, Afghans are clinging to planes leaving the country and are falling off the planes. Taliban had ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until being toppled by US forces in 2001. At that time, the Islamist insurgent group had imposed strict Sharia law forcing women to wear burqa and men to grow beards - allowing public executions for those convicted of murder or adultery and much more. Twitter At that time Indian author Sushmita Banerjee, who married an Afghan and was living in the country for years, wrote a book called A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife in which she talks about the struggles and sufferings of living amid the Taliban-Afghanistan war. During that time, the Taliban issued a death sentence for her because she refused to abide by their rule on converting to Islam. Later, a film was made inspired by her life story and book in 2003, which starred Manisha Koirala in the lead role. Reuters In 2013, Sushmita Banerjee was shot dead by the Taliban after being dragged from her home. Twenty bullets were found in her body. She traveled for 36 days to flee from the country in 1995. However, she went back there against her family's wish. The story of Sushmita Banerjee, who fled to India from Taliban-captured Afghanistan AFP Sushmita Banerjee fell in love with an Aghan man, Janbaz Khan. Sushmita Banerjee was born to a Kolkata-based Bengali Brahmin family. Her father worked at the civil defense department and her mother was a homemaker. She was the only sister to her three brothers. Her life changed when she fell in love with Janbaz Khan, an Afghan businessman who she met at a theatre rehearsal in Calcutta. ABP ANANDA She got married to Janbaz Khan secretly against her parent's wish. She secretly got married to him under the Special Marriage Act on July 2, 1988. She had not converted to Islam. She feared her parents would oppose their marriage, and that's exactly what happened. They were forcing her to divorce, and so, she fled away with him to Afghanistan. While her husband returned to Kolkata, where he had a business, she wasn't allowed to go back by Taliban. ABP ANANDA She then discovered her husband had another wife. When she moved to Afghanistan, she lived with three brothers-in-law, their wives and Gulgutti, her husband's first wife who he had married ten years ago. The Taliban unfolded her worst nightmare. She thought the Taliban used Islam in the wrong way. Women weren't allowed to talk to men except for their husbands. They were not allowed to step out of their house. They were not even allowed to go to the hospital because that would mean men would touch them. They were left to die at home. If any woman objected to this, she was shot dead openly. Men had to grow beards and attend the mosque five times a day. AFP When and why she decided to escape? She saw how her sister-in-law died after giving birth to the eighth son because she couldn't get professional help. The men in the family including her husband didn't care at all. They instead were celebrating the birth of the son. Being a trained nurse, she opened a clinic for women and would tell them about the injustice happening to them. In May 1995, her clinic was discovered by men who beat her black and blue. That's when she decided to escape. Her first escape She managed to get a jeep and went right up to Islamabad, Pakistan. She reached the Indian embassy, but she was cheated on and handed back to the Taliban. Her second escape She ran all night but was arrested again. This time, a fatwa was issued against her. She was scheduled to die on July 22, 1995. Her third and successful escape firstpost.com Dranai chacha, the village headman, whose son was killed by Taliban had turned against the group and so he helped her escape. She grabbed an AK-47, which was commonly found in every household and killed three Talibani men. Dranai drove her to Kabul, where got a visa and a passport and landed on Indian soil via a flight on Aug 12, 1995. She finally reunited with her husband. How she led her life in India post escape She lived in India until 2013, published many books including A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife, Talibani AtyacharDeshe o Bideshe, Mullah Omar, Taliban O Ami, Ek Borno Mithya Noi and many more. AFP Despite everything she went through, she decided to return to Afghanistan. Here's why! While some people say she wanted to reunite with her adopted daughter, others say she went back to the country because she wanted to write another book on how Afghanistan was faring under democracy. She believed women were still oppressed. During her return, she worked as a health worker in Paktika Province in southeastern Afghanistan and began filming the lives of local women. She was shot dead by Taliban. According to Afghan police, Taliban militants forced them into her home, bound her husband and absconded with her. Later, her body was found on the outskirts of provincial capital Sharana with 20 bullets. While the Taliban denied involvement, a spokesman for a renegade Taliban militia group later accepted she was killed by it because she was "an Indian spy". Also Read: Ads & Posters Depicting Women Whitewashed In Kabul As Taliban Re-Capture Afghanistan In what was unthinkable when Taliban last ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, a female anchor from ToloNews today interviewed a senior Taliban official in the studio. TOLONews, one of Afghanistan's major media outlets, has resumed its broadcast with female anchors today. "Our female presenter is interviewing a Taliban media team member live in our studio," Miraqa Popal, head of TOLONews, has tweeted, showing a female presenter interviewing a Taliban media team member live in the studio. Our female presenter is interviewing a Taliban media team member live in our studio @TOLOnews #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/G6qq1KWKOH Miraqa Popal (@MiraqaPopal) August 17, 2021 In this image, host Beheshta Arghand interviews Mawlawi Abdulhaq Hemad, a close member of the Talibans media team, about Kabuls situation and house-to-house searches in the city. #Afghanistan: A female Afghan journalist of @TOLOnews reporting live today from the streets of Kabul. pic.twitter.com/dyRZM3m9bh Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) August 17, 2021 TOLOnews and the Taliban making history again: Abdul Haq Hammad, senior Taliban rep, speaking to our (female) presenter Beheshta earlier this morning. Unthinkable two decades ago when they were last in charge @TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/XzREQ6ZJ1a Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) August 17, 2021 #Afghanistan: An Afghan female presenter interviews Taliban official today in @TOLOnews studio in Kabul. pic.twitter.com/Cob9wL0WOG Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) August 17, 2021 Women reporters were also seen reporting live from the streets of Kabul. Women have been noticeably absent from all major Afghan news channels since the Taliban's takeover of the capital Kabul on August 15. Two days after the Afghan Taliban took over the regime in Afghanistan, India has brought back its ambassador and around 120 of the staff members from Kabul. The evacuation flight that took off at around 7 in the morning landed in Gujarat's Jamnagar. Latest pictures from inside @IAF_MCC 's C-17 Globemaster Aircraft which will soon land with approx 140 people including embassy staff and other #Indian nationals from #Afganistan. pic.twitter.com/3X7d0utoQU Hey_nalanda (@HeyNalanda) August 17, 2021 They were evacuated on Tuesday from Kabul by a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF as part of an emergency evacuation because of the prevailing situation in the Afghan capital. The evacuees include Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Ronendra Tandon, embassy's staff, their family members and the journalists, who went to cover the war. On Sunday, the C-17 Globemaster aircraft had evacuated around 180 Indians. Another Air India flight AI244 that carried 129 passengers had also arrived in Delhi from Kabul. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that it was decided that the ambassador and his Indian staff will move to India immediately in view of the prevailing circumstances. "In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," Bagchi tweeted. An Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft brought back some personnel from Afghanistan on Monday and Tuesday's flight is the second evacuation flight. Indian staffers at the embassy are being brought back on board the second evacuation flight. India had flown an evacuation flight on Sunday as well. Reuters But an Air India flight that was to depart Kabul on Monday morning was delayed and later canceled due to the chaos in the airport and closure of the Afghan airspace. Monitoring situation carefully Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India is monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. "Monitoring the situation in Kabul continuously. Understand the anxiety of those seeking to return to India. Airport operations are the main challenge. Discussions on with partners in that regard," he tweeted earlier. He said the government is in constant touch with the Sikh and Hindu community leaders in Kabul, adding their welfare will get its priority attention. AFP "Given the Kabul situation, important we have accurate information about Indians there. Urge that this be provided by all concerned to the MEA Special Afghanistan Cell," he said. The contact details of the Cell are: phone number: +919717785379, Email: "MEAHelpdeskIndia@gmail.com, Jaishankar said. Concerned over their safety in Afghanistan, particularly after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, more than 300 Sikhs and Hindus have taken refuge at Gurdwara Karte Parwan in the national capital, making desperate efforts to be evacuated from the war-torn country. Once a sizeable minority community having historic shrines in the country, the number of Sikhs has been reduced to a few hundred due to back-to-back attacks by the extremists. The fresh situation has triggered fears of their complete exit from the country. Taliban leaders have met the Sikh community According to the Indian government, the Taliban leaders have met the Sikh community and assured them of their safety. According to Manjinder Singh Sirsa of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), there are about 320 Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan and the government is working on modalities to ensure their safe exit. SGPC "I am in constant touch with President, Gurdwara Committee of Kabul and the Sangat who have told me that 320+ people of minorities (including 50 Hindus and 270+ Sikhs) have taken refuge in Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul in wake of recent developments. Taliban leaders have met them and assured them of their safety. We are hopeful that Hindus and Sikhs would be able to live a safe/secure life despite political & military changes happening in Afghanistan," Sirsa said on Monday. Sirsa said that the local Taliban leaders met the pradhan at the Gurdwara and assured that their safety is the responsibility of the Taliban. He further assured that the Ministry of External Affairs and others who are responsible for the evacuation of Sikhs and Hindus in the war-torn country will make all the arrangements required for their safe exit. Sikhs seek refuge in US, Canada In a video, the Sikhs staying in the Kabul gurdwara on Monday said, The situation in Afghanistan is quite critical. We dont know what will happen next. We urge the Sikhs in the US and Canada to evacuate us and take us to their countries. AFP Hira Singh, a leader of Afghan Sikhs who migrated to India and now lives in Delhi, said, I am in touch with our fellow community members in Afghanistan but they are not speaking to us for last two days. I tried calling them twice since today morning, but they are declining my calls. We are also worried. As per my information, the Sikhs are safe at the Afghan gurdwara. Fortunately, no untoward incident has happened yet, he said. Taliban takeover in Afghanistan In dramatic and swift developments that have unfolded in Afghanistan over the past week, the Taliban have taken over the presidential palace and Kabul and announced that they are in control of the country. AFP Scenes of chaos and mayhem have been emerging from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where people have gathered in thousands to flee the country. While India has operated one Air India flight to bring back Indian citizens from Kabul, another flight FG 311 was put on hold after commercial operations at Kabul Airport were declared closed. After being overthrown in 2001, the Taliban has always sought to fight the Afghanistan government and wait for the right time to revive power. But this not a first time the Taliban ruled in the country 20 years back in 1995 after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of the country. However, the organisation was quickly overthrown in 2001 when the US believed that the group that sheltered Osama bin Laden who was the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Here are some pictures from Afghanistan when the Taliban controlled most of the country from 1996 to 2001: How far will you go for love? Well, this gentleman went quite far and it, unfortunately, didn't go as planned. A 22-year-old man in Senegal dressed up as his girlfriend so he could sit for the exam on her behalf. Khadim Mboup, who is a university student, claimed he went forward with the stunt out of love, although the romantic gesture resulted in his arrest as well as multiple charges. Newsflash His girlfriend, 19-year-old Gangue Dioum, was taking her exams for high school graduation, but was worried if she sat for her English test, she would flunk. Mboup, who attended the Gaston Berger University near the city of Saint Louis, decided he wanted to help, and the couple reportedly hatched a plan together for him to sit the exams for Dioum, over the course of several days. Newsflash According to local media, he wore a wig, headscarf, dress, bra, earrings and makeup to make him look like his girlfriend. Interestingly, for three days, it seemed their plan had worked a treat. But eventually, Mboup's stunt backfired. He was confronted by a supervisor at the examination center on the fourth day, after they noticed something suspicious about his appearance. Newsflash The supervisor then called the local police. News site iHarare reports that the police reached the examination center and detained Khadim. After questioning, Khadim took the investigating officers to a rented motel room where Gangue was already waiting for him. Police arrested both the lovers at the motel and charged them with fraud. Whatever the couples intentions, they are now facing the prospect of getting banned from taking any National Education exam for five years. Both Khadim and Gangue may not be able to sit for any Diploma examination issued by a public higher education establishment. A zoo visitor has been hailed for his bravery after he leapt into an alligator enclosure to save a handler who had got her hand bitten by the reptile. In a video that has gone viral, it shows the zoo keeper approach the alligator at Scales and Tails, located in Utah, US. The reptile can be seen moving quickly and latching onto the womans hand. As the alligator locked onto the trainer's hand, she was struggling to get out. This is when the man shows real bravado and jumps into action, trying to grab the woman and help her. Donnie Wiseman literally threw himself into the line of fire and landed himself on top of the alligator. He somehow managed to ease the grip of its teeth that were snapping onto the zoo keeper's hand. Screengrab/Facebook For about one minute, Donnie can be seen holding the reptile as the womans hand remains in the reptiles mouth. Then suddenly, the alligator thrusts its body back and forth. The handler is then able to remove her arm. Scales and Tails zoo took to Facebook to thank the people who leapt to the handler's aid during the incident, which took place last Saturday (14 August). It said: "We want to send a huge shoutout to Donnie Wiseman and Todd & Amy Christopher! We want to thank them for their heroism. Working with some of these animals has inherent risks that we as the staff accept. Yesterday, the sort of event that we hope never happens happened. One of our gator handlers got bitten by our large alligator and things took a bad turn. These gentleman could have stayed in the safety zone as most of us would, but instead jumped into the situation, of their own volition, and helped secure the alligator." The female staff was taken to a hospital after having suffered injuries to her hand. She thanked the visitor for his help. It could have been so much worse if not for the courageous man. Well done, Sir! File photo of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Indian American Congressman Ami Bera urged the Biden Administration to ensure safe evacuation of Americans. (Twitter photo/Blinken via IANS) A Norwood, Massachusetts, woman was arrested in connection with fraudulently receiving federal workers compensation benefits and disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Karen Nolan was indicted on two counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements. According to the charging document, from approximately November 2017 through August 2021, Nolan repeatedly stole federal workers compensation benefits as well as Social Security disability benefits from approximately July 2019 through August 2021. It is alleged that in April 2019, Nolan falsely reported to the SSA that she had not worked since 2017 due to a medical disability but was actively employed at a dermatology practice at the time. It is further alleged that Nolan made similar false statements to the Department of Labors Office of Workers Compensation Programs in May 2021. The charges of theft of public funds each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charges of making a false statement each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Source: U.S. Attorneys Office, Massachusetts Topics Workers' Compensation Fraud Talent Massachusetts Royal Dutch Shell Plcs Nigerian unit agreed to pay a local community $111 million to resolve a long-running dispute over an oil spill that occurred more than half a century ago. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant will pay the Ejama-Ebubu people 45.7 billion naira ($111 million) in compensation to end a legal case that began in 1991, the communitys lawyer, Lucius Nwosu, said by phone. Shell approached a Nigerian court on Wednesday [Aug. 11] to disclose the development, he said. The payment is for full and final satisfaction of a court judgment issued against the company 11 years ago, a spokesman for Shells Nigerian subsidiary said by email. Related: Shell Abandons Push to Get Oil Spill Lawsuit to Be Heard in Nigeria The settlement could simplify Shells withdrawal from onshore operations in Nigeria, Africas largest crude producer. The company has been selling assets to domestic investors for more than a decade to prioritize deepwater projects far removed from the difficulties posed by managing community relations. Among Shells portfolio of onshore fields is Oil Mining License 11 the site of the pipeline incident which it operates in a joint venture with the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., TotalEnergies SE and Eni SpA. Shell continues to face lawsuits over oil spills in the Niger Delta region in courts in Nigeria, the UK and the Netherlands. The origin of the Ejama-Ebubu communitys grievance against Shell dates back to a rupture in one of the companys oil pipelines in 1970. Shell said it maintains that the environmental damage was caused by third parties during a civil war that was raging at the time. Arbitration Proceedings While the joint venture that Shell operates does not accept responsibility or liability for these spills, the affected sites in the Ebubu community were fully remediated, the company said. In 2010, a federal court ordered Shell to pay 17 billion naira to the community. The oil major unsuccessfully challenged the decision on multiple occasions, including most recently at the Supreme Court in November. In March 2020, a judge in a related court case said that including interest accrued, Shells debt stood at almost 183 billion naira by January 2019 a valuation the company vehemently contested. In February, Shell initiated arbitration proceedings against the Nigerian government at the World Banks International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes after its unsuccessful attempts to overturn the 2010 ruling. Shell didnt say in its statement if it will withdraw the claim. Shell will pay the agreed sum within 21 days, Nwosu said. Photograph: Abandoned fishing boats sit on the ground as crude oil pollution covers the shoreline of an estuary in B-Dere, Ogoni, Nigeria, on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. Photo credit: George Osodi/Bloomberg. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Energy Oil Gas LAGOS Helicopters hover above a patrol vessel in Nigerias frenetic Apapa port as attack boats zoom past. On the dock, drones emblazoned with the Nigerian flag sit ready to deploy all part of a $195 million U.S.-backed Deep Blue initiative to deter pirate attacks in the worlds most dangerous area for seafarers. The more than 2.35 million square kilometer (910,000 million square mile) expanse of the Atlantic Ocean that borders some 20 West African nations is known as pirate alley, where nearly all the worlds kidnappings at sea now take place since the water off Somalia in East Africa has become more secure. Bashir Jamoh, head of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said Deep Blue had stemmed recorded kidnappings in the second quarter, after a record 130 sailors last year, compared with five in the rest of the world. But there already have been 50 kidnappings logged this year and the U.S. navy is helping with training and European navies are assisting in patrols, a mark of their concern for a region that is a key global supplier of crude oil. (Editors note: Click here to view a Reuters-produced chart that tracks kidnappings of seafarers in the Gulf of Guinea). If the threat to their ships is not addressed, the entire international trade is affected, Jamoh said. Unlike in Somalia, which had no navy and limited government capability and thus allowed foreign navies to fire on ships and arrest pirates, only Nigerian security forces are allowed to be armed in the countrys large territorial waters. Nigeria is going to take the lead, Jamoh said. Lurking beneath the governments new show of maritime strength is poverty in the Niger Delta, where nearly all West Africas pirates originate. Pollution in the region where international and local firms churn out Nigerias oil means people cannot farm or fish and 70% of its roughly 30 million people earn less than $1 per day, according to the United Nations, making piracy attractive. The U.N. Officer on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) said collusion between some members of the security forces and pirates as well as scant prosecutions for kidnappings must also be tackled. The issues that caused this in the Niger Delta have not been addressed, said Max Williams, chief operating officer at security firm Africa Risk Compliance. They still have the weapons, they have the boats, they have the fuel to kidnap people from these vessels. The Nigerian navy said this year it would strengthen measures to root out and punish security personnel who collude with kidnappers and criminals. Cost of Billions Piracy is nothing new to Nigeria, but the number and range of kidnappings has shot up, with oil tankers, container ships and fishing boats at risk even 210 nautical miles offshore. Kidnappings for ransom accounted for only 15% of attacks in 2009, according to UNDOC; by 2020, these made up nearly all attacks as ransoms became more lucrative than any cargo. The cost of freeing a group of hostages roughly doubled to up to $300,000 from 2016 to 2020, according to UNDOC, which estimated that Niger Delta-based pirates netted $4 million in ransom payments last year. The sum pales compared with Somali pirates more than 1,000 captives in 2010, but Nigerias vice president put the economic cost in the billions, stifling much-needed development in a region disproportionately dependent on seaborne imports. Jakob P. Larsen, head of maritime and cyber security at shipowner association BIMCO, said many ship owners simply refuse to ply the waters, pushing up costs, while crew also refuse to sail in the region and can demand double pay if they do. Pirates typically take kidnapped sailors to the Deltas swampy, snaking creeks, where they face malaria, typhoid and attacks from rival bands of kidnappers. Nationwide, kidnappings have spiked over the past year as the economy faltered. In January, a seafarer from Azerbaijan died during a kidnapping, and two others of unspecified nationality died of sickness during abduction in 2020. The Danish, Italian and Portuguese navies are also sending assistance and early this month, a hulking U.S. expeditionary base the USS Hershel Woody Williams docked to help train regional security to use the new kit. Commanding Officer Captain Chad Graham, asked about the underlying issues, told Reuters piracy was a shore-based problem but he and U.S. Consul General Claire Pierangelo both said they were hopeful kidnappings would fall as the economy recovered from last years coronavirus body blow. Some pirate kingpins are well connected and have serious regional clout, UNDOC found. The navy also offers shippers, who are not allowed private armed security, navy escorts and extra protective services, an economic link Larsen said was unfortunate. It introduces a conflict of interest because there is a money stream, he said. NIMASA and the navy did not respond to requests for comment. Insurance companies, led by underwriters Lloyds Market Association (LMA), expanded the size of the area in the Gulf of Guinea included in the highest-level risk last year. Neil Roberts, LMAs head of marine and aviation, said despite Deep Blue, they were unlikely to change their assessment. He cited social unrest in the Niger Delta and the distressed fabric of the Nigerian economy. As long as thats there, the extra risk will remain, he said. (Additional reporting by Angela Ukomadu in Lagos and Camillus Eboh in Abuja; editing by Philippa Fletcher) Photograph: This Monday, Feb. 22, 2016 file photo shows a rescued Panama-flagged Maximus vessel at Nigerias naval dock yard. It was supposed to be a U.S.-led naval training maneuver off the coast of West Africa when real-life drama intervened, with pirates taking over an oil tanker and turning the exercise into a rescue mission. Navies from the United States, Ghana, Togo and Nigeria tracked the hijacked tanker through waters off five countries before Nigerian naval forces stormed aboard Saturday Feb. 20, 2016 amid a shootout that killed one of the pirates. Photo credit: AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, file. Related: The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, City Council approved a $50,000 payment to settle a lawsuit brought by a man who said he was unjustly attacked by a city police dog last year. The lawsuit was filed by Howard Cones, who said he was sleeping on a park bench in June 2018 when the dog, unprovoked, viciously attacked him, causing multiple bite wounds and blood loss. The dog had been taken to the park by its handler for a training exercise when Cones was randomly attacked, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit accused the city and police officers of negligence in the training and handling of the dog. A second lawsuit involving a city police dog attack on a 13-year-old boy last year is still pending. The childs mother has said in the lawsuit that her son went to spend the night at a friends house, but a miscommunication left him locked out of the house, and he fell asleep in the friends backyard. The child, who is Black, awoke to the dog attacking him and police yelling at him, his mother said. At the time, police were pursuing four young Black people believed to be in a stolen vehicle who were thought to be in the same neighborhood as the child who was attacked, the familys attorney has said. The child was treated for deep cuts at a hospital before being released without charges. The lawsuit claims excessive use of force and racial discrimination by police. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement Iowa Fire crews in northeastern Minnesota battled a rapidly growing wildfire Sunday, adding to a list of wildfires in the region that has prompted Gov. Tim Walz to authorize the National Guard to assist in firefighting efforts. Superior National Forest officials estimated the wildfire at several hundred acres in size and warned that it could spread quickly due to high winds and dry conditions, Minnesota Public Radio reported. The Forest Service said it has asked residents near McDougal Lake to prepare for an evacuation and cleared visitors from the area, but authorities have not yet ordered an evacuation. The wildfire was spotted around 3 p.m. Sunday about 15 miles southwest of Isabella. The governor several hours later moved to send National Guard members to the region as fire dangers are expected to remain high over the next several days. This summer, Minnesota has experienced abnormally high temperatures and a historic drought resulting in dry conditions conducive to wildfires, Walz said in a statement. Walzs order cited another wildfire in the Beltrami Island State Forest that is threatening life and property near Warroad. Meanwhile, Superior Forest Service is monitoring several other smaller fires in the area that were sparked in recent days. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Minnesota Beazley Appoints Chubbs Kocsondy as U.S. Cyber & Tech Chief Specialist insurer Beazley has appointed Patricia Kocsondy as head of U.S. Cyber & Tech. Kocsondy, an experienced cyber underwriter and manager, comes from Chubb, where she served as senior vice president, errors & omissions (E&O) and cyber underwriting, for Chubb Limiteds North American Financial Lines. In her previous role, she was responsible for strategic leadership and direction, portfolio management, product development and underwriting strategy, extending over a broad span of Chubbs E&O and cyber segments and products. Kocsondy also previously held roles at Ace Limited, Chubb & Son, a division of Federal Insurance Co., and The Hartford Financial Services Group. Based in New York, Kocsondy will report to Paul Bantick, head of Global Cyber & Tech at Beazley, and focus on middle market and large risk cyber and tech underwriting in the U.S. Ames & Gough Adds Martin Insurance broker Ames & Gough has named Lauren Rhodes Martin as risk management and claims specialist focusing on the firms architect and engineer accounts. In her new role, Martin, who is based in the Ames & Gough Washington, D.C. office, will work directly with the firms partners and client executives on all aspects of design firm clients risk management, including contract reviews, claims advocacy, loss prevention training and advice. Ames & Gough currently has more than 1,700 design firm clients in all parts of the U.S. Martin joins Ames & Gough following a career of nearly 35 years at CNA. For more than three decades she was directly responsible for handling architect and engineer errors and omissions claims. Kinzer Heads Zurich North Americas Construction Casualty Zurich North America has appointed Kelly Kinzer to the newly-created role of head of Construction Casualty. The announcement reflects a broader realignment of Zurichs Construction business into two segments, Property and Casualty. Kinzer, who rejoined Zurich in 2019, will lead national Construction Casualty efforts, working with brokers and agents on third-party risk transfer solutions, much as she did in her prior role as Zurichs head of Construction Property. Kinzer will continue to report to Karen Reutter, head of Construction . Prior to rejoining Zurich, Kinzer worked at Willis Towers Watson, culminating in her role as North America head of Construction Broking. She previously worked at Marsh & McLennan, Allianz and, in her first role out of college, at Zurich for seven years. Kinzers successor as head of Construction Property will be named later. AXA XL Adds 4 Environmental Underwriters; Promotes Claims Leader Property/casualty and specialty insurer AXA XL has expanded its regional underwriting capabilities with the addition of four senior environmental underwriters. The newest senior environmental underwriters include: Lindsay Judd in San Francisco. Judd brings 14 years of pollution insurance experience. Shes held underwriting positions at Zurich and Chubb where she addressed the complex environmental risks in the real estate, municipality, hospital, biotech, manufacturing, and mergers and acquisitions industries. Prior to entering the insurance industry, she was the director of Finance at a Brownfield Redevelopment firm, and provided environmental due diligence, regulatory and legal framework, and financial resources for those projects. in San Francisco. Judd brings 14 years of pollution insurance experience. Shes held underwriting positions at Zurich and Chubb where she addressed the complex environmental risks in the real estate, municipality, hospital, biotech, manufacturing, and mergers and acquisitions industries. Prior to entering the insurance industry, she was the director of Finance at a Brownfield Redevelopment firm, and provided environmental due diligence, regulatory and legal framework, and financial resources for those projects. Jay Kao in Los Angeles spent the last seven years as a senior environmental underwriter at Chubb, providing businesses with Site Pollution and Contractors Pollution insurance coverage. Prior to entering the insurance industry, he was a scientist for an environmental consulting firm. in Los Angeles spent the last seven years as a senior environmental underwriter at Chubb, providing businesses with Site Pollution and Contractors Pollution insurance coverage. Prior to entering the insurance industry, he was a scientist for an environmental consulting firm. Angela Case in Denver has more than a decade of environmental underwriting experience honed at positions with WestCongress Insurance Services, Tokio Marine and Zurich, Case will address the multi-line property/casualty insurance needs of environmental businesses, such as recyclers, hazmat transporters, environmental contractors, consultants, and others. in Denver has more than a decade of environmental underwriting experience honed at positions with WestCongress Insurance Services, Tokio Marine and Zurich, Case will address the multi-line property/casualty insurance needs of environmental businesses, such as recyclers, hazmat transporters, environmental contractors, consultants, and others. Igor Pavlo in Exton, Pennsylvania brings more than eight years of underwriting experience helping environmental businesses address their P/C insurance needs, most recently with Berkley Environmental. Pavlo is also a Marine Corps veteran. AXA XL has also promoted Jeffrey Anastasio to lead its Environmental Claims team in North America. Previously an environmental claims manager, Anastasio brings more than 14 years of claims management experience, having worked on AXA XLs environmental claims team since 2015. He assumes the role previously held by Kimberly MacDonald who was recently promoted to AXA XLs Head of Specialty Claims in the Americas. Topics Cyber Pollution Willis Towers Watson Chubb Construction AXA XL Keystone Insurers Group Keystone Insurers Group appointed Meghan Pizzolato as its Texas state vice president. Pizzolato most recently served as a personal insurance sales executive with Kemper in the Dallas area. There, she managed relationships with nearly 300 agencies in her respective geography, driving new business production and profitability. She received the Kemper 2021 National Hustle Award. Keystone is an agency partnership organization built on a community of some of independent insurance agencies. Pizzolato will help evaluate and build new agency relationships in Texas and helping them build business plans with our core carriers. USG Insurance Services USG Insurance Services Inc., a national wholesaler and managing general agency (MGA), hired commercial lines producer/broker Greg Strickland in Houston. Strickland joins the USG team with 12 years of experience in the industry, most recently with Burns & Wilcox in Houston. As producer/broker at USG, he will continue building his book of business and assist in the development of USGs Southern footprint. This move is the most recent change that USG has implemented in its plan to continue expanding its operations nationally. USG Holdings Inc. has six divisions; USG Insurance Services Inc. a national wholesale/MGA operation with 21 offices writing in all states; BFS, Brokers Financial Services, a premium finance company; BFS Inspections, an inspection company operating in 25-plus states; AAU, Allied American Underwriters, a program manager and specialty division offering commercial lines, personal lines, and surety; Into Innovations a full service marketing and advertising for the industry; and Aureate Technology Solutions, an information technology company. Topics Texas Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King announced that Ricky Bell, 57, was killed in a Montgomery County fire around 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, August 11. Commissioner Kings Fire Investigations Unit arrived on scene around 5:00 p.m. to find the 22-year-old mobile home on Henry Lee Brown Street in Mount Vernon heavily damaged. The investigator determined the fire originated in a bedroom occupied by the victim. The deceased was found in a hallway near the rear door of the home, said Commissioner King. We have determined the preliminary cause of this tragic accident to be indoor smoking igniting bedding material. Source: Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Fire Safety Topics Georgia Numbers Clark County, Washington, has agreed to pay $72,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by a man who said an argument with a deputy led to deputies harassing and arresting him over several months. Steven Klug, a 54-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said the run-ins with deputies stemmed from an August 2017 argument with Deputy Jack Phane while Klug checked his vehicles oil at a gas station, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The deputy then pulled Klug over and gave him a traffic ticket. Klug alleged Phane and two other deputies then conspired to harass and arrest him. Deputies detained him in October 2017, court records show. Another deputy arrested him in December on charges of intimidating a public servant when Phane tried to pay the traffic ticket. A Clark County judge threw out Klugs arrest, finding no probable cause. Klug filed the civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Western Washington in 2019. The county agreed to the settlement this week, according to Klugs lawyer, Angus Lee. The settlement came after a U.S. magistrate judge found evidence to support one of Klugs claims: that Deputy Dan Brown wrongfully detained Klug outside his home while Phane watched from a block away. If the case went to a jury trial, Judge Richard Creatura wrote, the stop likely would be found to be illegal. The magistrate judge described the case as two overbearing men whose dispute escalated into near violence. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Washington Thousands of homes in Northern California remain threatened by the nations largest wildfire as unstable weather creates a high danger of new blazes erupting across the West. Weekend thunderstorms across the northern Sierra didnt produce much rain, instead whipping up winds and unleashing lightning strikes that that bedeviled the more than 6,000 firefighters trying to contain the month-old Dixie Fire amid temperatures forecast to top 100 degrees (38 Celsius). Were definitely still dealing with the possibility of lightning. Winds are all over the place. Things are going to be pretty unstable for the next couple days, said fire spokesman Edwin Zuniga. Gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) on Saturday pushed flames closer to Janesville, a town of about 1,500 people just east of Greenville, the small gold rush-era community decimated by the fire 10 days ago. James Reichle evacuated from Greenville and has been sleeping with his dog in a trailer outside a church. His home survived the flames but hes been unable to return because the roads are closed. He said he feels for his neighbors at the evacuation center who lost everything. These are all people who either dont have a home or dont have access to a home. I still have a house standing, no damage. But I cant get into it, he said. The Dixie Fire was the largest among more than 100 big blazes burning in more than a dozen states in the West, a region seared by drought and hot, bone-dry weather that turned forests, brushlands, meadows and pastures into tinder. The U.S. Forest Service said it is operating in crisis mode, fully deploying firefighters and maxing out its support system. The roughly 21,000 federal firefighters working on the ground is more than double the number of firefighters sent to contain forest fires at this time a year ago, said Anthony Scardina, a deputy forester for the agencys Pacific Southwest region. The Dixie fire has ravaged nearly 867 square miles (2,246 square kilometers) an area the size of Tokyo, or more than twice the size of Indianapolis. It was 31% contained on Sunday. Near Taylorsville, California, some firefighters were monitoring a bear cub who was possibly orphaned in the fire. The emaciated cub was awaiting extraction from the burn-scarred area by a wildlife rescue team. Generally if you see them with a sow or a mother bear, theyll stay with the mother bear and run off, said firefighter Johnnie Macy, who was deployed from Golden, Colorado to battle the Dixie Fire. This bear hasnt done that, so because of that we think that the bears orphaned as a result of the fire. More than 1,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed and nearly 15,000 structures were still under threat from the Dixie fire, whose cause has not been determined. Pacific Gas and Electric has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on its power line. A few hundred miles to the south, evacuations were ordered Sunday after a blaze that broke out the night before churned through California forestland near the remote community of Omo Ranch. There was no containment of the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County, about 60 miles (73 kilometers) east of Sacramento. Meanwhile, a small wildfire that blew up Saturday east of Salt Lake City, temporarily shutting down Interstate 80 and leading to evacuation orders for some 8,000 residences, was caused by a vehicle with a malfunctioning catalytic converter, Utah Fire Info said. The Parleys Canyon Fire then calmed significantly, and homes were no longer threatened, officials said. In southeastern Montana, firefighters gained ground on a pair of blazes that chewed through vast rangelands and at one point threatened the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. those fires were caused by heat from coal seams, the deposits of coal found in the ground in the area, said Peggy Miller, a spokeswoman for the fires. Mandatory evacuations for the tribal headquarters town of Lame Deer were lifted Sunday, but remained in place for those with medical conditions, and heavy smoke made air quality unhealthy across much of Montana, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality. Smoke also drove air pollution levels to unhealthy or very unhealthy levels in parts of Northern California, Oregon and Idaho. Climate change has made the U.S. West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists. Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Daisy Nguyen in Oakland, California; Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana; and Sara Cline in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California A Limerick telecoms firm has become one of the first SMEs in Ireland to announce its post-covid hybrid working policy with just one mandatory in-office day required per week for staff. Speed Fibre Group, which includes Enet, AirSpeed Telecom and Magnet Networks has more than 200 staff based in Limerick and Dublin. The company confirmed plans this week to allow staff work from home for up to four days per week on a permanent basis, even after Covid-related restrictions on offices are lifted. The new policy was been informed by a survey of the entire group to ascertain their preferences for hybrid working with flexibility, connectivity and collaboration, the main themes which emerged. While all employees currently continue to work remotely under government guidelines, the new policy will come into effect pending further Irish government announcements over the next few months. Claire Murphy: 'Initiative also supports sustainable communities and reduces carbon footprint'. The Speed Fibre Group joins companies all over the globe reassessing their permanent working structures in the wake of the pandemic which has seen office-based staff work from home for more than a year. Staff in the group will have the option to attend the office for more than one day if they desire and be able to choose when they start and finish their workday. The company is also supporting the code of practice on the Right to Disconnect with all staff encouraged to refrain from communications outside of office hours, including sending emails, instant messaging, mobile messaging, or telephone calls unless there is a significant business need or priority. Claire Murphy, Speed Fibre Group's Secretary and Head of Shared Services said they used the time during the first lockdown to strengthen the communication and collaboration between all departments. As a result, were delighted to be in a position to continue offering remote working in the future. Equally important is the wellbeing of our team and a recognition that people who are rested and live full lives are happier and more productive at work. "This initiative also lends itself to our commitment to supporting sustainable communities and reducing our carbon footprint." "This is a strategic priority not only for Speed Fibre Group but for our suppliers and our communities. The recognition by all stakeholders of our collective responsibility is evident and this played a significant part in our decision-making on the model we are adopting," Ms Murphy said. Speed Fibre Group is owned by the Irish Infrastructure Fund (IIF) which manages capital for more than 20 institutional investors, the majority of which are Irish pension funds, trusts, and investment managers. To date, the IIF controls over 500m of investments across energy, telecoms, tourism and healthcare in Ireland. On a warm Friday night in July, the sun seemed to linger behind Amsterdams low, 16th-century skyline. In the red light district, the crush of tourists that was common before the pandemic had long since vanished, making it easy for a delivery worker to cycle past a handful of gawkers around the old towns notorious storefronts. While six German men in matching t-shirts ignored signs warning of a 95 fine as they swilled beers on a nearby footbridge, they were the exception. Mostly, only small groups of sedate strollers were about on this midsummer evening. Centuries before its more lurid attractions took hold, Amsterdam was already a tourist draw. As far back as 1345, when a communion wafer at a local church apparently proved indestructible, pilgrims flocked to see the miracle host. In modern times, decidedly less spiritual activities have drawn millions to the citys quaint, canal-lined quarters. And the noise, garbage and violence followed. The city was already scrambling to find ways to restrain the tourist trade before the coronavirus struck. Hefty fines for public drinking, tight restrictions on short-term rentals and outright bans on certain types of shops were implemented. But more visitors kept coming. By 2019, their numbers approached 9 millionmore than 10 per resident. Then it all stopped. For months, tourists where nowhere to be found as borders were sealed tight. Later, as infection waves receded, only a trickle returned. Overall, Amsterdams commercial establishments have seen almost 25% fewer visitors since Covid-19 first arrived. Even in the red light district, the lack of drunken revellers remains apparent despite many restrictions having been lifted. Locals wander wide-eyed through a part of town they rarely visit, amazed at its architectural beauty. Among city officials, this tiny silver lining to a global health catastrophe planted a seed. While Amsterdam arguably needs tourism to survive, maybe this once-in-a-century pandemic could be used to remake how the city embraces it. As it turned out, local officials in other tourist hotspots across Europe had the same idea. The director of the nonprofit Save Venice said residents would rather keep visitors near the iconic Piazza San Marco (above) so residents can enjoy the rest of the city. Photographer: Giulia Marchi/Bloomberg Cities across the continent want to mold visits into shapes less onerous for residents, and perhaps more lucrative for business. Optimally, a virtuous circle can be created where loud partiers are supplanted by museum-goers with more money to spendor so the thinking goes. Call it curated tourism. We met with representatives from Amsterdam, Barcelona and Florence during the pandemic, and all of us were thinking the same thing, said Hana Trestikova, Pragues councillor of tourism. Before Covid, over-tourism had become almost unbearable, and Covid gave a pause to try and make some changes in what our cities represent, how we promote ourselves and how we must focus on quality of visitsnot quantity. Not so long ago, these cities marketed themselves to everyone. But Amsterdams widely available cannabis and legal prostitution, Barcelonas urban beaches and Pragues famous beer halls increasingly attracted tourists who brought what Geerte Udo, director of amsterdam&partners, diplomatically called negative effects. When much of Europe shut down last year, the medieval centre of Amsterdama UNESCO World Heritage Sitetook on a breathtaking beauty, said Udo, whose nonprofit serves as a civic booster. The emptiness also revealed how few locals actually live there, she said. You feel its not more than a theatre backdrop. But the pandemic also made clear how important tourist euros are to the livelihood of these cities. About 13% of Barcelonas economy and 11% of Amsterdams jobs can be tied to visitors. Lenia Marques, assistant professor of cultural organization and management at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, said cities are thinking, who is the tourist were inviting? Do we want this mass needing more hotels, or do we seek tourists more interested in our culture, a tourist who will appreciate more of what we haveand be able to spend more? In recent years, Pragues tourist problem started to resemble Amsterdams, Trestikova said. The Czech capital was getting 8 million visitors a year, almost doubling between 2012 and 2019. And like Amsterdam, most headed to the same neighbourhoods, she said. In Pragues case, they clog the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge. The city centre is not a residential locality anymore, Trestikova said. There are not many apartments, and those are largely occupied by ex-pats or converted to hotels and short-term rentals. We need to focus on what residents need and show a city thats not a film set but alive with people from Prague. But reshaping a citys tourist trade is harder than just changing marketing firms. Trestikova said the biggest factors behind low-quality visits arent in the citys control. The cost of tickets on budget airlines, the number of Airbnb units and even the price of beer can only be changed at the national level, she said. A spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Regional Development acknowledged that taxes on alcohol and air travel are determined by Parliament, but noted Pragues city council can submit legislative proposals. A bill from the city that would provide municipalities with more power to regulate short-term rentals is currently under consideration, he said. Situated in the most-visited part of the second most-visited country in the world (after France), Barcelona faces a unique challenge when it comes to transforming tourism. While the Spanish citys negative effects are less extreme than those endured by Amsterdam or Prague, Xavier Marce, councillor for tourism and creative industries, said he wants to attract tourists interested in more than just its seaside location. When I visit New York, I am interested in what New Yorkers do, he said. Its much better to have a tourist model linked to culture or science, because it means that there is a connection with the resident. Toward this end, Barcelona designed a network of bus stops to spread visitors more evenly around the city while also freezing new licenses for short-term rentalsthe abuse of which has been a key cause of over-tourism, Marce said. Airbnb advertises apartments, but they dont check the legal status of those apartments, Marce said. Its when we let them know that the apartment is illegal when they remove it immediately. Andreu Castellano, an Airbnb spokesperson, said the company has worked with Barcelona officials since 2018 to drop operators who dont respect the rules. He added that more than 7,000 bad actors have been removed as a result. In Italy, some Venetians want to do the opposite of what Barcelona is trying. Spread out tourism? Thats worse, said Melissa Conn, director of the nonprofit Save Venice. Conn said she prefers visitors stick to Piazza San Marco so residents can have the rest of the city to themselves. Save Venice Vice President Alberto Nardi agreed, but warned that tourism is critical to the citys survival. The owner of a jewellery shop on the piazza, Nardi said Venices population has been declining, its cost of living rising and non-tourism jobs vanishing. Venice must develop businesses that are different from tourism, Nardi said. For cities looking to change who comes calling, any effort requires an advertising campaign. Amsterdam has launched such an effort, spending 160,000 to stimulate desired behavior by touristsnamely by attracting different ones. Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Victor Everhardt announced the initiative in June, which includes ads geared to urban residents in nearby countries such as France, Belgium and the U.K. Were focusing on people who have interest in culture in the broadest sense of the word, he said. We try to persuade them to visit all these other beautiful parts of the city. Even before Covid, Prague officials hired an agency that sought to persuade tourists to come for more than two nights. During the short-lived summer 2020 reopening, the city introduced Prague Unlocked, a campaign aimed at a Czech audience, since foreign travellers were still rare. It was a success. Usually, just 15% of Pragues tourists are domestic (compared with 20% in Vienna and almost 50% in Paris). But in 2020, the number of Czech visitors rose by 16%, with many staying in three- and four-star hotels, Trestikova said. Then theres the other side of the equation. Udo of amsterdam&partners said her group is lobbying the Dutch government to impose a minimum price on plane tickets, while others want to ban Airbnb from the city altogether. Barcelona last month instituted a new tax on stays in tourist establishments that goes to the municipal government. It could raise as much as 16.5 million annually with the revenue used to promote less-visited neighbourhoods, such as Poblenou and Gracia. Technology is also being leveraged to redirect tourist flows. Amsterdam works with phone companies to know how many people are in certain areas, then they can take measures to stop more people coming in, said Marques of Erasmus University. As areas become too crowded, visitors will receive a text message with an offer for an attraction in a different part of town. If things get really bad, stanchions will be erected to stop more people from entering an overcrowded area, she said. But any plan that risks cutting tourist dollarseven for a short timeis likely to run into trouble with businesses already deeply hurt by the pandemic. For curated tourism to have a chance, said Barcelonas Marce, a citys hospitality sector must be on board. Barcelonas hospitality sector is very strong, he said. You cant suddenly say there will be half as many tourists. Bloomberg Military officers and security experts have again called for urgent investment in air transport to enable the State to fly to foreign crisis situations and rescue trapped Irish citizens. It comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said there were 23 Irish citizens in Afghanistan and that his department was working with 20 of them who are trying to flee the country. With no commercial flights in or out of Kabul airport, he said Ireland was liaising with EU countries, along with the US and the UK, in an effort to find alternative routes for Irish citizens. Commandant Conor King, general secretary of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers said: RACO has long called for the government to adequately resource our Defence Forces, and strategic airlift is one obvious area where we are sorely lacking. "It was brought into sharp focus during the evacuation of Irish citizens from Libya, frequent delays in deploying and repatriating our people from routine overseas missions, the recent stranding of 2 of our members in the Congo, and now in the current tragic events in Afghanistan. He added: We cannot continue to rely on the goodwill of other nations for our security. The benefits of this capability are self-evident, not only to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of our troops and citizens, but also as a key component of logistics support. Edward Burke, Assistant Professor in International Relations and Director of Conflict, Security and Terrorism, at the University of Nottingham, said a lack of air transport capability in the Air Corps meant that Ireland often relied in emergency situations on international partners or private contractors to extract Irish and other citizens with the right to residency or refuge in Ireland. This self-evidently limits options available to Irish officials as they seek to respond to situations such as that in Afghanistan, he said. Other similar-sized countries such as New Zealand or Denmark have transport aircraft within their respective air forces that can act quickly and self-sufficiently. Having previously served in the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan he pointed out that a number of Afghan citizens employed by the mission were now at risk. He said: Ireland was a contributor providing both Gardai and civilian personnel to that mission. It is incumbent upon the Irish government and those of other EU Member States to fulfil their responsibilities to those people whose lives are at risk because of the work they undertook on behalf of the European Union in Afghanistan. He called on Ireland and other members of the UN Security Council to press the UN Secretary General to draft a coherent strategy that addresses the rapidly deteriorating political and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The UN must also warn the Taliban that any future human rights violations will be dealt with severely, including by the use of targeted sanctions, he said. Furthermore, any international recognition of a future Taliban-led government must be dependent on the Taliban proving that it can reconcile with its former adversaries and respect international law. Independent Kildare South TD Cathal Berry, a former officer in the elite Army Ranger Wing, said Irelands lack of an independent, strategic airlift capability had been well known for decades, but had been particularly evident in the last 18 months. No self-respecting state of our size, particularly an island nation, would allow this situation to occur, he said. Chartering commercial aircraft at short notice, on an ad hoc basis, multiple times a year, is costing the Taxpayer a fortune. These commercial aircraft are rarely available when you need them most and will not fly into contested airspace. Once again Irish citizens are currently stranded overseas with no autonomous means to extract them. Ireland is in desperate need of its own sovereign capability to reach its own people in times of great crisis.@defenceforces @dfatirl @ConorGallaghe_r @GCraughwell @rte pic.twitter.com/41MokiBrYV Cathal Berry TD (@BerryCathal) August 16, 2021 He added: Its high time Ireland had its own military air transport capability rather than constantly begging for lifts off other armed forces. Developed nation states like ours should not be reduced to the sovereign equivalent of hitchhiking around the globe. Security writer Don Lavery said Ireland was one of the few European nations with no military airlift capability: Over 20 years ago the Irish Air Corps sought a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft - a standard workhorse in air forces around the world - for around 50m, but nothing happened. He said that recent suggestions by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar that Ireland could pick up an airliner cheaply amid the global aviation crisis caused by the pandemic had also come to nothing. So, Ireland is unable to protect and rescue about two dozen citizens trapped in Kabul, Mr Lavery said. This is shameful, and a dereliction of duty by successive governments. He said that as a member of the UN Security Council it was embarrassing that Ireland had no means to rescue its citizens, Afghans or even Irish troops from crisis hotspots. Last March, Mr Coveney, who is also Minister for Defence, told the Dail that the principal aim of White Paper on Defence and the Equipment Development Planning (EDP) process was to replace and upgrade existing capabilities. He said 131 million had been provided in Budget 2021 for capital projects, including three nine-seater Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and two Airbus C295 maritime patrol aircraft. The minister said that while the option of acquiring a wider military lift capability had been mentioned, it was not part of the EDP. The Pilatus was used in July 2020 to repatriate two Irish officers from west Africa. Afghan asylum seekers in Ireland say they feel "powerless" to help their families back home and that their pleas to speed up their asylum applications and bring their families here to safety are being ignored. Many now fear for the lives of their loved ones, especially their female relatives, as the Taliban tighten their grip on power. One applicant living in direct provision says he fears if the asylum process is not fast-tracked, his relatives will end up dead. "We didnt believe that the Taliban were going to take over the country, even my family fled to Kabul as we believed it wasnt possible for the Taliban to take over the capital. "Now they took over every part of the country," said Waheed Talwar, an Afghan asylum seeker living in Cork. "Do you know how the pandemic was here and everyone was stocking food? This is the situation right now back home. I am worried about my wife and kids and my family," Talwar said. Emal Fiza, another asylum seeker from Afghanistan, told the Irish Examiner that his mother and two sisters were in Kunduz city - 335km from the capital Kabul - and fled to Kabul once the Taliban took over Kunduz. "We didnt expect it would be that fast that the Afghan military and the foreign forces would leave the capital so fast, now the Taliban even controls the capital," Emal said. Emal lives in Central Dublin hotel DP and has been an asylum seeker in Ireland since 2018. He has not done his first asylum interview yet. He works in the tech industry and studies at Dublin City University. "Whats happening in my country is heartbreaking, I am afraid about my two sisters and if anything happened to them by the Taliban I would blame only myself because I cant help to secure them." Emal Fiza, an Afgan ayslum seeker living in Dublin. "As soon as the Taliban took over Kunduz we were afraid that we would have to give my sisters names as in each area all families have to give the names of their single girls aged over 12 or widowed women to the Talibans commander of the area so they would marry them, and this is the only thing I am thinking about and I am afraid of," he said. Waleed Talwar came to Ireland to seek asylum in January 2020. Since then he has been waiting for his asylum claim interview. Once granted permission to work, he started his own pizza restaurant close to Drishane Castle Direct Provision (DP) centre where he lives in Millstreet, Co Cork. He has contacted the International Protection Office (IPO) to explain the urgency of the situation and request his interview but was told there is a delay because of Covid restrictions. "I dont think the pandemic can be used as an excuse as the IPO employees are working from home and we can still get our interviews online through video conference especially since the number of applicants isnt much this year and last year," Waleed added. In the last few days, Emal has contacted the Department of Justice and his solicitor to see if he can speed up his asylum application so he would be able to bring his family over. "I am educated and I work full time and I can look after my family but all I need is to speed up my asylum application," Emal said. The only thing I rely on now is to speed up my process so I can meet my family. I was thinking last night about going back there - If I die, I would die but the important thing is that my sisters would not face any injustice. ''I still can't believe what's going on in my country." Another asylum seeker from Afghanistan who lives in a DP centre in Dundalk and preferred to remain anonymous, told the Irish Examiner: "I have lost contact with my family as they are scared to go out to top up their internet." He said he was concerned over food supply and for how long families like his would be able to handle the situation without aid. "I hope the IPO helps us to speed up my application so that would help me in relocating my family before they become victims." A spokesperson for the Department of Justice told the Irish Examiner that from June 2021, asylum seekers who hold Afghan nationality are on a list of prioritisation. A total of 70 applicants from Afghanistan sought asylum in Ireland up to June 30 this year. From January 1, 2017, until the end of June 2021, there were 421 asylum applicants from Afghanistan in Ireland, the spokesperson added. Burma Civilian Fighters, KIA Troops Kill Six Myanmar Junta Soldiers in Mandalay Region Junta soldiers deploy in Mogoke town to crack down on an anti-regime demonstration in April. / CJ Six junta soldiers were killed and many others wounded by civilian resistance fighters in Mandalay Regions Mogoke Township on Monday. In the morning, civilian resistance fighters of the Peoples Defense Force-Mogoke and troops from the ethnic armed group the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) ambushed the troops from the militarys Battalion 148 near Ho Weit Village in the east of the township. PDF-Mogoke said in a statement that the clash occurred as the junta troops attempted to raid an area controlled by the PDF in the township. During the firefight, six junta soldiers were killed and many others were injured while no casualties were reported on the side of the combined forces of the PDF-Mogoke and the KIA, according to the statement from the resistance force, which was formed by Mogoke youths in May. The Irrawaddy was unable to independently confirm the military casualties, however. Myanmar has seen armed resistance mounted by civilians since late March, after the military regimes forces began killing peaceful anti-coup protesters. As of Monday, since the Feb. 1 coup, the military regime had killed almost 1,000 people during its crackdowns, raids, arrests, interrogations and random shootings. More than 7,300 people including elected government leaders have been arrested by the junta. Currently, ongoing clashes between civilian resistance forces and junta troops are being reported in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin, Shan, Kachin and Kayah states. In July alone, more than 740 junta soldiers were killed and almost 370 wounded during 355 shootouts, assassinations and bombing attacks involving ethnic armed forces and civilian Peoples Defense Forces across the country, according to a statement from Myanmars parallel National Unity Government (NUG). You may also like these stories: ASEANs Hypocrisy is Fuelling the Crisis in Myanmar All Lies!: Myanmar Juntas Clumsy Propaganda Has a Disturbingly Familiar Ring 54 Years on, ASEAN Looking Increasingly Ineffectual Burma Myanmar Junta Kills Nearly 1,000 Civilians in Under 200 Days The juntas troops are seen during a crackdown against an anti-regime protest in Yangon. Nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed by Myanmar regime forces in fewer than 200 days as the merciless junta continues its brutal crackdown to quell opposition to the Feb. 1 coup. In the last month alone, at least 92 civilians were slaughtered by the regime including teenagers, student activists, protesters, National League for Democracy (NLD) members and their family members, bystanders, pedestrians and villagers, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group that monitors arrests and fatalities at the hands of the juntas forces. The past months figures include the juntas massacres of 40 people in the Myanmar resistance stronghold of Kani Township in Sagaing Region during raids into villages in the township. The township has seen several massacres as the junta has scaled up military operations against the resistance. Villagers who fled the operations said when they came back to the villages, they found nearly 40 bodies including that of a 14-year-old boy and 11 other men arrested by junta soldiers on July 26 and 27. The number of detainees tortured to death by the junta has also continued to rise with at least 10 others killed in detention over the past one and a half months. Mg Aung Aung Lwin, 22, from Shwedaung in Pyay District, Bago Region, who was detained on the night of June 28, was killed while being detained. He was arrested after an alleged military collaborator, who recently moved near his home, told authorities that he had cursed coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Regime forces told the family that Mg Aung Aung Lwin died of internal bleeding but his body was cremated without the family being allowed to see it. In the same district, Ko Soe Min, 35, a father of two, was detained at his home in Pyay Township on June 29 after a collaborator alleged that he destroyed a public building. Only the body with torture marks and bruises, and with the chest having been stitched back together, was returned to the family. The AAPP stated in its latest report that as of Monday, 998 people had been killed by the juntas forces including some killed while being detained. This is the number verified by AAPP; the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher, the AAPP said as it documented 27 civilians who were killed in previous days in Mondays report. The death toll for this month includes 60-year-old Pi Ngeih Tling, who was shot dead in the chest at home in an unprovoked shooting by junta soldiers in Falam, Chin State, and U Maung Htay, 55, who died in Myingyan Prison in Mandalay Region after being arrested for hosting youth protesters. Others include Hlaing Wai Oo, 26, who was beaten to death in front of his mother in Minkin, Sagaing Region; Han Zaw Tun, who suffered from mental illness and was beaten to death when he passed by the administrators office in Hlaing Tharyar Township, and Wai Wai Myint (aka Apple) who jumped from the roof of a building rather than surrender to raiding soldiers in Yangon. NLD Central Executive Committee member and Daw Aung Suu Kyis long-time personal lawyer U Nyan Win, 45-year-old surgical lecturer Dr. Maung Maung Nyein Tun, who was also a lecturer at the Department of Surgery at Mandalay University of Medicine, and NLD elected lawmaker U Nyunt Shwe, who was also a chair of the NLDs Bago Township office, also died after being infected with COVID-19 in prison this month. Many believe that instead of containing the coronavirus inside prisons, the regime is using it as a weapon against opponents. More than 7,300 people including elected leaders, NLD party members, election commissioners, doctors, protesters, journalists, writers, artists and civilians have been detained. In spite of the killings and arrests, people across Myanmar continue to take to the streets to protest against military rule and demand a return to a democratically elected civilian government. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Juntas Coup Gives Greenlight to Timber Traffickers Myanmars Wa, Mongla Fall on Hard Times Amid Chinese Exodus Civilian Fighters, KIA Troops Kill Six Myanmar Junta Soldiers in Mandalay Region Burma Myanmar Loses Over 100 Leading Figures from COVID-19, Juntas Poor Health Care Top row from left: U Nyan Win, U Maw Than, Sonny Nyein, U Ant Maung. Below from left: U Nay Min, Aung Cheimt, U Thein Hlaing, U Bo Gyi Since July more than 100 prominent figures in Myanmar have died from COVID-19 and from the wider collapse of the public health system following the February coup. The list has included prominent politicians, artists, technocrats, journalists, architects and physicians. Previous coronavirus outbreaks in Myanmar since March 2020 happened under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government and caused fewer casualties. During last month around 6,000 deaths were reported by the junta-controlled health ministry, although other estimates have been far higher. In early August, the total COVID-19 death toll exceeded 10,000 since March last year, according to the regime. Many of the prominent figures, most of whom were relatively old, have died in July and August after the current wave was reported in late May. The deceased have included U Nyan Win, an NLD legal adviser. The 79-year-old NLD central executive committee member was detained during the Feb. 1 coup and held in Insein Prison where he caught coronavirus. The retired rector of Yangon University of Economics U Maw Than, who served as the union auditor-general under the NLD, died a few days after testing positive for COVID-19. The 82-year-old was removed from his post on Feb. 1. Among the dead is a pioneer of Myanmars modern poetry, Aung Cheimt, and modernist sculptor Sonny Nyein, an important figure in the development of modernism in Myanmar. He died of COVID-19 aged 72. He also took the famous photo of detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi making her first public speech in August 1988 outside Yangon General Hospital. U Bo Gyi, who designed the mausoleum of Daw Khin Kyi, the wife of independence hero General Aung San and Daw Aung San Suu Kyis mother, has also died. Other deaths include surgeon U Thein Hlaing, known as Naga Thein Hlaing for his work with remote Naga communities in Sagaing Region, and U Nay Min, 75, a lawyer who in 1988 told the world through the BBC about the democracy movement and the military regimes atrocities. Poet U Ant Maung, a strong opponent of the China-backed Letpadaung copper mining project in Sagaing Region who won a national literary award for his translations of Hans Christian Andersens work, has also died. Naga Thein Hlaing, poet Aung Cheimt, U Bo Gyi and U Ant Maung did not test positive for COVID-19 but died while there was very limited access to health care amid the post-coup turmoil. The NLDs Bago Township chairman, U Nyunt Shwe, died of COVID-19 while in detention. NLD vice-chair Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, who has blood cancer, also contracted coronavirus in Mandalays Obo Prison where he has been held by the regime since the coup. The ousted Mandalay Region chief minister has been in intensive care and on oxygen support. In normal times, the deceased would have been buried with honors but due to COVID-19 and military rule, there were only summary funerals. COVID-19 infections and fatalities have declined slightly recently as Myanmars people have helped each other and take preventative measures, but the threat remains. The health care system has collapsed since the coup in February with the regime detaining and issuing arrest warrants for many staff who refused to work under military rule. Many patients were turned away by understaffed hospitals and ill-equipped COVID-19 centers while the regime restricted supplies of oxygen, a crucial lifeline for serious coronavirus cases, to individuals and failed to address the shortage of medicines. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Kills Nearly 1,000 Civilians in Under 200 Days Myanmar Juntas Coup Gives Greenlight to Timber Traffickers Myanmars Wa, Mongla Fall on Hard Times Amid Chinese Exodus Burma Myanmars Wa, Mongla Fall on Hard Times Amid Chinese Exodus Panghsang, the capital of Wa State, pictured in 2019 / The Irrawaddy The economy has been slowing in Wa and Mongla in Myanmars Shan State after Chinese nationals there were ordered by Beijing to return to their home country, local residents said. Wa State, officially the Wa Self-Administered Zone under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, covers six townships split between two districts, and is fully controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the most powerful ethnic armed group in Myanmar. Mongla on the Chinese border is controlled by the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), better known as the Mongla Group. Business was already slow in Mongla due to a ban on gatherings amid COVID-19, and the departure of Chinese citizens has further weakened the local economy, a Mongla resident told The Irrawaddy. Business has declined further with the Chinese leaving the town. I am afraid the economy has declined by more than 60 percent. All business sectors have been hit. Income and tax revenues have declined as shops have had to close, he said. More than 20,000 Chinese citizens had left Mongla for China by the second week of August and more are following them, said another resident. Chinese nationals are being forced to leave northeastern Myanmar amid Beijings crackdown on internet fraud and scams, Chinese media agencies reported. The returnees are quarantined for 21 days in Dalou, the Chinese border town [in Yunnan Province] opposite Mongla. They dont have to undergo quarantine in Mongla. I heard that over 200 quarantine centers have been opened in Dalou where Chinese citizens wait for their turn to return. The Chinese government doesnt provide food at the quarantine centers, he said. The same number of Chinese citizens might have left Wa State, with a similar impact on its economy, he suggested. The Irrawaddy was unable to obtain comments from the UWSA or Mongla authorities about how Chinese citizens departure has affected their economies. Observers believe there may be as many as 100,000 Chinese citizens in Wa State, most of them migrant workers and small-scale business owners. According to Chinese media outlets, Bao Youxiang, leader of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the political wing of the UWSA, wrote a letter to Chinese authorities on June 17 complaining that Chinas move to combat telecom fraud by recalling its nationals in northeast Myanmar had significantly affected normal businesses. All the supplies and technologies we need depend on China, the 71-year-old Bao said in the letter. To survive and develop, we cannot go against Chinas policy. Therefore, I have decided to entirely ban the online gambling industry within the state, the UWSP chairman was quoted as saying. Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw, a political analyst based in China, confirmed that Chinese citizens departure has negatively affected economies in Wa and Mongla. It is because only Chinese people can invest there. And they have left everything behind. So, all the people including daily wage earners employed in their businesses such as banana plantations have lost their jobs, he said. According to a widely circulated but unverified leaked spreadsheet compiled by Chinese public security authorities, more than 141,000 Chinese nationals have been listed as individuals who should be persuaded to return, and most of them are from Fujian, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces. In a July 18 article headlined Chinese crackdown on online fraud forces citizens to leave Myanmars Little China, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said Beijing is ordering its citizens to return from southeastern Myanmar on suspicion that they have ties to criminal gangs involved in internet scams. As many as 100,000 Chinese nationals from Wa State, Mongla, the major China-Myanmar border trade town Muse and the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in Shan State are expected to leave for China, according to the article. Most of them do not want to return, leaving behind their businesses and possessions, but the Chinese government has warned that those who refuse to do so would find themselves and their family members denied welfare, subsidies and public services in China. I can guarantee with my life and reputation that over 90 per cent of people on the list are just ordinary civilians who do business honestly. They lead a tough life abroad and have invested all their savings. Some provinces demolished those peoples homes, painted home of frauds on their houses, or threatened to stop their children from going to school. This is just too much, the SCMP quoted a Chinese businessman as saying on condition of anonymity. During his visit to Myanmar in September last year, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, held talks with ousted State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on joint efforts to combat illegal activities at the border, including gambling. Pensioners have been targeted by internet scams in China, and some have committed suicide after losing their money, Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw said. Some were cheated out of millions. The situation seems quite bad. The scammers are not foreigners, but overseas Chinese who have taken the citizenships of other countries. Those with mainland Chinese accents were recruited to cheat [Chinese people]. The Chinese government seems to be quite serious about handling those crimes. China is recalling its citizens because the [COVID-19] pandemic is occurring now, [in addition to] cross-border crimes and political instability, as well as anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar, he said. Chinese authorities have started revoking the citizenship of those who refuse to return, as well as blacklisting and confiscating their assets in China, according to Chinese media outlets. Mongla residents hope Chinese nationals will return to their town after three years. We heard Chinese nationals will be allowed to return after three years. It might depend on the [COVID-19] pandemic. Local authorities of course would like to have them back. It is good they return and things return to normal. In the meantime, we will have to scrape a living, a Mongla resident said. You may also like these stories: Civilian Fighters, KIA Troops Kill Six Myanmar Junta Soldiers in Mandalay Region ASEANs Hypocrisy is Fuelling the Crisis in Myanmar All Lies!: Myanmar Juntas Clumsy Propaganda Has a Disturbingly Familiar Ring Opinion ASEANs Hypocrisy is Fuelling the Crisis in Myanmar A screengrab of the regimes foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, participating in an online meeting of the ASEAN-European Union Post-Ministerial Conference. To be a credible player in international politics when one talks the talk, one is also supposed to walk the walk. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is talking the talk about its special entitlement to deal with the Myanmar crisis in a situation of deepening post-coup turmoil. However, ASEAN is not walking as it is talking. If one looks more carefully at what ASEAN is actually doing, one sees a very different picture. That is truly tragic, given the magnitude of the crisis, and makes all talk about the need for neutrality, non-interference and facilitation dialogue hypocritical. Instead of being truly neutral and making a genuine, sincere and, yes, confident and assertive effort to leverage its influence and facilitate dialogue between all key stakeholders in Myanmar, ASEAN is continuing with its creeping recognition of the Myanmar junta. It is doing so at a time when the people of Myanmar are vigorously opposing the military takeover and while the regime is waging a war of terror against the people. On August 6, Wunna Maung Lwin, the illegitimate military regimes foreign minister, was present at an online meeting of the ASEAN-European Union (EU) Post-Ministerial Conference. The meeting was chaired by Josep Borrell, the EUs High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and by Singapores Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan. Borrell made a clear statement about where the EU stands regarding Myanmar by saying that meaningful political dialogue remains key with all stakeholders including the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), the National Unity Government (NUG), ethnic groups and other pro-democracy forces committed to working towards a peaceful resolution of the current crisis. Borrell added also that the EU expects the military authorities to release those detained in connection with the coup and to end the violence across the country. While Borrells statement makes the EUs position clear, what is not clear is why Wunna Maung Lwin was present at the meeting at all. On what grounds is the representative of a self-appointed government allowed to sit in at an EU-ASEAN meeting as if he is the foreign minister of a legitimate, recognized administration? The Myanmar military does not represent the people of Myanmar. It has overturned the results of a democratic election, deployed a high level of violence and murdered over 900 innocent people, a number that continues to rise. Since its Feb. 1 coup, the junta has unlawfully detained 6,000 civilians and tortured and killed political prisoners. The regime has carried out airstrikes on villages and used heavy weapons in attacks on towns where protests have taken place, resulting in hundreds of thousands of displaced people. In just six months, the junta has plunged Myanmar into economic meltdown and near civil war, raising the stakes of the country becoming a failed state. EU member states and the EU commission have not recognized the regime as the legitimate government of Myanmar. Neither have ASEAN member states. So why are their representatives sitting at the same table as the representative of a self-appointed government that is responsible for atrocities and terror? I assume Mr Borrells response would be that it is not the EU who decides who will be at the table on the ASEAN side; that is up to ASEAN itself. But in future the EU should question and reject the right of ASEAN to break neutrality in the Myanmar crisis and invite only one representative of the Myanmar stakeholders and the one who is the main source of all problems to the EU-ASEAN table. The junta, of course, has used the EU-ASEAN meeting as propaganda, immediately publicising in regime-controlled media that their representative was present and accepted in a dialogue between the EU and ASEAN. And, like the proverbial thief screaming catch the thief, Wunna Maung Lwin misused the meeting to babble and complain about the democratically-elected and genuinely popular representatives of the CPRH and NUG being a terrorist group. That only adds insult to the deep injuries the people of Myanmar have been forced to suffer and endure for the last six months. ASEAN is supposed to facilitate negotiations between all stakeholders of Myanmar to help solve the crisis caused by the militarys coup. That is what ASEAN agreed to do in its own five-point plan and that is what the international community, including the EU, has fully endorsed and encouraged ASEAN to do. For many months already, ASEAN has not really done anything meaningful or talked with any of the key stakeholders in the Myanmar crisis. At the same time, ASEAN has brought a junta representative to attend ASEAN talks with the United States and now the EU. By doing that, ASEAN is legitimizing the junta by stealth at the expense of all the other and much more legitimate Myanmar stakeholders. That is tantamount to siding with the aggressor in the conflict and grave interference in the internal affairs of a neighbouring country. The EU has important meetings planned for the near future. The next ASEM Summit, organized by Cambodia, will take place online on 25-26 November 2021. An EU-ASEAN Summit is supposed to take place in Brussels next year to commemorate the 45th anniversary of ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations. Now is the time for the EU to stop playing this hypocritical game of creeping recognition and acceptance of Myanmars military regime. The junta is not a government, neither de jure nor de facto. The regimes mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic has tragically shown how the junta is not governing Myanmar, but merely terrorizing the people of the country. At the same time, the junta is desperate for international recognition. The EU should do more to avoid playing into the hands of that desire. If it is impossible to avoid being in the same company with anybody related to the military regime and both the EU and ASEAN have multiple and complex mutual interests the EU should balance that with prior and public engagement with representatives of the NUG. If ASEANs partners the EU, US and Canada are talking the talk of mediation and the facilitation of dialogue, but in reality are walking the walk of siding with a criminal junta, then they should correct and balance those double standards by engaging in meaningful political dialogue with all stakeholders, including the NUG and other pro-democracy forces. Should that result in the regime refusing to attend meetings, then it should not have a place at those summits anyway. It is already clear to everyone in Myanmar that it is the military who are the only stakeholders not committed to working towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis and who are trying to achieve their own final victory over the people by all means and at any cost. Igor Blazevic is senior adviser with the Prague Civil Society Centre. Between 2011 and 2016 he worked in Myanmar as the head lecturer at the Educational Initiatives program. You may also like these stories: All Lies!: Myanmar Juntas Clumsy Propaganda Has a Disturbingly Familiar Ring 54 Years on, ASEAN Looking Increasingly Ineffectual Ethnic Wa Party Chief Resigns After Pledging to Cooperate With Myanmar Junta AUTHORITY NEWS: The law setting out how businesses must action unsubscribe (or opt-out) messages from consumers receiving commercial SMS and email has recently been further clarified. Businesses must not require consumers to do either of the following: Provide personal information (other than the electronic address to which a marketing message was sent) Create or log-in to an account. The rules are set out in the updated Spam Regulations 2021 that commenced on 1 April 2021 after being reviewed by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. The ACMA is actively monitoring for indications of non-compliance. If breaches of the spam laws are found, those responsible for sending or authorising the messages may face penalties of up to $222,000 per day and/or action in the Federal Court of Australia. Background Subject to limited exceptions, Australians have a right not to be sent commercial messages unless the business has their consent. They also have a right to unsubscribe from e-marketing at any time. Businesses must generally: Provide a clear and working unsubscribe message in each marketing SMS or email Action unsubscribe requests within 5 business days of receiving them for consumers. The Spam Regulations and the Spam Act 2003 protect people from unwanted intrusions on their privacy and ensure that they can easily unsubscribe from marketing messages. Unwanted marketing is frustrating and time-consuming for people to deal with, especially when they have taken action to stop it. Under the Spam Act, some limited exceptions may apply to the obligations to provide a functional unsubscribe facility, including where it may be inconsistent with the terms of a contract or agreement between a business and an e-marketing recipient. If you believe that someone has broken Australias spam laws, you can complain to the ACMA. Our website has more information for industry and consumers. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or making a contribution. Subscribe or contribute This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. Tom Hallberg covers a little bit of everything, from skiing to long-form feature stories. A Teton Valley, Idaho, transplant by way of Portland and Bend, Oregon, he spends his time outside work writing fiction, splitboarding and climbing. Teton County Reporter Billy Arnold has covered government and policy since January 2020, sitting through hours of Teton County meetings so readers don't have to. He moonlights as a ski reporter, helps with pandemic coverage and sneaks away to climb when he can. The International Criminal Court expressed concern Tuesday about reports of crimes in Afghanistan that may amount to violations of international humanitarian law. I have been closely following the current developments in Afghanistan and am most concerned by recent reports of escalating violence in the country, said chief prosecutor Karim Khan. These reports include allegations of extrajudicial executions in the form of revenge killings of detainees and individuals who surrendered, persecution of women and girls, crimes against children and other crimes affecting the civilian population at large, he added. The alleged crime may amount to violations of international humanitarian law, Khan said in a statement, which his office might choose to investigate. With the lightning Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans are fleeing feared persecution by the Taliban, which ruled the country from 1996 until 2001, when a US-led invasion forced them from power. In March 2020, the Hague-based ICC decided in an appeal court ruling to authorise an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan. At my end postal In this series, I discussed the structure of the purchase price in cannabis M&A transactions and how to use escrow related to the purchase price. Today, I want to discuss how the purchase price is usually adjusted before the transaction (between the signing and the transaction) and after the transaction. I will break these down below to discuss some of the more common adjustments we see at a high level. One of the most common adjustments to purchase prices we see is compensation. Compensation is a legal concept, which may force one party to the contract to pay certain expenses of the other party in the third-party litigation. For example, if the seller did something wrong or breached the contract, and a third party sued the buyer for the sellers actions, the cannabis business seller might agree to compensate the buyer. The compensation clause may be one of the most negotiated clauses in any M&A transaction. If someone buys a business, they want a guarantee of compensation, for example, if something promised by the seller is false. In other words, if the seller says that all taxes have been paid, but in fact there is still unpaid taxes, the buyer will want the seller to pay. There are many ways to negotiate the compensation limit, which I can discuss in a later post. Returning to the concept of purchase price adjustment, if there is a compensable loss, in some casesespecially in the period between signing and closingit makes sense to offset the loss with the purchase price. So, for example, if the buyer agrees to pay US$1 million at delivery but has a compensable loss of US$400,000 during the pre-delivery period, the purchase price can be offset by the loss, resulting in a delivery payment of US$600,000 (if the buyer does not or cannot Go away). What about compensable incidents after the closure? It is not uncommon for buyers to request that a portion of the purchase price be retained for a certain period of time after the transaction is closed as a compensation fund. In this case, the funds in the escrow will be released to the seller at the end of the escrow period after the closure, no matter how long it is. However, if a compensable event occurs during this period, the payment will be refunded to the buyer or a third party entitled to the payment. If there is no escrow for compensation after delivery, the buyers sole remedy (subject to the applicable statute of limitations and the lifetime limit in the purchase agreement) will be: 1) make a request and sue the seller if necessary or 2) offset according to this Tickets or any future payments owed to the sellers similar obligations, if the structure of the transaction is corresponding. Another common purchase price adjustment is inventory adjustment. When a buyer acquires an already operating cannabis business (especially a retail cannabis business), it wants to ensure that the seller operates it in the normal course of business during the period before closing, and has sufficient inventory to continue in the normal course of the closing period Operations. A common way to solve this problem is to set a target for the specific inventory value that the company holds at the close of the market. Since inventory is always a moving target, the purchase price can be adjusted upwards or downwards based on whether the inventory target is met or exceeded. Another form of purchase price adjustment we see (if you may call it that) is transaction fees. For many reasons, the seller may require that a part of the purchase price be used to pay for various forms of transaction costs incurred when selling the business, even including attorney fees. Usually, the seller will provide the buyer with a statement of such expenses at the time of the transaction, and the buyer will pay. In the sense of a price increase or decrease, this is not entirely a purchase price adjustment, but it will definitely change the way sellers pay at the close of the market and the mechanism of the amount. The last adjustment I will talk about today is working capital. A bit like inventory, buyers who operate cannabis companies may want the company to maintain sufficient working capital without the buyers need to inject cash in order to continue operations after the closure. Whether working capital is included in the purchase agreement will change the purchase price, and the specific amount is usually evaluated based on the companys historical data. Like inventory targets, working capital is liquid, so targets are usually negotiated based on the possibility of upward and downward adjustments based on whether they are below, met, or above the target. For more information on cannabis mergers and acquisitions, please stay tuned. You can also read some of our other posts below: OPELOUSAS, LA The Opelousas Downtown Master Plan was formally adopted by the Opelousas City Council on Tuesday, August The plan establishes a new vision for a livable and sustainable Opelousas over the coming years, according to officials. Developed with community input in conjunction with the Center for Planning Excellence consulting team over the past two years. The plan addresses a wide variety of issues and top challenges, including housing and economic diversification, public safety, and parks and recreation in a manner that will provide residents equitable access to services, recreation, and jobs. The Master Plan builds on the momentum we are already seeing in our community, said Opelousas Mayor, Julius Alsandor. We are one of Louisianas most historic towns and have witnessed how downtowns like ours can be transformed with good planning and strong partnerships. This plan for our communitys future will ensure Opelousas regains its rightful place among the top downtown areas in not only our region, but the entire state and southern U.S. We stand on our commitment of a well-planned, resilient and livable city for current and future residents for years to come. The Plan establishes five individual sub-districts within the Opelousas Downtown Development District (ODDD). These sub-districts were inspired by the existing conditions of downtown Opelousas today, but they are also visionary in their framing. They take cues from the form and use of existing buildings, but with an eye toward how these areas can each grow and contribute to a vibrant downtown environment. The district is divided into the following sub-districts: Downtown Mixed-Use Core Sub-District, Innovation Sub-District, Commercial Corridor Sub-District, Highway Commercial Sub-District, and Neighborhood and Community Services Sub-District, each designed for the city to respond to the needs of constituents and businesses. According to Lena Charles, Chairwoman of the Opelousas Downtown Development District, the official adoption of this Master Plan Ordinance is a significant step in the partnership between The City of Opelousas and ODDD and for the town as a whole. This adoption by the city council is important because it makes it not just our plan, but a plan for The City of Opelousas as well. It is recognition of the fact that we are serious about revitalization, and provides the guide needed to move forward with a unified vision, she said. KBS2's new coming-of-age rom-com drama series "Police University" starring Cha Tae Hyun, Jinyoung, and Krystal sent viewers on a rollercoaster ride with its third episode aired on August 16. The third episode was filled with secrets, romantic attractions, and victory, which drove the viewership ratings to a new high. Yoo Dong Man Grows a Heart for Kang Seon Ho Before the police officer aspirants enter the university, they must first survive the week-long hell of training. The first and second unit, which are led by Park Min Gyu (Chu Young Woo) and Oh Kang Hee (Krystal), are undoubtedly strong and ready for survival training, both physically and mentally. Kang Seon Ho (Jinyoung) doesn't deny the fact that the other units are more advanced than them. He admits that he and his unit are a little disadvantaged and weaker than the rest. With this, he seeks help from the cold and ruthless detective, who is now a professor in the university, Yoo Dong Man. Yoo Dong Man, who has held a huge grudge on Kang Seon Ho, unconsciously becomes soft and more open towards the student. Although he appears and sounds cold, he rather cares for him as much as he hates to deny it. Unknowingly, Yoo Dong Man shows his care and support for Kang Seon Ho and his unit's victory in the survival training, masked in harsh words and glaring eyes. The duo's hilarious relationship with each other never fails to make the fans and viewers cry from laughing. Kang Seon Ho vs. Park Min Gyu It looks like Kang Seon Ho (Jinyoung) and Park Min Gyu (Chu Young Woo) are not just in a friendly rivalry about being the top student in the university, it also seems that they are both interested in the same woman. Park Min Gyu leads the first unit while Kang Seon Ho leads the third. On the other hand, Oh Kang Hee leads the second unit. With this, the three of them, as well as their unit members, do their best to achieve victory and pass the last training. But Oh Kang Hee and her unit passed the first phase of the test, which exempts them from doing the dreaded hell training. This leaves Kang Seon Ho and Park Min Gyu battling against each other. The first and third unit prepare for a simulation battle in the woods, where each unit has to take down every member of the opposing unit. At the end of the survival training, Kang Seon Ho became the last man standing, which means that the third unit won against Park Min Gyu's team. With the third unit's victory, professor Yoo Dong Man discloses that the main essence of the challenge was to test the units' camaraderie, which all of them showed perfectly in training. Because of this, all of the students who had completed the training are now officially admitted to Korean National Police University. Romance Brews Inside 'Police University' It was crystal clear that Kang Seon Ho (Jinyoung) has the hots for the Judo girl who has a great personality. In episode one, Kang Seon Ho's brother described love as "a thing that will make your heart itch," similar to how it beats rapidly whenever someone sees the person they love. In episode three, Kang Seon Ho finally reveals who his crush was to Oh Kang Hee (Krystal). After successfully overcoming the final struggle of the training, Kang Seon Ho and Oh Kang Hee congratulate each other. With his sweetest smile, Kang Seon Ho confesses to Oh Kang Hee without hesitation. He admits that his sole inspiration for becoming an honorable police officer was her, the one who swore that she will do everything she wants to do without any regrets. Oh Kang Hee was left speechless, overwhelmed by the sudden yet sweet and thoughtful confession. Fans and viewers are now curious whether Oh Kang Hee likes Kang Seon Ho back or she's just being friendly to the latter. On the other hand, in the professors' department, quirky and hilarious romance brews between detective and professor Yoo Dong Man and Judo professor Choi Hee Soo. It was clear that Choi Hee Soo was charmed and interested in Yoo Dong Man, and their first physical interaction ignited the budding romantic affair between the two. Fans and viewers couldn't wait to see more of the two professors. Huge Revelations, Bird Meets Hacker Yoon As Yoo Dong Man wishes to go back to the precinct and continue his job as a cop and detective, the chief refuses to take him back. He is still stuck with the university and job as a professor. With his desire to return, he asks Cheol Jin, his right hand man to spy on the on-going operations to catch the illegal online gamblers. But one fateful night, when Cheol Jin was about to disclose confidential information to the detective, Cheol Jin was brutally attacked. Yoo Dong Man was distraught with what happened to Cheol Jin. Anger heightens and takes over him as he receives the information from his subordinate, the culprit is actually in the Police University. Detective and professor Yoo Dong Man, worried for his loyal friend and desperate to catch the criminal gamblers, goes to Kang Seon Ho and asks sincerely for his help. As the saying goes, "desperate times call for desperate measures," Yoo Dong Man reveals himself as "Bird," Kang Seon Ho's online friend in the guise of "Yoon." Viewers look forward to Yoo Dong Man and Kang Seon Ho's relationship, curious if there will be changes now that they have revealed their other selves to each other, as well as their partnership to claim justice. 'Police University' Sees a Slight Rise in Viewership Ratings "Police University" remained on top of the lead in viewership ratings among Monday-Tuesday dramas. The third episode of "Police University" which was broadcast on August 16 reached a new record of 6.8 percent viewership ratings. "Police University" gets better and better every episode, and the numbers of the viewership rating speaks for itself. The 6.8 percent is the drama's best record, seeing a slight rise of 0.3 percent since the previous episode. Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates! KDramastars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. On August 17, tvN's new romantic comedy-drama series "Hometown Cha-cha-cha" unveiled three new character posters featuring the diverse and unique charms of actors Shin Min Ah, Kim Seon Ho, and Lee Sang Yi. 'Hometown Cha-cha-cha' Reveals New Posters of Shin Min Ah, Kim Seon Ho, and Lee Sang Yi The newly released character posters feature the unique charms and glimpse into the lives of the lead characters of the upcoming romance drama series "Hometown Cha-cha-cha." Shin Min Ah will take on the role of the frosty dentist Yoon Hye Jin from Seoul, who will now reside in the quaint and peaceful seaside village of Gongjin. In the newly published character poster, Yoon Hye Jin stared straight at the camera as she rested her chin on a stack of her lavender boxes, showcasing her beauty and adorable set of dimples that add charms to her character. The phrase "born to be city woman" in the new poster sets the mood of the drama as it amplifies the curiosity on how she will portray the role of the newcomer dentist who is still adapting to the unfamiliar village. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Hometown Cha-cha-cha' Teaser Displays Unconventional Relationship of Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon Ho's Characters Her beauty and known acting skills raise expectations about what kind of personality Yoon Hye Jin will show in the upcoming drama series. Meanwhile, Kim Seon Ho takes on the role of the gorgeous all-rounder handyman Hong Doo Sik. In the newly released picture, he boasts his long list of certifications which attracted the viewers' attention, examining the certificates with ease. He also flaunts his sweet set of twinkling eyes and small smile, which makes every woman swoon with just one grin. The phrase "volunteer all-around hero" written in the poster heightens the curiosity of the viewers' towards Kim Seon Ho's character. On the other hand, Lee Sang Yi landed the role of the "newcomer star PD" in Gongjin, Ji Seong Hyun. He will be playing the role of a star variety show producer who has a bright and nice personality. In the character poster, he gives us a glimpse of his life as he sets his camera on a tripod and sits comfortably with a radiant and contagious smile and charisma. Though the photo seems professional, actor Lee Sang Yi's warm-hearted image and handsome looks stand out even more. Now, speculations as to why Lee Sang Yi visited the small and dainty seaside village of Gongjin are up to the roof. The three new character posters ignite expectations and curiosity for the romantic affairs and possible love triangle the three veteran actors will create. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Cho Yeo Jeong Receives Mysterious Invitation in New 'High Class' Teaser "Hometown Cha-cha-cha" production team said, "Gongjin is the center of the drama. Romance and new friendships all start in Gongjin." "Actors Shin Min Ah, Kim Seon Ho, and Lee Sang Yi perfectly synchronized with their respective characters, and their undeniable charms and chemistry will never fail to make the viewers' heart beat faster," they added. Fans couldn't wait to see the highly-anticipated and refreshing drama series "Hometown Cha-cha-cha." 'Hometown Cha-cha-cha' Production and Drama Summary The upcoming rom-com drama series 'Hometown Cha-cha-cha' (also known as Seaside Village Cha-cha-cha or Fishing Village Cha-cha-cha) is a remake of the 2004 rom-com film 'Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong' starring actors Uhm Jung Hwa and Kim Joo Hyuk. The drama's plot revolves around the romantic affairs between the pragmatic dentist Yoon Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah) and all-around handyman Hong Doo Sik (Kim Seon Ho) in the beautiful seaside village of Gongjin. "Cheer Up!" actor In Gyo Jin, "Run On" star Lee Bong Ryun, and "national grandma" Kim Young Ok will also be starring in the show. The drama is produced by Studio Dragon, helmed by filmmaker Yoo Je Won and penned by Shin Ha Eun. 'Hometown Cha-cha-cha' Release Date and Where To Watch It "Hometown Cha-cha-cha" premieres on August 8, and it will air every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on tvN. The upcoming drama series will also be available for international streaming on Netflix. ICYMI, here's "Hometown Cha-cha-cha" teaser: Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates! KDramastars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. wavve's new romantic comedy-drama series "You Raise Me Up" released its first-ever video teaser on August 17. The drama teaser featured the beautiful EXID member Ahn Hee Yeon, most commonly known as Hani, and "Nokdu Flower" actor Yoon Si Yoon. EXID's Hani and Yoon Si Yoon To Lead The New Romantic Comedy Drama 'You Raise Me Up' The broadcasting media company, wavve, released the first-ever teaser video for their newest drama series, "You Raise Me Up." EXID's Hani and experienced actor Yoon Si Yoon are set to lead the drama as each other's greatest love. In the 50-second-long teaser video, which contains the comical acting and humor of the two actors, Hani and Yoon Si Yoon are deeply immersed in their characters. Do Yong Sik, played by actor Yoon Si Yoon, who is filled with confidence and bravado, loses his temper over the tragic music playing in the car he was in, which was driven by Lee Luda, played by EXID's Hani. He then commands the woman to stop the car, yet Lee Luda only nods her head in agreement. Ironically, she doesn't stop car. The handsome man with chic charisma finally loses his cool as the car stops and startles him. Lee Luda (Hani) and Do Yong Sik (Yoon Si Yoon) bicker nonstop in the car. Despite their banter, the pink car that they were driving finally arrives at their destination, YRM Urology Department. Although it was short, the 50-second-long drama teaser is enough to send viewers and fans into a laughing fit. Curiosity increases as to how the two met and separated. Fans and viewers' expectations heighten as the promising actors Yoon Si Yoon and Hani work together for the very first time. 'You Raise Me Up' Drama Summary and Further Details wavve's new raunchy rom-com "You Raise Me Up" is directed by Kim Jang Han and written by screenwriter Mo Ji Hye. It is a drama that follows the story of two related people with an interesting past, who meet once again in an unexpected and highly embarrassing situation while trying to go with the flow of life's twists and turns. "Cheese In The Trap" actor Park Ki Woong is also a part of the drama. "You Raise Me Up" is scheduled to premiere exclusively on wavve on August 31. Watch the hilarious "You Raise Me Up" teaser: Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates! KDramastars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. SALEM, Ore. Governor Kate Brown responded on Tuesday to murmurs from some parents and school officials around the state threatening to avoid mask requirements, calling on Oregon's educational community to heed the mandate and work to ensure that students can attend school full-time and in-person this year. Throughout this pandemic, my north star for decisions about our schools has been to do what is best for our students. We know that students mental, physical, behavioral, social, and emotional health is best served when they can be in schools for full-time, in-person instruction, said Governor Brown. The Delta variant puts this goal at risk. It puts our childrens health and lives at risk. But, by again taking simple and effective precautions, we can still return our children to classrooms full-time this fall. Brown's office said that most Oregon districts have been moving forward with the state's health and safety plans for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 during the upcoming school district, but they cited "troubling statements and actions" from some local school leaders indicating that they might ignore the state requirements. RELATED: Gov. Brown directs state agencies to require masks in K-12 schools According to Brown's office, several school boards have passed or are considering resolutions opposing Oregon's K-12 indoor mask rule. In one school district, a superintendent reportedly encouraged parents to "make false claims on behalf of their children by requesting mask exemptions under the Americans with Disabilities Act." In a letter addressed to Oregon superintendents and school board members, Governor Brown called on districts to reject taking actions that defy state and federal laws in order to protect students' health and safety. School boards for both the Eagle Point and Medford school districts have approved resolutions lobbying Brown for a return of local control on measures concerning COVID-19. Because thats the thing about masks: they dont just protect you, they protect everyone around you," Brown said. "Wearing a mask is an act of kindness. By wearing masks, we are teaching our children that they can protect each other in the classroom. That we can all work together to keep each other safe. When I visited classrooms this spring, I saw children who were overjoyed to be with their friends and teachers again. For them, safety protocols were not a burden but a benefit, giving them a reprieve from virtual classrooms and isolation from their peers." Brown's office indicated that the mask requirement can be enforced by Oregon OSHA under state law, as with previous COVID-19 workplace countermeasures during the pandemic. Monday's statement also implied that following current restrictions would be necessary to keep kids in the classroom full-time with "minimal disruptions." I have heard much about personal freedom when it comes to masks in school board meetings and on social media. I have not heard as much said about personal responsibility," Brown continued. "As leaders, we have a great responsibility to our students and their futures. One of the sacred, fundamental responsibilities of a school district and its leaders is to keep the children in their care safe. It is up to us to make clear-eyed decisions based on science and fact. Flouting mask requirements will put everything we have worked towards in the last year at risk. Without the universal wearing of masks in our schools, the Delta variant will spread. The COVID-19 infection rate in BC has leaped to 536, a figure not seen since mid-May. There are more than 3,500 active cases in the province and more than half of those are in the Interior Health region. You voted: It's been two days since Kabul fell to the Taliban and social media giants are scrambling to figure out how to deal with the takeover of Afghanistan by the militants. On Tuesday, Facebook reiterated its ban on accounts praising, supporting, or representing the Taliban from its platforms, including WhatsApp and Instagram, and said that it would remove "accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban." "The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organization under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies," a company spokesperson said. Facebook designates "dangerous organizations" into three tiers, with the first one being subjected to "the most extensive enforcement." Entities in tier 1 include terrorist, hate, and criminal organizations. While the Taliban have been banned from Facebook's platforms for "years," the company did not reveal when exactly the restrictions were placed. The company said it employs a "dedicated team of Afghanistan experts, who are native Dari and Pashto speakers and have knowledge of local context" tasked with identifying "emerging issues." "Regardless of who holds power, we will take the appropriate action against accounts and content that breaks our rules," Facebook stated. On Sunday, Taliban militants retook Afghanistan's capital, almost two decades after they were driven from Kabul by US troops. Since then, scores of civilians have been trying to flee the country, with chaotic scenes unfolding at Kabul's Hamid Karzai international airport on Monday. The Taliban have not been officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States. However, the group was placed on a US Treasury Department list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists and a Specially Designated Nationals list. The ban also applies to Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp, which trawls non-encrypted content such as names, profile photos, and group descriptions to identify the Taliban and supporters. A WhatsApp spokesperson did not comment on what happens to Taliban-related content which, like all messages on the platform, is encrypted by default on its messaging app. While there were practically no computers in the country in 2001 when the Taliban were driven from power, Afghans have slowly become used to the digital age over the last 20 years. As the government crumbled over the weekend, there were posts on social media by citizens and politicians documenting the chaos. And there is fear that Afghanistan will be sent back to a "dark age" of Taliban domination. Their return to power is a terrifying prospect for women. When last they ruled, females were forbidden to attend school. They were shrouded in burqas, condemned to life at home and seen as male possessions. This time, the Taliban are promising to form an "Afghan inclusive Islamic government," and allow girls to study. But it's not yet clear if the new leadership will include women and there's deep mistrust of militants who caused such misery last time they ruled Afghanistan. Meanwhile, other big social media platforms were less clear about their strategy to deal with content supporting the Taliban. A Twitter spokesperson said that people in Afghanistan are using the platform to seek help, and the company promised to "remain vigilant" in enforcing its policies, including those that ban content that glorifies violence. One of the Taliban's spokesmen, Suhail Shaheen, has an active, unverified account on Twitter with 347,000 followers. YouTube said Tuesday it will "terminate" accounts run by the Afghan Taliban, clarifying its earlier remarks that suggested the group is not banned from the video platform. Following repeated questions by CNN, YouTube said in a statement that the company "complies with all applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws, including relevant U.S. sanctions. As such, if we find an account believed to be owned and operated by the Afghan Taliban, we terminate it. Further, our policies prohibit content that incites violence." YouTube told CNN that because the Afghan Taliban appears on the Treasury Department's sanctions list, the platform will not allow accounts controlled by the group. It had previously told CNN that it looks to the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations to inform its enforcement policy, but the Afghan Taliban is not named on that list. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. SALEM, Ore. Gov. Kate Brown responded on Tuesday to murmurs from some parents and school officials around the state threatening to avoid mask requirements, calling on Oregon's educational community to heed the mandate and work to ensure that students can attend school full-time and in-person this year. Throughout this pandemic, my north star for decisions about our schools has been to do what is best for our students. We know that students mental, physical, behavioral, social, and emotional health is best served when they can be in schools for full-time, in-person instruction, said Brown. The Delta variant puts this goal at risk. It puts our childrens health and lives at risk. But, by again taking simple and effective precautions, we can still return our children to classrooms full-time this fall. Brown's office said that most Oregon districts have been moving forward with the state's health and safety plans for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 during the upcoming school district, but they cited "troubling statements and actions" from some local school leaders indicating that they might ignore the state requirements. According to Brown's office, several school boards have passed or are considering resolutions opposing Oregon's K-12 indoor mask rule. In one school district, a superintendent reportedly encouraged parents to "make false claims on behalf of their children by requesting mask exemptions under the Americans with Disabilities Act." In a letter addressed to Oregon superintendents and school board members, Governor Brown called on districts to reject taking actions that defy state and federal laws in order to protect students' health and safety. Because thats the thing about masks: they dont just protect you, they protect everyone around you," Brown said. "Wearing a mask is an act of kindness. By wearing masks, we are teaching our children that they can protect each other in the classroom. That we can all work together to keep each other safe. When I visited classrooms this spring, I saw children who were overjoyed to be with their friends and teachers again. For them, safety protocols were not a burden but a benefit, giving them a reprieve from virtual classrooms and isolation from their peers." Brown's office indicated that the mask requirement can be enforced by Oregon OSHA under state law, as with previous COVID-19 workplace countermeasures during the pandemic. Monday's statement also implied that following current restrictions would be necessary to keep kids in the classroom full-time with "minimal disruptions." I have heard much about personal freedom when it comes to masks in school board meetings and on social media. I have not heard as much said about personal responsibility," Brown continued. "As leaders, we have a great responsibility to our students and their futures. One of the sacred, fundamental responsibilities of a school district and its leaders is to keep the children in their care safe. It is up to us to make clear-eyed decisions based on science and fact. Flouting mask requirements will put everything we have worked towards in the last year at risk. Without the universal wearing of masks in our schools, the Delta variant will spread. Inland Fisheries Ireland, the state agency with responsibility for the protection and conservation of freshwater fish and habitats, has awarded a Kilkenny project 120,000 under the Habitats and Conservation Scheme. It will be used for the construction of a rock ramp on an impassable weir. The aim of the funding is to improve fish migration upstream and downstream for salmon, eel and lamprey at Bretts Weir, on the River Nore. Minister Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications said: The scheme will support angling clubs, commercial fishermen and fishery owners in improving habitats, water quality and fish passage at a local grassroots level. The works and studies supported by the scheme will also result in wider benefits for the environment. Since 2016, Inland Fisheries Ireland has made more than 4 million available through its various funding schemes, including the two 2021 funds. Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development with Inland Fisheries Ireland said: Protecting and conserving fish species, like Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout, is critical to overall health of our eco-system. Threats like water pollution, climate change and invasive species are all having a damaging impact. Under the Habitats and Conservation Scheme, made possible through fishing licence income, groups all over the country will be working on projects and measures that benefit the conservation of salmon, sea trout and their freshwater habitats. Financial assistance under the Salmon and Sea Trout Rehabilitation, Conservation and Protection Fund (SSTRCPF total of 744,326) is generated by the sale of salmon and sea trout angling licences and commercial fishing licences in Ireland. The Midlands Fisheries Fund (MFF total of 29,778) is financed through contributions from permit income, received through the Midlands Fisheries Group permit area. To be eligible, applicants to the SSTRCPF must have purchased a valid salmon and sea trout angling licence or a commercial fishing licence or for the MFF, hold a current Midlands Fisheries Group permit. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The embattled chair of the Minnesota Republican Party has asked other state party leaders to hold a vote of confidence on her continued leadership. In a letter sent Monday to party activists, Jennifer Carnahan said she wants the vote held soon. The letter comes amid an uproar over the indictment of a major GOP donor and a college Republican chapter leader on sex-trafficking charges. Minnesota Public Radio reports that a meeting set for Thursday could include discussions about the fallout from the indictment of donor Anton Lazzaro and the St. Thomas College Republican chair. Carnahan and her husband, U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, are close friends with Lazzaro. ----- More Republican lawmakers are coming forward and asking GOP Party Chair Jennifer Carnahan to step down due to her ties to Anton Lazzaro, a GOP donor who is charged with federal sex trafficking charges, on Monday. State Senator Carla Nelson is the most recent Republican lawmaker requesting Carnahan to step down, citing the need for transparency and accountability within the party. Lazzaro was a well-known Minnesota GOP donor, who made his single largest donation to Representative Jim Hagedorn for $21,000. Hagedorn is Carnahan's husband. Lazzaro also donated $41,000 to the Minnesota GOP. Lazzaro has been charged with five counts of sex trafficking minors, one count of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and three counts of obstruction. Nelson said it would be in Carnahan's best interest to step down. "At some point, you can not be a leader when you do not have followers or when your leadership is in question. So, I just think it would be wise for her to step down voluntarily and let the full investigation continue," Nelson said. Also arrested in connection to the sex trafficking ring is Gisela Castro Medina, 19, of St. Paul. Medina was arrested in Florida and is accused of participating in the sex trafficking ring with Lazzaro while she was the President of the College Republicans at St. Thomas University. Carnahan has pushed back to calls for her to step down but has already removed herself from the board of the Twin Cities-based Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. KIMT-TV 3 Some of Iowas political figures are responding to the situation in Afghanistan and President Bidens public comments on it. Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst issued the following statement: After days of avoiding the press and the American people, President Bidens bad faith spin of his catastrophic exit and gross mishandling of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan is insulting. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is shameful, a sincere tragedy, and a complete leadership failure by this presidentand it was all entirely avoidable, said Senator Joni Ernst. This mishandled and haphazard withdrawal executed by this president caused so much of the collapse and panic we are witnessing now and is an international embarrassment and a black-eye for our country that will put more Americans and allies in harms way while emboldening our adversaries. The President failed to give any specifics on how he plans to get our Afghan friends to safety or to expedite the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programsomething Ive long pushed for on a bipartisan basis. To so manyto my fellow servicemembers and the men and women who served in Afghanistanit feels like our nation has squandered their tremendous sacrifices. But I want them to hear the words this president has too often failed to say: thank youwe are forever grateful for your sacrifice and that of your families. As we move through these tumultuous days, the United States, this administration, must be clear-eyed and straightforward with the American people about what could result from this rushed and mishandled exit: a reinvigorated Taliban in Afghanistan could lead to increased threats of terrorist attacks and endanger our national security. Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Glenn Hurst of Minden called on the Iowa government to assist in the humanitarian crisis afflicting many Afghan citizens: Today, we need to lead with compassion and love. Iowa has the capacity to accept our Afghan allies and provide them with the opportunity to start over," said Hurst. "This is a humanitarian crisis. Currently, Iowa has resettled 94 Iraqi and Afghan SIV recipients since Fiscal Year 2017 that number needs to go way up. I am calling on Governor Reynolds in conjunction with the federal government to accept 5,000 Afghan refugees who have aided Americans over the past 20 years. "These people protected and supported our family members as they fought abroad. They are our allies, and we have a moral obligation to help them. Iowa has a long history of welcoming refugees, and it's time to do it again." "Iowa has the means to take these people in and provide them with opportunity and safe haven. The Iowa Department of Human Services, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement has the resources to assist refugees to escape persecution and resettle in the United States. Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson also released the following statement: "First and foremost, the brave men and women of the US armed forces who have served in Afghanistan deserve our thanks - they are heroes whose sacrifice and service will never be forgotten. "In his speech, President Biden did not provide clarity or reassurance to Americans or our allies. The President blamed Afghans instead of taking responsibility for his decisions. A sad chapter in American foreign policy has been capped off by a sad response from our Commander in Chief. "It is now clear that the President has no real plan of action to right this wrong, protect American and Afghan lives, and safeguard our homeland from a resurging terrorist threat ahead of the 20 year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. "We have watched this tragedy unfold on our TVs and newsfeeds the last few days, with no word from our Commander in the Chief. It is evident that the void in leadership at the White House is having catastrophic consequences and will for decades to come. Congress must step forward and demand answers and transparency about the decisions that led to this unfolding catastrophe in Afghanistan. "We cannot forget the women and young girls in Afghanistan whose lives will now never be the same -- the Biden administration has abandoned them in this crisis. They need our help and our prayers." CLIVE, Iowa MercyOne is recognizing the Director of Nursing at North Iowa Medical Center as a Health Care Hero. David Asche is one of five MercyOne employees being honored for going above and beyond the call of duty. They each received six tickets to attend this years Iowa State Fair, along with a $100 voucher for food and a VIP parking pass. MercyOne says Asche is a Health Care Hero because: At the time he took the helm as a nursing leader, COVID-19 cases started to rise in our community. The orthopedics unit was transformed into our COVID unit and David had to get the unit ready. Soon after, COVID-19 patients filled the unit. David stood side by side with his nurses. When needed, David pitched in as a nurse and cared for patients. He would work as a nursing manager during the day and take patients as a nurse overnight. He tried to do everything he could to uplift his staff; he brought in snacks, had an elementary school create pictures for his staff, and more. He sacrificed family life to help his patients and staff. David even had to deal with his grandfather passing away on his unit due to COVID-19. He has built a very wonderful and united team during his first year as a nursing leader. It's very hard to put what he has accomplished into words, but he is a wonderful person inside and out. Also being recognized by MercyOne are: - Eleanor McDonald, RN MercyOne Childrens Emergency Center - Wendy Olson, RN MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center - Bridget Saffold, BSN, RN MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center - Christina Schauer, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) A new Iowa schools superintendent is apologizing for plagiarizing parts of a welcome letter she sent to district families, acknowledging she copied several phrases word for word from a similar letter a New York superintendent authored in 2017. Dr. Christine Trujillo, who recently started as superintendent of public schools in Gilbert, Iowa, admitted that her Aug. 10 back-to-school letter copied from a 2017 letter by Superintendent Gerard Poole of the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District in New York. Trujillo says she had no personal connection to Poole and she was in a hurry to get the letter out while preparing for the school year. Trujillo previously served as assistant superintendent of learning and leadership for Tempe Schools in Arizona. MASON CITY, Iowa - It's become a controversial and divisive issue across the country: requiring hospital and medical care workers to get vaccinated. On Monday afternoon, groups gathered in front of MercyOne North Iowa to make their voices heard for and against mandated COVID vaccines, as well as show their support for those workers who have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the Patriots Unite Against Mandates group, headed by Cristy Tass, the fourth such protest Monday had a solid turnout of support. "People just want to keep our freedoms. This is not right that the government should impose rules on us regarding our own health." She believes strongly in other measures like taking vitamins, better sleep, and fresh air and sunshine can help against fighting COVID-19, as opposed to getting a shot. Tass believes getting a vaccine should be a personal matter, not a requirement. "If they don't want the shot, they don't need the shot. They've been doing this work all through COVID, now they're telling them they have to get the shot or lose their job? That's unacceptable." Tass feels MercyOne's parent company Trinity Health's recent decision requiring all workers to be vaccinated could lead to a slippery slope. "First, it's this. Then they'll be telling us something else that we can or can't do. This is coming from the big guys in the government, and I'm sick of it." The protest caught the attention of Jeff Shipley, District 82 Representative (which covers Davis and Van Buren Counties). Across the state, he notes that protests similar to this one are inspiring a lot of people across the state who believe similarly to get involved. He was surprised upon hearing Trinity Health's announcement and feels more questions need to be answered. "I think the questions of public health, personal health and specifically the constitutional questions of how does individual liberty work or can it be erased in an emergency, these are questions that are fundamental to our national identity and national character. There's a lot we need to get to the bottom of." He adds that there needs to be an open, civil discussion. "We need to have these conversations as an entire state to figure out what is the proper balance between the personal health, public health and individual liberties. We all want the same thing, we need to live healthy and happy. If a vaccine creates that, great. But is that the only way?" Across the street were those in support of Trinity's decision, as well as the vaccines in general. One of those people was Ann Trump, who has family involved in the medical field. "Why would you have healthcare people work on you if you're not vaccinated? It's ridiculous." As someone who contracted COVID, Trump strongly believes in the efficacy of the vaccines. "I don't ever want it again, I don't want my kids to have it, I don't want my grandkids to have it. It needs to go away, and the only way it's going away is a vaccination. There are longlasting health issues that don't go away, with children even. Why would you want your children to suffer from this?" For Whitney Mixdorf, her, her husband and oldest daughter have been vaccinated. "We're worried about our two 5 year-olds who can't get it yet. Just do it to keep them safe at this point. They're counting on us to do our part and give them a shot at a healthy school year." She too feels there needs to be a civil dialogue between both sides. "That is one of the main things we're missing with conversations these days. We all seem to yell at each other and only be interested in getting our point across, but we need to stick to the actual facts and share information that is truthful and helpful." According to Iowa's COVID-19 dashboard, 3.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered statewide, while a little over 1.5 million vaccine series have been completed in the state. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 62F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 62F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. gettyimagesbank By Anna J. Park Stocks related to carbon neutrality have been enjoying upward movements in the latter half of the year. EcoProHN, an affiliate of EcoPro Group focusing on developing reduction devices for greenhouse gases as well as chemical filter technology, saw its share price rise by more than 360.64 percent in just a few weeks since the beginning of July. The increase was the highest among all listed stocks on the main benchmark KOSPI and tech-heavy Kosdaq markets during the period. Other affiliates of EcoPro Group, such as EcoPro and EcoProBM, also rose by 134.03 percent and 47.71 percent, respectively. Since its launch in 1998, EcoPro has focused on developing eco-friendly technologies and secondary batteries, becoming a representative company in the ecological chemical materials business. While EcoProHN has expertise in business related to the environmental aspects of the atmosphere, EcoProBM was spun off from the parent company in 2016 to specialize in materials fro cathodes, a key part of secondary batteries. EcoProBM is also expected to draw additional global passive earnings, as it was recently added to Morgan Stanley Capital International's Korea Index earlier this month, along with SK IET and SK Bioscience. Other carbon-free stocks witnessed a similar price rise recently. Cosmos Advanced Materials & Technology (Cosmos AM&T), a local manufacturer of secondary battery chemicals, also saw its share price rise 83.12 percent. Huchems' stock price also rose 13 percent over the past three months, as the company is expected to garner profits for carbon credit trading in the second half of the year. The stock price of Sejong Industrial also increased by 22.4 percent during the past three months, as its filter device for vehicle exhaust fumes has been favorably received by eco-friendly consumers. Market analysts expect carbon-free stocks could see further rises, as major countries' policies towards zero carbon emissions are becoming tougher amid the heightened calls for tangible environmental results. For example, the EU's "Fit for 55" aims to achieve its target of climate neutrality by 2050, requiring current greenhouse gas emission levels to drop substantially in the next decades. The EU plans to cut emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030. November's U.N. Assembly is also expected to stress the importance of addressing climate change issues head on, facilitating strengthened targets for carbon neutrality. "The increase of carbon emissions due to climate change will upwardly pressure the price of carbon credit trading," said Han Dae-hoon, an analyst at SK Securities. The analyst said the securities firm holds a positive forecast on KraneShares Global Carbon ETF (KRBN), the only available ETF that tracks the IHS Markit Global Carbon Index. The IHS Markit Global Carbon Index tracks the most liquid segment of the tradable carbon credit futures market. Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae speaks during a briefing at the Sejong Government Complex, Tuesday, on the outcomes of the meeting with executives from Moderna, during the government delegation's visit to the drug firm's U.S. headquarters, Aug. 13. Yonhap Critics say US firm's plan lacks details such as schedules, amounts By Lee Hyo-jin Moderna will increase its supply of COVID-19 vaccine this month and September, and make every effort to speed up the planned delivery of doses for next month, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. The U.S. pharmaceutical company will inform the ministry about specific shipment dates and amounts by the end of the week, the ministry added. This agreement was reached during a meeting between a government delegation and Moderna officials at the drug firm's headquarters in Massachusetts, Aug. 13 (local time). The delegation, led by Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae, made the visit to deliver a protest on supply setbacks and discuss ways to resolve delayed vaccine shipments. Earlier last week, Moderna notified the health authorities here that it would ship less than half of the 8.5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine scheduled for August, due to production-related problems. "The Moderna representatives apologized for causing disruptions to the Korean government and public due to its supply issues. They also said that they will to do their best to expand the supply in the coming months and speed up the shipments earlier than scheduled," said Kang at a briefing on the outcome of the visit. According to the health ministry, the meeting was participated in by eight senior Moderna representatives, including Chief Commercial Officer Corrine Le Goff, Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton, and Senior Vice President of International Manufacturing Nicolas Chornet. During the meeting, Kang expressed strong regrets over the sudden supply delay, which he said damaged the firm's credibility and reputation, while causing disruptions to the country's vaccination schedule, and thus leading to public confusion. An individual receives a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap The Hyundai Card logo hangs on its headquarters building in Seoul in this file photo. Korea Times file Card firm allowed to pursue longer-term IPO plan By Park Jae-hyuk Affinity Equity Partners, GIC and AlpInvest Partners sold their stakes in Hyundai Card to Taiwan's Fubon Financial, apparently to divest from the Korean credit card company that has shown slower-than-expected progress in its initial public offering (IPO). According to the Taiwanese firm's regulatory filing, two of its subsidiaries Fubon Life Insurance and Fubon Commercial Bank bought common shares of Hyundai Card for 13,532 won ($11.50) per share last Friday from Consumer Preferred Choice, Complete Logistic Solutions, AlpInvest Partners Co-Investments 2015 I, AlpInvest Partners Co-Investments 2015 II and AlpInvest Mich. Consumer Preferred Choice is Affinity's special purpose vehicle (SPV) established for the Hong Kong private equity firm (PEF) to acquire a 9.99 percent stake in Hyundai Card, while Complete Logistics Solutions was set up by GIC for the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund to buy a 9 percent stake in the card firm. AlpInvest's three SPVs were used for the Carlyle Group subsidiary to take over a 5.01 percent stake in Hyundai Motor Group's credit card unit. Fubon's filing did not specify the exact amount of shares its subsidiaries bought, but the sellers are said to have sold their entire 24 percent stake in Hyundai Card for about 520 billion won. "It seems that our previous shareholders started looking for a buyer of their shares, due to the delay of our IPO," a Hyundai Card spokesperson said Tuesday. Hyundai Card has yet to submit a regulatory filing to disclose the change in its shareholder structure, but the spokesman said that the company has been able to pursue a longer-term IPO plan with various other growth strategies. "Because the investors that demanded our IPO sold their shares to a third party, we have been free from pressure," the spokesperson said. "We will need to pursue a longer-term strategy, taking into account the circumstances of both our company and the market." He also did not rule out the possibility of the company reconsidering its IPO plan from scratch. Fubon is regarded as a "white knight" investor that can defend Hyundai Card from hostile acquirers, in light of the long-lasting strategic partnership between the two companies. Hyundai Commercial, an affiliate of Hyundai Card, is holding a 20.29 percent stake in Fubon Life's local subsidiary, Fubon Hyundai Life Insurance, as its second-largest shareholder. In addition, several representatives from Hyundai Card and Hyundai Capital, the card firm's other affiliate, have participated in the life insurer's management. Given that Fubon became one of the major shareholders of Hyundai Card, its representatives are also expected to join the card firm's board of directors in the near future, replacing those sent by previous investors. "Fubon understands our orientation and that of our affiliates well," the Hyundai Card spokesperson said. Hyundai Card CEO Chung Tae-young / Courtesy of Hyundai Card Trade Minister Moon Sung-wook speaks at the business roundtable with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other government and business officials at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy By Kim Hyun-bin South Korea and Kazakhstan vowed to further strengthen economic ties during a business roundtable meeting at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. The business roundtable meeting was attended by Trade Minister Moon Sung-wook, along with 22 other government and business officials including Korea International Trade Association (KITA) Chairman Koo Ja-yeol. This marks the first invitation of national guests to host an economic event since the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread last year. On the Kazakhstan side, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and 22 other business and government dignitaries attended the meeting. The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation in various sectors including electronics, infrastructure, health and finance. (ST. JOSEPH) -- A finance committee at the St. Joseph School District has adjusted upward its proposed tax levy for this upcoming school year. At a meeting Monday afternoon, they forwarded a recommendation to adjust its property tax levy up three cents to $4.37. The group cited increased costs for the reason. This increase, if approved by the board, would not meet the criteria needed for a public vote under Missouri's Hancock Amendment, which limits how much Missourians' personal income can be taxed. The board has already approved a budget of more than $144 million for FY22, a decrease of $9.5 million from FY21. "This year, we are allowed to--with no vote to the public--we're allowed to take our incidental fund and raise that by approximately a little over three cents," said Gabe Edgar who is the Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations. "And the reason for that is that our assess valuation went up 2.4 percent which is very good for Buchanan County, we are very happy and we'll see some benefits from that 2.4 percent increase." Assessed value of all taxable property in the school district increased to more than $1.1 billion. Approximately $47 million of the district's total budget comes from the taxation of these properties. The plan will be presented to the full school board at their meeting on Monday. NAPLES, AUG 17 - A "unique" tomb containing a semi-mummified body has been found at Pompeii, officials said Tuesday. The body dates back to a time when dead bodies were always incinerated in the ancient Roman city near Naples. Instead, in this case, the body was semi-mummified and placed in a burial chamber in the tomb. Also found was an inscription confirming that Greek was spoken in the theatres of the Roman colony on the Bay of Naples, destroyed and preserved by an eruption from Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. "A lot is expected of the new find," Pompei archaeological park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel and Valencia university archaeologist Llorenc Alapont told ANSA. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said "Pompeii never stops amazing us, it is the pride of Italy". Former Pompeii director Massimo Osanna said the Greek inscription "is an extremely interesting testimony, which must be linked to the others that we have of the presence of Greeks and above all Greek culture in Pompeii". He said that Greek culture, especially its artists and its classic plays, was "all the rage in Pompeii". The discovery of the mysterious tomb of the freed slave Marcus Venerius Secundio, Osanna said, is in some ways "confirmation of the triumph of Greece in the highest milieux of the Latin colony". Alapont, the Valencia university archaeologist, said the man in the tomb "may well have had himself buried and even embalmed with the precise intention of preserving his body from the moisture of the grave". He said "the tomb at the Sarno gate is really an extraordinary discovery because of all the information it can give us, a unique burial for that era in Pompeii, and it may in some ways also change our knowledge on the rules of death rites in the Roman world". Marcus Venerius Secundio was a freed slave who had previously been a guardian of the Temple of Venus in Pompeii, a very important monument because the Romans named the city after that deity. He had also been a 'minister' of the Augustali priests and finally, after his liberation, also an Augustale himself, one of the college of priests of the imperial cult. He had earned enough money to pick a tomb in a very prestigious site, Alapont said. (ANSA). ROME, AUG 17 - Italian trade unions on Tuesday rejected moves by businesses to enforce the COVID Green Pass requirement for entering company canteens. "We will never accept any disparity of treatment between the workplace and canteens," said Fim, Fiom and Uilm. They also said an alleged lack of clarity in enforcing the new vaccine passport was "unacceptable". Last week a factory near Turin dropped a plan to make having the Green Pass vaccine passport obligatory to access the works canteen after unions called a strike over the issue. Hanon Systems said it had "immediately" withdrawn the plan to make the Green Pass necessary to enter the canteen of the factory at Campiglione Fenile. Davide Provenzano of the Fim Cisl union said the outcome was a "great victory" and called off the two-hour strike that had been set to take place on Friday. (ANSA). ROME, AUG 17 - There was an arson attack on a presidential estate near Rome on Tuesday morning, police said amid a wave of forest fires in Italy. Arsonists threw lit firestarters over the external wall of the Castelporziano Estate, the summer residence of President Sergio Mattarella and his predecessors. Some trees and a small portion of Mediterranean maquis brush and some bushes caught fire, police said. Forest rangers and fire crews rushed to put out the blaze. Fortunately, police said, the damage was restricted to around 20 square metres of burnt land. President Mattarella, sources said, reiterated his condemnation of criminal acts that strike the civilian community and thanked the citizens who reported the fire, saying that extremely serious consequences had been averted by their prompt intervention. (ANSA). ROME, AUG 17 - Storms are sweeping into Italy from the north to break the recent baking heatwave caused by the Lucifer anticyclone. Heavy rain and thunderstorms have caused flooding, traffic disruption and crop damage in the northeast so far. There have been over 200 requests for intervention in Veneto. Fire teams have been called out another 200 times in Alto Adige. A similar number of interventions was made overnight by fire crews in Friuli because of a deluge that hit a broad area between the provinces of Pordenone and Udine. The River Oglio broke its banks near Brescia. Meanwhile the rest of Italy continued to suffer intense heat with Palermo on red alert. And there were further forest fires in Sardinia, in the Gallura region. Widespread rain and some violent thunderstorms are set to break the recent baking heat wave in the north of Italy, forecasters said Sunday. The worst of the downfalls are set to hit Piedmont and Lombardy late Monday and then spread to Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. The weather front will be marked by intense downpours, local hail storms, frequent lightning strikes and gale-force winds, forecasters said. The civil protection department has issued a weather alert for the four regions. A yellow alert is in place Monday for storm risk in Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and much of Lombardy and Piedmont. The www.iLMeteo.it website said Monday that the Lucifer heat wave that has had Italy in its grasp over the last week will start easing with the arrival of cooler north Atlantic air Monday, taking temperatures back down 10-12 degrees to seasonal averages after setting a record of almost 49 degrees C in Sicily. The cooler air will spread from the north, with accompanying rainstorms, to the centre on Tuesday and the rest of the country on Wednesday and Thursday, the website said. But it will be a brief respite and temperatures will rise back to 33-35 degrees C at the weekend, www.iLMeteo.it said. On Monday some seven cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence were on red heat alert, while on Tuesday only Palermo will be on that level of alert for heat. Summer forest arson fires continued to blaze Monday and two agriturismi and a home were evacuated near Perugia. (ANSA). ROME, AUG 17 - A piece of street art has appeared near warzone medical NGO Emergency's Rome HQ showing a weeping Afghan child with a bandaged head saying "Gino, I'm afraid" referring to NGO founder, human rights activist and war surgeon Gino Strada who died Friday at the age of 73. Street artist Laika titled the mural "The Tears of Kabul". (ANSA). ROME, AUG 17 - Italy's Kabul embassy has been recreated at the foreign ministry in Rome, the Farnesina said Tuesday. It said the embassy was already operational under Ambassador Vittorio Sandalli. Sandalli returned from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover Monday along with about 70 other diplomatic staff and Italian nationals, and around 20 Afghan former collaborators who have been brought to Rome to escape reprisals by the Islamist militants. The reconstituted embassy is monitoring the situation on the ground in close liaison with Italy's European partners ahead of Tuesday's meeting of EU foreign ministers, the Farnesina said. Furthermore, it said, an Italian diplomatic post at Kabul airport continues to be operational, in close liaison with the Italian and international military chain of command. photo: Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio (ANSA). ROVIGO, AUG 17 - An Italian motorcycle rider and professional water polo player died when an owl hit his helmet and caused him to fall to his death near Rovigo in Veneto on Monday night, sources said Tuesday. Nico Duo, 24, from Ariano Polesine near Rovigo, was hit by the flying fowl at Ariano and knocked off his Ducati. He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries soon after arrival there. An autopsy has been ordered. Duo's water polo team, PN Pallanuoto Padova of Padua, said "there are no words to comment such a tragedy, only deep sadness. "The PN Padovanuoto is close to Nico's family and friends in this time of grief". (ANSA). ROME, AUG 17 - The West must reflect on the mistakes made after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in short order after a western pullout, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Tuesday. Di Maio told EU colleagues "we cannot shrink, as the West, from a profound reflection on the mistakes made and he lessons to be learned from the 20-year intervention in Afghanistan. "Now, however, it is necessary to define a common strategy. "In the Italian vision, the European approach should be based on five priorities". These priorities, he said, included the protection of civilians and protecting Afghans who worked with the international community. He said Italy would continue to bring out Afghans who had worked with its military contingent and embassy. "In the next few days," he added, "we will have to work on a coordinated international initiative to ensure humanitarian flights and make sure the emergency is replaced by an organised process". (ANSA). Realme will officially announce the prices of its most powerful smartphone - Realme GT 5G tomorrow in India. Alongside the 5G smartphone, the Chinese phone brand will also reveal the prices of the Realme GT 5G Master Edition and Realme Slim Book. It's worth noting that Realme Slim Book will be its first laptop in India. All three devices will be launched in India through a virtual event, which is scheduled to begin at 12:30 pm IST. The launch event will be streamed live via the company's official YouTube and social media channels. Realme GT & Realme GT Master Edition India Prices Leaked Online: Report. Realme GT 5G smartphone is already on sale globally. Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth has already confirmed that it will bring the same variants to the Indian market. The top official also confirmed that the Realme GT 5G will be priced above Rs 30,000 considering its specifications and build quality. The Realme Book Slim, on the other hand, will be one of the slimmest and lightest laptops in its segment. Realme GT Series (Photo Credits: Flipkart) The Realme GT 5G will be the most powerful smartphone of the brand. It will come powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. The premium handset will boast a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz of refresh rate and a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels. The real masterpiece is all set to be unveiled. 1 Day to go for you to experience #MasteryBeyondSpeed. Launching #realmeGT series & #realmeBook Slim at 12:30 PM, tomorrow on our official channels. Watch the livestream: https://t.co/EktiygsWKQ pic.twitter.com/pefbeGTFkl realme (@realmeIndia) August 17, 2021 Globally, the Realme GT 5G comes in two variants - 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB. It runs Android 11 OS with Realme UI 2.0 on top. It is backed by a 4500mAh battery with 65W Super Dart charging. For photography, there is a triple rear camera module with a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. It gets a 16MP shooter for selfies and video calls. Realme Book (Slim) (Photo Credits: Realme) Realme Book Slim will be the brand's first laptop, which could be priced somewhere around Rs 40,000. It is also expected to get a backlit keyboard and a metallic chassis. It is likely to come with 3 microphones, a 3.5mm audio jack, 2 USB-C 3.1 ports and one USB 3.2 Gen 1 port. It will feature a 4-inch 2K display and is likely to be powered by an 11th Generation Intel Core i5 processor, paired with 16GB of RAM. It will boot on Windows 10 OS. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2021 11:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). More than 5,000 students in one Florida school district have either tested positive for COVID or have been exposed to the virus. It also includes hundreds of school employees. In a statement released on Monday, the Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) said a total of 5,599 students and 316 staffers are either in isolation or quarantine. The statement noted that those in isolation are individuals who have tested positive for COVID, while those in quarantine have had close contact with a positive case. NBC News reported that the HCPS called for an emergency board meeting after seeing the number of COVID cases. The emergency meeting on Wednesday at 1 p.m. will discuss preventive measures, including mandatory face coverings for all students and staff. HCPS Superintendent Addison Davis said people should continue safety practices communitywide to fight the spread of the coronavirus. READ NEXT: Florida to Pay Parents of Children Who Experience 'COVID Harassment' and Transfer Them to New Schools COVID and Florida School Districts Three Broward County School employees had passed away in one day, Union President Anna Fusco said. Two of them were teachers while the other was a teacher's assistant, CBS Miami Local reported. A graduate of the school also died due to COVID. The graduate has close ties to the school district through her job. Fusco said the incident is extremely frightening, adding that she hears it every day. However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is still sticking to his ban on mask mandates for schoolchildren. DeSantis said they believe that the parents rather than the government should be making this decision. Fusco noted that she was relieved that the board chose its own move when it comes to masking. She said they got a little bit of relief that they kept mask protocols. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden lauded the school district superintendents in Florida and Arizona after their respective boards had imposed mask mandates, defying Republican governors' ruling amid the rising COVID cases. In a statement, the White House said the president had already spoken with interim Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright and Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Chad Gestson. The White House noted that Biden thanked them for their leadership and discussed their shared commitment to getting all students back safely to in-person learning this school year, Fox 13 News reported. The Biden administration also promised Broward federal funding if the governor implements his threat of cutting funding to school districts imposing a mask mandate. DeSantis' Office then back down, saying the state has no direct control over the pay of superintendents and school board members who are not state employees. However, the Florida governor's office said the state board of education could withhold general funding for schools who defy the mask ruling and is threatening to do so in the amount of administrators' salaries, Newsweek report The president and the Florida governor had earlier exchanged tirades regarding the mask mandate in the state. READ MORE: Moderna Scientists Warn Against New COVID Variants That Could Drive a New Wave of Transmission This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: School Districts Battle Over Mask Mandates as COVID-19 Delta Variant Spreads - From CBS News A bundle of cocaine was washed ashore on a beach in the Florida Keys and was seized by authorities, authorities said on Monday. The cocaine bundle which officers retrieved weighed around 65 pounds, would have been worth up to $1.3 million if sold in the illegal market. Cocaine Bundle Washes Ashore on Florida Beach According to Newsweek, a photo of the bundle was posted to social media by U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Thomas Martin, showing 25 individually wrapped packages of cocaine. The said illegal drugs appeared to have been bundled together in a black package. Florida Police officers would not confirm where specifically in the Florida Keys the bundle of cocaine was found. They only said that a "good samaritan" turned the package in after he stumbled upon it over the weekend. Florida police said other details about the seized drugs would be released within the week. READ NEXT: Former Yankees Prospect Caught Selling 2-Kilo of Cocaine to Undercover Cop More Drugs at the Shoreline Drugs washing ashore, unsurprisingly, had been a common occurrence in the Florida Keys. Last month, agents of the Customs and Border Patrol seized a 2.7-pound brick of cocaine that was also washed up on a beach on the island of Little Torch Key, Miami Herald reported. The retrieved package was called in after being found by another concerned citizen. The brick was estimated to be worth around $61,000 in street value. Border Patrol spokesman Adam Hoffner said they appreciated the support of the local community in the fight against drugs. The Miami Herald also reported that there was a bundle of marijuana turned in by an individual to authorities after it was retrieved on a beach in Geiger Key. The drugs were reportedly sealed in brown duct tape and weighed around 4.5 pounds. On August 5, a 2.4-pound brick of cocaine was also recovered at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. The area is the most popular beach in the Key West region of the Florida Keys. The said bundle was estimated to have a street value of $55,000. Border Patrol spokesman Adam Hoffner noted that a good samaritan immediately notified local authorities and turned the brick of cocaine over to the U.S. Border Patrol agents. The latest drug seizures in the state of Florida have been significant in the war against drugs as they have been breaking U.S. Coast Guard records. On August 5 alone, more than 60,000 pounds of illegal drugs were unloaded at Port Everglades after being seized in the areas of the Caribbean, Central America and South America, and the Pacific, which is off the coasts of Mexico. Over the years, bundles of drugs have been found off the Sunshine State's coast in various strange ways as it was the gateway for drug traffickers to the U.S. READ MORE: 80-Year-Old Texas Man Dies After Double-Decker Party Boat Capsized on Lake Due to Bad Weather This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Jess Smith WATCH: Narco-Submarine Carrying 2 Tons of Cocaine Is Intercepted - From Inside Edition The death toll on the recent Haiti earthquake continues to climb as rescue workers rushed to locate survivors from the tragedy that happened on Saturday, Aug. 15. Since then, other nations have stepped up to help following the devastating quake that rattled Haiti and its people. READ NEXT: Tropical Storm Fred Makes Landfall in Florida; Two More Tropical Disturbances Being Watched Death Toll on Haiti Earthquake Climbs At least 1,419 deaths were recorded following the 7.2 magnitude quake, BBC reported. Meanwhile, more than 6,900 injured individuals were reported, while an unknown number of victims were still missing. The southwest of Haiti, especially the area around the city of Les Cayes, appeared to be the most affected by the earthquake. According to reports, homes, churches, and schools were among the infrastructures affected by the tremors. The earthquake overwhelmed healthcare facilities, prompting some of the hospitals in the country to move their patients outside the hospitals. One of the healthcare facilities that made the movement was the Les Cayes Ofatma Hospital. The people working at the hospital feared that their building was unsafe following the tremors. Following the incident, Prime Minister Ariel Henry declared a state of emergency for a month. Henry also urged the citizens of Haiti to show solidarity amid the tragic incident in their country. Furthermore, Prime Minister Henry visited the areas widely affected by the natural phenomenon, including towns and hospitals. The U.S. to Send Aerial Support to Haiti Following 7.2 magnitude Earthquake The U.S. offered their support to Haiti, as the country's military southern command would send at least eight helicopters to act as support and aid in the country's disaster relief efforts. The helicopters to be sent by the southern command will be composed of five UH-60 Black Hawks and three CH-47 Chinooks. The eight helicopters, which will be from the Joint Task Force-Bravo based in Honduras, were expected to arrive in Haiti as early as this evening. However, the arrival might be delayed depending on the weather conditions. "The safety of our aircrews is paramount, so if weather conditions this evening are not safe enough for flight operations, their scheduled arrival in Haiti may be delayed," said the official, noting that the delay would be effective until the weather conditions would be good enough for flight operations. Furthermore, the spokesman also noted that the focus of the aerial support from the southern command is to engage in lifesaving and assessment support the foreign disaster assistance effort led by the U.S. Agency for International Development. It can be recalled that President Joe Biden tapped USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official who would supervise and oversee the efforts of the United States to help Haiti. It was not the first time the U.S. extended its help with Haiti. In 2010, The U.S. sent troops to the country, after it was hit with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that left at least 3,000 people dead. Meanwhile, a Seismologist from the USGS said that the recent tremor in the country was connected to the one that occurred in 2010. READ NEXT: President Jovenel Moise's Wife Returns to Haiti More Than a Week After Assassination This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Drone Video Captures Damage From Deadly Haiti Earthquake A gas leak explosion in a Mexico City apartment building complex Monday morning has killed one person while injuring 26 people. Out of those injured, 14 were listed in serious condition. According to a Daily Mail report, four children were among those injured, and two from them later tested positive for COVID. Surveillance footage shows a passenger vehicle driving past the building at around 10:47 a.m. when a blast had erupted through the four-story building in the south side neighborhood of Benito Juarez in Mexico City. At least two people were caught running out of the premises within seconds of the powerful explosion that was felt several blocks away. Separate footage also showed paramedics arriving at the area and aiding some of the injured. Firefighters, on the other hand, were canvassing the building's interior. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum also arrived at the scene and inspected the area. The mayor announced the casualties from the explosion. Some 300 people have been evacuated from neighboring buildings as a precaution, Associated Press reported. Officials from the Mexico City prosecutor's office and experts from other agencies were investigating the source of the gas leak explosion. READ NEXT: 6 Dismembered Bodies Found in Mexico as Mexican Drug Cartel Launches Brutal Revenge Attack Other Gas Explosions in Mexico Aside from gang violence, Mexico also experienced a lot of disastrous gas explosions in the past, with San Juanico being the world's worst industrial disaster. In 1984, a series of huge explosions at a Pemex liquid petroleum gas storage plant had erupted, Mexico News Daily reported. The massive fire killed between 500 and 600 people and leaving as many as 7,000 others with severe burns. Smaller explosions had erupted at the plant until the next morning, as flames engulfed more and more gas tanks. Around 150 homes were completely destroyed in the disaster. The federal Attorney General's Office, at the time, determined that the company should be held accountable for the explosions and pay compensation to victims. Some of the victims claimed that they never received a peso even though the explosions damaged their homes. In 2012, another explosion took place in Pemex, which killed 26 people. According to BBC News, officials said seven people were still missing after the gas plant explosion. Mexican President Felipe Calderon has ordered a thorough investigation into the gas explosion. He noted that a quick reaction of emergency workers prevented a real disaster from happening. Pemex Director Juan Jose Suarez said there was no evidence that it was a deliberate occurrence, nor was it some kind of attack. The Pemex official added that all evidence was directed to "an unusual accident." Pemex official Carlos Morales said the plant's maintenance work was carried out just minutes before the explosion. Morales, at the time, said the cause of gas build-up was investigated. A total of 26 people were killed in the accident, while 46 were injured, and seven more were left unaccounted. Preliminary evidence suggests that the explosion could have been caused by thieves tapping the lines to steal petrol. READ MORE: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Eye of Fire: Gas Leak Sets The Gulf OF Mexico Alight - From Financial Post A Utah zoo worker is now recovering after yanking by an alligator. She's lucky as a guest found a way to save during an encounter. The alligator attack happened when the Utah zoo employee (not identified) talked to the visitors about the alligators on Saturday, Aug. 14, at Scales & Tails, Utah. As they were busy, the reptile barrel-rolled the worker right in front of the zoo-goers, TMZ reported. A video taken by the guests showed that the worker was talking to some parents and children when the alligator suddenly bit the handler's hand and dragged her underwater. READ NEXT: 'I Felt Very Privileged,' Says Swimmer Surrounded by 50 Sharks During a Training Dip Fortunately, a brave man identified as Donnie Wiseman helped the zoo worker as he threw himself at the back of the alligator. The Wiseman was able to stop the reptile from rolling as the handler calmly gave him and another man instructions on how to help her escape from the beast. After the alligator loosened its grip from the handler, another guest, who was reported to have a background in nursing, performed first aid before the emergency crews arrived. The company that owns the Scales & tails lauded the individuals who jumped in to rescue the alligator handler. "Their help combined with the training of our staff member probably saved her life and her limbs," the company noted. On Sunday, Aug. 15, the West Valley City Business announced that the Utah zoo worker was doing well and is in recovery. Second Handler Not Enforced During the Alligator Attack According to company owner Shane Richins, the center normally enforces a second handler when working with their alligators. However, the said setup was not enforced in recent years if the worker is not planning to enter the enclosure. Richins underscored that they still enforce the policy strictly whenever someone would get inside the reptile's enclosure. The company owner also emphasized that they would enforce the policy on any encounter with the beast. It was not the first time that guests saved someone from animals like the alligator. Latin Post reported in July about the California teen, Kianna Hummel, who was dragged by a crocodile while standing on the beach in late July. Luckily, there are bystanders who saw the incident and saved the teen from a ferocious crocodile. The bystander named Sarah Laney said they threw any objects to the animal to distract it, describing the experience as a "tug-of-war." They were able to pull back the teen from the water when a resort employee struck the crocodile with a hunk of wood. Surviving Alligator Attacks Most alligators and even crocodiles are territorial. Some parts of South Carolina, Texas, and Florida have animal encounters, particularly reptiles, that were reported. To avoid attacks, stay away from waters that were known to be inhibited by the reptile. If the beast suddenly appears, moving slowly until a safe distance would help. If an alligator has already bitten some part of your body, fight back by poking its eye. READ NEXT: Humpback Whale Swallows Lobster Fisherman: Man Says "Completely Black Inside" This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Guests Jump in to Rescue Handler Bitten by Alligator - From FOX 13 News Utah Poetry Ireland has announced the names of the Poet Laureates selected as part of the Poetry Town initiative, which will see more than a hundred poetry-related activities take place in 20 towns across the island of Ireland between 10th and 18th September 2021. Mountmellick is among the Poetry Towns, and Poetry Ireland, in conjunction with Laois County Council Arts Office, has appointed Arthur Broomfield as the Poet Laureate for the town. A native of Ballyfin, Arthur Broomfield is a poet and Beckett scholar. All Poet Laureates are either from the respective local area or have strong connections with it, and have been commissioned to write a poem honouring and reflecting their Poetry Town and its people. As part of the week-long Poetry Town celebrations next month, each Poet Laureate will reveal and present their poem to the people of their Poetry Town at a series of flagship online events, one of which will be hosted in each town. Each event will also feature contributions from other local poets, artists and musicians (further details about these events is available on the Poetry Town website). Further activities will include a series of poetry events involving local poets; poetry workshops; public poetry displays, including Poetry Underfoot; and a range of physical activities called Poems that Move You, which will vary from town to town. Local businesses, including cafes and chemists, will also be participating in the activities to celebrate their towns by distributing pocket poems to customers. The full programme of activities for each town will be made available on the Poetry Town website during the last week of August. Commenting, Director of Poetry Ireland, Niamh ODonnell said, We are delighted we could secure such a strong cohort of Poet Laureates for this exciting new poetry initiative, which is characterised by collaboration and communal experiences. The aim of Poetry Town is to celebrate the vitality and strength of our towns and communities, and to shine a light on the wealth of creativity and talent that can be found in them. The diversity of this talent is reflected in the selection of Laureates, which includes both well-known visionary poets and new powerful voices. Arthur Broomfield added, Mountmellick has so much to inspire the poet; the hands and minds that made it, the history and culture written into its street names, its diversity enshrined in its motto Friendship through partnership. I am truly honoured to have been chosen as Poet Laureate for this very special town. Mountmellick sings a unique song, I hope my work will hum to its chorus. Poetry Town is an initiative of Poetry Ireland in partnership with Local Authority Arts Offices. It is made possible with funding from the Arts Council of Irelands Open Call funding, and is also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. For further information, visit the Poetry Town website: poetrytown.ie A new book has been published which celebrates the lives of two pioneering Laois women. Opening a Window on the Past is a local history publication by Regina Dunne, Laois Historian in Residence 2019/2020 under the Decade of Centenaries Programme. The book explores the lives of two Laois women: Lucy Franks and Helen Roe. A special launch of this publication will take place this Friday, August 20, at 7pm as part of Heritage Week 2021. A restricted in person launch took place at Bloom HQ in Mountrath last Saturday evening. The publication will be launched through a live streamed reading by Regina Dunne from the Old Fort Quarter, Portlaoise and available at Laois Libraries Facebook page. The author said, "In recent years there has been an increase in the number of publications and research focusing on the often forgotten about pioneering women of our nation. This publication, supported by Laois Libraries and Creative Ireland Laois will contribute to that body of national literature on women's history. "Lucy Franks and Helen Roe were both pioneering in their work in the area of social work, education and humanities, it is my pleasure to bring together a number of years of research on these two Laois women and acknowledge their impact on the nation's history both locally, nationally and internationally. "Join me this Friday at Laois libraries Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LaoisLibraries and celebrate these extraordinary Laois women with a virtual launch and live reading.'' The book delves into the lives and times of both influential women, and acknowledges their pioneering work during an era of change in Irish history. In the lead up to the launch event, County Librarian Bernie Foran said: "Laois County Library Service were delighted to facilitate the historian in residence programme as part of the Laois Decade of Centenaries programme 2019/2020. The residency explored the experiences of Laois women during this period and examined their contribution to events and impact on social change. ''A particular thanks to Regina Dunne as Historian in Residence for her dedication and enthusiasm for the project, researching and bringing to life the unique and fascinating stories and lasting legacies of both Helen Roe and Lucy Franks". Gertrude Lucy Maria Franks (1878-1964) of the Castletown United Irishwomen (ICA), was instrumental in reviving the Irish Countrywomens Association in the late 1920s and establishing the Country Shop in St. Stephens Green, Dublin. In addition, Lucy Franks supported attendance at the Spring Fairs in the RDS, helped to establish the annual summer school which still takes place today, and was a founding member of the Association of Country Women of the World. Her impact on rural womens associations both nationally and internationally is recognised in this publication. The publication tells the tale of the early days of the Irish Countrywomens Association in Laois and its revival through an era of turmoil in Irish history. Helen Maybury Roe (1895-1988) of Mountrath was the first County Librarian, first female President of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (RSAI), and a staunch advocate for local history, folklore, and opening the windows of the world to everyone in Laois both young and old through stories, and books. In her Ford Model T, she travelled the roads of Laois delivering lectures on local history, flora and fauna, recording local folklore, photographing ancient archaeology, and was a firm believer in preserving local history. Known widely in the area of Early Christian Art and the world of stone, this publication explores her extensive work on the local history of Laois and her life as the first County Librarian in Laois. Laois Heritage Officer, Catherine Casey is delighted that the publication will be launched as part of Hertiage Week (14th - 22nd August) and said, Commemoration of important people and places in Laois is an important theme of the Laois Heritage Plan, and one that the members of Laois Heritage Forum have been working towards for a number of years, indeed both Helen Roe and Lucy Franks are highlighted in the current Laois Heritage Plan, so I am delighted to welcome this fascinating research into the lives of these two important Laois women by Regina Dunne and the Laois Library Service. ''The publication of this wonderful book will ensure they take their place in the pantheon of Laois heritage literature, to ensure their contributions are valued and explored into the future. Opening a Window on the Past will be available in early Autumn at all Laois libraries, and local bookstores. This publication has been realised due to Laois County Library Services, the Laois Decade of Centenaries Programme, and supported by Creative Ireland Laois as part of the Creative Ireland Programme (2017-2022) in partnership with Laois County Council. The death has occurred of Michael (Gunner) Connolly 123 Branswood, Athy, Kildare (Formerly of 181 Ashgrove, Kildangan). Sadly missed by his loving daughter Jordan, partner Lavinia, sister Delia, brother Paul, nephew Eric, all his brothers in the Vikings MC, relatives and his many friends. Removal by Rigney's Funeral Director's on Thursday morning ( 19th August) to arrive at The Church of Our Lady of Victories, Kildangan for Requiem Mass at 11am , limited to 50 people. The Mass will be live streamed , link to follow. A private cremation will take place afterwards in Mount Jerome Crematorium at 3.15pm, link to follow. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral but cannot due to current restrictions may leave a message in the 'Condolences' section below. The death has occurred of Stephen Dunne Coolier, Monasterevin, Kildare Predeceased by his parents Jim and Mary and his brother Mike. Much loved brother of Tom, Maisie, Joisie (Smith), John and Seamus. Deeply regretted by his sister in law Kathleen, nieces, nephews, extended family, relatives and friends. May He Rest in Peace Removal from his home on Thursday, via Lackagh, to arrive at SS Peter and Paul's Church, Monasterevin, for 11am Requiem Mass which will be held in accordance with current Government guidelines. Requiem Mass may be viewed on https://www.monasterevinparish.ie/, press web cam. Interment afterwards in St. Evin's Cemetery. Those wishing to leave condolences may do so on the link below or in the traditional manner. The death has occurred of Michael Ryan Connagh Road, Collaghknock Glebe, Kildare Town, Kildare Son of the late Peter and Margaret. Sadly missed by his loving brothers Peter, Eddie and Christy, sisters Mary and Bridget, brothers in law, sisters in law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends. May Michael Rest In Peace Due to current government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place with a maximum of 50 people to attend the church. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below. Removal from McWeys Funeral Home, Abbeyview, Kildare Town on Wednesday morning to arrive at St. Brigid's Parish Church, Kildare Town, for Requiem Mass at 11am. Mass will be live streamed on mcnmedia.tv. Burial afterwards in St. Conleth's Cemetery, Kildare Town. The death has occurred of Tom Carberry Mylerstown, Two Mile House, Naas, Kildare / Moate, Westmeath / Lorrha, Tipperary / Portumna, Galway Tom passed away peacefully on Friday 13th August, in the care of Saint Brigid's Hospice, The Curragh, surrounded by his loving family. Predeceased by his father Jack, his mother Mary and sister Bridie (Jo). Tom will be deeply missed by his adoring wife Joan, sisters Maura Newman, Rose Smith, Kay Walsh, Joan Garvan, Patricia McCormack, Terry McGann and Carmel Foxe, brother John Joe Carberry, sisters in law, brothers in law, nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews, extended family, relatives, neighbours and friends. MAY HIS GENTLE SOUL REST IN PEACE In keeping with HSE, NPHET and public health guidelines attendance at funerals is limited. Please respect the privacy of the family during this difficult time. A private Mass will be celebrated, for the repose of Tom's soul, with family and friends, on Tuesday 17th August, in St. Ruadhan's Church, Lorrha, Co. Tipperary, at 12 noon. For those who would have liked to attend the Mass, but can't due to the current restrictions, Tom's Mass will be streamed live on the following link. TOMS FUNERAL Tom will be laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery immediately after Mass. Tom's funeral cortege will arrive to the church on Tuesday morning at 11:45 in preparation for Mass at 12 o'clock. Please maintain the respect of social distance for each other as directed by the HSE and Public Health. With current restrictions funerals are limited in numbers to immediate family and friends only. Please feel free to express your sympathies and support to the family in Tom's condolence page below. Family flowers only by request, donations if desired to St. Brigid's Hospice on the following link DONATE NOW The death has occurred of Margaret O'Brien (nee Kenny) Killyon, Mucklon, Enfield, Kildare / Prosperous, Kildare O'Brien ( nee Kenny ) Margaret, Killyon, Mucklon, Enfield, Co. Kildare and late of Downings, Prosperous, Co. Kildare, August 15th 2021, peacefully at St. Brigid's Hospice, The Curragh. Deeply regretted by her loving husband Liam, sons William, Michael, Edward, Andrew, Patrick and Joseph, brothers, sisters, daughters in law, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. Rest in Peace Due to current government guidelines, a private family funeral will take place for Margaret (limited to 50 persons). Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to the current restrictions cannot, please leave a personal message for the family in the condolences section below. Margaret's Funeral service can be viewed on Wednesday morning at 11 am by clicking on the following link https://www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/christ-the-king-church-cooleragh Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors accept no responsibility for any live webcam interruptions or issues. Margaret will repose at Reilly's Funeral Home, Prosperous on Tuesday evening from 4pm, for family and close friends. (In line with current guidelines please wear a face mask and social distance) Margaret's Funeral Cortege will be leaving Reilly's Funeral Home, Prosperous, on Wednesday at 10.30am approx to Christ the King Church, Cooleragh arriving for 11am funeral Mass, followed by burial in Staplestown Cemetery, travelling via her residence. Those who would like to line the route may do so in a safe and socially distanced manner. Family flowers only please, donations can be made in memory of Margaret to www.friendsofstbrigidshospice.ie For all enquiries, please contact Oliver Reilly Ltd. Funeral Directors on (045) 868230 The death has occurred of Mary Pender Ticknevin, Carbury, Kildare Peacefully, at home, surrounded by her loving family. Predeceased by her loving mother Ellen. Sadly missed by her devoted father Paddy her brothers and sisters Jim, Catherina, Sandra , Paddy Joe, Madeline, Elaine, Josephine, Deirdre and Nicola, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, aunts, uncles extended family and friends. May Mary Rest In Peace Mary will be reposing at her home (Ticknevin) on Monday from 3-7pm. Due to current Covid 19 restrictions, there will be a family funeral on Tuesday at 1.30pm in Holy Trinity Church, Derrinturn, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Mary's Mass can be viewed on the Carbury Parish webcam via the following link: https://www.carburyparish.ie/our-parish/webcam-derrinturn/. Condolences can be left on this page using the link below. The family would like to thank you for your kindness and support at this difficult time. Family flowers only, donations, if desired, to Kare Services. You can line the route from Mary's home to Holy Trinity Church, via Rathmore and Dreenane, while following social distancing. Tributes have been paid to a father-of-one who died in a traffic collision on Friday evening in the Kilberry area between Monasterevin and Athy. Athy native Michael Gunner Connolly, who lived in Kildangan, passed away after his motorcycle collided with a vehicle on the R417. Mr Connolly (44), who had a 20-year-old daughter Jordan, was employed at the Intel campus in Leixlip. He is also missed by his partner Lavinia, sister Delia, brother Paul, nephew Eric and all his friends in the Vikings Motorcycle Club, relatives and his many friends. Removal by Rigney's Funeral Director's takes on Thursday morning to arrive at The Church of Our Lady of Victories, Kildangan for Requiem Mass at 11am, limited to 50 people. A private cremation will take place afterwards in Mount Jerome Crematorium at 3.15pm. The Vikings Motorcycle Club paid an online tribute. They said: Our hearts are broken words fail us right now. Ride Free Gunner always in our hearts. Businessman Vivian Carroll of Judge Roy Beans in Newbridge said he was a close friend of Mr Connolly. He said: Gunner will be a big loss to so many people. He had so many good friends and was the life and soul of every gathering he was at. He would be well known in Kildangan, Athy and Newbridge areas. Cllr Aoife Breslin, from Athy, passed on her condolences to Mr Connollys family and friends on behalf of the local community. She added: Any tragedy like this has a very big impact and is deeply-felt in a local area. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are affected by this incident. Other motorcycle clubs such as the Harley Davidson Club Ireland paid their own tributes to Mr Connolly. The collision happened at approximately 6.10pm on Friday evening. Mr Connolly was removed from the scene by ambulance to Naas General Hospital in a serious condition. Unfortunately, he passed away later that evening. The driver of the vehicle was uninjured. The stretch of the R417 was closed for a time as Garda Forensic Collision Investigators carried out a investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Athy Garda Station on 059 8634210, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. Poetry Ireland has today announced the names of the Poet Laureates selected as part of the Poetry Town initiative, which will see more than a hundred poetry-related activities take place in 20 towns across the island of Ireland between 10th and 18th September 2021. Naas in Co Kildare is among the Poetry Towns, and Poetry Ireland, in conjunction with Kildare County Council Arts Office, has appointed Mary ODonnell as the Poet Laureate for the town. Mary ODonnell is a poet, short story writer and novelist, who lives near Straffan. All Poet Laureates announced today are either from the respective local area or have strong connections with it, and have been commissioned to write a poem honouring and reflecting their Poetry Town and its people. As part of the week-long Poetry Town celebrations next month, each Poet Laureate will reveal and present their poem to the people of their Poetry Town at a series of flagship online events, one of which will be hosted in each town. Each event will also feature contributions from other local poets, artists and musicians. Further activities will include a series of poetry events involving local poets; poetry workshops; public poetry displays, including Poetry Underfoot; and a range of physical activities called Poems that Move You, which will vary from town to town. Local businesses, including cafes and chemists, will also be participating in the activities to celebrate their towns by distributing pocket poems to customers. The full programme of activities for each town will be made available on the Poetry Town website during the last week of August. Commenting, Director of Poetry Ireland, Niamh ODonnell said: We are delighted we could secure such a strong cohort of Poet Laureates for this exciting new poetry initiative, which is characterised by collaboration and communal experiences. The aim of Poetry Town is to celebrate the vitality and strength of our towns and communities, and to shine a light on the wealth of creativity and talent that can be found in them. The diversity of this talent is reflected in the selection of Laureates, which includes both well-known visionary poets and new powerful voices. Mary ODonnell added: What a huge honour to be part of Poetry Ireland's Poetry Town all-island project and Laureate for Naas. Being commissioned to write for and about this ancient yet very buzzy modern county town is a responsibility. But this is what Laureates do, I tell myself, they rise up, get a feel for a time and a place and pull together the preciousness of that experience. I anticipate diversity, a spirit of exploration and some craic when meeting workshop participants, and look forward to working with Kildare's talented Arts Officer Lucina Russell. I come to the task in a spirit of possibility, offering my gifts as a poet, but humbly. Go raibh maith agat, Nas-na-Ri, for the call to poetry! Poetry Town is an initiative of Poetry Ireland in partnership with Local Authority Arts Offices. It is made possible with funding from the Arts Council of Irelands Open Call funding, and is also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. For further information, visit the Poetry Town website: poetrytown.ie. The Poet Laureates appointed for each of the participating towns are: Adare, Co Limerick: Edward ODwyer; Athenry, Co Galway: Elaine Feeney; Bailieborough, Co Cavan: Mairead Donnellan; Ballycastle, Co Antrim: Kate Newmann; Bandon, Co Cork: Matthew Geden; Belmullet, Co Mayo: Anne Walsh Donnelly; Bray, Co Wicklow: Kayssie K.; Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim: Vincent Woods; Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary: Billy Fenton; Cootehill, Co Cavan: Noel Monahan; Dublin 1, Co Dublin: Rachael Hegarty; Dungarvan, Co Waterford: Aine Ui Fhoghlu; Dunshaughlin, Co Meath: Orla Fay; Ennistymon, Co Clare: Grace Wells; Listowel, Co Kerry: Dairena Ni Chinneide; Mountmellick, Co Laois: Arthur Broomfield; Naas, Co Kildare: Mary ODonnell; Strokestown, Co Roscommon: Noelle Lynskey; Tullamore, Co Offaly: Cormac Lally; Wexford Town, Co Wexford: Sasha Terfous. The selection of each towns Poet Laureate has been made by Poetry Ireland in conjunction with the Local Authority Arts Offices, and with contributions from county and local libraries. Considerations for selection were: a connection with the town and vicinity; a thematic resonance in the poet's work; a track record of publishing or performance; and the final and key factor ensuring a balance of diversity across the towns and country in relation to gender, age, ethnic background, and language. Builders' merchants, the Chadwicks Group is working with with Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) in making essential accessibility improvements in the National Mobility Centre in Clane. Providing materials from two businesses within Chadwicks Group, the teams at both Chadwicks and the Panelling Centre assisted IWA in updating its kitchen and bathroom facilities for both service users and staff alike. The National Mobility Centre is a vital service that provides driving lessons for wheelchair users and is the main location for service users to obtain their parking permits in the locality. The centre sees an average of 2,000 users and staff come through its doors each year. With the support of Chadwicks Group, the kitchen has been made fully accessible for all service users while the bathroom has also received a refurbishment. In addition to the National Mobility Centre, Chadwicks Group will supply a range of building materials to IWA community centres across the country to help improve accessibility for its users. IWA operates 57 community centres nationwide and provides 1.3 million hours of assisted living services to more than 2,000 adults and children. Commenting on the announcement, Mick Monahan, Chadwicks Naas Branch Manager said, We at Chadwicks Naas are delighted to have supported the brilliant team at the National Mobility Centre in improving their bathroom and kitchen facilities. The centre is a vital service in the town, and we aimed to ensure that each user, staff member and visitor would have full accessibility when using the facilities. We are delighted to have been involved in such a worthwhile cause and make a real difference in the day to day lives of the fantastic people at the centre. Niall McDonnell, Unit Manager at IWA Mobility Centre in Clane said, Its been terrific to see the new refurbishments in the Clane centre. The new bathroom fittings and tiles have made a massive difference, visually, aesthetically, and most importantly with regards to additional access for users with disabilities. The same goes for the canteen. With the extra space created and the new accessible sink, these improvements have made the room a much better place for staff and customers alike. My thanks to the team at Chadwicks for thinking of IWA and its members and staff with their kind donation. Poetry Ireland has today announced the names of the Poet Laureates selected as part of the Poetry Town initiative, which will see more than a hundred poetry-related activities take place in 20 towns across the island of Ireland between 10th and 18th September 2021. Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim is among the Poetry Towns, and Poetry Ireland, in conjunction with Leitrim County Council Arts Office, has appointed Vincent Woods as the Poet Laureate for the town. Vincent Woods, a writer and broadcaster, says he has strong and evocative memories from times gone by in Carrick-on-Shannon. Vincent Woods added: I saw my first films in the old Gaiety Cinema in Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrims capital town, part of which stretches into or out of Roscommon. The market yard was a ruin then, as was the old courthouse that is now the Dock Arts Centre. I remember weddings in the County Hotel and the Bush, great nights dancing and carousing at carnivals and the regatta, Calypso hitting sweet notes in the music pubs and early poems printed in The Leitrim Observer. Now the challenge to make a poem: Ill delve at it. All Poet Laureates announced today are either from the respective local area or have strong connections with it, and have been commissioned to write a poem honouring and reflecting their Poetry Town and its people. As part of the week-long Poetry Town celebrations next month, each Poet Laureate will reveal and present their poem to the people of their Poetry Town at a series of flagship online events, one of which will be hosted in each town. Each event will also feature contributions from other local poets, artists and musicians. Further activities will include a series of poetry events involving local poets; poetry workshops; public poetry displays, including Poetry Underfoot; and a range of physical activities called Poems that Move You, which will vary from town to town. Local businesses, including cafes and chemists, will also be participating in the activities to celebrate their towns by distributing pocket poems to customers. The full programme of activities for each town will be made available on the Poetry Town website during the last week of August. Commenting, Director of Poetry Ireland, Niamh ODonnell said: The aim of Poetry Town is to celebrate the vitality and strength of our towns and communities, and to shine a light on the wealth of creativity and talent that can be found in them. The diversity of this talent is reflected in the selection of Laureates, which includes both well-known visionary poets and new powerful voices. Poetry Town is an initiative of Poetry Ireland in partnership with Local Authority Arts Offices. It is made possible with funding from the Arts Council of Irelands Open Call funding, and is also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. For further information, visit the Poetry Town website: poetrytown.ie. Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, is urging people to remain cautious about the spread of Covid-19, especially in the lead up to the reopening of schools. Though we have growing levels of vaccination across the population, there is now a very high level of disease circulating in the community. The Delta variant has enabled COVID-19 to regain a foothold in Ireland, which puts us all at risk as social contacts and mobility increase. We are closely monitoring the spread of the virus with some concern," he said. "Vaccines will help us turn the tide, but we are not there yet. We need to give vaccines the time and space to build up levels of protection across all demographics so that we can continue to progress the re-opening of all sectors of society and our economy. "Please get vaccinated as soon as a vaccine is offered to you. It is also very important that people receive their second dose of vaccine as soon as you are called to do so. You will be fully protected one or two weeks after your second dose, depending on which vaccine you have received. "I am asking people to be cautious and to closely follow public health advice over the coming weeks, in particular in the run up to schools reopening in September. "We all know what this means, and, more importantly, we know that by following the public health advice we can drive down incidence of COVID-19 in our communities. If you have any symptoms that indicate that you may have COVID-19 like cough, fever, headache, sore throat and blocked or runny nose isolate and get a test immediately. Make plans to socialise safely and risk assess as you go, meet up with others outdoors if possible, try to meet up in small groups and avoid crowds. If you do not feel safe, then leave. "Please continue to wear a mask where appropriate, wash your hands, manage your contacts and maintain your social distance." Latest figures The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been notified of 1558 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on August 16. 262 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 51 are in ICU. While the vaccine up take in Ireland as been phenomonal, the UK and Northern Ireland are using popular brands to incentivise young people to take the Covid-19 jab. Young people in the UK and Northern Ireland are being offered shopping discounts and holiday vouchers in a bid to boost vaccination numbers against coronavirus. More than three quarters of British adults are now vaccinated, but the government is hoping to encourage more young adults to come forward for both jabs. Asda, lastminute.com, National Express, Free Now taxis and Better leisure centres are among those offering incentives to encourage younger people to get vaccinated. Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo have already said they will offer discounted rides and meals for customers who get a Covid-19 jab, to help boost vaccine uptake. Some of the rewards include 30 gift cards towards holidays and 10 vouchers for Asdas clothing brand George. As of August 16, those with both jabs in the UK no longer have to self-isolate if they come into contact with a positive coronavirus case but have no symptoms. LIMERICK Twenty Thirty, which spearheaded the development of Troy Studios, has welcomed the commitment of new owners to the future of the film industry in Limerick following its acquisition of the studio. Welcoming the announcement, David Conway, CEO of Limerick Twenty Thirty said the investment by Hackman Capital Partners and its affiliate The MBS Group and Square Mile Capital Management in Troy Studios bodes well for the industry in the region. Troy Studios has been a fantastic success story for not just film in Limerick but for the economy of Limerick and the wider region. This acquisition validates again the decision and foresight shown in re-imagining the old Dell factory in Plassey into a campus for film and TV production, said Mr Conway. The site was first property in the Limerick Twenty Thirty portfolio and was a bold move at the time but one that has delivered a huge dividend for Limerick and the wider region. It has established Limerick as a significant international film hub and created a fantastic film ecosystem here. It has also been very positive for Limericks international profile, playing a very important role in strengthening the reputation of the city and region as a dynamic and exciting location in which to live, work and play," he added. Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Daniel Butler, has also welcomed the acquisition: Limerick now has the world's largest independent studio partnership based here. I welcome the commitment from the partnership to continue growing production here and investing in local talent through further investment from international content creators. And look forward to working with them and ensuring that the proud legacy already developed here is built on in the years ahead," he said. Separately, Innovate Limerick has also welcomed the acquisition of that Troy Studios in a multi-million euro deal. Paul C. Ryan, Regional Film Manager, Film in Limerick said: We welcome the developments at Troy and the new owners to Limerick and we look forward to working closely with the team to further develop the region as a leading production hub and a major employer in the region." He added: Our vision for Limerick and the Midwest is to continue to develop as a major centre for production. Key to this is our close working relationships with Troy and other stakeholders in the region. We will continue to work to develop further film-making infrastructure, a strong local crew base, and incentives to support more inward and local productions. With the worlds largest studio group now setting up home in Limerick, we can be confident about the future of filmmaking in the region. Troy Studios was set up in 2016 following as part of an initiative by Innovate Limerick and Limerick City and County Council to develop film production in the city. The studio has so far hosted two large-scale productions, sci-fi series Nightflyers for Netflix and the upcoming Foundation series which will be streamed on AppleTV+. Foundation, which will premiere on the streaming platform next month is the biggest production ever to be filmed in Ireland with up to 500 crew on set during filming at the Castletroy complex. 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. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed that the proposed legislation on cryptocurrencies has been tabled before the Cabinet and awaiting its approval. "Cabinet note is ready on cryptocurrency (Bill). I am awaiting Cabinet to clear that," the minister told reporters during an interaction on Monday. India has been on the fence on cryptocurrencies for long, gradually making up its mind to whether accept or reject digital currencies. An inter-ministerial panel on cryptocurrency, chaired by Secretary (Economic Affairs), to study the issues related to virtual currencies and propose specific actions has already submitted its report. It has recommended that all private cryptocurrencies, except any virtual currencies issued by state, will be prohibited in India. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also raised concerns on the cryptocurrencies traded in the market and conveyed them to the Centre. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had emphasised that there are no differences between the central bank and the Finance Ministry on cryptocurrencies. He had said he has "reasons to believe" that the government is in agreement with the "major concerns" flagged by the RBI about the cryptocurrencies. "We should now await the final decision on the matter" from the Centre, he had added. Back in March, the Supreme Court had allowed banks and financial institutions to reinstate services related to cryptocurrencies by setting aside the RBI's 2018 circular that had prohibited them. Cryptocurrencies are digital or virtual currencies in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of their units and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice R F Nariman, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circular is liable to be set aside on the ground of "proportionality". "Accordingly, the writ petitions are allowed and the circular dated April 6, 2018 is set aside," said the bench, also comprising justices Aniruddha Bose and V Ramasubramanian. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics In his address to the nation from the White House on Tuesday morning following the dramatic fall of the Afghan national government to the Taliban, US President Joe Biden conceded that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan happened "more quickly" than anticipated, but insisted that he remains "squarely behind" his decision to withdraw American troops from the war-torn country. Here's what Joe Biden said about the Afghan Crisis THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I want to speak today to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan: the developments that have taken place in the last week and the steps were taking to address the rapidly evolving events. My national security team and I have been closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and moving quickly to execute the plans we had put in place to respond to every constituency, including and contingency including the rapid collapse were seeing now. Ill speak more in a moment about the specific steps were taking, but I want to remind everyone how we got here and what Americas interests are in Afghanistan. We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago with clear goals: get those who attacked us on September 11th, 2001, and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us again. We did that. We severely degraded al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We never gave up the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and we got him. That was a decade ago. Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation building. It was never supposed to be creating a unified, centralized democracy. Our only vital national interest in Afghanistan remains today what it has always been: preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland. Ive argued for many years that our mission should be narrowly focused on counterterrorism not counterinsurgency or nation building. Thats why I opposed the surge when it was proposed in 2009 when I was Vice President. And thats why, as President, I am adamant that we focus on the threats we face today in 2021 not yesterdays threats. Today, the terrorist threat has metastasized well beyond Afghanistan: al Shabaab in Somalia, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Nusra in Syria, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia. These threats warrant our attention and our resources. We conduct effective counterterrorism missions against terrorist groups in multiple countries where we dont have a permanent military presence. If necessary, we will do the same in Afghanistan. Weve developed counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the United States in the region and to act quickly and decisively if needed. When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. Under his agreement, U.S. forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 just a little over three months after I took office. U.S. forces had already drawn down during the Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in country, and the Taliban was at its strongest militarily since 2001. The choice I had to make, as your President, was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. There would have been no ceasefire after May 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was no status quo of stability without American casualties after May 1. There was only the cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat in Afghanistan, lurching into the third decade of conflict. I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, Ive learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. Thats why we were still there. We were clear-eyed about the risks. We planned for every contingency. But I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. So whats happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision. American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong incredibly well equipped a force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies. We gave them every tool they could need. We paid their salaries, provided for the maintenance of their air force something the Taliban doesnt have. Taliban does not have an air force. We provided close air support. We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future. Theres some very brave and capable Afghan special forces units and soldiers, but if Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now, there is no chance that 1 year 1 more year, 5 more years, or 20 more years of U.S. military boots on the ground wouldve made any difference. And heres what I believe to my core: It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistans own armed forces would not. If the political leaders of Afghanistan were unable to come together for the good of their people, unable to negotiate for the future of their country when the chips were down, they would never have done so while U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan bearing the brunt of the fighting for them. And our true strategic competitors China and Russia would love nothing more than the United States to continue to funnel billions of dollars in resources and attention into stabilizing Afghanistan indefinitely. When I hosted President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah at the White House in June and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed, to clean up the corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people. We talked extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically. They failed to do any of that. I also urged them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban. This advice was flatly refused. Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong. So Im left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: How many more generations of Americas daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghans Afghanistans civil war when Afghan troops will not? How many more lives American lives is it worth? How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery? Im clear on my answer: I will not repeat the mistakes weve made in the past the mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces. Those are the mistakes we cannot continue to repeat, because we have significant vital interests in the world that we cannot afford to ignore. I also want to acknowledge how painful this is to so many of us. The scenes were seeing in Afghanistan, theyre gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans, our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on the ground working to support the Afghan people. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and for Americans who have fought and served in the country serve our country in Afghanistan this is deeply, deeply personal. It is for me as well. Ive worked on these issues as long as anyone. Ive been throughout Afghanistan during this war while the war was going on from Kabul to Kandahar to the Kunar Valley. Ive traveled there on four different occasions. I met with the people. Ive spoken to the leaders. I spent time with our troops. And I came to understand firsthand what was and was not possible in Afghanistan. So, now were fercus [sic] focused on what is possible. We will continue to support the Afghan people. We will lead with our diplomacy, our international influence, and our humanitarian aid. Well continue to push for regional diplomacy and engagement to prevent violence and instability. Well continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people of women and girls just as we speak out all over the world. I have been clear that human rights must be the center of our foreign policy, not the periphery. But the way to do it is not through endless military deployments; its with our diplomacy, our economic tools, and rallying the world to join us. Now, let me lay out the current mission in Afghanistan. I was asked to authorize and I did 6,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting in the departure of U.S. and Allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan, and to evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of Afghanistan. Our troops are working to secure the airfield and to ensure continued operation of both the civilian and military flights. Were taking over air traffic control. We have safely shut down our embassy and transferred our diplomats. Our dip- our diplomatic presence is now consolidated at the airport as well. Over the coming days, we intend to transport out thousands of American citizens who have been living and working in Afghanistan. Well also continue to support the safe departure of civilian personnel the civilian personnel of our Allies who are still serving in Afghanistan. Operation Allies Refugee [Refuge], which I announced back in July, has already moved 2,000 Afghans who are eligible for Special Immigration Visas and their families to the United States. In the coming days, the U.S. military will provide assistance to move more SIV-eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan. Were also expanding refugee access to cover other vulnerable Afghans who worked for our embassy: U.S. non-governmental agencies or the U.S. non-governmental organizations; and Afghans who otherwise are at great risk; and U.S. news agencies. I know that there are concerns about why we did not begin evacuating Afghans civilians sooner. Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier still hopeful for their country. And part of it was because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence." American troops are performing this mission as professionally and as effectively as they always do, but it is not without risks. As we carry out this departure, we have made it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful. We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary. Our current military mission will be short in time, limited in scope, and focused in its objectives: Get our people and our allies to safety as quickly as possible. And once we have completed this mission, we will conclude our military withdrawal. We will end Americas longest war after 20 long years of bloodshed. The events were seeing now are sadly proof that no amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, united, and secure Afghanistan as known in history as the graveyard of empires." What is happening now could just as easily have happened 5 years ago or 15 years in the future. We have to be honest: Our mission in Afghanistan has taken many missteps made many missteps over the past two decades. Im now the fourth American President to preside over war in Afghanistan two Democrats and two Republicans. I will not pass this responsibly on responsibility on to a fifth President. I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of responsibility for where we are today and how we must move forward from here. I am President of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me. I am deeply saddened by the facts we now face. But I do not regret my decision to end Americas warfighting in Afghanistan and maintain a laser-focus on our counterterrorism missions there and in other parts of the world. Our mission to degrade the terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and kill Osama bin Laden was a success. Our decades-long effort to overcome centuries of history and permanently change and remake Afghanistan was not, and I wrote and believed it never could be. I cannot and I will not ask our troops to fight on endlessly in another in another countrys civil war, taking casualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken by grief and loss. This is not in our national security interest. It is not what the American people want. It is not what our troops, who have sacrificed so much over the past two decades, deserve. I made a commitment to the American people when I ran for President that I would bring Americas military involvement in Afghanistan to an end. And while its been hard and messy and yes, far from perfect Ive honored that commitment. More importantly, I made a commitment to the brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasnt going to ask them to continue to risk their lives in a military action that should have ended long ago. Our leaders did that in Vietnam when I got here as a young man. I will not do it in Afghanistan. I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another President of the United States yet another one a fifth one. Because its the right one its the right decision for our people. The right one for our brave service members who have risked their lives serving our nation. And its the right one for America. So, thank you. May God protect our troops, our diplomats, and all of the brave Americans serving in harms way. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. While many countries are scrambling to empty their embassies and remove their staff from Afghanistan, Russia is staying put -- it has long prepared for the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul. Despite the hardline Islamist group tracing its origins back to the war against the Soviets in the 1980s, Russia's view on the group now is pragmatic. Analysts say the Kremlin wants to protect its interests in Central Asia, where it has several military bases, and is keen to avoid instability and potential terrorism spreading through a region on its doorstep. A Russian foreign ministry statement Monday said the situation in Kabul "is stabilising" and claimed that the Taliban had started to "restore public order". And ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov said the Taliban -- who he was due to meet Tuesday -- was already guarding his embassy and had given Moscow guarantees that the building would be safe. The militants had assured the Russians that "not a single hair will fall from the heads" of their diplomats, he said. This is a stark contrast to the last time hardliners came to power in Afghanistan in 1992, when Moscow struggled to evacuate its embassy under fire after a disastrous decade-long war. Three decades later, the Kremlin has boosted the Taliban's international credibility by hosting it several times for talks in Moscow -- despite the movement being a banned terrorist organisation in Russia. - Sovereignty vs security - The aim of these talks, say analysts, is to stop the conflict from spilling into neighbouring countries and a terrorism spike in its Central Asian neighbours, where Russia maintains military bases. "If we want there to be peace in Central Asia, we need to talk to the Taliban," said Nikolai Bordyuzha, the former secretary general of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). He commended the Russian embassy for staying open. The Taliban has moved to reassure its northern neighbours that it has no designs on them, despite several Central Asian countries having offered logistical support to Washington's war effort. Ambassador Zhirnov suggested the Taliban had also given Moscow assurances. He said Russia wanted Afghanistan to have peaceful relations with "all the countries in the world" and that "the Taliban had already promised us" this. But Russia's foreign ministry has suggested it will not rush into a close relationship with a Taliban government, saying it would monitor the group's conduct before deciding on recognition. And as the Taliban advanced through Afghanistan this summer, Russia staged war games with allies Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on the Afghan border in a show of force. Central Asia expert Arkady Dubnov said Moscow would now look to strengthen its military presence in the region. "To different extents, these countries will be obliged to accept Moscow's help, but none will want to exchange their sovereignty for their security," he said. He stressed that Afghanistan's three Central Asian neighbours -- Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan -- have different approaches to the conflict. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan held high-level talks with the Taliban and are likely to recognise Taliban rule, while Tajikistan has not engaged with the militants. - Years of courting - Russia's dialogue with the Taliban is the fruit of several years of courting. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in July described the Taliban as a "powerful force", and blamed the Afghan government for faltering progress in talks. "It is not for nothing that we have been establishing contacts with the Taliban movement for the last seven years," the Kremlin's Afghanistan envoy, Zamir Kabulov, told the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Monday. This relationship has raised many eyebrows, given that the Taliban has its roots in the anti-Soviet Mujahideen movement from the 1980s. But Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center said Russia now believed the Taliban have changed since the last time it was in power in the 1990s when it gave shelter to Al-Qaeda. "Moscow does not see this version of the Mujahideen as its enemy," he told AFP. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Afghanistan is again under the control of the Taliban, a fundamentalist group that ruled the nation for five years before US-led forces ousted them in 2001. Their return to power is raising concerns across the region about rising numbers of refugees fleeing the groups ultraconservative brand of Islam, and the potential that the Taliban might encourage Islamist movements elsewhere in Central Asia more than two decades after Osama bin Laden first sought refuge under their protection. What is happening in Kabul? Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul on Sunday after President Ashraf Ghani left the country, effectively ending a 20-year effort by the U.S. and other Western nations to remold Afghanistan as a modern democracy. They were buoyed in part by an agreement with the Trump administration in February last year for U.S. forces to leave the country, with President Biden subsequently setting Aug. 31 as the exit date. With Afghan government forces losing air cover and plagued by desertions, the Taliban quickly expanded their footprint in recent weeks, with the last remaining cities, including Kabul, falling under their control by mid-August. Their arrival in Kabul coincided with scenes of panic in some quarters, with Afghans who worked with Western armed forces or agencies rushing to Hamid Karzai International Airport seeking a way out of the country to escape reprisals. Western embassies moved their staff to the airport, which is under U.S. military control, to help evacuate personnel. In chaotic scenes there, crowds of Afghans ran alongside military transport planes as they prepared for takeoff, with some people trying to cling to the sides of the aircraft. Why did Kabul fall so quickly? Afghanistans national army and police forces, theoretically numbering 350,000 men and trained and equipped at huge cost by the U.S. and Western allies, were supposed to be a powerful deterrent to the Taliban. They were trained to match the way American forces operate, combining ground operations with air power and using aircraft to resupply far-flung outposts and collect intelligence. But following Mr. Bidens withdrawal plan, the U.S. pulled its air support, intelligence and contractors servicing Afghanistans planes and helicopters. That meant the Afghan military couldnt function anymore. In many instances, soldiers simply changed out of the uniforms into civilian clothes. Afghanistans top government leadership also left quickly, ostensibly to avoid a bloodbath on the streets of Kabul. Mr. Ghani and a small circle of close advisers took an hourlong flight to neighboring Tajikistan en route to Oman. Several other cabinet ministers had already escaped on flights to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. How much territory is in Taliban hands? At the beginning of July, the Taliban controlled less than a quarter of Afghanistan but was contesting government forces in a fast-growing range of districts. The groups inroads came despite U.S.-sponsored peace talks in Doha, Qatar, that had allowed the Taliban to project themselves as a moderate political force. Over the course of the month and into August, district after district fell to the Taliban offensive as the exit date for the U.S. forces neared. Now almost the entire country is under Taliban control. Who are the leaders of Taliban? The Taliban were founded in southern Afghanistan by Mullah Mohammad Omar, a member of the Pashtun tribe who became a mujahedeen commander and helped push the Soviets out of the country in 1989. In 1994, Mullah Omar formed the group in Kandahar with about 50 followers who rose up to challenge the instability, corruption and crime that consumed Afghanistan during the post-Soviet-era civil war, taking control of the country in 1996. The Taliban swiftly imposed strict Islamic rules that banned television and music, barred girls from going to school and forced women to wear head-to-toe coverings called burqas. The Taliban provided bin Laden with sanctuary while he planned the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. After American-led forces invaded, Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders took refuge in neighboring Pakistan while they mounted an insurgent campaign to regain power in Afghanistan. Mullah Omar died in 2013, and a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in 2016 killed his successor, Mullah Akhtar Mohmmad Mansour. Since then, the group has been led by Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, a Pashtun from Kandahar who once ran the groups Islamic courts. The Talibans political wing is led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. What does this mean for Afghans? Afghans are facing an uncertain future. Despite Taliban assurances that the group wouldnt exact retribution from people who worked with Western governments and agencies, it is already going door-to-door in Kabul seeking suspects, residents say. Women and girls who enjoyed unprecedented freedoms in recent years, including the right to education and to go to work, are under particular threat. Taliban clerics are preparing to return Afghanistan to a more repressive era in a city whose population has swelled from an influx of people who had hoped to escape the Taliban advance. The groups officials havent yet set out what kind of government they plan to install. How is the US handling the evacuation? US forces took control of Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport to manage the flow of transport and passenger planes in and out of the country and have deployed 2,500 troops at the facility to assist the operation, with more to come. U.S. Embassy staff were flown by helicopter to the site in preparation for departure as other western embassies also relocated their diplomatic staff and local employees. Afghan lawmakers and other officials left earlier on commercial flights. Security has been difficult to maintain, however. According to people trapped in the airport, American troops repeatedly shot in the air to disperse the crowds during Sunday night and into Monday. Hundreds of Afghan civilians were seen close to the runway and around parked planes Monday, with some hanging from boarding ramps as they scrambled to get into aircraft, hindering evacuation efforts. The U.S. military also used smoke grenades and flew two helicopters low overhead to try to disperse the crowds, passengers said. In separate events at the airport Monday, U.S. troops shot and killed two armed men, and at least three Afghans clinging to the side of an Air Force jet were run over and killed, according to a U.S. official. The military, which assumed control of the airport and all air traffic operations on Sunday, later suspended all flights until security could be restored, officials said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The Danish head of a World Health Organization-led team that traveled to China earlier this year to probe the origins of Covid-19 called for closer scrutiny of a laboratory near the site of the first known cluster of cases at a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. In comments broadcast by Denmarks state-owned TV 2 and confirmed to The Wall Street Journal, Peter Ben Embarek, a food-safety specialist, said investigators should seek more information about the lab, a research facility run by the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Ben Embareks remarks mark the biggest departure by a member of the WHOs team from their view, expressed at a news conference in February, that a laboratory incident was too unlikely to merit further studies. Its interesting that the lab relocated on the 2nd of December 2019: Thats the period where it all started," Dr. Ben Embarek said in the TV interview. We know that when you move a lab, it disturbs everythingThat entire procedure is always a disruptive element in the daily work routine of a lab." The Wuhan CDC couldnt be immediately reached for comment. In February, lab workers told the WHO-led team that there were no incidents or mishaps that could have unleashed a virus. The Wuhan CDC lab which moved on 2nd December 2019 reported no disruptions or incidents caused by the move," the WHOs joint report said. They also reported no storage nor laboratory activities on CoVs [coronaviruses] or other bat viruses preceding the outbreak." The debate over whether the coronavirus pandemic could have begun with a laboratory mishap has pitted the U.S. against China, and caused deep ruptures between virologists who reach difference conclusions on how likely the idea seems. Chinese authorities, who say the virus couldnt have come from a local lab, have suggested the pandemic could have started outside its borders. The WHO team sent to study evidence on where the coronavirus came from was sharply constrained during its four-week tripwith two of those weeks spent in quarantineand was mostly limited to listening through presentations from Chinese scientists and government officials who declined to provide raw data behind their conclusions. China says it cooperated fully with the probe, and has encouraged the WHO to study whether the virus first began spreading elsewhere. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for further scrutiny of labs in Wuhan, and has offered to send experts as part of a second phase of studies. But diplomatic negotiations to conduct that work have stalled in recent weeks in the face of objections by Beijing. Searching for the origins of any novel pathogen is a difficult process, which is based on science, and takes collaboration, dedication and time," the WHO said in a statement. In order to address the lab hypothesis, it is important to have access to all data and consider scientific best practice." The Biden administration has ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct a 90-day review of the available evidence. That review is set to wrap up at the end of this month. U.S. officials have warned that it is unlikely to reach a firm determination of whether the virus began with a lab accident, or in nature. In his televised remarks, Dr. Ben Embarek focused on the Wuhan CDC lab. The lab is classified BSL-2, a safety level at which air ventilation controls arent particularly strict, as they are in more secure labs. At that level, lab workers are usually dealing with pathogens that either cause mild disease in humans or which dont typically spread through small particles that linger in the air. Researchers at that level dont necessarily wear masks. The Wuhan CDC lab tested all of its staff for Covid-19 antibodies, it told the WHO in February. All staff tested negative, except one who tested positive, it said. That person was infected due to family cluster transmission," the WHO-led teams reports annex says. There is no mention of whether the tests were carried out early enough to detect antibodies, which can fade over time, and no blood samples were preserved. But Dr. Ben Embarek is the first to so explicitly question the teams conclusion, published in a joint report with Chinese counterparts, that a lab accident was an extremely unlikely" hypothesis. That wording was only reached after a 48 hour period of intense negotiations with Chinese counterparts said Dr. Ben Embarek, who said he would have preferred to designate an accident inside a lab as merely unlikely." Beyond that, he said he considered it a stronger possibility that a lab worker interacting with bats in nature could have been the pandemics patient zero. An employee who was infected in the field while collecting samples falls under one of the likely hypotheses," he said. That is where the virus jumps directly from a bat to a human. In this case, it would be a lab employee instead of a random villager or another person or some other person who is regularly in contact with bats." He said he was intrigued by the fact that the lab relocated just as the pandemic was beginning, and said he only learned about the move after it came up in conversation with Chinese researchers. The lab hadnt published any work with bats since 2013, he said. That doesnt mean they havent worked with bats since," he said, in the interview, which he said was conducted around April but held while TV2 awaited clarity on whether future studies will be conducted. As far as we understand, they work mostly with parasites, not as much with viruses, so they have worked on parasites from bats." Its also possible that someone is trying to hide something," he added. Who knows?" Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Jeff Bezos space company has escalated its battle to build a moon lander for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, suing the federal government over the agencys decision to award a sole contract for that work to Elon Musks SpaceX. An affiliate of Blue Origin LLC on Friday sued the government in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over the lander, court records show. In a related filing, the company said the suit protests NASAs decision on the lander, which it called improper. Blue Origin said it filed the suit under seal to protect sensitive information. Last April, NASA awarded Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the formal name for SpaceX, a $2.9 billion contract to develop a vehicle that it would use to land astronauts on the moon under its Artemis program. Blue Origin and Dynetics, a unit of Leidos Holdings Inc., had also competed to create a moon lander for the agency but failed to win part of the contract. On Monday, a Blue Origin spokesman said the company filed the suit to remedy what it said were flaws in how NASA handled awarding the contract for the moon lander. The Verge earlier reported on the lawsuit. NASA didnt have an immediate response to the suit. The agency has said in the past it chose SpaceX in part because of budget constraints and that it was permitted to only choose a single provider for the vehicle. The agency has also said its decision to award SpaceX the contract was a first step, and not the final one, in its plans to hire companies to provide moon-landing services. Mr. Bezos has sought to convince NASA to permit Blue Origin to participate in the moon-lander program. Late last month, he offered to waive up to $2 billion in fees from its bid and provide other benefits in a letter sent to agency administrator Bill Nelson. The company had also lodged a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office over NASAs decision, but the GAO said the agency didnt violate any procurement laws or rules in choosing to only award SpaceX the contract. SpaceX didnt respond to a request for comment. Blue Origin has pressed its case for the lander outside of court as well. On its website, the company posted a graphic that criticized the SpaceX lunar lander, implying that its exit hatch is too high above the moon surface. Such criticism drew a response from Mr. Musk, who said in one tweet if lobbying & lawyers" could get you into orbit, Mr. Bezos would have reached Pluto. A Blue Origin spokesman didnt respond to a request for comment. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. (Image credit: Andriy Onufriyenko via Getty Images) Health officials will likely recommend that people in the U.S. receive a COVID-19 booster shot eight months after their second dose, to boost protection against the highly-transmissible delta variant, according to recent news reports. Before third doses can be administered, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will need to authorize them, according to The New York Times. The first booster doses would likely be given to those who were among the first vaccinated last winter, including nursing home residents, health care workers and emergency workers, likely followed by older people and then the general public, according to the Times. The boosters will be recommended for those who were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna shots; health officials are waiting for more data before advising people who received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, according to CBS News. Related: Coronavirus variants: Here's how the SARS-CoV-2 mutants stack up In any case, before third doses can be administered, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will need to authorize the boosters, according to The Association Press. Last week, the FDA approved booster shots for those with weakened immune systems, the FDA said in a statement. Studies have found that people who are immunocompromised, about 2.7% of the adult population in the U.S., do not mount as strong of a response against SARS-CoV-2 as healthy controls, Live Science previously reported. But what about people who don't have weakened immune systems? Data suggests that COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. do protect most people from severe disease and illness caused by the delta variant, Live Science previously reported. But some data from Israel suggests that the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is declining in the face of the delta variant, according to the Times. "There is a concern that the vaccine may start to wane in its effectiveness over months," Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health told Fox News Sunday. "And delta is a nasty one for us to try to deal with. The combination of those two means we may need boosters." COVID-19 cases in the U.S., driven by the highly-transmissible delta variant, have been rising dramatically, especially in states with lower vaccination rates. Hospitalizations have also been steeply rising, but the vast majority of people who are hospitalized are unvaccinated. On Aug 4, the World Health Organization called for a halt in booster shots at least until the end of September, to allow for enough doses for initial vaccination in poorer countries, according to Reuters. But some countries have already begun giving booster shots to segments of their population. Turkey has already given more than 6.8 million booster shots, according to Hurriyet Daily News. Israel is offering booster shots to people over age 50, and Germany and France are planning to offer booster shots to vulnerable populations next month, according to the Times. In the U.S., health officials say people will likely receive a booster of the same vaccine that they originally received, according to the Times. Originally published on Live Science. The remains of Marcus Venerius Secundio were preserved in a sealed chamber in a Pompeii cemetery. Though the body is nearly 2,000 years old, close-cropped hair and an ear are still visible on the skull. (Image credit: Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii/University of Valencia) The partially mummified remains of an urbane Pompeii resident have been discovered in a tomb outside the city center erected before the famous eruption that buried the town in ash. According to the inscriptions on the tomb, the deceased was a man named Marcus Venerius Secundio, who was in his 60s when he died and was, at one point, enslaved. Later in life, after being freed, Secundio became a well-off priest who conducted rituals in Latin and Greek. The tomb inscription referring to these Greek rituals is the first direct evidence of Greek performances being held in the Italian city. "That performances in Greek were organised is evidence of the lively and open cultural climate which characterised ancient Pompeii," Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, said in a statement . Related: Photos: The bones of Mount Vesuvius Image 1 of 5 A beautiful blue glass urn found in the tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio. The urn likely contains the cremated remains of a woman named Novia Amabilis. (Image credit: Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii/University of Valencia) Image 2 of 5 The masonry tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio in the Porta Sarno Necrtopolis. Faint traces of blue and green paint still grave the outer walls. (Image credit: Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii/University of Valencia) Image 3 of 5 The inscription on the tomb names Marcus Venerius Secundio and says that he performed four days of performances in Greek and Latin as a priest in the imperial cult. (Image credit: Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii/University of Valencia) Image 4 of 5 A close view of the mummification of Marcus Venerius Secundio. The remains have been taken to a laboratory so researchers can learn more about whether this mummification was intentional. (Image credit: Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii/University of Valencia) Image 5 of 5 The remains of Marcus Venerius Secundio were preserved in a sealed chamber in a Pompeii cemetery. Though the body is nearly 2,000 years old, close-cropped hair and an ear are still visible on the skull. (Image credit: Courtesy Archaeological Park of Pompeii/University of Valencia) Mummified remains Secundio's remains rest in a rectangular masonry tomb that was once painted with images of green plants on a blue background; traces of this paint still grace the outside walls of the tomb. The partially mummified body was tucked into a sealed alcove in the tomb with an arched ceiling. Close-cropped hair and an ear are still visible on the skull. Archaeologists also recovered scraps of fabric and two glass bottles called "unguentaria" from Secundio's tomb. Unguentaria are often found in Roman and Greek cemeteries and may have held oils or perfumes for graveside rituals. The tomb also contained two funerary urns, including a beautiful blue-glass urn belonging to a woman whose name is recorded as Novia Amabilis ("kind wife"). Cremation was the most common method of burial for Pompeiians during the Roman period, according to archaeologists. It's not clear why Secundio's remains weren't cremated. It's also not clear if his body mummified naturally or if it was treated to prevent decomposition. "We still need to understand whether the partial mummification of the deceased is due to intentional treatment or not," University of Valencia archaeologist Llorenc Alapont said in the statement. Multilingual city The tomb is in the Porta Sarno Necropolis, which sits just outside the town walls by the Porta di Nola gate. A number of notables were buried in the necropolis, including city administrator Marcus Obellius Firmus, who lived during the reign of Emperor Nero (between A.D. 54 and 68), according to ArchaeoSpain , a field school that coordinates internships at Pompeii and other sites. What is known of Marcus Venerius Secundio's life comes from a previously discovered record-keeping tablet belonging to the banker Cecilius Giocondus, as well as the inscription carved in marble on Secundio's tomb. He was a slave at the temple of Venus before his release, after which he joined the priesthood of the imperial cult, dedicated to glorifying the memory of the Roman emperor Augustus, who ruled from 27 B.C. to A.D. 14. As one of these "Augustales," Secundio "gave Greek and Latin 'ludi' for the duration of four days," according to the tomb inscription. "Ludi graeci" were theater performances in Greek, Zuchtriegel said. "It is the first clear evidence of performances at Pompeii in the Greek language, which had previously been hypothesised on the basis of indirect indicators," he said. These performances indicate that Pompeii in the first century was a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic place where Eastern Mediterranean cultures melded. Originally published on Live Science. This Cassini image reveals the northern hemisphere of Saturn as it nears its summer solstice. This Cassini image reveals the northern hemisphere of Saturn as it nears its summer solstice. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute) Saturn's rings aren't just a beautiful adornment scientists can use the feature to understand what's happening deep inside the planet. By using the famous rings like a seismograph, scientists studied processes in the planet's interior and determined that its core must be "fuzzy." Instead of a solid sphere like Earth's, the core of Saturn appears to consist of a 'soup' of rocks, ice and metallic fluids that slosh around and affect the planet's gravity. The new study used data from NASA's Cassini mission , which orbited Saturn and its moons for 13 years between 2004 and 2017. In 2013, data from the mission revealed for the first time that Saturn's innermost ring, the D-ring, ripples and swirls in ways that cannot be entirely explained by the gravitational influences of the planet's moons. The new study looked at these motions in Saturn's rings in greater detail to gain insight into the processes in its interior. "We used Saturn's rings like a giant seismograph to measure oscillations inside the planet," Jim Fuller, assistant professor of theoretical astrophysics at Caltech and one of the authors of the paper said in a statement. "This is the first time we've been able to seismically probe the structure of a gas giant planet, and the results were pretty surprising." Related: Cassini's greatest hits: The spacecraft's best images of Saturn Not only does the planet's core seem sludgy, it also appears to extend across 60% of the planet's diameter, making it much larger than previously estimated. The analysis showed that Saturn's core might be about 55 times as massive as the entire planet Earth . Of the total mass of the core, 17 Earth masses are made of ice and rock, with the rest consisting of a hydrogen and helium-based fluid, the study suggests. The lead author of the study, Christopher Mankovich, a postdoctoral scholar research associate in planetary science who works in Fuller's group, explained that the motions in the core cause Saturn's surface to constantly ripple. These surface waves create minuscule changes in the planet's gravity that subsequently affect the rings. "Saturn is always quaking, but it's subtle," Mankovich said in the statement. "The planet's surface moves about a meter [3 feet] every one to two hours like a slowly rippling lake. Like a seismograph, the rings pick up the gravity disturbances, and the ring particles start to wiggle around." Ripples in Saturn's famous rings reveal what's happening inside the planet's core. (Image credit: Caltech) According to the scientists, the nature of those ring ripples suggests that the core, despite its sloshing, is composed of stable layers of various densities. Heavier materials sit around the center of the planet and don't mix with the lighter materials closer to the surface. "In order for the planet's gravitational field to be oscillating with these particular frequencies, the interior must be stable, and that's only possible if the fraction of ice and rock gradually increases as you go in toward the planet's center," Fuller said. Mankovich compared the material in the core to sludge, adding that the layered but liquid nature of the core is akin to the salinity of Earth's oceans, which increases with depth. "The hydrogen and helium gas in the planet gradually mix with more and more ice and rock as you move toward the planet's center," Mankovich said. The findings might challenge some of the established models of the formation of gas giants , planets with no hard surface, which are composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, the study suggests. These models assume that the rocky cores of these planets formed first and then attracted large envelopes of gas. If the cores of the planets are, however, fuzzy as the study indicates, the planets might instead incorporate gas earlier in the process. In fact, recent findings by NASA's Juno mission suggest that another of the solar system's gas giants, Jupiter , might also have a similarly fuzzy core. "Christopher [Mankovich] and Jim [Fuller] were able to show that one particular ring feature provided strong evidence that Saturn's core is extremely diffuse," said Matt Hedman, a planetary scientist at the University of Idaho, who was part of the team that first discovered that the motions in Saturn's rings can't be fully explained by the gravity of its moons. "I am excited to think about what all the other ring features generated by Saturn might be able to tell us about that planet," added Hedman, who did not collaborate on the new paper. The research is described in a paper published Monday (Aug. 16) in the journal Nature. Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Click here to read the full article. A galaxy far, far away just got even bigger. The Star Wars universe gets the anime treatment in the first trailer for the animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions on Disney Plus. The series showcases nine original stories from seven Japanese anime studios. First revealed at the Anime Expo Lite in July, the studios involved in Star Wars: Visions are Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru and Production IG. The studios and their corresponding episode titles are as follows: Kamikaze Douga The Duel Geno Studio (Twin Engine) Lop and Ocho Studio Colorido (Twin Engine) Tatooine Rhapsody Trigger The Twins and The Elder Kinema Citrus The Village Bride Science Saru Akakiri and T0-B1 Production IG The Ninth Jedi Overlaid with Japanese narration, the trailer shows off some impressive animation, filled with brand new heroes, villains, aliens, blasters and, of course, all-new lightsabers. In one quick scene, an evil Sith-looking character pulls out an eight-bladed red lightsaber contraption, which begins twirling around so fast it becomes a blur and deflects incoming blaster fire from a droid holding a gatling gun. In another scene, a blonde female character wields two red lightsabers with four more attached to her body that shes able to control. She faces off with a young male hero who has a blue lightsaber, but the woman is able to control her red lightsabers like whips and wraps them around his blade. The two face off in the wreckage of a Star Destroyer, blasting red and blue force lightning at each other in a powerful showdown. Both Japanese and English versions of the series will be released. The English-dubbed cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lucy Liu, Henry Golding, Simu Liu, George Takei, Alison Brie, David Harbour, Karen Fukuhara, Bobby Moynihan, Neil Patrick Harris, Kimiko Glenn, Kyle Chandler, James Hong, Jordan Fisher and more. Boba Fett will appear in one episode, voiced by actor Temuera Morrison. Star Wars: Visions debuts on Disney Plus on September 22. Watch the trailer below. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. With the return to school and thousands of children returning to their campuses on Monday, the COVID-19 delta variant impact on children was a highly discussed topic by city councilmembers. The COVID situation in Laredo continues to look dire as it has been 14 days without ICU beds. Officials added that as of the latest data Monday night, 88 individuals were hospitalized with 25 in overflow. Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino said that the city sits at a 19.5% hospitalization rate, and plans for a pediatric holding area have been discussed which would see adult COVID patients removed from an area for a space for children. With no pediatric ICU, transferring children with severe COVID symptoms will be the main way to address that child. However, Trevino said that one of the main receiving hospitals for children has seen a 130% capacity. Students will be monitored for signs of increasing COVID cases for the following weeks. Health Director Richard Chamberlain explained that as of Monday, Aug. 16, of the 886 active cases, younger individuals have seen an increase in positivity with 142 being between the age of 0-9, 155 between 10-19 and 175 between 20-29. Cases began to decrease for the 30-39 age group (170) and every following older 10-year age group after at 111, 66, 37 and 22. Meanwhile, only eight cases were reported for people between 80-99. As for severe cases, only one child had experienced severe symptoms in Laredo. Trevino said that the return to school will put students in a closed environment, which when compounded with the eruption of delta cases, the city expects a surge of cases in pediatric COVID cases. With an expected increase on the horizon, Trevino said that if unable to transfer pediatric patients out to other hospitals, the pediatric areas will be the last resort. According to Fire Chief and Emergency Coordinator Guillermo Heard, both LMC and Doctors Hospital are finding the situation difficult as a reduced staff is contributing to an already difficult operation. But an infusion center is slated to be operational this Friday with 30 beds; children under 12, however, will still be unable to take advantage of the new center. cocampo@lmtonline.com Classes have returned for local children, and after a tough 2020-21 school year away from campus, teachers and administrators will start working to ensure the safety of students and provide a quality learning experience through May. But many still question if this is the right time to go back to school, especially as cases are once again surging locally while the citys requests to receive state assistance have been denied. And on Sunday evening, a major figure in the area medically addressed his thoughts on the situation. Dr. Ricardo Cigarroa posted a video on the Facebook group, Laredo Contra COVID-19 which was a major source of medical information for locals throughout the pandemic talking about the return to school and his view on the situation. If your child is vaccinated, I would definitely send them back to school, he said. As we know, they have been out of school for over a year and this results in social issues, lack of excellent education because education in person is better than virtual results in the physically and mentally disabled population not being able to educate themselves, it results in the lack of nutrition, anxiety and depression. So I think yes, vaccinated children, I would send them to school, I would still have them wear face masks and distance. However, the real question remains for those with children who are unable to be vaccinated as only those over the age of 12 are eligible. The City of Laredo has roughly a third of its population under the age of 18. Thus for these unvaccinated children, the decision is more difficult. But as the delta variant has affected thousands of children throughout the nation and mask mandates are struck down in Texas, Cigarroa recommends those children to be kept at home. He says it would be a temporary measure until a vaccine is developed for those under 12 years of age. I know that this is a difficult decision, and I know that each one of you has to make it for your child, Cigarroa said. And the right answer is the answer that you make. Ive always said think for yourself. I think that issues have changed dramatically over the last week, and thats why my recommendation is not send your unvaccinated child to school. The words from the man whos previously been described as South Texas Dr. Fauci cut through the noise as it may be difficult to hold a child off from returning to school after an already difficult year. As both UISD and LISD implemented mask mandates to better protect students and staff, additional measures are still in place to bolster that protection. These include desk shields, handwashing, social distancing protocols, routine sanitation and multiple exits and entrances across Laredo campuses. However, Cigarroa explicitly stated that as the mask mandates in Dallas and Austin have been struck down, Laredo will soon likely meet the same fate. Regardless, districts are still expected to uphold their responsibilities. McDonnell Elementary Principal Erica Rodriguez said that safety is the No. 1 priority, and as the school with one of the highest populations during the 2020-21 school year, it has adapted and is improving its return-to-school safety measures to address current concerns. For the concern of social distancing during lunch time, Rodriguez explained that only 1st and 3rd graders eat in the cafeteria and maintain their social distancing guidelines while taking the extra step of taking their desk shields with them. All other grades eat in their classrooms from their desks. Even still, the changes dont seem to phase the children too much as they are still as talkative as ever and enjoy the company, whether it be their classroom or cafeteria. As for the masks, she added that last years experience has helped greatly as many students already understand what is expected, while the teachers will be helping new students get used to the safety measures through the following weeks. Rodriguez believes it may take approximately three weeks to build the good safety habits. Whether it be McDonnell or any other school in Laredo, students have high expectations placed on them as they are also part of the recovery efforts to rid the community of COVID. By adhering to wearing their masks, social distancing and protecting one another, children of all ages contribute daily to future without COVID-19. This is shown by students being aware of their impact, and in the case where a student forgets their mask, they continue to shield their mouth using their T-shirt until the school gives them one. These expectations are now a part of their lives, and many students may have a better understanding of taking care of others once the storm subsides. As for the mask mandate, Rodriguez said that approximately 98% of McDonnell parents are in favor of mask wearing and that the community has come together to promote wearing them. The small remaining percentage has concerns over students with asthma and other health conditions that can be affected by mask wearing. She clarified that those parents are always welcomed to visit the campus and discuss the situation. Even if there was no mask mandate tomorrow or an hour from now the parents are going to send them with a mask, Rodriguez said. The parents have been very supportive. As far as concerns go, the main one revolves around learning loss. Rodriguez said that with so many students falling behind after a virtual learning year, preparing the students to learn as best as possible is a high priority. Getting back on track is vital as a student can face numerous difficulties if unprepared in later grade levels. Throughout both districts, jumpstart programs, tutoring and more are being promoted for students who had difficulty learning in an attempt to catch them up. This includes students that need help with the STAAR testing. Ultimately, the success of a student will rely on them showing up to class, abiding by the safety rules and taking advantage of the catch-up programs. Monday also marked the day some high school students first stepped onto their campus. According to Martin High School principal Mario Mireles, a large number of students returned and the administration team had to be available throughout the day to guide new and returning students on the first day. Approximately 200 employees returned to campus, with the MHS student population seeing a slight decline in numbers. Regardless, students registered have adapted to the protocols implemented to classrooms, gyms, workshops and extracurriculars, Mireles said. I have not had one complaint about the masks or wearing of the mask, he added. Similar to elementary and middle schools, high schools also host an isolation ward to ensure that students with COVID symptoms are checked separately to reduce the risks of infection. These rooms are generally close to the nurses office. Mireles and Rodriguez both said that it was a welcoming feeling to see the first day go well as students could be seen and heard walk through the campuses. cocampo@lmtonline.com Two soldiers stationed at Fort Hood have pleaded guilty to smuggling migrants within the United States, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Ralph Gregory Saint-Joie, 18, pleaded guilty on Aug. 12 while Emmanuel Oppongagyare, 21, entered his plea on Aug. 11. Both were convicted of conspiracy to transport an undocumented migrant within the United States. Saint-Joie has been identified as an active duty member of the U.S. Army while Oppongagyare is from the Pennsylvania National Guard. At the time of arrest, each noted they were stationed at Fort Hood, the U.S. Attorneys Office stated in a news release. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana will set sentencing for a later date. Oppongagyare and Saint-Joie could face up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Oppongagyare remains in custody while Saint-Joie is out on bond. Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Bajew is prosecuting the case. The case unfolded on June 13, when Oppongagyare and Saint-Joie arrived at the checkpoint in Hebbronville wearing their army-issued uniforms. When asked about his intended destination, Oppongagyare stated he was traveling from Zapata, Texas to San Antonio, Texas. The Border Patrol agent then asked why Oppongagyare was taking such an indirect route of travel, to which he told the agent his GPS told him to go that way, states the affidavit. Then, a K-9 unit alerted to possible contraband within the trunk of the vehicle, where authorities discovered two Mexican citizens who were in the country illegally. At the time of his plea, Oppongagyare admitted a person he met through Saint-Joie recruited him to pick up the (migrants) from McAllen and drive them to San Antonio. They expected to be paid once they arrived at the destination, states the news release. Oppongagyare added he was given $100 for gas but was told he would get paid more once arriving in San Antonio, according to court documents. According to Oppongagyare, the person who recruited him told him and Saint-Joie to wear their Army-issued uniforms to avoid questioning at the checkpoints when traveling. The recruiter told Oppongagyare the same tactic has worked in previous smuggling events, states the plea agreement document. The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results The recently published report by Jim Power entitled The Economic and Financial Significance of the Irish Greyhound Industry can be summed up in one word decline. By commissioning this report in the middle of the Covid pandemic, the greyhound board were no doubt hoping that the decline could be pinned on the fallout from lockdown. But the key findings for the year 2019 show that this industrys demise was well under way before Covid struck. Compared with Powers previous report of the same title based on performance in 2016, the 2019 figures can leave no one in any doubt where this industry is headed. Average attendance at race meetings down 28 percent; number of trainers down 26 percent; employment through betting down 35 percent; direct and indirect employment down 18 percent; the economic value of that employment down 17 percent. These figures plummet even more dramatically when the 2020 figures are applied. While the slump in activities outlined above is acknowledged in the Power report, a preponderance of blame is assigned to Covid, rather than to systemic decline. The report claims that it will be possible to exceed pre-Covid levels of attendance at race meetings by 36 percent in 2023. No evidence is presented to support this very questionable claim. When the RTE documentary Running For Their Lives exposed the nasty underbelly of this industry two years ago, the Irish public were, rightfully, sickened to the core. The death knell of greyhound racing had been sounded. What Jim Power fails to acknowledge in his report is that the genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of wishful thinking or expensive reports will put it back in. Yours etc, Nuala Donlon, Spokesperson Greyhound Action Ireland Weather Alert HENRI IS FORECAST TO IMPACT PORTIONS OF THE AREA SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT This product covers Southeast New York, Northeast New Jersey, and Southern Connecticut **HENRI IS FORECAST TO IMPACT PORTIONS OF THE AREA SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT** NEW INFORMATION --------------- * CHANGES TO WATCHES AND WARNINGS: - A Storm Surge Watch has been issued for Bronx and Northern Queens - A Hurricane Watch has been issued for Northern Middlesex, Northern New Haven, and Northern New London - A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Northern Fairfield * CURRENT WATCHES AND WARNINGS: - A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Bronx and Northern Queens - A Storm Surge Watch and Tropical Storm Watch are in effect for Northern Nassau, Southern Nassau, Southern Westchester, and Southern Fairfield - A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Northern Middlesex, Northern New Haven, and Northern New London - A Storm Surge Watch and Hurricane Watch are in effect for Northeast Suffolk, Northwest Suffolk, Southeast Suffolk, and Southwest Suffolk, Southern Middlesex, Southern New Haven, and Southern New London - A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Northern Fairfield * STORM INFORMATION: - About 720 miles south of New York City NY or about 740 miles south of Montauk Point NY - 30.4N 73.7W - Storm Intensity 65 mph - Movement Northwest or 305 degrees at 7 mph SITUATION OVERVIEW ------------------ Tropical Storm Henri is currently due east of the South Carolina coastline and will likely track north nearing eastern Long Island and into southern New England Sunday as a Category 1 Hurricane. The main threats from Henri are potentially life-threatening storm surge, heavy rain capable of producing flash flooding, tropical storm or hurricane force winds along the south shore and east end of Long Island and across southeast Connecticut. There will also be associated marine and coastal hazards, including very rough seas and dangerous rip currents. Severe beach erosion is possible for coastal areas of Long Island Sound and portions of Suffolk County, including the Twin Forks region. A widespread rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is forecast in the path of Henri with localized higher amounts possible Saturday through Sunday evening. The highest amounts are forecast to be across eastern Long Island and much of southeastern Connecticut. This will present a likelihood for areas of flash flooding. Dangerous marine conditions are likely on the ocean waters south of Long Island, as well as on Long Island Sound, and the south shore and eastern bays of Long Island. Tropical storm force winds will be most likely in those areas, near the south shores and east end of Long Island and southeast Connecticut, and in some higher elevations away from the coastline. Dangerous rip currents and high surf are expected along the ocean beaches of Long Island beginning Friday. POTENTIAL IMPACTS ----------------- * WIND: Prepare for life-threatening wind having possible extensive impacts across eastern Long Island and southern Connecticut. Potential impacts in this area include: - Considerable roof damage to sturdy buildings, with some having window, door, and garage door failures leading to structural damage. Mobile homes severely damaged, with some destroyed. Damage accentuated by airborne projectiles. Locations may be uninhabitable for weeks. - Many large trees snapped or uprooted along with fences and roadway signs blown over. - Some roads impassable from large debris, and more within urban or heavily wooded places. Several bridges, causeways, and access routes impassable. - Large areas with power and communications outages. Also, prepare for dangerous wind having possible limited impacts across southern New York and northeast New Jersey. * SURGE: Prepare for locally hazardous surge having possible limited impacts across coastal Long Island, the Western Long Island Sound, and southern Connecticut. Potential impacts in this area include: - Localized inundation with storm surge flooding mainly along immediate shorelines and in low lying spots, or in areas farther inland near where higher surge waters move ashore. - Sections of near shore roads and parking lots become overspread with surge water. Driving conditions dangerous in places where surge water covers the road. - Moderate beach erosion. Heavy surf also breaching dunes, mainly in usually vulnerable locations. Strong and frequent rip currents. - Minor to locally moderate damage to marinas, docks, boardwalks, and piers. A few small craft broken away from moorings. Elsewhere across Southeast New York, Northeast New Jersey, little to no impact is anticipated. * FLOODING RAIN: Prepare for dangerous rainfall flooding having possible significant impacts across eastern Long Island and southern Connecticut. Potential impacts include: - Moderate rainfall flooding may prompt several evacuations and rescues. - Rivers and streams may quickly become swollen with swifter currents and may overspill their banks in a few places, especially in usually vulnerable spots. Small streams, creeks, canals, and ditches may overflow. - Flood waters can enter some structures or weaken foundations. Several places may experience expanded areas of rapid inundation at underpasses, low lying spots, and poor drainage areas. Some streets and parking lots take on moving water as storm drains and retention ponds overflow. Driving conditions become hazardous. Some road and bridge closures. Prepare for locally hazardous rainfall flooding having possible limited impacts across southern New York and northeast New Jersey. * TORNADOES: Little to no impacts are anticipated at this time across Southeast New York, Northeast New Jersey, and Southern Connecticut. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS ---------------------------------- * EVACUATIONS: Listen to local official for recommended preparedness actions, including possible evacuation. If ordered to evacuate, do so immediately. For those not under evacuation orders, assess the risk from wind, falling trees, and flooding at your location. If you decide to move, relocate to a safer location nearby. If you do not relocate, help keep roadways open for those under evacuation orders. If evacuating, leave with a destination in mind and allow extra time to get there. Take your emergency supplies kit. Gas up your vehicle ahead of time. * OTHER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION: Now is the time to check your emergency plan and emergency supplies kit and take necessary actions to protect your family and secure your home or business. When making safety and preparedness decisions, do not focus on the exact forecast track, since hazards such as flooding rain, damaging wind gusts, storm surge, and tornadoes can extend well away from the center of the storm. When securing your property, outside preparations should be completed as soon as possible before conditions deteriorate. The onset of strong winds or flooding can cause certain preparedness activities to become unsafe. Check on those who may not be fully aware of the situation or who are unable to make personal preparations. If you are a visitor, know the name of the county where you are located and where it is relative to current watches and warnings. If staying at a hotel, ask the management staff about their onsite disaster plan. Listen for evacuation orders, especially pertaining to area visitors. Closely monitor http://weather.gov, NOAA Weather Radio, and local news outlets for official storm information. Listen for possible changes to the forecast. * ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION: - For information on appropriate preparations see http://ready.gov - For information on creating an emergency plan see http://getagameplan.org - For additional disaster preparedness information see http://redcross.org NEXT UPDATE ----------- The next local statement will be issued by the National Weather Service in New York NY around 6 PM EDT, or sooner if conditions warrant. (Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of London-listed company director and manager changes announced on Tuesday and not separately reported by Alliance News: NAHL Group PLC - consumer legal services - Promotes James Saralis from chief financial officer to chief executive officer, effective immediately. Finance Director Chris Higham is appointed as acting CFO, though he won't join the board. Saralis joined NAHL as CFO at the start of 2018. Since then, the company said, he has help transform its Personal Injury business into a modern, technology-enabled law firm, while also overseeing a reduction in group debt. Higham joined NAHL in 2006 as financial controller of National Accident Helpline Ltd, having worked at Thomson Reuters. Rurelec PLC - power generator and power plants developer focused on Argentina - Executive Director Simon Morris resigns, effective immediately, with no reason provided by the company. Rurelec says a search for a successor has begun, and it will continue its strategy of selling non-core assets to increase financial liquidity. "Since his appointment to the board in 2015, Simon has played a key role in the survival of the company by stabilising the finances against a background of deteriorating operating conditions in the state controlled electricity market in Argentina," comments Director Andy Coveney. Treatt PLC - Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk-based natural ingredients for beverage, flavour and fragrance industries - Non-Executive Director Jeff Iliffe will step down on February 25, 2022, having served for nine years on the board. Treatt noted that Iliffe would no long be considered independent if he remained longer. By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Fulham Shore PLC on Tuesday reported a drop in sales and a wider loss in the 2021 financial year, as it vowed to push on with expansion plans while diners return to restaurants after lockdown. The London-based company, which owns the Franco Manca and Real Greek restaurant brands, made revenue of GBP40.3 million in the financial year ended March 28, down 41% year-on-year from GBP68.6 million. Its pretax loss widened to GBP7.5 million from GBP754,000. Shares were up 3.1% to 16.50 pence in London on Tuesday afternoon. The company was hit hard as the pandemic shut its restaurants, most of which are in London. But trading was "buoyant" in summer 2020, between lockdowns in the UK, and the company took advantage of government support including the furlough scheme and tax relief. In an update on current trading, Fulham Shore said revenue averaged GBP1.5 million per week between June 21 and Sunday last week, an increase of 8% compared to the same period in 2019. But sales in city centre restaurants were down 41% versus 2019 levels, because of a lack of office workers and tourists. Outside city centres, sales are up 30%, with outlets in coastal and university towns "especially busy". "We believe revenues will recover in the medium term as tourism recovers and the move back to offices recommences after the summer," the company said. Fulham Shore is continuing expansion plans, identifying over 125 new Franco Manca and 30 new Real Greek sites, which would bring its total estate to over 230 restaurants in the UK in the medium term. The company said it has benefited from lower rents as High Street stores go out of business. The firm has also started "investing in an experienced team to capitalise on the opportunity to establish our brands overseas." Although Fulham Shore had been considering starting a dividend, that will be delayed "until the full effects of the pandemic are over." "Having navigated the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the group is well-positioned to capitalise on emerging opportunities. We are confident that this current financial year will be the start of another exciting period of growth," Executive Chair David Page said. By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Pineapple Power Corporation PLC - cash shell with a focus on acquisitions in clean and renewable energy sectors - Signs non-binding heads of terms to buy BVP Investments Ltd, Dublin-based and eco-focused fund manager, in reverse takeover. Shares suspended under takeover rules, plans equity financing to fund future investment and working capital requirements of BVP. Pineapple Power proposes to change its name to Cool Capital upon completion of acquisition. Current stock price: 8.60 pence Year-to-date change: up 76% By Josie O'Brien; josieobrien@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main Market small-caps on Tuesday. SMALL-CAP - WINNERS Nostrum Oil & Gas PLC, up 14% at 11.90 pence, 12-month range 7.95p-15.00p. The oil & gas exploration and production company posted a first half revenue decline, despite higher oil prices. Nostrum narrowed its losses, however, as it kept a lid on costs. It also named a permanent chief financial officer. Nostrum, which operates in Kazakhstan, said revenue in the six months to June 30 fell 0.4% to USD92.3 million from USD92.6 million. However, revenue in the second quarter alone was 43% higher at USD46.1 million from USD32.3 million. Its pretax loss in the first half narrowed to USD34.4 million from USD51.1 million. Sales costs were 23% lower at USD42.9 million from USD63.9 million, while general & administrative expenses and selling & transportation expenses were 29% and 33% lower, respectively. Company named Shane Drader as its CFO, effective August 30. Interim CFO Martin Cocker will step down from the post on the same date, but will remain with the company as an independent non-executive director. Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd, up 14% at 0.43 pence, 12-month range 0.18p-0.81p. Readmitted to trading in London and notes Atomic Oil & Gas assets performing significantly ahead of expectation, with current oil production increased 80% to 2,200 barrels per day gross from 1,220 barrels at the start of April. Chief Executive Arthur Millholland said: "Oil production will continue to increase as the surface well site production facilities are enhanced to handle the increased oil production rates and associated higher working pressures. In addition, we have initiated operations to exploit the substantial upside identified by our team. We are confident that the assets acquired through the acquisition will continue to add significant value going forward and have increased our production forecasts accordingly." Tirupati Graphite PLC, up 7.1% at 117.80 pence, 12-month range 50.50p-153.00p. Specialist graphite producer and graphene and advanced materials developer enters binding acquisition agreement for acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Suni Resources SA for about GBP6.6 million. Suni Resources holds the Mozambique portfolio of graphite assets of ASX-listed Battery Minerals Ltd, which includes the construction initiated Montepuez graphite project and the advanced feasibility study stage Balama Central graphite project. SMALL-CAP - LOSERS Argo Blockchain PLC, down 3.8% at 119.85 pence, 12-month range 4.70p-284.00p. Notes it has become climate positive from Scope 1, 2 and Greenhouse Gas emissions associated with its cryptocurrency mining operations. To achieve this, has acquired renewable energy credits retroactively for 2020 and for any remaining non-renewable electricity use. Also notes it is now part of the UNFCCC's Climate Neutral Now initiative. Chief Executive Peter Wall said: "We are proud to be the first publicly traded company in the industry to report becoming climate positive and are pleased to announce our climate strategy. This strategy is representative of our ongoing commitment to reducing our environmental impact and, importantly, ensures that the benefits of the actions taken are felt directly in the localities in which emissions occur as a result of Argo's operations." By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Podemos, one of the three governing parties at Palma town hall, are calling on their partners (PSOE, Mes) to declare Palma a host city for Afghan refugees. The party says that many people are fleeing a country where there is special danger for women and girls. Podemos want Palma to be able to give political refuge to those who flee. Human rights activists who are threatened with death by the Taliban need to be helped. "As a city of solidarity, we cannot fail the people of Afghanistan in their cry for help. The international community must do everything to establish as soon as possible a safe humanitarian corridor for all those who want to leave the country." Spain, Podemos stress, must act swiftly in repatriating citizens, given events that are worsening rapidly. For Podemos, the current situation in Afghanistan is one more example of "the failed policies carried out by NATO in the area for years". The party is calling for a change in international politics to protect lives and rights. "It is necessary to fight against barbarism and take human rights into account first and foremost." Podemos highlight the speed with which the Balearic government has offered to welcome women and girls from Afghanistan. The party hopes that all institutions on the islands will act with solidarity and offer to receive refugees "in these difficult times". Unions representing the National Police in the Balearics are indignant at statements made in Palma by the national interior minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska, in which he gave assurances that the Balearic Islands have the "necessary" infrastructure to deal with the migratory wave from Algeria. The four unions - SUP, SPP, CEP and UFP - jointly refute not only what the minister said but also also statements by the national government's delegation in the Balearics. The unions say that they have only managed by improvising - "placing these people in maritime stations and in police station cells and garages". They add that they have been demanding for years that there is "adequate infrastructure" for migrants and that facilities comply with the proper security and protection measures for the police and for migrants. "We have been asking for more resources and more personnel to deal with this situation." Until now, "everything has been promises". Outraged by statements by political leaders, the unions stress that it is their "duty" to deny them and to demand the resources required because of the number of migrant boats. US Covid-19 cases can cross 200,000 a day due to the surge of the virus driven by the Delta variant, said National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins. "I will be surprised if we don't cross 200,000 cases a day in the next couple of weeks, and that's heartbreaking considering we never thought we'd be back in that space again. That was January-February, that shouldn't be August," Xinhua news agency quoted Collins as saying on Fox News on Sunday. The US has registered 36,669,696 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 621,605 deaths since the pandemic first hit the country early last year. The sharp rise in the number of paediatric cases in the country is "very worrisome", he said, noting at least 400 children have died from the virus. "And right now we have almost 2,000 kids in the hospital. Many of them in ICU, some of them under the age of four. So anybody tries to tell you, don't worry about the kids. Virus won't really bother them. That's not the evidence," said Collins. "Especially with Delta being so contagious kids are very seriously at risk and it's up to all of us to do everything we can to protect them as well as we're trying to protect everybody else." Children under the age of 12 have not been authorised to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. As of Sunay, the country has averaged about 129,000 daily new cases over the last seven days, a number that has risen every day since July 5, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Almost 94,000 Covid-19 cases among children were reported in the past week, "a continuing substantial increase", the American Academy of Paediatrics said in a report updated on Monday. Nearly 4.3 million children had tested positive for Covid-19 in the country as of Aug. 5 since the onset of the pandemic. As of Monday morning, the US has registered 36,669,696 confirmed cases and 621,605 deaths since the pandemic first hit the country early last year, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Source: IANS "We're in a world of hurt and it's a critical juncture to try to do everything we can to turn that around," said Collins.The sharp rise in the number of paediatric cases in the country is "very worrisome", he said, noting at least 400 children have died from the virus."And right now we have almost 2,000 kids in the hospital. Many of them in ICU, some of them under the age of four. So anybody tries to tell you, don't worry about the kids. Virus won't really bother them. That's not the evidence," said Collins."Especially with Delta being so contagious kids are very seriously at risk and it's up to all of us to do everything we can to protect them as well as we're trying to protect everybody else."Children under the age of 12 have not been authorised to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.As of Sunay, the country has averaged about 129,000 daily new cases over the last seven days, a number that has risen every day since July 5, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.Almost 94,000 Covid-19 cases among children were reported in the past week, "a continuing substantial increase", the American Academy of Paediatrics said in a report updated on Monday.Nearly 4.3 million children had tested positive for Covid-19 in the country as of Aug. 5 since the onset of the pandemic.As of Monday morning, the US has registered 36,669,696 confirmed cases and 621,605 deaths since the pandemic first hit the country early last year, according to the Johns Hopkins University.Source: IANS "But here we are with Delta variant, which is so contagious, and this heartbreaking situation where 90 million people are still unvaccinated who are sitting ducks for this virus and that's the mess we're in. Genetic programs in the fruit fly are presumed to have a similar function in humans that may offer protection to neurons against degeneration as per a study at the University Of Bonn, Germany, published in the journal Neuron. A fruit fly's brain is smaller than even a dot. However, it is found to contain around 100,000 neurons. The evolutionary paths of Drosophila melanogaster (scientific name of fruit fly) and Homo sapiens had been separated several hundred million years ago. Genes in the fruit fly are presumed to have a similar function in humans that may offer protection to neurons against degeneration and help formulate better therapeutics against neurodegenerative diseases. Dual Role of Genes "We specifically switched off individual genes and observed how the neurons changed as a result. During this, we came upon a gene called WNK, which performs an incredible dual role," says Prof. Dietmar Schmucker from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn, who led the research and is also holding a Humboldt Professorship in Bonn since 2019. The study revealed that WNK gene is necessary for connecting the neurons during the development of the nervous system. Absence of this gene (e.g., due to mutation) stopped the branching of the axons (nerve branches) during the experiment. The WNK gene also appears to protect existing axons in adult animals and switching off it at this late time results in degeneration of the branches in the adult animals. These two functions of the gene behave as two sides of the same coin. The gene is also found to contain the blueprint for an enzyme called kinase that is involved in the protection of neurons. The WNK kinase may thereby be of therapeutic use in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases. Source: Medindia These astounding parallels between the two organisms may also provide a starting point for new active ingredients for neurodegenerative diseases.says Prof. Dietmar Schmucker from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn, who led the research and is also holding a Humboldt Professorship in Bonn since 2019.The study revealed thatAbsence of this gene (e.g., due to mutation) stopped the branching of the axons (nerve branches) during the experiment.The WNK gene also appears toThese two functions of the gene behave as two sides of the same coin.The gene is also found to contain the blueprint for an enzyme called kinase that is involved in the protection of neurons. TheSource: Medindia The study has found that theover hundreds of millions of years, thereby being incomparable form to humans. The Taliban have captured Kabul after US forces withdrew from Afghanistan. Given the videos and news updates coming in from Afghanistan, people have been enraged, especially over how helpless Afghans are in Kabul. Bollywood celebrities have also been sharing their views and anger at the current situation. Farhan Akhtar tweeted about the need for action to help innocent Afghans. He wrote, The only thing the powers of the world need to talking about right now is how to help innocent Afghans. Not in days and time to come. NOW. Farhan Akhtar Twitter After his tweet started to get traction, people started to troll Farhan, as he was against CAA. People even questioned why he didnt speak up about Kashmiri Hindus when they were asked to leave their hometown and were murdered. Here are the reactions: Farhan Akhtar Twitter Farhan Akhtar Twitter Farhan Akhtar Twitter Farhan Akhtar Twitter Farhan Akhtar Twitter Farhan Akhtar Twitter In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Farhan was asked if trolls affect him and how he reacts when these trolls drag his family and start mudslinging. In response, he said, I dont think anybody would be happy with their family being attacked on any kind of platform for any reason. At the end of the day, if you have any issues with me, right or wrong, the issue should end with me. I dont feel it has to pass on to anybody else. I am here for you to be able to talk to. Farhan added, Also, I do feel that if there is any criticism that has to come your way when it comes wrapped up in any kind of abuse, bigotry, or prejudice, how can you take that seriously? He continued, At the end of the day, a person revealing how hateful they are, it shows me how ugly they are. It tells me very little about me but a lot about them. Akhtar added, If you want to have a conversation about something and discuss it and even maybe change my mind about something, I am more than happy for my thoughts to get changed if it's a respectable conversation. Theres a classic saying that Never wrestle with a pig because you will get dirty but the pig loves it'(laughs) So thats what it is. Trolls, are you listening? The film Shershaah directed by Vishnu Varadhan released on Amazon Prime on 12th August. The movie stars Siddharth Malhotra who is playing the role of real-life Kargil War hero, Captain Vikram Batra. The movie also stars Kiara Advani as his love interest. Captain Vikram Batra died fighting in the 1999 Kargil war against Pakistan. Batra was posthumously awarded Indias highest military honor for wartime valour, the Param Vir Chakra. The film also showcased highlights of Batras personal life and his love story with Dimple Cheema. And many reports in media also suggested that Dimple and Vikram Batra were engaged to be married after the soldier returns from war. However, in a recent interview, Vishal Batra, brother of Captain Vikram Batra clarified it. He said, Dimple and Vikram were not engaged. It hurts to read wrong reports in the media and I just hope that everyone who matters is reading this and does not do goof-ups in their write-ups hereafter. People who have written that she was his mangetar (fiancee) have just been silly. He also said, ahead of the release of the film a picture of Captain Batra and others had surfaced in the public domain. He said that the reports claimed that the woman with Captain Batra is Dimple Cheema and the picture is from their college days. Vishal Batra clarified saying, I must clarify here that the picture of Dimple too that has been floating in the media, where it is claimed in a group picture that she's standing beside my brother- is not the correct one. That girl is Sidharth's classmate and not Dimple. Vishal Batra was also asked if at any point after Captain Vikram Batras demise told Dimple Cheema that she should get married. To which Vishal responded saying, Yes, I did. Even my parents told her. Vishal Batra also spoke about how he arranged a meeting between reel-life Dimple Cheema (Kiara Advani) and real-life Dimple Cheema. He said, Kiara met Dimple one-on-one at her hotel. I think they chatted for 3-4 hours at least. From seismic force to affordable housing possibilities, a series of free webinars this summer and fall will explore aspects of building with mass timber. Mass timber construction allows for building large and tall structures using engineered wood. Mass timber buildings often go up faster than traditional construction and use renewable materials. The webinars are: "An Overview of CLT Seismic-Force Resisting Systems for Mass Timber Construction," noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19. Presenter is Daniel M. Dowden, assistant professor of civil, environmental and geospatial engineering at Michigan Technological University. Register for the webinar. noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19. Presenter is Daniel M. Dowden, assistant professor of civil, environmental and geospatial engineering at Michigan Technological University. Register for the webinar. "Policy Pathways to Mass Timber for Michigan," noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, presented by Sandra Lupien, director of Michigan State University's MassTimber@MSU. Register for the webinar. noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, presented by Sandra Lupien, director of Michigan State University's MassTimber@MSU. Register for the webinar. "New Challenges in Mass Timber Construction ," noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, presented by Andrew G. Riess, senior estimator at Christman Constructors, Inc., and Jean-Marc Dubuis, director of business development USA at Nordic Structures. Register for the webinar. ," noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, presented by Andrew G. Riess, senior estimator at Christman Constructors, Inc., and Jean-Marc Dubuis, director of business development USA at Nordic Structures. Register for the webinar. "Affordable Housing with Mass Timber," presented by Veronica Hinkley Reck, principal and director of housing, California, at SERA Architects. Details and registration will be available soon. Although they are free, the webinars are limited to 100 guests and registration is required. Please register for each webinar separately. Recordings of some past events are available on the MIFBI website. The webinar series is an outgrowth of Michigan's Mass Timber Summit, a virtual meeting that took place in fall 2020, co-hosted by the Michigan Forest Biomaterials Institute and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. All current webinars are hosted by MIFBI and MassTimber@MSU. Michigan State University used mass timber construction in its $100 million, 117,000-square-foot STEM Teaching and Learning Facility. The DNR is in the design phase of a planned $5 million mass timber building to house its field office and customer service center in Newberry in the eastern Upper Peninsula. Watch this MSU video to learn more about how mass timber works. Disaster preparedness, response and recovery grant funding available Disaster preparedness, response and recovery grant funding available The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) is offering grant funds for organizations to provide support for disaster preparedness, response and recovery. Funding for this effort comes from the AmeriCorps the Agency. The grants will be awarded to support planning for short and long-term recovery efforts that follow sound practices and implement a collaborative community planning process. Funding will be used for disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts to build the infrastructure to use volunteers in times of a disaster, community planning to involve nonprofits, and planning to support donations management. Eligible organizations must be a nonprofit or public entity committed to quality improvement in planning, managing recovery related to the disasters and working with the MCSC to reach specified goals outlined below. Amount of Award Selected community organizations will receive up to $5,000. All grantees must become a vendor of the State of Michigan and will receive electronic payments. Instructions to register as a vendor will be sent when the grant is awarded. Eligible Applicants Organizations must be a 501c3 nonprofit or public entity. Project Goals Be committed to following and developing sound practice models Work to establish and implement a disaster preparedness, response and recovery plan Develop and implement a volunteer and donations management plan Implement a plan to support short and long term case management Access training and technical assistance for organizations in the region Develop and implement a plan to ensure safety during the COVID-19 pandemic Reporting Requirements Reports will be sent to the MCSC to provide an update on progress. The final report will include a copy of the disaster preparedness, response and recovery plan. A COVID-19 safety plan of action will be required for the in person operations. Deadline to Apply Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received. Send questions to: Karry Smith, Disaster Coordinator, smithk131@michigan.gov or 517-281-4151. Application link: 2021 Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery Grant Application Survey (research.net) On Monday morning, Americans (and the rest of the world) woke up to images of chaos coming out of Afghanistan following the fall of that nations government to the Taliban. Hundreds of Afghanis swarmed the runway at the Kabul airport as U.S. military transport planes evacuated equipment and personnel. Particularly horrifying were cellphone videos taken of people climbing onto the wings of the American planes just prior to takeoff. Some managed to hold on after the planes were in the air. The videos followed the planes as they soared into the distance, recording the moments when those desperate stowaways began to lose their grip and fall several hundred feet to the ground. The images were eerily reminiscent of the news footage of people leaping to their deaths from the upper floors of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Those traumatizing images, which are no longer shown on television, seared themselves into the memories of Americans that morning almost 20 years ago. The blame game for the fall of Afghanistan began in earnest over the weekend. The families of service men and women lost in the fight to free the Afghani people demanded answers, those sacrifices now seemingly made in vain. Others asked if it was really worth the estimated $1 trillion American taxpayers have spent in the two-decades-long war on terror. Those are good questions. With the 20th anniversary quickly approaching, we here at the Tribune would like our readers to share their memories of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Do you remember where you were on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001? When did you first hear of the attacks? Did you watch the coverage that day? Did you know anyone who was in New York City, at the Pentagon or near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that that day? I remember exactly what I was doing on 9/11. I was working at a paper on the other side of the state as an advertising editor. That morning, the publisher walked back into the advertising department and announced a plane had hit the World Trade Center. My co-workers and I initially thought he was referring to a small, private plane. Then the second plane hit. There was no television near my desk, so I missed much of the coverage as it unfolded. I did happen to walk into the newsroom at the moment the first tower collapsed, and like everyone else, I couldnt believe what I was seeing. We all knew life as we knew it had changed forever. If youd like to share your memories, email mark.birdsall@hearstnp.com or call 989-623-3188. Mark Birdsall is a Huron Daily Tribune staff writer. Email him at mark.birdsall@hearstnp.com or follow him on Twitter at @MarkEBirdsall. Stacy Eile is a mother and grandmother from Pigeon. Like all grandmas, she loves when her grandchildren come for a visit. That means she sometimes ends up cooking for more than two, despite being an empty nester. Shes happy to do it, of course. But when the lockdown went into effect last year, she found herself unable to work. With money tight, it became difficult to continue to feed her grandkids on those occasions when she cared for them. Thats why she went to one of the first pop-up food pantries held in the Upper Thumb early in the pandemic. She took advantage of the food giveaway to supplement her household budget, and It proved to be godsend. It was very convenient, Eile said. Everyone was super-nice. Eile had volunteered at the Caseville Food Pantry prior to the pandemic, so she understood what a little extra food could mean for a family during tough times. Most everyone has been through a rough patch or two, so she was simply grateful for the help, and urges those who may be reluctant to go to one of the food giveaways to let go of their reservations and make the most of the services the community has to offer. Even if you just need a few things to get by, its nothing to be embarrassed about, she said. The drive-thru food pantries were important to Eile for another reason: safety. She picked up food for her parents, who are retired, and it allowed them to stay home and not risk being exposed to COVID during a visit to a busy grocery store. They were so happy, she said. It was really helpful to them. When she returned to work last year, Eile stopped going to the food giveaways, but shes happy the pantries are still taking place. She knows the need is great, and she wants people to know their community is ready and willing to help. Kurt Damrow of the Elkton Lions Club has organized several of the pop-up pantries over the past year and a half. He estimates that more than 2 million pounds of food has been distributed since the start of the pandemic. They plan to continue to hold the pantries at least through the end of the year, when Damrow said they will re-evaluate the need as well as their ability to host them. He said volunteers arent always easy to obtain, and cost is also a factor. He said many of his volunteers cant afford to drive long distances to work at the pantries with the price of gasoline so high. Were going to keep doing them until December, Damrow said. Ill be knocking on doors to raise money for gas cards. The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan will provide food for a pair of pop-up pantries in the coming week. The first distribution will take place Tuesday, Aug. 17, in Owendale at Owendale Methodist Church, 7370 Main St. The event starts at 2 p.m. The weeks second drive-thru food giveaway will be held in Caseville at Caseville Public School, 6609 Vine St., on Saturday, Aug. 21, at 10 a.m. This event is being hosted by the Caseville Food Pantry. Food is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Supplies are limited. The giveaway is free and open to all. Check out the mobile food pantry calendar for a full list of Pop-Up Pantries at www.fbem.org. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Nestled between corn dog stands, animal barns and booths touting hot tubs and John Deere tractors, a Hy-Vee pharmacist and several nurses have been administering COVID-19 vaccines at the Iowa State Fair to anyone eligible that wants one. Their booth didn't have the long lines of more popular attractions, but by Monday more than 150 people had received a shot since the 11-day fair started on Thursday. More than 400,000 people attended the fair in its first four days. Still, in a state where only half of the population is fully vaccinated, pharmacist Tiffany Aljets was encouraged that people were changing their minds. I think the (delta) variant has swayed a lot of people that werent sure if they wanted it or not, and a lot of people with kids want to get their kids back in school, Aljets said Monday. State fairs in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin also are offering COVID-19 vaccinations as the delta variant spreads nationwide and relaxed masking leaves public health officials concerned about another surge in infections. At the Iowa State Fair on Monday, three people got vaccinated in the first two hours. Elsewhere on the fairgrounds, people stood close together in lines for rides, cheese on a stick and funnel cakes. Others pushed baby strollers through crowded barns housing sheep, pigs, cows and horses with electric fans pushing air around on a sunny 82-degree day. Masks were rare, although some wore them inside buildings. Fair officials canceled the 2020 event due to COVID-19 but are following Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds' policy of personal responsibility by allowing fairgoers this year to decide whether to be vaccinated or wear a mask. Public health officials recommend wearing a mask where there are crowds. The positivity rate in Polk County, where the fairgrounds are located, has increased to nearly 11%, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Cases have accelerated rapidly in August, increasing by nearly 42% in the past week to a seven-day average of 758. All but three of Iowas 99 counties are experiencing a substantial or high rate of spread, and the state's vaccination rate has stalled at about 50% fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the fair is on track to attract an estimated 1 million visitors. Doctors were concerned that a surge in delta variant infections could come at an already challenging time for hospitals. Its not a matter of will we see increased cases, its just a matter of how many," said Dr. Clint Hawthorne, an emergency medicine specialist in Des Moines. If we were to experience a surge of COVID patients, were going to be in some big trouble because of our capacity issues that are at hand currently which are not COVID related. Des Moines has an acute shortage of nurses, so even if beds are available there arent nurses to tend to them and patients cant be placed. Even now, patients coming into the emergency department can wait 10 hours for a regular hospital bed, he said. Several Iowa fairgoers got vaccinated because of fears about the delta variant, or because family members have been sick and they understand how serious COVID-19 can be. Others have jobs that require vaccinations, Aljets said. Jesse James, 13, of Pleasantville, rolled up his sleeve for a Pfizer shot on Monday. His mother, Angela Collins, said he's going on a class trip to Washington, D.C., in October and she wants him vaccinated before he flies. Both acknowledged a driving force behind the decision was his grandmother. Im going back to school this year and my grandma kind of nudged me into getting a vaccine, he said. I mostly agreed with her. Jonila Shehu, 18, saw the Hy-Vee display was offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and decided to get her shot. Shehu is an American Cultural Exchange Service foreign exchange student from Kosovo was attending the fair with her host mother Tammy Beeson, of Bettendorf. She had been in the U.S. for four days and is preparing to go to college. I know that Im going to be with people and its important to me to keep myself and others safe, she said. In Wisconsin, 608 people were vaccinated during the state fair's 11-day run, perhaps enticed by the promise of a free cream puff pastry. The push to vaccinate at the fair came as COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin hit their highest seven-day average since February. At the Indiana State Fair, which opened July 30, Indiana University Health is offering Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccinations daily. Spokeswoman Sophie Maccagnone said 304 vaccines were administered as of Monday. The fair will last more than three weeks, to spread out crowds and allow for fairground cleaning. The fair typically draws nearly 1 million people, and masks are not required. Vaccines also will be offered by the Minnesota Department of Health, Ramsey County and Homeland Health at the Minnesota State Fair, which begins Aug. 26 and lasts for 12 days. Two million visitors typically attend. At the 11-day Illinois State Fair, which began last Thursday, 156 shots were given through Monday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Nearly 78% of them were given the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. ___ Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report. Associated Press/Report For America correspondent Casey Smith in Indianapolis also contributed. DANBURY, Conn. (AP) A 14-year-old boy has been charged with assault and gun crimes in connection with a shooting inside a Connecticut mall that wounded a teenage girl. The boy turned himself in to Danbury police on Monday and was brought to a juvenile detention center under a judge's orders in an arrest warrant, authorities said. His name was not released because of juvenile offender laws. School districts along the shoreline and the lower Connecticut River Valley region are ramping up COVID vaccination efforts as state data shows a wide disparity in the amount of eligible school-aged children who have been vaccinated in these communities. While Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order mandating masks be worn inside all schools is still in effect through Sept. 30, some education administrators say student vaccination rates may be used as a future indicator whether face coverings will still be required in classrooms. We know that vaccines are the best front-line of protection that we have in the Guilford Public Schools and in the Guilford community. We have a really high level of complete vaccinations, Guilford Superintendent Paul Freeman said last week, estimating that more than 95 percent of staff members have been vaccinated. State data shows Guilford has the highest vaccination rate at nearly 66 percent among shoreline communities for children between the ages of 12 and 17. Freeman said the school district recently held two events to help encourage eligible students to get vaccinated. The more students in our schools, adults in our schools and community members who surround our children who are fully vaccinated, the more protected our schools will be and the lower rate of infections we will have, therefore, the lower rate of impact on instruction, Freeman said. The rate of fully vaccinated students and adults in the community and the continuation of masking will allow for in-person learning five days a week, according to Freeman. He also said he hopes they can soon move away from masks in schools. This school year, plexiglass will not be used in classrooms, but may be needed in the high school lunchrooms, Freeman said. Cohorts at the elementary and Baldwin school level will be relaxed, he said. Lunches will be held in the cafeteria and students will go outside for recess. Mitigation factors can be reduced due to the vaccine uptick level and masks, Freeman said. Other shoreline towns with high vaccinations rates for 12- to 17 year-olds include Lyme at 64.47 percent, Clinton (63.97 percent) and Old Saybrook (62.26 percent). In Old Saybrook, Superintendent Jan Perruccio sent a letter to families, indicating reopening plans could change closer to the first day of school on Aug. 31. Old Saybrook will continue having cohorts for those in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The younger students will be grouped by grade level while older students will be assigned to pods for free periods and lunch breaks. Old Saybrook is fortunate to have small class sizes and intends to maintain them to the degree possible in 2021-22, the plan reads. While masks are required in schools and on buses, they are not mandated outdoors at recess or during outdoor physical education and are not required for sports, according to Old Saybrooks plan. But moving farther inland, school districts in Lebanon, Bozrah and Montville all have vaccination rates below 40 percent, the state data shows. Lebanon has exactly 37 percent of this age range fully vaccinated. The district is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated, according to Superintendent Andrew Gonzalez. Gonzalez said a vaccination clinic was held on July 29 and another one is scheduled for Thursday. Despite the low vaccination rates, the district has proposed making masks optional if the state allows it. We are committed to having our students receive in-person learning and are excited to welcome them back, Gonzalez said. Child vaccination rates are below 40 percent in the Middletown area as well. Middletown, which has about 3,400 residents who are between the ages of 12 and 17, reported having a vaccination rate of 42.5 percent as of Aug. 12. Durhams vaccination rate for children ages 12 to 17 was at almost 45 percent, while Cromwell and Portland each have 50 percent vaccination rates for this age group. Portland Superintendent Charles D. Britton said the return to school plan has not changed. We are not planning anything except 100 percent in-person learning every single day, Britton said. Britton said he sent a message to parents, recommending they get their children vaccinated in time to return to school. If youre eligible to be vaccinated, please be vaccinated as that is at this point the No. 1 prevention strategy that is available to us, Britton said. christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com WASHINGTON One of America's top military commanders met face-to-face with senior leaders of the Taliban, urging the longtime enemy not to interfere with the massive evacuation at the Kabul airport as the United States withdraws from Afghanistan, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. Meanwhile, the U.S. was rushing thousands of troops back into Afghanistan on Monday to try to secure the airport for some of the tens of thousands of Americans, Afghans and others seeking to flee ahead of Taliban rule. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said there were now 2,500 American forces at the airport. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, warned the Taliban officials that the U.S. military would respond forcefully to defend the airport if necessary, a U.S. official said separately, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks not yet announced publicly. McKenzie's session Sunday in Doha, Qatar, the base for long-running talks among senior Taliban political officials, Americans and others, underscored the swift rise in power of the Taliban, America's opponent in 20 years of fighting, after a weeklong push in which the group captured control of Afghanistan. The Taliban takeover comes two weeks before the date President Joe Biden had set to withdraw the last U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan and end the U.S. role in the war there. Emboldened by that withdrawal, the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday, setting off chaotic scenes as foreign diplomats and Afghans rushed to the airport, one of the last avenues of escape. At least seven people have died in three days of chaos at the airport, including two armed individuals killed by U.S. forces, and Afghans who fell from the wheel wells of a U.S. combat plane as it took off. Kirby said Monday that both civilian and military air operations were suspended for now, due to people on the civilian side of airport interfering with takeoffs and landings. Kirby said the U.S. was sending still another battalion to try to secure the airport, but said the total intended U.S. deployments to safeguard the evacuations through the airport would remain at 6,000. He gave no details. The U.S. official who revealed the U.S.-Taliban direct talks said that in the meeting on Sunday in Qatar, McKenzie and the Taliban agreed to establish a "deconfliction mechanism" an arrangement by which evacuation operations at the airport could continue without interference by the new rulers of the country. McKenzie is the senior commander responsible for the remaining U.S. forces in Kabul. As head of U.S. Central Command, he also is responsible for U.S. military operations in the greater Middle East, including Central Asia. A U.S. defense official said American warplanes which had been hitting Taliban targets during the withdrawal, in a failed effort to help Afghan forces block the Taliban blitz were not currently conducting any airstrikes. The official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, added there was no sign Monday of any significant ongoing fighting by any forces of the now-routed U.S.-backed Afghan government. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Taliban entered Kabul. The insurgent group said it would soon begin forming a new government. Its resurgence comes nearly 20 years after U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan to crush the al-Qaida plotters behind the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban government that had hosted al-Qaida was overthrown. Less than a week after a U.S. military assessment predicted Kabul could be surrounded by insurgents in 30 days, the world watched stunning scenes of Taliban fighters standing in the Afghan president's office and crowds of Afghans rushing the airport tarmac to try to escape the country. Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told senators on a briefing call Sunday that U.S. officials were expected to alter their earlier assessments about the pace of terrorist groups reconstituting in Afghanistan, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. In June, the Pentagon's top leaders said an extremist group like al-Qaida might be able to regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a threat to the U.S. homeland within two years of the American military's withdrawal from the country. Two decades after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan because the Taliban harbored al-Qaida leaders, experts say the Taliban and al-Qaida remain aligned, and other violent groups could also find safe haven under the new regime. Based on the evolving situation, officials now believe terror groups like al-Qaida may be able to grow much faster, according to the person, who had direct knowledge of the briefing but was not authorized to discuss the details of the call publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. BEIJING China has expressed a willingness to hold talks with the U.S. to promote a soft landing in Afghanistan, while heavily criticizing Washington and again demanding that the Biden administration halt its attacks on China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a phone call Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, blamed what he called America's hasty military withdrawal the chaos accompanying the Talibains seizure of power in Afghanistan, according to a Foreign Ministry statement dated Tuesday. China is willing to conduct communication and dialogue with the U.S. to promote the soft landing of the Afghan issue and avoid a new civil war or humanitarian disaster ... and not let it become a breeding ground and shelter for terrorism once again," Wang was quoted as saying in the call. Ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. troops, the Taliban have topped the Afghan military and government, entering the capital, Kabul over the weekend. Wang said that China and the U.S. should cooperate on global issues and regional hot spots, but that the US cannot, on the one hand, deliberately curb and suppress China to damage Chinas legitimate rights and interests, and on the other hand, count on China to offer support and coordination. A one-sentence State Department statement said that Blinken and Wang spoke about developments in Afghanistan including the security situation and respective efforts to bring their citizens to safety. The Biden administration has been seeking China's cooperation on issues such as climate change, while criticizing China over differences on trade and technology, security in the Asia-Pacific region and human rights. Henry Storey, a political risk analyst based in Melbourne, Australia, said that Wang is trying to portray China as a responsible international stakeholder in contrast to America's history of intervention in other countries. The reference to the U.S.s hasty withdrawal and Afghanistan being a breeding ground and shelter for terrorism alludes to Chinas clear anxieties around how instability in Afghanistan may impact China and the broader region, Storey said in an email response to questions. Wang and Blinken also each held talks separately with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. Wang called for strengthened strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia to encourage the Taliban to adopt mild and prudent religious policies and build an open and inclusive political structure with all parties, a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said. China has shown a willingness to engage with the Taliban, inviting leaders to a meeting with Wang in the Chinese city of Tianjin last month. Wang urged the group to negotiate a peaceful end to the two decade-old conflict and not shelter terrorists it says threaten security in its restive northwestern region of Xinjiang. China, which shares a narrow border with Afghanistan, says the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, has been behind violent attacks in the past. It's not clear what sort of presence the group currently has in Afghanistan. The U.S. military plans to begin flying hourly evacuation flights out of Kabul and hopes to move anywhere from 5,000 to 9,000 people each day, including Americans, Afghan refugees and other nations' citizens. However its unclear whether those potential passengers will be able to get to the airport, as the Taliban have erected checkpoints throughout Kabul and are searching for Afghans who fought for the deposed government or assisted Americans over the two-decade conflict. The evacuation plans underscore the scale of the historic emergency airlift operation and the daunting challenge facing the U.S. military as it seeks to mitigate the damage from the breathtaking collapse of Afghanistan and seizure of the country by the Taliban. There are tens of thousands of Afghans -- perhaps as many as 100,000, including interpreters, refugees and family members -- who are desperate to escape the country, and only two weeks remaining to get them out before the military's planned conclusion to its two-decade Afghanistan mission Aug. 31. Read Next: General's Sex Assault Court-Martial Heralds Changes to Flawed System, Experts Say The 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is in charge of securing Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul -- the last site in Afghanistan where U.S. troops maintain a presence. The 82nd specializes in securing and operating airfields in hostile areas. The U.S. also is conducting air traffic control at the Kabul airport. Related Video: By the end of Tuesday, there will be about 4,000 U.S. troops on the ground, Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, deputy director for the Joint Staff for regional operations, told reporters Tuesday morning. That is up from about 2,500 troops as of Monday morning. Military flights are ongoing, as well as limited civilian flights, he said. The airport was closed for several hours Monday after hundreds of desperate Afghans flooded the tarmac, leading to a shocking scene in which they mobbed a taxiing C-17. Some clung to it as it took off and fell to their deaths. Politico reported that the body of a dead Afghan was found in the C-17's wheel well after an emergency landing. The Air Force said it will release further information about the incident later Tuesday. Taylor said the Afghans who rushed the airfield on the southern civilian side of the airport are no longer there. Nine C-17 Globemaster III flights arrived at the airport overnight, bringing in equipment and about 1,000 troops. Seven C-17s also flew out, carrying a total of 700 to 800 passengers, including 165 American citizens, as well as Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV, applicants and other countries' citizens. Defense One reported that a C-17 flight with the call sign Reach 871 packed 640 Afghans on board Sunday, nearly a record for the massive transport aircraft. An image of the crowd of people on board was captured in a photograph that went viral. A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transports approximately 640 Afghan citizens from Hamid Karzai International Airport Aug. 15, 2021. (U.S. Air Force) The military's first priority was to deliver troops and equipment to the airport. But as the insertion of these service members is completed -- bringing the troop presence to roughly 6,000 -- Taylor said the speed of evacuations will increase. While the military's goal is to evacuate up to 9,000 people daily, Taylor cautioned that the situation on the ground is shifting, and unexpected challenges could arise. He said he hoped to have one evacuation flight per hour, around the clock, within the next 24 hours. "Airlift is not going to be a limiting factor," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters Tuesday. The military is in talks with the Taliban; that includes U.S. commanders at the airport talking to Taliban commanders outside the facility, Kirby said. But Taylor said the group now in control of the country has not threatened, attacked or had any recent hostile interactions with the U.S. military. Pentagon officials did not answer questions about whether talks with the Taliban include procedures to allow Americans or Afghans to reach the airport or expanding the perimeter around it to allow more room to operate safely. U.S. troops on Monday shot and killed two people at the airport who were allegedly armed and hostile. But the Pentagon later said it had no indication the individuals were with the Taliban. Kirby said the military still plans to conclude all missions in Afghanistan by Aug. 31; he would not speculate what might happen beyond that date if evacuations aren't complete. The military is working "hand in glove" with the State Department to process Afghans seeking to escape, Kirby said, including those who worked for the U.S. in interpreter or other jobs, and other refugees. There were recently 18,000 SIV applicants still awaiting their visas to be processed. Including their immediate family members, there are at least 70,000 Afghans who need to be evacuated, advocates estimate. And with other potential refugees, that could mean the military has two weeks to evacuate about 100,000 people -- a daunting task. About 500 to 600 Afghan soldiers from the now-defunct Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are at the airport helping with security, Taylor said. When asked whether the U.S. would bring those Afghan troops to the United States, Kirby said they must decide for themselves if they want to leave and would have to apply for visas. -- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey. Related: 'How Many More American Lives?' Biden Stands by Afghan Withdrawal Amid Kabul Turmoil An active-duty soldier, an Army reservist and two Navy ensigns in the Reserve will trade their name tapes and uniforms for sashes and sequined gowns to compete for the crown of Miss America. After the dust settled from final state competitions in July, at least four military women earned spots in this years Miss America competition, seemingly more service members than have graced the stage at one time in the pageants 100-year history. There just seems to be this idea that women who embrace their femininity can't do traditionally masculine things. The reality is that we can, said Spc. Maura Spence-Carroll, an intelligence analyst in the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo. The 21-year-old, and now Miss Colorado, said so many service members competing for Miss America just shows that women are multifaceted. I just have different things that I'm interested in. Because they seem like such polar opposites, being in the military and then competing in Miss America, it doesn't mean that I am splitting myself. I'm wholly myself because I am able to enrich my life through different perspectives, she said. The other service women crowned in the past two months to compete for Miss America are Spc. Ayriss Torres, 21, a civil affairs specialist in the Army Reserve who will compete as Miss Idaho, Navy Ensign Andolyn Medina, 25, as Miss District of Columbia, who serves in a Reserve status to attend George Washington University as a full-time doctoral candidate in clinical psychology, and Ensign Lydia Sohn, 25, as Miss Maryland, who also is in a Reserve status as she prepares to enter Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2022. Both Navy women are part of the militarys Health Professions Scholarship Program, which pays for a persons education in exchange for active-duty service in several health care fields after graduation. A shared history of service In Spence-Carrolls own review of Miss Americas history, she found military women have participated in the national pageant stretching back at least 30 years. Army officer Leah Hulan competed as Miss Tennessee in 1992. Air Force Reserve officer Andrea Plummer competed as Miss New York in 2001. In 2007, Utah National Guard medic Jill Stevens competed as Miss Utah. Stevens served in Afghanistan, making her the first combat veteran to vie for Miss America. In 2013, Army reservist Theresa Vail made headlines as Miss Kansas for having visible tattoos during the swimsuit portion of the competition. Patricia Northrup Murray competed in 1992 as Miss California and used the scholarship money that she earned to begin a career in commercial aviation. She then joined the California Air National Guard and retired as a lieutenant colonel with 21 years of service and six tours in the Middle East, according to her website. The Miss America Organization said they cant be certain there werent other service members or veterans who have participated because they dont track the information. Margot Mifflin, an author and journalism professor at the City University of New York, said she didnt find a definitive list of military women who competed in the pageant while writing her book, Looking for Miss America: A Pageants 100Year Quest to Define Womanhood. However, Mifflin did uncover the military and Miss America have always shared a connection, whether through rallying support for the troops, boosting morale, or sharing similar values. Miss America also inspired the name of a Korean War-era film to encourage women to take jobs in support the war effort. Released in 1952, The Real Miss America, was narrated by actor Henry Fonda and showed perfectly average-looking women at work as air traffic controllers, photographers, mapmakers, and biochemists laboring alongside men, Mifflin wrote. Each of the service women in this years competition made it clear that their Miss America-related affairs are separate from their military duties. However, it was inevitable that the worlds would collide. Torres, a member of the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion out of Salt Lake City, will miss her Miss America orientation because it coincides with a rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Spence-Carroll, whose talent is singing, said she often has to practice her vocals in her barracks room, where a soldier living nearby once texted to tell her that she sounded like a Disney princess. The soldier said shes gotten countless messages from veterans, service members and military family members who have shown their support for her goals. It's almost overwhelming to see how many people resonate with what I'm saying and with what I want to do. It's also kind of terrifying, because now it's really set in that I'm a representative of two organizations. I represent Miss America to the Army, and I represent the Army to the rest of the world, Spence-Carroll said. The skillset and rewards associated with joining either organization are surprisingly similar, said Shantel Krebs, chairwoman of the board of the Miss America Organization and its interim president and CEO. Just getting to the state level to compete for Miss America requires leadership and hours of training and community service. Miss America has been supportive of the United States armed forces going back to 1942 when our Miss America raised over $2.5 million in war bonds -- the most [raised] of any individual, Krebs said. Miss America is also serving her country, but in a different way. In July, the current Miss America, Camille Schrier of Virginia, joined the USO for its first in-person morale tour since the coronavirus pandemic shut down such events. A path to education Like many troops enlisting out of high school in hopes of paying for college, Miss America winners also gain access to scholarships. In Mifflins book, she quoted Chante Griffin, Miss Teen of California in 1996, who noted this similarity of the organizations to promise education to middle- and working-class young women. [W]hether wearing a bikini or a beret, they all offer up their bodies to country in pursuit of their piece of the American Dream, Griffin said. The Miss America Organization doles out more than $5 million a year in scholarship money, Krebs said. Medina alone has received more than $137,000, including a full scholarship to Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., when she was crowned Miss Virginia Outstanding Teen. I think that one of the most incredible things this organization has been able to give me is the ability to continue my education and to feel empowered through my education, said Medina, who is the daughter of two Navy officers. And it's another avenue of what I'm hoping to be able to speak to as Miss D.C., is to get the next generation involved with this organization so that they can take advantage of the scholarship opportunities. I really think education is power. Sohn used $2,000 won along with the title of Miss Western Maryland to pay for medical school applications and then took home another $12,400 with the title of Miss Maryland that she plans to put toward student loans. She holds a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology from Johns Hopkins University, where she also minored in music, and a Master of Science in physiology and biophysics from Georgetown University. Growing up, Sohn said she watched Miss America competitions amazed that while the women wore sparkling tiaras, they also were doctors, lawyers and working professionals who were dedicated to community service. She saw the same dedication to service in her brother and cousin, who are Navy doctors, which inspired her to look toward military service as she pursued her goal to become a doctor. What I really liked was that the Navy goes on these humanitarian missions to underserved communities, and I thought that was just incredible, Sohn said. Something that was instilled in me from a really young age is that we cultivate these talents and these skills, not just for our own benefit and our own enjoyment, but also for those around us and the ways that we can be of service to those around us. Miss America 2.0 Following a rebranding effort in 2018 that included retiring the swimsuit portion of the competition, the Miss America Organization has turned away from the phrase beauty pageant to better encompass the full potential of the women who compete, Krebs said. Its no longer about physical appearance, but about contestants proving they have the skills to take on the full-time, paid job of representing the organization and wearing the crown. I think it shows how evolved we are and how our culture continues to evolve to not only see women for being beautiful or for looking good in a swimsuit, but for also being educated and for being leaders, said Torres, who works as a loan officer in her civilian career. That's what I love about the new Miss America rebranding, is that it's about business, it's about leadership, it's about connecting with your community, more than it is about your body style. The 2021 Miss America competition will be broadcast live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. The date in December has not been announced. In the interim, each woman said they will be juggling their duties as a state titleholder with preparing for the big competition and school, work and whatever military duties are scheduled. It can be a lot to manage, Spence-Carroll said. I wouldn't have kept doing this and trying year after year after year, if I didn't absolutely love the program, she said. Honestly, it's a lot of work, but there's a sense of satisfaction knowing that every day, you're not taking these great leaps, you're taking these small steps that help build you up to your ultimate goal. The Tigers announced theyve placed right-hander Buck Farmer on unconditional release waivers. Upon clearing the waiver wire, hell become a free agent. Farmer was designated for assignment over the weekend. The move brings to an end Farmers eight-year tenure with the Tigers. Selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, Farmer pitched his way to the big leagues by the end of the 2014 campaign. Hes spent a good portion of the past seven years in the Detroit bullpen, often working as a multi-inning option for Tigers managers in addition to a brief look in the rotation in 2017. While Farmer struggled over his first few seasons, he settled in as a decent middle innings option by 2018. Between 2018-20, Farmer pitched to a 3.92 ERA/4.20 FIP over 158 1/3 frames of relief. Hes struggled mightily this season, though, managing just a 6.37 ERA in 35 1/3 innings. Farmers walk rate has spiked to an untenable 12.3% and hes been tagged for nine home runs (2.29 HR/9). Farmer signed a $1.85MM contract to avoid arbitration over the winter. The Tigers will remain on the hook for that salary, with any team that signs Farmer owing him just the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends in the big leagues. Given his decent track record coming into the year, the 30-year-old shouldnt have trouble latching on elsewhere via minor league deal. 8:58 am: Indeed, the Yankees announced this morning theyve activated Montgomery and Sanchez from the injured list. Luis Gil has also been recalled as the 27th man for todays doubleheader. 8:20 am: The Yankees announced last night theyve returned reliever Stephen Ridings and catcher Rob Brantly to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Both players were selected to the big league roster as replacements for players who had tested positive for COVID-19, so they could removed from the active and 40-man rosters without being exposed to waivers. While New York has yet to formally announce corresponding roster moves, its apparent theyre made with the intention of activating left-hander Jordan Montgomery and catcher Gary Sanchez from the COVID-19 injured list before todays doubleheader against the Red Sox. New York had already indicated Montgomery would get the ball for one half of the twin bill. It was less clear whether Sanchez would be ready to return today, but Brantlys removal leaves Kyle Higashioka as the only catcher on the big league roster suggesting Sanchez will indeed make it back onto the field this afternoon. Ridings was selected two weeks ago and has made his first five MLB appearances this year. He allowed two runs over five frames, punching out seven while issuing a pair of walks. Ridings averaged a huge 97.2 MPH on his sinker and generated swinging strikes on a fantastic 18.9% of his offerings during his brief big league time. Between that impressive showing and his ludicrous minor league numbers this season a 1.24 ERA with a 38.2% strikeout rate split between Double-A and Triple-A the 26-year-old figures to get another MLB look before long. Brantly has come up as a COVID replacement on two separate occasions, tallying 21 plate appearances in a backup role. Hes had a very good season with the RailRiders, hitting .286/.397/.496 over 141 plate appearances. The Yankees are moving closer to returning to full strength after the recent spread of the coronavirus throughout their clubhouse. Assuming Montgomery and Sanchez are activated today, thatll leave just Anthony Rizzo and Clay Holmes on the COVID IL. Its an opportune time for New York to get two key players back, as the Yankees kick off a three-game set against their archrivals in Boston, whom they trail by two games in the American League Wild Card race (with the As 1.5 games up on New York for the final AL postseason spot). We had mentioned in Mondays closing report that Nifty, Sensex will continue to inch up. On Tuesday, the indices opened lower and ended flat. On the NSE, there were 680 advances, 1,322 declines and 2 unchanged. The trend of the major indices on Tuesdays trading are given in the table below: Vodafone Idea reported consolidated loss of Rs 7,319.1 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2021, lower compared to loss of Rs 25,460 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year. Revenue dipped 14% to Rs 9,152 crore from Rs 10,659 crore YoY. Adani Road Transport, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, signed a definitive agreement with Sadbhav Infrastructure Project (SIPL) for the acquisition of Maharashtra Border Check Post Network Limited (MBCPNL). Vedanta was issued a notice on remediation of contaminated sites at its Tuticorin unit by the Madras High Court after a PIL demanded that Vedanta remove all contaminated material from Sterlite copper plant. Steel Strips Wheels board will consider a stock split on 3 September. SpiceJet seeks shareholder nod for transfer of cargo business to SpiceXpress. RailTel Corporation of India has bagged two works from Indian Railways with completion period of 12 months for a project cost of Rs 38.82 crore. Kellton Tech Solutions reported consolidated net profit of Rs 16 crore compared to net profit of Rs 14 crore YoY. Revenue rose 13% to Rs 204 crore from Rs 180 crore YoY. Peninsula Land reported lower consolidated loss of Rs 11 crore compared to loss of Rs 31 crore YoY. Revenue grew 30% to Rs 55 crore from Rs 43 crore YoY. Eros International Media reported higher consolidated loss of Rs 41 crore compared to loss of Rs 28 crore YoY. Revenue dipped 53% to Rs 20 crore from Rs 42 crore YoY. Paisalo Digital reported consolidated profit of Rs 17 crore compared to profit of Rs 15 crore YoY. Revenue grew 6% to Rs 92 crore from Rs 87 crore YoY. The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below: The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below: Hand Cafe owner Kate Wolbert has started bringing coffee and support notes to hospital workers at Midland Memorial Hospital, Medical Center Hospital and Odessa Regional Medical Center again during the COVID-19 surge that is sweeping through the communities and area hospitals. Wolbert said the cafe started bringing coffee to hospital workers about 10 days ago since Midland Memorial Hospital has reached capacity again due to the pandemic. The cafe takes about 20 to 25 drinks daily to help boost morale among workers. It is important to me that we are bringing them refreshments and also its important to raise awareness, she said. We want people to remember, even if they havent gotten the vaccine that the hospital is overwhelmed and so at a time when the community isnt supporting them in a way that would reduce their stress then at least we can come together and still support them. Donations to help the initiative can be made at the jar at Hand Cafe or via Venmo at @handcafemidland. In addition to donations for coffee and treats, Midlanders can write support notes to hospital workers. Sometimes, the trips include bringing treats like brownies or donuts too. Coffee is something that health care workers can drink during a busy shift and it gives them more energy to get through their shift, she said. Wolbert said Hand Cafe would bring coffee and treats to Midland Memorial Hospital about two to three times a week during the worst part of last year's outbreak. She said they stopped after things slowed down but now they have started up again. She has someone from the cafe bring coffees by everyday for Midland Memorial Hospital. Then on the weekend, she tries to bring a load to Medical Center Hospital and Odessa Regional Medical Center in Odessa. If people cant donate money they can stop by the cafe and write notes of support and encouragement to health care workers. Another coffee shop giving back today are the Humane Bean locations in West Texas. Today, Midland and Odessa locations will be celebrating Marlees fourth birthday with a special Princess Marlee drink -- a frozen hot chocolate with princess sprinkles and swirls. Ask for Marlees drink to help. One hundred percent of the proceeds from Munguias drink sold that day will be donated to Munguia as she fights neuroblastoma. Donations can also be made in Marlees name in any amount at the Midland and Odessa locations. Patrons can also send birthday wishes to Marlee at the shops. Also tag #marleestrong in posted pictures, stories, Snapchats, Tik Toks and more. Visit The Human Bean Odessa at 4950 E. University or The Humane Bean of Midland at 2007 N. Big Spring St. from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. More food news --Hook and Reel will be opening a location at 2215 N. Midland Drive Suite 2A, according to the website. The restaurant will open beside the Sherwin Williams in the Mesa Verde Shopping Center. This will be Midlands first location. The Odessa location is at 5151 E. 42nd St. The menu mostly features seafood boils cooked with patrons favorite seafood, sauce and spice with extras like corn on the cob, potatoes, sausage and more. Other options include raw oysters, fried calamari, gumbo, oyster poboy, catfish basket, lobster tail basket and more. --Foods 2 Kids Sacking will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. at the West Texas Food Bank in Odessa at 411 S. Pagewood Ave. Volunteers will help sack the backpacks, which will be distributed to more than 50 elementary schools in five area school districts. The event will be the first open to community event since March of 2020. --Culture, a new food truck, will have a pop-up Thursday starting at 11 a.m. at 312 N Colorado St. The food truck usually has a pop-up every Saturday at the Midland Downtown Farmers Market. Culture specializes in fried quesadillas and tacos filled with birria, potatoes, chipotle chicken or chorizo with cilantro, onions, grilled onions, grilled chiles, lettuce, crema, limones and salsa roja or salsa verde for toppings. --SisterDough has a new location at 3641 N. Dixie Blvd. in Odessa. The gourmet doughnut shop plans to have a grand opening on Aug. 21. --Wall St. Cocinas second location at Music City Mall in Odessa is now open. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. --Yuengling Beer can now be found at establishments in Midland and Odessa. Murrays Deli, Little Woodrows, Bottoms Up, Buffalo Nickel, Triple Threat Bar and more. The beer will be in stores starting Aug. 23. Yuengling is the oldest operating brewing company in America, established in 1829. It is headquartered in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Courtesy, Apron For the first time ever, Academy has Whataburger-themed Magellan apparel in stock. Whataburger-themed Magellan Apparel Academy academy.com Shop Now The two Texas brands launched a line "made with the outdoor enthusiasts in mind" consisting of Magellan fishing shirts, boat shorts and more, drenched in Whataburger orange and emblazoned with the signature "Flying W" logo. MADRID (AP) Spanish officials sought to justify Tuesday their policy of sending unaccompanied child migrants back to Morocco, while 28 human rights organizations wrote to the Spanish prime minister urging him to end it immediately. Hundreds of unaccompanied minors were among a surge of 10,000 people who tried to enter Spains North African enclave of Ceuta in May by scaling a border fence or swimming around it. They have been in Ceuta since then. Last Friday, Spanish authorities began sending them back to Morocco in groups of 15, triggering an outcry from rights groups. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said Tuesday the returns were taking place under a 2007 agreement between Spain and Morocco for assisted returns once childrens cases had been considered. Morocco has given assurances that the minors rights will be respected, he said. We are returning the ones that are returnable, Grande-Marlaska said in an interview with Spanish public radio RNE. They are not at risk. The head of the Ceuta government, Juan Jesus Vivas, acknowledged that the 2007 agreement does not set out specific rules but states that Spain and Morocco have to agree on how to proceed with returns. Regardless of whether an individual written assessment has been made of each child, he said, for the past three months the minors who have been returned have been accompanied by qualified professionals and no child classified by them as vulnerable has been sent back to Morocco. But in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez published Tuesday, 28 Spanish and international rights groups insisted the returns are illegal because they are done in groups, without prior warning and without a hearing or the provision of legal counsel. Because of that, the returns are in contravention of Spanish, European and international law, the rights groups argue. A Spanish court has suspended the returns until Thursday, giving the government 72 hours to show it is not breaking the law. Savanta Buys MSI International Next15's data and insights group Savanta has acquired Pennsylvania, US-based full-service agency MSI International. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Founded in 1988, MSI International offers insights on markets, products, services and brands. Following the acquisition, Savanta Americas will have more than 100 employees, bringing the global Savanta team to over 400. The buy will enhance Savanta's experience in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, investment, insurance, IT/security, and retirement markets. The MSI International management team will remain with the business and there will be no immediate changes to the day-to-day running of the company, with founder and President Paul Strasser (pictured) reporting directly into < 27896>Vin DeRobertis, Savanta's CEO Americas. DeRobertis comments: 'We welcome the MSI team to Savanta with open arms. We're joining together with a team of specialist consultants whose focus and values fully align with ours, in helping our clients make better decisions'. Strasser says the deal 'marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for MSI', and adds: 'Not only is this exciting for our employees, but our clients too. Working as part of Savanta allows us to bring a wider range of insight solutions to our clients because we believe that better research results in better decisions'. Web sites: www.savanta.com and www.msimsi.com . MR Translation Specialist GlobaLexicon Acquired London-based market research and healthcare translation specialist GlobaLexicon has been acquired by language services business Toppan Digital Language, for an undisclosed sum. Founded by former Research International exec Daniela Toledo in 2004, GlobaLexicon employs project managers and trained linguists who conduct qual and quant research translation, and provides solutions for coding and content analysis. In 2019, the company increased global staff numbers to 90; moved into larger premises in Chicago; opened a new office in Timisoara, Romania; and moved into a larger office for its European Operations Centre in Seville, Spain. Founder and MD Daniela Toledo comments: 'I am delighted that our team is becoming part of Toppan Digital Language. This new venture will enable us to further extend our leadership position and we cannot wait to unleash additional opportunities for our clients and for our growing international team'. Web sites: www.toppanleefung.com and www.globalexicon.com . Bettmann/Bettmann Archive On Tuesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation, House Bill 1879, that builds on the legacy of unsung hero Mary K. Hunt and designates Penicillium Rubens as the official state microbe of Illinois. Pritzker also signed legislation, House Bill 3218 and Senate Bill 1624, that adds agricultural sciences and agricultural education as an option to fulfill the coursework requirements for university admission. HB 1879 designated penicillium rubens NRRL 1951 as the official state microbe of Illinois. The designation recognizes the contribution of Mary K. Hunt, also known as Moldy Mary, and the Northern Regional Research Library now known as the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research. Due to their research and work, penicillins yield soared at a time when demand was high all across the world. Its no secret that penicillin production is an achievement Peoria takes great pride in but as of today, it becomes a point of pride for all of Illinois, with new status as our official state microbe, Pritzker said in a statement. The additional legislation will help Illinois not lose any more Marys to history by recognizing the value of agricultural science in our education system for students of all backgrounds. By supporting our young learners who want to take ag sciences through to a university education and beyond Illinois is diversifying what it means to learn, to grow, to innovate and to set the stage for our future generations to live their dreams. Hunt was the bacteriologist who collected samples of moldy materials and assisted in the isolation and preliminary testing of many strains which helped lead to the discovery of penicillin, according to Peoria Magazines. BANGKOK (AP) Iran continues to produce uranium metal, which can be used in the production of a nuclear bomb, the United Nation's atomic watchdog confirmed Tuesday, in a move that further complicates the possibility of reviving a landmark 2015 deal with world powers on the Iranian nuclear program. In a report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna to member nations, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that his inspectors had confirmed on Saturday that Iran had now produced 200 grams of uranium metal enriched up to 20%. Grossi had previously reported in February that his inspectors had confirmed that a small amount of uranium metal, 3.6 grams, had been produced at Irans Isfahan plant. The production of uranium metal is prohibited by the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which promises Iran economic incentives in exchange for limits on its nuclear program, and is meant to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb. Iran insists it is not interested in developing a bomb, and that the uranium metal is for its civilian nuclear program. The European members of the JCPOA earlier this year voiced grave concern over the production of uranium metal, however, saying Iran has no credible civilian need for it and that it is a key step in the development of a nuclear weapon. The U.S. unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018, with then-President Donald Trump saying it needed to be renegotiated. Since then, Tehran has been steadily increasing its violations of the deal to put pressure on the other signatories to provide more incentives to Iran to offset crippling American sanctions re-imposed after the U.S. pullout. The western Europeans, as well as Russia and China, have been working to try to preserve the accord. President Joe Biden has said he is open to rejoining the pact, but that Iran needs to return to its restrictions, while Iran has insisted that the U.S. must drop all sanctions. Months of talks have been held in Vienna with the remaining parties of the JCPOA shuttling between delegations from Iran and the U.S. The last round of talks ended in June with no date set for their resumption. Following the latest IAEA report on the increase in uranium metal production, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the move was unconstructive and inconsistent with a return to mutual compliance. Iran has no credible need to produce uranium metal, which has direct relevance to nuclear weapons development, he said in a statement. Such escalations will not provide Iran negotiating leverage in any renewed talks on a mutual return to JCPOA compliance and will only lead to Irans further isolation." He said further that Irans nuclear advances have a bearing on our view of returning to the JCPOA, and suggested that the U.S. was slowly running out of patience. We are not imposing a deadline for negotiations, but this window will not remain open indefinitely, he said. _____ Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington. Today Farmers Market: 7 a.m., Lincoln Square, 901 W. Morton Ave. Prices vary. Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents. Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers and can be picked up at side door. Artist on the Plaza: Noon-1 p.m., Old State Capitol South Lawn, downtown Springfield. Free | Prairie Winds Flute Ensemble performs. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. For full performance schedule, go to springfieldartsco.org. Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445. Jacksonville Promise Night at Leos Pizza: 2-10 p.m., Leos Pizza, 230 S. Main St. | Every third Tuesday of the month, mention Jacksonville Promise scholarship program at ordering and Leos will donate 15% of total to the program. Call 217-243-3413. Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need. Stephen A. Douglas, Western Man Book Signing and Presentation: 6:30 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. Free | Reg Ankrom will discuss Stephen A. Douglas early congressional career and the research for his new book. No registration required. Wednesday Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents. Story Time: 10 a.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. | Celebrate Bad Poetry Day. Virtual on Facebook page or in-person. Call 217-243-5435 for more information. Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers and can be picked up at side door. Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445. Governor Duncan Mansion: 1-4 p.m., Gov. Duncan Mansion, 4 Duncan Place. Suggested donation $5 adult, $3 child. | Living history museum. Masks required for those not vaccinated. Commodity Food Distribution: 1:15 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. Free | For income-eligible residents of Morgan County. Bring proof of residence and a box for food. Story Time: 3 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. | Celebrate Bad Poetry Day. Call 217-243-5435 for more information. Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need. To submit items to the calendar, go to myjournalcourier.com and select calendar, or email jjcsocial@myjournalcourier.com. Items must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance. As the United States digs out of the COVID-19 recession, President Joe Biden is taking an important step to boost domestic job creation. His administration has announced new rules that will increase the American-made content of goods purchased by the federal government. This comes at a crucial time, since Washington is currently doling out stimulus money to address the pandemic. Bidens move will undoubtedly enjoy popular support. Americans have already made clear that they dont want to buy products made in China and 80% of consumers say theyre willing to pay more if companies close their China factories. In fact, a recent Reuters poll found 63% of Americans want the federal government to buy American-made products whenever possible. The American people have a good instinct for what will help the nation and its good to see Washington following suit. But buying American-made isnt just a home team issue. There are also good reasons to support stronger domestic procurement rules at all levels of government. Last fall, the Coalition for a Prosperous America reported strict Buy American rules can increase job creation and GDP growth by 33%. The Biden administration has previously announced similar rules for federal agencies. So, why should such a sweeping new directive be necessary? For starters, Washington has been historically lax about enforcing Buy American laws. And existing loopholes often allow federal agencies to source imported supplies to save time. The major problem, though, is Chinas ongoing subsidization of its state-owned factories including billions of dollars annually for everything from steel and electronics to solar panels and electric vehicles. This has helped China to become the worlds primary supplier for key industrial commodities and also driven many of Americas high-tech producers out of business. Overall, the United States has lost an estimated 3.7 million good jobs to China over the past 20 years. And Beijing has become the worlds top supplier for many of the components needed to make infrastructure investment possible. There are major benefits to boosting domestic manufacturing not least the need to reduce dependence on supply chains from China. The import shortages that occurred at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated just how precarious this import dependency has become. As just one example, the United States now relies on China for 90% of the ingredients needed to make generic antibiotics that treat life-threatening infections. Its not just pharmaceuticals, however. Beijing has invested roughly $120 billion in an effort to dominate the global semiconductor industry. That could eventually endanger U.S. national security if China-made computer chips find their way into sensitive applications and military hardware. Helpfully, the Biden administrations proposed changes to Buy American rules could provide a significant boost for emerging industries like electric vehicles. Under the new rules, the threshold for American-made content in goods purchased by the government would rise to 60% 5% above existing standards. Further increases would be phased in aiming toward 75% domestic content by the end of the decade. Americas new electric vehicle manufacturers could benefit from such an effort, especially since President Biden is hoping to convert the entire federal vehicle fleet to American-made EVs. However, China is on track to have 107 lithium-ion battery mega-factories, with the U.S. having only nine such factories in the planning stages. Its not just vehicles, though. The federal government spends roughly $600 billion annually on procurementand is the single largest purchaser of consumer goods in the world. Directing that taxpayer money to American-made goods could provide a tremendous boost for U.S. manufacturers. Clearly, the United States has a long way to go. But using the full resources of the federal government to support Americas burgeoning EV industry and lithium-ion battery production is a necessity. Robust Buy American rules that focus on key growth industries can provide an important reset. By putting the full weight of the federal government into long-term support for American industry, domestic manufacturers will finally find the breathing room needed to compete successfully with China. And so, Washington must make robust Buy American rules a top priority. Michael Stumo is CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Review: Elon Musk bet everything he had on Tesla View Photo Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century, by Tim Higgins (Doubleday) Space exploration, solar power, electric cars the fortune Elon Musk had made for his role in creating PayPal, the online payment system, gave him the money to plunge into those arenas. Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century by Tim Higgins focuses on Tesla, the electric car concept that survived more near-death experiences than a Harrison Ford character. In the authors telling, Musk emerges as the quintessential American entrepreneur driven, intelligent, focused and confident in his own abilities, vision and judgements. Except that Musk is South African by birth and upbringing, Canadian by immigration choice, finally arriving in the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania and then, on to graduate studies at Stanford University. But academic life couldnt match Musks entrepreneurial fervor. First, he was an investor in Tesla but every time he went to the bank for more money for the carmaker, he increased his control. Power Play is a business thriller for real. Multiple times in the journey to launch the Tesla, the effort teeters on the edge of technological and financial cliffs. The Great Recession alone should have rolled over Tesla, but with the cool resolve of a fighter pilot, Musk steers the company to success. Higgins explains Musk this way: Belief created the vision, the vision would create the market, the market could create cash and cash would create cars. It didnt seem to hurt Tesla that Musk could be bitingly blunt, cranky and uncompromising. Musk declined to cooperate with Higgins on this book, which is unfortunate because Musks name now clearly belongs with Carnegie, Ford and Jobs in the hall of great American entrepreneurs. If only we knew what Musk was thinking, his thought process in forming and guiding his companies, his vision for setting and accomplishing goals and how he embraced and redefined Californias entrepreneurial culture. Higgins offers us the next-best thing, a clear, deeply reported and engaging account of how Musk launched a truly transformational car. By JEFF ROWE Associated Press Hong Kong leader: Groups crossing red lines should disband View Photo HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kongs leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday organizations that cross red lines and disregard national security should disband and the government would not hesitate to cut ties with professional groups that turn political. Authorities are conducting an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the city, arresting pro-democracy leaders and activists as Beijing seeks to keep Hong Kong in line after months of mass anti-government protests in 2019. Lam made her comments after the Civil Human Rights Front, known for organizing annual July 1 protests and a key organizer of some of the biggest protests in 2019, said Sunday it could no longer operate due to the imprisonment of its leader Figo Chan and a loss of members. Its dissolution also came as Hong Kong police were reportedly investigating the group for breaking the law, with a police commissioner saying in an interview with local media that the group had not formally registered with the government. Critics of Hong Kongs security legislation say it rolls back freedoms promised to Hong Kong for 50 years when it was handed over by the British to mainland China in 1997. The legislation criminalizes subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion, and has been used to arrest over 100 pro-democracy figures since it was implemented last June. There is no absolute freedom of an individual anywhere in the world. You enjoy it in accordance with the law, Lam said at a regular news conference, adding that there were many organizations who do not accept that their behavior and speech are regulated by the citys national security law imposed last June. In the past we have seen organizations and individuals crossing these red lines. In my opinion, the only choice is at this time is disbandment, she said. So its nothing to do with exercising your right or your freedom. Lam said that even if organizations disband of their own volition, it does not absolve them of criminal liability if they are found to break the law. Law enforcement agencies will continue to collect evidence and investigate, and any breaches of the law will be prosecuted accordingly, she said. Professional groups who deviate from their original purpose and turn political will also be cut off from the Hong Kong government, she said. The government last month severed ties with the Professional Teachers Union, the citys largest union for educators. The union later disbanded, citing a changing political climate. Lam warned that the Law Society a professional association for solicitors in Hong Kong could be next if they let politics take over their professional mission. Defense: Former Cambodian official not guilty of genocide View Photo PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) The defense team for the former head of state of Cambodias brutal Khmer Rouge regime argued Tuesday that his genocide conviction should be overturned, calling into question evidence presented at his original trial before an international tribunal. In the second day of Khieu Samphans appeal, attorney Anta Guisse told judges that evidence of killings of Vietnamese minorities in Cambodian border provinces Prey Veng and Svay Rieng was weak, and questioned whether the slayings rose to the level of genocide. The 90-year-old defendant is the last living member of the top leadership of the Khmer Rouge, the radical communist regime that ruled Cambodia with an iron fist from 1975 to 1979 and was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people. In a 2018 verdict from the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, Khieu Samphan was found guilty of genocide of the Vietnamese under the principle of joint criminal enterprise, under which individuals can be held responsible for the actions of a group to which they belong. But Guisse argued that prosecutors had failed to prove genocide, saying they failed to establish the massive character of the crime. She said, for example, that the court only heard from one witness about the Svay Rieng massacre, involving the killing of four Vietnamese families, who testified she had been informed of these events, by people whose names she forgot. This is why in our appeals brief we concluded that acquittal was necessary for lack of evidence, she told the ECCCs Supreme Court chamber. Lack of evidence because we didnt know who the perpetrators were, we do not know who executed the families, and we also have uncorroborated hearsay. Khieu Samphan sat behind the French defense attorney as she addressed the court, listening to her arguments through headphones and wearing a mask in compliance with COVID-19 restrictions. Megan Hirst, an Australian attorney representing victims of the Khmer Rouge, questioned the defenses argument, telling the court that hearsay testimony is often necessary in such cases. The defense position, taken to its logical conclusion, seems to be that where killings are alleged a trial chamber requires eyewitness evidence to conclude that those killings occurred, she said. That position is at odds with common sense. When mass killings are organized in this way, there are often no survivors who can testify about their experiences. In addition to questioning the evidence, Khieu Samphans defense team is also arguing there were procedural mistakes made in the trial that also found him guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The defendant is scheduled to address the tribunal on Thursday, the last day of the four-day hearing on his appeal. A verdict is not expected until next year. In their opening statements, prosecutors rejected the procedural arguments and emphasized the totality of the evidence against the defendant. Even if the conviction is overturned, Khieu Samphan is already serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2014 of crimes against humanity connected with forced transfers and disappearances of masses of people. That conviction was upheld on appeal in 2016. Under the leadership of the late Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge sought to eliminate all traces of what it saw as corrupt bourgeois life, destroying most religious, financial and social institutions, and forcing millions out of cities to live in the countryside. Dissent was usually met with death in the Khmer Rouges notorious killing fields or elsewhere, while starvation, overwork and medical neglect took many more lives. Only when an invasion by Vietnam finally drove the Khmer Rouge from power in 1979 did the magnitude of the killings become truly known. After being ousted from power in 1979, the Khmer Rouge waged guerrilla warfare for another two decades before disintegrating. Pol Pot died in the jungle in 1998, and on Christmas Eve that year, Khieu Samphan surrendered along with Nuon Chea, the movements chief ideologue. Nuon Chea was considered Pol Pots right-hand man, while Khieu Samphan as head of state presented a moderate veneer as the public face for the highly secretive group. Nuon Chea was convicted alongside Khieu Samphan in 2018 and died the following year. The only other leader convicted by the panel has been Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who as head of the Khmer Rouge prison system ran the infamous Tuol Sleng torture center in Phnom Penh. He died in 2020 while serving a life prison term for war crimes and crimes against humanity. After the conviction of Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea in 2018, the government of autocratic Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a midlevel Khmer Rouge commander before defecting while the group was still in power, declared no more cases would go forward, saying they would cause instability. ___ Rising reported from Bangkok. By SOPHENG CHEANG and DAVID RISING Associated Press Chinas military conducts assault drills in seas near Taiwan View Photo TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) Chinese fighter jets, anti-submarine aircraft and combat ships conducted assault drills near Taiwan on Tuesday with the Peoples Liberation Army saying the exercise was necessary to safeguard Chinas sovereignty. China has stepped up military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan, which it considers its own territory. Recent U.S.-Taiwan provocations severely violated Chinese sovereignty, Eastern Theater Command spokesman Shi Yi said in a statement. The assault drills were held near Taiwans southwestern and southeastern waters. Taiwans defense ministry said in a statement it had fully grasped and assessed the situation in the sea and air and was prepared to respond in each respect. In June, China flew a record 28 fighter jets toward Taiwan. Last week, officers from the U.S. and Taiwanese coast guards met to discuss improving cooperation and communication. The meeting followed the announcement of plans by the U.S. to sell 40 self-propelled howitzers to Taiwan in a deal valued at $750 million that drew strong condemnation from Beijing. The U.S. maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan in deference to Beijing, but it is the islands key arms supplier and closest political ally. It has been boosting U.S.-Taiwan ties amid deteriorating relations with China. Sacramento, CA Republican former Congressman Doug Ose has dropped out of the September 14 gubernatorial recall election. Ose represented parts of the Mother Lode, including Calaveras and Amador counties, in Congress from 1998 to 2004. He has been among the front runners in the recall effort, along with Larry Elder, John Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, Kevin Faulconer and Kevin Paffrath. Ose has put out a statement, While at home on Sunday evening, I experienced the sudden onset of concerning medical symptoms. I immediately called 911 and was transported by ambulance to Mercy General Hospital where I was ultimately treated for a heart attack. Adding, While Im told I should expect a full recovery, additional procedures and potentially surgery are required, and it has become clear that I must now focus my attention on rehabilitation and healing. Sometimes you have to do things that you dont want to do. It is what is: my campaign for governor is over. Ose will still appear on the ballot, as they have all been printed, and he is encouraging voters to still vote in favor of the recall. Taliban vow to respect women, despite history of oppression View Photo KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect womens rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists as part of a publicity blitz aimed at reassuring world powers and a fearful population. Following a lightning offensive across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a strict form of Islamic rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical and thousands have raced to the airport, desperate to flee the country. Older generations remember the Talibans previous rule, when they largely confined women to their homes, banned television and music, and held public executions. A U.S.-led invasion drove them from power months after the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida had orchestrated from Afghanistan while being sheltered by the Taliban. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Talibans longtime spokesman, emerged from the shadows Tuesday in his first-ever public appearance to address those concerns at a news conference. He promised the Taliban would honor womens rights within the norms of Islamic law, without elaborating. The Taliban have encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school, handing out Islamic headscarves at the door. A female news anchor interviewed a Taliban official Monday in a TV studio. The treatment of women varies widely across the Muslim world and sometimes even within the same country, with rural areas tending to be far more conservative. Some Muslim countries, including neighboring Pakistan, have had female prime ministers, while ultraconservative Saudi Arabia only recently allowed women to drive. Mujahid also said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacking other countries, as it was in the years before 9/11. That assurance was part of a 2020 peace deal reached between the Taliban and the Trump administration that paved the way for the American withdrawal. The Pentagon said U.S. commanders are communicating with the Taliban as they work to evacuate thousands of people through Kabuls international airport. It said the Taliban have taken no hostile actions there. Mujahid reiterated that the Taliban have offered full amnesty to Afghans who worked for the U.S. and the Western-backed government, saying nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped. He said private media should remain independent but that journalists should not work against national values. Kabul, the capital, has remained calm as the Taliban patrol its streets. But many remain fearful after prisons and armories emptied out during the insurgents sweep across the country. Kabul residents say groups of armed men have been going door-to-door seeking out individuals who worked with the ousted government and security forces, but it was unclear if the gunmen were Taliban or criminals posing as militants. Mujahid blamed the security breakdown on the former government, saying the Taliban only entered Kabul in order to restore law and order after the police melted away. A broadcaster in Afghanistan said she was hiding at a relatives house, too frightened to return home much less go to work. She said she and other women do not believe the Taliban have changed their ways. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared for her safety. A group of women wearing Islamic headscarves demonstrated briefly in Kabul, holding signs demanding the Taliban not eliminate women from public life. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. and other governments will not simply take the Taliban at their word when it comes to womens rights. Like Ive said all along, this is not about trust. This is about verify, Sullivan said at a White House briefing. And well see what the Taliban end up doing in the days and weeks ahead, and when I say we, I mean the entire international community. Whatever their true intentions, the Taliban have an interest in projecting moderation to prevent the international community from isolating their government, as it did in the 1990s. The European Union said it was suspending development assistance to Afghanistan until the political situation is more clear but that it would consider boosting humanitarian aid. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the Taliban must respect U.N. Security Council resolutions and human rights to earn access to some 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in development funds earmarked through 2024. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain might provide up to 10% more humanitarian aid, but the the Taliban would not get any money previously earmarked for security. Evacuation flights resumed after being suspended on Monday, when thousands of people rushed the airport. In shocking scenes captured on video, some clung to a plane as it took off and then fell to their deaths. At least seven people died in the airport chaos, U.S. officials said. On Tuesday, the Taliban entered the civilian half of the airport, firing into the air to drive out around 500 people there, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to brief journalists. The Taliban appeared to be trying to control the crowd rather than prevent people from leaving. A video circulating online showed the Taliban supervising the orderly departure of dozens of foreigners. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, now operating from the military side of the airport, urged Americans to register online for evacuation but not to come to the airport before being contacted. The German Foreign Ministry said a first German military transport plane landed in Kabul but took off with only seven people on board due to the chaos. Another left later with 125 people. U.S. President Joe Biden has defended his decision to end Americas longest war, blaming the rapid Taliban takeover on Afghanistans Western-backed government and security forces. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that assessment, while saying the alliance must investigate the flaws in its efforts to train the Afghan military. Talks continued Tuesday between the Taliban and several Afghan politicians, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the countrys negotiating council. The Taliban have said they want to form an inclusive, Islamic government. The talks focused on how a Taliban-dominated government would operate given the changes in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, rather than just dividing up ministries, officials with knowledge of the negotiations said on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. A top Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Kandahar on Tuesday night from Qatar, potentially signaling a deal is close at hand. The vice president of the ousted government, meanwhile, tweeted that he was the countrys legitimate caretaker president. Amrullah Saleh said that under the constitution, he should be in charge because President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. ___ Faiez reported from Istanbul, Gannon from Guelph, Canada, and Krauss from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Pan Pylas in London, and Aya Batrawy in Dubai contributed to this report. By AHMAD SEIR, RAHIM FAIEZ, KATHY GANNON and JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press Israeli firefighters say blaze near Jerusalem under control View Photo JERUSALEM (AP) Israels national fire chief on Tuesday said a massive wildfire that has consumed a large swath of forest west of Jerusalem has been brought under control. Dedi Simchi made the announcement after a three-day battle that required over 100 firefighting teams from across the country, over a dozen firefighting planes and even enlisted a small group of Palestinian firefighters in a rare instance of cooperation. The fire burned over 20 square kilometers (8 square miles) of forest, forcing hundreds of families to evacuate their homes in several communities just outside Jerusalem. It was one of the largest wildfires in Israeli history. Speaking to Channel 13 TV, the fire chief said the blaze was under control. We have put out the fire almost entirely, he said. He said there were still isolated smoldering hotspots, and that firefighters would work throughout the night to ensure the blaze did not reignite. Simchi said the blaze had been caused by human actions, but he stopped short of saying it was arson. Hot, dry weather and short winters in recent years have left the wooded hills near Jerusalem especially prone to wildfires. When the fire broke out on Sunday, it covered Jerusalem with a massive black and orange cloud. Windy conditions, along with hot summer weather made it difficult for firefighters. Scores of firefighting crews from across the country were brought in, and the Israeli air force provided a Hercules transport aircraft to help by dropping chemicals to help stop the spread of the blaze. On Monday, Israeli leaders appealed to international allies for help. But by Tuesday, officials said the assistance was no longer needed. In a rare instance of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, the Palestinian Authority in the neighboring West Bank sent five trucks and 20 firefighters to assist the Israelis. Israels defense minister, Benny Gantz, publicly thanked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Mutual care and saving human lives are common interests to us all, he said. PHOENIX (AP) Abortion-rights advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to overturn a new Arizona law that would ban abortions because of Down syndrome or other genetic abnormalities, the latest legal fight over reproductive rights under a judiciary that moved to the right during Donald Trumps presidency. The lawsuit also challenges a personhood provision that confers all the rights of people on fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses. The law is set to take effect Sept. 29 if its not blocked by a judge. You have a constitutional right to an abortion, and that right does not take into account your reason for having an abortion, said Emily Nestler, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. Politicians should not get to interrogate peoples reasons for seeking an abortion. Emboldened by the U.S. Supreme Courts turn to the right during Trumps term, Republican-controlled legislatures around the country have embraced efforts to further restrict or outright ban abortion. States enacted more than 90 new restrictions on abortion this year, the most in decades, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. The high court in May signaled its willingness to reconsider Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling establishing a nationwide right to abortion before a fetus could survive outside a mothers womb, generally around 24 weeks. The justices agreed to consider a Mississippi law that seeks to ban abortions after 15 weeks. The Arizona lawsuit challenges key provisions of SB1457, which was signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in April after it passed the GOP-controlled Legislature in party-line votes. The measure allows prosecutors to seek felony charges against doctors who provide abortions when they know its solely because of a genetic abnormality in the fetus. Anyone who helps raise money or pay for such an abortion also could be charged. Doctors also can lose their medical license, and any medical or mental health professionals who fail to report such an abortion could be fined $10,000. The lawsuit says the law will have a chilling effect on the communications between doctors and patients, preventing physicians from counseling women about a difficult decision. And it says the threat of criminal penalties will discourage abortions for any reason if the doctor has cause to suspect the fetus could have a genetic abnormality. Abortion opponents say the bill ensures children diagnosed with disabilities before birth dont face discrimination. Cathi Herrod, president of the anti-abortion group Center for Arizona Policy, which lobbied for the bill, said she was confident it will be upheld in court. As a society, within our laws we do not discriminate on born individuals due to genetic conditions, neither should we discriminate against unborn children solely because of genetic conditions, Herrod said. Arizona already bans abortions based on race and sex, so its not unprecedented to ban abortions based on the genetic abnormality reason, she added. Down syndrome abortion bans have gained traction recently in several GOP-controlled states, most recently in Arizona and South Dakota. Though the laws are on hold in several states, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed Ohio and Tennessee to enforce them. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina this year vetoed a Down syndrome abortion ban passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix by the Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of two doctors who perform abortions, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Organization for Women and the Arizona Medical Association. ___ This story was first published on August 17, 2021. It was updated on August 18, 2021, to correct the name of an anti-abortion group. It is the Center for Arizona Policy, not the Center for Arizona Progress. By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press At Midwest state fairs no masks required, vaccines are free View Photo DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Nestled between corn dog stands, animal barns and booths touting hot tubs and John Deere tractors, a Hy-Vee pharmacist and several nurses have been administering COVID-19 vaccines at the Iowa State Fair to anyone eligible that wants one. Their booth didnt have the long lines of more popular attractions, but by Monday more than 150 people had received a shot since the 11-day fair started on Thursday. More than 400,000 people attended the fair in its first four days. Still, in a state where only half of the population is fully vaccinated, pharmacist Tiffany Aljets was encouraged that people were changing their minds. I think the (delta) variant has swayed a lot of people that werent sure if they wanted it or not, and a lot of people with kids want to get their kids back in school, Aljets said Monday. State fairs in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin also are offering COVID-19 vaccinations as the delta variant spreads nationwide and relaxed masking leaves public health officials concerned about another surge in infections. At the Iowa State Fair on Monday, three people got vaccinated in the first two hours. Elsewhere on the fairgrounds, people stood close together in lines for rides, cheese on a stick and funnel cakes. Others pushed baby strollers through crowded barns housing sheep, pigs, cows and horses with electric fans pushing air around on a sunny 82-degree day. Masks were rare, although some wore them inside buildings. Fair officials canceled the 2020 event due to COVID-19 but are following Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds policy of personal responsibility by allowing fairgoers this year to decide whether to be vaccinated or wear a mask. Public health officials recommend wearing a mask where there are crowds. The positivity rate in Polk County, where the fairgrounds are located, has increased to nearly 11%, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Cases have accelerated rapidly in August, increasing by nearly 42% in the past week to a seven-day average of 758. All but three of Iowas 99 counties are experiencing a substantial or high rate of spread, and the states vaccination rate has stalled at about 50% fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the fair is on track to attract an estimated 1 million visitors. Doctors were concerned that a surge in delta variant infections could come at an already challenging time for hospitals. Its not a matter of will we see increased cases, its just a matter of how many, said Dr. Clint Hawthorne, an emergency medicine specialist in Des Moines. If we were to experience a surge of COVID patients, were going to be in some big trouble because of our capacity issues that are at hand currently which are not COVID related. Des Moines has an acute shortage of nurses, so even if beds are available there arent nurses to tend to them and patients cant be placed. Even now, patients coming into the emergency department can wait 10 hours for a regular hospital bed, he said. Several Iowa fairgoers got vaccinated because of fears about the delta variant, or because family members have been sick and they understand how serious COVID-19 can be. Others have jobs that require vaccinations, Aljets said. Jesse James, 13, of Pleasantville, rolled up his sleeve for a Pfizer shot on Monday. His mother, Angela Collins, said hes going on a class trip to Washington, D.C., in October and she wants him vaccinated before he flies. Both acknowledged a driving force behind the decision was his grandmother. Im going back to school this year and my grandma kind of nudged me into getting a vaccine, he said. I mostly agreed with her. Jonila Shehu, 18, saw the Hy-Vee display was offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and decided to get her shot. Shehu is an American Cultural Exchange Service foreign exchange student from Kosovo was attending the fair with her host mother Tammy Beeson, of Bettendorf. She had been in the U.S. for four days and is preparing to go to college. I know that Im going to be with people and its important to me to keep myself and others safe, she said. In Wisconsin, 608 people were vaccinated during the state fairs 11-day run, perhaps enticed by the promise of a free cream puff pastry. The push to vaccinate at the fair came as COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin hit their highest seven-day average since February. At the Indiana State Fair, which opened July 30, Indiana University Health is offering Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccinations daily. Spokeswoman Sophie Maccagnone said 304 vaccines were administered as of Monday. The fair will last more than three weeks, to spread out crowds and allow for fairground cleaning. The fair typically draws nearly 1 million people, and masks are not required. Vaccines also will be offered by the Minnesota Department of Health, Ramsey County and Homeland Health at the Minnesota State Fair, which begins Aug. 26 and lasts for 12 days. Two million visitors typically attend. At the 11-day Illinois State Fair, which began last Thursday, 156 shots were given through Monday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Nearly 78% of them were given the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. ___ Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report. Associated Press/Report For America correspondent Casey Smith in Indianapolis also contributed. By DAVID PITT Associated Press Family of man killed during Kenosha protests files lawsuit View Photo MILWAUKEE (AP) The family of one of the two men fatally shot during a demonstration against police violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has filed a federal civil lawsuit against local law enforcement, accusing officers of facilitating Kyle Rittenhouses attacks. Anthony Huber was participating in an Aug. 25 protest sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake two days earlier. The Black man was left partially paralyzed after he was shot in the back by police during a domestic disturbance call. Rittenhouse, who is white, was 17 at the time and traveled from his home in Antioch, Illinois, and joined other armed individuals in Kenosha who answered a call from local militia to protect businesses from protesters. The protests turned chaotic that night. According to prosecutors, Rittenhouse opened fire on Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, killing them. Gaige Grosskreutz was also shot, but survived his injuries. The three men are white. Rosenbaum was shot in the parking lot of an auto dealership and as Rittenhouse ran from the scene he stumbled and fell. Huber was shot in the chest as he tried to disarm Rittenhouse by wrestling his rifle away. After he had killed and maimed multiple individuals, Kyle Rittenhouse walked up to a dozen Kenosha police officers, assault rifle in hand, with crowds yelling that he had just killed innocent people. What did the police do? They spoke to him and let him walk away, said Huber family attorney Anand Swaminathan. Rittenhouse maintains he fired in self-defense, but prosecutors have charged him with a litany of counts, including reckless homicide, recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and being a minor in possession of a dangerous weapon. The federal lawsuit seeks unspecified damages against Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth; Daniel Miskinis, the former City of Kenosha police chief; Eric Larsen, the citys acting police chief; and unnamed officers and deputies. The plaintiffs allege in the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Eastern District of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, that the defendants deputized these armed individuals, conspired with them, and ratified their actions by letting them patrol the streets armed with deadly weapons to mete out justice as they saw fit. The police are supposed to serve and protect, Anthonys father, John Huber, said in a statement. But thats not what the Kenosha police did. They walked away from their duties and turned over the streets of Kenosha to Kyle Rittenhouse and other armed vigilantes. If they had done their job, my son would still be alive today. The lawsuit also alleges that the officers decision to treat demonstrators and militia members differently was motivated by racial discrimination and was in retaliation for protests critical of police violence. The plaintiffs allege in the lawsuit that while police allowed armed militia members who were white to roam the streets illegally with weapons, they strictly enforced a curfew against peaceful protestors, who were a diverse group speaking out against police violence. That discriminatory and retaliatory conduct violated the U.S. Constitutions guarantees of a right to free speech and peaceful assembly and to equal protection of the law, the lawsuit said. Anthony Hubers mother, Karen Bloom, said the lawsuit is about justice for her son, and his legacy. After Anthonys death, there will always be a hole in my heart, Bloom said. But his memory lives on, and I will never stop telling his story. Kenosha County Sheriffs Department spokesman Sgt. David Wright said officials planned to issue a statement on the lawsuit later. JOHANNESBURG (AP) Health activists in Africa have slammed Johnson & Johnson for exporting vaccines produced in South Africa to countries in Europe, which have already immunized large numbers of their people and have even donated vaccines to more needy countries. The one-dose J&J vaccines were exported from South Africa, where they had been assembled, despite the pressing need for vaccines across Africa, where less than 3% of the continent's 1.3 billion people have been fully vaccinated. The South African activists on Tuesday called for a full disclosure of the South African governments contracts with Johnson & Johnson and other vaccine manufacturers and threatened legal action to get the information. At a press briefing on Tuesday, they reacted to revelations by The New York Times that millions of J&J doses produced by Aspen Pharmacare in the South African city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) are being exported to Europe. The report also claims the South African government agreed to waive its right to ban exports to make sure that Johnson & Johnson could ship the vaccines abroad. Aspen, a South African drug manufacturer, has a contract with Johnson & Johnson to assemble the ingredients of its COVID-19 vaccine, put it in vials and package it, a process called fill and finish. It was the first agreement for COVID-19 vaccines to be finished in Africa and was hailed by the African Union and the South African government as a boost for vaccine production and distribution in the continent. The Aspen factory has the capacity to finish about 220 million J&J doses annually. We believe that the conduct of Johnson & Johnson has been scandalous, immoral and unconstitutional, Fatima Hassan of the Health Justice Initiative, an advocacy group in South Africa, said Tuesday. The organization has already filed a request under South Africas Promotion of Access to Information Act to get access to the contracts, she said. South Africa has vaccinated more than 2.1 million people with the J&J vaccine and has purchased 31 million doses of the vaccine, which are being delivered in large shipments from overseas and from the South African manufacturing plant. The rollout of the J&J vaccines has been delayed by delivery disruptions. In addition to the J&J vaccines, South Africa is using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. About 7% of South Africans are fully vaccinated and an additional 9% have received one dose. Overall South Africa has given at least one vaccination does to more than 9.7 million people and is currently administering about 200,000 shots per day. Moses Muluba, from the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development in Uganda, said the distribution of vaccines produced in Africa to Europe shows glaring global inequity in the distribution of vaccines. In a country like Uganda where we have 44 million people, we have not even reached a target of 4 million vaccinations. Only 1.7 million have been vaccinated, but we cannot find vaccines in the market," he said. The vast majority of the world's COVID-19 vaccine supply has already been bought up by rich countries including the U.S., Canada and the European Union. While many of those countries have pledged to donate millions of vaccines to African countries, most of them won't be delivered this year. And many are now planning booster shots for their own people. In this case, what does global solidarity mean? Vaccines made in South Africa were supposed to boost distribution to countries like ours, but that has not happened, Muluba said. ___ AP journalists Maria Cheng in London and Andrew Meldrum in Johannesburg contributed. In Texas, we go bat wild for the flying mammals. Texas happens to be the battiest state in the country as it's home to 32 of the 47 species found in the United States. Every August, most baby bats are ready for migration and foraging on their own, creating one of the most spectacular bat outings of the year in Texas. Since 2013, the San Antonio River Authority partnered with other organizations to host the Bat Loco Bash in early August, where you can watch thousands of Mexican Free-Tailed bats emerge under Interstate 35 near Camden and Newell Street. In 2019, the event attracted about 5,000 people, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The event didn't occur in 2020, but not because of the coronavirus pandemic. The San Antonio River Authority tells MySA.com it retired the event because it outgrew the space. The organization also says they don't plan on hosting any bat events this year. Austin has all bat-lovers covered with its music bat festival next weekend, which will bring in major acts like Chamillionaire, Kevin Fowler, and Fetty Wap. The Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in the world. Austin reconstructed the bridge in 1980, and its crevices made an ideal roosting location for bats, who began flocking to the bridge by the thousands. The festival didn't occur in 2020 due to the pandemic. However, organizers of Roadway Events are hosting the 16th annual Bat Fest from 4 p.m. to midnight at 100 South Congress Avenue on Saturday, August 28. French Smith, the owner of Roadway Events, says they typically watch about 1.5 million Mexican Free-Tailed bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk. However, bat conservation experts believe it might be 25 percent lower this year due to the February winter storm wiping out a large chunk of the species. "It's really a great sight to see," Smith tells MySA.com. "They are easy to see too, especially if you can get to stand right on the bridge and look off they're flying out like right under your feet." Bats are wild animals, so it's hard to predict exactly when the emergence will begin but the flight usually begins between 7 to 8:45 p.m. The emergence can last up to 30 to 45 minutes. While waiting, attendees can enjoy the performances at the event. Other acts include Toadies, The Unlikely Candidates, Priscilla Block, Lil Flip, The Nixons, Broadie Lane, Nich Sterling & The Nomads, Blackillac, and DJ Shaynea. Along with the music, the event will have arts and craft vendors, food and drinks, and a bat costume contest. Bat experts will also be at the event to answer questions about the species. Smith says they are strongly encouraging masks at the event but will not enforce them. Masks will be available for those who don't have one. Austin Public Health will also be offering free vaccines on location. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. Children eight and under are free with an adult. All can be purchased at roadwayevents.com. If you miss the event, you can find other bat-watching events at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's website. If you like your music dark-wave and your coffee dark roast, then Gravves coffee, the latest addition to the St. Mary's strip, is where you ought to be. Make some of the best coffee you've ever tasted with this... Originally inspired by the candle-lit charm of witchy New England towns like Salem, Massachusetts, this San Antonio spot is the spawn of owner Mauricio Cruz and his childhood friend and Kennedy High School classmate, cafe manager Daniel Contreras. Today, on Monday, August 16, I trekked on over to the Gravves grand opening to explore the gothic offerings and chat with Cruz about his "dark" coffee concept. Camille Sauers The little black truck parked outside of Rumble initially alerts you to its presence with a coffin-shaped sign. The espresso-dependent know that caffeine is a miracle drug with the power to metaphorically revive you from the grave. The marriage is a natural fit. "We just want to bring something cool for everybody," says Cruz. "We're just being us, we're not trying too hard to push anything, either you like us for our looks and style or you come in because you like the coffee, either way." Camille Sauers With matte black cups and packaging visible on the counter, I immediately knew that the Gravves gimmick deviates from the standard spoils of the existing San Antonio coffee circuit. Cold Cave was playing through the speakers as my roommate and I ordered our specialty iced lattes. It was one of those rare experiences where a daily transaction feels like fun. The "Elixir" gets its pretty purple color from the ube root, originating in the Philippines and common across South Asian cuisine. It was one of the first drinks Cruz concocted in the early days of 2020 maybe earlier when Gravves was still operating from home and purveyed at local establishments like Wong's Bodega and Sari-Sari. "That one in particular, the ube, turned purple when I was messing with it the first time at home, so then I was like cool, this could be something different to bring into the city," Cruz tells MySA. Camille Sauers His first brush with the mauve root happened at an ice cream parlor in New York City, while on a trip with Contreras. The myriad of unique offerings prompted Cruz to think creatively about what he wanted to bring back home. While he doesn't have an official coffee resume, Cruz tells me the drink has been a lifelong pursuit. Before moving to San Antonio at the age of 10, his love of coffee was born, like him, in El Salvador, when his great, great-grandmother used to put coffee into his bottle when he was a toddler. While working at Brooks Army Medical Center as an Environmental Services Manager, a gig he still maintains, Cruz received a fortune cookie in 2018 that forecasted he would soon make his dreams come true. After giving it some thought, he knew he wanted to open a coffee shop. Trial and error ensued. Gravves was born. Camille Sauers Another Gravves specialty is the "The Forest Dweller" made with pandan leaves, a mossy colored brew, evoking visions of fairies and mushroom rings lurking around the shadowy side of trees. Both drinks we sampled possessed a nutty, almost taro-like quality with beans from Barrett's Coffee Roasters, based in Austin. They were delicious, and visually, the type of beverages that make you want to snap a little picture. Cruz mentions that next to their vnilla lavender latte, the drinks subscribe to a similar color story as the 1988 film, Beetlejuice. While ultimately wanting to take the gothic concept further with a full-fledged brick and mortar, the team is excited about the truck, and the flexibility it provides during a precarious pandemic landscape. The coffee stop is now open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2410 N St. Mary's. Customers have free range to utilize Rumble's outdoor seating. Cottonwood Wine Tours, a San Antonio-based guide to the Hill Country, is one of the best in the U.S. according to a new ranking. Brandy and Matthew Garcia, a pairing in life and business, launched the guide service in 2013. Since then, the Hill Country has grown into a wine destination that has been referred to as the "next Napa." The new Fredericksburg focus may have attributed to the nomination of the Garcia business on USA Today's 10Best list. USA Today's 10Best series of contests finds the premier destinations for a variety of interests. The readers' choice competition ended earlier this month and the top 10 was announced over the weekend. Cottonwood didn't take the top spot, that would be Santa Barbara-based Sustainable Wine Tours, but the San Antonio company made the list of 10 out of 20, Brandy Garcia says. The owner says she was stunned by the nomination. She assumes the glowing Cottonwood reviews helped them earn recognition from the 10Best panel of experts. "We're the only Texas representation," she adds. "That was really, really cool." The local business is now in the same sentence with North Bay Wine Tours in a Tesla, a Sonoma-based service in the No. 3 spot, and Napa's Perata Luxury Tours, which took No. 6. Pop the Cork Wine Tours (No. 2) is an Atlanta tour which represented Georgia on its own. Experience! The Finger Lakes and Cork and Keg Tours did the same for New York and Virginia, respectively, but California dominated the list. Much of Cottonwood's schedule centers on Fredericksburg. Cabernet Grill, a winery restaurant there, was one of the winning 10Best restaurants for vino. Brandy Garcia says the tour business is convenient for travelers, since they can't fly into the town. The family-owned service takes the hassle out of renting a vehicle and driving to Fredericksburg. Cottonwood is also available to take local groups, from couples to birthdays, out to the wineries. She says the Cottonwood experience is more than a "booze cruise." "We want to make sure that people know about wine, Texas history and the culture down here," the owner says. "We really try to ensure that people have fun, but that they'll also learn something about wine while they're here." An easy way to spot someone who hasnt been in San Antonio long is to ask them how to say the name of the citys corresponding county: Bexar. While native San Antonians will often giggle at those who pronounce it as Bex-are rather than bear, hang around a non-local long enough and youll realize that there are actually numerous words, most often names of Texas towns and streets, that are pronounced differently than they look. Though these words are more commonly said among San Antonians, the pronunciation is highly influenced by Texas history. We have a lot of different influences because we have a mess of different cultures and languages here, says Dr. Christine Carmichael, an associate professor in the Communication Disorders program at Our Lady of the Lake University. Dr. Rocio Norman, an assistant professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, agrees. She says the proper pronunciation of words like Boerne, Gruene, and Huebner is a result of Texas culture, one that is impacted by both colonizers and settlers. From Spain and Mexico to Germany and the indigenous populations in the area, the influence of previous generations is still apparent today. Take a look at a map or drive around and youll see: Boerne, Gruene, and Huebner, all of which Norman says follow the rules of the language it is influenced by: German. When considering the mix of cultures still part of Texas daily life today, Norman says there is a mismatch between how many words are written and how they are pronounced, causing a problem for non-locals. If a transplant sees Huebner on a sign, theyll likely stress the hue instead of pronouncing it as He-bner. For locals, this pronunciation is passed down orally, meaning we skip the awkward correction. Norman points out that German-based words are more difficult given that they dont sound the way they look, unlike Spanish, which is a more phonetic language. In German, its always the second vowel that gets pronounced and not the first, Norman says, meaning that the u in Huebner and the o in Boerne are silent. Billy Calzada /Staff Photographer Still, we cant always depend on phonetics to teach us how to say certain words, especially in a place as diverse as Texas. We learn the pronunciation of words phonetically, but when you have cultural influences in different languages, sometimes the phonetic rule doesnt apply, Carmichael says. Dr. Stefanie Becerril, also a professor at Our Lady of the Lake University, says language and culture are interconnected, especially in a melting pot like San Antonio, so she encourages Texas residents to be mindful of the backgrounds that influenced the formation and culture of the Lone Star State. It shows a lot of respect and interest in the culture and the language that those words came from, Becerril says. Thats always a great place to start. Norman, who moved to San Antonio in 2008, says the context of where you are really matters, noting that saying Guadalupe with a Spanish accent rather than Gwad-uh-loop in Austin might get you some strange looks. You really have to follow the rules of the locals, Norman says. Theyre the majority. Carmichael agrees. You have to listen to the natives and how theyre pronouncing everything and go with that, she says. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Prosecutors asked a judge Monday to reject a request by a coalition of media outlets to unseal the names of the jurors who convicted ex-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin of murder in the death of George Floyd, saying it could subject them to harassment and make it harder to seat a jury for the trial of three codefendants next year. Judge Peter Cahill had ordered earlier that the jurors' identities be kept secret for at least 180 days after the verdict. That's three months away. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted in April of killing Floyd, a Black man, and was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. Joe Raedle/Getty Images WASHINGTON Fort Bliss in El Paso will be the destination for potentially thousands of Afghan refugees, Pentagon officials said Monday during a press conference to address the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan. As we prepare for even more arrivals, [U.S. Northern Command] and the U.S. Army are working to create additional capacity to support refugee relocation in the U.S., including temporary sights under assessment at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, Department of Defense official Gary Reed said. San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro is urging local families to call his office for information on relatives in Afghanistan . On Monday, August 16, Castro shared in a tweet how his office is pushing for the U.S. Department of State and other agencies to coordinate flights to safety for families in Afghanistan. "We need to expedite evacuations immediately," Castro stated in a tweet. "We must welcome refugees from Afghanistan here in the United States." The offer for help comes as the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. On August 15 , Taliban militants retook Kabul almost two decades after they were driven from the capital city by U.S. troops. President Biden defended his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan on Monday, blaming the swift collapse of the Afghan government. He added that the chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport were the result of the country's military failure to stay and fight Taliban forces, the New York Times reports. As for Castro, the congressman released a statement yesterday calling for the U.S. to safely evacuate all American citizens and help the Afghan allies who helped us over the past 20 years. He also asked for the evacuation of as many vulnerable people as possible, particularly women and girls. "It's a terribly tragic situation in Afghanistan. After two decades of open-ended U.S. military intervention with the loss of 2,448 American service members and costing over $2 trillion, I supported President Biden's decision not to surge troops to fight in a civil war and enter a third decade of conflict," Castro says. "The Afghan military had the capability to fight the Taliban but sadly lacked the will to fight themselves, and an even longer U.S. troop deployment would not have changed that." 3 1 of 3 STR/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Castro's statement continues: "We must welcome refugees from Afghanistan here in the United States. I voted to expand the Special Immigrant Visa program to ensure more of our Afghan allies can obtain protection in the United States, and I will continue to support a strong refugee resettlement system." San Antonians who have family members in Afghanistan in need of evacuation can contact Castro's office at 210-348-8216. Sen. Ted Cruz took aim at a CNN correspondent Monday, and the news network fired back defending her reporting. Clarissa Ward, CNN's chief international correspondent, filed a report from Kabul, Afghanistan while embedded with Taliban leaders who had just taken over the capitol city. U.S. forces recently withdrew from the country, and Taliban forces swiftly took control of the capital city and surrounding provinces. When describing the situation on the ground in Kabul, Ward reported that the city looked completely different after Taliban forces took over. Her report, coming in just under two minutes, painted a paradoxical scene of goodwill underpinned by familiar, anti-U.S. sentiments. It wasn't long before members of the conservative punditry latched onto the segment as supposed proof of the news network's love for anti-American radicalism. Jack Posobiec (that Jack Posobiec) trimmed an eight-second snippet of the report where Ward describes what was happening in that very moment: "Theyre chanting 'death to America' but they seem friendly at the same time." Her description that Taliban fighters were showing a bit of humanity angered Posobiec as well as the junior senator from Texas, who both took their frustration out on Ward and CNN. It's pretty tough talk for someone consistently taken to task on Twitter. Pointing out some obvious digs at Cruz, who infamously flew to the warm coast of Cancun while Texans died in the bitter cold, CNN defended Ward's reporting. We want reporters across the world to give us accurate reports of what's happening, especially under the most volatile of circumstances. Apparently, however, Cruz would rather the news be delivered in an easier, paint-by-numbers form. Notably, Ward went on to say it was "utterly bizarre" how contrasting their words and actions were. What more could you ask of a reporter whose only allegiance is the truth? San Antonians are paying more to rent apartments - and the price hike is being fueled by skyrocketing costs of for-sale housing, more people relocating within the city and out-of-towners flocking to the area. The median rent overall reached $1,136 in July, a 9.1 percent increase year-over-year, according to data provided by homesearch website Apartment List. Much of the areas rent growth has occurred since the turn of the year, said Rob Warnock, senior research associate at Apartment List. Last year, rents fell 1 percent from March to December. Rising home prices and a tight supply of available houses are forcing many prospective buyers to continue to rent as new renters stream into San Antonio, he said. Higher rents are the result. The median price of a home jumped to $298,400 in July, an increase of 24 percent since March 2020, the San Antonio Board of Realtors reported. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio-area home sales see first monthly dip since pandemic but still top 2019 levels Inventory the average time it takes for a home to sell if no new homes are listed shrunk from 3.2 months to 1.7 months during that period. Amid lock-down orders and concerns about the spread of the virus, people postponed plans to move. Now theyre ready to relocate. People who moved back in with their parents or whose colleges or universities shifted to online classes are now signing leases. Right now, were seeing a lot of moving activity in the rental market, Warnock said. Robin Davis, founder of ApartmentTrends.com by Austin Investor Interests, attributes increasing rents to an influx of people moving to San Antonio from other, sometimes pricier, cities. The average rent for a local apartment rose to $1,102 per month, or $1.30 per square foot, in the second quarter, a record high. Investors snapped up complexes, with the number of sales jumping 50 percent over the previous quarter. These new-to-San Antonio residents may have come looking to buy, but the red hot housing market has left them with little choice but to rent, Davis noted in a report. Job growth is also rising and single-family rental communities are increasingly popular as tenants seek garages, yards and other amenities. Occupancy in the second quarter reached 93.7 percent, the second-highest rate since 2000. The number of new units finished plummeted 44 percent from the previous quarter, which helped fuel absorption of nearly 3,800 units. Overall, it was likely the most successful quarter on record in recent history, Davis stated in the report. At the beginning of the pandemic, rents across much of the country flattened or plunged as tenants lost their jobs, exhausted their savings and moved in with parents or friends. The most extreme declines occurred in dense, expensive cities such as New York City and San Francisco. Residents were required to work remotely, and some of the perks of urban living dissipated as restaurants, bars and other attractions shut down so some workers left town. Landlords offered deals, such as one or two months of free rent, to attract tenants and keep apartments full. But rent growth is picking up now due to employers adding jobs, vaccine availability, workers returning to offices and landlords trying to recoup revenue lost last year. On ExpressNews.com: Nonprofit affordable housing builders in San Antonio grapple with higher construction costs, shortages Vacancy rates are low. Landlords arent having trouble filling apartments, so those sweeteners offered last spring and summer are gone, Warnock said. An eviction ban has also helped keep struggling tenants in their homes during the pandemic. But surging for-sale prices and rents are making it more difficult for residents to find affordable housing. One sign of demand: Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio, which builds homes for low-income families, has received 2,273 applications from buyers so far this year. By this time in 2020, the nonprofit had received 1,622. Davis said apartments are being leased faster than they can be built. She expects rents to continue increasing through the rest of the year, particularly prices at luxury units. Warnock expects rent growth to moderate in the coming months, though tenants will still be paying more than they were in 2020. Price growth will slow but its not going to undo a lot of the really rapid price growth that we saw throughout 2021, he said. Prices are still going to end the year a lot higher than they were last year. madison.iszler@express-news.net Near-Death Experiences Can Scar Animals for Life Atlantic (Paul R) Ten Observations on Lullabies The Honest Broker (Anthony L) Imagination is such an ancient ability it might precede language Aeon (Anthony L) Forgotten island with open coffins and bones emerged from Kent river: Like horror film Express. Kevin W: Climate change at work. If your coffees going downhill, blame climate change Reuters A year after fire, burned Santa Cruz forests sprout with new life but growing takes time Santa Cruz Sentinel (David L) Flora, Fauna, and Funga? The Case for a Third F. Undark (Chuck L) Winwin denial: The psychological underpinnings of zero-sum thinking. PsycNET (resilc) How to do philosophy Lars P. Syll. A wee tale. #COVID-19 Opinion: One simple principle: No vaccine, no go Globe and Mail (Dr. Kevin) Coronavirus: More than 1 million Israelis vaccinated with third dose i24 News (resilc) South Africa Sees Covid-19 Fourth Wave Starting in Early December Bloomberg NIH Director says unvaccinated people are sitting ducks as the Delta variant continues spread across the US Yahoo. Help me. As are the people who got the Pfizer vaccine early and seeing their immune response decay. The Queen is continuing her Balmoral holiday after staff member at the Scottish estate tested positive for Covid https://t.co/3tIbOvrKKY Todays COVID aerosol transmission between children update lessons from Victorian TTI: rapid child to child seen all the way through likely outdoor playground transmission shared outdoor walk home from school https://t.co/t5YoT79OYh #COVIDisAirborne just like measles pic.twitter.com/npZ9pJv3ps Antibody cocktails to treat Covid take off as Delta surges Bloomberg China? Syraqistan. The frisson is impressive. Guest on msnbc just said the taliban have our biometric database of everyone who worked for US and are using it at checkpoints. When / how did that happen? Was that a massive story at the time or wtf? They used AF as a testing ground for biometrics and this is how it ends up? Amanda Milius (@AmandaMilius) August 16, 2021 The Strategic Consequences of Western Defeat in Afghanistan Tipping Point (Colonel Smithers) The Day After Heisenberg Report (resilc) Anger and fear grow as US defends Kabul pull-out BBC This Video of Afghans Desperately Clinging to a US Plane Is Horrifying. Well All Forget About It Soon Enough. Esquire. Funny how we dont care much about all of the women and children in the Middle East we droned into pink mist. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan back with a bang Asia Times (Kevin W) Resilc: MSNBC hero and war monger: The Trump/Biden calamity unfolding in Afghanistan began with the Trump administration negotiating with terrorists and pretending they were partners for peace, and is ending with American surrender as Biden abandons the country to our terrorist enemies. https://t.co/PQ1i5W6zZt Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 14, 2021 GOP Scrubs Webpage Touting Trumps Historic Taliban Deal Gizmodo (Dr. Kevin) Taliban Checkpoints Blocking Access to Kabul Airport for U.S. Residents and Allies Intercept Why is Afghanistan falling to the Taliban so fast? Guardian (vlade). From late last week, still germane. As the mainstream media acts blown away at how easily the Taliban takes back Afghanistan, none of them seem to want to mention that two of the Taliban's BIGGEST income streams for the past 20 years have been payments from the US government & opium (protected by the US). Lee Camp [Redacted] (@LeeCamp) August 16, 2021 The MSM is admitting to it too: Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban Associated Press Pakistan says US Afghan troop withdrawal is logical conclusion Al Jazeera. Resilc: But Taliban say on to Islamabad. The New Competition Over Afghanistan Is Just Beginning National Interest Turmoil in Afghanistan binding China and Russia even closer South China Morning Post The US should be held accountable: Guantanamo survivor on the war on terrors failure Guardian (resilc) CalPERS misplaced sense of entitlement has sunk to a new low. By telling the head of Californias biggest union to suck a dick, in an unprovoked, unhinged, factually false rant, CalPERS board Vice President and Investment Committee chair Theresa Taylor has shown she lacks the professionalism and emotional stability to manage a lemonade stand, let alone act as a steward of over $400 billion in retiree assets. On top of that, as we will show via texts that she agreed to have made public, Taylor said she cares only about her district labor council, which has on the order of 2200 members.1 In other words, Taylor has said for the record that she is not concerned about the other 96,000 members of SEIU 1000, the California local, and by extension, the other 1.9 million CalPERS beneficiaries. Taylors repudiation of her fiduciary duties to CalPERS members alone is grounds for demanding her resignation. But on top of that, she has also flagrantly violated the CalPERS Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Prevention Policy, which we are embedding at the end of this post. And we are also entirely serious about questioning Taylors lack of self control. Her conduct is pathologically, self-, and most important, CalPERS-destructively at odds with the California nice/Democratic party fetishization of polite, low friction interaction. Now to the suck a dick incident. SEIU 1000 staffer Alex Hernandez, on behalf of recently elected President Richard Brown, sent a text to SEIU members to encourage participation in a rally in Sacramento to protest the planned closing of a correctional center, in this case a minimum security prison in Lassen County. This operation is a significant local employer. Its closure would severely damage Susanville, the county seat, and the area. That level of loss of employer contributions and hit to the tax base would also hurt CalPERS contributions.2 The screenshot of the exchange via text, embedded at the very end of this post, is rattling around SEIU 1000. I am told its generating a lot of ire. Sadly the image isnt the easiest to read. Here are the key parts: Alex Hernandez, Staff Member, SEIU 1000: Hello Theresa, this is Alex from SEIU Local 1000.We are reaching out to you today to let you know about a rally.Are you interested in attending this protest? Theresa Taylor, CalPERS Board Vice President: Absolutely not and how dare this Union president use Union dues for a rally that is political AND pay Union Leave for a rally. He has not done his job and met and conferred with the state. Taylor: DLC 786 [Taylors district labor council] says RLB [President Richard L. Brown] can suck a dick. Hernandez: Can we quote you on that to your membership? Im sure theyd be embarrassed at this comment. Hundreds of people and families will be affected by the closure of the California Correctional Center in Lessen County. We need to stand in solidarity with our Union brothers and sisters. Taylor: SureAnd who are you? I assume you are a member and not staff? If you are staff you should keep your opinions to yourself.Union busting idiot We will shortly turn to the fact that Taylors effort to smear Richard Brown, even if only initially in front of his staffer, is factually inaccurate. First, Taylor is delusional. In addition to fabricating, Taylor acts as if she can speak on behalf of DLC 786 when she is not its president. Its her daughter, Anna-Marie Taylor, who holds that position. Yet Taylor presumed she could make an official, offensive statement on behalf of that district labor council as a matter of right.3 Since when, except states like banana republics run by family dynasties, is an elected office owned by several family members at once? Wait, dont answer that The Taylor mean girls team quickly went to work trying to cover up Theresa Taylors power grab by falsely presenting Theresas impulsive lashing-out as a joint campaign, when in fact daughter Anna-Marie has run in to cover up her mothers mess. From the CAStateWorkers Reddit page: This aspect alone confirms that Theresa Taylor has no concern about governance, as if that fact were ever in doubt. So her delusion also confers upon her a cringe-making sense of entitlement. And well also explain, this row reveals another layer of Taylors distorted view of her rights. Despite Taylor attempting to present herself as the better representative of labor than SEIU president Brown, her fury is substantially due to Richard Brown cutting off perks to Taylor that she arguably never should have gotten. In other words, Taylor is on a personal vendetta against Brown and grasping at straws to try to justify it before her fellow union members. Second, Taylor has let loose with a jaw-dropping violation of CalPERS niceness, um, board conduct requirements. CalPERS has so weaponized them that a woman board member complimenting a woman employee on her attire is bruited about as possible sexual harassment (this with a straight female board member, no less). So how, pray tell, is CalPERS going to try to brush aside a board member telling a prominent black official to suck a dick? Taylors remark has undeniable racist undertones. And she has unquestionably pulled CalPERS into the mud with her gutter-sniping. But putting CalPERS policy aside for the moment, Taylors abusiveness, laying claim to authority she did not have, and distortion of facts come off like pre-pubescent-girl-bullying meets Donald Trump. Normally, females this nasty learn either to abandon this behavior or use it selectively when they grow up, if for no other reason that it allows men to accuse them of being hormonal. Trump and Taylor instead appear proud of their lack of class, meaning understanding basic human decency, and act as if browbeating little people like Hernandez somehow proves that they are powerful.4 In fact, one of the signs of true class (which is independent of economic status or educational attainment) is treating people in subordinate and service positions with courtesy, and saving the swordplay for those at your level or higher. Iin fact, resorting to force of nastiness is a sign that the perp is trying to claw back from a losing position, and unable to make a coherent case for their position, instead attempts to browbeat the interlocutor into submission. Taylor was clearly pulling rank when she dared to bludgeon an SEIU staffer from an apparent position of authority, confirmed by her improperly invoking of DLC 786. But since that wasnt a legitimate basis for her superior tude, the attempt to clean up the over-reach only made matters worse. The Reddit banner shown above, clearly posted with the approval and likely and the instigation of Taylor mother and daughter, has CalPERS VP Theresa Taylor as the joint spokesmen of the toxic remark. So unless Theresa Taylor disavows having made that statement in her capacity as a senior CalPERS board member, she owns it. Remember also that Hernandez gave Taylor the opportunity to recant and instead she doubled down. Taylor seems to believe that going all potty-mouthed somehow makes her a force to be reckoned with, as opposed to pathetic. And CalPERS policies clearly and forcefully repudiate the sort of statement Taylor made. Remarks like hers clearly violate both its Board Governance policy, which requires Civility and courtesy, to both those with whom the Board members interact and between Board members as well as its Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Prevention Policy. The latter prohibits: Sexual harassment as used in this policy is harassment based upon the persons sex. This may include unwelcome sexual advances, conversations about sexual activities, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. It can also include offensive remarks about a persons sex, but need not be motivated by sexual desire. Unlawful harassment for the purposes of this policy includes, but is not limited to, the following: Making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs or jokes based on any protected characteristic; Sexual comments including graphic comments about an individuals body; Sexually degrading words used to describe an individual Even though the harassment policy is written primarily for the benefit of CalPERS employees, it also bars abuse of parties doing business with CalPERS. That includes Hernandez and Brown in their capacities as beneficiaries. Both policies expatiate about how board members who violate them will be investigated and are subject to discipline. If you think this will happen to a member of the power faction like Taylor, you are smoking something strong. Third, Taylor is using her office to pursue a personal vendetta, irrespective to the damage she does within the labor community and to what little is left of CalPERS shrinking reputation. Lets examine how Taylors unprovoked show of fury can only be explained as vindictiveness. Richard Brown defeated a close Taylor ally, Yvonne Walker, to become head of SEIU 1000 as of this June. One of his priorities is to focus union efforts more narrowly on tangible, value added issues and not on broader social campaigns. The aim is to lower spending so that SEIU can lower dues. With unions under attack, being able to tell members that their organization is laser focused on delivering concrete material benefits is a survival strategy. As part of this initiative, Brown has stopped having SEIU use dues to pay for union members sitting on boards like CalPERS to goof off rather than work part time at their current employer, as provided for under CalPERS governing law. Board members like Taylor who are current government employees have CalPERS pay for the time that they spend on CalPERS matters, which is called release time. Board members provide estimates of what percentage of their work hours should be allocated to and paid for by CalPERS. This estimate varies by board member since they have different committee assignments and duties. For the last seven years, Taylor has been paid by SEIU for doing nothing during her non-CalPERS time rather than work for her nominal employer, the Franchise Tax Board. Brown has decided its not sound from a budget or PR standard to have individuals in leadership positions enjoy what amounts to permanent union-paid vacations. Taylor has one of the lowest percentages of employer time, 20%, due to her being the board Vice President and chair of the Investment Committee. Apparently she regards it as an affront to have to work full time like her fellow union members who get full time pay. Fourth, lets turn to Taylors bizarre misunderstanding or deliberate misrepresentation of the state of play with the pending prison closure. Richard Brown has indeed not met with or negotiated with the state because he cant yet. The process is that the state posts a formal notice and then the union can meet to negotiate for relief. The state has made clear its intent but had not yet put this the formal notice process in motion as of the date of the Taylor attack on Hernandez and Brown. Taylors position is even more of a smear when you realize that Brown has been petitioning the state to post the official notice so he can begin talks. The point of the rally is to show the degree of opposition in advance of this meeting and hopefully give Brown and SEIU more leverage when they sit down with the state.5 Is Taylor so dumb that she doesnt understand how political pressure works? If she is, its yet more proof that she is unfit to serve on the CalPERS board. In fact, Taylor has repeatedly shown she fancies herself the labor analogue of a mob enforcer. But real mob enforcers implement very well understood rules of their gangs, By contrast, Taylor makes own rules as she goes along under the benign neglect of the CalPERS Godmother, Marcie Frost As a result, not only is Taylor not very good at her self-assigned role of thug in chief, but her arrogance, ignorance, and abusiveness are fundamentally at odds with core labor values of mutual support and solidarity. Its no surprise that Taylor blew off going to a rally and tried picking a fight with Brown to justify her lack of interest in standing up for fellow union members. Taylor is clearly always and ever about Taylor alone. _____ 1 It is not practical to operate a sizable union on a statewide basis in a state as large as California. SEIU 1000, which is still technically a local, has 55 district labor councils, organized on a geographic basis, which handle matters than require an on-the-ground presence. Anna-Marie Taylor is the president of her district labor council, which consists mainly of other staffers at her employer, the Franchise Tax Board. 2 Yes, not significantly, but CalPERS staff and board have repeatedly chosen stand pat when jobs are cut, even though it hurts employers and beneficiaries. They instead defend their unseemly alliance with private equity. Private equity firms reduce employment to a greater degree than similar workplaces, as Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batt have shown through careful reading of academic studies that attempted to spin their own data otherwise. Loss of employment hurts state and local tax revenues, which in turn makes it hard for employers to meet current pension contributions, let alone make up for underfunding. 3 Even if Theresa Taylor was confident her daughter was prepared to make precisely the same statement about Richard Brown, that does not give Theresa Taylor the authority to speak on behalf of the district labor council. Nor does the fact that daughter Anna-Marie apparently got a co-worker to help cover for her mother on Reddit legitimate it either. 4 Actually, staff members of the salon Pierre Michel in New York City, who would go to Trump Towers to prepare Trump, his family, and upon occasion The Apprentice contestants for TV shoots, all said Trump was very considerate of them and they looked forward to that gig. So Trump appears more capable of behaving courteously towards minions than Taylor. 5 Another flagrantly false charge by Taylor is her bizarre effort to depict SEIU trying to defend the jobs at the correctional center, or at least improve the terms of the closure, as somehow improper. Huh? If a union isnt about running to the rescue of livelihoods at risk, what the hell is it for? Oh, apparently instead to provide high profile sinecures for the likes of Taylor. Yves here. Im struck by the relentless lead-story coverage of the Taliban takeover of the formerly US controlled parts of Afghanistan. It sure looks like an awful lot of rice bowls were smashed in the US and UK based on intense and protracted display rending of garments and gnashing of teeth. The US has been pouring money and lives into the Afghan sinkhole for two decades. The country is a famous loser for empires. Nothing has changed about the terrain or the nature of asymmetrical warfare to change that equation. Like Vietnam, the saner members of the foreign policy officialdom have recognized the US could never win (wed actually have to control and run the place). Yet prestige and other bizarre ideas kept the slow bleed going. But this is not the US leaving Vietnam. Vietnam was broadcast into American households every night for years as part of evening news. It was the subject of protests that tore the country apart. Vietnam was also incorrectly depicted as a gateway to China controlling southeast Asia. By contrast, Afghanistan has been kept almost entirely off the airwaves. Few if any Americans see it as having the geopolitical significance attributed to Vietnam. And its hard to think ordinary Americans care about it all that much. Hence the peculiarity of the protracted pearl-clutching. By Gary Brecher, nom de guerre-nerd of John Dolan. Buy his book The War Nerd Iliad. Hear him read his comic memoir Pleasant Hell in audiobook format.. Cross posted from TheExiled This was first published as a Radio War Nerd subscriber newsletter on May 21, 2021. But with the total collapse of the US-backed Kabul regime, its even more relevant now to ask: What was the strategy? Was there ever a plan there? So what was supposed to happen back in October 2001, when the US forces invaded? Ive been going through the papers of record, the NYT and WaPo, to see what the official line was, year by year. The first years of an occupation are the most important, so Ive focused on the first five full years of US occupation, 2002-2007. You can find a good timeline of these years here, but its much harder to find any trace of a plan. The US invaded both Afghanistan (October 2001) and Iraq (March 2003), but not all invasions are equal. For the DC elite, Iraq was a war of choice, while Afghanistan was just a grim preliminary chore. They had to invade Afghanistan quickly after the WTC attacks, because it was all over the news that Al Qaeda had its HQ there and the voters were angry. Public support for invading Afghanistan was higher than for invading Iraq. But those in the know, in the three-letter agencies and the DC elite, knew Afghanistan was hopeless. They knew this because the Taliban, officially the enemy in Afghanistan, was sponsored and protected by the Pakistani armed forces. And Pakistan was never going to hand over Osama bin Laden or Mullah Omar, leader of the Taliban, to the Americans. The Pakistani intel elite, one of the scariest, murkiest groups in the world, cherished its pet jihadis as its one reliable weapon against the hated Indians. It was never going to help destroy them, or even cooperate in any serious pruning operation. A decade after the US invaded with the supposed help of Pakistan, Osama was found in a big compound inside Pakistan, a few hundred meters from a Pakistani military. At that point even us rubes knew that the Pakistani government had never intended to betray its Taliban allies. (Note: Taliban here means the Afghan Taliban, as opposed to the later Pakistani Taliban, which the Pakistani govt, or at least some elements of that govt, really does dislike. Like I said, its murky.) Nobody at the CIA or the 16 other US intel agencies really thought the Pakistani govt would give up their friends. And nobody in DC really thought that Afghans, as they imagined Afghans, would welcome American troops. So from the start, this was the poor stepchild invasion, while Iraq was coddled. They had high hopes for Iraq. Iraqis, in the neocon dream, were really proto-Americans, just waiting for a Shock and Awe Apocalypse to free their inner Republican. Afghans, OTOH, were scary and alien. Brave, yes; remember all those Reagan-era movies on the glorious Afghan resistance? Maybe too brave, in fact. The DC elite had heard that cliche about Afghanistan, Graveyard of Empires and believed it. Who wants to invade a dirt-poor country full of brave warriors who dont seem like good candidates for transformation into suburban Americans? The DC blob had no real hopes or plans for Afghanistan and the stories from NYT and WaPo reflect that. These stories use several different models, which Ill try to characterize here. They overlap, over the years 2002-2007, but theyre not in any strict chronological order. Its more that those whose unlucky job it was to explain the invasion used whichever model retained a figleaf of plausibility at the time. 1. Revenge on a Budget As Mark Ames said long ago, people in the US in the months after the WTC attacks acted as if the Martians had invaded. There was shock, rage, and an overpowering urge to whack somebody as soon and as hard as possible. Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden were the names given to this enemy, and Afghanistan was the place hed hidden out to plan the attacks. So Afghanistan became a target. Not, at this stage, a project. Its an important distinction. Iraq was always a project, but Afghanistan was just a target. The New York Timess series A Nation Challenged (2001/2) is typical of this first wave of Afghan stories. The challenged nation is America, and invading Afghanistan is just a part of Americas response to that challenge. By making Afghanistan a challenge, the US played out its role as punitive invader. Some people claim that was Osamas plan all along: Al Qaeda planned it that way! They knew the US would overreact and bankrupt itself in an endless war on terror! Eeeh, I dunno. Thats how it played out, definitely, but TBH I dont know if Al Qaedas leaders planned 9/11 that way or just wanted to hit the US as hard as possible. There was plenty of reason for Salafi Muslims to hate the US. Maybe they saw 9/11 as simple justice. But if Osama hadnt planned it, he was sure glad at the way it was turning out. In 2004 he gloated that he had managed to bleed America into bankruptcy. Someone in DoD circles shouldve taken that claim seriously. After all, Osama knew what he was talking about when it came to money. He came from big money and had done his bit in the Soviet Afghan War, which supposedly bankrupted the USSR. The Afghan War was not, in fact, what doomed the USSR. But that cliche was almost universally believed, and with particular intensity in the DC Blob so you might think US intel would at least have considered the possibility that this was Al Qaedas plan. Heres a typical story from the New York Times Challenged series, October 8 2001: [Mr. Rumsfeld] said the goals of the military operation were to punish the Taliban for harboring terrorists, to acquire intelligence that will help future operations against Al Qaeda and to weaken the Taliban so severely that they will not be able to withstand an opposition assault. Another goal, Mr. Rumsfeld said, is to provide relief aid to Afghans suffering truly oppressive living conditions under the Taliban regime. Helping Afghans barely gets a mention, as another goal. That was a low priority at this stage. You never get much sense of the Afghans themselves in these early stories. Theyre a vague, hostile presence, an unknowable barbarian people. This was very different from the way Anglo media portrayed Iraqis, who were seen as lusting for democracy and commerce. Like I said, Iraq was the real prize, Afghanistan was a chore that had to be done first. The reason was simple: Osamas base (Qaeda) was in Afghanistan and every news consumer knew it. So the place had to be cleaned out, as quickly as possible, so the juggernaut could move on to Iraq. This made for a quick, dirty, low-cost Rumsfeld plan for Afghanistan: lots of air strikes, low numbers of troops, mostly various special forces units, and little interest in the whole hearts-and-minds side of war. That was saved for Iraq. Afghans were supposed to get out of the way while the hunt for terrorists went on, mostly in the Pashtun southeast. The initial campaign was very quick. One month after 9/11, the US and 40 reluctant allies started bombing. It would be wrong to call this stage an occupation. Most of the countryside was untouched except by bombing raids. The rural patriarchy in the south, which was the Taliban, melted back into the villages after the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif. Some had been killed but even they had brothers and cousins who were happy to replace them when the time came. These guys were not typical Afghans, but then neither were the minorities and city folk who wanted change. And this first phase of the occupation did nothing to placate either part of the population. The one cliche about Afghans we all knew was that they hate foreigners. Nobody asked Afghans about that generalization. And as it turned out, it was wrong. Many Afghans were sick of the Taliban, who were mostly hick bigots, and were glad to see them overthrown. City people, educated women, and minority groups like the Hazara were especially happy to see the grimly enforced Pashtunwallah of the Taliban smashed, but even in some rural areas there was relief and hope that some money would flow in. As the NYTimes later wrote, The perception was that Afghans hated foreigners and that the Iraqis would welcome us, said James Dobbins, the administrations former special envoy for Afghanistan. The reverse turned out to be the case. Rumsfelds plan, heavy on air strikes and low on intelligence, wiped out that initial goodwill. Air strike hits wedding party became a standard headline, because from orbiting F-16s, a wedding can look a lot like an insurgent gathering. Or maybe any gathering was hostile by definition, in the years after 9/11/. The point was to hit somebody, never mind who. A few reporters were recording the wedding attacks, but the light-and-quick strategy went on, and the mistaken air strikes with it. 2. Get er Done No one in DC was worried about these mistakes. The point was to get Afghanistan done so they could move on to Iraq. A year after invading, the NYT reported the fact that US troops just might have to stay a little longer as a surprise: October 13 2002 A YEAR after the United States attacked Afghanistan, more than 9,000 American forces remain inside the country, hunting down remnants of Al Qaeda, building roads and schools, and struggling to adjust from a combat role to what looks more like a nation-building mission. Plenty of problems persist. Osama bin Laden, the Qaeda leader, may or may not still be alive, and Mullah Mohammed Omar, the former head of the Taliban, remains at large. Efforts to train a new multi-ethnic Afghan national army that would bolster the central governments authority in lawless regions of the country have taken longer than expected. Regional warlords are feuding, posing new challenges to President Hamid Karzais government. Aid has been slow to reach many parts of the country. All this has led American commanders to acknowledge that United States troops will remain in Afghanistan at least another year and, more likely, much longer than that. The saddest thing about this paragraph is that it could be a 2020 story. Much longer turned out to be an understatement. But back in 2002, the collateral killings were seen as blips, annoying but minor, in the Brain Trusts big plan. By the spring of 2003, Rumsfeld announced that combat in Afghanistan was over: Mr. Rumsfeld said it had taken longer for a smaller force to root out elusive Qaeda terrorists than for the military to trounce the Iraqi armed forces, but he suggested that Afghanistan could be a laboratory for Iraqi reconstruction efforts. This is Mr. Rumsfelds third trip to Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001, and he praised the progress he had witnessed. 3. Afghanistan is Like Kosovo, Sorta Analogies, the dumber the better, were popular in these early days of the war. Michael Ignatieff, mercifully forgotten today, was a big name in those unlucky times. He had hope for Afghanistan under American occupation, based on its well-known similarities toBosnia. Yeah, thats Afghanistan, the Bosnia of Central Asia. Here is Ignatieff writing in July, 2002: It will take years before the national government in Kabul accumulates enough revenue, international prestige and armed force to draw power away from the warlords. But Bosnia shows it can be done. Six years after the war, the Muslim, Croat and Serb armies are rusting away, the old warlords have gone into politics or business and a small national army of Bosnia is slowly coming into existence. The problem in Bosnia is corruption, and that is a better problem to have than war. This nonsense was taken seriously in part because Americans were hearing similar nonsense about Iraq. For example, Ken Adelman, who could give Doug Feith a running for dumbest guy in the world, actually wrote this in the pages of the Washington Post: I believe demolishing [Saddam] Husseins military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk. Let me give simple, responsible reasons: (1) It was a cakewalk last time; (2) theyve become much weaker; (3) weve become much stronger; and (4) now were playing for keeps. Hear the playground woofing, now were playing for keeps? That stuff was how Americas elite talked in the Millennial ear. You almost expect little Ken to add the slogan from Jaws 4: The Revenge This time its personal. As the US was gearing up for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the NYT/WaPo stories about Afghanistan fill with talk about multiple theaters of war and the hope that NATO proxies will soon take over in Afghanistan. Like this: In his article today, Ambassador Burns praised NATO for showing it is serious about a transformation that has been in the works for almost two years. General Jones noted that the alliance was moving from the 20th century defensive bipolar world into a multipolar world requiring a flexible and rapid response to a myriad of threats. He called it a signal moment in the history of the alliance. 4. We Were Always Here for the Long Term In March 2003 the US invaded Iraq. This invasion was far bigger, better-planned, and much dearer to the hearts of Cheneys buddies than Afghanistan had ever been. It was so much more important to the DC elite that long before US troops actually entered Iraq, the US was diverting people and money there from Afghanistan. This was despite the failure of all aspects of the initial US plan in Afghanistan find and kill bin Laden, Zawahiri, and the rest of the Al Qaeda elite put Taliban leader Mullah Omar on trial crush the Taliban in the countryside Osama wasnt caught and killed until 2011. Mullah Omar has never been found. Zawahiri continued broadcasting his cave-side chats for years and may still be alive somewhere, watching his blood-sugar count and sending legalistic quibbles to jihadi whippersnappers. Ramadan travel rules during Jihad? You young punks dont know a thing about 5. Afghanistan is Like 1946 Germany, Sorta Kinda What, then, was the US still doing in Afghanistan? No one seemed to know. And careers would be ruined if we left the place after failing to catch a single one of the WTC planners. So a new mission was devised. We were going to transform Afghanistan the way the US had transformed Europe after WW 2. Yes indeed, there was a Marshall Plan for Afghanistan. George W. Bush announced it in 2002, and the NYT obliged by ribbing the boss a little about his sudden U-turn toward nation-building, then added this ponderous litotes: The parallel for Afghanistan that Mr. Bush drew with the Marshall Plan is both apt and inexact. Welp, they were half right. The NYT concluded, Mr. Bush said recently, We fight against poverty because hope is an answer to terror. This is true, and suggests that the Bush administration is reshaping its view of nation-building. Afghanistan will be its first test. Those of you young enough not to have lived through eight years of GWB, take a good long look at Bushs line: We fight against poverty because hope is an answer to terror. That kind of pious gibberish, with its wildly unmoored jump from poverty a real fact about Afghanistan to hope, an intentionally meaningless term, and terror, an even crazier noun which was supposed to explain all resistance to the Cheney Plan that was the civil discourse squishy liberals revere GWB for. Like a lot of GWBs blather, its hard to come up with a translation. The closest you can get is roughly: Well throw some money at Afghanistan too, but lets get on with Iraq. So in this stage, the plan became nation-building, long after the moment when any such project could have worked. 6. Ayn Randistan This was the moment when Americas devout belief in the free market ran up against reality in Afghanistan. You cant exaggerate the rigid faith in The Market which possessed the US elite around the Millennium. The Market would solve all problems; that was obvious to everyone. Thomas Friedman, high priest of elite stupidity, had a famous epiphany: No two countries with McDonalds franchises had ever gone to war. Or, he suggested, ever could go to war. Bomb Kabul with prefab golden arches and watch peacenprosperity break out. The trouble was well, first of all, the free market doesnt exist and never has. Quoting from the WaPos Afghanistan Papers: In developing countries, the idea that there are perfectly functioning markets without subsidies is pure fiction, fantasy, Rubin, a New York University professor and leading academic on Afghanistan, told government interviewers. Every late-developing country happened by government picking winners. There were trained people ready to transform Afghanistan. But they were socialists commies, in the US view. There was a solid pool of educated, enthusiastic, honest Afghans with bureaucratic experience. But they wanted to recreate the socialist society of Afghanistans Golden Era of the mid-20th century. several U.S. officials told government interviewers it quickly became apparent that people who would make up the Afghan ruling class were too set in their ways to change. These people went to the communist school, said Finn, the former ambassador. A common Afghan fear, he recalled, was if you allow capitalism, these private companies would come in and make profit. As the US occupation of Iraq went from bad to worse around 2005, there was even less energy in DC to worry about the pattern of stagnation in Afghanistan. By 2007, the NYT was already doing post-mortems with titles like Afghanistan: How A Good War Went Bad, detailing the complete failure of the ludicrous Afghan Marshall Plan: When it came to reconstruction, big goals were announced, big projects identified. Yet in the year Mr. Bush promised a Marshall Plan for Afghanistan, the country received less assistance per capita than did post-conflict Bosnia and Kosovo, or even desperately poor Haiti, according to a RAND Corporation study. Washington has spent an average of $3.4 billion a year reconstructing Afghanistan, less than half of what it has spent in Iraq, according to the Congressional Research Service. All remaining investment in Afghanistan went to the war, not development. [A] senior American commander said that even as the military force grewhe was surprised to discover that I could count on the fingers of one or two hands the number of U.S. government agricultural experts in Afghanistan, where 80 percent of the economy is agricultural. A $300 million project authorized by Congress for small businesses was never financed. 7. Dark Matter in Crates off a C-130 Maybe that money is the real story here. Because theres something missing. Why did this mess go on so long when it never had anything resembling a reasonable plan? It makes no sense. It makes no sense as a military operation, as nation-building, or as Imperial expansion. Theres something skewing the numbers, like the Dark Matter that makes cosmologists drink, turn religious, or just sob in their offices at night. In the Physics of the Afghan occupation, I suspect that that Dark Matter consists of big ol globs of cash. Maybe the waste of two trillion dollars was the point. If you look at this breakdown, you see how little of it has anything to do, even in theory, with helping Afghans. Most of it is money for keeping untenable bases in Afghanistan and the rest is cost-of-doing-business, including a giant chunk for veterans benefits. Heres another breakdown showing the same massive tilt toward the Blob and its shareholders. You cant miss the tilt, with almost the whole 2.1 trillion dollars going to DoD contractors and a miserable $24 billion spent on economic development. That means that over two trillion went to dividend holders, private contractors, spies, and moonlighting cops. The wonderful thing about this kind of spending, in the deeply corrupt lobbyist world of DC, is that it shunts tax dollars directly to the stockholders, connected military firms like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, et al., legislators, military brass milking the DoD/corporate link, and even lowly CIA contractors like Johnny Spann without angering a single taxpayer or benefitting them in any way. When I say that this sort of obscene spending does not upset taxpayers, Im speaking from bitter experience. You cannot get normal Americans to be upset about the price of junk like the F-35. Ive tried. You cant do it. The only item in this breakdown which would upset most people is the $24 billion that might have made its way to Afghans. If you mention any of those other expenses, youll get Freedom isnt free in one of its many variations, which vary only in diction. Try it! Hours of non-fun! Who wouldnt feel the temptation to prolong a money-spinning machine like this? So why wouldnt the occupation become its own justification, the company business of DC, always a company town? And so, rather than upset their fellow shareholders, GWB, then Obama and Trump, just nodded and smiled at the conveyor-belt of $100 bills. Once you consider this theory, some strange trends make sense. The one that struck me is that in 2007, when Iraq was in crisis and Afghanistan was clearly lost, Cheneys people made a big, expensive switch in the Personnel Department, drawing down the much cheaper and more effective US Army troops and flooding Afghanistan with much more expensive, less effective private contractors. You wouldnt do that if you wanted to win in Afghanistan, but you would if you wanted to spend money within the Blob (specifically the Erik Prince wing) and insulate a doomed Afghan war from public criticism by keeping official US Armed Forces casualties low. Its an appalling vista, as Lord Denning might say. But its the only way to make any sense of this story. 8. Yeah We Messed It Up But Itll Get Worse When You Make Us Leave And so we come to the final stage, which in this case is not Acceptance but muttered sulking. Its been a while since anyone claimed we could win in Afghanistan. The only argument for staying is that things will get worse if we leave. If the US left, that war would be much worse, and youd probably see the Afghan government collapse pretty quickly. Even though we do have war now, its not an all-out civil war with no state: We have a state, we have an Afghan security force. You can probably guess the most famous voice in this chorus Hillary herself: Asked about the presidents decision by CNNs Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Mrs Clinton said, Our government has to focus on two huge consequences, notably the resumption of activities by extremist groups and a subsequent outpouring of refugees from Afghanistan. Thats Fareed Zakaria interviewing Hillary Clintonin 2021. It seems impossible, unreal, that these zombies are still walking around and not just walking but talking. Thats the unreality of the US- Afghan War, 20 years of sinking slowly into the dirt like that Beckett play, while keeping up a constant, insanely sanguine and sanguinary chatter. The two US invasions will be covered thoroughly in future histories of American decline, but Afghanistan will be remembered very differently from Iraq. Iraq was the great, shining disaster, the full-speed collision of world-building fantasy with actual world. Afghanistan was something else, smaller yet even darker. It may well be that those who mattered in the US elite never even thought that the Afghan part of the grand plan would work. It was doomed many times over: by the well-known collusion of the (Afghan) Taliban and the Pakistani state; by the caricature of Afghans as noble savages, brave but hopelessly primitive; by the warped free-market doctrine that sidelined Afghanistans leftist elite; by competition from the preferred Iraq project; by the massive profits to be made stateside, no matter how badly things went on the ground. Those profits are still available, which means this withdrawal wont really happen, or will be yet another bit of show biz, with private contractors (who can be paid via unspecified agency money) staying on, doing various kinds of work, both wet and tech. Afghanistan may still be good for another trillion or so off the books, of course. Since 2004, photographer Camille Seaman has been going to visit Antarctica intermittently, working on journey ships for National Geographic. And throughout her visit, the expert has observed the massive changes in the continent, which may bring dire consequences to our planet. Seaman said what she have seen from 2016 to now is like a dissimilar place altogether. She points out the snow algae she's snapped, which usually changes the color of the snow to pink and at times green. "That's a normal occurrence. That's not unusual, but what is unusual is I had never seen it before March blooming in the glaciers. And now it's showing up in January and December. That's like three months early. And there are places where I had never, ever seen the ground. There had always been some snow cover. And now it's just mud and rocks." The white landscape is not that white now. Also Read: NASA Uncovers Mystery of Vanishing Lakes Hidden Under Antarctic Ice Sheet Planet's Fastest-warming Areas In 2020, Antarctica recorded an 18.3 degrees Celsius record-high temperature, or close to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization whose name is Petteri Taalas said the record is consistent with the climate change they are observing. Also, Taalas noted that the Antarctic peninsula which is the northwest tip near South America is included in the planet's fastest-warming areas . In the last 50 years, temperatures on the peninsula have increased close to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius), the WMO says. And this has prompted the the rise in melting ice, which increases global sea levels and also causes a threat to coastal cities in other parts of the world. It's one out of the many issues added in Monday's state-of-the-science report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Researchers say the planet is warming quickly than humans thought and that the window is closing very quickly to limit our dependence on fossil fuels and prevent disastrous results. Impacts on Wildlife The melting of polar regions is also affecting some of the wildlife that inhabit those places. In some regions of the Antarctic, Chinstrap penguin colonies have decreased by over 75% over the past half-century, as per independent researchers who were involved in Greenpeace expedition to the area prior to the pandemic. They think climate change is the reason for this, saying little amount of sea ice and warmer oceans have decresed the krill that most penguins depend on for food. Seaman explained: "Phytoplankton blooms on the underside of the sea ice, and that is what the krill feed on. And then the penguins feed on the krill, the whales feed on the krill, seals and sea lions feed on the krill. So it has this incredible chain effect. If you lose the sea ice, you lose this phytoplankton. You lose the phytoplankton and then you start losing the krill, and it starts to chain all the way up." Related Article: Scientists Are Baffled After Massive Antarctic Lake Has Suddenly Vanished Without Trace For more news, updates about Antarctica and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News! The first giant panda cub had been born in Singapore on Saturday, August 4, at the River Safari around 7.50am, to parents Kai Kai and Jia Jia. The panda was the nation's first panda cub and was conceived after seven attempts. Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) of the River Safari described the birth "a joyful boost to the ongoing National Day celebrations this year." Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was also delighted by the panda cub's birth, and congratulated the Wildlife Reserves Singapore team. "It is famously difficult for pandas in captivity to reproduce. Pandas have only a narrow window each year to conceive. Their keepers deserve kudos for this difficult and rare accomplishment, and for persevering despite previous failures," he said in a Facebook post. The panda cub's gender is yet to be determined. Kai Kai and Jia Jia's journey to becoming parents Kai Kai and Jia Jia arrived in Singapore from Chengdu on Sept 6, 2012, on a 10-year loan from China. Seven-year-old male Kai Kai and six-year-old Jia Jia were brought together to mate through artificial insemination in 2015, but failed. In 2016, artificial insemination is carried out on Jia Jia for the second time after natural mating but failed again. Since female pandas have only one reproductive cycle per year, and are fertile for just 24 to 36 hours, breeding them with a male panda could be complicated. Natural mating was also quite difficult for the young and inexperienced giant pandas. Nevertheless, the partners were put together for natural mating in 2017 for the third attempt as Jia Jia's gradual increase in progesterone levels indicates a possible pregnancy. Experts went straight for the artificial insemination process in 2018 instead of natural mating, which took over three hours but unsuccessful. April 2021, the pandas mate naturally as they enter their seventh breeding season, while insemination is being carried out as well, as advised by experts from the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Panda. The WRS vet confirmed pregnancy as the fetus' strong heartbeat was seen during an ultrasound scan. Also read: 'Real-Life Dragon'- Fossils of Australia's Largest Flying Reptile Discovered! A significant milestone for the reserve Jia Jia's cub weighs about 200g, the WRS reported. The mother and cub are currently in an off-exhibit den to give them time to nurse and bond. WRS announced that the pandas will be accessible to the public in their exhibit in approximately three months. "We will post regular updates with videos and photos of Jia Jia and her cub on our social media platforms so everyone can keep abreast of their development." Despite the multiple attempts of the animal care team to help the giant pandas naturally conceive, they remain optimistic after seeing development of their mating techniques. "Jia Jia's first pregnancy and birth of a cub is a significant milestone for us in the care of this threatened species in Singapore," said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, WRS' deputy chief executive and chief life sciences officer. "The work continues now with supporting the first-time mother to raise her newborn cub." Also read: Just Like Humans, Apes Use 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' Signals When They Meet Other Apes An international panel convened by the G20 group concludes that infectious diseases that stem from animals can become more frequent and it is largely of humans' making. An "era of pandemics", they said, can happen within the next decade. People's exploitation of nature and wildlife now imposes greater risks of new diseases emerging that can infect people. Not only that, but this can also fuel an ongoing extinction crisis. A panel of the world's foremost scientists estimated around 1 million endangered species in 2020. Now more than ever, scientists warn that threat of future pandemics and extinction crisis should be addressed 'in a bold new way'. Reducing the risk of an outbreak and protecting wildlife from extinction Conservation organizations had petitioned the Biden administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ban wildlife trade of all live birds and mammals; a proactive ban that shall reduce risks of zoonotic disease outbreaks like the disastrous COVID-19 that cost the world more than $5.6 trillion in lost GDP in 2020 alone. If we don't learn from the worst disease outbreaks of the past 40 years, such as HIV, Ebola, SARS, avian and swine flu, and now COVID-19 itself, numbers cannot come close to balance the massive financial damage wildlife trade creates, fueling pandemics. This terrifying era does not just harm our economy, but more often kill more people by the day. If wildlife exploitation continues, like keeping animals in dirty cages, transporting them in vehicles without proper sanitation, and stressing them that then shed and pick up diseases, the next pandemic is likely to happen sooner. Also read: Mysterious Death of Over 330 Cats in UK Linked to Toxic Pet Food Being proactive than reactive More importantly, being proactive should be more exercised than being reactive. For instance, the CDC only started regulating import of African rodents only after the U.S. monkeypox outbreak in 2003. The Fish and Wildlife Service only started regulation as well of its salamander species after the trade was linked with deadly fungus spread. Given the fact that U.S. is a major consumer of wildlife, they cannot simply react only after an emergence of diseases. "Only a proactive approach like banning the live bird and mammal trade will reduce the reckless exploitation of wildlife and help keep us safe," said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "We can't control novel infectious diseases, but the Biden administration can act now to improve our relationship with nature, to avoid the next pandemic. COVID-19 has shown that disease origin stories are hard to unravel and vaccines take a long time to develop and administer. There are no Hollywood endings in this new pandemic era." Having the right mindset that there are 'near-infinite possibilities' that these outbreak diseases can arise in any time should be a jump start of constructing a reactive response that will reduce these possibilities. This includes regulating human activities starting with trade of live mammals and birds, since these two families pose the greatest risk of disease infecting people. Also read: Microplastics Can Accumulate and Transport Harmful Metals in the Environment Amid severe drought, US officials announced the first-ever water shortage from the Colorado river, a water source that supplies 40 million people in the West, prompting cuts to Arizona farmers next year. The US Bureau of Reclamation's announcement of a shortage had been expected for months and was prompted by the rapid fall of Lake Mead, which holds water for Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico. After years of chronic overuse and drought exacerbated by climate change, the reservoir in Las Vegas has dropped to its lowest levels since Hoover Dam was completed in the 1930s. It's just about a third of the way to total capacity right now. To keep Lake Mead from reaching dangerously low levels, state officials from Arizona, California, and Nevada have convened a conference to consider the following possible actions, including further water restrictions. Lake Mead Losing Stability Over the years, states, towns, farmers, and others have diversified their water supplies, helping to mitigate the impact of the forthcoming reduction. However, federal officials said Monday's announcement shows that circumstances had worsened quicker than experts expected in 2019 when several states in the Colorado River basin agreed to share water to keep Lake Mead levels stable. "Today's announcement acknowledges that the hydrology that was anticipated years ago - but that we believed we'd never see - is now here," Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton said. Related Article: Megadrought Causes Lake Oroville to Drop Water Levels to Worrying Degrees: The Lowest Since 1977 Hoover Dam In the 1930s, the Hoover Dam was built, forming Lake Mead. It's one of many man-made reservoirs that contain water from the Colorado River, which feeds Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and portions of Mexico with household water, agriculture irrigation, and electricity. However, water levels in the river's two main reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have been dropping for years and at a quicker rate than scientists expected. In addition, the volume of water flowing from the Rocky Mountains, where the river starts before flows 1,450 kilometers southwest and into the Gulf of California, has been decreased due to scorching temperatures and less melting snow in the spring. "We're at a point where we have to grapple with how we can continue to thrive with less water, and it's tough," said Sarah Porter, director of Arizona State University's Kyl Center for Water Policy. Compromise and Agreements Legal agreements among the seven Colorado River basin states, the federal government, Mexico, and others divide the water held in Lake Mead and Lake Powell. The agreements specify how much water each party receives when water cutbacks will occur and in what sequence the parties must surrender some of their supply. Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico agreed to give up a portion of their water to keep Lake Mead at its current level as part of a 2019 drought contingency plan. However, the voluntary actions were insufficient to prevent the shortage from being declared. Millions of people in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Mexico rely on Lake Mead for their water. Water Cuts The government will implement cuts in 2022 if anticipated water levels fall below a particular level - 1,075 feet above sea level, or 40% capacity. The reservoir is expected to decrease to 1,066 feet by January, according to hydrologists. More rounds of cutbacks are triggered when predicted levels fall to 1,050, 1,045, and 1,025 feet. As a result, some city and industrial water users may be affected in the future. Also Read: Megadrought 2021: The Worst Drought Suffered by the US West in 1,200 Years For more climate and weather updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News! KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Malaysias king called for an end to political bickering at a meeting Tuesday with party leaders as he began the process of selecting a new prime minister amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak. The resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday after less than 18 months in office followed mounting public anger over what was widely perceived as his governments poor handling of the pandemic. Malaysia has one of the worlds highest infection rates and deaths per capita, with daily cases breaching 20,000 this month despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June. The king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, has ruled out a new general election because many parts of the country are COVID-19 red zones and health facilities are inadequate. Muhyiddin was appointed caretaker prime minister until a successor is found. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was among eight party leaders summoned for a group meeting at the palace, said the king urged them to end their bickering. The monarch stressed that the new leader should not be vindictive and that all parties must cooperate in tackling the pandemic and reviving the economy, he said. The issue here is not about appointing a new prime minister but more importantly, his majesty ... stressed the need to forge a new political landscape that is more peaceful for the people," Anwar told reporters outside the palace. All party leaders in Muhyiddin's alliance and the opposition expressed their opinions during the meeting and there appeared to be a consensus to drop the old style of tired and boring politics and focus on developing the nation," he said. The king plays a largely ceremonial role but appoints the person he believes has majority support of Parliament to be prime minister. Muhyiddin took power in March 2020 after initiating the collapse of the reformist government that won 2018 elections. With a razor-thin majority in Parliament and an unstable coalition, he became the countrys shortest-ruling leader. The king also asked all lawmakers to individually submit the name of a preferred candidate for prime minister by Wednesday. This is somewhat similar to how the king picked Muhyiddin last year. The monarch interviewed all 222 lawmakers individually, then sought nominations from party leaders in an arduous process. His choice of Muhyiddin was disputed by the person he ousted, Mahathir Mohamad, and by the opposition. The selection this time will be another tough chore for the monarch because no coalition hold a majority. Anwar's three-party alliance, the biggest opposition bloc, has nominated Anwar but has less than 90 lawmakers, short of the 111 needed for a simple majority. Thats also less than the 100 lawmakers believed to have backed Muhyiddin. Anwar received a boost Tuesday when a party from eastern Sabah state with eight lawmakers said it would throw its support behind him if he is able to secure enough numbers. Other contenders include former Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri from UMNO, the biggest party in Muhyiddin's alliance with 38 lawmakers. But he may not get his party's backing because he earlier led a faction backing Muhyiddin against the party's decision to pull its support. Local media said another possible candidate is Razaleigh Hamzah, an 84-year-old prince who was a former finance minister. Razaleigh, also a UMNO lawmaker, is seen as a neutral candidate who could unite the party's warring factions. Meanwhile, Mahathir, 96, has called for a national recovery council to be formed and led mainly by professionals to resolve the countrys economic and health crises. The Bersih electoral reform group urged contenders to pursue political stability by offering multiparty governance and institutional reforms, and not just conduct horse-trading over numbers and positions. The endless political machination due to winner-takes-all politics in a de facto hung Parliament for the past one and a half years must now end to enable a more effective governance of health and economy. The new Prime Minister must quickly convene a special meeting and table a motion of confidence in himself to prove his majority, it said in a statement. It warned that a short-sighted and self-serving government would be punished by voters in the next election. ___ Associated Press video journalist Syawalludin Zain contributed to this report. Champaign, IL (61820) Today A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. According to the latest data collected and analyzed by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) reports that as many as 20.5% of US adults suffer from chronic pain, equating to over 50 million people. It is also estimated that chronic pain costs the US roughly $300 billion annually due to lost productivity resulting from chronic pain. Chronic pain is not just the presence of persistent, physical distress, the condition is far more complex. While it frequently begins following a disease or injury, chronic pain is a condition in its own right rather than being a symptom of something else. The concept of pain is rather intricate. Pain is not simply a physiological experience involving biological factors, it also encompasses psychological and emotional factors. It is important to remember that the perception of pain is subjective and that we experience pain through the senses but also cognitively and emotionally. Therefore, there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to resolving chronic pain, and currently recommended methods of managing chronic pain reflect that. Here, we explore the multiple methods that have become established to manage chronic pain. Chronic Pain. Image Credit: ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com Exercise Historically, people suffering from chronic pain were advised to rest in bed for extended periods. Now, the advice is quite the opposite, keeping moving and engaging in exercise is encouraging. Doctors recommend that light activities that do not put too much strain on the body, such as walking, swimming, yoga, pilates, dancing, and general daily activities and hobbies may be beneficial to those experiencing chronic pain. Scientists believe that the benefit of exercise for those suffering from chronic pain is likely due to the impact it has on the endogenous opined system and central pain modulatory systems. Studies have implied that the endogenous pain modulatory system of those with chronic pain is often dysfunctional. It is advised that the biomechanics and psychosocial factors that contribute to a particular persons condition should be considered when prescribing exercise for chronic pain. When selecting an exercise regime for a patient, it is important that it is achievable to promote a successful rehabilitation program. Physical therapy Physical therapy is often recommended by doctors who specialize in treating chronic pain. The benefits of physical therapy for those suffering chronic pain include improving physical movement, relieving pain, and making vital daily activities more comfortable and easier. Often, physical therapy for chronic pain involves a combination of pain-relief exercises, stretching exercises, and manipulation. Chiropractors, osteopaths, and physiotherapists are those capable of delivering physical therapy, in certain cases, occupational therapists may also be appropriate for leading these rehabilitation sessions. Medication Medication can also be useful in addressing chronic pain. Often, over-the-counter painkillers can be effective at reducing pain to allow those with chronic pain to be more active and alleviate their suffering. The type of painkiller that is most appropriate is dependent on the person and the severity of the pain they are experiencing. Paracetamol is often considered to be the simplest and safest painkiller, however, it is not free from side effects. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory ibuprofen is also considered a safe and simple option, however, it cannot be taken by those with certain conditions such as stomach ulcers. Any meditation decided upon for chronic pain should be carefully considered and the recommended usage should be strictly adhered to. Additionally, it is not advisable to take any mediation consistently for long periods unless a doctor has prescribed them. For pain severe enough to require stronger medication, opiates are the most common option. This class of drugs can both reduce pain and induce euphoria. However, doctors may take a more considered approach in the future when prescribing such drugs, given that former President Obama stated back in 2011 that the country was facing an epidemic of prescription drug abuse. The most commonly abused prescription drugs are the opiates hydrocodone and oxycodone. The addictive nature of opiates makes them problematic and not suitable for all people. Meditation and mindfulness In recent years, research has mounted that demonstrates the multiple health benefits of meditation and mindfulness, practices with roots in Buddhism and other Eastern religions. Mindfulness and meditation techniques are interesting because rather than intending to dull or remove the pain, these methods aim to alter the relationship the person has with their pain, allowing them to experience genuine feelings of relief while coping with enduring uncomfortable physical sensations. Multiple studies have supported the efficacy of various mindfulness techniques in alleviating pain. Additionally, numerous studies have shown the efficacy of meditation in alleviating pain, improving quality of life, and decreasing symptoms of depression in those suffering from chronic pain. Scientists suggest the strength of the method lies in its approach to altering the persons subjective judgment of pain, eventually changing the way they experience it, a theory supported by the brains proven neuroplasticity. References: Geneen, L., Moore, R., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L., and Smith, B., 2017. Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5461882/ Kroll, H., 2015. Exercise Therapy for Chronic Pain. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 26(2), pp.263-281. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25952064/ Mills, S., Nicolson, K. and Smith, B., 2019. Chronic pain: a review of its epidemiology and associated factors in population-based studies. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 123(2), pp.e273-e283. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6676152/ Yong, R., Mullins, P., and Bhattacharyya, N., 2021. Prevalence of chronic pain among adults in the United States. Pain, Publish Ahead of Print. https://journals.lww.com/pain/Abstract/9000/Prevalence_of_chronic_pain_among_adults_in_the.98045.aspx Further Reading New research has found that brain diseases, such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers, are surfacing earlier, proving more fatal, and could have a greater societal impact than Covid-19. The research report from Bournemouth University investigates the hidden epidemic of Brain Disease Deaths (BDD) and their prevalence in Western countries. Professor Colin Pritchard, who led the research, said: We have been monitoring rises in BDD in the West and have been staggered by the speed of the recent increases during the 21st Century. His findings have revealed a significant rise in the deaths of early adults (55 to 74-year-olds, those below average life expectancy) related to motor neurone disease, Parkinsons disease, early onset dementia, multiple system atrophy, Alzheimers disease and others. Professor Pritchard added: BDD in these countries are accelerating and, crucially, starting earlier. Based on World Health Organization (WHO) data, between the years 2000 and 2015, 18 of the 21 countries examined had substantial rises in early adult BDD deaths, including a 58% rise in the UK, 47% in the USA and a rise of 62% in Germany. In the United Kingdom 38,083 total brain disease-related deaths were recorded in 2000. By 2015 this had risen to 157,623. Similarly, in the USA deaths jumped from 220,727 in 2000 to 573,094 in 2015; totaling more than a years worth of Covid-19 fatalities in both countries. The difference between Covid-19 and BDD is that Covid-19 deaths are dramatic, people die within weeks, whereas BDD often take a decade or more before death, Whilst most Covid-19 infections are not fatal, whereas the vast majority of BDD are. Colin Pritchard, Professor, Bournemouth University According to Professor Pritchard, the data points towards under-lying environmental causes, and the impact on families and health services should be a far greater concern to governments. He continued: There are known occupations associated with higher neurological conditions as well as multiple interactive environmental factors which are increasing in the human environment. While the impact of Covid-19 is alleviated by vaccination programmes and public health measures, Professor Pritchard stresses the need for research into brain disease-related deaths. He said: We are still unsure of the multiple causes of this neurological epidemic. Hence we must first recognize the extent of the problem and seek to address the underlying causes if we are to slow down any further increase. In a new study, U.S. and Danish researchers report that patients who received a hospital diagnosis of Lyme diseaseinpatient, outpatient, or at the ERhad a 28 percent higher rate of mental disorders and were twice as likely to have attempted suicide post-infection, compared to individuals without the diagnosis. Image Credit: Columbia University The study, a collaboration of Columbia University and the Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, is believed to be the first large, population-based study examining the relationship between Lyme disease and psychiatric outcomes. The research appears in the July 28 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry. It is time to move beyond thinking of Lyme disease as a simple illness that only causes a rash, said Brian Fallon, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist with the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University who is the lead author of the paper. In addition to the risk of severe cardiac, rheumatologic, and neurologic problems, Lyme disease can cause severe mental health problems as well. Dr. Fallon, one of the foremost researchers of the neuropsychiatric effects of Lyme disease, is director of the Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia. The team of investigators on the study includes Michael Benros MD, PhD, principal investigator; Trine Madsen, PhD, co-first author; and Annette Erlangsen, PhD, all psychiatric epidemiologists at the Research Centre for Mental Health. Higher rate of death by suicide To conduct their study, the researchers analyzed the medical record diagnoses of nearly 7 million people living in Denmark over a 22-year period, comparing the mental health data of individuals after a hospital-based diagnosis of Lyme disease to the rest of the Danish population who had never had a Lyme diagnosis recorded in the national medical register. Patients who had a history of mental disorder or suicidality prior to the Lyme disease diagnosis were excluded from the analysis. The analysis revealed that in addition to patients with Lyme disease being at greater risk of mental disorders and suicide attempts, they also had a 42 percent higher rate of affective disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, and a 75 percent higher rate of death by suicide than those without the diagnosis. Additionally, having more than one episode of Lyme disease was associated with a higher rate of mental disorders, affective disorders, and suicide attempts. Half a million people treated for Lyme disease each year Each year nearly half a million people in the United States are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, caused by a bacterium carried by deer ticks and transmitted to humans through their bite. The majority of cases have been reported in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and north-central states, but the geographic range where ticks and tick-borne diseases are found continues to expand. Although most cases can be cured with a two- to four-week course of oral antibiotics, 10-20 percent of patients may suffer with symptoms of pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking that last for months to years after treatment. Several studies have pointed to a connection between Lyme disease and cognitive disorders months to years after antibiotic therapy or in people with untreated infections. In severe cases, individuals with late-stage Lyme disease may experience impaired concentration, irritability, memory and sleep disorders, and painful nerve dysfunction. Dr. Michael Benros emphasizes that most people do not develop severe mental health issues after Lyme borreliosis. During the study period, only 7 percent of the nearly 13,000 individuals with a hospital diagnosis of Lyme disease followed up with hospital clinicians complaining of symptoms subsequently diagnosed as mental disorders. Clinicians and patients should be aware of risk But findings of the study, the researchers said, are emblematic of a trend in Lyme disease cases that should not be overlooked. The Danish medical registry includes only psychiatric diagnosis made in a hospital setting not by clinicians in communities and it is likely that the number of individuals with new onset mental health problems following infection is much higher. This nationwide study confirms the association between Lyme disease and psychiatric disorders. Treating clinicians and patients should be aware of an increased risk of mental health problems, particularly during the first year after a severe Lyme disease infection, and if mental health issues arise, patients should seek treatment and guidance." Dr. Michael Benros MD, PhD, Principal Investigator The study, Lyme Borreliosis and Associations with Mental Disorders and Suicidal Behavior: A Nationwide Danish Cohort Study, was funded by the Global Lyme Alliance, Inc. Theyre roughly the same size as a coronavirus particle, and 1000 times smaller than a human hair, yet newly engineered nanoparticles developed by scientists at the University of South Australia, are punching well above their weight when it comes to treating drug-resistant fungal infections. Smart micelles offer great potential in treating pathogenic fungi. Image Credit: University of South Australia Created in partnership with Monash University, the new nanobiotechnology (called micelles), has a remarkable ability to battle one of the most invasive and notoriously resistant fungal infections Candida albicans. Its a timely finding, especially given the significant rise of dangerous fungal infections in hospitals with countries overrun by COVID-19. Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is extremely dangerous to people with compromised immune systems, particularly those in a hospital setting. Found on many surfaces, Candida albicans is notorious for its resilience to anti-fungal medicines. It is the most prevalent cause of fungal infections worldwide and can cause serious infections that can affect the blood, heart, brain, eyes, bones, and other parts of the body. Senior investigator, UniSAs Professor Clive Prestidge says the new polymer-based micelles could revolutionise current anti-fungal medicines. Managing and treating invasive fungal infections is particularly challenging because so many fungal biofilms are resistant to contemporary antifungal drugs, Prof. Prestidge says. Fungal biofilms are surface-loving microbials that thrive on implanted devices such as catheters, prostheses and heart valves, making the presence of these devices a major risk factor for infection. In places like India which has nearly 40,000 new COVID-19 infections every day hospital resources are severely stretched, leaving healthcare workers are not only battling COVID-19, but also dealing with complacency and fatigue. The unfortunate result is that infection control practices have deteriorated, putting patients on mechanical ventilation at greater risk of developing bacterial or fungal infections. As fungal biofilms tend to seed recurrent infections, finding ways to break and beat the infection cycle is critical, especially now. Our research has identified and developed smart micelles that have the ability to break down single and multi-species biofilms to significantly inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, one of the most virulent fungal species. We estimate that the new micelles could improve the efficacy of anti-fungal medicines by 100-fold, potentially saving the lives of millions of people worldwide. Dr Nicky Thomas, co-investigator, says the new micelles present a breakthrough for treating invasive fungal infections. These micelles have a unique ability to solubilize and entrap a range of important antifungal drugs to significantly improve their performance and efficacy. This is the first time that polymer-based micelles have been created with intrinsic capabilities to prevent fungal biofilm formation. As our results already show that the new micelles will remove up to 70 per cent of infection, this could be a real game changer for treating fungal diseases. Dr Nicky Thomas, Co-Investigator, UniSA A spot of sunshine, a love of nature, and a desire to make a difference its a simple combination, but together, these three elements could be key to improving physical activity, health, and wellbeing of older South Australians. Image Credit: University of South Australia In a new research project conducted by the University of South Australia, researchers are exploring the physical and social benefits of older people (aged 50+) participating in environmental citizen science projects. Supported by Office for Ageing Well, SA Health and outlined in South Australia's Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025, the project aims to identify ways for people to grow and sustain meaningful connections as they age. Rooted in the environment, the citizen science projects involve weekly guided nature walks with an experienced environmental researcher. The walks take place in local parks and walking trails across metropolitan Adelaide, where participants photograph and record wildlife observations using an app called iNaturalist. Citizen science describes a community-based approach to scientific inquiry by people who are not officially scientists, but willing to contribute to scientific knowledge by engaging in local projects. Lead researcher, UniSAs Professor Craig Williams, says the new study will provide valuable insights for ageing well in South Australia. For all of us to live well, we must work towards a future where everyone has the opportunity, support, and encouragement to maintain and develop meaningful connections, Prof Williams says. We also need opportunities that are varied and plentiful, so that we can create meaning and purpose in our lives, no matter what our age. This is especially important in an ageing society, where loneliness and isolation have become major societal concerns. From our previous studies, older South Australians have told us that theyre willing and able to take part in environmentally-based citizen science excursions." We also know that older people find these activities engaging and meaningful they like being able to contribute to environmental science projects, and of course, being around other people. But what we dont know is how environmental citizen science projects can benefit peoples physical health or overall wellbeing. This is the focus of our current study. Professor Craig Williams, Lead Researcher, UniSA The team is now looking for people to take part in the next series of citizen science projects. The package donated by the UK was shipped via COVAX, with the support of UNICEF and WHO, and arrived in Cairo yesterday (16 August). This is part of the first tranche of the 100 million vaccines that the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged the UK would share by June 2022 at the G7 Summit in Cornwall, with 30 million due to be sent by the end of the year. At least 80 million of the 100 million doses will go to COVAX. This donation follows the recent COVAX shipment of 1.7 million doses, which the UK is also supporting. The UK was at the forefront of efforts to establish COVAX in 2020, and has provided a total of 548 million to fund vaccines for lower income countries. The scheme has delivered more than 152 million vaccine doses to over 137 countries and territories, including in 83 lower-middle income countries. This package, and the UK's wider support to COVAX, will help meet the need for vaccines in Egypt as the country continues to battle with Covid-19. The British charge d'affaires and Deputy Ambassador to Egypt, Qudsi Rasheed, said: Yesterday, the UK sent around 300,000 vaccines to Egypt, through COVAX, the first batch of the 100 million doses our Prime Minister has pledged we will share with countries around the world within the next year. This is another milestone in our partnership with Egypt to help support the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and part of the UK's goal to end the pandemic by 2022." Dr. Naeema Al Gasseer hailed on the solidarity of UK government's commitment to protect populations beyond UK and as WHO we appreciate the efforts of the United Kingdom in addition to the national efforts to scale up the vaccine intake by all, ensuring that the largest number of people around the world is covered with COVID-19 vaccines since nobody is safe unless everybody is safe. UNICEF Representative in Egypt, Mr. Jeremy Hopkins said: I would like to express our thanks to the UK government for their contribution. The close collaboration between the UK Government as well as our Government partners is critical to ensure we deliver vaccines at speed and protect as many people as possible against this virus. No one is safe until everyone is safe." The UK has been at the forefront of the global response to Covid-19, including through investing 90 million to support the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Over half a billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been delivered at a non-profit price globally, with two-thirds going to lower- and middle-income countries. Global vaccine demand is far outstripping supply, leaving millions of the most vulnerable unprotected, while higher vaccine coverage worldwide is one of the best shields against new variants. Women with diabetes incur significant out-of-pocket expenses to manage their health, with the costs rising the longer they have the disease, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the University of South Australia found middle-aged and older women spend almost $500 a year from their own funds, visiting a diverse range of health services, to manage their diabetes. Our findings were that most women (88.3 per cent) consulted at least one health care practitioner in the previous 12 months for their diabetes, including medical doctors, allied health practitioners and complementary medicine practitioners, spending on average $492.60 per woman a year, said Distinguished Professor Jon Adams, deputy head of the School of Public Health at UTS. Our analysis suggests approximately $252 million is spent annually on out-of-pocket expenditure for diabetes management by Australian women aged 50 years and over. The results of this study provide important insights regarding public and private health care use by middle-aged and older Australian women living with diabetes. Jon Adams, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Head, School of Public Health, UTS The research team said the economic burden placed on these women warrants further investigation to understand how health care services (and the integration of such services) can better address their biopsychosocial needs. However, the researchers said the economic burden of self-care of chronic illness by individuals and households is often overlooked in Australia in favor of analyses that center on the macro-economy and the cost to government. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease associated with impaired glucose tolerance. Poor management of diabetes can result in serious health complications and physical disability, contributing further to the overall burden of the disease. More than 12 per cent of Australian women aged 50 years and older have diabetes type 1 or type 2. The utilization of public and private health care among Australian women with diabetes: Findings from the 45 and Up Study, by Jon Adams, Erica McIntyre, Amie Steel, Brenda Leung, Matthew Leach, David Sibbritt, is published in the journal PLOS One. Distinguished Professor Jon Adams is available for interview: +61 404 933 790 (Newser) An Afghan journalist showed her outrage Monday during a Pentagon press briefing, speaking of the fears of the Afghan people, especially women, now that the Taliban has marched on the capital. "I'm very upset today because Afghan woman didn't expect that overnight all the Taliban came," Nazira Karimi told Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, per the Hill. "They took off my flag. This is my flag," she said, pointing to the Afghan flag on her face mask. "And they put their flag." Karimi said women were "especially" upset. "Woman has a lot of achievement in Afghanistan. I had a lot of achievement. I left from the Taliban like 20 years ago. Now we go back to the first step again," she said, recalling a time, prior to 2001, when the Taliban forced females to wear burqas, barred them from school, and carried out public executions and stonings, per the Washington Post. story continues below Karimi demanded to know the location of President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country on Sunday. "People expected that he [would leave] with the people, and immediately he run away," she said. "We don't know where is he, and we don't have a president." Kirby said "we too have invested greatly in Afghanistan and in the progress that women and girls have made ... and we do feel the pain that you're feeling," though "probably not to the same extent." On Tuesday, the Taliban said women would retain the right to education and should join the militants' government, dubbed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. "The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims," a member of the Taliban's cultural commission said, per France 24. "They should be in government structure according to Shariah law." The Taliban also declared amnesty for Afghan government officials. (Read more Afghanistan stories.) (Newser) A woman who went missing in Cornwall, England, Saturday afternoon was rescued thanks in part to the meows of her cat. A caregiver for the 83-year-old woman called authorities, concerned about her whereabouts, Newsweek reports. During the search, someone notified rescuers that the cat, Piran, was meowing. The "quite persistent" noise led searchers to a 70-foot ravine, which the woman had fallen down and atop of which sat the loyal feline. "Piran the cat saved the day," one of the rescuers tells the BBC. Piran's owner was airlifted to a hospital, where she is in stable condition. (Read more uplifting news stories.) (Newser) Murder suspect Robert Durst admitted for the first time Monday something that those following the case probably already knewhe wrote what has come to be known as the "cadaver note." The note has long been a key piece of evidence in the case of Susan Berman, a friend of Durst's who was slain in her home in 2000, reports the Los Angeles Times. Police found her body after receiving a note that read "cadaver," along with her address. Durst, 78, denied writing that note for years, even after the makers of the documentary film The Jinx confronted him, showing not only that the handwriting was identical to his own but that the note misspelled "Beverly" as "Beverley" as Durst did. In the film, Durst retreats to a bathroom after the interview and mutters, "killed them all, of course," to himself, which is seen as a "gotcha moment" against him, per the AP. story continues below In court on Monday, Durst finally admitted he authored the note, but he continued to insist that he didn't kill Berman. "I mean, I have difficulty believing it myself," he testified in Los Angeles County Superior Court. "It's very difficult to believe, to accept, that I wrote the letter and did not kill Susan Berman." Durst said he discovered her body when he went to visit, then opted to inform police in an anonymous note rather than in person. Prosecutors say he killed Berman because he feared she would implicate him in the still-unsolved disappearance of his wife in 1982. They also have introduced evidence suggesting that his fatal 2001 shooting of a neighbor wasn't accidental, even though he was acquitted of murder charges. (Durst's lawyers previously acknowledged that their client wrote the note, but Monday was the first time Durst said so in court.) (Newser) Texas has asked the federal government to supply five trailers to serve as morgues with COVID-19 deaths in the state expected to mount. Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman Doug Loveday tells NBC News that the request was made Aug. 4 as "we are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase." Another spokesman described the move as a precaution. Five mortuary trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be based in San Antonio but can be transported to other cities as needed. While San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg wasn't aware of the request, a spokesman tells NBC that it "makes sense" since "deaths are starting to mount for sure." story continues below The state has averaged 80 COVID-19 deaths per day over the last weekthe highest average since March 16 of this year. Hospitals are slammed. WFAA reports that 12 of 22 hospital regions in the state had 10 or fewer ICU beds available at the start of the week, and some of the regions Abilene, Lufkin, Waco, Bryan, Beaumont, Laredo, and Corpus Christihad none at all. The AP notes that "confusion reigned" in school districts after the state Supreme Court stopped mask mandates in Dallas and San Antonio, two of the state's largest districts, just before the start of school. (Read more Texas stories.) (Newser) Americans might soon become more familiar with the name Abdul Ghani Baradar, a pivotal figure in the Taliban who arrived back in the country on Tuesday for the first time in a decade. Coverage: A co-founder: Baradar is described as the Taliban's de facto leader by the Washington Post and the Times of Israel. Now in his 50s, Baradar co-founded the group decades ago in Kandahar with the late Mohammad Omar. The pair had fought together against the Soviets in the late 1970s. Baradar is described as the Taliban's de facto leader by the Washington Post and the Times of Israel. Now in his 50s, Baradar co-founded the group decades ago in Kandahar with the late Mohammad Omar. The pair had fought together against the Soviets in the late 1970s. His clout: "He is one of the most important people in the Taliban because he has been around since day one and has been a driving force in the key stages of the movement," Ibraheem Bahiss, a consultant on Afghanistan with the International Crisis Group, tells the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper notes that the Taliban's spiritual leader is Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada, but Baradar seems to have become the public face of the group. story continues below The big winner? The Guardian describes Baradar as the "undisputed victor" in the 20-year war with the US. Over that span, Baradar "had the reputation of being a potent military leader and a subtle political operator." The story notes that the Obama administration, fearful of his military prowess, convinced Pakistan to arrest him in 2010. The Guardian describes Baradar as the "undisputed victor" in the 20-year war with the US. Over that span, Baradar "had the reputation of being a potent military leader and a subtle political operator." The story notes that the Obama administration, fearful of his military prowess, convinced Pakistan to arrest him in 2010. Freed from prison: He remained in custody until three years ago. The Journal reports that the US pressured Pakistan to free him to help with peace negotiations, though France24 says his release came at the behest of Qatar. Either way, he participated in the talks with the White House last year that led former President Trump to announce a withdrawal date of May 2021. President Biden would extend that to September. "Negotiators describe him as quiet, contained, and difficult to read," per the Journal, but he could relied upon to help break impasses in talks. He remained in custody until three years ago. The Journal reports that the US pressured Pakistan to free him to help with peace negotiations, though France24 says his release came at the behest of Qatar. Either way, he participated in the talks with the White House last year that led former President Trump to announce a withdrawal date of May 2021. President Biden would extend that to September. "Negotiators describe him as quiet, contained, and difficult to read," per the Journal, but he could relied upon to help break impasses in talks. An appeal: It was Baradar who released a public statement after the Taliban's victory, one in which he urged militants in the group to "show humility." (Read more Afghanistan stories.) 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 Bahrains Coast Guard patrol rescued two people from drowning after their boat capsized in the Fashet Al Adham area. The sailors who met with accidents were aged 30 and 40 years. The Coast guard patrol boat spotted both of them soon after receiving the distress call. After reaching the spot, officials safely hoisted the sailors and gave them the required medical assistance. The patrol boat also pulled the capsized vessel to safety. The Coast Guard officials called on seafarers to carry safety and security tools on boats and operate Automatic Identification Devices. For assistance, call 17700000 or the hotline 994. How can the Filipinos in Bahrain register to vote overseas during pandemic How can the Filipinos in Bahrain register to vote overseas during pandemic TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Despite the likelihood that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will still be around in many parts of the world next year, Filipinos in the Kingdom of Bahrain will still be able to cast their ballots in the 2022 Philippine national elections. In fact, they can vote ahead of the larger population at home thru Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV). Their 30-day voting period will run from April 10 to May 9, 2022. Considered as contemporary national heroes, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are urged by the Philippine Embassy to register as voters in next years elections amid fears of prolonged pandemic. All qualified Filipino citizens residing and working in the Kingdom who have not yet registered are advised to participate in their home countrys political affairs by beating the September 30, 2021 deadline to register. They must personally appear at the embassy located in Mahooz for biometrics capturing, and bring along a photocopy of valid Philippine passport or copy of seamans book for seafarers. To encourage Filipinos to register, the embassy is utilising its social media accounts by posting infomercials and posters to increase the awareness in Bahrain. Those interested in the overseas voting registration should contact the embassy for details on how to proceed. More details can also be found on the embassys official website: https://manamape.dfa.gov.ph/ In October last year, the embassy resumed the activity following a five-month suspension due to the onset of the pandemic. Overseas registration started in December 2019. The next Philippine general elections set to take place on May 9, 2022 will select the successor of current President Rodrigo Duterte. Qualified Filipino voters residing and working abroad will choose the next president, vice-president, 12 senators and a party-list representative. There are more than 60,000 Filipinos living and working in Bahrain. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Kuwait Finance House Bahrain announced Yunes Mohamed as the third and final prize winner of its Mazaya finance One Year on Us campaign where the Bank covers the first year of housing instalments for the Mazaya Finance Scheme. The campaign was developed by the bank specifically to support customers benefiting from the Ministry of Housings Mazaya Social Housing Scheme. Hamed Mashal, the Head of Retail Banking said: We extend our sincerest congratulations to Yunes Mohamed on winning the third prize, which includes the payment of a full year of his Mazaya finance instalments. The prize comes under our One Year on Us campaign, which is part of our many efforts and endeavours to meet customers needs and improve their banking experience with us. With the conclusion of this successful campaign, we wish to announce that we are gearing up to launch more rewarding initiatives in the near future. Yunes Mohamed, said: I am absolutely thrilled to win this valuable prize, and express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to everyone who worked towards making this campaign possible and all the members of Kuwait Finance House Bahrain. NEW MILFORD New Milford will host its first ever Recovery Festival next weekend, geared towards bringing further awareness and recovery solutions to those impacted by the opioid epidemic. On Aug. 28 and 29, the festival and 5K run, organized by United States Marine Corps Sergeant Zachary Scoular and Brian Codys Brothers & Sisters Foundation, will be filling the downtown area with music, activities, and events all centered on breaking the chains of addiction. Events kick off Saturday with a 6 p.m. screening of the Connecticut-based documentary, Fentanyl Madness, at Bank Street Theater followed by a Question & Answer session with the documentarys producer and other experts. On Sunday, the festival will take place on the Town Green from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Youngs Field from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. The 5K walk/run, which has nearly 100 people signed up so far, starts check-in around 7 a.m. on Sunday on Youngs Field. In addition to the 5K, there will be live music, food trucks, an arts and crafts booth, family-friendly activities, a water slide, an art exhibit, and a Recovery Advisory Zone with two dozen different resources, according to organizers. There will also be Narcan trainings taking place roughly every two hours. New Milford resident Tony Morrissey started Brian Codys Brothers & Sisters Foundation with his wife Tracey after their son, Brian Cody Waldron, overdosed in 2019. The organization has pushed hard for legislation that would address substance use disorder and opioid addiction in Connecticut. Their 501c3 nonprofit status is currently pending. This event is just one of the many ways the organization has been trying to help those impacted by the opioid epidemic in the past two years. Morrissey connected with Scoular, who grew up in New Milford, through Facebook. Scoular, who Morrissey said has lost many people close to him to overdoses, was interested in helping out. The festival theyve been working on together has been in the works for about a year now, after it was postponed due to COVID-19 last year. Hes been doing all this planning as hes deployed, Morrissey said. Hes truly a hometown hero. A press release explains that the goal is to allow families whove been impacted by the opioid epidemic in the worst possible way to turn their pain into power, to bring smiles to the children throughout the community, and to celebrate that recovery is indeed possible. Morrissey said the weekend is all about getting conversations surrounding substance use disorder and opioid addiction started in a productive way. That includes information about resources. Knocking the stigma out of the equation and getting them the help they need, that is the number one important thing, said Morrissey. Thats why we lost Brian. We had no idea back then what we know now. Overall, Morrissey said the event is really for anyone whose life has been touched by the opioid epidemic. Whether theyre looking for a family-friendly fun or resources, the event is trying to cover all bases. Its going to put New Milford on the map as being truly a recovery friendly town, where we have the compassion and the resources to help people, Morrissey said. Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to UN Ghulam M Isaczai has said that gruesome images of Taliban's mass executions of military personnel and target killings of civilians in Kandahar and other big cities have come to light and this cannot be allowed to happen in Kabul. Afghanistans Permanent Representative to UN Ghulam M Isaczai has said that situation in Kabul is extremely worrying and called for an immediate establishment of an inclusive and representative transitional government in the country. Speaking at a special United Nations Security Council (UNSC) special session on Afghanistan, Isaczai expressed concern over the Taliban not honouring the promises and commitments made in their statements at Doha and other international fora. The special session was held after the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and taking control of the Presidential Palace. India holds the presidency of the UNSC this month. The Afghanistan envoy called for urgently establishing a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of those at risk of Taliban contributions and attacks. We have seen gruesome images of Taliban mass executions of military personnel and target killings of civilians in Kandahar and other big cities. We cannot allow this to happen in Kabul, which has been the last refuge for many people escaping violence and Talibans revenge attacks, he said. Isaczai said Kabul residents are reporting that the Taliban have already started house-to-house searches in some neighbourhoods, registering names and looking for people and their target list. There are already reports of targetted killings and looting in the city and Kabul residents are living in absolute fear right now, he said. The envoy said he was speaking on behalf of millions of people in Afghanistan, whose fate hangs in the balance, and are faced with an extremely uncertain future. Im speaking for millions of Afghan girls and women who are about to lose their freedom to go to school, to work and to participate in the political, economic, and social life of the country, he said. The Afghanistan envoy said he was also speaking for thousands of human rights defenders, journalists, academics, civil servants, and former security personnel whose lives are at risk for defending human rights and democracy. Im speaking for thousands of internally displaced people who are desperately in need of shelter, food, and protection in Campbell, and other places. As youre witnessing yourself. The situation in Kabul, a city of about six million people is extremely worrying, to say the least, he said. The envoy said there is no time for blame game anymore. We have an opportunity to prevent further violence, prevent Afghanistan descending into a civil war and becoming a pariah state. Therefore, the Security Council, and the UN Secretary-General should use every means at their disposal to call for an immediate cessation of violence and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Call on the Taliban to fully respect the gentle amnesty offered by them, cease targeted killing and revenge attacks and abide by international humanitarian laws, he said. The Afghan envoy said no public institutions and service delivery in infrastructure should be demolished, including works of arts in museums and media institutions and the Security Council should stress that anyone violating human rights of African citizens, and international humanitarian law will be held accountable. Isaczai called on neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to open their borders and facilitate the exit of people trying to escape an entry of goods for humanitarian relief and operations. He called for the immediate establishment of an inclusive and representative transitional government, that includes all ethnic groups, and women representatives, which can lead to a dignified and lasting solution to the conflict, bring peace and preserve the gains of the last 20 years, especially for women and girls. He said the Security Council and the United Nations should not recognize any administration that achieves power through force or any government that is not inclusive and representative of the diversity of the country and unequivocally state that it does not recognize the restoration of the Islamic Emirate as reaffirmed in previous council statement, and agreements, established international guarantees for the implementation of a future political agreement. Referring to the chaotic scenes at the Kabul International Airport as desperate citizens are trying to leave the country, he said, Were, were extremely concerned about Talibans not honouring the promises and commitments made in their statements at Doha and other international fora. Weve witnessed time and again how Taliban have broken their promises and commitments in the past. He called for mobilising urgent humanitarian assistance for the 18 million people of Afghanistan, particularly those displaced by the current conflict and noted that the UN humanitarian appeal at $1.3 billion remains 40 per cent funded. India, in collaboration with the UN, would be rolling out the UNITE AWARE Platform, which is a situational awareness software programme that allows a Peacekeeping Operations Centre to visualise and analyse the ground situation in a conflict zone on a real-time basis. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday reached New York to preside over two high-level meetings of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on UN peacekeeping and on terrorism. Taking to Twitter, India permanent representative at the United Nations, TS Tirumurti said he is delighted to receive Jaishankar. Delighted to receive External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar in New York. EAM will chair two high-level meetings of UN #SecurityCouncil on UN peacekeeping & on terrorism. He will participate in a ceremony at @UNPeacekeeping memorial along with UNSG @antonioguterres, he tweeted. The meeting comes as India holds the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The first event on August 18, 2021, will be an open debate on Protecting the Protectors: Technology and Peacekeeping while the second event on August 19, 2021, will be a high-level briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts. Both these topics are priorities for India during its UNSC innings, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a press release. The open debate on Peacekeeping will focus on the theme of Protecting the Protectors, including through the use of modern technological tools to enhance the safety and security of Peacekeepers and to aid Peacekeeping Missions to effectuate their mandates effectively and efficiently. In this regard, India, in collaboration with the UN, would be rolling out the UNITE AWARE Platform, which is a situational awareness software programme that allows a Peacekeeping Operations Centre to visualise and analyse the ground situation in a conflict zone on a real-time basis. This project aims to demonstrate the impact of modern surveillance technology on the detection of asymmetric threats. The aim is to improve camp security for UN peacekeepers, the overall security situation, and the quality of situational awareness. India has partnered with the UN to roll out the UNITE Aware platform initially in four UN Peacekeeping Missions: MUNISMA (Mali), UNMISS (South Sudan), UNFICYP (Cyprus) and AMISOM (Somalia), read the release. An MoU between the Government of India and the UN in support of the Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping initiative is expected to be signed during the visit. The executing agencies for this MoU would be the Center for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK on the Indian side) and UN C4ISR Academy for Peace Operations (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) based in Entebbe (Uganda) on the UNs side, added the release. On 19 August, EAM would preside over a briefing session on the six-monthly report of the UN Secretary-General on the threat posed by Islamic State (ISIL/Daesh), under the agenda item Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts, added the MEA release. During this visit, Jaishankar would also have bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers of other Member States on the sidelines of these UNSC high-level events. Biden said when he came into office, he inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. Under his agreement, US forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. It has been made clear to Taliban that if they attack US personnel or disrupt the process of evacuation of American citizens still in Afghanistan, the response will be swift and forceful, US President Joe Biden said on Monday. Addressing the nation a day after Taliban takeover of Kabul, Biden said US military mission will be short and focused on getting our people and our allies to safety as quickly as possible. As we carry out this departure, we have made it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our personnel or disrupt our operation, the US presence will be swift and the response will be swift and forceful. We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary. Our current military mission will be short in time, limited in scope, and focused in its objectives: Get our people and our allies to safety as quickly as possible, he said. And once we have completed this mission, we will conclude our military withdrawal. We will end Americas longest war after 20 long years of bloodshed, he added. Biden said he is the President and the buck stops with him. He staunchly defended his decision to withdraw troops. I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of responsibility for where we are today and how we must move forward from here. I am President of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me, he said. Biden said he authorized 6,000 US troops to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose of assisting in the departure of US and allied civilian personnel from Afghanistan, and to evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of Afghanistan. He said the US has shut down its embassy and is taking over air traffic control. Our troops are working to secure the airfield and to ensure continued operation of both the civilian and military flights. Were taking over air traffic control. We have safely shut down our embassy and transferred our diplomats. Our diplomatic presence is now consolidated at the airport as well. Over the coming days, we intend to transport out thousands of American citizens who have been living and working in Afghanistan. Well also continue to support the safe departure of civilian personnel the civilian personnel of our Allies who are still serving in Afghanistan. Operation Allies Refugee [Refuge], which I announced back in July, has already moved 2,000 Afghans who are eligible for Special Immigration Visas and their families to the United States. In the coming days, the U.S. military will provide assistance to move more SIV-eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan, he said. Biden said there are concerns about why the US did not begin evacuating Afghans civilians sooner. Part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier still hopeful for their country. And part of it was because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence. American troops are performing this mission as professionally and as effectively as they always do, but it is not without risks. The events were seeing now are sadly proof that no amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, united, and secure Afghanistan as known in history as the graveyard of empires. He said what is happening now could just as easily have happened 5 years ago or 15 years in the future. We have to be honest: Our mission in Afghanistan has taken many missteps made many missteps over the past two decades. Im now the fourth American President to preside over war in Afghanistan two Democrats and two Republicans. I will not pass this responsibly on responsibility on to a fifth President. I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of responsibility for where we are today and how we must move forward from here. I am President of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me, he said. Biden said he was deeply saddened by the facts we now face. But I do not regret my decision to end Americas warfighting in Afghanistan and maintain a laser-focus on our counterterrorism missions there and in other parts of the world. Our mission to degrade the terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and kill Osama bin Laden was a success. Our decades-long effort to overcome centuries of history and permanently change and remake Afghanistan was not, and I wrote and believed it never could be. I cannot and I will not ask our troops to fight on endlessly in another in another countrys civil war, taking casualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken by grief and loss. This is not in our national security interest. It is not what the American people want. It is not what our troops, who have sacrificed so much over the past two decades, deserve, he said. Biden said he made a commitment to the American people when he ran for President that he would bring Americas military involvement in Afghanistan to an end. And while its been hard and messy and yes, far from perfect Ive honored that commitment. More importantly, I made a commitment to the brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasnt going to ask them to continue to risk their lives in a military action that should have ended long ago. Our leaders did that in Vietnam when I got here as a young man. I will not do it in Afghanistan. I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another President of the United States yet another one a fifth one. Because its the right one its the right decision for our people. The right one for our brave service members who have risked their lives serving our nation. And its the right one for America. Referring to terror threats, he said it has metastasized well beyond Afghanistan al Shabaab in Somalia, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Nusra in Syria, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia. These threats warrant our attention and our resources. We conduct effective counterterrorism missions against terrorist groups in multiple countries where we dont have a permanent military presence. If necessary, we will do the same in Afghanistan. Weve developed counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the United States in the region and to act quickly and decisively if needed. Biden said when he came into office, he inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. Under his agreement, US forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 just a little over three months after I took office. He said US forces had already drawn down during the Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in country, and the Taliban was at its strongest militarily since 2001. The choice I had to make was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. There would have been no ceasefire after May 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was no status quo of stability without American casualties after May 1, he said. There was only the cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat in Afghanistan, lurching into the third decade of conflict. I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, Ive learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces, he added. NEW HAVEN Hewad Hamat worked with the U.S. military for years in his native Afghanistan until the day he received an anonymous text. It said: We know you are working with US troops. Be ready for assassination. He knew it was time to leave. Hamat applied for resettlement in the United States for himself and his immediate family. After two years of being interviewed and vetted, he arrived in Connecticut with his wife and several young children in 2014. They worked with IRIS, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, to get established in their new home. Now, as Hamat, 39, watches the horrific scenes of Afghanistan falling to the Taliban and the crush of people scrambling to get out at Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport he worries that the many relatives and friends he left behind could die and all the progress of the last 20 years will be lost. I am saddened. I am angry. I am feeling helpless because I am receiving a lot of calls from family, Hamat said. / Associated Press Ashley Gaudiano, director of external affairs for the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, Inc., said Monday that according to the organizations Washington headquarters at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, only about 2,000 Afghans have been evacuated so far to the United States. Thats nowhere near the dent needed to save lives, Gaudiano said. Max Reiss, director of communications for Gov. Ned Lamont, said Afghans who are fleeing the country are under the full authority of the United States government. Currently, the state has no role in the potential resettlement. Gaudiano said that since most refugees will be landing in Virginia or San Diego, she is not expecting an immediate influx to the Northeast. And many of the 80,000 Afghans with ties to the United States and who have special immigrant visas remain in Afghanistan after the sudden takeover of the embattled country by the Taliban. There is complete chaos, said Hamat, whose immediate family now includes five children. Those people really need help and as long as help as help is delayed, the humanitarian crisis is growing and the United States has all the tools to help. Rahmat Gul / Associated Press So I hope President Biden and all those responsible for the decision, they have to change their minds, he said, as he drove back to New Haven from Washington, D.C. Hamat, who now runs a media company, Hewad Press, that publishes Afghanistan news in English, Pasto and Dari, wants the U.S. government to do more and he said it has the capacity to do more. We still have a chance. Six thousand troops are there, he said. They need to send more troops there. Im not saying we need to stay there. But we have a moral obligation, because those people helped America... Hewad Hamat / Contributed / First of all, Im worried about my family, my friends ... all those left behind, those we worked with ... local security forces, he said. Their lives are in danger right now. His second concern is that the government collapsed, Hamat said. We lost all the gains that we had in 20 years. Looking back on it now, nothing is gained from the U.S.s presence all this time, all gone with the wind, he said. There will be no womens rights, there will be no human rights... Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press He said that a friend had just called him from Kabul. People are very scared, Hamat said. They have to send more troops and they have to take control of the whole Kabul airport .. and then they have to pick up people because some people cannot travel to Kabul because right now the Taliban controls all the roads. Hamat pointed out that at this point, the American Embassy is shut down and the Russian embassy is open. While the Taliban has said it wont go into peoples houses and is looking for a peaceful transition, I cannot trust it, Hamat said on a day when a CNN commentator said the Taliban already was going door-to-door looking for journalists and others who helped the U.S. government over the past 20 years. Because if you check the human rights reports ... they killed people, civilian people, they killed pro-government people, he said. Right now theyre busy, to take control. But afterward, they will kill every person who helped the former Afghan government and U.S. troops. First of all they will kill the translators ... journalists, engineers, said Hamat, who worked with military journalists in Afghanistan as the project manager for a Radio In A Box program created to counter Taliban propaganda. Among other things, they put out positive information about the Afghan government and real Islam that the Taliban soldiers were abusing, he said. I hired two religious scholars who taught people the real Islam, the peaceful Islam. Steve Parsons / Associated Press IRIS spokeswoman Ann OBrien said the organization was put on 24-hour notice a week and a half ago because of the evacuation flights that were scheduled. Three days later, we got two families and tonight were receiving three more families that we got notice of yesterday, she said. Usually we have five or 10 days to prepare for a family, OBrien said. ...These are part of the evacuation, which means their paperwork was done very quickly oversees. Those new arrivals had the same kind of Special Immigrant Visas, or SIVs, that Hamat had when he arrived, issued to help who have helped the U.S. military. She said she expects many more to follow. The sad part now is the challenges getting them out, she said. Its a nightmare and its just a continuation of the nightmare that is this 20-year war. One family that arrived has five children under age 12 and we have them in a hotel, OBrien said. IRIS has settled more than 500 Afghan SIV people in the New Haven and Hartford areas over the past five years. Generally speaking, Theyre just amazing, she said. Theyre former educators, former finance people, logistics, engineers who are smart and big-hearted, and theyre family people ... So we will help as many as we can help. Gaudiano, of the Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, said in an interview, We have let it be known that we are able and look forward to them (refugees) being directly resettled. Weve been of the opinion that the number should be as high as possible, Gaudiano said. Based in Bridgeport, with offices also in Hartford, Waterbury and Stamford, the institute arranges furnished housing for families, enrolls them in schools and other state programs, while staying in regular communications with new arrivals. She said that the public is asked to get in touch with the institute if there are landlords available to work with refugee families. Unlike the families that fled war-torn Syria five years ago, when then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy welcomed families and got into a war of words with then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, there is no immigrant pipeline, and with the lightning takeover by the Taliban, there might not be an extensive migration of Afghans. Malloy won a Profile in Courage Award for his stance. Hearst Connecticut Media Political Editor Ken Dixon contributed to this story. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com MIDDLEFIELD Lyman Orchards will open its annual corn maze on Sept. 4, hoping to offer visitors a pleasant time in the harvest season and raise money to fight cancer, according to the organization. This years maze will themed after 1970s rock and roll, officials with the Orchards said in an email, with multiple maze posts featuring trivia questions and musical highlights of the decade. The Orchards will continue to donate a portion of their proceeds to the American Cancer Society and Connecticut Cancer Society, officials said. Since 2000, officials said, the Orchards has raised nearly $665,000 for the American Cancer Society and, since 2020, $20,440 for the Connecticut Cancer Society. This marks our twenty-second year of operating the Corn Maze, as well as donating a percentage of proceeds to medical research, said Lyman Orchards Executive Vice President John Lyman in the email. Its always great fun for families, and this year will literally be a trip down memory lane for lots of people. Wendy Matthews, executive director in New England for the American Cancer Society, offered her thanks for the years of assistance in the email. Were humbled by the support weve received for more than two decades from Lyman Orchards, said Matthews. The donations (the Corn Maze) generates support all of the Societys programs, services and resources so not only does Lyman Orchards make a difference for their Connecticut neighbors, but also for anyone touched by cancer. Lyman Orchards, a 1,100-acre site, was established in 1741, officials said. It now offers a variety of recreational activities and venues for adults and children of all agesincluding pick-your-own fruit orchards, a farm market, seasonal mazes, 36 holes of championship golf, a par-29 nine-hole course, one of the top golf-training facilities in the state of Connecticut, 1741 Pub & Grill, meeting and event space, and seasonal festivals, officials said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com WEST HAVEN Will the city have a paraprofessional pay reckoning? The Board of Education approved a three-year paraprofessional contract extension through Aug. 31, 2024, which will take effect if it receives approval from the states Municipal Accountability Review Board. That contract extension gives 2 percent wage increases to paraprofessionals at the start of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years with no pay step increase; it also gives a 2 percent wage increase to paraprofessionals at the highest pay step while advancing all other paraprofessionals one step in the 2021-22 school year. However, the contract also increases paraprofessionals cost-share contributions to their medical insurance by one percent for all three years of the contract. Paraprofessional Portia Bias, a former councilwoman for the 7th District, questioned whether that was appropriate. Im asking you to please consider that youre really not giving us a 2 percent raise when our health care insurance is going up 1 percent, she told the school board. Bias said that if the district received $30 million in federal coronavirus recovery aid, she wonders why paraprofessionals are not being offered higher wages, especially because she believes students and workers with the highest needs didnt get all the resources they needed in the prior year. I think enough of that money can go around to our paraprofessionals and our teachers who work so hard for all the residents who have students in our district. They deserve it. They deserve the best, Bias said. Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro said the paraprofessional union ordinarily is one of the toughest negotiators in the district, but he believes the latest round of negotiations was one of the easier ones. Cavallaro said that, although paraprofessionals are contributing more to their health insurance, school employees now are on a state partnership health insurance program that means health insurance still will cost paraprofessionals less than before even with a higher contribution. There should be a little more in your paycheck over the next three years, plus the 2 percent raise, he said. The paraprofessionals have the least-highest copay of the unions, but we recognize theyre also one of the more lower-paid. As school board members deliberated on the contract, member Rosemary Russo noted her opposition because of increased responsibilities placed on and qualifications needed by paraprofessionals, and their largely stagnant pay. They need a livable wage and its not fair, she said. Now paraprofessionals are more hands-on: a lot of physical things happen where they have to restrain children, change diapers, take care of sick children. Further, she said paraprofessionals now are required to hold certain credentials they had not in the past. Russo said there are paraprofessionals in the district who have worked their entire careers in the district as paraprofessionals who make narrowly more than $16 per hour at a time when Connecticut will usher in a $15 minimum wage by June 1, 2023. Our expectations are being raised higher and higher and their salary is not even. Its not right, she said. Board member Jim Morrissey said he agreed with Russos sentiments calling district paraprofessional pay a paltry sum for the amount of hands-on work they do with students but he supported approving the contract because it is what union leadership had negotiated. Down the road, increasing their pay would be a wise thing to do, he said. Board Secretary Patricia Libero said that, with the citys financial decisions under the control of the state since 2017 because of the citys poor fiscal standing at the time, she believes any big spending decisions would be (thrown) right back at us by the state. I hope by the next negotiations we are a city standing on its own two feet, she said, so that the district could consider paying paraprofessionals more. The board approved the contract, with only Russo dissenting. According to figures made available by the school district, entry-level annual pay for West Haven paraprofessionals is $18,646.38, with possibilities for some stipends. In a joint statement, West Haven Federation of Paraprofessionals Co-Presidents Marilyn Halligan and Georgiana Dini said the union negotiated knowing that the contract is subject to approval from MARB, a state agency that seeks to stabilize West Havens budget. A compromise was reached where our contract was kept intact and no concessions were made for our current members, they said in a statement. However, the co-presidents said paraprofessionals have more responsibilities now than they once did. We have members whove been in their positions in excess of 25 years (and) do not make $25,000, they said in the statement. Its frustrating, but now its time to get back into our schools and assist in educating the students of West Haven. The issue of paraprofessional pay has been raised in other school districts in the region, including New Haven. In that school district, non-union part-time paraprofessionals will see an annual wage increase as the states rising minimum wage exceeds their current $12 per hour pay. Unionized paraprofessionals have also stated that their wages have remained mostly static over decades, with many reporting having to cover classrooms when teachers are absent and no substitute teacher is available a role outside the boundaries of their contracts. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com Wilfredo Estrada, a 71-year-old New Haven resident and native of Peru, said getting colonoscopies is muy necesario. His father died from colon cancer at age 65, and he knows family history plays a role in cancer risk. Estrada described his odyssey fighting polyps detected by preventive colonoscopy screenings, which he has been getting since 2018. During the most recent procedure, Estrada said, the doctor found and extracted 29 polyps, all noncancerous. When asked whether he tells people he knows how important it is to get screened, Estrada responded through his interpreter, No. Its not something I like to share with others. By staying current with colonoscopies, Estrada is doing his part to avoid becoming a cancer statistic. In Connecticut, colorectal cancer is the fourth most diagnosed cancer in men and women, and is the fifth deadliest type of cancer, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data captured in 2018, the most recent year for which these statistics are available. Black men and women have higher death rates than whites and Hispanics, the CDC data shows. And its not a problem thats going away. According to national research, people born in 1990 are twice and four times more likely to be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancers, respectively, compared with similarly aged adults born around 1950, like Estrada. But despite strong evidence showing that screening methods such as colonoscopies the gold standard of preventive colorectal cancer screenings significantly reduce the risk of death from colon cancer, fewer than 80 percent of age-eligible Connecticut residents are up to date on them. Black and Hispanic residents lag behind their white age-eligible counterparts, and fewer than 50 percent of uninsured among the states residents are up to date on these life-saving screenings, according to a state fact sheet on colorectal cancer screenings prepared by the CDC. But efforts by health care and advocacy organizations are working to close these disparities among Connecticut residents. Patient Navigators Support Screenings While a desire for privacy may prevent patients such as Estrada from discussing with others the importance of screening for colorectal cancer, organizations such as nonprofit Project Access New Haven work to spread the news. Under the nonprofits Uninsured Specialty Care program, Project Access has a Screening Colonoscopy Navigation Program in partnership with Fair Haven Community Health Care that serves primarily Black and brown community members who dont have access to care. Our patient navigators reach out to patients, explain who we are, schedule the colonoscopies, and we work with the hospital to go through the process, said MaGlinda Williamson-Ager, Project Accesss RN navigation manager. There are so many different layers that can prevent patients from getting that screening. While patient education is critical to encouraging cancer prevention measures, the obstacles dont always lie with the patients themselves, say some experts. Systematically Identifying Patients At Risk Dr. Xavier Llor directs Cancer Screening and Prevention, part of Community Engagement and Health Equity at the Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale New Haven Health. The one-year-old program is working to bring systematic changes to how patients are referred for cancer screenings and, when advisable, genetic testing. Llor cited Lynch syndrome as an example. Caused by an inherited gene mutation, the syndrome increases ones risk for colorectal and other cancers and is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancer syndromes in Latinos. We are working to make sure that everyone who could have a cancer syndrome is diagnosed, Llor said. It is well-documented, he said, that patients of color receive genetic testing far less frequently than white patients, a circumstance that multiple studies attribute to referral bias. Llor pointed to systemwide measures recently implemented at Yale New Haven that work to counter referral bias. In one, the pathology department analyzes tumors removed from patients using a simple pathology test. If a tumor is found to contain a specific alteration that is commonly seen in tumors of patients with Lynch syndrome, the pathology department working in concert with the health care systems informatics team sets an automated system in motion that results in reaching out to the patients provider to make a referral for genetic counseling and testing. Previously, Llor explained, pathologists would note the need for genetic testing but wouldnt always make the actual referral. If we do the extra work, we can get there, Llor said. Using this new, more systematic method, he said, referrals to genetic testing have jumped from 40 percent to 80 percent. Instead of waiting for our culture to change, we [at the Smilow Cancer Hospital] keep working to change our culture, Llor said, adding, Very few people are hesitant about screening when you talk to them. Pandemic And New Screening Recommendation Create Perfect Storm Two recent occurrences have created a higher-than-normal backlog of colorectal screenings. The pandemic forced medical offices across the state to close temporarily and created apprehension among countless patients about in-person medical visits for non-emergency purposes. Then in May, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the age recommended for starting routine colorectal cancer screening, from 50 to 45 years of age. Michael Barry, vice chairman of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, said several factors influenced the decision. These included data showing that an estimated 10 percent of colorectal cancers are now occurring in people under 50, and that routine colorectal screenings starting at age 45 could help save additional lives. If the numbers continue heading in their current direction, researchers suggest that colorectal cancer could lead cancer-related deaths among people 20 to 49 years old within the next 10 years, even sooner for young Black people, whose colorectal cancer incidence and death rates are higher than among any other race/ethnicity. Despite the new lower age preventive screening recommendations, health care providers say many patients didnt appear eager to return to pre-pandemic [screening] routines. Even once our endoscopy centers opened, we saw significant and concerning trends in patients wanting to postpone these colonoscopies, said Lindsey Meehan, director of operations at Hartford HealthCares Digestive Health Center. Patients electively decided to push out colonoscopies and other routine cancer screenings. But rather than turning attention to COVID-19 vaccination and away from preventive screenings, some health care systems got creative about focusing on both. We used our vaccine clinics as an opportunity for community outreach for all cancer screenings, said Meehan, who said Connecticuts preventive screening grades are better than most states. But unless its 100 percent, we still have work to do. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org), a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) Employees of the Massachusetts veterans' home at the center of a devastating COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020 have sued several members of the facility's former leadership team, alleging they were forced to care for sick and dying veterans, sometimes after testing positive themselves, in inhumane conditions. The federal class-action suit filed last week says administrators at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home initially ignored Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for containing the virus and lied to state officials about measures they were taking to protect residents and staff once the first veteran tested positive on March 15, 2020, Masslive.com reported. The employees watched in horror as the veterans they cared for suffered horrible deaths, the suit says. The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is certified nursing assistant Kwesi Ablordeppey. The four defendants include former home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton. An attorney for Clinton said his client denies the allegations. Clinton is a wonderful person" who has dedicated his life to serving veterans and cared deeply for his coworkers, John Lawler wrote in an email to The Associated Press. He denies all allegations of wrongdoing and the evidence that will be presented in this case and the other cases will establish that he is not at any fault for the tragedies that unfolded at the Soldiers Home as a result of COVID-19," he wrote. An attorney for Walsh declined comment in an email. Both men have previously pleaded not guilty to criminal neglect charges. Their lawyers allege they have been used as scapegoats by the state. At least 77 veteran residents of the home died of the disease 76 of them in the spring of 2020 in one of the worst outbreaks at a long-term care facility in the nation. Another resident died last winter at an offsite location. The first resident of the home known to have contracted the virus, referred to as Veteran One in the suit, was allowed to wander the facility and remain outside a recommended isolation room, the suit says. He continued to sleep in a room with three other veterans, was allowed to mingle with other residents and was treated by employees who were provided with inadequate personal protective equipment, according to the complaint. Employees who were symptomatic or who had tested positive for the virus were forced to continue working, according to the complaint, and were disciplined by Walsh if they called out sick, according to the lawsuit. One nurse reported that the entire facility smelled like death in late March, and she would go home after her shifts were over and vomit. The suit seeks unspecified damages. DANBURY The 14-year-old boy who allegedly shot another teen at the Danbury Fair mall last week has been charged after turning himself in, police said Tuesday. The teen, who lives in Danbury, was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace, according to Lt. Adam Marcus. The boy was ordered remanded, and remains in custody at Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center. Marcus said police identified the 14-year-old and recovered the gun suspected of being used in the shooting. A judge granted a warrant for the boys arrest on Friday. His identity was not released because of his age. The boy, accompanied by his parents and an attorney, turned himself in at police headquarters on Monday, Marcus said. His arrest comes less than a week after the mall went into lockdown last Wednesday evening when a 15-year-old girl was shot near Macys. The victim, shot in the upper chest, was given immediate medical attention by an off-duty EMT who was in the area. The girl was taken by medics to Danbury Hospital and later transferred to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford. Marcus said Tuesday the girls injuries are non-life-threatening. After the shooting, Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said two groups were involved in an altercation that led to one bullet being fired, which hit the 15-year-old girl. While the girl was initially believed to be an innocent bystander who wasnt with either group, the chief said investigators reviewed surveillance footage that clarified she was with one of the groups. He said it remained unclear if she was the intended target. Ridenhour also said police were investigating whether another individual involved in the altercation, armed with a hammer, might have been the intended target of the gunfire. Police said since the investigation is ongoing, all related court documents have been sealed. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the 14-year-old turned himself in on Monday. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Paul Carroccio at 203-797-2169 or p.carroccio@danbury-ct.gov. Anonymous information can be called in to the tips line is 203-790-8477. Social media giant, Facebook, has banned Taliban-related content from all its platforms. This comes after Taliban fighters took over Afghani... Social media giant, Facebook, has banned Taliban-related content from all its platforms. This comes after Taliban fighters took over Afghanistan capital, Kabul on Sunday, causing many citizens to flee the country including the countrys President, Ashraf Ghani. According to BBC, a Facebook spokesperson who spoke to newsmen said the organisation has been banned under its Dangerous organisation policies which applies to all its platforms including Instagram and WhatsApp. The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organization under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies. The ban will ensure the removal of accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them. Also, we have a team of Afghanistan experts, who are native Dari and Pashto speakers and have knowledge of local context, helping to identify and alert us to emerging issues on the platform, the spokesperson said. Former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, has left many Nigerians stunned following his open confession on how he prevailed on a one-tim... Former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, has left many Nigerians stunned following his open confession on how he prevailed on a one-time chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu to drop corruption charges against his kinsman, Mr. Chinyeaka Oha. In a trending video, the former Chairman of the National Assembly told a public gathering that but for his intervention, Ohas carrier would have been crippled. The event was a reception organized in honour of Oha, a retired Federal Permanent Secretary by his Awkunanaw Community, in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State. Both Nnamani and Oha are from the community Oha, who is among those believed to be angling to succeed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in 2023, was at the time an Accountant-General of Enugu State under former Governor, Senator Chimaroke Nnamanis administration. The former Senate President has now revealed how he prevailed on Ribadu to let Oha off the hook. He said Oha was instead made a witness against his former boss, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani rather than face trial. We thank the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for making the state one of the peace loving states in the country. If there is no peace, none of us will be here today. We are here to honour someone whom I have known for a very long time, Sir Christian Chinyeaka Oha. While I was in office, he had difficulties when he served at the state level. He was tossed around, they were going to stand for charges in various courts of the land, but our people will say onye Nwanne ya no nizu na ikpe adighi ama ya (Once whose brother is sitting in judgement cannot be guilty). I ensured that he did not continue with that harassment. And that helped him to continue till he retired because when I reached Nuhu Ribadu, he was in my house and Chinyeaka was there too. Im saying this because when you dont blow your trumpet, no one will do that for you. If I dont tell you, you will not know, I invited both parties so that we look at the matter properly to know what really happened. I said was this man directly involved or was he an agent, did he commit anything directly? What really happened? I will like you and him to find solution. Then they found solution, they found a very lasting solution. Chinyeaka was made a witness in the matter. So, he didnt have to go further, because if he had gone further, if the matter had gone further, he will not be where he went to before he retired. He is a person we can vouch for, a person from a very humble background who knows where he is coming from, he said. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said there may be a lot of crisis if the 3% equity shares contained in the recently signed petroleu... Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said there may be a lot of crisis if the 3% equity shares contained in the recently signed petroleum industry act is paid directly to the host communities without any government intervention. Speaking on Channels TV Sunrise daily on Tuesday, Governor Wike said there is the need for government to monitor the spending of the money that would accrue to host communities in order to avert impending crisis. He also faulted the approval given to the oil companies in the act to determine what constitutes their host communities, stressing that most oil companies may sabotage the implementation of the PIA particularly as regard to the 3% shares for host communities. In his words I was thinking that government should have a hand in monitoring the spending of such funds. Thats my own thinking. Not just to allow it. I do agree you dont need to pay to government but paying to the host community and leaving them alone will cause a lot of crisis. There should have been someone to checkmate the communities in order not to have crisis. I can assure you that sending that money to the communities for them to spend for development purposes I have no problems but how do you checkmate the use of that fund? I can tell you knowing the IOCs very well, what they will do is to sponsor crisis for them not to send such funds to them, he said. The Governor also noted that the 3% allocated to the host communities by the act is not enough considering the enormous environmental damage caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta region. He also argued that President Muhammadu Buhari should have considered the plights of the Niger Delta people before signing the bill. The Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, Mr. Ayuba Elkana has confirmed that the bandits that unleashed terror attacks in the states co... The Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, Mr. Ayuba Elkana has confirmed that the bandits that unleashed terror attacks in the states college of Agriculture and Animal Science were in their huge numbers. According to him, the strategic and tactical Commanders visited the institution to find out the damages done by the notorious hoodlums. This was contained in a press statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu. The bandits who were in large number came to the school at about midnight with intent to abduct large number of students and staff, but were heavily confronted by the Tactical Police Operatives who were alerted and responded to the scene on time. Unfortunately, a Police Inspector and two other civilian guards lost their lives, while 15 students and 4 staff were abducted by the bandits. The Police operatives while on extensive bush combing at the surrounding areas rescued three staff who will be debriefed and medically examined before being reunited with their families, he said. Meanwhile, the Commissioner, while at the school, held an emergency meeting where he assured the school management and the victims relations that the Police Command in collaboration with other security agencies, especially the Military are employing various search and rescue strategies in order to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students and staff currently in captivity. Mr. Elkana further went round the school and assessed the existing security arrangements to enable more reinforcement to be provided against further invasion. The Provost of the school while briefing the Commissioner, commended the resilience of the police operatives for standing their ground despite the abduction of 15 students and four staff of the institution. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. It's worse than it's ever been. Louisiana hospitals are under siege, as the super-contagious variant of the coronavirus runs rampant through a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Our reporters and photographers went inside hospitals throughout South Louisiana to show how this unprecedented fourth wave of the virus is pushing doctors, nurses and patients to the limit. Here's what they saw. "Just rows and rows of patients" At Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, the rooms where patients normally recover from heart surgery are now eerily quiet COVID wards. Row after row of patients can only breathe with the help of machines. They are turned over in their beds every 12 hours to relieve pressure on their strained lungs. You take breathing for granted, said one patient, Mary Lubrano. When you sit down and you cannot get air in your lungs, and you sit in the back of an ambulance with a BiPAP on, and you know what its all about, you know what an intubation looks like, that is so fearful. I don't want anyone else to have to feel that way. GO INSIDE: Read more stories and see photos from Ochsner's COVID wards. "It's the worst possible step" A decade ago, Dr. Stephen Brierre drafted a document called the 'crisis standards of care.' It is a grim thing in a crisis, when there's too many people to treat, it lays out how staff should choose who gets help and who doesn't. He never thought he would use it. But this COVID wave has put Baton Rouge General closer to taking that 'worst possible step' than ever before. BRG is treating hundreds of patients like Bart Wilson, who ended up in the ICU after "nine days of hell." How did it feel to almost die from COVID? "I felt like I was drowning," Wilson said. WHAT IT MEANS: Read more about the 'crisis standards of care' and their awful implications. HOW IT FEELS: Read Bart Wilson's story and others from inside Baton Rouge General 'We had a glimmer of hope. That hope now is gone' The call went out in the hallway at Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette: someone was having a heart attack. Critical care nurse Katie Jennings had a terrifying thought. "They will probably need ICU. But where are we going to put them?" The hospital was so overwhelmed that, if a patient didn't get intubated, they didn't make it into the intensive care unit. "I think that sometimes in the face of all the arguments and discussions and pleas, somehow, sometimes, I feel like we've lost the humanity of it all," said Dr. Frank Courmier. "Somehow, we're so hung up on the facts that we seem to negate the fact that there is a human being here struggling and fighting for his life that does have value." WHAT IT'S LIKE: Read more stories and see photos from inside Our Lady of Lourdes "No beds anywhere" Dr. Garland Anderson, of Our Lady of the Angels in Bogalusa, had too many patients and not enough beds. And he couldn't even transfer anyone to larger hospitals, because they had the same problem. "The system is so packed that people who come in with a stroke, with a heart attack, with life-threatening conditions, we are unable to deal with it," Anderson said. "We are unable to transfer patients to any hospital in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Missouri. There are no beds anywhere." It's a problem for small hospitals throughout Louisiana. Weve called as far as hospitals in Oklahoma and Texas to try to find placement, said Peter Sullivan, CEO of Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton. His 25-bed critical access hospital was full, with patients waiting in emergency bays for rooms. GO THERE: Hear more stories and see photos from inside rural Louisiana hospitals. "We haven't had many wins this time" Dr. Justin Fowlkes, chief pulmonologist at North Oaks Health Center in Hammond, has been in these trenches before in previous waves of COVID. But this one feels worse than the others. "It feels like were not as successful in supporting people now as we were in earlier waves, Fowlkes said, while on a break from a shift in the ICU. We had people who did well in the past. Maybe they were intubated for a while and needed six months in the hospital, but they made it home. We havent had many wins this time." SEE IT HAPPEN: These stories and photos show you North Oaks' desperate fight against COVID Traffic through LaPlace down La. 628 passes an unassuming two-story white house with a tin roof and green-accented shutters. Surrounded by trees, and with an inviting front stairway and a porch big enough for an extended family to sip sweet tea and people-watch, the house is charming but it probably wouldnt be cause to pump the brakes. However, this is exactly what John McCusker, founder and managing director of the 1811 Kid Ory Historic House, hopes passersby will do, with the goal of educating themselves about two significant events in Black American history that occurred on the premises: the 1811 German Coast slave uprising, and the birth of jazz trombonist Edward Kid Ory. I want young people, and old, in this parish to be able to come here and see the courage, creativity, the improvisation, the innovation that their ancestors brought to this place, said McCusker, who has written a biography of the musician. St. John (Parish) is 2-to-1 Black majority for most of its history. There are a lot of stories there that haven't been told. Over 200 years ago, the 1811 House was the big house of Andry Plantation, where the largest revolt of enslaved people in American history originated. Visitors to the museum have the chance to stand in the dimly lit room complete with a mosquito netting bed and era-appropriate furniture where blood was first shed on Jan. 8, 1811. The Andry room challenges museumgoers to place themselves in that pivotal moment in American history when the enslaved man Charles Deslondes and his freedom fighters attacked and wounded Manuel Andry, owner of the plantation. Deslondes and his followers pushed on, gathering supporters from other plantations until their numbers reached the hundreds. But without guns, the insurgents were halted and captured in present-day Kenner when they encountered the U.S. military. The militia tortured and killed Deslondes. Other rebels were executed after a tribunal at the Andry Plantation. Fast forward seven decades, and Kid Ory was born on Christmas Day 1886 in the same slave quarters, by then the homes of tenant farmers, where the 1811 freedom fighters chose liberty or death. 'Heartbreaking' but 'empowering': Re-enactors recall doomed 1811 slave revolt in Louisiana Sentell P-Black Daigles march toward freedom with the army of the enslaved on Saturday felt especially poignant, because he knew how it f Ory grew up working on what was then known as the Woodland Plantation, driving a mule and buggy to bring food and water to planters working the fields. (The mule has its own exhibit at the 1811 House for its role in shaping rural Louisiana.) Ory got serious about music as a teenager, and during his first trip to New Orleans in 1905, he bought a trombone with his money from that years plantation harvest. While testing his new instrument, Ory was discovered by Buddy Bolden, one of the pioneers of jazz. By 1910, Ory lived in New Orleans full time and became one of the most in-demand jazz musicians of the 1910s, playing with the likes of Joseph King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. +2 New historical and cultural tours planned connecting the north shore, the River Parishes and Jefferson Parish Three regional tourist groups are marketing a new "Soul of South Louisiana" tour with an itinerary that begins on the north shore, moves throu The Historic Houses Ory room includes makeshift banjos made from cigar boxes, Orys first instrument as a child in rural Louisiana. There are vintage Ory records that can be played on McCuskers personal collection of phonographs. The centerpiece of the exhibit, however, is Orys valve trombone. Encased in glass and lit from beneath to give it a divine, glowing look, the trombone is a work of superb craftsmanship and a fitting instrument for a master of the art. For more than 100 years, the historic home belonged to descendants of John L. Ory, a distant cousin of Kid Ory. But it fell into disrepair around the time Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. In March 2017, Timothy Sheehan purchased the property and began fixing it up with his father. I left the real estate closing office closed with eight Ory family members in the city at 2 p.m. and went straight to LaPlace with a carload of tools and a sleeping bag. Me and my dad camped out for the long weekend as they started working on the building, said Sheehan. Eventually, Sheehan enlisted the help of architects and carpenters who were experts in restoring old houses, one of whom also knew McCusker and was familiar with his 2012 biography of Kid Ory, "Creole Trombone: Kid Ory and the Early Years of Jazz." This mutual friend put the two men in touch, and they eventually agreed to a business deal that would see Sheehan retain ownership of the property but allow McCusker to curate a museum inside. Since then, McCusker and Charlotte Jones, the operations and programming manager at the Historic House, have turned a place that was once a site of agony and unimaginable horrors for Black people into a space that uplifts and shares their legacy. The house that was built with slave labor is now home to their stories. There's a morality involved in this for me because I know my entitlement. I know the advantages that I've had being the son of a white Southern family that's been in Louisiana for 250 years, said McCusker. Maybe that's starry-eyed, but I did (create the museum), and I hope to share it with anyone that wants to come here. Though America still lives in the long shadow of slavery and racial oppression, McCusker does not believe that the ghosts of the past should scare us. Instead, they should inspire us to be better. In March, just a month after the 1811 House opened in February, students from Emily C. Watkins Elementary School came to visit. 1911 Kid Ory Historic House WHERE: 1128 LA. 628, Laplace HOURS: 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday ADMISSION: $15, children under 10 $7.50 INFO: (985) 359-7300, 1811kidory@gmail.com As a tour guide for 25 years, "I enjoy telling stories for people and having a conversation," McCusker said. "But to see 70 kids from Emily Watkins coming down the river road, escorted by the police to come learn about their ancestors history, when they're walking on the very ground that Charles Deslondes walked on, what a responsibility, said McCusker. But how rewarding it was to see all these faces in this house. ... To be able to tell them every step they take at their school, theyre in the footsteps of the first person in this parish to fight for their humanity. You can't put a price on that. In early August, Troy Trombone Shorty Andrews had his fingers crossed every day in the hopes that the 2021 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival would happen this fall. Ive got my fingers crossed so tight, he said, its cutting off the circulation. That wasnt tight enough, as Jazz Fest was canceled because of COVID-19s surging delta variant. But Andrews intends to host Shorty Fest 2021 anyway. The fundraiser for his educational Trombone Shorty Foundation is slated for Oct. 11 what would have been the Monday night between the fall Jazz Fests two weekends at Tipitinas. +13 Quint Davis on why the 2021 New Orleans Jazz Fest was canceled: 'Safety, reality, finances' As he struggled with whether to cancel the 2021 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, producer Quint Davis had a sobering conversation wit Presented by sponsor Acura, Shorty Fest 2021 features Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue performing at Tipitinas for the first time since 2015, plus Galactic with Anjelika Jelly Joseph, the Soul Rebels, Cuban bandleader Cimafunk and special guests Tarriona Tank Ball and Big Chief Juan Pardo. Tickets are $100 general admission or $300 VIP, which includes second-floor balcony viewing and an open bar. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at www.tipitinas.com. The show will also be livestreamed for free at www.tromboneshortyfoundation.org. Viewers can donate and bid on auction items. Jazz Fests cancellation delayed the announcement of Shorty Fest 2021 by a week. It took us a minute to digest the news and figure out the best path forward, said Bill Taylor, executive director of the Trombone Shorty Foundation. Safety is whats guiding the decision-making process. To that end, Shorty Fest will be a little different than originally planned. Capacity has been reduced. The show will follow the citys and clubs safety protocols, which at present include proof of a COVID vaccine or a negative test, plus mandatory face masks indoors when not actively drinking. Also, the free, open-to-the-public, outdoor component of Shorty Fest, which was to have featured brass bands and the Warren Easton High School marching band, has been dropped because of safety concerns. Theres just no way to monitor vaccine status outside, Taylor said. If things change, well take another look at that. Moving Shorty Fest to Tipitinas taps into one of the storied venues longstanding traditions. For many years on the Monday between Jazz Fest weekends, Tipitinas hosted its popular Instruments A 'Comin fundraiser, which raised money to buy instruments for school music programs. +3 2021 French Quarter Festival canceled over COVID, plans return next spring With Jazz Fest also scrapped, what looked to be jam-packed October is now much less so "The tradition is there," said Andrews, a veteran Instruments A 'Comin' performer. "Were just carrying it forward. The Trombone Shorty Foundation, now in its ninth year, works to educate and develop the next generation of musicians. Shorty Fest will be staged in conjunction with the Tip-It Foundation, Tipitinas two-year-old charitable outreach initiative. The Tip-It Foundation launched after the members of Galactic bought the club in late 2018. Its cool to work with Galactic and develop that partnership, Taylor said. It feels like a great fit to work with them and bring back giving back to that Monday night. During Jazz Fest, clubs and promoters present a bonanza of shows after dark that are aimed at the music fans who flock to New Orleans for the festival. The fall Jazz Fest was shaping up to be no different. How many of those shows will still take place now that the festival itself is off remains to be seen. A performance by the all-star Project Logic ensemble at NOLA Brewing Co. that was set for Oct. 9 has been pushed back to Jazz Fest 2022. But for now, most of the evening shows are still on, including another Shorty-affiliated event, the Treme Threauxdown at the Saenger Theatre on Oct. 9. Additionally, the Krewe of Red Beans has launched its "Fest Fest" initiative to book dozens of bands for porch concerts during what would have been the fall Jazz Fest. So October may end up being a big month for live music even without Jazz Fest and the French Quarter Festival, which also canceled. Shorty Fest is counting on the support of locals and at least some visitors who will still make the trip. We feel like the show will do well even if theres not hundreds of thousands of visitors in town, Taylor said. From what were hearing, there will still be a lot of people around. If everybody follows safety protocols, we could have an interesting experience a nighttime Jazz Fest, without the daytime activities. In recent weeks, Andrews and the members of Orleans Avenue have flown to a few out-of-town concerts. This week, they embark on an extended road trip for dates with Govt Mule, the Roots, Greta Van Fleet, DJ Logic and Michael Franti & Spearhead, as well as their own headlining shows. Theyll be traveling together in a tour bus for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Everybody in the band is vaccinated, Andrews said, but to be in close quarters on the bus is a little nerve-wracking. He takes comfort in knowing that, even if he gets COVID, being vaccinated should make the symptoms much milder: I look at it like a bulletproof vest. You still feel the impact, but you wont die. With that philosophy in mind making the show as safe as possible Shorty Fest is on for the fall. Its important to move forward as best we can, as long as were in a safe scenario, Taylor said. We feel that were in as good a place as we can be to pull it off. Imagine Big Freedia twerking on your front porch or Kermit Ruffins & The Barbecue Swingers lighting up your backyard. Maybe you'll get Big Chief Monk Boudreaux to play some of his new reggae jams for your neighbors. A new Krewe of Red Beans initiative, Fest Fest, will help New Orleans musicians recoup lost work from the slate of canceled festivals by hiring them for small porch concerts around Orleans Parish in October. Here's how Fest Fest works: Anyone can donate to the Fest Fest initiative and will be entered into a gig raffle, and once a certain threshold is hit, the Krewe of Red Beans will pick a raffle winner and set up a porch or backyard concert for them with one of more than 80 musicians and bands. Performers will be paid at festival rates, Red Beans said, and all money raised will go to musicians. Performances will take place Oct. 8-17 at homes around Orleans Parish and will be kept secret in order to minimize crowds amid the current surge of Covid cases which caused the cancellation of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Fest and Lafayette's Festivals Acadiens et Creoles. Raffle winners outside of Orleans Parish can gift the performance to a frontline medical worker. +5 Trombone Shorty's 'Shorty Fest 2021' still on despite New Orleans Jazz Fest cancellation In early August, Troy Trombone Shorty Andrews had his fingers crossed every day in the hopes that the 2021 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage The performers already listed for possible Fest Fest gigs include Big Freedia, Kermit Ruffins, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Boyfriend, Flow Tribe, The Soul Rebels, Sweet Crude, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Donald Harrison Jr., Cha Wa, Corey Ledet, Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue, Original Pinettes Brass Band, John Gros, Helen Gillet and more. Donations are required to enter the raffle and can be made at festfest.org. Hosts of performances must be vaccinated and masks must be worn during the outdoor shows, Red Beans said. The performances and performers will be surprises and not-publicized, with 10-15 attendees allowed. Krewe of Red Beans will work with the raffle winners to pick a preferred genre of music, and the krewe will set up everything. Fine tuning: Dwayne Dopsie releases 11th zydeco record Set Me Free After more than 20 years, Dopsie and his band are in the groove on their 11th outing. Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest and Festivals Acadiens et Creoles all announced in the last week they would be canceling their October 2021 events. It's a massive hit to the musicians, artists and gig workers who rely on the Louisiana festival season for income, especially after a 2020 already missing those major events. Rules are made to be broken, or at least postponed by a week. That seemed to be the credo at some Crescent City establishments on Monday as the mayors Modified Phase 3 coronavirus mandates went into effect. The new regulations require the public to provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test to enter bars, restaurants, casinos, concert halls, gyms and a dozen other non-essential venues. But since the new rules wouldnt be enforced for a week, a certain laissez-faire attitude cropped up here and there. Michelle Gonzalez popped into the recently opened Morning Call Coffee Stand on Canal Boulevard a little after 10 a.m. for a pick-me-up. She produced her official vaccination card, 'Cause I know were supposed to, she said. But Gonzalez neednt have bothered. The Morning Call staff wasnt checking; instead, they posted a sign near the door that read: No Vaccine? No Problem. Plenty Seating Outside. Thanks for cooperating. We understand it (the contagion) is real, Morning Call co-owner Mickael Hennessey said. We want people to be safe." But, he said, he thinks its unfair that the city's plan puts him in charge of public health screening. What? Were going to be fined because we dont want to play policeman? he asked rhetorically. Do we have to hire a security guard? I cant afford to pay a fine for somebody who slips through our dragnet. Hennessy said he thinks everyone in town now knows that they need to be inoculated to enter a restaurant, and hes willing to trust them to make a responsible choice. We respect the citizens to do the right thing, he said. "If you dont have a vax, sit outside. Meanwhile, at another morning magnet, the Ruby Slipper Cafe on Magazine Street, the staff adhered to the mayors mandate, scrupulously checking customers COVID credentials at the door. Those with proof of vaccine could be seated anywhere; those without had to wait for an outdoor table. Maria Eugenia Rivera, who was visiting with her family from San Juan, Puerto Rico, said she approved of the rules, even if it delayed breakfast by a few extra minutes. I believe in the vaccine, and I believe everyone should get one, she said. I believe it (the mandate) is a nice way of saying, Get vaccinated. The staff at the Downtown Fitness Center in the Canal Place office building also checked proof of vaccination before admitting weightlifters and stationary bikers. Joe Vezina, a patron who was leaving the gym, said hed presented his vaccination proof, but The guy behind me didnt have one, so they turned him away. 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 Vezina said he didnt really buy into the whole vaccine thing, but for the sake of convenience, he gave in to Big Brother and got his first shot on Friday. I think its a worldwide conspiracy, he said. Glenn Gottlieb, visiting from Los Angeles, who was also exiting the fitness club, said hed been checked for his vaccination credentials and appreciated the safety measure. They asked me for card; I think its the wise thing to do, he said. Across Canal Street at Harrahs Casino, cards and iPhones were being examined, and explanations of the new mandate were being issued, but it didnt appear any gamblers were being turned away. At a busy entrance an affable greeter asked those who could not produce proof of vaccination to stand aside while those with documentation could pass. Then the greeter explained to the card-less customers that theyd be allowed entry this time, but by next Monday, thered be no exceptions. Payton Clements said hed been allowed into the casino without proof of inoculation, but was warned that if he didnt get a shot or a nose swab in the coming days, he couldnt come back in. They said, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, he said. Clements said hed probably opt for a test instead of a shot, until they force me. Some onlookers may have viewed the vaccination rules without enforcement as a recipe for confusion. But tour guide Libby Bollino, who led a group of approximately 30 tourists on a bus trip around the city Monday morning, saw it as a grace period. Its a time for adjustment, she said, a gentler, more New Orleans way of doing it. But, she said, the crackdown was inevitable. Its coming, she said. Within days of returning to school in person for the 2021-2022 school year, thousands of area students were sent back home as the coronavirus infected hundreds and forced widespread quarantines of students and staff. In New Orleans public schools, 3,004 students and staff were forced to quarantine after 299 students and staffers tested positive. In Jefferson, 1,267 students and staff were sent back home after 345 people, including 295 students, tested positive. The stark numbers highlight serious worries some parents have about returning more than 100,000 local students to in-person school while COVID cases, spurred by low vaccination rates, pack hospitals and strain health-care resources and personnel to the breaking point. Across the region, school officials have made in-person learning a priority this year, saying student performance took a nosedive after last year's remote learning. Unlike 2020, when most schools began during a relatively low period of community spread, they are starting this year amidst record high cases driven largely by the far-more-contagious delta variant. The rise in cases has also resulted in more hospitalizations for children as well. Most students across the metro area have been in school for about a week and so far case numbers are dwarfing those from the same time last year. Jefferson Parish schools, for instance, didnt report more than 1,000 quarantines last year until mid-November, at the start of the winter surge. The 345 cases reported by Jefferson schools this week are the most reported in any single week since the start of the pandemic, the numbers show. In St. Tammany, 266 students tested positive and 717 others quarantined from the start of the school year, Aug. 6, to last Thursday. Among staff, there were 177 positive cases and 134 people in quarantine. COVID in Louisiana schools: As students return to campuses, infection rates are worse than ever Like many other educators, Kelli Joseph thought the worst was over. Yet, the superintendent in rural St. Helena Parish is once again starting Dr. William Lennarz, head of pediatrics at Ochsner, said community spread was driving the early numbers. "When there is a prolonged school closure like the summer, it reflects the community presence," he said. Positivity rates in people 19 and under has ranged as high as 27% to about 19% now, he said. "What we are seeing in the first seven to 10-14 school days is clearly reflect the community activity," he said. The high numbers come even as new guidance from federal and state authorities mean fewer students qualify as in close contact this year. For instance, asymptomatic vaccinated students or staff are not required to quarantine, nor are those whove had COVID within the previous 90 days and have no symptoms. When students or staff are quarantined, a lack of symptoms and a negative test can shorten the period form last year's 10-14 days. Without a test, they still have to stay away for 10-14 days. Also unlike last year, most students have been issued laptops this year, school leaders in Jefferson and St. Tammany said. When they are quarantined, their school materials are put online and they are asked to keep up by working online. The quarantines can wreak havoc with parents work and childcare schedules. One mother said she was shocked when her daughter, a sophomore at Northshore High School in Slidell, was sent home from school Aug. 12 with a form letter that said she had been in close contact with another student who tested positive two days earlier. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Her daughter said all students in her classes had been wearing masks which should have exempted them from quarantining under district coronavirus policies. But when the mother raised the issue with the school, she was told by a school official that because of classroom crowding even masked students needed to quarantine in the event of an exposure. Everything we worked so hard to train our kids to do to prepare them for this year is out the window but were still sending them into the lions den, said the mother, who asked to not be identified out of concern of reprisal. Its just not making sense to me. Her daughter tested negative and will be allowed to return Wednesday, but she fears that future quarantines are inevitable. +2 Possible COVID exposure has 3,000 students, staff at New Orleans public schools in quarantine More than 3,000 students and staff at NOLA Public Schools are quarantining due to possible exposure to COVID, the Orleans Parish school distri We are doing everything possible to mitigate the situation in our schools, but unfortunately the numbers are high in our community and across the state at this time, said Meredith Mendez, a spokesperson for St. Tammany Parish schools. Among New Orleans schools, the school district's COVID tracker shows KIPP Morial with 362 people in quarantine and 17 active cases. Benjamin Franklin Elementary's Nashville campus has 274 quarantining and five active cases. Booker T. Washington High School has 10 active cases and 188 quarantining. Warren Easton High School had 21 active cases and 57 quarantining. School officials in New Orleans and elsewhere have pushed vaccinations. "We believe vaccines and masks are our number one defense to combating the effects of the virus," KIPP New Orleans, which runs KIPP Morial, said in a statement. "More than 86% of our faculty and staff members are vaccinated and each day the number increases." The school said all students who are quarantined have access to virtual learning. NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said the district is following the advice of medical professionals. NOLA-PS and its school leaders have been in constant communication with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) and our medical advisors regarding these cases, and they have not recommended any school closures at this time, he said in a statement Monday. St. Bernard Parish reported 143 cases among students and 13 among staff from the beginning of the school year on Aug. 6 to Monday, a number that includes people who tested positive before the start of school and havent yet set foot on campus. Lexi Pritchard, a spokesperson for the district, said that no information was available regarding the number of students and staff quarantining but said that to date there have been no confirmed cases of school spread. In Plaquemines Parish, 41 students tested positive and 417 were quarantined during the first week of school, in addition to 11 staff members who tested positive and 12 others who were quarantined. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New Orleans said they were aware of some quarantines in Catholic schools, but could not provide an accurate snapshot at this time of positive tests or quarantines. Numbers for St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes were not immediately available. The Louisiana Department of Health reported 3,012 hospitalizations and 98 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Tuesday. This is the highest number of new deaths since January 17, 2021, when there were 111. Louisiana now has the highest daily average rate of deaths per capita of any state over the last seven days. There have been 286 deaths over the last week. The number of hospitalizations increased by 56 from the day before, and the number of patients in need of ventilators increased by 24, for a total of 441 ventilated patients. All of Louisiana's nine health regions have less than 20% ICU beds available. Six have less than 10% of ICU beds open. The state reported 3,012 new confirmed cases and 679 more "probable" cases, for a total of 3,691 new cases. In Louisiana, 2,176,967 vaccines have been initiated, about 46.9% of the population, and 1,806,044 have been completed, representing about 38.7% of the population. Note: The Advocate and The Times-Picayune staff calculates daily case count and confirmed death increases based on the difference between today's total and yesterday's total of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health releases a daily case count on its dashboard that includes probable cases as indicated by a positive antigen test. That case count can be different than the one listed here. Here are some of the parishes with the highest single-day increases in confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths, based on the Tuesday report: Jefferson: 396 new cases; 14 new deaths Caddo: 245 new cases; 4 new deaths Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Orleans: 225 new cases; 1 new death East Baton Rouge: 225 new cases; 7 new deaths St. Tammany: 212 new cases; 9 new deaths Lafayette: 174 new cases; 9 new deaths Terrebonne: 147 new cases; 2 new deaths Tangipahoa: 137 new cases; 6 new deaths Top health official heckled by anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers as misinformation spreads amid COVID surge As doctors and nurses battle against the worst wave of COVID-19 to befall Louisiana, public health officials struggle to combat a pervasive al Can't see chart below? Click here. Can't see chart below? Click here. This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come. The victim of a drive-by shooting in the Desire neighborhood Monday was a woman who was seven months pregnant, according to New Orleans police. Both she and the baby died, police said. The expectant mother was riding in a car with an unidentified man when they were fired on by a passing vehicle about 1:15 p.m., police said. The 35-year-old woman was struck by the gunfire, dropped off at a store at the corner of Higgins Boulevard and Louisa, and taken to a hospital. She died, as did her unborn child. The woman's name has not been publicly released. The man accompanying her was not wounded. 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 Woman fatally shot in Desire neighborhood Monday afternoon, NOPD says New Orleans police are investigating a shooting in the Desire neighborhood that left a woman dead Monday afternoon. Also on Monday, two men were found shot dead around 11:15 p.m. inside of a car in the 5300 block of Tullis Drive in Algiers, police said. A fourth person was shot Monday but survived. That victim, a 17-year-old boy, was walking with a friend in the 6300 block of North Tonti Street in the Lower 9th Ward about 2:50 p.m. when he was fired upon by another person who approached, police said. Police havent discussed what may have led to any of the shootings or named any suspects. Anyone with information can call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. An off-duty Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office detective was arrested in Slidell Monday night after he allegedly fired a gun into a storage business, damaging several units, according to a Slidell Police Department news release. Bradley Garrott, 29, was booked with criminal damage over $50,000, illegal use of weapons and criminal trespass, according to Daniel Seuzeneau, the public information officer for the Slidell Police Department. Garrott has been fired, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said Tuesday morning. Garrott was a detective in the burglary division and had been with the department for about five years. Slidell police went to Extra Space Storage on Northshore Boulevard about 11 p.m. in response to report of gunshots. They found Garrott still at the scene. He was arrested without incident. He was booked into the Slidell City Jail and then taken to the St. Tammany Parish Jail. At just short of 20 years, the now-ending U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan was America's longest war. Ordinary Americans tended to forget about it, and it received measurably less oversight from Congress than the Vietnam War did. But its death toll is in the many tens of thousands. And because the U.S. borrowed most of the money to pay for it, generations of Americans will be burdened by the cost of paying it off. Heres a look at the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, by the numbers, as the Taliban in a lightning offensive take over much of the country before the United States Aug. 31 deadline for ending its combat role and as the U.S. speeds up American and Afghan evacuations. Much of the data below is from Linda Bilmes of Harvard Universitys Kennedy School and from the Brown University Costs of War project. Because the United States between 2003 and 2011 fought the Afghanistan and Iraq wars simultaneously, and many American troops served tours in both wars, some figures as noted cover both post-9/11 U.S. wars. THE LONGEST WAR: Percentage of U.S. population born since the 2001 attacks plotted by al-Qaida leaders who were sheltering in Afghanistan: Roughly one out of every four. American service members killed in Afghanistan through April: 2,448. U.S. contractors: 3,846. Afghan national military and police: 66,000. Other allied service members, including from other NATO member states: 1,144. Afghan civilians: 47,245. Taliban and other opposition fighters: 51,191. Aid workers: 444. Journalists: 72. +3 Seacor Power: Coast Guard hearing raised new and troubling details of capsizing, response A U.S. Coast Guard hearing into the capsizing of the Seacor Power off the Louisiana coast ended Friday as it began: in silence for the 13 men AFGHANISTAN AFTER NEARLY 20 YEARS OF U.S. OCCUPATION: Percentage drop in infant mortality rate since U.S., Afghan and other allied forces overthrew the Taliban government, which had sought to restrict women and girls to the home: About 50. 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 Percentage of Afghan teenage girls able to read today: 37. Date Congress authorized U.S. forces to go after culprits in Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: Sept. 18, 2001. Number of times U.S. lawmakers have voted to declare war in Afghanistan: 0. Number of times lawmakers on Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee addressed costs of Vietnam War, during that conflict: 42 Number of times lawmakers in same subcommittee have mentioned costs of Afghanistan and Iraq wars, through mid-summer 2021: 5. Number of times lawmakers on Senate Finance Committee have mentioned costs of Afghanistan and Iraq wars since Sept. 11, 2001, through mid-summer 2021: 1. Amount President Harry Truman temporarily raised top tax rates to pay for Korean War: 92%. Amount President Lyndon Johnson temporarily raised top tax rates to pay for Vietnam War: 77%. Amount President George W. Bush cut tax rates for the wealthiest, rather than raise them, at outset of Afghanistan and Iraq wars: At least 8%. Estimated amount of direct Afghanistan and Iraq war costs that the United States has debt-financed as of 2020: $2 trillion. Estimated interest costs by 2050: Up to $6.5 trillion. Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government collapses KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban swept into Afghanistan's capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joine THE WARS END. THE COSTS DONT: Amount Bilmes estimates the United States has committed to pay in health care, disability, burial and other costs for roughly 4 million Afghanistan and Iraq veterans: more than $2 trillion. Period those costs will peak: after 2048. iQOO has launched the flagship 8 series as promised today (August 17, 2021). It offers a new Pro variant with the updated Snapdragon 888+ processor and a new E5 LTPO AMOLED display with a 2K resolution, 10-bit color and a 120Hz refresh rate. These specs also make it the world's latest DisplayMate A+-rated smartphone. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker The iQOO 8 series have been touted as new 50+48+16MP rear camera, 120W-charging, Snapdragon 888+ vehicles with 2K LTPO 10-bit displays that have 1-120Hz variable refresh rates and new E5 luminescent technology on top of that ahead of its launch. As it turns out, its Pro variant is the only one to feature all of these specs. The new iQOO 8 Pro packs its impressive screen specs into a 6.78-inch panel with curved sides (of course) and minimalist bezels. It is the first flagship of its brand to have been sent to DisplayMate, which may well have been worth the Vivo subsidiary's while: its latest top-end offering now has a score that not even the Mi Mix 4 has attained (yet). Therefore, the new 8 Pro might indeed prove a serious contender to the new Xiaomi flagship, even if it still has its predecessor's punch-hole selfie camera while the 2021 Mi Mix has moved on to an under-display solution. Then again, iQOO has made the uncharacteristic decision to price the 8 Pro to match. It starts at 4,999 yuan - same as the Mi Mix 4's base model - for a unit with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage (which is double that of the Xiaomi alternative, admittedly). iQOO does ask 5,499 to 5,999 yuan for 12GB RAM SKUs with 256 to 512GB in storage though, thereby undercutting its competitor in this respect. Fans of slightly more affordable specs and a possibly more compact form-factor can look to the vanilla iQOO 8. It has the same SoC and cameras as the 7, admittedly - however, its FHD+ 6.56-inch display is still also AMOLED and 120Hz. It is rated for a maximal brightness of 1,200 nits (even if this is 1,500 in the Pro) and 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The 8 also has the potential advantage of being its series' flat-screen option. It can also charge using its OEM's 120W Flash Charge tech, although it lacks the 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse charging of the top-end model. It also offers more traditional iQOO prices: 3,799 yuan for an 8GB RAM SKU or 4,099 yuan for one with 12GB, both of which have 256GB of internal storage (which both remain LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 respectively). Finally, the brand has announced that the 8 series will shore up its predecessors' gaming chops by becoming the first phones to support the upcoming 120fps mode of the mobile title King of Glory later in 2021. iQOO fans located in China now have until August 24, 2021 to decide if they want to go with a vanilla 8, or hold out until August 26 to order a new 8 Pro instead. The OEM has yet to mention more worldwide availability for the world's latest Snapdragon 888/888+ phones; hopefully, they will follow the 7 to India at the least. WASHINGTON President Bidens top advisers concede they were stunned by the rapid collapse of the Afghan army in the face of an aggressive, well-planned offensive by the Taliban that now threatens Kabul, Afghanistans capital. The past 20 years show they should not have been. If there is a consistent theme over two decades of war in Afghanistan, it is the overestimation of the results of the $83 billion the United States has spent since 2001 training and equipping the Afghan security forces and an underestimation of the brutal, wily strategy of the Taliban. The Pentagon had issued dire warnings to Mr. Biden even before he took office about the potential for the Taliban to overrun the Afghan army, but intelligence estimates, now shown to have badly missed the mark, assessed it might happen in 18 months, not weeks. Commanders did know that the afflictions of the Afghan forces had never been cured: the deep corruption, the failure by the government to pay many Afghan soldiers and police officers for months, the defections, the soldiers sent to the front without adequate food and water, let alone arms. In the past several days, the Afghan forces have steadily collapsed as they battled to defend ever shrinking territory, losing Mazar-i-Sharif, the countrys economic engine, to the Taliban on Saturday. Mr. Bidens aides say that the persistence of those problems reinforced his belief that the United States could not prop up the Afghan government and military in perpetuity. In Oval Office meetings this spring, he told aides that staying another year, or even five, would not make a substantial difference and was not worth the risks. The killing wont stop. Watch if you have the stomach videos of the aftermath of an attack in May on Afghan schoolgirls, which left 90 dead, or the massacre of 22 Afghan commandos in June, gunned down as they were surrendering, or Taliban fighters taunting an Afghan police officer, shortly before they kill him for the crime of making comic videos. One Taliban official declared that their jihad was directed not against ordinary Afghans but only against the occupiers and those who defend the occupiers. Yet the list of Afghans who fill that bill reaches into the thousands, if not higher. Women will become chattel. There are roughly 18 million women and girls in Afghanistan. They will now be subject to laws from the seventh century. They will not be able to walk about with uncovered faces or be seen in public without a male relative. They will not be able to hold the kinds of jobs theyve fought so hard to get over the last 20 years: as journalists, teachers, parliamentarians, entrepreneurs. Their daughters will not be allowed to go to school or play sports or consent to the choice of a husband. Afghanistan will become a magnet to jihadists everywhere. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Talibans deputy leader, is one of the F.B.I.s most wanted terrorists. Dont expect him to change his spots, even if he claimed otherwise last year in a Times guest essay. The relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda will get stronger, Saad Mohseni, the head of the Afghan news and media company Moby, told me on Saturday. Why should the Taliban fear the Americans anymore? Whats the worst that could happen? Another invasion? These guys are going to be the most belligerent, arrogant Islamist movement on the planet, Mohseni added. They are going to be the Mecca for any young radical of Islamic heritage or convert. Its going to inspire people. Its a godsend for any radical, violent group. What happens in Afghanistan wont stay there. The country most immediately at risk from an ascendant Taliban is neighboring Pakistan. After years of Islamabad giving sanctuary and support to the Afghan Taliban (as long as they attacked coalition forces), Pakistan must now fear that the next regime in Kabul will give sanctuary and support to the Pakistani Taliban. There may be poetic justice in this, but the prospect of fundamentalist forces destabilizing a regime with an estimated 160 nuclear warheads is an unparalleled global nightmare. The governor of Texas can ban mask mandates, at least for now, after the State Supreme Court sided with the state on Sunday, granting a request for an emergency stay of an appellate court ruling that would have allowed schools to make face coverings mandatory. The decision is temporary, lasting only until the State Supreme Court, whose justices are elected and are currently all Republicans, makes a final ruling. The Dallas Independent School District and San Antonio Independent School District each said on Monday that they would continue to require masks for now, despite the ruling. The City of San Antonio and Bexar Countys response to the Texas Supreme Court continues to emphasize that the governor cannot use his emergency powers to suspend laws that provide local entities the needed flexibility to act in an emergency, Andy Segovia, San Antonios city attorney, said in a statement on Sunday. His suspension authority is meant to facilitate action, not prohibit it. Michael Hinojosa, the superintendent of the Dallas district, held a news conference after the State Supreme Court ruling was announced on Sunday night, and said that after consulting with lawyers, he planned to continue the districts mask mandate but that that could change, depending on the shifting legal situation. Respectful of Afghanistans history, Malkasian writes, Rumsfeld was aware that U.S. troops could upset the Afghan people and trigger an uprising. He wanted to outsource to Afghan partners and be done with the place as soon as possible. In hindsight, he was prescient. Yet his actual decisions cut off opportunities to avoid the future he so feared. Thus Rumsfeld ignored entreaties to include the Taliban in the postwar settlement in late 2001, despite support for the notion from Karzai. Thus he sanctioned overly aggressive counterterrorism operations that alienated ordinary Afghans and in short order drove former Taliban supporters to resort again to violence. And thus he and Bush turned a blind eye to the repressive actions of Karzais government and its warlord allies. Most important, Rumsfeld neglected to build up the Afghan security forces. He dismissed as crazy a January 2002 request from the Afghan interim government for $466 million a year to train and equip 200,000 soldiers. The Afghans scaled back their request, then scaled it back some more, until Rumsfeld agreed to a cap of 50,000 soldiers. Even then, little was accomplished, as Rumsfeld, increasingly preoccupied with the planning for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, insisted that training and housing costs for the recruits be minimized, and pay be kept low. By the beginning of 2004, a mere 6,000 Afghan Army troops had been trained; by 2006, when Rumsfeld stepped down, the figure had risen to 26,000, still far too few to counter the major and successful offensive the Taliban launched that year. The offensive proved a turning point, showing in stark terms the immense challenge the Bush administration had set for itself. The United States had entered a country it didnt understand, one that had flummoxed great powers in the past, and it had done so without a clear long-term strategy. Its client government in Kabul was beset by corruption and the lack of broad popular backing, while the Taliban was dedicated and resourceful and able to repair to sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan to rest and plan. From an early point, moreover, U.S. leaders were preoccupied with the deteriorating security situation in Iraq. Afghanistan became a sideshow. (Robert Gates, who succeeded Rumsfeld as secretary of defense in 2007, recalled that he had three priorities upon taking office: Iraq, Iraq and Iraq.) Yet even as American planners acknowledged behind closed doors that they were losing in Afghanistan, they kept up the bullish public pronouncements. Lies and Spin, Whitlock titles a particularly devastating chapter, as he quotes general after general declaring to reporters that the trend lines pointed in the right direction, that the enemy was on the ropes, that victory would soon come. Never mind the plethora of intelligence assessments showing the opposite the Taliban, far from reeling, was expanding its reach, ever more confident it would prevail in the end. Or as a Taliban commander put it to a U.S. official in 2006, sounding much like a North Vietnamese counterpart from circa 1966: You have all the clocks but we have all the time. As all this unfolds, there is much fanfare over the celebrities at Barack Obamas 60th birthday party, a celebration held as the war he expanded during his presidency ends in infamy. But he is not alone. Our other commanders in chief also bear responsibility for what has occurred. And there is no celebrating for those of us who ache each day wondering how we could have given the best parts of our lives to such a lie. The collapse has been sudden, our exit too ill planned to evacuate the vulnerable Afghans who worked with us. Were desperate for the allied nations that went to war with us to take them in on our behalf. A few thousand here, a few thousand there. I look across the New York Harbor to the Statue of Liberty and wonder why we are not lifting our own lamp for those abandoned by this war. Is our new Colossus dead, or will she rise to repay her debt? In my mind I see the Huey helicopter teetering above the American Embassy in Saigon, but rest assured, they say, the end of Afghanistan will be different from 1975. Still, our fathers, and our grandfathers, fought and lost this battle before and know better, even if we did not. Will our own children suffer the same? There is more than enough blame to go around. After all, without those of us who volunteered, thered be nobody to fight these wars. I long to appear before the young man I was, slap his face and tell him to take a different course. Youre going to die over there, I want to say. Not in body, but in spirit. But he is gone, and I will spend the rest of my life staring at his shadow. And finally, there are my fellow Americans Republicans, Democrats and independents alike who voted repeatedly over 20 years for those presidents and members of Congress to mislead and mismanage us to defeat. This national shame is a millstone around all our necks. Suddenly, reality snaps into focus. Its the entire nation of Afghanistan that is pinned down. I can hear her people screaming. And I will hear her death rattle before long. Here at home, the Manhattan skyline is clear, the Freedom Tower glistens, and our nation lumbers onward. This American tragedy has reached its final act. Now we wait for the curtain to fall. If experience is any guide, this new willingness to accept the reality of global warming wont last; the next time America has a cold snap, the usual suspects will go right back to denying climate change and attacking scientists. For now, however, theyre focused on the immense economic damage that they claim will result if we try to limit emissions of greenhouse gases. So let me offer four reasons not to believe a word they say on this subject. First, the U.S. economy has consistently done better under Democratic presidents than under Republican presidents a pattern so strong that even progressive economists admit that its puzzling. Whatever the cause of this partisan disparity, a party devoted to the zombie doctrine that tax cuts solve all problems has no standing to lecture us on whats good for the economy. Second, there is a remarkable inconsistency between conservatives expressed faith in the power of private initiative and their assertion that climate policies will paralyze the economy. Businesses, the right likes to tell us, are engines of innovation and adaptation, rising to meet any challenge. Yet somehow the same people who laud private-sector creativity insist that businesses will shrivel up and die if confronted with new regulations or emission fees. In fact, a number of studies have shown that government projections of the effects of new environmental or safety regulations consistently overestimate their costs, precisely because businesses respond to new rules and incentives by innovating, finding ways to reduce compliance costs. And industry projections of the adverse effects of regulation are far worse, typically overstating the costs to a ludicrous degree. Third, history strongly refutes the notion that theres any necessary link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions. Its heartbreaking, absolutely. I hate to see it end like this, but you dont know what else we could have done, she said in an interview from her home in Louisville, Ky. Do we have an expectation that U.S. service members should stay and fight the Taliban when the Afghan Army wont? Ms. Wallace met her wife, Janet Holliday, while deployed in Afghanistan. The two normally watch the news each morning, but on Monday, as scenes of mayhem unfolded at the airport in Kabul, Ms. Holliday, a retired Army colonel, switched to the Food Channel. It was too hard to watch, Ms. Holliday said, excusing herself as she became upset. I just cant help thinking about what a waste it is. I cant allow myself to think about how after all that blood and treasure, it ends like this. More than with other wars in the nations history, Americans have been mostly insulated from the fighting in Afghanistan. There was no draft or mass mobilization. Less than 1 percent of the nation served and a disproportionate number of troops came from rural counties in the South and West, far from the seats of power. But veterans have said in interviews over the years that they were cleareyed about the challenges posed by the war, perhaps more so than the rest of the nation. They saw firsthand the deeply ingrained traditional cultures, tribal allegiances and endemic corruption that continually hobbled American efforts. A New York man who supported the far-right Proud Boys group pleaded guilty on Monday to threatening to kill Raphael Warnock, a newly elected senator from Georgia, before and during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. The man, Eduard Florea, 41, of Queens, pleaded guilty to posting violent threats against Mr. Warnock, who had just won a runoff election in Georgia for the Senate and was later sworn in on Jan. 20. Warnock is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when hes swinging with the fish, Mr. Florea posted online on Jan. 5, using an expletive before fish. Mr. Florea also pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Brooklyn to a weapons offense after federal agents discovered a vast arsenal in his New York City home in January, including more than 1,000 rounds of rifle ammunition that he unlawfully possessed because of a prior felony conviction, prosecutors said in a news release. Mr. Florea, a software engineer whose arrest in January came amid an intensifying nationwide manhunt for those who broke into the U.S. Capitol, will face up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 29, federal prosecutors said. Mr. Florea is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The choice I had to make as your president was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. There would have been no cease-fire after May 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was no status quo of stability without American casualties after May 1. There was only the cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat in Afghanistan, and lurching into the third decade of conflict. I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, Ive learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. Thats why were still there. We were cleareyed about the risks. We planned for every contingency. But I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. So whats happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision. American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves. We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong. Incredibly well equipped. A force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies. We gave them every tool they could need. We paid their salaries, provided for the maintenance of their air force, something the Taliban doesnt have. Taliban does not have an air force. We provided close air support. We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future. There are some very brave and capable Afghan special forces units and soldiers. But if Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now, there is no chance that one year one more year, five more years or 20 more years that U.S. military boots on the ground would have made any difference. Heres what I believe to my core: It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistans own armed forces would not. The political leaders of Afghanistan were unable to come together for the good of their people, unable to negotiate for the future of their country when the chips were down. They would never have done so while U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan bearing the brunt of the fighting for them. And our true strategic competitors, China and Russia, would love nothing more than the United States to continue to funnel billions of dollars in resources and attention into stabilizing Afghanistan indefinitely. When I hosted President Ghani and Chairman Abdullah at the White House in June, and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed. To clean up the corruption in government so the government could function for the Afghan people. We talked extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically. They failed to do any of that. I also urged them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban. This advice was flatly refused. Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces would fight, but obviously he was wrong. Before vaccinating health care workers, Dr. Orlowski said, hospitals will want data about side effects from booster shots, so they can know how to stagger vaccinations among their staff without hurting their ability to care for patients. You cant do the whole I.C.U. at the same time, she said, because you dont want everyone getting fever and chills. In interviews on Tuesday, hospital officials and doctors generally supported the push for booster shots. Unlike the vaccination campaign that began last winter, they said, this time there will be enough doses to go around, which should make things move more smoothly. I think were running out of second chances, said Dr. Matthew Harris, the medical director of the coronavirus vaccination program at Northwell Health, New Yorks largest hospital system. What keeps me up at night is the inevitability of a variant that is not responsive to the vaccine, so if this is how we stay ahead of it, I fully support it. Dr. Danny Avula, Virginias vaccine coordinator, said his state has thousands of vaccine providers in place and can likely manage boosters without much change. What caused so much of the urgency and frenzy of January through April was the limitations in supply, he said. I think it will be a very different rollout for booster than it was for the initial shots. The booster strategy has been under discussion for several weeks, but a consensus about how to proceed was reached in meetings only this weekend. Officials said senior health officials all endorsed it, including the surgeon general, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, and the leaders of the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The administration has more than 100 million doses stockpiled that could be used for boosters, plus the tens of millions more in freezers at pharmacies and other locations. The administration has purchased still more supply scheduled for delivery this fall, and officials say they are not worried about running out. Federal health officials have been particularly concerned about data from Israel suggesting that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines protection against severe disease has fallen significantly for elderly people who got their second shot in January or February. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti The houses collapsed, the hospitals were damaged, the roads buckled or turned impassable. But it was the earthquakes destruction of churches across Haitis southern peninsula that may prove the biggest gut punch to the roughly 1.5 million people affected. For many Haitians, their only source of aid throughout their lives, in the absence of strong government institutions, has been the church, a part of Haitis landscape since the era of European colonialism and slavery. Many churches lay in ruins after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Saturday morning, which wrecked thousands of buildings and left entire towns and at least one city without a church left standing. On Monday, as heavy rains threatened floods and mudslides in the region, civil defense officials raised the death toll to more than 1,400 and said nearly 7,000 people had been injured. In the city of Les Cayes, which was particularly devastated by the quake, clerics despaired even as they sought to project hope and resolve to rebuild. ISTANBUL Thousands of desperate Afghans trying to escape the Taliban takeover swarmed Kabuls main international airport on Monday, rushing the boarding gates, mobbing the runways, clambering atop the wings of jets and even trying to cling to the fuselage of departing American military planes. At least half a dozen Afghans were killed in the chaos, some falling from the skies as they lost their grasp, and at least two shot by American soldiers trying to contain the surging crowds. The images evoked Americas frantic departure from Vietnam, encapsulating Afghanistans breathtaking collapse in the wake of American abandonment. ASAA, Denmark On a blustery day last week, Tina Pedersen and Jens Poulsen, two Danish vacationers, posed for pictures beside a statue of a mermaid. In some ways, the sculpture seemed familiar: Perched by a harbor, the mermaid rested the weight of her bare torso on one arm, and draped her piscine tail delicately over a rock. Yet Pedersen and Poulsen were not in Copenhagen; they were on their way to a beach vacation on the other side of Denmark. We heard on the radio that the estate of The Little Mermaid was demanding that this one be destroyed, said Pedersen. So we thought we better come see it while we still could. The mermaid that has watched over the harbor in the village of Asaa, in the north of Denmark, since 2016 is not an exact replica of the landmark in Denmarks capital. But for the heirs of Edvard Eriksen, the artist who sculpted the Copenhagen statue, the Asaa mermaid bears too close a resemblance. They have initiated legal proceedings, demanding not just financial compensation, but that the sculpture in Asaa be torn down as well. When I first received the email, I laughed, said Mikael Klitgaard, the mayor of Broenderslev, the municipality that includes Asaa. I thought it was a joke. Ellen Havre Weis, who helped create the popular Museum of Modern Mythology in San Francisco, which was based on the notion that the advertising characters who exist in modern life the Jolly Green Giant, Colonel Sanders, Mr. Peanut populate a mythology in their own right, died on July 27 at her home in Altadena, Calif. She was 64. The cause was brain cancer, her husband, Gordon Whiting, said. Ms. Weis, a writer, founded the museum in 1982 with two collaborators. They initially found space for it in a warehouse in San Francisco before moving its 3,000-piece collection to Fishermans Wharf. It became a tourist draw before it was forced to close in 1989 because of the Loma Prieta earthquake, one of the most destructive in the citys history. Ms. Weis was its executive director. The museum appeared at first to be a collection of capitalist artifacts. A large figure of the Jolly Green Giant flanked Poppin Fresh, of Pillsbury fame, and they shared space with the corpulent Bibendum, better known as the Michelin Man. But Ms. Weiss intent was to link our conceptions of these pop-culture figures to the human need to mythologize; she asserted that our Fates, Furies and giants were not left behind in Greece or Egypt, but rather transposed to our own culture. The Jolly Green Giant was her selling point when describing the museum to its leadership and the public he was, she said, a character straight out of Jack and the Beanstalk. Lincoln Center announced on Tuesday that it would use a $20 million gift from the philanthropists Lynne and Richard Pasculano to help bring back and revitalize opera, jazz, theater and dance on its campus. The donation will help the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater and Jazz at Lincoln Center pay for some of their upcoming endeavors, such as the United States premiere of the Brett Dean opera Hamlet at the Met and the revival of New York City Ballets annual art series. This fund will be very helpful in making it possible for us to get our doors open as soon and as safely as we can, said Katherine Farley, the chair of Lincoln Centers board. The distribution of the donation, over five years, represents an effort by Lincoln Center to forge closer ties with its constituent organizations, which are run independently. The center, which plays the role of landlord but also holds its own events and festivals, has at times competed with the arts organizations it hosts for resources. DIRTY WORK Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America By Eyal Press Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America, a disturbing and necessary new book by Eyal Press, describes with great empathy the lives of workers who do jobs that they themselves find morally horrifying. Press acquaints us intimately with the trauma suffered by a participant in a drone strike who watches a child slowly reassemble his fathers exploded remains into human shape; by a worker in a slaughterhouse who is nuzzled affectionately by pigs only to have to kill them moments later; and by a psychologist who is supposed to provide therapy to psychiatric patients in one of the correctional facilities where America often confines the severely mentally ill, but instead witnesses daily brutality including a homicide so gruesome it will be seared in any readers memory. But the book isnt entirely about those workers. Its about us. Presss thesis is that our society confers on these workers an unconscious mandate to do jobs that are morally objectionable and at the same time wants those jobs to remain invisible. He takes the term dirty work from the American sociologist Everett Hughes, who taught for a semester in Frankfurt in 1948, socializing with the kind of cosmopolitan liberal intellectuals he felt he might find anywhere. When he asked one about Germanys war guilt and the Holocaust, the man responded by saying German citizens hadnt known what was going on, theyd had to join the party, they were under tremendous pressure. He added that the Holocaust was no way to solve the Jewish problem. But there was a problem and it had to be settled some way. To Hughes, such comments revealed the unconscious mandate for unethical actions, the dirty work that could be delegated and disavowed. Of course, there are questions about the moral culpability of the workers Press describes, about how they can continue to do the jobs they do. He is fascinated by Hannah Arendts thesis from Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963) about the banality of evil, the horrors committed thoughtlessly by those just following orders. Her view was supported by the results of Stanley Milgrams shock experiments, published during the same period, in which subjects were instructed to deliver dangerous electrical shocks to a person (in fact an actor screaming on a tape recorder) in an adjacent room. At least in the version of the results Milgram publicized widely, most subjects complied. The New York Times framed a 1963 report on the experiments by asking, What sort of people, slavishly doing what they are told, would send millions of fellow humans into gas chambers or commit other such atrocities? The answer was that conditions could quite easily be created in which people acted with blind obedience. Milgram himself frequently compared his subjects to Eichmann. Press gently pushes back against this reductive account of human behavior. In his previous book, Beautiful Souls: Saying No, Breaking Ranks, and Heeding the Voice of Conscience in Dark Times, he recounted the stories of ordinary people who refused to follow immoral orders, regardless of the consequences. He was explicitly disputing the popular view, derived from Arendt and Milgram, that there are circumstances under which people become incapable of moral choice. In both books he ushers us into a world of moral nuance and psychological complexity that behavioral science rarely captures. NAMES FOR LIGHT A Family History By Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint Blank space is difficult to employ in a book. It can be read as emptiness or it can offer a reader breath, pause, reflection, meaning. Names for Light, a memoir by Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint, makes ample use of blank space, between paragraphs, strings of thought, scenes and events. When not used, whats there is jumbled and scattered. A writer need not be concerned with where she comes from, but for memoir this is its core project. For Myint, who was born in Myanmar before moving to Thailand, the United States and Spain, it is a painful and intrusive question. A question that, by its very asking, suggests she does not belong, a question that displaces her. She balks. Beyond the naming of places (Leymyethna, Gayan, Denver, Sittwe, Yangon, Minbu, South Bend, Hinthada, Madrid), she doesnt get to the difficulty of the question as a writer and by this, I dont mean a place on a map. I mean the stink and cringe and failure and noise and laughter that make a life feel real and lived, the thing that makes a person tick. We are told that one can be a ghost while one is still alive if one carries what one cannot remember. Empty memories, blank memories, absent memories. This thinking allows the author to get away with being vacuous. When we encounter the I in this story, it is often at a distance, the observer, the outsider, always in the middle of a story but never at the center of it. She sometimes switches to the third person to refer to herself, as if afraid to speak from the first, to own the voice and power that could be. She tells us, I do not like to make decisions, to take risks, to assert or involve myself. I prefer to keep myself to myself. And this is what she achieves in her writing she keeps herself to herself. In doing so, she makes the question of where she comes from illumined and voluminous. While it is, of course, Gilbert and Gubars prerogative to choose their own literary feminist pantheon, some of their exclusions are a bit hard to fathom: How, for instance, can one cite the revolutionary inquiries into female desire of figures like Erica Jong without ever mentioning Mary McCarthys trailblazing writing on women and sex and one-night stands and birth control? The book covers a vast amount of territory, and the authors rarely get into the intense, rigorous textual analysis that gave The Madwoman in the Attic its charisma and enduring power. One craves more attention to some of the writers they skim over quickly, like Chris Kraus and Eileen Myles. I find myself wondering why Still Mad lacks the fire and focus of its famous predecessor. Is it possible that feminist readings have lost some of their urgency in our slightly more equal world? Do writers like Alison Bechdel or Claudia Rankine or Maggie Nelson or Anne Carson call out to be read as feminists, rather than the radiant, idiosyncratic talents they are? If we milk their writing for political interpretation, do their imaginative worlds end up reduced, flattened to a more pedestrian message? Are we really gaining much insight with observations like, Alison struggles to come to terms with the traditional wife and mother who serves the needs of autocratic men? In a critique of early feminist criticism, Didion wrote, That fiction has certain irreducible ambiguities seemed never to occur to these women, nor should it have, for fiction is in most ways hostile to ideology. The same is true of more ambitious and literary nonfiction and poetry. In the attempt to corral these vast nuanced projects into political readings, their aspirations are often collapsed, simplified. Of course, the critical landscape has also altered enormously since the early stirrings of feminist literary criticism. What was once radical is now familiar, overwrought, predictable. In some sense, the obviousness of Still Mads feminist readings is, perversely, a testament to its authors achievement. They, along with other pioneering literary critics like Kate Millett and Julia Kristeva, transformed the field of popular literary interpretation. Their own innovation and boldness have made their subsequent work less necessary, less exciting. Because many of the contemporary writers they explore are consciously and explicitly grappling with feminist themes, we may not need critics to exhume them in the way Gilbert and Gubar did so creatively with novelists like Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. In The Madwoman in the Attic, the critics juxtaposed a quote from Simone de Beauvoir with something Emma said in Austens classic to fruitfully illuminate the struggle of Austens characters to accept their feminine roles. But the political messages and motivations are hardly buried in the work of writers like Margaret Atwood, Adrienne Rich and Maggie Nelson, and so the labor of uncovering them requires less imaginative and intellectual bravura. Though Still Mad may not feel as profound, intellectually sinewy or fiercely focused as The Madwoman in the Attic, it remains an excellent resource for anyone seeking a spirited guide through the past few decades of feminist history. One can feel the sensibilities of these two pioneering scholars humane, fair, impassioned, well intentioned hovering over the page. So, we have our stakes. And yet, as the plot spools out in a relatively staid order A then B then C, with some jumps in time and interludes of poetry Vishnu never seems to engage with those stakes in any significant way; things simply happen, and we move on. Through dialogue, we learn of the familys ancestral fall from grace, offhand commentary about pigmentation and the anglicizing of names, and surprising admiration for local remnants of French and British colonizers. But neither dialogue nor narration gives way to the characters interiority. Image This absence is most jarring when the narrator approaches matters of colonialism, class or race as if they are neither good nor bad, but simply the way life is. When Vishnus father says a family friend thinks an English name fits his skin color better, Busjeet reveals no reaction on Vishnus part; the next sentence cuts to another scene. When we do glimpse his thoughts, they often lack depth. When Vishnus Mauritian friends predict his future success, I smiled, but I didnt know what to say, Vishnu narrates. Sure, my goal was to thrive among the elite. I was flattered, but what if I let them down? If theres little of Vishnus inward life on the page, theres certainly plenty of his surroundings. The middle of the novel takes us through natural disasters, political upheaval, bureaucratic corruption and economic instability. For readers unfamiliar with Mauritius, this history is illuminating, the richness of detail showcasing some of the best writing in the book. As Cyclone Carol menaces the island in 1960, Busjeet moves from a description of the marijuana the islands Hindus partook in on happier occasions, to a sky stained blood-red by storm winds, then to a scrum of customers angling for a shops plywood and canned food, overseen by the savvy white-haired Chinese woman counting on an abacus while dispensing disaster survival advice. The tension in such moments is palpable enough to inject needed bits of fuel into the story. Eventually, Vishnu arrives, in more ways than one. He wins a secondary school scholarship on the island, and later travels to London. Hes admitted to one Ivy League university and then another, securing several mentorships that give him contact highs off of old-money America. In several moments where he might be derailed like when hes assigned a work-study job he thinks is beneath him, in the kitchen of the Yale dining hall Vishnu deploys the sort of slick, self-important persuasiveness many a political insider would kill for. While he occasionally overreaches and stumbles (in an entertaining sequence during a college internship in Washington, D.C., a single expensive dinner renders him penniless, forcing him back into the sort of kitchen job hes previously avoided), Vishnu never second-guesses his ultimate goal of social status and material wealth. Hes most reflective when pridefully examining his sookwaar, or delicate, hands, in contrast to the callused hands of the working men around him; but the observation opens no door to deeper thoughts about inequity. Nor is there much room for nuance in Vishnus regard for the United States, which he blithely endorses, if not admires. Is there anything wrong with this? It is a fantasy of the well-heeled that theres something inherently noble or soul-validating to be found in blue-collar struggles with economic decay. A reasonable level of wealth, and the security and comfort it brings, remains a central goal for most of us, migrant or otherwise. But read in our current moment, when American pursuit glorification, even of excess has resulted in one of the most pernicious societies in modern history, Vishnus heedless pining for the one percent feels, at best, problematic. There are flashes in the final pages that he might be starting to realize this (Was I at heart a non-materialist? Vishnu ponders after failing to secure an investment banking job. Or did I enjoy the good life that money brings?), but theyre too ambivalent to count as a moral progression. When the Taliban entered Afghanistans presidential palace on Sunday, the insurgent group completed a two-decade fight to take back control of the country. The president had fled; the interior minister announced there would be a peaceful transfer of power for greater Kabul. Monday offered the first glimpse of a country coming under Taliban control. Well look at how the day unfolded in three places: the airport in Kabul, where people made a desperate attempt to escape; the city itself, where most people spent the day hiding; and Washington, where President Biden stood by his plan to withdraw U.S. troops. At the airport For much of Monday, Kabuls main international airport was a scene of anguish and panic. Thousands of Afghans rushed boarding gates and flooded the tarmac hoping to find a flight out of the country. At one point, a crowd ran alongside a departing U.S. military plane, with some Afghans clinging to the side of the aircraft. At least half a dozen Afghans died some fell from the plane as it flew off, and at least two were shot by U.S. soldiers trying to contain the surging crowds. SIENA, Italy Last month Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the worlds oldest bank, acquired another distinction: Europes weakest lender. The bank performed worse than any other in a test of its financial health by European regulators, the latest gloomy chapter in a long-running saga of ill-fated deals, financial shenanigans, criminal wrongdoing and even a mysterious death. The stress test by regulators, which showed that a severe recession would wipe out the banks capital, has forced the Italian government to face an unpleasant truth: Monte dei Paschis five-and-a-half-century run is coming to an end. With prodding from Rome, UniCredit, one of Italys largest banks, said last month that it was in talks to buy Monte dei Paschi on the condition that the government keep all the bad loans. Monte dei Paschi, founded in 1472, will probably live on as a brand name on bank branches in central Italy, and customers probably wont notice much difference, at least at first. But the bank will cease to be a stand-alone entity and a living reminder that Italian merchants during the Renaissance basically invented modern banking. The banks operations will be managed from UniCredits headquarters in Milan rather than Monte dei Paschis fortresslike home office in Sienas old quarter. The title of oldest bank will probably pass to Berenberg Bank, founded in Hamburg in 1590. Home Depot forced a worker to quit after he wore a slogan supporting the Black Lives Matter movement on his apron, and it threatened to punish other employees who tried to bring attention to racial harassment, according to a complaint issued by an office of the National Labor Relations Board. The federal agency accused the company of discriminating against the employee, who worked in a Home Depot store in Minneapolis, for wearing the slogan and for talking to other employees and managers at the store about racial harassment there. Issues of racial harassment directly impact the working conditions of employees, said Jennifer Hadsall, the regional director of the Minneapolis office of the labor board, which filed the complaint. The National Labor Relations Act protects employees rights to raise these issues with the goal of improving their working conditions, she said in a statement from the board. It is this important right we seek to protect in this case. About the same time, Ms. Benavides was on a date with Dillon Angulo. He was driving his mothers black Tahoe, and pulled off to the wide shoulder of County Road 905 near Card Sound Road. Mr. Angulo stopped some 44 feet from the edge of the intersection, parked on a gravel strip and stepped out. Ms. Benavides got out of the passenger seat and walked around to the drivers side, according to the investigation. Data from the Tesla shows the Model S accelerated from 44 to 60 m.p.h. a few seconds before crashing into the Tahoe. It is unclear if Autopilot or Mr. McGee raised the speed. Vehicle data and skid marks indicated Mr. McGee jammed on the brakes less than a second before impact. He told the police that he couldnt tell how close he was to the intersection when he started looking for his phone. Ms. Benavidess estate sued Tesla in state court in Miami-Dade County, claiming the companys cars are defective and unsafe. Todd Poses, a Miami lawyer representing the estate, said Mr. McGee was expected to give a deposition in that case, which has been transferred to U.S. District Court in Miami. A separate lawsuit that the estate filed against Mr. McGee was settled, Mr. Poses said, but he wouldnt disclose the terms. In court, Tesla has filed a brief response denying the estates claims without elaborating. In similar cases, the company has said any blame rests solely with the drivers of its cars. As in other crashes involving Autopilot, the system appeared not to have done much to make sure Mr. McGee was paying attention to the road. Tesla recently activated an in-car camera in certain newer models to monitor drivers, but it cant see in the dark. Tesla owners have posted videos on YouTube showing that the camera sometimes fails to notice when drivers look away from the road and that it can be fooled if they cover the lens. When the camera notices a Tesla driver looking away from the road, it sounds a warning chime but does not turn Autopilot off. G.M. and Ford systems use infrared cameras to monitor drivers eyes. If drivers look away for more than two or three seconds, warnings remind them to look straight ahead. If drivers fail to comply, the G.M. and Ford systems will shut off and tell drivers to take control of the car. SEATTLE After I graduated from college, I decided to take a full-time job as a cook (a move that left my mother disappointed for well over a decade, until she finally read my byline in this newspaper). My job was as a pizza-maker at Cambridge 1, a minimalist bar in Harvard Square from the restaurateurs Matthew Curtis and Chris Lutes that served nothing but salads and pizzas that we cooked directly over a hot grill. Of all the techniques Ive learned in the food industry, that grilled pizza is the one that has served me the most consistently and most successfully, year after year. For two decades it has been a backyard staple for my family in the summertime, one thats just as easy to pull off on a Friday night after work as it is for an afternoon cookout with all the neighbors invited (remember when we used to do that?). Why grilled pizza? It all has to do with high heat and speed. The most celebrated pizzas in the world are baked in ovens that generate temperatures in excess of 900 degrees. At these temperatures, a pizza takes around two minutes to cook, and something magical happens to the dough as it rapidly puffs and chars, creating a smoky, crackly eggshell-thin crust that covers a poofy, steamy, lightly chewy crumb underneath. Unless your home is outfitted with a dedicated pizza oven, the grill is the only piece of equipment where similar temperatures (and thus, similar pizzas) can be achieved. Of course, theres a good deal of technique involved with converting an ancient recipe designed for the oven to a backyard grill. My own method has evolved from the techniques I learned at Cambridge 1, which in turn traced its lineage to Al Forno, the Providence, R.I., restaurant where George Germon and Johanne Killeen are widely credited with inventing grilled pizza in the mid-1980s. Everett Lally, a genetic counselor at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance said it is not only family history but there are psychological considerations as well. He said the women with a first degree relative with breast cancer will likely find it easier to decide on a bilateral mastectomy than a woman with PALB2 mutation and no history of breast cancer. The BRCA mutation received wide publicity in 2013 when the actress Angelina Jolie underwent a prophylactic mastectomy upon learning she had it. Her mother had breast cancer and died at age 56 of ovarian cancer. Historically, when genetic testing was more expensive, specific target testing was done. Today, Dr. Hulick said, testing is much cheaper, and for women with an indication of breast cancer, broad screening panels, which include PALB2 and other cancer genes, are often done. But he noted that genetic testing in general does not yet reach enough women. Over the course of their lives, women have about a 12 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 1.2 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Unlike BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are often found in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, PALB2 is not associated with the Ashkenazi group. Some studies have found a PALB2 association with Finnish and French Canadian and Greek women, but experts say more research is needed. The new guidelines for the PALB2 mutation, particularly for those who have pancreatic cancer in their families, now suggest pancreatic screening, which involves having M.R.I.s of the pancreas as well as an endoscopic ultrasound. The new guidelines not only improve care, but a recent study in Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery shows early detection improves outcomes, which encourages insurance to cover screening. In Dr. Johnstons hometown, St. Louis, as in other cities, fewer health care providers and specialists are found in low-income and minority neighborhoods, which is a function of structural racism and a legacy of residential segregation, Dr. Johnston said. Its not a question of insurance it has more to do with the supply side, he added. If you want to access a good specialist, your choice of cardiologists is going to be different if you live out in the counties that are more affluent versus if you live in the poor areas in northern St. Louis. Another study in the journal compared health care spending by race and ethnicity, finding that at $8,141 per year, spending for white individuals is higher than for Americans of other races and ethnicities, and the portion of it spent on outpatient care is higher than the average. Health care spending for Black individuals is $7,361 per year, and a smaller proportion of the funds are spent on outpatient care. The amounts that go to pay for care of Black people in an emergency room and hospital are 12 percent and 19 percent higher, respectively, than the nationwide averages. This is about poverty, geography and where people live and where primary care clinics are located, and it is about health insurance, said Joseph Dieleman, an associate professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle and an author of the study. But the difference also reflects patient behavior. It is also about peoples past experiences with the health care system and the quality of care they or their loved ones have received, which leads to hesitation or resistance to accessing health care early, Dr. Dieleman said. The findings may explain some of the disparities in health outcomes, though social and economic factors also play a role, among them poverty, so-called food deserts and neighborhoods that expose residents to pollution and offer few opportunities for physical exercise and recreation. Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. When I conducted a little experiment recently for an article to highlight a corner of the cryptocurrency world, I knew I was creating something that would live on after the piece was published. But what happened still took me by surprise. As a business reporter based in London, I have been riveted in recent months by the booming popularity of so-called hype coins. These are the down-market, volatile cousins of Bitcoin, the graybeard of the cryptocurrency world. There are more than 70,000 of these coins with names like Klaytn, Chiliz, Helium and others youve never heard of and a few dozen new ones are created each day. On its face, the hype coin phenomenon is one of the most baffling financial crazes in history. At least if you went bust during the tulip mania in the 17th century, you could end up with some tulips. Hype coins have no intrinsic value. But investors and venture capitalists have swooned for them. More than 80 have a market value in excess of $1 billion. To enlighten readers, and myself, I made my own hype coin. I spent about $1,000 of The New York Timess money yes, I first cleared this outlay with editors, and we discussed the legal issues of this project with Times lawyers to create and promote it. We know that this is going to reach hundreds of thousands of people, convince them its time, Mr. de Blasio said. Just buy into this, because its going to work for all of us. Its going to make us all safer. Read more about New York Citys vaccination mandate for indoor venues. The mandate rollout effort The city has hired 570 people to go out and canvass small businesses in every ZIP code with information about the vaccination requirement, Mr. de Blasio said. The goal is to canvass all businesses across the city within the next three weeks. A $10 million advertising campaign will also spread the word about the new mandate. Starting Sept. 13, agencies such as the Department of Health will be able to start issuing fines and other penalties against indoor venues that do not check vaccination status. The sheriffs office may also get involved if customers use fake vaccine cards, the mayor said. How to get a vaccine passport There are two official apps, NYC Covid Safe and the Excelsior Pass, but showing your paper vaccine card is fine too. The Excelsior Pass, the states vaccine passport app, verifies applications against the city and state vaccination records. The citys app, NYC Covid Safe, enables users to take a picture of their vaccine card and store it. People vaccinated in the United States can use the citys app or the paper card, and a photo on their smartphone of their paper card should work too. New Yorkers vaccinated out of state can get an Excelsior Pass, if they ask their health care provider to upload that information to the New York vaccine registries. For those who were vaccinated outside of the country, paperwork from abroad showing that people received any of the eight vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization is also acceptable. To the Editor: Re Facing Afghan Chaos, Biden Defends Exit (front page, Aug. 17): President Biden has it exactly right. Not one more American soldier should die for a country in which the people fighting against the Taliban lack the will to fight. America has given the Afghans the means, training and resources to fight the Taliban if that is their wish; apparently, it is not their wish. Who should be the last American to die for such a cause? Not one American should have that sad distinction. Not one family should bear that loss, again, as thousands of American families have done for 20 years. Criticism from Republicans should be completely discounted. They have shown in their near unanimous support for Donald Trump (who, they often dont admit, brokered this withdrawal agreement) and his lies that they have no credibility whatsoever. John E. Colbert Arroyo Seco, N.M. To the Editor: We should have learned from the French in Vietnam, but we didnt. We should have learned from the Russians in Afghanistan, but we didnt. The Vietnam generation took us into Afghanistan, convinced that this time was different. The scale of the tragedy is simply devastating. None of this is new for the people of Afghanistan, who have been trapped for generations in proxy wars of global and regional powers. Children have been born into battle. Families have been living for years in refugee camps; thousands more have fled their homes in recent days. The Kalashnikovs carried by the Taliban are a heavy burden on the shoulders of all Afghan people. The countries that have used Afghans as pawns in their wars of ideology and greed have left them to bear the weight on their own. But it is not too late to help the Afghan people particularly women and children. Over the past two weeks, I spoke with several education advocates in Afghanistan about their current situation and what they hope will happen next. (I am not naming them here because of security concerns.) One woman who runs schools for rural children told me she has lost contact with her teachers and students. Normally we work on education, but right now we are focusing on tents, she said. People are fleeing by the thousands, and we need immediate humanitarian aid so that families are not dying from starvation or lack of clean water. She echoed a plea I heard from others: Regional powers should be actively assisting in the protection of women and children. Neighboring countries China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan must open their doors to fleeing civilians. That will save lives and help stabilize the region. They must also allow refugee children to enroll in local schools and humanitarian organizations to set up temporary learning centers in camps and settlements. For all the recriminations and finger-pointing about how the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan so rapidly, there is a hard truth that needs to be reckoned with: The Taliban have spent years preparing for the eventual U.S. withdrawal. Despite numerous military surges, relentless airstrikes and thousands killed on all sides, no one was able to stop them. Year by year, Taliban soldiers methodically gained ground as they coerced and co-opted large swaths of the population now living under their rule and set up a shadow state. The Taliban exploited anger at the abuses of foreign forces and Afghan government corruption to gain support in village after village. The question now is what kind of government the Taliban will impose and what that will mean for Afghans. To some extent, the world already knows how that will work, because the Taliban have been essentially controlling parts of Afghanistan for years. And yet it is far easier to capture territory as an insurgency than it is to govern it. This was one of the more painful lessons for the Taliban in the 1990s, when they swept to power but were a disaster when it came to governing. So we dont yet know how the Taliban intend to govern the nation as a whole. Already their administration is rudimentary and stretched thin, and there are stark differences between the deeply conservative areas that have long been under Taliban influence and the mainly urban and relatively more progressive areas they have recently gained control over. There is little indication that the Taliban are equipped to govern the cities or the country as a whole on their own. Afghanistans social complexity is more nuanced than a simple urban-rural divide, but since 2001, city dwellers have generally benefited more from the security, aid and opportunities provided by the international intervention. Women have moved relatively freely, worked and attended school, and social norms writ large have sharply diverged from the Talibans mentality. Private action was thought to be not subject to constitutional constraints, said Carol Rose, G. B. Tweedy professor emeritus at Yale Law School and Lohse professor of law emeritus at the University of Arizona, and Mr. Brooks co-author. High-end real estate developments built in the early 20th century, such as Palos Verdes Estates in Los Angeles, included racial covenants from the beginning, she said. In older areas, homeowners went door-to-door to convince neighbors to add the covenants to deeds. In 1927, the National Association of Real Estate Boards now the National Association of Realtors championed racial covenants, creating a model clause that was inserted into countless deeds. It read, in part: No part of said premises shall be sold, given, conveyed or leased to any negro or negroes. (Late last year, in the wake of the racial justice movement sparked by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, the association issued a formal apology for its past racist actions.) The Federal Housing Administration, which was created in the 1930s to insure home mortgages, also all but required racial covenants to guarantee loans, including those for developments like Levittown, a community of mass-produced tract homes on Long Island that opened in the late 1940s and where only members of the Caucasian race were allowed to live. In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that racial covenants couldnt be enforced though not that they couldnt be used. Twenty years later, the Fair Housing Act finally made racial covenants illegal. But the words and their profound effect on the housing landscape have lived on. Enforcement in court is just one way covenants facilitated segregation, and not even the most important way, Mr. Brooks said. The covenant gave a signal. Who should we bring to this neighborhood? Who will get financing? Who will get insured? Just by their presence, covenants communicated to white buyers that living in mixed neighborhoods was a risk to their home values, Mr. Brooks said. Kirkland Lynch, a 35-year-old Black renter, has a six-figure job with Google, a law degree from Harvard, sterling credit and a mortgage pre-approval. But after a six-month house hunt in Brooklyn, with six unsuccessful bids, he is close to giving up, disheartened by slights that verge on discrimination. It doesnt have anything to do with race, he said. Other than the fact it has everything to do with race. The pandemic has compounded the challenges of an already difficult housing market, particularly for Black home buyers, who face a range of additional obstacles, and it threatens to widen the gap between Black and white homeownership to levels not seen since housing discrimination was made illegal five decades ago. After declining for much of the past 20 years, the national Black homeownership rate has stayed near 42 percent from 2016 to 2019, the lowest since 1970, while the rate of white homeownership reached 73 percent, a record high, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a fair-lending advocacy group. In 2019, 58 percent of Asians and 47.5 percent of Latinos were homeowners. (Black homeownership peaked in 2004 at 49 percent, before the 2008 housing crisis.) Last November, Charlie Oppler, president of the National Association of Realtors, issued a public apology for the many ways that the association had contributed to housing discrimination, including initially opposing the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The apology came less than a week after the association amended its code of ethics to ban hate speech, including racist social media posts by its agents. In the months that followed, they unveiled a new Fair Housing Action Plan and a number of diversity-focused grants. And in a bid to offer local agencies concrete steps for change, they also laid out a four-point road map that serves as an instruction manual of sorts for becoming more inclusive. Bikel Frenelle, an Atlanta-based broker, was chairwoman of the national associations Diversity Committee in 2020 and helped write that road map. We dont see it as training just for white people, she said. Its training for all. Ms. Frenelle, 51, who is Black, says that much of the momentum now being felt in the real estate industry began with Mr. Opplers statement. I get a little bit emotional when I talk about it, because I was so excited for N.A.R. to just say, Hey, we hear you, she said. Executives from the association also sit on the steering committee for the Black Homeownership Collaborative. They share that space with representatives from the Mortgage Bankers Association; the N.A.A.C.P.; National Fair Housing Alliance; National Housing Conference, National Urban League and the Urban Institute; and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, a Black organization that was founded in 1947 because they were excluded from the N.A.R. The National Association of Real Estate Brokers, which refers to itself as the oldest minority real estate trade association in the United States, has also partnered with Homelight, a San Francisco-based real estate referral company, on a separate project called the Black Real Estate Agent Program. In 2018, after living briefly in London and making ceramic sculptures in Puglia for a year (a few of his pieces from this era are scattered around the apartment), Ruspoli settled in Paris. There, he shows his paintings and works on mural commissions for private residences and public spaces, including the dining room of Bambini, the new restaurant inside the Palais de Tokyo, and the entryway and rooms of the citys first Soho House, which is set to open in the Pigalle neighborhood next month. What I love about making large frescoes is that when I am in the right place, I am so concentrated and full of adrenaline its like being a tightrope walker, says Ruspoli, whose work is a nimble dance between the past and the present, his formidable heritage and the desire to travel his own path. I love when it all comes together, he says. Im 100 percent in the moment. Not in the past, and not in the future. Yet why, precisely, does the unicorn persist in our collective imagination, and why does it feel especially relevant now? Perhaps it helps to return to Ctesias, who described a beast able to outrun her pursuers, impossible to capture unless encircled by an army of men and horses. She would rather fight with her horn, teeth and hooves and die free than live as a captive. The unicorn stands for our own desire to be seen as extraordinary. She allows us to believe that we, too, are special if only we were allowed to live unconstrained, if only we didnt have to conform ourselves to fit into the world around us. She is the ultimate rare being: a wild spirit we discern in ourselves, one that can bring both destruction and relief, violence and healing. Given our rising sea levels, ongoing wars and the ambient uncertainty of the now, were ever more aware of how precarious the world really is. Yet we continue to survive, even as the structures that weve created crumble before our eyes, leaving us alone as we always were, in the woods. If a majority of voters decide to recall Mr. Newsom, the new governor will be whoever among his 46 challengers gets the most votes, even if no rival gets a majority. Critics of the states recall rules have long worried that 49 percent of the electorate could vote to keep an incumbent, only for a tiny plurality of voters to choose a replacement. On Friday, a lawsuit was filed in federal court challenging the recalls constitutionality, based on that argument. Mr. Newsom has been urging Democrats to vote no on the recall and not even bother to answer the second question, which asks who should replace him. Among likely voters, recent polls show support for Mr. Elder, the current front-runner, at around 20 percent. No intellectually honest analysis would predict the governors defeat, said Paul Mitchell, vice president of the bipartisan data firm Political Data Inc. in Sacramento. But state lawmakers in February extended pandemic-related accommodations to voters through the year, dealing a wild card. The rules allow voting by mail at a scale comparable only to the 2020 presidential election which is seemingly a Democratic advantage, although off-year participation is harder to forecast. Only one other attempt to recall a California governor has come to a vote, and 18 years have passed since the state replaced Gray Davis with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Mitchell noted. The swing voters in this campaign are not the usual ones choosing which party to vote for, agreed Nathan Click, a former spokesman for the governor who is now campaigning to defend him. Theyre Democrats who are choosing whether to vote. Mr. Elder, 69, a Black small-l libertarian lawyer who rose to national stature from Los Angeles, where he has been a talk radio fixture for decades, said in an interview that he was not some wild-eyed radical, and that he entered the race at the behest of normal people such as his barber and dry cleaner as well as like-minded friends such as Dennis Prager, his right-wing broadcast mentor. His priorities public school choice, high housing costs and rising crime transcend party labels, he said. Senate Republicans already blocked Democrats other marquee voting rights bill, the For the People Act, which would establish national mandates for early and mail-in voting and end gerrymandering of congressional districts. And while Democratic leaders in the Senate have vowed more votes on the matter in September, unless all 50 Democrats unite in a long-shot bid to change Senate filibuster rules, they are headed for an identical outcome. The legislation introduced by Ms. Sewell on Tuesday is an effort to restore key pieces of the landmark 1965 voting bill struck down or weakened by the Supreme Court over the last decade. Doing so, its proponents say, would make it far harder for states to restrict voting access in the future. The most consequential ruling dates to 2013, when the justices effectively invalidated a section of the law that required states and localities with a history of discriminatory voting rules to clear any changes to their elections policies with the federal government. At the time, the justices said that the formula used to determine which states were subject to clearance was out of date and invited Congress to update it. The bill also attempts to respond to a decision just last month in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee that effectively made it more difficult to challenge state voting laws as discriminatory in court using a different provision of the law. Voting rights activists fear the two decisions will make it far easier for those in power to marginalize voters of color at the ballot box and during the once-in-a-decade redistricting process underway this year. Just this year, more than a dozen Republican-led states have enacted restrictive new voting laws. At Pennsylvania State University, the faculty senate passed a resolution expressing no confidence in the schools plan to bring back students without requiring them to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. At Mississippis public universities, the pleas of hundreds of professors to require vaccinations have been drowned out by a politically conservative drumbeat against mandates. And at Clemson University, the faculty plans to stage a protest on Wednesday, the first day of classes, to call for mandatory masks. As thousands of students begin returning to campuses around the United States for the fall, more than 500 universities have said they will require coronavirus vaccination this year. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti The death and injury tolls leapt by many hundreds on Tuesday from the weekend earthquake in Haitis southern peninsula, as survivors soaked from Tropical Storm Grace struggled to keep safe in makeshift shelters. Haitis National Emergency Operations Center said that as of Tuesday evening the number of dead totaled at least 1,941, with 9,900 injured, compared with the official tallies of about 1,400 dead and 7,000 injured reported 24 hours earlier. The sharp increases, while not unexpected, pointed to the slow effort to recover victims of the 7.2 quake on Saturday, which affected roughly 1.5 million people in an area about 80 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the capital. The rain brought by the storm had largely stopped on Tuesday, and many people in afflicted areas were out looking for loved ones, scavenging for supplies and trying to get aid from humanitarian groups, whose efforts were being hampered by severe flooding across the country. Many had sought refuge in the few public buildings spared by the quake. Debate will long rage over whether the United States should have maintained a modest military presence sufficient to keep the Taliban from power and preserve the hopes of the women and emergent middle class of Afghanistan who now feel betrayed. There was little reason to think that what could not be achieved in 20 years might be one day. On the other hand, as Saad Mohseni, an Afghan entrepreneur whose MOBY group runs radio and TV networks in Afghanistan, argued, Afghans have been pushed under the bus in the most unfair and irresponsible way. What seems beyond debate, for now, is the disaster the precipitous American withdrawal has provoked. Just days ago, President Ashraf Ghani, who has now fled, thought he still had two weeks to negotiate an organized transition, according to a person who spoke to him then. In fact, without the United States, his was a house of cards. Long skeptical of the purpose of the longest American war, President Biden acted in the conviction that it was highly unlikely that the Taliban would be overrunning everything and owning the whole country, as he put it last month. Those words seem certain to haunt the Biden presidency, even if there is blame enough to be shared by both parties. So, too, will images from Kabul of the shuttered American Embassy, and of gun-toting Taliban forces taking over the government buildings that were supposed to enshrine an American-built democracy. In the state of Maharashtra, one of the first places struck by Indias devastating second wave of Covid-19 earlier this year, scientists are anxiously looking for signs of a third. New laboratories in the financial capital, Mumbai, and in the city of Pune are searching for dangerous new variants. They have stepped up testing, to over 3,600 samples per month from 134 in December last year, as they search for mutations that could make the virus even harder to stop. India is still far short of its goal to increase genome sequencing nationwide. While Covid-19 cases and deaths have plunged, according to official numbers, the virus is continuing to spread in some parts of the country. A low vaccination rate and other factors have left India especially vulnerable to variants like Delta, the strain that helped power Indias second wave this past spring. We need to track new variants to prepare ourselves for the next wave because waves will keep happening, much like the flu or common cold, which keep recurring because the virus mutates or recombines, said Dr. Vinod Scaria, the principal scientist at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. You cant really prevent that. But you can always be prepared for it. In the accord that former President Trump negotiated with the Taliban in February 2020, the group agreed to not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies. But that agreement now seems to have little value, and many doubted at the time that the Taliban would or could keep its promises on that score. Others, especially in Washington, believe that the Taliban is almost certain to repeat its encouragement of Islamist terrorist groups and think that the chances of another attack on the United States and its allies are much higher now. Nathan Sales, former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, argues that the terrorism risk to the United States is going to get dramatically worse. With the Taliban back in power, he said, it is virtually certain that Al Qaeda will reestablish a safe haven in Afghanistan and use it to plot terrorism against the United States and others. Other experts are less sure. We went into Afghanistan to address the terrorist threat, and it will be a critical measure of whether what we have is just a bad situation or a truly awful one, said John Sawers, former head of Britains foreign intelligence service, known as MI6. To have a friend of terrorists, which Taliban have been, running a whole country is not a good thing. For nearly two decades, Zabihullah Mujahid was the voice of the Taliban, but only on Tuesday did the world get its first look at his face, when he appeared before reporters in a jam-packed Kabul briefing room to discuss what the insurgents plan to do with their newly won country. Mr. Mujahid appeared at pains to strike a conciliatory tone, repeating earlier Taliban assurances that they planned no vendetta against those who had opposed them in Afghanistan, even those who had worked with the American and NATO military forces. The news conference was held days after the insurgents had marched into Kabul, the capital, and as Afghans and the world braced to see if they planned a brutal reprise of their earlier years in power. With Western powers and Afghans who helped them during the United States 20-year war against the Taliban racing to get out of the country, the insurgents have been trying to recast themselves in a less menacing light. Pressed by reporters Tuesday about what would happen next, Mr. Mujahid shied away from detail, saying serious talks were now underway about the shape of a new government. What does Taliban rule mean for women? The Taliban were founded in an ideology dictating that women should play only the most circumscribed roles in society. The last time they ruled, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or even going to school. And women caught outside the home with their faces uncovered risked severe punishment. Unmarried women and men seen together also faced punishment. After the Taliban government was toppled by an American-led coalition, women made many gains in Afghanistan. But two decades later, as the U.S. negotiated a troop withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, many Afghan women feared that all of that ground would be lost. And as the militants take power, there have been ample signs that those fears are well-grounded. In just one example, Taliban fighters entered a bank in Kandahar during fighting in July and ordered nine women working there to leave and said that male relatives should take their place, Reuters reported. And in the northern city of Kunduz this month, the citys new Taliban rulers ordered women who had worked for the government to leave their jobs and never return. Its really strange to not be allowed to get to work, but now this is what it is, one of the bank workers in Kandahar said. Panta Petrovic has been living in a cave in the canyon of Serbias Gradasnicka river for over 16 years, away from modern civilization and in the company of both domestic and wild animals, including a 200-kilogram boar named Mara. Serbias most famous cave dweller recently made international headlines after Agence France Press reported that even he had gotten a Covid-19 vaccine, even though he hardly interacts with other people. But in his home country, Panta has been making headlines for at least the last five years. Everyone in the area around Petrovac city, in south-eastern Serbia knows who he is, because of his unique lifestyle. He has been living as a hermit for the last 15 years, spending half the year in a wooden treehouse in the middle of nowhere, and the other half in a 25-meter-long cave hidden in the canyon of Gradasnicka river. All because he wanted to go back to the basics and get away from modern civilization. Photo: Tim Foster/Unsplash 70-year-old Panta Petrovic spends his days taking care of his dozens of pets and enjoying the freedom and happiness that a life without material possessions offers. He wasnt always like this though, in fact, he remembers a time when he cared a lot about making money and using his mastery of several useful crafts to fill his pockets. He had a lot of friends back then, but as his purse ran dry, most of them evaporated. I didnt fit in that world anymore, and you cant buy this kind of freedom for any money. You dont get a bill for electricity, water And you have all the most valuable things that nature gives you, Panta said in a 2017 interview with the Anatolia News Agency. He bathes in the river, warms himself by a fire he starts in a barrel, sleeps on the ground, and never complains about the lack of modern amenities. In fact, he prefers life this way. Having once lived in a regular home, he claims being a hermit is a million times better and adds that he would gladly consult anyone willing to follow in his footsteps. for free. When I had money, I had no health, and now, when I have no money, I have recovered and I live happily. When I had a lot of money I had a lot of friends, but after slowly running out of money, my friends were nowhere to be found, so now I am left with animals, but also a few real friends with whom I spend long winter nights in the cave, Petrovic said. Panta Petrovic shares his modest cave dwelling with dozens of pets, including chickens, ducks, goats, dogs, cats, and even a full-grown wild boar. She just stumbled into his cave one day, about six years ago, as a piglet, to hide from dogs or hunters that had most likely killed her mother, and never left. Panta took her in and raised her as a pet. Look how much Mara has grown! Petrovic told reporters. She drinks two liters of milk every day, so I keep goats because of her. I tamed her, she does everything I want. The piglet that walked into his cave six years ago weighed only nine kilograms, but today she is over 200-kilograms-heavy. She doesnt always get along with the rest of Pantas pets, but he knows how to keep them separated to avoid trouble. Living alone in a cave isnt easy, and Panta Petrovic admits that things arent always perfect. He sometimes misses human company, and wolves sometimes kill his beloved pets, as a wolf trail passes right above his cave, but they rarely bother him. The wolves from the city, are another matter entirely, though. It is difficult to fight wolves, but it is the most difficult to deal with those wolves that come from the city, those that walk on two legs. Various drug addicts come here, I have found syringes in my cave many times, they destroy everything, they break my plates, and they throw my stove into the river. They cause a lot of trouble for me, Panta complained. Even though he decided to run away from civilization many years ago to go live in a cave, Panta Petrovic is very respected in the rural area around Petrovac. Some people visit him and bring him supplies and food for the animals, and many know him as a master craftsman who still puts his knowledge to good use in the interest of everyone. During his years as a cave hermit, Petrovic single-handedly built three bridges at his own expense, two across the Gradasnicka river and one to a monastery on the way from Pirot to Knjazevac. All these bridges are popularly known as Pantas Bridges. After a life without happiness, about which doesnt want to talk about, Panta Petrovic went back to the basics, to life in the middle of nature, surrounded by animals. Its not for everyone, but he claims it was the best thing that ever happened to him. IPG DXTRA is partnering with anti-racism education non-profit WE ARE, Ad Council, and ADL (Anti-Defamation League) on Dear White Parents, an initiative encouraging White parents to talk with their children about racism early and often. The campaign features a website with a curated library of age-driven resources and discussion guides, anti-racism workshops and discussions, and a short, unscripted film featuring four families introducing and discussing racism with their children. The project was conceived by Margenett Moore-Roberts, IPG DXTRAs chief inclusion and diversity officer. A multi-disciplinary team from across several IPG DXTRA agencies collaborated on the platform. The collective included members from The Brooklyn Brothers, Golin, Hugo & Cat, Resolute Digital, R&CPMK and Weber Shandwick. The campaign will be highlighted as part of the Ad Councils Racial Justice Series, a platform designed to support creatives from like-minded organizations dedicated to dismantling systemic racism and injustice. Were committed to driving awareness and momentum for the people and organizations who have dedicated their careers and lives to fighting racism, said IPG DXTRA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andy Polansky. Ballard Partners forms a strategic alliance with Sacramento-based advocacy firm RESOLUTE Co., expanding the firms footprint into California. Resolutes services include strategy development, policy analysis, relationship building, campaign consulting, public communications and direct lobbying. Its nine lobbyists have experience in such sectors as high-tech/social media, finance, energy, education and gaming. This strategic alliance now allows us to provide our clients with greater advocacy reach in the largest state in the nation, said Ballard Partners president and founder Brian Ballard. Ballard Parners has offices in Washington, DC, Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa and Tel Aviv. Shannon Lee The American Marketing Association Chicago names Shannon Lee, vice president of creative & engagement at StudioNorth, the chapter's new president. Lee will head up the organization at it launches a series of both in-person and virtual initiatives led by marketing pros from the Chicago market and beyond. AMA Chicago, the country's largest AMA chapter for the second year in a row, has also welcomed four new board members and created a strategic relations board position to facilitate communication between the AMA Chicago and the organizations collegiate chapters. The strength of our chapter is due in part to the incredible leadership, programming, and resources our board members have worked so hard to bring to the community," said AMA Chicago executive director Bonnie Massa. CEO of the Health Service Executive, Paul Reid, has given an incredible update on Ireland's vaccine rollout. Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Reid said that over 6.4 million vaccines have now been administered in Ireland with "82% of adults fully vaccinated and 90% partially." He said there was "continued great progress too on the 12-15-year-olds, with almost 100,000 registered & 47,000 administered. "The vaccines are working and give us a pathway to a brighter future," he said. In an earlier post, Paul Reid also confirmed that Ireland has "also completed over 6.3 million Covid-19 lab tests to date." Referring to those operating the vaccine rollout and testing centres, he added, "two major organisations that didn't exist to this level pre-Covid, protecting us all. "Everyone involved in both these operations have done us all really proud" Now over 6.4M vaccines administered here with 82% of adults fully vaccinated & 90% partially. Continued great progress too on the 12-15 year olds, with almost 100,000 registered & 47,000 administered. The vaccines are working & give us a pathway to a brighter future. @HSELive Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) August 17, 2021 Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label. WASHINGTON (AP) When President Joe Biden announced he would stick to his predecessor's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Republican reaction was mixed and largely muted. Foreign policy had become so contentious that the party's own leaders had no single position on the end of the nation's longest war. But the fall of the Afghan government and the Taliban's swift return to power have, at least for now, reunited Republicans in criticism of Biden. Longtime opponents of a withdrawal argued Monday that the president should have seen the disaster coming. Even those who cheered his decision to pull out troops turned to slamming him for doing it badly. "An embarrassing spectacle, a diplomatic humiliation and a national security catastrophe, said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. It was a rare moment of cohesion for a party that has been divided between an old guard that long pushed for U.S. military aggression and supporters of former President Donald Trump who prioritized America First. As Republicans moved Monday to turn the chaos into a political opportunity, it was unclear how long they'd be able to paper over that split. If theyre smart and say, Look, I wanted us out of Afghanistan, but not this way,'" Glen Bolger, a veteran GOP pollster whos worked on numerous congressional campaigns, said of Republicans potentially staying on the political offensive. Not in a total surrender and not letting the Taliban just waltz in and take over everything, hurting women and taking the clock back to the 1400s. The Taliban's entering Kabul doesn't change the fact that Republicans have essentially attempted a U-turn on foreign policy the kind of about-face that likely muddles any case they can make for blaming Biden without drawing some political blowback themselves. The party has moved sharply away from the hawkish days just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when President George W. Bush first led the invasion of Afghanistan and spent years pushing nation-building and aggressive military intervention abroad. The Trump administration agreed late in its term to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan this past May, with the then-president saying last year, Now its time for somebody else to do that work." You know its been 19 years and even they are tired of fighting, Trump said, though he added, If bad things happen, well go back. That agreement it also entailed the Afghan government releasing 5,000 prisoners, some of whom may have joined the latest Taliban offensive was supported by many Republicans. That endorsement didn't waver, even when Biden delayed sending home the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan until Sept. 11, so their departure would mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Cruz was among those who welcomed that decision. He said in April he was "glad troops were coming home. U.S. efforts at nation building actually makes things worse, not better, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a close ally of Trump, said on his podcast this week. Biden returned to the White House from Camp David and tried to refocus the debate on whether the U.S. still belonged in Afghanistan, not how it exited. I'm now the fourth American president to preside over war in Afghanistan, he said. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth. Asked, meanwhile, if negotiating with the Taliban lent legitimacy to terrorists, Mike Pompeo, Trump's former secretary of state and a key architect of the Afghanistan peace agreements, insisted on Fox News Sunday that "we never trusted the Taliban. Still, some of Pompeo's fellow Republicans say Trump shares the blame for what is now unfolding. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who served in the Air Force in Afghanistan, faulted Donald Trumps terrible deal he negotiated but also Bidens "terrible execution of a deal he never should have followed through on." At this moment, people are super excited about, or super focused on, how can they blame the other side. How can they win this political back and forth, Kinzinger said. I think Donald Trump bears huge blame and Joe Biden will ultimately bear the ultimate blame. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters in Anchorage that she was among those who didnt anticipate U.S. troops would be or should be in Afghanistan forever. But, she said, what we have seen play out, I think, is troubling at such a degree and such a level. Murkowski added: I think theres going to be a lot of review about how we came to be at this place at this moment. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., whose father helped shape Bush's foreign policy as his vice president and who herself is one of Trumps fiercest GOP critics, tweeted that the calamity in Afghanistan began with the Trump administration negotiating with terrorists and pretending they were partners for peace." Cheney added that it is "ending with American surrender as Biden abandons the country to our terrorist enemies. Former President Bush, in a statement late Monday, appeared to urge the Biden administration to use its legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees. Bush said he and former first lady Laura Bush are deeply saddened by what's happening in Afghanistan. Our hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much," Bush said. But Bush, who last month criticized the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan and voiced concerns for the fate of Afghan women and girls, did not directly criticize Biden. He said he was confident evacuation efforts will be effective because they are being carried out by the remarkable men and women of the United States Armed Forces, diplomatic corps, and intelligence community. Other Republicans have been more eager to paint what's unfolded as a Biden problem. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the events in Afghanistan an unmitigated disaster" and said that the Biden administration "looks to me like it couldnt organize a two-car funeral. Simply the fact that President Trump announced we were going to leave in May didnt mean President Biden had to do that," McConnell said of withdrawing U.S. forces. The National Republican Congressional Committee launched online attacks against Democrats looking at tough House reelection battles during next year's midterms for their past support of Biden's Afghanistan policy. Others have gone further. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, lumped the Afghanistan developments with what he called the president's failure to address rising inflation or secure the U.S.-Mexico border and wondered in a tweet, "Has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?" Those provisions could remove Biden from office. Democrats control the House, Senate & @WhiteHouse, tweeted Scott, who was traveling Monday and unavailable for further comment. What in the world is Joe Biden doing? But Kinzinger countered that he thinks both parties failed the American people. They were so eager to go out and just make make statements that get applause at a rally like bring all the troops home, without the adequate reality that leaders have got to lead and explain to the American people why the troops are there and why theyre important, Kinzinger said. "Instead, we just get focused on the next election. This is the result of that. ___ Associated Press writers Padmananda Rama in Washington, Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Kentucky, and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report. Abortion makes its way into political discussions often. But what do the medical experts who provide this form of healthcare say? With recent efforts to overturn the 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade, Michigan lawmakers have joined the political discussions. And one of Midlands own has taken action against the Supreme Court ruling. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, was one of six Michigan Republican Congressional members to sign the brief that seeks to overturn Roe v. Wade. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which is a professional membership organization for obstetriciangynecologists, says it affirms a womans legal right to obtain an abortion prior to fetal viability. ACOGs recommendations for policymakers Dr. Lauren Owens, a fellow of ACOG, said when Americans visit their doctor, they expect to receive the highest quality of healthcare. Typically, she said patients seek the advice of their doctor they want to build a relationship and benefit from the doctor's expertise. Owens said people dont usually expect an external force in an examination room. ACOG on Abortion Policy Editor's Note: ACOG's Board of Directors last reaffirmed its perspective on abortion policy in November 2020. Support ACOG strongly supports those activities which prevent unintended pregnancy. ACOG supports access to care for all individuals, irrespective of financial status, and supports the availability of all reproductive options. Oppositions ACOG is opposed to laws and regulations that operate to prevent advancements in medicine. ACOG opposes unnecessary regulations that limit or delay access to care. The intervention of legislative bodies into medical decision making is inappropriate, ill advised, and dangerous. ACOG opposes the harassment of abortion providers and patients. See More Collapse I don't think anybody thinks about who else is in the exam room, Owens said. Is there a politician in the exam room with them? Is there some external force pressing on the physician, to maybe not offer them the standard of care? I would say, let's keep those healthcare decision-making times (in the examination room)...between a patient and their clinician. ACOG echoes Owens's remarks. The group says sound health policy is best based on scientific fact and evidence-based medicine. The best health care is provided free of governmental interference in the patient-physician relationship, ACOG said in a statement on its website. Personal decision-making by women and their doctors should not be replaced by political ideology. What is fetal viability? Fetal viability is the capacity of the fetus for sustained survival outside the womans uterus, according to ACOG. The organization says whether this capacity exists is a medical determination and a matter for the judgment of the responsible health care provider. ACOG is opposed to abortion of a healthy fetus that has attained viability in a healthy woman. Owens said viability is a tricky thing whats viable for one pregnancy is not necessarily viable for another pregnancy. She said this makes political efforts like an abortion ban difficult, because laws are typically black and white whereas with medicine, multiple factors can overlap with each other. Theres not one clear answer, Owens told the Daily News. Theres no equation there. And she said fetal viability could differ based on location. For example, Owens said hospitals' capacity to care for premature babies varies. What is viable in one place is not necessarily the same in another (place), she said. And I would also say, in different pregnancies those things can be different too, depending on what's going on for a person. So, I think that saying that viability is a black and white thing is really dangerous because the person carrying the pregnancy and the clinicians caring for that person probably know a lot more about what viable means for one person than anybody else. What about fetuses experiencing pain? ACOG says a human fetus does not have the capacity to experience pain until after viability. I understand that this can be an emotional issue for people and it is nobody wants anybody to feel pain, but what we know from the best evidence we have is that fetuses pre-viability don't feel pain, Owens said. According to ACOG, connections necessary to transmit signals from peripheral sensory nerves to the brain and brain structures necessary to process those signals do not develop until at least 24 weeks of gestation. Because it lacks these connections and structures, the fetus does not even have the physiological capacity to perceive pain until at least 24 weeks of gestation, ACOG wrote in a statement on its website. In fact, the perception of pain requires more than just the mechanical transmission and reception of signals. ACOG refers to pain as an emotional and psychological experience that requires conscious recognition of a noxious (harmful or unpleasant) stimulus. The group says this capacity does not develop until the third trimester at the earliest, well past the period between 20 weeks and viability. And the neural circuitry necessary to distinguish touch from painful touch does not develop until late in the third trimester. The occurrence of intrauterine fetal movement is not an indication that a fetus can feel pain, according to ACOG. Considering the pregnant person Owens said when having conversations about pregnancy, it is important to center language around the pregnant person. She said in practice, her concern is focused on her patient and their access to care. Owens said one in four American women access abortion care by the time they are 45 years old. She said as an obstetrician-gynecologist, she takes care of pregnant people, works with babies, provides abortion care and pap-smears and assists in monitoring fetuses and delivering babies. I would ask people to center (their language around) that pregnant person and to think about that (statistic), she said. This is how common this healthcare is. And I think this conversation is just incomplete without thinking about the people who are pregnant. Owens is also the Michigan State Advocacy chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG activities include producing practice guidelines for providers and educational materials for patients, providing practice management and career support, facilitating programs and initiatives aimed at improving womens health and advocating on behalf of members and patients. The owner of the former Holiday Inn building has been released from Midland County after satisfying Judge Michael Carpenter, of the 75th District Court, with his progress with demolition of the building and payment of his fines. The decision was made during a Monday review hearing to see the status of the buildings demolition and fines. The owner, Jeff Kern, had been ordered to remain in Midland County on Aug. 9 after being released from the county jail. Kern can now return to his home state of California, but must return for a review hearing at 2 p.m. on Sept. 20. I am convinced that the process is now going forward, it is going forward at a steady and regular pace, and that Mr. Kern has done what is necessary now to satisfy the court regarding his civil contempt, Carpenter said. Midland City Attorney Jim Branson and demolition contractor Pat Battaglia said the building, near the corner of West Wackerly and Eastman, is about a quarter of the way demolished. However, Battaglia said the asbestos hotspot in the center of the building has many challenges. We have been concerned about this asbestos-hot area of the building for months now, Battaglia said. (The) abatement alone could take, if started in earnest, six to eight weeks. It is so intense because we have to scrape every inch of plaster off the existing walls and ceilings in that building. Battaglia said considering both the asbestos abatement and the remainder of the other parts of the building still standing, it could be as long as 16 more weeks before the building is completely torn down. As of Aug. 16, Kern has paid $22,500 of his $231,490 in fines and fees. These include fines for not demolishing the building in time and interpreter fees, since Kern has required an interpreter during the court process. Kern paid $2,500 while in jail and another $20,000 after last weeks hearing. Kerns lawyer, Richard Wolney, said Kern must return to California to meet with his financial people and lenders to secure additional funds, since they would only release $20,000 to him in Michigan. The 142,500-square-foot property has sat condemned since 2018. The city filed a lawsuit against Kern in 2020 after a long period of little action from the owner to tear down the structure located at 1500 W. Wackerly St. Kern was jailed for civil contempt on Aug. 2 due to not having two-thirds of the building torn down by the start of that days hearing. Carpenter allowed Kern to have his drivers license back so he can return to California. However, he must return in-person at the Midland County Courthouse for the Sept. 20 hearing where the judge will see what the status is on the buildings demolition and how much of Kern's fines have been paid. PHILADELPHIA (AP) A group of more than 100 former and current prosecutors and law enforcement officials is calling on President Joe Biden to prioritize criminal justice reform and make good on his campaign promise to form a task force to evaluate how criminal cases are prosecuted in the U.S. The group, which included state attorneys general, police chiefs and former federal justice officials, sent a letter to the Biden administration Tuesday asking that a task force on 21st century prosecution be convened by the end of the year. It's the latest call to action from progressive groups that have been putting pressure on the Biden administration and the Justice Department to implement criminal justice overhauls from policing to prisons. We havent seen a national focus on the work of local prosecutors, who were in many ways the driver of damage that has been done over the decades, but in many ways in recent years in isolated jurisdictions are the source of reform and inspiration, Miriam Aroni Krinsky, founder and executive director of the group Fair and Just Prosecution and also a former federal prosecutor, said in an interview. Biden's criminal justice platform included plans to create a task force to look at prosecutorial discretion, meaning the decisions made on when to charge someone and with what crimes, which varies widely across jurisdictions and can mean longer sentences, parole or probation and force some people to take plea deals. The letter writers are hoping the administration will take a broader look at prosecutorial policies with its recommended task force. Krinskys organization released a research paper Tuesday outlining hopes for what the task force would look like and what it could achieve as well as further steps the federal government should take to incentivize implementing recommendations from the task force to make sure its findings dont sit on a shelf gathering dust. The Biden administration has held multiple meetings to discuss and implement measures to address rising gun violence across the country as well as touting money in the COVID-19 relief package for policing. Other talks have focused on prison reforms or the death penalty. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently traveled to Chicago and visited a community group focused on driving down violence in the community. But the group of prosecutors and law enforcement officials in Tuesday's letter noted much of the discussion around criminal justice reforms neglects to address the importance of prosecutors in the system and policy changes such as ending cash bail and declining to prosecute smaller crimes as ways to address racial inequity, persistent poverty and over incarceration. For a president who has very much expressed support for reforming the criminal justice system and a rethinking of the type of tough on crime policies of the 80s and 90s, this is an opportunity to ride the wave of local innovation and pierce the black box of the local prosecutors office, to take the best of what is happening locally and implement it around the country, Krinsky said. Under the Fair and Just Prosecution model, the task force would operate outside of the Justice Department and consist of reform-minded prosecutors, civil rights advocates, defense attorneys, crime victims, researchers and those who have been affected by the criminal justice system. The group said the task force should produce a final report in about a year. The group wants the task force to come up with an implementation plan for its recommendations including an oversight group, and ways to incentivize local prosecutors to enact the recommended reforms through grants and federal policy changes. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has condemned the closure of the eastern branch of the artificial river, a source of drinking water, by gunmen as a collective punishment, calling for the perpetrators of this act to be brought to justice Tripoli, Libya (PANA) The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Tuesday reiterated that access to water and water supply should never be politicized Photo: (Photo : AMOS GUMULIRA/AFP via Getty Images) Madonna's eldest child, Lourdes Leon, 24, has revealed that she paid her own college fees and did not rely on financial help from her famous mother. The young model and dancer, Madonna's daughter with ex-partner and personal trainer Carlos Leon, told Vogue in its September 2021 issue that she is not a "talentless rich kid" who has everything handed to her because she has music royalty for a mom. Lourdes, fondly called Lola by friends and family, has also chosen to live in Brooklyn far from Hollywood Tinseltown, where Madonna's music and image are glorified as she's the Queen of Pop. The young adult said that she is trying to make a life of her own and has been chosen as one of eight models to be featured in Vogue's Generation America: The Models Changing an Industry with Bella Hadid, Precious Lee, Kaia Gerber, Ariel Nicholson, Sherry Shi, Anok Yai, and Yumi Nu. Lourdes Leon's Education As a teenager, Lola graduated from the LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts and Performing Arts in Manhattan, where she used to date actor Timothee Chalamet. In 2014, Madonna's daughter enrolled at the University of Michigan to study dance, music, and theater. She finished college and earned her degree in 2018. Read Also: Why Quentin Tarantino Vows Not to Share His Fortune With His Mom Incidentally, Madonna was also a student of the University of Michigan before she dropped out and pursued her music career. In 2012, Madonna encouraged Lola to attend the Midwest school for college because "Ann Arbor is an awesome place." While still in school, Lola worked as the Creative Director for the fashion line Material Girl, her partnership with her mother. The brand sells stylish clothes at Macy's. After college, she became a model for Miu Miu's campaign and was the face of the POP fragrance, designer Stella McCartney's line. She also helped in conceptualizing Madonna's MDNA album and did some of the background vocals. In 2019, Madonna said that her daughter is such a talented dancer, musician, and actress. The mom said that Lourdes is "way better" than her, but she doesn't have the same drive and ambition to hit it big. Lourdes has five younger siblings: Rocco Ritchie, her biological half-brother and adopted siblings, David Banda, twins Estere and Stelle Ciccone, and Mercy James. Best Relationship with Dad Lola has a good relationship with her father despite Carlos' split with Madonna. In an interview with People Magazine, the dad said that his daughter is everything in his life, and he's grateful for Madonna for letting him become a part of Lola's life as she grew up. Carlos admitted that he's quite lenient with his daughter and allows her to watch movies until past her curfew. He'd like to believe that he listens well to his daughter, but he can be overprotective with the boys. Lola has a close relationship with her father's side of the family as well and once visited her father's hometown in Cuba, where her relatives said she looks a lot like her grandmother. She told Vanity Fair that it had been an emotional trip. Related Article: Vanessa Bryant Sorts Out Lawsuit With Mom for 'Unpaid Nanny Services' Photo: (Photo : Rich Fury/Getty Images) Rap superstar Lil Wayne tried to take his own life at 12 years old. Though he was always vocal about his mental health struggles, it's the first time he's revealed that he tried to commit suicide at such a young age. In an interview with Emmanuel Acho for the "Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man," Wayne detailed how he attempted to end his life after returning home from school. He said that he knew where his mother was hiding her gun, so he grabbed it and called the police about his plans. When he pointed the gun to his head, Wayne said he "got a little too scared" to pull the trigger. He could see from the mirror that the video of the deceased rap star, The Notorious B.I.G.'s "One More Chance," was on and realized the moment he knew he had a mental health problem. Mustering more courage, the five-time Grammy-winning rapper said that he took another chance and aimed for his chest, pulled the trigger, and felt nothing but shock. The police came just in time to bring him to the hospital with their police car. One of the cops, whom Wayne called Uncle Bob, was the only authority who acknowledged that he needed immediate help and didn't wait for the ambulance to arrive, while the rest of the cops looked for other guns or drugs in the house. Read Also: Florida Toddler Accidentally Kills Mom With a Gun While She Was on Zoom The Build-Up The rapper said that when he was ten years old, his mother told him that he could not have what he wanted to rap and make music. As a young boy, he would skip class in the afternoon to hang out and rap with other kids. His mother found out that he was cutting classes and was warned by his aunt that she would throw his rap materials away. Wayne said that build-up to his disappointments contributed to his issues and vowed that he was "gonna show" his mother after she berated him. When Acho asked what he meant by this, he said that he was going to commit suicide. However, the music artist said that his mother has changed since his suicide attempt, and he assumed it was because she almost lost her son. Wayne said that he had not seen that side of his mother that kept on scolding him and putting him down again. His Problems Didn't Go Away Wayne has made songs about his attempted suicide, especially in "Let It All Work Out" and "London Roads." He also spoke about this part of his life in a 2018 interview but did not detail that he was barely a teenager when it happened. However, Wayne said that as he grew up, his mental health issues didn't magically disappear. Instead, his struggles evolved, and he felt mostly alone all the time. He often wondered if anyone cared for him. But the rapper poured his energy into music where he's the happiest. He also advised parents with children struggling with mental health to "react in the realest way possible." Related Article: Why Quentin Tarantino Vows Not to Share His Fortune With His Mom Photo: (Photo : Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix) Angeline Jolie has spent lots of solo quality time with each of her children now that they are growing up and spreading their wings. The "Maleficent" star was recently seen on a dinner date with her second child, Pax, 17, in a fancy Malibu restaurant. The superstar mom and her son, who could soon leave home just like his older brother, Maddox, had a sushi dinner in Nobu and may have been discussing Pax's plans after high school. The 17-year-old has recently graduated from a private high school in Los Angeles, but it's still unclear if Pax has plans to join Maddox, who is taking up college courses at the Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. According to The Sun, Pax, who is media-shy, skipped his graduation ceremony last June because he didn't want the event to become a "circus." Sources said, however, that his name, Pax Jolie-Pitt, was on the graduates' pamphlet. It comes as Jolie lost her bid for sole custody of her five minor children -- Pax, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, twins Knox and Viviene, 13 -- after the judge awarded her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, joint custody in May 2021. According to reports, their eldest, Maddox, who is in his 20s, has decided to drop his father's family name and went by Jolie. Read Also: Angelina Jolie Wins Custody Case Appeal To Disqualify Judge for 'Ethical Breach' Angelina and Shiloh Together in Italy Pax's solo time with their superstar mom also comes just a few weeks after Jolie was seen with her first biological child, Shiloh, during a trip to Italy. While the rest of the brood were also on the trip, Jolie and Shiloh spent an extra day together in Venice, where the actress had an evening art event. According to Life & Style, Jolie and Shiloh took a stroll and rode the water taxi that brought them all over interesting sites in Venice. A day later, they returned to Los Angeles, where Jolie was then seen joining Zahara for their mother-daughter date at the Hollywood Bowl, where they watched a Ziggy Marley concert. Meanwhile, in an interview with British Vogue, the 46-year-old mom said that the custody battle with Pitt has not been easy as the process took several months with many testimonies from witnesses, therapists, and experts who have been around the children. However, the actress said that she has been managing through the legal battle because of her kids. "I feel like we're such a team," Jolie said. "You love and you try, and even if you burn the eggs, that doesn't matter in the end." Angelina Stressed Out? Meanwhile, according to Star Magazine, Jolie's children have been "pushing her to eat" because she's losing weight due to stress over her custody battle with Pitt. Insiders said that the actress hopes to gain 10 pounds by the end of the summer based on her children's request. However, Gossip Cop debunked the report saying that the "Maleficent" star has always had a slim figure and does not appear to have had a significant weight loss in the last few months. She also looked fine and enjoyed her trip to Italy with her children. Related Article: Angelina Jolie's Son Maddox Allegedly Stolen as a Baby, New Documentary To Shed Light The 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) took off on Mondays, with roughly 446, 321 candidates across the country sitting for the examinations. A total of 375,763 candidates sat for the examination last year. This years lot includes 224,884 females and 221,437 males, with 763 supervisors and centres. A statement issued by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) indicated that 965 schools were participating in the exams, out of which 651 were public schools and 314 private schools. According to the statement, the Ashanti Region had the highest number of candidates with 108,485 students, followed by the Eastern Region with 65,623 candidates participating in the examinations. The Upper West Region had the lowest representation with 9,338 candidates. The examination, which commenced with Project Work for Visual Arts candidates, is expected to come to an end on Friday, October 8, 2021. Candidates will write the English language (oral) paper on Wednesday, September 2, 2021, while the English language Essay and objective papers would be written on Monday, September 13, 2021. The WAEC, last year conducted the WASSCE concurrently in Anglophone West Africa-Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia- announced on March 20, 2020, but suspended the annual examination indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon discussions with Ghana following the countrys decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions, final year students were allowed to return to school and it was agreed that the exams will be held independently for Ghana. However Ghana is re-joining its counterparts to write the examinations this year. Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, wished the 2021 candidates success in their examinations, saying I wish to see you excel after your hard work over the past three years. Your teachers have contributed their quota by imparting a great volume of knowledge in you, and you have also burnt the midnight oil for this day. Now is your time to go and write for victory! Go ahead and excel, I wish you all the best, he said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of New Life Homeopathic Hospital, Dr Mark Agyei, last Friday, August 13, 2021, was declared winner in the health category as the outstanding business leader of the year by the Ghana Business Standard Awards 2021. Speaking to the media after winning the prestigious health category of the award scheme, Dr Mark Agyei in the company of his team expressed his gratitude to his team at the New Life Homeopathic Hospital for their selfless, and dedication towards the growth of the hospital in all the three branches. Meanwhile, Dr Mark Agyei on last Saturday 31st July 2021 extended the service of homoeopathy treatment to the people of Takoradi in the Western Region by opening a new branch to serve the region. Dr Mark Agyei noted that his desire to open a new branch in Takoradi is to reach out to people with acute and chronic diseases like stroke, infertility, prostate disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction which have become prevalent. He stressed that it is the mission of the management of the New Life Homeopathic Clinic to establish branches throughout the country to find solutions to the health challenges Ghanaians are facing. The Takoradi branch of New Life Homeopathic Clinic is a full facility with modern equipment such as an ultramodern laboratory, physiotherapy unit, ultrasound scan machine, OPD, Consulting Rooms and Dispensary, and other units to serve the people of Takoradi. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has stated that the countrys huge gas reserves make it imperative for her to exploit and monetize them as leverage for her industrial takeoff. Dr. Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, made this call when he led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Mayor of Houston, Mr. Sylvester Turner, at his office in downtown Houston. The Minister is in the United States for this years Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) which is currently taking place in Houston, Texas. In attendance at the meeting were Ghanas Ambassador to the USA, H.E Hajia Alima Mahama, Deputy Minister Hon. Egyapa Mercer, the CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Mr. Yoofi Grant as well as senior officials from the Ministry and some of its agencies. Their discussions focused on the energy sector in the context of the energy transition, Ghanas investment climate, international trade, and empowerment of Africa in the global scheme of things. In his remarks, Dr. Prempeh stated that Ghanas first oil find in commercial quantities was by Kosmos, a Houston-based company, which left the country but is back. He further emphasized Ghanas huge gas reserves which must be monetized for the benefit of our industrial agenda whilst making the case for companies to invest in Ghana. He noted that energy transition need not mean an abandonment of our natural oil and gas resources, which is why Ghana is as this years OTC to encourage investment flows into the countrys energy sector. I can feel the pressure on African countries to conform to the energy transition agenda, even though Africa has contributed marginally to the phenomenon that is driving this agenda. We have so much gas that we need the cooperation of Houston and its domiciled energy giants, the Minister remarked. In agreeing with the Minister, Mayor Turner noted that from Senegal all the way to Angola, huge gas reserves in the Gulf of Guinea made it imperative to discuss ways in which the continent can benefit from them within the framework of the energy transition conversation, noting that through clean technology, investments in carbon sequestration, etc, it was possible to make good progress towards clean energy and called on African leaders to be more involved in this. My commitment to Africa is very real, and people like me want to do everything we can to make it happen, which is why I think it is important to have the continents leaders engage with the energy companies, he stated. In response, Dr. Prempeh revealed that West African energy leaders intend to meet ahead of the next World Congress on Petroleum in December 2021 to ensure synergies and coordination of their views and strategies for the industry. On her part, Ghanas Ambassador to the United States, H. E Hajia Alima Mahama, stated that Africa is going through some reforms and recognizes that she must develop through trade. She disclosed that the AU recently ratified the AfCTFA which is hosted in Ghana, so investing in Ghana is by extension an opening to a whole continental market. On job creation in the petroleum sector, she remarked that The downstream sector of will plays a key role in the stability of the continent as it is a greater job creation tool The OTC, which started yesterday, will end on Thursday 19th August 2021. Among the Minsters other engagements during the event are a keynote speech at a West African Oil and Gas Forum, an encounter with the Ghanaian community in Houston, and several private engagements with various key players in Houstons energy space. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Report reaching DGN Online indicates that hundreds of people are thronging various Covid-19 vaccination centres in the country to receive the Johnson &Johnson single dose jab. The number of people turning up at the various centres across the country are said to encouraging. More of the people, especially the youth are eager visiting various centres to get the vaccine unlike previously where priority were given to the aged and frontline workers. Media reports monitored by DGN Online shows that there is increased interest in receiving the vaccine. In the Ashanti Region for instance, where 50,000 doses were reportedly deployed to the area by the Ghana Health Service, over 11,000 people were said to have received their jabs so far. In the Greater Accra Region, 100 people have been injected the vaccine at the Mamprobi Hospital as at Monday. The situation is no different at the TMA Health Centre in Tema where over 65 people have been given the vaccine although there was delay in the commencement of vaccination last Friday but several people have stormed the centres Monday when they started the process. At Kpone, the youth are taking special interest in the vaccination as the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA), Solomon Appiah expressed excitement about the turnout at the various centres. At the Lapaz Community Hospital where about 400 persons are expected to take their jabs, over 70 persons have so far have been injected. The Ghana Health Service is expected to vaccinate more than 177,000 people with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. Starting Friday, August 13, 2021, the Johnson &Johnson jabs will be given in two hotspot regions, Greater Accra and the Ashanti regions. The exercise is, however, expected to end on August 20, 2021. Unlike the previous jabs, people above the age of 18, with the exception of pregnant women, will be eligible for the vaccination. Preference would, however, be given to people who are 60 years and above and those with underlying health conditions. The Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, said the current Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccines would be done in 11 districts of concern in the two hotspot regions. According to him, the vaccines would not be administered to those who have taken the earlier vaccines. He explained that this is because it is not medically right to mix COVID-19 vaccines from different sources. Source: Daily Guide 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 Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has paid a whopping amount of GH182,576,235.15 to Cenit Energy as capacity charges for electricity not supplied for 12 months in 2018. However, Cenit supplied only 300.00kWh and 2,220,900.00kWh in August and December respectively for the full year. According to the 2020 Auditor-Generals Report, ECG also lost 2,649.08 GWh, which represented 24.30% of the power purchased from the power-producing companies to system losses. The report advised the companys Management to determine losses that are due to technical and commercial challenges to enable ECG to deploy measures to reduce those losses. It also advised Management to ensure that exit clauses are considered extensively before signing contracts. The Auditor-General's report noted that during the audit, ECG has not established an Audit Committee, but the Board Sub-committee on Finance performed oversight responsibilities of the Audit Committee function. It, however, advised Management to establish an Audit Committee per the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921). The report noted that Management procured prepayment meters and 265sq meters of conductors amounting to GH59,161,964.56 between 2014 and 2016. Those items were not issued till the time of their inspection on August 8, 2019. "We recommended to Management to ensure that the prepayment meters and conductors are issued out to the users failing which the amount involved should be recovered from the officers who engaged in the procurement," the report said. The Auditor-General's report also disclosed that electrical materials amounting to GH11,581,019.21 were given out on loan to eight beneficiary Companies. Those materials were issued out between 2014 and 2018 without any specific terms of the agreement. It advised Management to pursue the returns of those electrical supplies or the parties concerned should be made to pay for the cost of the materials as considered appropriate before the materials become obsolete. "We noted during our audit that 17 transformers were damaged within 2010 and 2013 but they are unable to ascertain the basis upon which the transformers with an average useful life of 35 years can be damaged without use," it added. The report recommended to ECGs Management to safeguard assets procured and ensure that the faulty transformers were repaired or the Procurement Officers and Operations Directorate should be held responsible for the damage to the equipment. The report noted that during the review of the companys store summary, a total amount of GH3,214,526.18 and GH1,746,094.89 were classified as stock surplus and shortage respectively. It called on the ECG Management to strengthen supervision to safeguard assets and urged Management to expedite action to produce the Committees report for review. The report indicated that the value of materials transferred from the stores of the Accra West Region to the dedicated or rechargeable jobs was higher than ECG estimates made to customers. As a result, ECG made losses amounting to GH179,647.23 for materials provided on rechargeable jobs. Thus, the Auditor-General has advised the ECG Management to ensure that the engineer's estimate should be on materials only, whilst the accounts section does the costing of the materials to avoid recurrence of the loss of materials for dedicated jobs. The Audit Report noted that during the audit, 16 Special Load Tariff Companies in the Region had not paid their debts amounting to GH27,857,498.59. It, therefore, directed the companys Management to expedite action on the legal proceedings to recover the debt and urged it also to ensure that the Companies do not reconnect the meters secretly. 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 former Special Prosecutor, Martin A. B. K. Amidu, has fired salvoes at the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta over the botched Sputnik V contract that was signed by the Heath Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu. "The Minister of Finance called on We the People, whom the Government conceives as rabble, in an interview on Wednesday, 4th August 2021 on Asaase Radio, his familys radio station, to empathize with the Minister of Health for contravening the Public Procurement Act and Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution in the unlawful contract executed for the procurement of the Sputnik V Covid 19 vaccines. But it is this same de facto co-President and Minister of Finance who takes responsibility for the order for the payment upon the unconstitutional and illegal Sputnik V Covid-19 procurement contract for this international business or economic transaction without Parliamentary approval," a portion of his article copied to Peacefmonline.com read. Read below his full article: DO NOT BE LIKE THOMAS WHOSE EYES COULD NOT SEE AKUFO-ADDOS SPUTNIK-V, AGYAPA & OTHER AFFAIRS: BY MARTIN A. B. K. AMIDU INTRODUCTION From my experience working with President Akufo-Addo I can bet my last pesewa that the report of the adhoc parliamentary committee on the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine procurement was just a smokescreen behind which to exonerate and whitewash all the suspected unconstitutionalities and illegalities committed by the Government in the procurement contract and payment for the vaccines. Ghanaians must be hallucinating to think that the Minister of Health, whom I have known since our Commonwealth Hall days in the 1970s, would have had the temerity to have executed the Sputnik Covid-19 procurement contract without executive approval by the Mother of the Government. The Presidents Bono Region pronouncements on 10th August 2021 constitutes evidence of his interference with the investigatory and adjudicatory processes pending before a supposedly independent and coordinate arm of government the Legislature before which the suspected Sputnik V corruption affair is currently pending for a decision on the findings and recommendations of the adhoc parliamentary committee. When I stated the Presidents interference with the independent performance of the functions of the Special Prosecutor in investigations and prosecution of suspected corruption and corruption-related matters affecting the government and its appointees as the main reason for my resignation, doubting Thomases as usual had no eyes to see nor hear and questioned my judgment. After my resignation, the whole world witnessed how the anti-corruption Auditor-General, Mr. Daniel Domelevo, was hounded out of office on flimsy grounds for daring to endorse and approve audit findings made by his staff against members of The Family. In the President Akufo-Addo Governments desperation for vengeance, the EOCO hauled in the Auditor-General for alleged procurement malpractices involving the absence of public procurement authority approval in a case in which the Auditor-General was clearly not involved in the procurement process or of any breaches thereof. The revenge exacted by the President on Mr. Daniel Domelevo, as an Auditor General exercising the independent constitutional functions assigned to his office under the Constitution as the Auditor General was a clear interference in the performance of the functions of the Auditor-General by the President for making audit findings against members of The Family and yet the doubting Thomases could not again see nor hear. What makes Daniel Domelevos government manufactured procurement suspected breaches warranting EOCO harassment different from the Governments own breaches of the Public Procurement Act and article 181(5) of the Constitution in the Sputnik V Covid-19 procurement contract as an international business or economic transaction? When did a thief or an armed robber who steals or robs another cease to be a thief or an armed robber simply by returning part of the stolen or robbed property to the owner? Does the alleged refund of the sum of US$2, 470,000 out of the initial unlawful part payment by cousin co-President and Minister of Finance, of a sum of US$2,850,000 render constitutional and legal the initial payment including the 20,000 doses of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines delivered by Sheikh Ahmed al Maktoum, representing US$380,000 of the unconstitutional international business and economic procurement transaction? RESOLUTION OF THE SPUTNIK V COVID-19 AL-MAKTOUM VOID CONTRACT I have since January 2021 followed the genesis of the Russian Sputnik V- Covid-19 vaccine arrangement between the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Aurugulf Health Investments, an Abu Dhabi-based company established late last year with close connections to Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum, a low-ranking Dubai royal, acting as the chief dealmaker leading to the suspicious deal with the Government of Ghana in the purported procurement of Sputnik -V Covid-19 vaccines at inflated prices from the Ghanaian public purse that culminated in the constitution by Parliament of a nine-member adhoc bipartisan committee of Parliament to investigate the matter. Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum of Ameri Group LLC fame under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Governments and the controversies surrounding the short-changing of the Ghanaian public purse by public officers for private gain in the power generation sector is well documented to need reminders. (See for instance a summation in Timeline: How Mahamas Ameri deal claimed an Akufo-Addo Minister, MyJoyonline.com, 7 August 2018.) The Parliamentary bipartisan adhoc committee But Sheikh Ahmed al-Maktoums involvement again in the Sputnik V- Covid 19 international business or economic transactions procurement contract after the Ameri Group energy debacles that smeared both the NDC and the NPP Governments creates a context for appreciating the true nature of the alleged parliamentary engineered bipartisan resolution of the suspected Sputnik corruption and corruption-related affairs by a Parliament dominated by the same political parties of known greedy financial affinity with the Sheikh. And it came to pass, that the resolution on the findings and recommendations on the alleged parliamentary bipartisan adhoc committee report, as I expected, was adjourned sine die with the earliest time it could ever be re-tabled for a plenary decision being October 2021. Any person who has carefully studied how systems of western style parliaments and so-called democracies take We the People for rabble until election time would understand the underpinnings of the parliamentary action apparently purposively reserved for the last day of its session on Friday, 6th August 2021. Postpone the day of reckoning with the appearance of disagreement from the two sides in parliament who were previously associated with the scandalous Ameri Group power transactions, and the rabble will forget the momentum and seriousness of the constitutional infractions involved in the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines constitutionally void procurement contracts. The content of the adhoc parliamentary committee report which I have carefully perused has, expectedly, turned into a partisan political point scoring contest between the NPP Government, and the dominant opposition NDC both on the floor of Parliament and in the media since Parliament went on recess. Just yesterday, 11th August 2021, I read on Ghana Web a report attributed to the Chairperson of the adhoc parliamentary committee, Hon. Afenyo-Markin, stating that the call for, the Minister of Health, Hon. Agyeman-Manus resignation were far-fetched. The Chairpersons position was made in the teeth of the authoritative Balkan Energy, and Isofoton SA, cases decided by the Supreme Court in relation to international business or economic transactions procurement contracts and Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution. Interventions by the co-President and Minister for Finance Even before Parliament could receive and deliberate on the adhoc bipartisan committees report the de facto co-President who is also Minister of Finance of Ghana announced, what from my experience constituted the Governments de jure position on the matter, suspected criminality notwithstanding. The Minister of Finance called on We the People, whom the Government conceives as rabble, in an interview on Wednesday, 4th August 2021 on Asaase Radio, his familys radio station, to empathize with the Minister of Health for contravening the Public Procurement Act and Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution in the unlawful contract executed for the procurement of the Sputnik V Covid 19 vaccines. But it is this same de facto co-President and Minister of Finance who takes responsibility for the order for the payment upon the unconstitutional and illegal Sputnik V Covid-19 procurement contract for this international business or economic transaction without Parliamentary approval. Paradoxically, this was the same co-President and Minister of Finance who had himself gotten away with the aborted parliamentary approved Agyapa Transaction upon the exercise of executive veto by his co and de jure President that resulted in the resignation of the Special Prosecutor in November 2020. In an earlier interview the de facto co-President and Minister of Finance gave to a Norwegian journalist in June 2021 his language in response to the interrogatories from the Norwegian journalist was couched in terms of the royal we meaning he was speaking on behalf of the Akufo-Addo Government. Part of that interview is republished in audio on JoyNews and AdomNews under the heading Sputnik contract: Norwegian investigative journalists interview with Ken Ofori-Atta. The reader may wish to affirm the facts and the authoritative pronouncements made by the co-President and Minister of Finance on behalf of the Ministry of Health, the Minister of Finance, and the Government as a collective. Any rational and patriotic Ghanaian who did not, therefore, reasonably foresee the Presidents position on this matter after the pronouncements of the co-President and Minister of Finance at the two interviews has not analytically followed the policy and decision-making history of this Government. The final interfering endorsement by President Akufo-Addo of the Sputnik affairs It came as no surprise to me when President Nana Akufo-Addo as Mother of his Government finally endorsed on Tuesday, 10th August 2021, his de facto co-President and Minister of Finances pronouncements and announcements when during engagements in the Bono Region, the President said his government acknowledged and appreciated the exceptional commitment and support of Mr. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations and Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, the Minister for Health. The President is reported by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to have said his government would forever be grateful to the two Ministers and the chiefs and people of the region as a whole and assured he would accordingly ensure the region equally benefited from the sharing of the national cake. President Nana Akufo-Addo is also reported by the GNA to have said that he was aware Mr. Agyemang-Manu was going through serious public criticism in the midst of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, but his general contribution in managing the disease in the country was exceptional and laudable. Never be fooled that this was intended as a joke. Within the scheme of the 1992 Constitutions separation of powers doctrine, the executive branch was unfortunately given control over the public purse for the operations of the two other coordinate and supposedly independent arms of government the legislature and the judiciary. The representative electoral democratic system enshrined in the constitution has made any legislature dominated by the ruling government an appendage of the executive chariot because of the executives power to dispense patronages of ministerial and other appointments to Members of Parliament and the political party structures evolved by the two dominant political parties, the NPP and the NDC, over the years of their existence. The executive branchs controlling powers over the allocations from the public purse to the judicial branch, its appointment, and promotion of justices, judicial officers and quasi-judicial officers at all levels of the judicial and law enforcement structures puts the executive branch in the position of an invisible ever-present sword of Damocles operating, and hanging over, and possibly influencing the inarticulate major premise for decision-making of those charged with investigating and dispensing justice. In such a constitutional dispensation, any pronouncement by the President of the Republic adulating any of his appointees who is under investigation for the possible commission of suspected crime, particularly corruption-related crimes, constitute a signal in the nature of a directive first to the Presidents appointees and Members of Parliament from the governing party and secondly, subconsciously to any other government institution to obey the presidential whip contained in the President Akufo-Addo Bono directives to avoid incurring the displeasure and vengeance of the all-powerful executive branch of government, headed by the President. CONCLUSIONS The fight against corruption and greed generally has become an empty and instrumental clarion call for the two major political parties in Ghana for conning We the People to exhibit our genuine dislike and disdain for corruption and corrupt politicians by voting at the next polls to change the incumbent government to enable any of the two rivals in opposition for the time being, to also have a bite at the corruption cheer as Government. It happened at the 2000 elections; it happened at the 2008 elections; it happened again at the 2016 elections; and they look forward to conning We the People again at the 2024 elections. This is, therefore, the time for all patriotic Ghanaians to wake up and with open eyes, cease to be like Thomas whose eyes could not see at this crucial moment of our dear nations history that requires each of us to sacrifice to defend the 1992 Constitution and put Ghana First. Source: Martin A. B. K. Amidu 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 Malaysia's Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday August 16 resigned from his position after months of political turmoil. Muhyiddin offered his resignation to the King after holding a special meeting with his cabinet. This follows months of political instability that led to the loss of his majority in parliament. His resignation also hampers efforts to reboot a pandemic-stricken economy and curb a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. He said in a televised address that he had submitted his resignation to the king because he had failed to maintain the confidence of a majority of lawmakers. The Southeast Asian nation's King has now appointed Muhyiddin as the caretaker prime minister until a new premier can be found, but did not give a timeline. King Al-Sultan Abdullah ruled out elections because of the pandemic and said he would invoke his constitutional power to appoint a prime minister he believes is likely to command a majority. A statement released after Muhyiddin's resignation read; The king has received the resignation letter of Muhyiddin Yassin and the entire cabinet effective immediately. Following the resignation, the king is pleased for Muhyiddin to fill the role as caretaker prime minister until a new prime minister is appointed. When the previous ruling coalition collapsed in February 2020, the king, Malaysias constitutional monarch, met all 222 lawmakers to determine who had majority support, eventually selecting Muhyiddin. 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 Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, says the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) does not have the majority power in Parliament. According to him, aside from the fact that the people during the 2020 elections voted for an equal number of seats for both NPP and the opposition NDC, most of the NPP MPs are in the Executive arm of government and sometimes fail to attend parliamentary sittings. He explained that because these MPs have been tasked to take care of matters at their respective ministries, they can sometimes vote on some matters. The 137-137, it was the people who decided. There was no system or formula put in place; the people just voted. One of the persons who made them the majority, they didnt want him, so he stood as independent and beat the government candidate. He is now the second deputy speaker, so actually, there is no majority. But, if not because of my impartiality, anytime they want to vote, I step aside, and one of them will come and sit down, and they are 137-137. So, they dont have the power they think they have; they dont have it at all, Mr Bagbin said. The Speaker of Parliament stated that despite having an affiliation with the opposition NDC, he has no interest in being partial to frustrate government business. Thus, he is interested in ensuring that, even though all the powers may not lie with the NPP when it comes to parliament, the governments business is seen to a successful end. So, the President is trying to get me to take some steps to assist so that they (ministers/members of the executive) can be in parliament to work, Mr Bagbin added. Source: myjoyonline,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 Social media users are confused after footage of Reverend Father kissing three students in Ghana hits online. In the video, the Reverend Father, whose identity is currently unknown, called and gave each girl a kiss which lasted about 2 seconds on average. The first two kisses got the congregants screaming with excitement. However, the third female student before and during the act showed some form of hesitation, but was still kissed by the alleged Anglican Priest in question. Some users who chanced upon the video are alleging that the act occurred at St Monicas College of Education. Many are calling for investigations into the matter and a statement from the authorities of the school where the act took place. Although some users have described the act as disturbing, others have decided to take the satirical position on the matter. Some Reactions below:- Reverend Father taking holy kiss from students of St Monica's college of education, Ghana wow Forget Nana Addo, Agenda 111 Kumasi pic.twitter.com/JNnULMV4Qy P K Blackah Music (@LordListoHQ) August 16, 2021 Reverend Father taking holy kiss from students of St Monica's college of education, Ghana wow Forget Nana Addo, Agenda 111 Kumasi pic.twitter.com/JNnULMV4Qy P K Blackah Music (@LordListoHQ) August 16, 2021 By now the Anglican Father dey explain things give ein wife say na dem dey practice what he preach to the girls. Fosty (@KwasiNawil) August 16, 2021 Reverend Father taking holy kiss from students of St Monica's college of education, Ghana wow Forget Nana Addo, Agenda 111 Kumasi pic.twitter.com/JNnULMV4Qy P K Blackah Music (@LordListoHQ) August 16, 2021 What tha hell in the world is this..... This nighas should get married,practising promiscuity in a church altar https://t.co/XsLdCAisno Domicile herb (@domicileherb) August 16, 2021 Nana Agraada turned Evangelist... Oboufuor enstooled chief... Anglican Reverend Father giving Holy kiss... And make our nation great and strong... Myla (@myla_nifty) August 16, 2021 The way y'all acting surprised is what baffles me. This one who publicly doing this with adults so can even be cool. These Catholic priests throughout history been defiling kids and the church covering it up over and over. One of the Popes recently came to apologised over this https://t.co/ajmxdrdVqE Richardson (@iamopele) August 16, 2021 Some Catholic Priest engage in worse acts but theyll never do that in public. If it was a secret recording then I know it will be a Catholic priest. But public naa they wont. The Anglican Church must punish the pastor and Ghana Police arrest him too. P A R A G O N (@kwame_paragon) August 16, 2021 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 Popular Ghanaian hiplife/highlife artiste, Kwame Nsiah-Appau, also known as Okyeame Kwame, has been unveiled as Climate Clock ambassador at the launch of the Climate Clock campaign in Africa held at the City Triangle in Accra. Ghana is the first country in Africa to launch the Climate Clock initiative in the ongoing Global Change campaign and the next will be Nigeria. This is not the first time Okyeame Kwame is fronting such a worthy cause. In 2018, Solidaridad West Africa appointed him as Climate Change Ambassador under the Ghana Dedicated Grant Mechanism for Local Communities (DGM) project. At the ceremony which was attended by the Chief Executive of Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Akwasi Agyemang, the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei-Sowah, Okyeame Kwame was tasked by Climate Clock, a global climate initiative, to lead a tree-planting campaign in Ghana which is expected to kick off very soon. Others personalities at the event include Mrs. Jennifer Brock, Green Accra Project coordinator, Climate Change Ambassador Okyeame Kwame, Bossman Owusu, Communications Manager-West Africa Solidaridad, and an international delegation from Climate Clock. Speaking at the launch, Okyeame Kwame, who promised to push the message of Climate Change across the country, indicated that it is about time people took up the Climate Clock initiative and also assume leadership roles to enhance the conversation about climate change. The Made In Ghana hitmaker revealed plans of using his social media platforms and all other mediums to make people know the clock is ticking. He, therefore, advised the general public to plant at least one tree in their homes and keep their environment clean. Ever since Okyeame Kwame joined the local music industry as a performing artiste, he has become an iconic figure for corporate Ghana. He has so far become brand ambassador for MTN Group, GT Bank and Coca-Cola in Ghana, aside being appointed the public relations officer of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) from 2012 and the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) in 2014. In 2015, he was appointed as ambassador for My African Union, My Voice campaign launched by the African Union in Addis Ababa as part of the activities of the State of the Union (SoTU) a Pan-African Civil Society Organisations project. In the same year, he was appointed ambassador for the Junior Boys Mentoring Conference, a youth-focused non-governmental initiative in Accra which seeks to equip young people with the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to tackle challenges as they come into contact with the outside world. Kwame has also collaborated with MDS Lancet Laboratories on his hepatitis B project, vaccinating more than 10,000 Ghanaians. The screening exercise is aimed at creating public awareness about hepatitis B, which has become rampant among Ghanaians. In 2020, he was appointed Ambassador for Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) by the Ghana Education Service with the responsibility of promoting the preference of TVET among Ghanaians. Kwame released his first solo album Boshe Ba (Promised Child) in 2004, just after the breakup of the Akyeame band. He followed in 2008 with Manwesem (My Poetry) and in 2011 with The Clinic, launched at the Aphrodisiac Night Club in Accra. In 2012, he launched The Versatile Show. Source: Dailyguidenetwork.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 Two people watch flames from the Mount Law forest fire burn near Glenrosa on Sunday night. An estimated 1,000 people were forced from their homes by the quickly moving blaze. Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota admonishes President of the Public Health Agency of Canada Iain Stewart in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick People wait to be tested for COVID-19 at a clinic in Montreal on August 1, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes A man holds onto his cap as he walks along the water in Alligator Point, Fla., as Tropical Storm Fred brings strong winds and rain to Florida's Forgotten Coast, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. (Tori Lynn Schneider/Tallahassee Democrat via AP) "kuzya174" Wins the 888poker ChampionChip Main Event ($60,000) August 17, 2021 Lyle Bateman Russia's "kuzya174" defeated Brazil's Leonardo "LeoSouza9" Souza in heads-up play to win the ChampionChip Main Event at 888poker for $60,000. A total of 8,130 entrants got into the action during dozens of opening flights. Despite the event's popularity, the tournament had a whopping $130,085 added by 888poker to meet the lofty $500,000 guarantee. "kuzya174" put on a dominating display after they entered the final table with the chip lead. It wasn't all smooth sailing for "kuzya174" en route to their eventual victory as Souza took a commanding lead during three-handed play. 2021 888poker ChampionChip Main Event Final Table Payouts Place Name Country Prize 1 "kuzya174" Russia $60,000 2 Leonardo "leosouza9" Souza Brazil $43,500 3 "SupremeBro" Ukraine $32,000 4 "88valentin88" Romania $22,000 5 "Lamego10" Brazil $14,250 6 "fddonato" Brazil $9,500 7 "Arsen242" Armenia $6,500 8 "Rankower.bsp" Argentina $4,350 9 "RIVALeo" Brazil $3,000 The event was broadcasted live at the 888pokerTV Twitch channel with hosts Nick Wealthall and David Tuchman and guests announcing the action throughout the evening. The PokerNews Live Reporting team was also on hand to report this event from start to finish. Head to our Live Reporting Hub to read more about this event. Day 2 Action The second and final day began with the field trimmed down to just 1,430 players with the top 1,000 reaching the money for a $100 min-cash before the first break. "kuzya174" began the final table with the chip lead, and was cruising along at the top of the leaderboard until three-handed play after the eliminations of "88valentin88", "Lamego10", "fddonato", "Arsen242", "rankower.bsp", and "RIVALeo". Momentum then swung to Souza after he doubled up to take a commanding chip lead with his big slick holding against the ace-trey held by "kuzya174". However, "kuzya174" eliminated "SupremeBro" in third place for $32,000 after his king-jack held against jack-seven to enter heads-up play with a small chip advantage. The lead exchanged hands several times during heads-up play before Souza lost a flip for the title. His ace-jack didn't improve against his opponent's pocket tens. Shortly after, "kuzya174" check-jammed a flop with a flush draw holding queen-deuce suited and improved to a flush to win the title; Souza called off with two overcards with ace-queen. "kuzya174" defeated Leonardo "LeoSouza9" Souza to win the ChampionChip Main Event The vast majority of COVID-19 cases in South Carolina during July were among individuals who were not fully vaccinated according to an analysis by the state's top health agency. A total of 26,848 virus cases were confirmed from July 1-31 among South Carolinians, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Among the 14,262 reported cases where vaccine status could be determined, 12,491 of cases, or about 88%, were not fully vaccinated. Among the 550 reported cases of those who were hospitalized with COVID where DHEC could determine vaccine status, 424, or about 77%, were not fully vaccinated. Among the 110 reported deaths from COVID-19 where vaccine status was able to be determined, 87, or just over 79%, were not fully vaccinated. This follows an analysis that revealed more than 90% of COVID-19 cases and deaths in June and 86% of hospitalizations were among individuals who were not fully vaccinated. Obviously, we are seeing an increase in breakthrough cases, hospitalizations, and deaths for the month of July, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, public health director. The rise of highly transmissible variants like Delta and lagging vaccination rates have led to increases in these categories overall, including breakthrough cases. It is important to note that cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among fully vaccinated residents are still rare. In most situations of breakthrough cases, the person has no symptoms or very mild ones that clear up in a matter of days. As of Aug. 15, about 54% of eligible South Carolinians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while almost 46% are fully vaccinated. Aiken County's numbers are a bit lower, with 47% of eligible county residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine and almost 40% being fully vaccinated. An individual is considered fully vaccinated 14 days or more after completing their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or their single dose of the Janssen vaccine. Those aged 12 or older are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, while the Moderna and Janssen vaccines have been approved for those aged 18 or older. DHEC said it is important to note that breakthrough cases are expected with any type of vaccine. While vaccines can prevent catching a virus, the main goal of inoculation is preventing severe illness if the virus is contracted. These breakthrough cases have accounted for a minuscule amount of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, with 0.0142% of fully vaccinated people being hospitalized and/or dead due to COVID-19. Data still shows that vaccinations can end this pandemic if enough people are willing to roll up their sleeves, Traxler added. We are at the most crucial point yet in our fight against COVID-19. Our children are going back to school and more people are visiting businesses and attending large-scale events. We need everyone to unite for the same goal of stopping COVID-19 spread. That means getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and following other safety and health protocols. On Tuesday, DHEC reported 2,277 total COVID-19 cases in South Carolina including 68 confirmed and 14 probable cases in Aiken County. The agency also reported 7 total virus-related deaths across the state Tuesday, including one confirmed death in Aiken County. Of the COVID-19 tests performed for this data, 13% were positive. Aiken Regional Medical Centers said Monday that it had confirmed 1,552 cases of COVID-19 in Aiken County. Of these 1,552 individuals, 36 are currently receiving care in the hospital and 151 are deceased. University Health Care System in Augusta released a hospitalization update on social media Tuesday, saying it currently has 99 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients hospitalized with 14 of those patients in the ICU and 8 on ventilators. The hospital has 5 vaccinated COVID-19 patients; none of them are in the ICU or are on a ventilator. Residents who wish to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment can visit vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov to find a location near them. Rural Health Services is offering Pfizer vaccine clinics on each weekday during August from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On Mondays and Wednesdays, the clinics will be at the Margaret J. Weston Community Health Center, located at 4645 Augusta Road in Beech Island. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the clinics will be held at the Clyburn Center for Primary Care at 1000 Clyburn Place in Aiken. Friday's clinics will be held at Family Health Care located at 120 Darlington Drive in Aiken. There will also be a clinic held Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Clyburn Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. COLUMBIA Fort Jackson, the Army's largest training base, is requiring families attending weekly graduation ceremonies to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirement takes effect on Aug. 25 for "family day," the day before graduation when relatives can visit soldiers at the Columbia base, and on graduation day on Aug. 26, Fort Jackson spokeswoman L.A. Sully said. Fort Jackson will begin limiting interaction with soldiers starting on family day on Aug. 18 and graduation on Aug. 19, she said. Brigadier Gen. Patrick Michaelis, commander at Fort Jackson, said Aug. 16 he did not want to require vaccinations to attend graduations but rising COVID cases in recent weeks left him no choice. "Those 45,000 soldiers that come through Fort Jackson (each year) have got to go someplace else in the Army," Michaelis said during a speech to the Columbia Rotary. "And I've got to make sure those places are protected too from the shifting tactics of COVID. "It's not political to me. I'm pragmatic about it," added the general, who was stricken with the virus in December. "I have to make this decision that both protects the force and protects the mission and that's the way I look at it every single day." Typically, the Army graduates 800 to 1,200 soldiers a week at Fort Jackson. The graduations had attracted 3,000 to 5,000 relatives and friends each week before they were halted for COVID-19. In-person graduations resumed April 22. At first, Fort Jackson had attendance caps and required vaccinations for families, but those restrictions were eased, Sully said. Attendance was returning back to normal in recent weeks, approaching 4,000 people, she said. Fort Jackson will continue livestreaming the graduations for soldiers who completed 10 weeks of training. Beginning in mid-September, the Biden administration wants to require U.S. military members to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Starting in July, all military bases, including Fort Jackson, required masks for all while they are indoors and attending large outdoor events, like solider graduations. "We want to be able to protect them from each other and from these people come from all over the United States who come here to Fort Jackson to witness those graduations," Michaelis said. GREENVILLE Parents and children at East North Street Academy walked inside on Aug. 17 the first day back for Greenville County schools and down a red runway lined with balloons. Music blared from speakers as teachers and school administrators greeted everyone. Many students sported backpacks with cartoon characters and carried new notebooks and folders. Many wore masks, but not all. Masks, as outlined by the GCS Board of Trustees on Aug. 3 at a special called meeting, are not required in school buildings or on state-owned buses but can be worn out of choice. The board's decision aligns with the state legislature, which added provisos in the state budget that make it difficult for school districts to implement a mask mandate without risking funding. Masks were required inside Greenville County school buildings for most of last school year until parents were given the option to opt out with three weeks remaining. Jarrod Orange and his partner sent their second grader to East North Street after homeschooling him last year. Orange is "a little nervous about COVID." "He really wants to be around the kids," Orange said about his son's return to school. "I noticed that that was a big drawback for homeschooling. ... He's just really excited to get in." Both Orange and his partner told their son that "it is very important to keep your mask on, because other kids may not have their masks." Khori Brewton, a parent to a first grader, said he gave her extra masks. "I'm pretty comfortable about everything," Brewton said. "We'll just kind of see how everything goes. Definitely trying to stay safe." A few school districts have pushed back against the state rules. On Aug. 16, Charleston County's school board said masks will be required inside county schools from Aug. 18 to Oct. 15. Richland 1 voted to keep the district's original mask mandate from March. State Superintendent Molly Spearman broke with the legislature and Gov. Henry McMaster on Aug. 17, saying she believes school boards should be allowed to require masks. Greenville County has 94 schools and centers that employ about 6,000 staff and serve more than 73,000 students, making it the state's largest school district. Neighboring Pickens County announced at an emergency school board meeting on Aug. 13 the district would be going temporarily online just two weeks after school began due to an exponential increase in COVID-19 left more than 600 students quarantined. We are watching the situation in Pickens County, as well as other Upstate school districts, very closely," Greenville County Schools emailed in an official statement on Aug. 15. "Our process going into the school year will be any decisions made to shift to eLearning will be on a school-by-school basis determined by analysis of each schools data. We are looking forward to a great year and will do everything in our power to keep students and staff safe. The school district tweeted on Aug. 14 that "no school district is South Carolina is allowed to require masks this year. This decision was enacted by the S.C. Legislature. Signage in GCS facilities shows the benefits of masks, but in accord with state statute, no mandate is in place." Benjamin Dunlap was hopeful as he walked into his last first day at Hillcrest High School. This year, the senior thought, wont be like last year when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted classes and forced students onto a mostly digital schedule. Dunlap struggled with remote learning and was looking forward to being back in person. But as COVID cases spike in the Upstate and across South Carolina, only a few students filtering through Hillcrests doors wore masks. If they said that we have to wear masks, Ill wear a mask, Dunlap said. If I dont have to, because Ive had a vaccine, I dont have to. Braidon Brannen, a junior at Hillcrest, said he also does not plan to wear a mask unless required. As he walked in, he said he felt a mixture of nerves and excitement. He was looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. Sign up for our Greenville weekly update newsletter. Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Upstate. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Greenville news staff. Email Sign Up! He wanted things to be normal again. Really, Im kind of over the whole COVID thing, he said. Trina Miller, walking toward the front of the building with her daughter Paige, a sophomore, said she is nervous sending her child into a school where few people are taking precautions. Shes frustrated, she said, and feels politics has gotten in the way of common sense public health measures. Paige Miller said she is nervous that the start of the school year will be disrupted by an outbreak. She has family members who attend school in the Pickens County and fears the same will happen in her district. I have a feeling it definitely will, she said. About four miles away, Fountain Inn High School was celebrating its grand opening and welcoming its first group of freshman. Teachers and staff lined a small strip of red carpet, clapping and cheering things like, its everyones first day, dont be nervous, and lets have a great day, as students shuffled by. The students, for their part, smiled back with a mix of appreciation and embarrassment. As at Hillcrest, some of the students wore masks as they approached the school but most didnt. Alaynah Densmore, one of the few students who wore a mask as she walked into Fountain Inn High, said the choice was less about the virus and more about cosmetics. I didnt have time to do my makeup, she said, laughing. After dropping her daughter off, Brandy Lowery said she made sure all her kids had masks that morning and told them to wear them if they couldnt social distance. She works in home healthcare with vulnerable patients. But the concern was mixed with hope as Lowery sent her daughter off to her first day in high school. Shes a good kid, and I think shes going to like it here, she said. Inside A.J. Whittenberg Elementary in Greenville County, about 500 students settled in to their first hour of class as rain showers sputtered outside. A class of first graders sat around tables at their own stations and made shapes with Play-Doh while their teacher and teachers assistant in matching t-shirts knelt near students and gave instructions. In another hallway, a small K4 class built colorful rods from blocks and that they used to pop bubbles blown by their teacher. It was a staggered start to the year for K4, with a few students adjusting to the classroom each day to start the year, said Cameron Brice, program director at A.J. Whittenberg. Outside, Aiden Garrison arrived a few minutes late to his first day of fifth grade. Like many across the states largest school district, his family was working to adjust to the new schedule a school year brings. His mother, Antwana Garrison, said they had to drop off a sibling at Hollis Academy before she brought Aiden to school. Im looking forward to Aiden learning a little more than he already has. Hes a smart kid, Garrison said. A.J. Whittenberg is awesome. He knows big words that I cant even define. "Its been a wonderful five years for him. Im going to miss it when he has to leave. Aiden said he was mostly looking forward to seeing his friends and having a fun first day. Today is probably going to be a good day, he said. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today A steady, heavy rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a half an inch.. Tonight A steady, heavy rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a half an inch. South Carolina's delegation in Washington, D.C., watched as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, with Palmetto State Republicans blaming President Joe Biden's administration, saying he failed to orchestrate a proper exit of U.S. military forces. "We should have left years ago. We should be leaving now," U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Charleston, said Aug. 16 on Twitter. "And now, our exit strategy appears to be handing over every single security asset we have in the region to our enemies, and leaving behind our allies, diplomats, citizens, and soldiers. My heart is broken." Biden responded to the fall in an address to the nation where he said America's 20-year presence in the region "was never supposed to create a unified centralized democracy." "Our only vital national service in Afghanistan remains today what it has always been: preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland," Biden continued. U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, had praised Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan back in April. But on Aug. 16 he was critical of the military's exit plan in Afghanistan. "I don't disagree with Joe Biden's comments on stopping endless wars," Duncan tweeted. "I agree with him, I've said I agree with him, and I disagree with many in my party on this issue. But THE WAY he's implemented this withdrawal is a completely separate and deeply troubling issue." U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Lexington, said Biden "abandoned the women of Afghanistan and our Afghan partners to be murdered by the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. This turn of events has now put American families at home at risk." Additionally, his office has received communications from people in Afghanistan attempting to evacuate the region amid the Taliban takeover, Wilson's spokeswoman told The Post and Courier, and they are forwarding those cases to the State Department. Republican U.S. Reps. Tom Rice, William Timmons and Ralph Norman also issued statements condemning the Biden administration's response in Afghanistan. U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the lone Democrat representing South Carolina in Washington and a close Biden ally, was the only defender of the president. "There are no easy answers in Afghanistan. President Biden today demonstrated he is willing to make hard choices and take responsibility for the outcome," Clyburn said. "That is the mark of a true leader." Senators speak South Carolina's GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott also took aim at Biden. Graham said the president has "no one to blame for this debacle but himself." Scott said Biden's actions "have destabilized the region" and put more Afghans in harms way. Sign up for our SC Military Digest newsletter Get exclusive military reporting, updates from Palmetto State bases, headlines from around the globe and more delivered to your inbox each Tuesday. Email Sign up! Biden told the American people he stood by his decision to withdraw from the region. The Pentagon has committed 6,000 troops to Afghanistan. At least 2,000 of those are from the Army's 82nd Airborne division stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. As of Aug 16., there are no South Carolina National Guardsmen in the region and there are not plans to send any over there, a Pentagon spokesman told The Post and Courier. The Air Force Base While Joint Base Charleston officials have been tight-lipped about what their role will be in Afghanistan evacuations, it is more than likely that C-17s will be used in some capacity. Maj. Ed Sutton, a Charleston Air Force Reserve pilot with the 701st Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Charleston who deployed to Afghanistan multiple times, tweeted that he would be returning to help with evacuations. "The balloon has gone up. Rolling out tomorrow," Sutton tweeted. "Hoping Kabul can hold until we get this next round of Marines in place. We still have a lot of folks to get out of there." From Fort Jackson Brigadier Gen. Patrick Michaelis, commander at Fort Jackson who spent nine months in Kandahar, which is considered the home of the Taliban, said Aug. 16 the speed of the country's takeover in less than two weeks "caught us off guard." "We've always said if we just give it one more year the Afghans will be able to take the baton. And we spent a lot of money. And we sacrificed a lot of blood and a lot of tears," he said during a speech to a Columbia Rotary Club on Aug. 16. "And you got to think about: If we want it worse than they do, than do we need to be there." Michaelis said he has received calls from Afghans he met in Kandahar seeking to leave but they cannot take the proper steps through the U.S. State Department and United Nations. "A lot of that is crumbling right now as we all know, and we have no idea what the next 36 to 48 hours look like," he said. Asked why the Afghan forces capitulated so quickly, Michaelis said he could speak only for his time in Kandahar in 2012-13 where, at one point, he stopped supplying food and fuel to local troops. "I had to recognize that the Afghan 'good enough' was a lot different than American 'good enough,' " he said. "They become very, very dependent on coalition forces, to be able to do what they needed to do and I needed them to figure out how to do it themselves." South Carolina's presence in Afghanistan has stretched decades. In total, 41 service members from South Carolina who died in Afghanistan since U.S. boots touched the ground in 2001, according to a review of data from Military Times and iCasualties.org. Additionally, five graduates from The Citadel who didnt originally hail from the Palmetto State also perished doing their duty in the Afghan region. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. MYRTLE BEACH For both June and July, Myrtle Beach International was the busiest airport in South Carolina its first time ever in that position. The airport recorded the highest monthly passenger count ever at an airport in South Carolina, the airport said. Myrtle Beach always lurked behind Charleston International's business and leisure travelers until it edged out Charleston in June by nearly 16,000 passengers. In July, Myrtle Beach recorded its best month on record with 547,933 passengers. Charleston reported 490,290 passengers that month. This is an incredible win for the Myrtle Beach International Airport, Scott Van Moppes, director of airports, said in a statement. Not only was MYR the busiest airport in the state for two consecutive months, MYR saw the highest passenger counts ever recorded in an airport in South Carolina. These new records are a testament to how truly great our destination is and how high demand for travel to and from Myrtle Beach has become." The charge was led by Myrtle Beach adding flights from a number of its carriers, notably through the arrival of Southwest Airlines in May. Southwest is offering flights to 10 cities, including Dallas, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Chicago-Midway and Nashville, Tenn. Brian Parrish, spokesman for the Dallas-based carrier, said the new flights at Myrtle Beach airport have been a hit so far. "Southwest has been pleased with the response to our new service at Myrtle Beach International Airport and we appreciate the communitys welcome and ongoing support," Parrish said in an email. "As we look to the future, Southwest teams are always monitoring travel demand to ensure that were offering flights to our customers desired destinations." Also helping bolster Myrtle Beach's passenger counts was the addition of 200 weekly flights by Spirit Airlines, the airport's airline with the highest flight count. That represented a 40 percent increase in flights, compared with the carriers 2019 service levels at the Myrtle Beach airport. Spirit flies to and from six year-round destinations: Atlantic City, N.J.; Baltimore; Boston; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; New York-LaGuardia; and Newark, N.J. It also flies to and from 12 seasonal destinations. Earlier this year, Spirit announced the addition of twice-weekly flights to and from Akron-Canton. Meanwhile, United Airlines, one of the airport's emerging carriers, launched flights to Cleveland, Milwaukee and St. Louis in the spring. The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce funnels millions of dollars in advertising and marketing for the beach to markets up the Eastern Seaboard and in the Midwest. "Its no surprise to us that MYR became the busiest airport in the state this summer as families were eager to enjoy a long-awaited beach experience," Karen Riordan, chamber president, said in a statement. "We welcomed these visitors and encouraged them to travel responsibly and patiently as our businesses strived to increase staffing to meet the demand. We also worked with MYR and its carriers in order to meet the summer demand, and as a result, the airport was able to service more than 50 destinations through the addition of Southwest Airlines and increased routes from other carriers." In South Carolina and across the nation, efforts to put billions of dollars in rent relief into the hands of landlords to keep tenants from being evicted have been moving at a snail's pace. The federal government approved more than $45 billion to prevent lower-income renters impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic from being evicted or having their utilities shut off due to nonpayment. States, large cities and counties began receiving the money in February, but by the end of June only about $3 billion had been distributed. In South Carolina, it's been going even slower. In the largest state program, covering 39 of 46 counties, less than 3.5 percent of the money had been distributed by mid-August. The state authority SC Housing received $271.8 million to help renters in the 39 counties not large enough to directly receive federal funds, and launched a program called SC Stay Plus in May. So far it's distributed about $9 million, helping 2,205 households. Now, SC Housing has reduced paperwork requirements and expanded outreach efforts, hoping to get more applicants and process applications more quickly. Many renters won't have to prove much more than their identities, and that they are renters; the rest of the requirements will rely on sworn statements rather than documentation. That could help the agency process about 7,500 applications that didn't have all the documentation required initially. Theres always a tension between being a good steward of taxpayer funds and getting people the help they need," said SC Housing spokesman Chris Winston. We want people to come apply and get through the process." SC Housing has decided that renters in 196 ZIP codes nearly half the ZIP codes in the state will no longer have to document that their incomes are low enough to qualify. They will also not have to document that they are in an unstable housing situation, or suffered financially due to the pandemic. Instead, they will need to sign a form stating that's the case under penalty of perjury, Winston said. SC Housing hasn't publicized the list of ZIP codes, but tenants who live in those areas will find fewer documentation requirements if they apply for help. Under federal rules, renters must have incomes no higher than 80 percent of the median income for the area where they live, depending on household size, in order to qualify. That means, for example, that a single person in Charleston County could earn up to $46,000 and qualify, while a single person in less-affluent Bamberg County could earn no more than $29,350. What we came up with that really helped clear things up was we identified 196 ZIP codes where the average income for renters is below, or well below, that 80 percent AMI (area median income)," Winston said. If you live in those ZIP codes and you are renting, theres an overwhelming chance that you qualify." The state's seven largest counties Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Richland and Spartanburg received direct federal funding and are running their own rent and utility assistance programs. Residents of those counties would contact their county directly, not SC Housing. The federal funds can pay up to 12 months of back rent and utilities, with the money going directly to landlords and utility companies. Tenants must apply, but landlords are also involved in the application process. For example, to get the federal money from SC Housing, tenants need to show that they have a rental agreement and landlords have to sign up as state vendors and provide a tax identification number. Winston said that's a challenge for some tenants and landlords who have informal rental arrangements. The relatively small number of applicants has also prompted SC Housing to step up outreach and support efforts. The agency has added staff to its call center and extended call center hours. Applicants can now call SC Housing's call center at 800-476-0412 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Advertising and social media efforts are also being increased by SC Housing, utility companies are helping to spread the word, and SC Housing is adding more in-person assistance events at public libraries. In-person support is being offered at libraries in Beaufort County (331 Scott St.), Pickens County (304 Biltmore Road, Easley) and Lancaster County (313 S. White St.) Monday through Saturday. Charleston County also used public libraries to offer support and assistance to rent relief applicants, and by early August had approved assistance for 2,075 households, according to the county. Spokeswoman Kelsey Barlow said the county has so far committed about $10 million of its federal funding about as much as SC Housing has approved to help residents of 39 counties. For rent and utility assistance in Charleston County, call 855-452-5374 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tropical system Fred weakened to a depression as it moved across the Southeast, with its outer bands bringing heavy rainfall and some street flooding to the Lowcountry. Fred was moving to the north-northeast at 23 mph over eastern Alabama and western Georgia after making landfall the afternoon of Aug. 16 along the western Florida Panhandle, according to the National Hurricane Centers 5 p.m. update Aug. 17. In its last public advisory on Fred, the hurricane center recorded the system's center about 90 miles west-southwest of Asheville, N.C., with maximum sustained wind speeds of 25 mph. The Charleston tri-county area accumulated 1 to 3 inches of rain through the day, mainly in the morning. The hazardous weather was indirectly related to tropical depression Fred as the system continued its move northward, Douglas Berry, a meteorologist for the National Weather Services Charleston office, said Aug. 17. Flooding was likely, particularly if one of Freds bands set up over a single area, such as downtown Charleston, he said. Several streets in downtown Charleston closed for over an hour in the morning due to flooding, including all lanes on parts of Ashley Avenue, Fishburne Street, and King and Huger streets. All lanes had reopened by 11:10 a.m. Berry encouraged Lowcountry residents to take extra caution when traveling, especially during commute times. There could be small ponding of water on roadways, particularly anywhere near small creeks, he said. The weather service also extended a moderate risk for rip currents along the Lowcountry's coast through the evening of Aug. 17. Dangerous weather is anticipated to clear in the tri-county area by Aug. 18. Fred is forecast to weaken as it continues along its northern trajectory, the hurricane center said. As Fred moved through the U.S., parts of the Caribbean and Mexico were dealing with Tropical Storm Grace. The seventh named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season was about 50 miles west of Montego Bay, Jamaica, according to the hurricane center's 8 p.m. update Aug. 17. Grace, which was upgraded from a depression to a storm early Aug. 17, unleashed up to 10 inches of rain on earthquake-torn Haiti Aug. 16. Rain pelted people huddling under improvised shelters in the aftermath of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 14, now blamed for more than 1,400 deaths. The storm was moving at 15 mph on a western path as it passed over Jamaica, clocking 60 mph wind speeds, up from 50 mph earlier in the day. Grace was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane Aug. 18. The Mexican government issued a hurricane warning for portions of the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the Hurricane Center. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when it reaches sustained winds of at least 74 mph. Meanwhile Tropical Storm Henri is swirling in the Atlantic near Bermuda, but is expected to head toward the northeast and swirl in the North Atlantic, where it would become a hurricane on Aug. 21. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The riverfront cities of North Augusta and Augusta are going head to head in an environmental contest. The first annual Trash Bash at the Border, being held on both sides of the river on Sept. 18 from 9-11 a.m., will promote a cleaner river by picking up litter. The city that wins the event will receive a newly minted Mayor's Cup, which will be presented by the losing city's mayor during a city council meeting. "In our eyes, it's a win-win for everyone and people get to come out and support the team that they enjoy, clean up the community, and the river is going to be cleaner for it," Keep Aiken County Beautiful organizer Kandace Cave said. "There really is no losing in this event. This event follows the spirit of the South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Georgia Bulldogs college rivalry weekend, with prizes and giveaway packages going to the winners. Lunch will be provided to volunteers. The city of North Augusta, city of Augusta, Keep America Beautiful and more are pitching in to sponsor the effort. Volunteers can choose to clean the banks or the river for bragging rights and prizes. Participants are encouraged to wear their favorite Gamecocks or Bulldogs shirts, closed-toe and sturdy shoes, and long pants. "These natural resources belong to everyone and it's up to everyone to protect them and keep them as pristine as possible," Cave said. "When the environment is healthy, we all benefit and I think this is an awesome way to get large groups of people involved." "I'm all about collaboration," North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams said. "I think to have our two communities come together in a friendly competition, the river is just a huge asset for both of us and too often we think that river is a wall and it's not. "Our growth and benefits are going to help Augusta and what happens in Augusta absolutely helps us in North Augusta," Williams continued. "I think for us to use this to work together towardssomething bigger than themselves, which is the litter and the trash pickup of this community, I think (it's) awesome." To work in the river, volunteers are responsible for bringing their own watercraft and lifejacket. These participants must take a 15-minute course on litter pickup prior to entering the water. Volunteers for South Carolina will meet in North Augusta at the Sharon Jones Amphitheater. Volunteers for Georgia will be meeting at the Jessye Norman Amphitheater. Those interested in volunteering can sign up online. There are currently over 450 spots available, and the first 50 volunteers enter a raffle to receive tailgate packages and gift cards. This is a community effort. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation," Cave said. "There cannot be too many volunteers. There cannot be too many people coming to this event. We want to do great work in the community and we need community involvement and support to make this happen." For 40 years, the city of Charleston was governed by Mayor Joe Riley. Clearly, he was sensitive to and responsive to the problems faced by African Americans in the city. For 23 years (1982-2005) during the Riley administration, Reuben Greenberg, an African American, was the highly respected chief of police for the city. During most of Mayor Rileys terms, African Americans made up between 25% and 50% of City Council. Despite this long record of leadership, service and good governance by all these men and women who were dedicated to fair treatment, justice and progress for the African American citizens of our city, the Special Commission on Equity, Inclusion and Racial Conciliation has concluded that drastic and unprecedented measures must now be taken as spelled out in their recently released report. I have read the report by the commission, which includes current city council members and the mayor, It appears to me that it is the result of a plan by some in the city and some outside of it to impose a radical political philosophy and agenda on the city and belittle or ignore progress made on race relations, justice, equality and opportunity over the past 50 years in our city, state and country. At its meeting tonight on Daniel Island, Charleston City Council should table the report and schedule public hearings to allow citizens to read and understand it and its full implications. This matter is too important to be rushed through at one meeting outside of City Hall late in the summer just prior to school starting and in the midst of a deadly pandemic. HENRY FISHBURNE Charleston City Council member, 2000-08 Waterfront Plantation Drive Charleston Leave Hwy. 41 alone I dont understand the people who have moved to Mount Pleasant neighborhoods along S.C. Highway 41. When house hunting, they likely knew the traffic was awful. Now, residents are complaining and want to improve their commute. Do they not realize that once the widening is completed, more people will move to the area and the complaints about traffic will start again? My suggestion is to do nothing to Highway 41. Leave it alone. The Phillips Community was there first. CHRISTINE BOSWORTH Hidden Lakes Drive 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! Mount Pleasant Faking COVID cards College officials are expressing concern that their students might be cheating the system by obtaining fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. It may come as a shock to these leaders, but their students have been obtaining and using fake ID cards of all types for decades. LUKE BIGGS Colleton Avenue Summerville Afghan war lessons Kabul, Afghanistan, fell on Sunday. Unlike Vietnam, what will follow is a continuation of a civil war interrupted by our invasion 20 years earlier. The tribal warlords and the security forces who melted away will regroup, as happened in Iraq, to fight again. The question is, who will be the major players? Iran will likely take a lead. News events in the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Peshawar will indicate another likely player. In the other countries that have names ending with the Persian suffix -stan, meaning land of, there will be operations by participants known only to our intelligence services. We will once again have to choose what outcome is favorable to our national security interest. In doing so, we will be engaged in an intel war or more commonly known now as a special ops operation. It is how we were engaged during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. So, to all the pundits who are asking who is to blame for the outcome in Kabul, I say the it is congressional leaders in 2000 and every other Congress and president since Dwight D. Eisenhower who did not have the courage to take the necessary action for victory. I want to add that the action by President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis was an act of courage to avoid war. The enemy has learned we do not have the resolve to achieve victory. Luis Vega-Torres Old Jackson Road Goose Creek COLUMBIA In a split with Gov. Henry McMaster, S.C. Education Superintendent Molly Spearman said she believes school boards should be allowed to mandate masks as coronavirus cases increase across the state. Spearman said in an Aug. 17 news conference that she has asked state lawmakers to repeal a budget measure that prohibited school districts from imposing mask mandates using state funds. "I do believe that this issue is best handled by local school boards," Spearman said. "We have two ways now to make that happen: Either the Legislature comes back in, and I have asked them to do that continually, or this ends up in the courts and the courts resolve it. I disagree with the governor on this." Spearman's comments came just minutes after McMaster reaffirmed his view that mask decisions should be left to parents. Asked if he believes lawmakers should return to the Statehouse to reconsider the proviso banning mask mandates, McMaster said he does not think that's necessary. "Parents are the best experts on their own children," McMaster said. "If they want them to wear a mask, then by all means, they should let their child wear a mask. If they don't want their child to wear a mask, they are the expert and they should not be forced by the government to require their child to wear a mask." Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! The feud between McMaster and Spearman mirrors ongoing disputes between lawmakers a growing number of whom are now calling for a special session to repeal the mask proviso. A bipartisan group of four state senators, notably including influential Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke Rankin, R-Conway, sent a letter to the chambers leader late Aug. 16 asking him to call lawmakers back to Columbia so they can undo the measure now that COVID cases are rising. Multiple school boards and municipalities are now openly defying the law. Charleston County's school board voted Aug. 16 to mandate masks in the area's schools, as did Richland One in the Columbia area. Spearman said she has never been more concerned about the situation as COVID cases spike across the state. "We have got to have a solution to this," Spearman said. "Our schools are starting, our educators are worried, and we have parents who are very, very concerned." Spearman also said the education agency has not conducted a formal survey of how many school employees across the state are vaccinated, but conversations with local superintendents have suggested there is a wide range, with some districts as high as 80 percent of employees vaccinated while others are still around 50 percent. Some school districts are offering incentives for employees to get vaccinated, an approach that Spearman said she fully supports. SPARTANBURG As COVID-19 cases spike, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System has changed its visitation restrictions. The new restrictions, effective Aug. 16, allow patients to have one visitor per day. Visitors must be at least 18. COVID-19 patients are not allowed visitors except in situations where they are near death, according to a Spartanburg Regional news release. In the Upstate, both Prisma Health and Bon Secours St. Francis have also recently amended visitation rules. South Carolina is currently averaging more than 3,000 new cases each day, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. Spartanburg County's incidence rate stands at more than 720 cases per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks. An incidence rate of more than 200 is considered high spread of the virus. The visitation change is meant to ensure the safety of patients, caregivers and visitors, according to Phil Feisal, president of Spartanburg Medical Center. Sign up for our Spartanburg newsletter. Get all the latest news, business, politics and more from Spartanburg delivered to your inbox once a week. Email Sign Up! This surge in COVID-19 cases is very concerning, especially given the low vaccination rates in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties," Feisal said. "The COVID-19 patients in our facilities are almost exclusively unvaccinated." The restrictions are in effect at Cherokee Medical Center, Pelham Medical Center, Spartanburg Medical Center, Spartanburg Medical Center-Mary Black Campus and Union Medical Center. Before entering, visitors will be screened and asked to wash their hands. Both the patient and visitor are required to wear a mask while in the room and throughout the hospital. Visitors are encouraged to contact facilities directly regarding COVID-19 restrictions at nursing homes and Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care. Those who are receiving outpatient services requiring anesthesia or sedation are allowed one support person over the age of 18. WARTIME EXPERIENCES: Koji Hayakawa holds a photo, from the collection of the Yamato Museum of the battleship Musashi as he talks about his war experiences in Minami-Boso, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on July 17. The Yomiuri Shimbun RUNWAY RUSH: This is a screenshot of a video taken on Aug. 16 as civilians rush on the airport runway in Kabul, Afghanistan as a U.S. Air Force plane is taking off. The Washington Post John wondered a couple days ago whether wed see a repeat of the 1979-80 Iranian hostage crisis. This is one of those instances where the apocryphal Mark Twain line applies: history doesnt repeat itself, but it rhymes. Keeping hostages, as we learned again in Lebanon in the 1980s, is a time-honored practice in the Middle East and Asia. But it is not necessary right now for the Taliban to take Americans into physical custody as the Iranians did at the embassy in 1979 to keep Americans hostage. All they need do is block or restrict access to the airport. If I was the Taliban, Id discretely communicate to Biden that the flow of Americans to the airport will be constricted until all American military personnel are out of the country. And given that our government doesnt seem to know exactly how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, the Taliban might just think it worth keeping a number of Americans around for a long time. (Where is Chuck Norris when we really need him?) I speculated about this possibility on email this morning to a couple friends, and then there appeared this report from National Review: Defense Officials Sidestep Concerns over Taliban Blocking Off Airport Entry Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Tuesday sidestepped questions about how the U.S. plans to respond to reports that the Taliban is blocking people from accessing the airport in Kabul, where the U.S. military is facilitating evacuations from Afghanistan in the wake of a Taliban takeover. Kirby said during a press briefing that U.S. military commanders at the Kabul international airport are in communication with Taliban commanders on the ground outside the airport. He declined to further detail those discussions, saying only that he would let the results speak for themselves. Asked by a reporter if those discussions include talk of allowing Americans and Afghans through Taliban checkpoints or expanding the perimeter around the airport so more people can arrive at the airport safely, Kirby declined to get into the sausage-making of communications. But since the Taliban dont eat pork sausage. . . When President Biden acknowledged in his speech on the abject disgrace in Afghanistan that the buck stops with him, he proceeded to pass the buck several times over. Its like when he declares Not a joke. Its a joke. Actually, the Not a joke rule applies to the speech as well. Its a joke. Biden troubled himself to take a few minutes out of his vacation to come down to the East Room of the White House, stare vacantly into the teleprompter, and simulate humanity. Politico accurately sussed out the talking points that were rehearsed in the speech. They are mostly of the self-refuting variety. In the case of the buck stops with him, the text itself refutes it. He omitted only to pass the buck to the alignment of the planets. It isnt subtle or funny or clever. It is a maneuver that only aggravates the disgrace into which he has steered the United States. As in the dissolution of our southern border, we must be shielded from the sight or instructed not to believe our lyin eyes. All is proceeding as planned. Baghdad Bob has come to the White House, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense. The spirit of Baghdad Bob pervades every corner of the Biden administration. Justina Ishaku, a smallholder farmer in Nasarawa State, cultivates cassava and groundnuts. She owns six hectares of land. In this episode of our weekly series of Women in Agriculture, Ms Ishiaku shares a terrifying experience. PT: You started farming just eight years ago, why did it take you so long to start? Ms Ishiaku: I was selling palm oil in Kogi State, then I relocated to Nasarawa State to continue because I was told its more lucrative here. After some time, I experienced a huge loss, I then moved to selling food, garri, and raw rice, but it was not giving me the kind of money I wanted. I had to look for an alternative, which is farming. PT: Comparing palm oil and farming, which of them would you say is better? Ms Ishiaku: If not for insecurity or herders crisis, I prefer farming. Farming is my own decision, unlike when I was into business, I travel from one village to another with my goods, then I sell at different markets. This one Im based in one location. PT: Owning land for women is very usually stressful even in their own communities, migration plays a critical role too, how are you able to own land here? Ms Ishiaku: There is this man, an indigene of this community, he gave me two hectares at N25,000. Currently, its about N120,000. Last year, I told him I cannot meet up to that amount, considering the economic situation of the country. He understood and gave me N80,000 this year for the two hectares. PT: You mentioned your business ran down and you had no money to sustain your business. How were you able to raise capital for your business? Ms Ishiaku: I got money from my parents, I had little, they were able to raise N150,000 for me. Later I started getting loans from financial institutions, that I repay 30 per cent monthly. I collected N350,000 in 2013 and I finished paying in 2015. PT: Insecurity is another issue affecting food production in Nigeria, can you share your personal experience? Ms Ishiaku: Two years ago, I met herders on my farm, when I complained, they asked me to choose between my life or the crop. I had to leave them. Another time, the yam I kept, cows finished all. Since last year, kidnappers have been taking people and demanding ransom. Last week, I was on my farm and I heard gunshots. I was scared then I had to seek protection. After some minutes, I heard voices and then another shot, this time I was very scared . I later discovered a man was killed on his farm, which is close to my own. I am not sure I will visit my farm for now, Im not talking about harvest because it is clear fear will not allow me to do anything there this year. PT: Aside from land, farm inputs are very essential for agricultural productivity, how do you manage to get them ( fertilizer, seeds). ? Ms Ishiaku: I buy them from the market, but for seeds I know of improved seeds that I got from a micro finance bank. For fertilizer, we met the local government chairman, and he gave us two bags. I buy birds and cow dungs. I buy a 50kg bag for N2,000. The birds can go for N 1,000 depending on your relationship. I use about 12 bags of bird dung, which was not enough. PT: How do you manage labour on your farm, do you use machines ? Ms Ishiaku: I use both machines (tractors) and human labour. There are a lot of machines here so I rent them when it is time to use them. Payment differs, last year I paid N300,000 for three days. I have not even called them this year. For labour, I use mainly women. My children also support me on the farm. I pay as much as N40,000. PT: What are your challenges as a farmer then as a woman farmer ? Ms Ishiaku: Last two years, someone gave me a hectare of land, I was the first to pay for it. I cultivated it, and the following year, the owner collected it from me. He asked how can a woman have such a farm? There is another one, this place is affected by erosion, I was at the other side of the farm where water could easily wash my crops, the other said will be less affected, the other side was owned by a man, the man just blocked the water from affected his farm, then channelled it to mine. I lost everything. Financially, Im not buoyant. ADVERTISEMENT PT: Which of the farmers associations do you belong to? Ms Ishiaku: I belong to the Small Scale Women Farmers Association of Nigeria ( SWOFON). I belong to another business association, I have not benefited from them, not even fertilizer. PT: Climate change has affected rainfall patterns, how has it affected your productivity? Ms Ishiaku: I lost my crops, there are insects that eat up crops. There are new chemicals that are in the market, so I use them for my crops. For rain, I carry water in a tricycle to the farm about three to four times a day. I spray the water on them. PT: Tell us, do you have a market for your crops? Ms Ishiaku: Yes, I have women customers that produce garri and they buy cassava. I sell from the farm. PT: What would you say you want as a farmer? Ms Ishiaku: I want security, let the government do something about this insecurity. I need finance and seeds, land is not the basic problem but if I see money, I will buy more land. ADVERTISEMENT Saudi Arabias state-owned oil asset Aramco is on track to consummate an all-stock deal for a stake in the oil refining and chemicals arm of Mumbai-based multinational conglomerate firm Reliance Industries Limited, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing insiders. Aramco is holding talks of a buyout in the neighbourhood of 20 per cent interest in the Reliance unit in exchange for $20 billion to $25 billion in its own shares, according to the people who asked not be named given the sensitivity of the subject. Reliance, backed by Indian billionaire magnate Mukesh Ambani, could close a deal with Aramco in the coming weeks, said the insiders. A jump in Reliances share price by 2.6 per cent in Mumbai followed the news. Reliance will be enabled by the deal to lock in a constant crude oil supply for its enormous refineries and become a stockholder in Aramco, the worlds fifth biggest public company according to Forbes. If the transaction succeeds, it will take a stake of approximately 1 per cent in Aramco, considering the latters market valuation of around $1.9 trillion, making it the biggest energy company in the world. The terms are still under discussion, and the negotiation could be prolonged or fall apart, said the sources. A Reliance representative said its firm does not have further comments apart from Ambanis reaction at a June shareholders meeting during which the company appointed Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Aramcos chair, to the board. The tycoon had hinted at the possibility of entering an investment pact with Aramco this year. Last week, the Saudi oil producer said it was conducting due diligence on the deal, adding it should be delivered this year. ADVERTISEMENT Armed bandits and Nigerien soldiers are currently fighting along the border community of Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State The gunmen reportedly killed a soldier, injured many others and seized a gun truck belonging to the foreign soldiers in the ongoing gun duel that started on Monday, multiple sources told PREMIUM TIMES. Mustapha Yusuf, the lawmaker representing Jibia at the State House of Assembly, told this newspaper that gunmen from Nigeria attacked a community in Niger Republic and rustled many livestock into Nigerian territory. The soldiers from Niger Republic are in Nigerian territory on a rescue mission following bandits attack at one of the adjoining communities in Niger Republic. They are allowed to enter for 30 kilometres based on security arrangements, the lawmaker said. Mr Yusuf said one of the foreign soldiers was killed and another injured following an ambush by the bandits in the Jibia area while a gun truck belonging to the foreign soldiers was seized by the bandits. He added that many of the foreign soldiers and a popular vigilante leader have been missing since Monday. Also, locals said about 17 vehicles from Niger Republic loaded with soldiers were seen in the Jibia area heading towards a forest. Subsequently, a heavy sound of explosion was heard from the soldiers believed to be engaging the bandits in the forest. The police spokesperson in Katsina, Gambo Isah, could not be reached for comments as he did not pick calls to his mobile telephone. Details later . ADVERTISEMENT The Chairman of DAAR Communications, owners of AIT, Raymond Dokpesi, has refuted reports linking him to a plan to contest the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship position. Mr Dokpesi refuted the reports in a statement on Monday in Abuja. The incumbent national chairman, Uche Secondus, has been under pressure to vacate the position even though his tenure ends in December. Last week, a truce was reached by the main opposition party over the convention, which was moved to October, from the initial planned December. Mr Dokpesis name and other PDP chieftains from the South have been linked to the seat as possible replacements for Mr Secondus. The chairman was one of the contenders for the position in 2017 but lost to the incumbent. He got 66 votes in the election. Mr Dokpesi, in the statement, said he had no interest in running for the position of national chairman or any other one, come October. My attention has been drawn to various media reports linking me to having an interest in contesting for the position of National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled to hold October 2021, he said. The reports have been widely published In a number of national dailies and circulated in both online and hard copy editions. I wish to categorically state that I have no interest whatsoever in the position of national Chairman of the PDP or any other national office of the party. While remaining a committed party man, I cannot and will not risk a dent on my integrity, having earlier made my stance clear. Members of the public are advised to disregard the report as untrue. ADVERTISEMENT Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the legal authority of the broadcast regulatory body, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), to regulate and license social media platforms in Nigeria or to determine whether a broadcasting station is patriotic or not. In the suit, in which MRA is being represented by a team of 14 lawyers, led by Abuja-based constitutional lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, the organisation is asking the court to declare that since the NBC has no regulatory authority over social media platforms, it lacks the power to impose broadcast licenses on social media platforms as they are not broadcasting stations under the National Broadcasting Commission Act or any other law or subsidiary legislation in existence in Nigeria. Besides Mr Ajulo, the other 13 lawyers representing MRA in the suit are Zak Babah, Bukola Akinola, Oludotun Sowemimo, Michael Emejulu, Martins Aduloju, Wole Adaja, Akinola Oladimeji, Ifunanya Okeke, Eme Jackson, Hamza Dantani, Roseline Akinsanmi, Aisha Muhammed, and Tauyyib Shittu. The organisation wants the court to declare that the NBCs move to regulate and license social media platforms constitutes a violation of its right to freedom of expression under Section 39 of the Constitution; Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9), Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as well as a breach of Nigerias treaty obligations by virtue of its being a signatory to the international legal instruments. MRA is also seeking: A declaration that it is not within the regulatory authority of the NBC under the NBC Act or any other law in existence in Nigeria to determine whether a broadcasting station is patriotic or not. A declaration that the NBCs directive to broadcasting stations to de-install their Twitter handles and not use Twitter as a source of information gathering for their news and programmes is ultra vires and violates its fundamental rights to seek and receive information and to express and disseminate opinions under the freedom of expression guarantees contained in section 39 of the Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter, Article 19 of the ICCPR and Article 19 of the UDHR and is also a violation of Nigerias treaty obligations by virtue of the country being a signatory to the international instruments, as the NBCs regulatory authority does not extend to directing licensed broadcasting stations on where they should source their news and information, while the commission has no power to instruct broadcasting stations to deinstall their Twitter handles under the NBC Act or any other law or subsidiary legislation in Nigeria; and A perpetual injunction restraining the Attorney-General of the Federation and the NBC or their servants and agents, from the unlawful imposition of sanctions or restrictions on Twitter or any other social media platform, and from harassment, intimidation, arrest, detention or prosecution of MRA over the use of Twitter and/or any other social media platform or in any other manner infringing on or interfering with its fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Constitution, Article 9 of the African Charter, Article 19 of the ICCPR and Article 19 of the UDHR. MRA named as respondents the Attorney-General of the Federation and NBC in the suit brought by Originating Summons pursuant to Order 2 Rules 1 to 5 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, as preserved by Section 315 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended; Sections 39 and 46 of the Constitution; and Article 9 of the African Charter. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit. ADVERTISEMENT At least four persons were killed on Monday by suspected armed bandits at Tsayau community in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State. The lawmaker representing Jibia at the State House of Assembly, Mustapha Yusuf, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES. He said the gunmen went away with several persons and injured seven others following the attack on the defenceless peasants. Local sources also told PREMIUM TIMES that the bandits stormed the community around 7:50 p.m. wielding sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically, terrorising the locals and mowed down four persons in the process. Residents identified those allegedly killed as Umma Ta-malam; Jamilu Ibrahim; Amira Ibrahim; and Zainab Wada. Sources added that security agents arrived at the community after the attackers fled with many captives. Residents lamented that the bandits unleashed mayhem unchallenged for about an hour despite repeated distress calls to a nearby military formation at Gurbi community, a one-kilometre drive to the Tsauyau community. READ ALSO: Mr Yusuf described the incident as unfortunate. He said the security agents stationed in the area arrived the affected community when the bandits had left. They came and evacuated the injured victims to the hospital, Mr Yusuf said. He also said those killed were buried on Tuesday. President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with the family of former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, who died on Tuesday in Abuja at the age of 74. Mr Buhari, in a condolence message by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, on Tuesday in Abuja commiserated with leaders and members of the National Assembly, friends and political associates of the deceased. The president noted that Mr Mantu dedicated most of his life to service of his people. According to him, Mr Mantus legacy of reconciliation and promotion of peaceful co-existence will always be remembered, especially in bringing more harmony in his state and the country at large. He prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed. In his own tribute, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State described Mr Mantu as a grassroots politician who did everything within his power to serve and empower the people. This was contained in a statement issued by Makut Macham, the states director of Press and Public Affairs in Jos on Tuesday. Mr Lalong said the death of Mr Mantu, who is the Wazirin Pyem, is a great loss to Plateau and Nigeria at large. The news of the demise of the elder statesman and erudite politician was received with a heavy heart, recalling his enormous contributions to the socio-political development of the state and the nation at large. The late senator earned his place in Nigerian politics through active involvement and with a great connection to the youths whom he mentored not only in politics, but in his service to humanity, he said. The governor said the state would miss the voice of peace and unity as well as an advocate of social cohesion and tolerance which the late deputy senate represented particularly during the trying moments of its history. Until his death, he continued to avail the government of his wealth of experience and knowledge in running the affairs of the people, he said. The governor said the state would remain grateful for his political representation as two-term senator representing Plateau Central Zone where he emerged deputy senate president and did a lot to project and protect the interests of Plateau State at the red chambers. He said Mr Mantu attracted many projects and programmes of the federal government to the state and also ensured that Plateau citizens were represented at various levels of the federal administration. Mr Lalong condoled with the widow of the deceased, his children, people of Pyem Chiefdom and the entire state over the death of the late political leader whose contributions to the growth of democracy in Nigeria remained indelible. He also prayed for God to forgive his sins and grant his soul eternal rest. A former President of the Senate, David Mark, has also expressed shock and sadness over the demise of Mr Mantu. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Mark, in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Paul Mumeh, on Tuesday in Minna, said Mr Mantus death was a devastating loss to the political class. He noted that the former lawmaker died at a time when his wealth of experience, wisdom and services were most needed to navigate through the murky political terrain. Mr Mark described Mr Mantu as a flamboyant leader, who brought panache, character and sagacity to the political space. The former Senate President stated: In Mantu, I have lost a friend, brother and compatriot who believed in the sanctity of our unity and ideals of nationhood. Mantu played a politics of inclusiveness, fairness, equity and justice. He was a politician who built bridges of understanding across the length and breadth of Nigeria. He was a political leader of high repute. He stood to be counted when it mattered. His death is indeed one too many. He will sorely be missed. I am however consoled that Mantu lived an exemplary life worthy of emulation, Mr Mark said. The former Senate president prayed God in His infinite mercies to grant the deceased eternal rest and his family the fortitude to bear the loss. Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed sadness over the death of the former deputy senate president. The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja, described the late Mr Mantu, as a pillar in the PDP, who could not be forgotten. Mr Ologbondiyan said the PDP was devastated and inconsolable by the death of one of its leading elders and a member of its Board of Trustees (BoT). He said Mr Mantus death was a huge tragedy which had befallen not only the PDP but Nigeria at large. Sen. Mantu was a highly resourceful leader, an excellent lawmaker, exemplary democrat and dazzling political mobiliser; a very humble and detribalised statesman, who spent his life in innumerable sacrifices towards the unity, stability and economic development of our dear fatherland, he said. Mr Ologbondiyan noted that late Mr Mantu brought his love for the nation, as well as his skills to bear in the Senate, where he served as chairman, Senate committee on information, and deputy senate president. He also noted that the late deputy senate president, who died on Tuesday, played key roles in stabilising the Senate for greater legislative productivity. His political dexterity as the Chairman of Joint National Assembly Constitution Review Committee from 2001 to 2003 and from 2003 to 2007, laid the strong foundation for successful reviews of the constitution to reflect the aspirations of Nigerians. Mantu was a pillar in the PDP and our party will never forget his sacrifices to ensure the success and growth of the PDP at all levels. Above all, Senator Mantu was a good man, a God-fearing soul, who spared nothing in ensuring the wellbeing of others above personal pursuits. Mantus death is indeed a big blow to our party, but we draw solace in the fact that he lived a fulfilled life and made impart in his calling as a patriot, Mr Ologbodiyan said. The national publicity secretary said as the PDP grieves, the meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC) earlier slated for Tuesday had been rescheduled for Wednesday in honour of the late Mr Mantu. Our party commiserates with the Mantu family, the PDP fold in Plateau state, the people of Plateau Central as well as the entire state. The PDP also prays for God to grant eternal rest to the faithful departed and to the bereaved, the fortitude to bear this huge loss, Mr Ologbodiyan added. Some lawyers pulled together to provide free legal services to indigent suspects detained by the police have said their work is being hindered by Divisional Police Officers (DPOs). Speaking at an advisory committee meeting, the lawyers under the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme (PDSS) said DPOs usually refused them access to the detainees they were meant to assist. One of the lawyers, Bulus Atsen, spoke at the meeting which focused on the PDSS activities at the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) headquarters in Abuja last Wednesday. Solicitors (lawyers) are having a hell of time accessing police states to render these free legal services to indigent suspects. This is so because DPOs would not allow solicitors in, Mr Atsen said. Mr Atsen pointed out that despite the existence of Force Order 20 providing for detainees access to free legal assistance, the DPOs were still obstructing lawyers from meeting with detainees. The Force Order 20 was said to have been in force since the tenure of Solomon Arase as Inspector-General of Police. They (the DPOs) often say they needed a directive from the police hierarchy before allowing lawyers entry into the police stations to meet with detainees, despite the existence of Force Order 20, which is a police law, Mr Atsen said. He suggested that regular capacity training programmes should be organised for DPOs to acquaint them with the operational requirements of the PDSS. Mariam Yusuf, spokesperson of the FCT police command, declined comment on the issue when this reporter phoned her on Tuesday. The PDSS was initiated in 2018 by the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria in partnership with the Open Society for Justice Initiative (OSJI) and the Nigeria Police Force in 2004. The scheme was designed to ensure prompt decision making on matters relating to arrests, arraignment and prosecution of persons alleged to being in conflict with the law in Nigeria, the Director General of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON), Aliyu Abubakar, explained. How to solve problem of inaccessibility at police stations Mr Abubakar also said the PDSS committee would be visiting the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, with a view to discussing modalities for the seamless enforcement of the Force Order 20. He said the PDSS had helped to reduce congestion police detention centres through uninterrupted legal assistance and advice at police stations. The number of cases being handled through the PDSS is on the increase year on year. The PDSS cases are slowly and steadily forming a significant portion of the Councils case profile, Mr Abubakar explained. He said the PDSS was ongoing in Ondo, Rivers, Imo, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Police absent from committee meeting The last Wednesdays meeting was attended by the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice, office of the Vice President, Administration of Criminal Justice Act Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), but the police were absent. Nobody is here from the police force, which is terrible, a retired police commissioner, Frank Odita, said. Members of the committee agreed that an advocacy exercise be conducted across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria to sensitise the police and other critical stakeholders on the operations of the PDSS. ADVERTISEMENT Two university students heading to the airport in Lagos to board a flight back to school last weekend were harassed and extorted by police officers, the parent of one of them has said. Evelyn Okonkwo, the mother of Michael Ekene, said the vehicle conveying her 20-year-old son and his colleague, Udochukwu Maduforo, to the airport was stopped by a team of police officers in front of Golden Tulip Hotel on Airport Road at about 11 a.m. on Saturday. Both men are students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo in Ebonyi State. Mrs Okonkwo said her son called her to inform her that they had been stopped by police officers and were being held at the airport road. They stopped them for no reason, searched, and could not find anything on them. I told my son to wait that I will to meet them at the location. Before I could get to the place, he called again that the officers have allowed them to go after collecting N40,000 from the two of them. They could not trace any of their names, they are small children, 20 years old. They (the officers) collected N40, 000 from them before I got there and they missed their flight. Mrs Okonkwo said the students were supposed to board a 12:40 p.m. Air Peace flight to Owerri. They had to return home and paid extra money for missing their flight, she said. Petition to police According to a petition by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), the act of the police officers is not just an act of corruption, but an unconscionable act of wickedness that must not be swept under the carpet. The petition was addressed to Abubakar Umar, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos. Okechukwu Nwanguma, the executive director of RULAAC, said when his attention was drawn to the matter, he requested to speak to the students where they were delayed by the officers only to find out they had been extorted. The police officers searched the boys and despite not finding anything incriminating with them, and despite their explanation that they are students heading to the airport to catch a flight back to their school in Ebonyi State, and their plea to not let them miss their flights, the police officers refused to let them go, Mr Nwanguma said. The petition stated that the police officers searched the students bags and didnt find anything incriminating, and despite being showed their school ID cards, they didnt believe them. Mr Nwanguma added that the students explained that the police harassed them, extorted and delayed them. This incident is shocking for two reasons, Mr Nwanguma noted in his petition. That police officers trained and paid to serve and protect citizens could descend to holding students young people who could be their children to ransom and ignored their explanations that they are students going back to school and their plea to let them go since they were not found with anything incriminating so that they would not miss their flights. They robbed them of their money and made them miss their flight. ADVERTISEMENT That in spite the current raging issue of police corruption and abuse of power which has again put Nigeria in the spotlight of international opprobrium, these officers could not be deterred or persuaded to minimise their greed for money acquired through extortion, RULAAC wrote. The group urged the police commissioner to identify the officers and ensure that they refund the money extorted from the students, and refund the total cost of their tickets. They also demanded a refund by the police of N226,400 being the cost of the two flight tickets, the N80,000 incurred for missing the initial flight, and the N40,000 allegedly extorted by the police officers. RULAAC also urged the police boss to set up disciplinary actions against the officers for their unprofessional conduct, which contravenes police standards. PREMIUM TIMES contacted the police spokesperson, Adekunle Ajisebutu, on Sunday and he said he was not aware of the incident. Although he promised to find out what happened, he did not respond as of the time of filing this report Tuesday evening. Mrs Okonkwo said she wants justice for the oppressed students. The money my children are meant to use for upkeep, they collected it from them for doing nothing. Please, I need justice. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed shock over the death of a former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu. Mr Mantu died on Tuesday at the age of 74. Mr Abubakar, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on Tuesday in Abuja, said he received with shock and deep regrets the loss of Mr Mantu whom he described as a seasoned Nigerian politician. He said that Mr Mantu, who until his passing away was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Council (NEC), was a friendly soul who loved Nigeria and promoted national unity. The former vice president said his association with the late deputy senate president dated back to the era of military guided political transition programmes. He noted that while he was in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Mantu was a leading political light in the National Republican Convention (NRC). Mr Abubakar said as vice president following the restoration of democratic rule, he worked together with Mr Mantu who was then the deputy senate president and others, to stabilise the nascent democracy during the first tenure of the Fourth Republic. Mantu was very central in the management of the frosty relationship between the executive and the legislature in those difficult years of learning the nuances of democratic practice, he said. He alluded to Mr Mantus dogged and tenacious spirit which he said was instrumental to lifting him from humble beginnings to a life of statesmanship. Mr Abubakar noted that as a senator representing Plateau Central and deputy senate president, Mr Mantu saw his responsibility as going beyond Plateau and the senate chambers. The former vice president said the deceased was a nationalist who thought of Nigeria first. He said Nigeria would miss Mr Mantus political experiences which spanned over four decades. Mr Abubakar prayed to Allah to forgive Mr Mantus sins, console the family he left behind, the government and people of Plateau as well as the Senate which he served with distinction. Also, the incumbent Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege (APC-Delta), expressed deep shock and sadness over the demise of the former lawmaker. Mr Omo-Agege in a condolence message issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, in Abuja on Tuesday, saluted Mr Mantus patriotism and commitment to building a virile legislature. He lauded Mr Mantus committed responses to the needs of his community as a two-term senator and his devotion to national development. He also commended Mr Mantus insightful contributions at the floor of the Senate, saying that the deceased would be fondly remembered. Mr Omo-Agege also condoled with the government and people of Plateau State as well as family and friends of the deceased. ADVERTISEMENT The deputy senate president said: Distinguished Senator Ibrahim Mantu served the Fourth and Fifth Senate between 1999 and 2007 with compassion and diligence. He served the Senate in various capacities including Chairman, Senate Committee on Information; Deputy President of the Senate; as well as Chairman, Joint National Assembly Constitution Review Committee. He noted that the deceased chaired the Policy Analysis and Research Project (PARP) which metamorphosed into the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS). Mr Omo-Agege further recalled that Mr Mantu was Amirul Hajj from 2005 to 2006 and also superintended the Palliative Consolidated Committee for Cushioning Measures. A former governor of Plateau, Jonah Jang, said the love late Mr Mantu had for his people and Plateau will remain indelible in the history of the state. Mr Jang said this in his reaction to the demise of the elder statesman who died in the early hours of Tuesday at the age of 74. The former governor said the deceased was a peacemaker and a true Plateau patriot throughout his life. He said: I received with deep sense of sorrow, the passing of my brother, former Deputy Senate President, Senator (Dr) Ibrahim Mantu. Late Mantu was a brave and courageous Plateau elder statesman who stuck in neck for the interest, growth of the state, not only during his reign as Deputy President of the Senate but throughout his entire political career. He distinguished himself in politics such that he became a household name whenever the politics of Plateau and Nigeria was a subject of discussion. He is reputed to have stood for and supported any Plateau man who aspired for anything at the national level. His love for the state and for his people will remain indelible in the history of our dear state, he said. Mr Jang, also a former senator, described Mr Mantu as a very loyal, dedicated and committed party man who remained in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until his demise. He said that at a time where it was the practice to leave one party for the other to satisfy inordinate political ambitions, Mr Mantu remained a one party man. According to him, Mr Mantu had shown that ambition does not override loyalty and commitment to the ideals and tenets that one should hold dear, even in the face of loss of political power. The late senator had risen to greater heights in his political career, yet, was an embodiment of humility, a devout Muslim, community leader and a father to many. His enormous contributions to the development of his people, Plateau and the nation at large will forever be cherished and remembered. He lived an exemplary life worthy of emulation and the vacuum he left behind will be difficult to fill, not just in Pyem land, Plateau but the nation at large. On behalf of my family and those who worked closely with him and benefitted from his magnanimity and camaraderie, I pray that the Almighty God grants him eternal rest, he said. Mr Jang also prayed to God to give the entire family the courage and fortitude to bear the irreparable and painful loss. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The public presentation of a new book titled Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices will hold on Thursday, August 19, at the Yar Adua Centre, Abuja. Edited by Chido Onumah, the 437-page book is a collection of 60 essays by 60 young Nigerians to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Nigerias independence. These essays by young and articulate professionals drawn from across the country critically examine the realities of Nigerias social, economic and political situation and suggest the options open to us as a nation and how to achieve them, said Mr Onumah, Coordinator of African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL). The event, with the theme Towards A Viable Union: A National Dialogue on Remaking Nigeria, will feature a panel discussion of six of the contributors to the book. They are, Amina Salihu, Tope Fasua, Idayat Hassan, Dike Chukwumerije, Chris Ngwodo and Majeed Dahiru, all progressive voices in the quest for a better Nigeria. Using the book and their essays as anchor, the panelists will examine the crisis of nationhood that considerably impedes national development and proffer useful solutions. Eminent personalities, citizens from all walks of life and friends of Nigeria are expected at the occasion which will be chaired by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. The keynote speaker is Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum. Former Senate President Pius Anyim is the book presenter. Also expected as special guests are two distinguished Nigerians Nkoyo Toyo, former Nigerias Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU); and Alero Ayida-Otobo, Chief Executive Officer, The School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG). The book will be reviewed by Mahmud Jega, Editor-in-Chief, 21st Century Chronicle, while Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, presenter and co-anchor, Channel Televisions Sunrise Daily programme, is the moderator. As Mr Fayemi, himself a deeply passionate federalist, noted in his foreword to the book, Nation building is a work in progress, which must be engaged on the premise of justice. He then prayerfully wrapped up: May we have the courage and the conviction to confront injustice in our country and make Nigeria work for all of us! The book project was made possible through the support of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and Ford Foundation. Chido Onumah Editor, Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian Army has said another 186 members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram have surrendered to Nigerian troops. Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, a brigadier general, disclosed this in a statement on Monday. The army had at least on four previous occasions said some terrorists had repented and embraced peace. In the Monday statement, Mr Nwachukwu said the 186 terrorists consisted of their wives and other family members. He said that it was as a result of this that the other terrorists who refused to surrender resorted to cheap propaganda. There are mixed feelings, anger in many cases, among Nigerians over the olive branch offered by the Nigerian government to the insurgents who have been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Nigerians and displacements in the over a decade long conflict. Read full statement: OPERATION HADIN KAI: ISWAP LOOSING MOMENTUM AS MORE TERRORISTS SURRENDER WITH ARMS AND AMMUNITION Resort to futile propaganda Following the recent unprecedented and massive surrendering of Boko Haram Terrorists in Bama Operational area on 2 and 4 August, 2021 respectively, there has been confusion and severe apprehension in the camps of the Islamic State of West Africa Province especially amongst its top ranking commanders over the depleting strength of its members, which has drastically dwindled their overall fighting efficiency. It is against this back drop that the terrorists group opted for the use of propaganda via AMAQ Terrorists Media Wing with the aim to portray the group as if it is still a potent force in the North East. The current trend of apprehension in their camps was further aggravated by the recent alarming turn out of members of the terrorists group, who came out in droves with their families to lay down their arms and surrender to own troops at Mafa Local Government Area on 14 August, 2021. A total of 186 Boko Haram Terrorists members led by their Amir, Manye Aga, comprising 67 adult males, 54 adult females and 65 children surrendered to troops of Operation HADIN KAI at Forward Operational Base (FOB) Ajiri. Items recovered from the surrendered terrorists include, several AK 47 rifles and magazines, a locally made pistol and 8 locally fabricated daggers. Similarly, on 15 August, 2021, the Theatre took custody of additional Boko Haram fighters, comprising of 4 adult males, 11 adult females and 18 children from Landanli, Azah, Ngaridua and Kondilla villages, who surrendered to own troops of 151 Task Force Battalion, Banki Junction in Bama. ISWAP is yet to come to terms with the reality of its current predicament, which has posed serious negative impact on its prowess. It is also worthy of note that the terrorists are overwhelmed with palpable fear and are making desperate efforts to halt the ongoing surrendering of their fighters from the Tumbus and Sambisa axis. The Nigerian Military is more resolute in intensifying both kinetic and non kinetic efforts in the fight against insurgency, banditry and sundry crimes in the country. ONYEMA NWACHUKWU Brigadier General Director Army Public Relations 16 August 2021 A former deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, is dead. He was aged 74 years. A family source confirmed that Mr Mantu died on Tuesday at a private hospital in Abuja at midnight after a few days of admission. The source said the funeral prayer would hold later on Tuesday at Apo legislative mosque in Abuja. The late Mr Mantu was born in Chanso village, Gindiri District, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State on February 16, 1947. He attended the Gindiri Demonstration Primary School from 1955 1961 and obtained the First School Leaving Certificate. He worked with the Public Works Department (PWD) Jos, as a Stores Requisition Clerk from 1962 1963 before proceeding to the Gindiri Teachers College in 1964. On leaving Gindiri in 1967, he joined the Nigerian Tobacco Company, Zaria in 1968 as a Quality Checker. He moved to BEAM, a division of UAC Nigeria as a Kalamazoo Specialist Salesman in 1971. Mr Mantu studied on his own to obtain O level GCE and Diploma in Professional Salesmanship which facilitated his movement to John Holt Ltd. in 1973 as a Trainee-Manager. He was later confirmed as a substantive Manager. Mr Mantu holds a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Political Science from the Washington International University. He was awarded Honourary Doctorate Degrees of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, University of Jos, Madonna University, Okija and University of Applied Sciences and Management Port Novo, Benin Republic. Politics Mr Mantu joined politics in 1978 and was elected Deputy State Chairman of NPN in Plateau State in 1980. He was a founding member of the Liberal Convention. Mr Mantus contested for the National Chairmanship of the N.R.C. in 1990 but lost. In 1993, Mr Mantu was the Director General of National Republican Convention Presidential Campaign Organisation. In 1998, he was elected the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct UNCP and was later elected senator on the platform of the same party. This election was truncated by General Abdusalam Abubakars regime. In 1999, Mr Mantu was re-elected in a fresh contest as senator representing Plateau Central district on the platform of the PDP. On inauguration in 1999, Mr Mantu was appointed Chairman Senate Committee on Information, the position he held till August 10, 2001, when he was elected Deputy President of the Senate. He was appointed Chairman, Joint National Assembly Constitution Review Committee from 2001 to 2003 and 2003 to 2007 respectively. He was Chairman of Policy Analysis and Research Project (PARP) which metamorphosed into National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS). Though a legislator, Mr Mantu handled many executive assignments. Despite opposition by some Muslim cleric, Mr Mantu was controversially appointed by President Obasanjo as Amirul Hajj twice (2005 and 2006) and Chairman Palliative Consolidated Committee for Cushioning Measures, the position he used to stop the planned mother of all strikes by the Nigeria Labour Congress. Until his death, he was a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A priest in Ghana has been filmed kissing three female students during church service. The shocking clip which has been circulating on Twitter shows the priest, Obeng Larbi of the Anglican Church, stretching forth his head from the pulpit to kiss the women in their mouth, one after the other, while the congregants kept shouting. The incident happened on Sunday at St. Monicas College of Education in the Ashanti region. A Ghanaian news website, Star FM, quoted a female student of the college as saying that the school authorities were looking for the student who recorded and shared the clip. The unnamed student said the priest was kissing the students as a show of appreciation. The report did not, however, mention what the priest was appreciating the students for. The father in the video kissing the students didnt know we were going to post the video, the student said. We were not comfortable with the situation, thats why we were shouting. This is the first time hes doing this. He gave the school chaplain a kiss and then did (the) same to the three female Bible readers. The third girl the father kissed is a virgin and thats why she gave her cheek to the father to kiss but he forced and kissed her lips. The Anglican Church in Ghana said they were saddened by the incident. The Church is saddened by the news and wish to state expressly that thorough investigation has immediately been instituted into the matter and the action of the said Priest would be dealt with in accordance with the norms and values of the Anglican Communion where morality is extremely revered in the Church, the church said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement was signed by George Dawson-Ahmoah, the executive director to the Metropolitan Archbishop of Ghana. Meanwhile, all efforts are being made to engage the students concerned through counselling sessions to avert any psychological issues that may arise as a result of the viral video, the statement added. ADVERTISEMENT The Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) says no election would hold in the country unless the federal government agrees to hold a referendum for all self-determination groups in the country. Banji Akintoye, the chairman of the group, speaking at a press conference in Lagos Tuesday said if the 2023 election is halted in 2021, the 1999 Constitution would lose its life and we will immediately get into transitioning and therefore in the way to regional referendums for self-determination. Mr Akintoye, an emeritus professor of History, was represented by Don-Pedro Obaseki. This is a safe route to freedom for all constituents blocs that are fed up with the toxic Nigerian union, he said. He said the immediate suspension of preparations towards the 2023 general election should be treated as a matter of urgency, adding that it is the most urgently required first aid to Nigeria that is currently bleeding profusely from all sides. And for every single day, this emergency first aid is delayed, the risk of catastrophic implosion of Nigeria is exponentially increased. 1999 Constitution abolition The activities of self-determination groups have heightened over the past few years, particularly in southern Nigeria. At a rally in Lagos last month organised by agitators for a Yoruba nation, one person was killed as police shot bullets in the air to disperse the crowd. At Tuesdays press conference, NINAS described the 1999 Constitution as a destructive instrument used to renew the woes currently battling the country. It appealed to political parties to save Nigerians from enslavement by refusing to submit candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2023 general elections. The group further opined that after the proposed referendum, the people can now decide on the Constitution they want for themselves in their separate nations or within the Nigerian federation. Similarly, it called on Nigerians in the diaspora to troop out in solidarity to participate in the One Million March planned to hold in front of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from September 14th to 24th in New York. Some Nigerians, who took the first jab of the Oxford-astraZeneca coronavirus vaccines but are yet to take the mandatory second jab due to unavailability, may now heave a sigh of relief as Nigeria on Monday took delivery of 699,760 doses of the vaccines. The vaccines, which were delivered through the COVAX facility, an initiative aimed at ensuring equitable distribution of vaccines globally, are part of the three million doses of vaccines donated to 11 African nations by the government of the United Kingdom. The vaccines were on Tuesday unveiled by the Nigerian government at the countrys National Strategic Cold Store near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The UK government had pledged to share 80 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with COVAX, as part of a broader pledge to share 100 million doses with the rest of the world. Vaccines unveiling Speaking during the unveiling of the vaccines, the head of Nigerias immunisation agency, Faisal Shuaib, said the doses would be targeted at those due for the 2nd dose of the AstraZeneca vaccines earlier administered. I am glad to inform you that last night, we received 699,760 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by the UK Government. We are most grateful to the government and people of the UK for this gesture. This vaccine will be deployed immediately to the states and would be administered as second doses to those who had earlier received only the first dose of the vaccine during the first phase of the vaccination roll-out, he said. He urged all persons, 18 years and above, due for the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines to visit the vaccination centres and encourage friends and families to do the same to ensure full protection from the virus. Mr Shuaib assured Nigerians that all vaccines certified by NAFDAC were highly effective against the virus, including the ravaging Delta variant. Nigeria had commenced the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination on March 5, 2021, having received approximately four million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX. The first phase, however, ended abruptly following the exhaustion of the vaccines. Only about 3.9 million eligible persons across 36 states and FCT, received their shots from the doses. 2,534,205 people have been vaccinated for the first dose and 1,404,205 have received their second dose of the vaccine, Mr Shuaib said. UK official speaks In her remarks, the Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Atkinson, said the vaccines were donated for the wellbeing of Nigerians. She said the UK was one of the first countries to back COVAX with 548 million. We have consistently pushed for a global effort that helps every country receive the vaccine against COVID-19. I am so pleased to see Nigeria receive 699,760 doses, donated by the UK, in their second batch of the vaccine through COVAX. This is the first tranche of the 1,299,760 doses expected to be donated by the UK through COVAX. Only by vaccinating more people around the world can we bring an end to the global coronavirus pandemic, Ms Atkinson said. She said donating through COVAX helps increase vaccine coverage, ensure that no dose goes to waste and helps to bring an end to the phase of the pandemic. ADVERTISEMENT Welcome development Also speaking at the event, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative in Nigeria, Walter Molumbo, said the donated vaccines are opening prospects to cover the eligible population towards achieving herd immunity. He also commended the government for putting efforts in place to make COVID-19 vaccination a reality as the country continues to fight the third wave of the pandemic. The contribution today of over 699,000 AstraZeneca vaccines is really a big relief for us, knowing that we had a number of Nigerians, who got their first shot, and were waiting for their second shot, he said. The more we get people vaccinated, the better for us all, the vaccines that have been received by Nigeria so far, were all endorsed by the WHO, as safe and effective. Nigerias Vaccination campaign Nigeria on Monday flagged-off the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination having received 4 million doses of Moderna vaccines from the government of the United States of America. The country also received another 177,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines from the African Union (AU). The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, at the flag-off, said the arrival of these vaccines prompted the second phase of the vaccination. The arrival of the 4,000,080 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Government of the United States and the 177,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines out of the 29,850,000 doses the Federal Government has purchased through the Africa-Import-Export Bank and the African Union, is highly encouraging and motivating for us at the Presidential Steering Committee, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The U.S. may well claim in the end that in 20 years it helped to reduce the scope of terror and the growth of terrorism in the world, but the failure in Afghanistan, spanning about four U.S. administrations, looks ironically as a reinforcement of terrorism. The return of the Taliban is bound to embolden terrorist groups across the world. It will grant them confidence and hope that they can also achieve the same kind of triumph. One of the first things I picked up very early in this business of public affairs analysis is something senior colleagues referred to as Afghanistanism. If you were told a column, story or essay, you had submitted for publication reeked of Afghanistanism, it was clearly a subtle kind of condemnation. It meant dabbling into a remote subject that was not of immediate consequence, whereas you could have chosen a better topic of greater local value and relevance. In other words, the phrase Afghanistanism, was not a compliment. It was a label for absent-mindedness, an obsession with far-away places and events, sounding eloquent about other peoples issues, while overlooking the same problems at ones doorstep. Afghanistanism was thus projected as a perfect exemplification of parachute journalism. But here we are, at this time, in the past two weeks, and in the past few days, Afghanistanism is now suddenly no longer a flight of fancy. It has become the symbol and the very definition of much that is wrong with our world. It is the news of the moment, not so distant anymore, but a source of worry for the entire world. I guess it is now possible to indulge in Afghanistanism, without being accused of an idle journey to distant places. Over the weekend, Afghanistan imploded. Its President, Ashraf Ghani abandoned the Presidential Palace and fled in the direction of Tajikistan. The Vice President went in another direction. Security agents, including the police and the military, dropped their weapons and fled too. Ordinary citizens headed towards every available border to become refugees in neighbouring countries. The United States, which had been involved in the politics of Afghanistan since 1999, is also on the run out of the country, as it shut down its embassy in Kabul, burning down sensitive documents, and rushing to airlift its citizens out of Afghanistan. The British, and NATO soldiers who had both supported the U.S. in Afghanistan, are also on the run. It is an unfolding chaos and tragedy, the exact end of which no one knows, and that is precisely what makes all of this a sad day for the rest of the world. The fate of the people of Afghanistan hangs in the balance. Their future is uncertain. Their government has collapsed. A bunch of radical extremists, terrorists, ideologues and tribal warlords, known as the Taliban, are now in charge. They have taken over the presidential palace and the entire country. In the 1990s, they were in charge of the country. The people of Afghanistan have just been taken back to the 20th Century. That country has turned full cycle to the age of fundamentalism, the oppression of women, disdain for education and abuse of human rights. Tragic. The crisis in Afghanistan speaks to the failure of American diplomacy and, specifically, of U.S. foreign policy. Diplomatic relations between the United States and Afghanistan date back to 1935. In the course of that relationship, the United States was responsible for setting up, in that axis, a bunch of extremists known as the Mujahideen, as part of the Cold War with the Soviet Union and China, two countries with which Afghanistan shares borders. The Mujahideen would later become the Taliban. They gained control of Afghanistan. If America thought it was exporting its Western style democracy to Afghanistan, a majorly Muslim country with strong ethnic cleavages, and that the people would adopt American ideology, it was grossly mistaken. The Muslims of Afghanistan were not willing to abandon their religious and ideological beliefs, and many resented the Western way of life. It did not take long before Afghanistan became the home of religious fanaticism and the headquarters of the Al Qaeda. Matters later took a turn for the worse when the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1267, which created the al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, and the classification of both groups as terrorist groups, with sanctions over their funding, travel and activities. With the return of the Taliban to Kabul, the war against terror in Afghanistan has proven to be a colossal failure. America has been humiliated. What we are witnessing is two decades of bad judgment and miscalculations. In July, President Joe Biden boasted that Kabul would not fall and the day would not come when the Taliban will overrun the country. It took the Taliban just ten days to overrun the entire country. Osama Bin Laden, in the face of this, rose to the top. In 2001, Ahmad Massoud, commander of the Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban coalition, was assassinated by the al-Qaeda, which by then had grown in strength and scope. As it happened, later, on September 9, 2001, terrorists struck in the United States, in the tragedy now known as 9/11. The U.S. and its allies promptly launched a retaliatory offensive: Operation Enduring Freedom, and later, Operation Freedoms Sentinel against the al-Qaeda. The Taliban and its totalitarian government fell in the face of this offensive and hence resorted to a guerrilla warfare against the West and the government installed by the U.S. in Afghanistan. Over 2,400 U.S. soldiers died in the war against the Taliban. Over 20,000 were wounded. Washington has spent over a trillion dollars. The British have also lost over 450 soldiers to the battle. But even with the negotiations over the years, and Americas training of Afghan soldiers to keep the Taliban at bay, the intervention in Afghanistan by the U.S. and NATO has proved futile and unwinnable. With the return of the Taliban to Kabul, the war against terror in Afghanistan has proven to be a colossal failure. America has been humiliated. What we are witnessing is two decades of bad judgment and miscalculations. In July, President Joe Biden boasted that Kabul would not fall and the day would not come when the Taliban will overrun the country. It took the Taliban just ten days to overrun the entire country. America and its allies were overwhelmed. The now deposed Afghan government and the U.S. have been trading blames. But after the initial denial that this is not another Saigon in South Vietnam, 1975, it is interesting to see American diplomats eating their own words. Anthony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, and other Washington policy wonks, have now come to the realisation that this is a failed mission for the United States, as was similarly the case in Vietnam, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, and Libya. America did not need to stay in Afghanistan forever. It is simple and direct logic that the Afghans would have to clean up their own mess, at some point, but the leaders of Afghanistan failed to govern properly, and Americas hasty withdrawal plan was a mistake. America misread the politics of Afghanistan. It underestimated the Taliban. It also overestimated the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF). The U.S. spent loads of dollars training what became known as the Afghan Special Forces. It was thought that they had received enough training to be able to secure their own country against the terrorists. But that was pure fiction. The ANDSF lacked real capability. The Forces were mismanaged by the local authorities. When the Taliban launched an onslaught, the ghost army that the U.S. and other nations thought they had set up took to its heels. The disaster that has now occurred was long in coming. It was a disaster foretold. In February 2020, the U.S. struck an agreement with the Taliban in Doha. That has failed too, in part because even the Afghan leaders were excluded from it. The regional warlords, who both the U.S. and the Afghan government thought would resist the Taliban, did not raise a finger, as The Taliban overran the provinces all the way to the Capital. The U.S. thought Pakistan would help. Instead, Pakistan became a sanctuary for the Taliban. The U.S. may well claim in the end that in 20 years it helped to reduce the scope of terror and the growth of terrorism in the world, but the failure in Afghanistan, spanning about four U.S. administrations, looks ironically as a reinforcement of terrorism. The return of the Taliban is bound to embolden terrorist groups across the world. It will grant them confidence and hope that they can also achieve the same kind of triumph. Twenty years later, the U.S. may have lost so much but it is the entire world that is at risk. The thinking that the U.S. and its allies can save humanity, or that any country at all can rely on the omnipresence or the indispensability of the United States has been exposed as one of the biggest lies of the century. When it suits its purpose, the U.S. will review its own priorities and it would not matter to the average American taxpayer whether you sink or float. The big point about Afghanistan is the need to realise its implications for the global war against terror, U.S. Foreign policy, and the balance of power in the world. Professor Bolaji Akinyemi on Arise TV, analysing the dilemma that the world faces, spoke about the clash of civilisations (an apt reference to Samuel P. Huntington) and the likely emergence of a new world order. But is Africa prepared? And it is at this point that the prompt intervention of Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari becomes relevant. In an article published in the Financial Times of London, the same day Kabul fell to the Taliban, Buhari placed his fingers rightly on the threat that the fall of Kabul poses to Africa. He referred to Africa as the new frontline of global militancy and called for global action to fight terrorism. He says: We must not complacently assume that military means alone can defeat the terrorists. If Afghanistan has taught a lesson, it is that although sheer force can blunt terror, its removal can cause the threat to return. Indeed, there are many lessons to learn from the Afghan debacle. He would go on subsequently to say that a lack of hope is the chief recruiting sergeant for the continents new brand of terrorism. This commentary was on point in every regard. I am tempted to suspect they just recruited someone with a sharp brain into the Nigerian Presidency. When the President returned from the U.K., we were told that he and his delegation would go into isolation, in line with official regulations. And then from isolation, the President has just signed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law. I digress. The big point about Afghanistan is the need to realise its implications for the global war against terror, U.S. Foreign policy, and the balance of power in the world. Professor Bolaji Akinyemi on Arise TV, analysing the dilemma that the world faces, spoke about the clash of civilisations (an apt reference to Samuel P. Huntington) and the likely emergence of a new world order. But is Africa prepared? The failure of U.S. policy in Afghanistan has occurred under the watch of President Joe Biden, even if it is an inherited crisis. Will it affect his rating? Is the average American bothered about whatever happens to the people of Afghanistan? What does the future portend for Afghanistan? The international community would probably make the usual noise about the need to protect human rights and refugees and the rule of law, and perhaps the UN Security Council would threaten to impose sanctions, but in the end, it is only the Afghans who can determine their own future. There is no way the Taliban can overrun Afghanistan, chase away a sitting government and seize power without the peoples tacit compliance. America must learn not to dictate ideological choices to others, in a diverse and complicated world. II: Hichilema: Zambia Shall Be Free It was a referendum on President Edgar Lungus languid leadership. When Lungu succeeded Michael Sata in 2015, he promised to put an end to nepotism and inefficiency. He was hailed as a reformist but he ended up as a hypocrite. As a secondary school student, one of the compulsory literature texts that my set read for the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) was a book titled Zambia Shall Be Free by Kenneth Kaunda. Our teacher had a funny way of pronouncing Zambia. He would turn Zambia into Zam-bi-u Shar-lll -Be Friii by Kerr-nnerthi- Kar uuun dar. Till today, some of my old classmates in that literature class still refer to Zambia as Zam-bi-u. Fond memories of those old days. Kenneth Kaunda, the author of that literature text, in which he documented the independence struggle in his country, died recently at 97. He was Zambias president from 1964 to 1991. There have been six presidents in Zambia since 1964. The seventh was elected this past weekend, August 12, and it was the third time power has shifted peacefully from a ruling party to the opposition since independence. It is unfortunate that Zambia, like other African countries, gained flag independence from colonial rule, but the dream of concrete freedom articulated by Kaunda and other African leaders has not yet been realised. Zambia, in particular, has been unfortunate. Rich in copper but poor in leadership. I see the election that was concluded on August 12 as an attempt by Zambians to take back their country. They made a powerful statement about people power. They resolved that Zambians deserve to be free from the grips of corruption, nepotism, neo-colonialism and the forces of retrogression. The just-concluded parliamentary and presidential elections in Zambia offer an indication that the peoples voices and choice should matter most in a democratic process. It was a referendum on President Edgar Lungus languid leadership. When Lungu succeeded Michael Sata in 2015, he promised to put an end to nepotism and inefficiency. He was hailed as a reformist but he ended up as a hypocrite. As recently as last month, when he went to London for a Global Education Summit, he had three members of his immediate family in his entourage and he shamelessly tried to defend himself. He even forced an amendment of the Constitution to allow him have a third term in office. He is leader of a Pentecostal Assembly, with a Ph. D in Theology, but he ran Zambia like the chief priest of a local cult. He readily boasts about the infrastructure that he has provided, but Lungu sold the soul of Zambias commodity sector to the Chinese. He incurred debts. The country went into recession. Ahead of the August 12 elections, he deployed the military to intimidate the opposition. He shut down the internet. He threatened to jail Hakainde Hichilema, presidential candidate of the main opposition party, the United Party for National Development (UPND). In 2016, Hichilema lost the presidential contest to Lungu by a mere 100, 000 votes. Last week, and as announced yesterday by the Zambian Electoral Commission, this time around, Lungu lost to Hichilema, 1.8 million votes (39 per cent) to 2.8 million votes (59 per cent). The defeated incumbent president is now saying the election was not free and fair and that his supporters were intimidated. The same Lungu is condemning an election that he controlled by every means possible. Zambia has a registered voter population of 7 million out of a total population of 19 million citizens. Voter turn-out was 70 per cent on election day, mostly youths who have now sent a strong and clear message that Lungu has overstayed his welcome. Hichilema, 59, has his job cut out for him: To ensure the freedom of Zambia from the forces of neo-colonialism, economic failure, nepotism, cronyism, incompetence, COVID-19, and elite stupidity. Above all, he must learn from the mistakes of Edgar Lungu. Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, writes from Lagos. ADVERTISEMENT The Oyo State Government on Monday commenced the distribution of five million insecticide-treated nets across the 33 Local Government Areas of the State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the distribution was launched at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, by Governor Seyi Makinde. In his remarks at the occasion, the governor noted that the nets would improve the health of mothers and children, by reducing morbidity and mortality across the state. Mr Makinde noted that malaria was still a public health challenge in Nigeria and Oyo state, where it was seriously challenging the health care needs of women and children, in our communities. This mosquito net distribution process is expected to increase awareness of communities on the appropriate knowledge, attitude and skills in preventing malaria caused by mosquito bites, he said. The governor pledged that his government would not relent in seeking and working with development partners and relevant organisations, as part of efforts to improve the health status of the people. He thanked the partners involved, USAID, PMI, GHSC-PSM, & Break Through Action-Nigeria, for collaborating and supporting malaria prevention activities in the state hence making the net distribution possible. This partnership has bought us together today to flag off this round of free net distribution that is conducted every four years. He said that his administration remained committed to the provision of good health care services for the wellbeing of the people. Represented at the event by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola, the governor said many health interventions had been put in place to address various health challenges faced by the people. He cited the one primary health care centre per ward as enhancing access to affordable and qualitative good health care by grassroots dwellers. Earlier, the Special Adviser to the governor on Health, Funmi Salami, disclosed that the state government had embarked on an advocacy drive in the media to create awareness in the people of the distribution periods and the benefits of making use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets in their households. She added that field workers were also engaged in house-to-house campaigns, including the distribution of letters to residents which, according to her, would enable identified people to benefit from the laudable project. Celeste Carr, the representative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in her remarks, asserted that the best way to eliminate mosquitoes, the malaria carrier, was to put a barrier against them from dusk to dawn. Ms Carr maintained that the intervention would curb pregnant women and children, under five years, from being easily affected by malaria, commending the State Government for its efforts in the health sector. NAN reports that a key highlight of the occasion was the symbolic distribution of the mosquito nets to some pregnant women and other beneficiaries. (NAN) Now, with a $26.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a multi-disciplinary group of researchers from institutions around the world is trying a completely new strategy for curing HIV. The group, known as the HIV Obstruction by Programmed Epigenetics (HOPE) Collaboratory, will be led by researchers at Gladstone Institutes, Scripps Research Florida, and Weill Cornell Medicine. Their approach, which aims to both silence and permanently remove HIV from the body, takes advantage of knowledge about how other viruses have become naturally inactivated over time. "This is a fundamentally different approach to targeting HIV than what everyone else has been trying," says Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology, and the program director and a principal investigator of the HOPE Collaboratory. "I think it's extremely important for us to explore a broad range of scientific approaches to find the best cure for people living with HIV, as quickly as we can." The HOPE Collaboratory is one of 10 groups awarded a 5-year grant under the Martin Delaney Collaboratories program, the flagship program on HIV cure research at the NIH. Targeting Latent HIV in Novel Ways HIV is notorious for its ability to hide in a latent state in immune cells; while latent viruses don't cause overt symptoms or full-blown AIDS, they can lead to long-term health complications for those living with HIV and can't be targeted with standard antiretroviral therapy. Moreover, a lapse in this daily therapy can lead to a rapid rebound of the infection. Most attempts at curing HIV have centered around purposefully reactivating the latent virus in order to flush it out in the presence of antiretroviral therapyan approach called "shock and kill." But researchers have struggled to reactivate every copy of the virus in the body, or at least, to do so without severe undesirable side effects. And even a small remaining reservoir of latent virus means that someone living with HIV must remain on daily treatments. The researchers involved in the HOPE Collaboratory are calling their new, alternative tactic "block-lock-excise," and it targets latent HIV in new ways, without reactivating it. The inspiration for the "block and lock" part of their strategy comes from ancient viruses that have integrated themselves into the human genome over millions of years of evolution. HIV also integrates into the genome of a person living with HIV. However, unlike HIV, the ancient viruses remain in a silenced state or are defective. Researchers have found that these ancient inactive viruses are missing several genetic elements that HIV contains. Two particular elementsa sequence of DNA at the start of HIV's genetic code and a protein called Tatare needed for latent HIV to reactivate and begin replicating. "We have shown that blocking Tat with certain drug-like small molecules can lock HIV in its dormant stage, and this block stays in place for some time, even if antiretroviral therapy is interrupted," says Susana Valente, PhD, one of the principal investigators of the HOPE Collaboratory and associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research in Florida. "With the 'block and lock' approach, we basically want to push HIV into becoming like a harmless, ancient virus." Using drugs to block the elements needed for the virus to reactivate could shift HIV from a transient latent state to a robustly silenced one. The drugs would not only impede the Tat protein, but also alter the three-dimensional structure of the HIV genetic material, making it harder for other proteins to access the HIV genes and turn them on. This dual strategy, the HOPE team thinks, could lock HIV into a silent state for good, without continuous treatment. "The idea is not only to lock HIV so it cannot replicate, but essentially to throw away the key, keeping it locked away forever, unable to do any more harm to the host or to others," Valente says. "If cells infected with latent HIV could be solidly silenced, we could take patients off their entire antiretroviral therapy regimens and the virus would not reappear," says Ott. Genome Editing Opens New Doors The "excise" component of the HOPE Collaboratory's approach takes advantage of recent advances in genome editing. The development of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology has given researchers inroads into altering the DNA of human cells. This means that the latent HIV inserted in the DNA of immune cells could be edited. The collaboratory plans to test the utility of a number of gene-editing approaches in changing the DNA of latent HIV to such an extent that the virus would be destroyed. This step, they say, could follow the "block and lock" treatment that silences the virus, or could be an alternative path depending on the effectiveness and cost of each approach. "We have not yet been able to achieve a cure for HIV because the virus finds a way to hide out in reservoirs of cells in the body," says Lishomwa Ndhlovu, MD, PhD, a principal investigator of the HOPE Collaboratory and a professor of immunology in medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine. "The HOPE grant will allow us to test whether a 'block-lock-and-excise' approach can achieve long-term silencing of HIV in all relevant tissue sanctuaries so it cannot be released from cells. Coupled with permanent removal of any remnants of the silenced virus, we hope this will prevent the rebound of HIV when antiviral drugs are stopped, and lead to a cure." A Collaborative Approach The collaboratory includes members from 12 institutions around the world, and will also work with three pharmaceutical companies with insight into the development of potential therapeutics from the drugs studied in the labs. In addition, clinical groups will help provide data and samples from people living with HIV in Africa and Brazil. With community partner San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the HOPE team will also involve people living with HIV in their research agenda. Discussion panels will bridge researchers and the community to help ensure that any HIV therapeutics are welcomedand understoodby people living with HIV. "It's absolutely key that this is a multi-institutional and multidisciplinary approach," says Gladstone's Danielle Lyons, PhD, program manager for the HOPE Collaboratory. "Bringing together this diverse group of people with expertise across various disciplines is what will really drive the discovery of a cure for HIV." Individually, the principal investigators of the HOPE Collaboratory have already been working on HIV latency, retroviruses, and Tat inhibitors for many years, so they're ready to hit the ground running as a team, they say. Over the first 2 years of the 5-year grant, they plan to complete feasibility studies and further investigate a handful of potential drugs. The collaboratory nature of the grant means that, once those initial studies are complete, the group can re-evaluate and, if needed, shift their approach. "We cannot be satisfied with the status quo, which is lifelong therapy for people living with HIV," says Ott. "We need to continue pushing for a cureand that's exactly what we intend to do through the HOPE Collaboratory." About the HOPE Collaboratory The executive committee for the HOPE Collaboratory is led by Program Director Melanie Ott from Gladstone Institutes, and includes Principal Investigators Susana Valente from Scripps Research and Lishomwa Ndhlovu from Weill Cornell Medicine, as well as Co-Investigator Douglas Nixon from Weill Cornell Medicine. Operations will be overseen by Danielle Lyons from Gladstone, the collaboratory's program manager. The Hope Collaboratory also includes three co-directors for different research programs (Warner Greene and Nadia Roan from Gladstone, and Priti Kumar from Yale School of Medicine), a community engagement coordinator (Patricia Defechereux from Gladstone), 10 members (Cedric Feschotte from Cornell University; Joachim Hauber from Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology in Germany; Julie Ake and Denise Hsu from the US Military HIV Research Program; Esper Kallas from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil; Niren Murthy from UC Berkeley; Eric Verdin from Buck Institute for Research on Aging; Betty Mwesigwa and Hannah Kibuuka from the Makerere University Walter Reed Project in Uganda; and Pauline Sameshima from Lakehead University), and four consultants (Jennifer Doudna from UC Berkeley, Gladstone, and the Innovative Genomics Institute; Peter Glazer from Yale School of Medicine; Avi Nath from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; and Mauricio Martins from Scripps Research). In addition, the HOPE Collaboratory will work in partnership with the Last Gift Study led by Sara Gianella and Davey Smith at UC San Diego and the African Cohort Study (AFRICOS) led by Julie Ake at the US Military HIV Research Program, as well as with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and industry partners Amgen, Constellation Pharmaceuticals, and Sangamo Therapeutics. The HOPE Collaboratory is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number UM1AI164559. About Gladstone Institutes To ensure our work does the greatest good, Gladstone Institutes focuses on conditions with profound medical, economic, and social impactunsolved diseases. Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease. It has an academic affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco. About Scripps Research Scripps Research is an independent, nonprofit biomedical institute ranked the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation by Nature Index. With campuses in La Jolla, California, and Jupiter, Florida, we are advancing human health through profound discoveries that address pressing medical concerns around the globe. Our drug discovery and development division, Calibr, works hand-in-hand with scientists across disciplines to bring new medicines to patients as quickly and efficiently as possible, while teams at Scripps Research Translational Institute harness genomics, digital medicine and cutting-edge informatics to understand individual health and render more effective healthcare. Scripps Research also trains the next generation of leading scientists at our Skaggs Graduate School, consistently named among the top 10 US programs for chemistry and biological sciences. Learn more at www.scripps.edu. About Weill Cornell Medicine Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicinefaculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organizationare engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide exemplary patient care at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, New York-Presbyterian Queens and New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu. Media Contacts Gladstone Institutes: Julie Langelier | [email protected] | 415.734.5000 Scripps Research: [email protected] | 561.228.2551 Weill Cornell Medicine: Krystle Lopez | [email protected] | 646.962.9516 SOURCE Gladstone Institutes; Scripps Research; Weill Cornell Medicine VANCOUVER, BC and RIDGEWOOD, N.J., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V: AQS) (OTCQB: AQSZF) ("Aequus") and reVision Therapeutics, Inc. ("reVision") announce a collaboration on the development of a therapy for Stargardt disease. Aequus is a specialty pharmaceutical company with multiple commercial eye care products and reVision is a privately-held, biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for rare ocular diseases. The agreement allows Aequus the option to acquire North American commercial rights to REV-0100, reVision's proprietary Stargardt disease program. Stargardt disease is a devastating genetic disorder that affects central vision in children and adults, often leading to blindness. There are currently no approved treatment options. REV-0100 is based on important discovery research from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City that shows REV-0100 can reduce elevated levels of toxic lipid material called lipofuscin in pre-clinical studies. reVision is thus poised to demonstrate the benefit of reducing levels of lipofuscin to alter the course of Stargardt disease progression. "We are excited to partner with Aequus, an established commercial ophthalmics company, to continue developing REV-0100 for Stargardt disease," said Paul Fehlner, reVision's co-founder and President. "We believe that the existing efficacy data in animal models of Stargardt disease and established safety profile of the REV-0100 drug substance provide real hope for Stargardt disease patients who presently have no approved therapeutic options." The US Food and Drug Administration has already designated REV-0100 as an Orphan Drug and a Rare Pediatric Disease Drug for the treatment of Stargardt disease. These designations support accelerated development of REV-0100, expediting review and evaluation amongst other benefits, including Orphan Drug market exclusivity upon successful program completion. In addition, the drug substance has an established safety profile and is manufactured to GMP standards, potentially reducing safety risk and shortening the development timeline. "We are very excited to be working with the reVision team to advance this much needed potential therapy. The REV-0100 mechanism of action suggests the possibility of slowing disease progression as a first line therapy," said Doug Janzen, Aequus Chairman and CEO. "Besides representing a meaningful market opportunity, there are a number of advantages ranging from orphan market exclusivity, potential for accelerated regulatory review and the opportunity to be eligible for a Priority Review Voucher." As part of the option terms, Aequus will make an equity investment in reVision with the option to fully fund the development program in return for the North American commercial rights. Funds from the initial investment are earmarked to cover the costs of a pre-clinical toxicology study for REV-0100, which we begin in the near term. Clinical trials with Stargardt patients are expected to initiate in late 2021 or early 2022. About reVision Therapeutics, Inc. reVision Therapeutics is a privately-held, early stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for ocular and rare diseases. reVision's lead product candidate REV-0100 is being developed as a treatment for Stargardt disease and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). About REV-0100 REV-0100 is a potential therapy for patients with Stargardt disease that is designed to bind and clear a toxic lipid called lipofuscin. Accumulation of lipofuscin in Stargardt disease leads to cell death and retinal degeneration. REV-0100 has the potential to reduce lipofuscin levels in the retina. There are no other known products in development that remove accumulated lipofuscin through this mechanism of action and no other approved treatment for Stargardt disease. REV-0100 was developed from research from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and is covered by a granted patent and pending patent applications licensed from Cornell. About Stargardt Disease Stargardt disease is also called Stargardt macular dystrophy, juvenile macular degeneration, or fundus flavimaculatus. The disease causes progressive damage or degeneration of the macula, which is an area in the center of the retina that is responsible for sharp, straight-ahead vision. Stargardt disease is one of several genetic disorders that cause macular degeneration. Experts estimate that 1 in 8-10 thousand people have Stargardt disease. About Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V: AQS,OTCQB: AQSZF) is a growing specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing high quality, differentiated products. Aequus has grown its sales and marketing efforts to include several commercial products in ophthalmology and transplant. Aequus plans to build on its commercial platform through the launch of additional products that are either created internally or brought in through an acquisition or license; remaining focused on highly specialized therapeutic areas. Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer This release may contain forward-looking statements or forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation that may not be based on historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believe", "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "potential" and similar expressions. Forward- looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as the factors we believe are appropriate. Forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements relating to: the implementation of our business model and strategic plans; revenue growth trends into the future; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the Company's expected revenues; and the therapeutic benefits, effectiveness and safety of our product candidates and third-party products. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Aequus, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In making the forward looking statements included in this release, the Company has made various material assumptions, including, but not limited to: the manufacturing capacity of third-party manufacturers for our product candidates; our ability to promote and market third party and licensed products; obtaining regulatory approvals; general business and economic conditions; the Company's ability to successfully out-license or sell its current products and in-license and develop new products; the assumption that the Company's current good relationships with its manufacturer and other third parties will be maintained; the availability of financing on reasonable terms; the Company's ability to attract and retain skilled staff; market competition; the products and technology offered by the Company's competitors; and the Company's ability to protect patents and proprietary rights. In evaluating forward looking statements, current and prospective shareholders should specifically consider various factors set out herein and under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated April 28, 2020, a copy of which is available on Aequus' profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, and as otherwise disclosed from time to time on Aequus' SEDAR profile. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties, or a risk that is not currently known to us materialize, or should assumptions underlying those forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and we do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are inherently uncertain. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward looking statements. Contact Information Aequus Investor Relations Email: [email protected] Phone: 604-336-7906 reVision Therapeutics, Inc. Email: [email protected] SOURCE reVision Therapeutics, Inc. Related Links https://www.revisiontx.com/whatwedo "This is an opportunity for Barings to work with Elmington, Red Stone Equity Partners and Bank of America to build and finance a project that will bring 300 affordable units to one of the fastest growing and dynamic markets in suburban Austin," said Daron Tubian, Managing Director and Head of Affordable Housing Investments at Barings. "Our partnership and long term financing commitment to Elmington's project underscores our belief that the development of affordable communities is essential in all high-demand housing markets in the U.S." "In a time when a lack of quality affordable housing continues to be a major challenge for so many fast growing cities, we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to invest $29.3M of tax credit equity in Yager Flats. This beautiful property will allow for 300 families to afford to live in the community they love," said Darren Swanson, Managing Director of Equity Acquisitions at Red Stone Equity Partners. "Bank of America Community Development Banking is pleased to provide more than $40M to help finance the construction of much-needed affordable housing for families in the Austin area," said Ellen Rogers, Market Executive for Community Development Banking at Bank of America. "Yager Flats is a great example of the impact we can make to help the most vulnerable in our communities and demonstrates our continued commitment to support the communities where we work and live." Upon completion, the development will have eleven 3-story buildings with a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments with 461 parking spaces, available to prospective tenants with incomes ranging from 30% to 60% of Area Median Income ("AMI"). Consistent with Barings' commitment to social impact, Yager Flats through Portfolio Resident Services will provide on-site supportive services that will include adult education, workforce development, financial literacy training, social & recreational activities, after school programming, and health/wellness planning. All services will be free to residents. About Barings Barings is a $382+ billion* global investment manager sourcing differentiated opportunities and building long-term portfolios across public and private fixed income, real estate, and specialist equity markets. With investment professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, the firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual, aims to serve its clients, communities and employees, and is committed to sustainable practices and responsible investment. Learn more at www.barings.com. *Assets under management as of June 30, 2021 Contact Cheryl Krauss, Barings, 980-417-5858, [email protected] SOURCE Barings Related Links www.barings.com NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that BCM One, a leading provider of NextGen Communications and Managed Services for IT leaders and resellers, is named to its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. "We are excited to be recognized by Inc. as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S.," stated Geoff Bloss, CEO of BCM One. "It's a testament to our strategic investments in the company, our solutions, and our partners, and we are focused on maintaining the momentum as businesses continue to rely on technology to support communication, collaboration, and execution." Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." ABOUT BCM ONE Founded in 1992, BCM One is a leading managed technology solutions provider offering next-generation voice and managed network services. Serving over 17,000 customers worldwide, BCM One offers a variety of solutions supporting businesses' critical network infrastructure including: UCaaS/Hosted Voice, SIP Trunking, Managed SD-WAN, Microsoft Teams, Technology Expense Optimization and Managed Connectivity solutions. BCM One prides itself on its long-standing client relationships backed by their mission statement, "To Provide a World-Class Experience with Every Human Interaction." To learn more about BCM One, visit www.bcmone.com. BCM One Contact: Paula Como Kauth | Vice President, Marketing Office: 212.906.7255 | [email protected] MORE ABOUT INC. AND THE INC. 5000 The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com. Related Images bcm-one-managed-solutions-provider.png BCM One -- Managed Solutions Provider SOURCE BCM One Public Relations BOSTON, Aug. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) today announced a new relationship with CVS Caremark, the pharmacy benefit management business of CVS Health, designed to simplify the pharmacy experience, improve health outcomes and lower costs for members and employers. Beginning January 1, 2023, CVS Caremark will support Blue Cross in managing pharmacy benefit services for its commercial and Medicare groups and individual health plans. The new agreement is expected to generate cumulative pharmacy savings for Blue Cross customers of between 10%-15% over the course of the three-year contract.i As one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Caremark serves more than 100 million members, and successfully reduces prescription drug costs for clients and their members, resulting in low single-digit percent growth for overall client prescription drug spend in 2020. Through this new relationship, CVS Caremark will support the processing of pharmacy claims, negotiate contracting with pharmaceutical manufacturers on behalf of Blue Cross, offer mail-order dispensing and other pharmacy network options for Blue Cross members. "Prescription drug coverage is our members' most used benefit," said Andrew Dreyfus, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. "We're working hard to simplify the pharmacy experience, improve health outcomes, and lower costs for our customers and members, and our partnership with CVS Caremark will help us advance that work." CVS Caremark will work closely with Blue Cross and its employer customers to understand their population health goals and make members' pharmacy experience more affordable, easy to access, and simple to follow. As part of CVS Health, CVS Caremark innovates with clients to manage chronic diseases more effectively through community-based or home-based health services as well as enhanced digital connectivity. "We've been given a terrific opportunity by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and will use the entire asset base of CVS Health to help BCBSMA achieve its goal of improving the health of their members," said Alan Lotvin, M.D., president of CVS Caremark. "We look forward to working together and getting started as soon as possible to make this an exceptional experience for everyone." Blue Cross will continue to work closely with its current pharmacy benefit partner, Express Scripts Inc., to ensure a smooth transition in early January 2023. Blue Cross is the largest private health plan in Massachusetts with 2.8 million members. About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable and equitable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. i Actual savings will vary by account SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Related Links http://www.bluecrossma.com NEW YORK and ZUG, Switzerland, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital Dynamics, an independent global private asset management firm, has announced that members of its U.S. Clean Energy Infrastructure ("CEI") team, will combine with Arevon Asset Management, its exclusive energy asset management affiliate, to form Arevon Energy, Inc. ("Arevon"). Arevon is supported by an investor group comprised of APG, the California State Teachers' Retirement System ("CalSTRS"), and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority ("ADIA"). They have been long-standing investors with Capital Dynamics and will own 100% of the newly formed entity. John Breckenridge, previously a Senior Managing Director and Head of Clean Energy Infrastructure at Capital Dynamics, will lead the new entity as Chief Executive Officer. "Clean energy investments are an important initiative for this investor group, and we believe this transaction, which provides them with a specialized, dedicated energy management platform, greatly benefits our valued partners," said Martin Hahn, Chief Executive Officer of Capital Dynamics, "We will continue accelerating the clean energy transition in the U.S. and Europe through our global Clean Energy Infrastructure platform, where our talented team continues to generate attractive investment opportunities for our clients." John Breckenridge, Chief Executive Officer of Arevon, said: "I am deeply proud of what we have built over the past seven years at Capital Dynamics. During that time, the CEI team has become one of the largest renewable energy investment managers in the world with one of the longest track records in the industry. Establishing this platform is a natural progression for Arevon and positions it well for the next stage of growth in the renewable energy sector." Arevon will support a standalone clean energy platform of 4.5 GW of operating, under construction, and late-stage development solar and battery storage projects as well as a 3.0 GW pipeline. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by early 2022. Capital Dynamics and Arevon maintain a strong working relationship and have entered into a consulting services agreement, in addition to continuing asset management services for Capital Dynamics' existing U.S. renewable energy projects. Capital Dynamics continues to manage its CEI funds and operate its CEI investment strategy, with assets across the U.S. and Europe, under the leadership of Simon Eaves (Senior Managing Director), Barney Coles (Managing Director), and Dario Bertagna (Managing Director). About Capital Dynamics Capital Dynamics is an independent global asset management firm focusing on private assets, including private equity (primaries, secondaries co-investments), private credit, and clean energy infrastructure. Created in 1988, the Firm has extensive knowledge and experience developing solutions tailored to meet the exacting needs of a diverse and global client base of institutional and private wealth investors. As of Q1 2021, Capital Dynamics oversees more than USD 15 billion in assets under management and advisement[1], and employs more than 150 professionals globally across 13 offices in Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia. Capital Dynamics is a recognized industry leader in responsible investing, receiving the highest marks from the UNPRI for its Strategy & Corporate Governance, and investment strategies. For more information, please visit: www.capdyn.com About Arevon Energy, Inc. Arevon Energy, Inc. is a leading renewable energy company with roots as one of the largest renewable asset managers in the United States. Arevon's financial prowess and industry expertise come together to improve the structure and performance of clean energy assets across North America. Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, and New York City, Arevon uses innovative approaches and leading-edge technology to provide commercial, financial, performance asset management, and construction services to nearly 10 GWac of renewable energy assets delivering clean energy to utilities and corporations. For more information, please visit: www.arevonenergy.com Contact For Capital Dynamics Alex Nye Vice President | Prosek Partners [email protected] T: +1 814 671 7497 For Arevon Mason Miller Account Lead | Kiterocket [email protected] T: +1 (925) 876-3292 1 As of March 31, 2021. Assets Under Management are calculated based on the total commitments as of the final closing date for all funds currently managed by Capital Dynamics, including amounts that have been distributed. Assets Under Advisement includes assets for which Capital Dynamics provides services such as reporting, monitoring and risk management. SOURCE Capital Dynamics Related Links http://www.capdyn.com http://www.arevonenergy.com SELBYVILLE, Del., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The commercial aircraft MRO market is anticipated to record a valuation of USD 95 billion by 2027, according to the most recent study by Global Market Insights Inc. Rising globalization coupled with increasing economic growth has led to a considerable rise in air travel across the globe. This has indeed impelled the production of commercial aircraft over recent years. The burgeoning demand for aircraft has subsequently increased the need for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services in the commercial aviation sector. These services ensure the airworthiness and safety of aircrafts as per international standards. The rising significance of these services is expected to transform the market outlook over the upcoming years. The regional jets segment in the commercial aircraft MRO market will capture a sizeable share of around 10% by 2027. Cargo and passenger aircraft operators heavily rely upon aircraft MRO services to facilitate safe and hassle-free flights. As manufacturers of the airframe original equipment are focused on the production and development and not on the aftermarket, the aircraft MRO industry has apparently emerged as a profitable business in the aviation sector. This has urged the airline companies to outsource MRO services from the airline third-party and independent service providers that are providing ample growth opportunities for the commercial aircraft MRO market. Strategic initiatives by major industry participants The strong presence of various eminent players and strategic initiatives undertaken by them is positively influencing the commercial aircraft MRO market landscape. For instance, in 2021, Ramco Systems announced deploying its Aviation M&E MRO Software V5.8 for Bristow Group Inc., a leading helicopter operator. This move is aimed at facilitating the digital transformation of the maintenance and engineering operations of the latter. Citing another instance, in 2021, Magnetic MRO signed a partnership deal with Atlantic Jet Support aimed at spare parts sourcing and supply, repair management and technical support. Rising demand for regional jets The regional jet, which is a small aircraft with usually less than 150 seats, is observing heightened demand for short-haul flights within a certain area, country, or continent. Reportedly, regional aviation surpassed 700 billion available seat kilometers of annual air traffic globally. Regional aviation is known to have shown the strongest traffic in the last two decades. It has been speculated that regional airports and smaller passenger aircrafts will be in high demand after the Covid-19 pandemic due to the rise of tier-2 & tier-3 cities, urbanization and migration of the population away from metro cities. On account of these factors, the regional jets segment in the commercial aircraft MRO market will capture a sizeable share of around 10% by 2027. Request a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3045 Growing preference for in-house airline MRO services Airline operators are showing an increased inclination towards setting up in-house aircraft MRO capability and pursuing more insourcing. This is majorly due to the increasing costs of aircraft MRO services and shortage of labor and capacity due to the reducing competition in the aftermarket. Airline companies are now seeing in-house services as a necessary strategic measure as they provide a high degree of control over input, higher visibility of the process as well as economies of scale and scope. To illustrate, Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia announced investing in additional in-house maintenance capabilities. Increasing focus on enhancing aviation infrastructure in Europe The growth of the commercial aircraft MRO market in Europe can be credited to the increasing demand for MRO services driven by the rising expenditure on aviation infrastructure in conjunction with economic growth. A growing number of business travelers and tourists are the major factors leading to air travel growth, which is subsequently fueling the adoption of aircraft MRO in the region. Besides, the strong presence of eminent players like GE Aviation, Rolls-Royce and Airbus coupled with the availability of established MRO hubs, especially in Germany is further contributing to the market growth. Reportedly, the regional market is projected to register a robust CAGR of over 4.5% through 2027. About Global Market Insights Inc. Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision-making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology. Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll-Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: [email protected] Related Images commercial-aircraft-mro-market.png Commercial Aircraft MRO Market Growth Predicted at 4.9% Through 2027: GMI The regional jets segment in the commercial aircraft MRO market will capture a sizeable share of around 10% by 2027. SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc. Awards will be presented to heroes that have impacted the lives of those affected by metastatic breast cancer. Tweet this Through this program, two distinct awards will be presented to heroes that have impacted the lives of those affected by metastatic breast cancer. The first, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Heroes award, will recognize three people who have inspired change, exemplified compassion, or made a positive impact on patient lives. The second, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Diversity & Inclusion Hero award, will be given to one recipient who has made an impact in breaking down systemic barriers, created solutions that resulted in health equity, or contributed to ending disparities in the metastatic breast cancer community. Nominations for awards are open until September 30, 2021. Both submission categories are independent of each other, and separate nomination essays are required for each award. "The work to bring meaningful, positive change for women and men living with metastatic breast cancer is a collective responsibility that requires collaboration across the advocacy, academic, medical, and pharmaceutical communities. From this global collective, recognition is deserved for those who exemplify the best of this work," said Stacy Moulder, M.D., senior medical director of Lilly Oncology. "We at Lilly are honored to be a part of recognizing this year's recipients of the inaugural Metastatic Breast Cancer Heroes award. Their stories inspire us by the change they bring to the daily lives of people impacted by metastatic disease and motivate us to continue to do more." The winners and their nominators will be interviewed by CURE Media Group and honored at a reception to be held in the winter of 2021. For more information on the Metastatic Breast Cancer Heroes program or to submit a nomination, click here. This program is sponsored by Lilly Oncology. About CURE Media Group CURE Media Group is the leading resource for cancer updates, research, and education. It combines a full suite of media products, including its industry-leading website, curetoday.com; innovative video programs, such as "CURE Connections"; a series of widely attended live events; and CURE magazine, which reaches more than 1 million readers. CURE Media Group is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America, dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels. CURE Media Group Media Contact Alyssa Scarpaci, 609-716-7777 [email protected] SOURCE CURE Media Group Related Links https://www.curetoday.com DALLAS, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CCP Media has begun the release of the multi-part true crime podcast, The Incident, based on one Dallas man's retelling of a chilling true story of abduction and assault that launched more than three decades of obsession and an unimaginable conclusion. Told first-hand by the survivor, multiple DFW Critics' Forum Award -winner Terry Vandivort, the autobiographical one-man show premiered to critical acclaim in Dallas in October 2016. The Incident has now been reimagined as a podcast, directed by Cameron Cobb and fueled by the masterful sound design of John Flores, who also composed original music with frequent collaborator Jim Kuenzer. Dallas Theater Veterans Harrowing One-Man Show, The Incident, Reimagined as Chilling True Crime Podcast Dallas Theater Veterans Harrowing One-Man Show, The Incident, Reimagined as Chilling True Crime Podcast Described as the true-life story of "a hot, drug-fueled hook-up that became a collision course with a deadly stranger," the eerie mystery - with Vandivort the detective at the heart of it all - bears a strong disclaimer due to its graphic descriptions of sexual situations/assault and violence. "It was important for me to be truthful to my experience in a way that I was never able to be in the years since my attack occurred. I needed to get this horrible memory out of my head and on to the page," says Vandivort. "There was a sort of therapy in the development of The Incident. The ability to expand this story into the podcast form has only continued that discovery." The Incident's first season explores a terrifying assault and ensuing events that haunted Vandivort for more than three decades. In the late '70s, what began as a simple connection for sex with a mysterious stranger led to a night of terror... in which he was abandoned - naked and alone in the middle of nowhere on a cold winter night - forever changed... but obsessed with finding out who his anonymous assailants were. Director Cameron Cobb says, "The Incident is a true crime podcast unlike anything else. It is one of the first to be written and narrated by a survivor which gives the listener a unique perspective into how a victim can make the choice to reclaim their role in their own healing narrative. Plus, at its center is a vicious and graphic hate crime on the LGBTQ+ community, a subject often not addressed in this wildly-popular genre." The pandemic provided Vandivort and Cobb and their seasoned sound collaborators, Flores and Kuenzer, the time and attention to expand the narrative of The Incident in thoughtful and creative ways, says Cobb. "The way John and Jim wove the sound design and music to create tension and themes is almost as gripping as the story itself. Listening to this podcast is like watching a movie in your mind. It takes the possibilities of what can be done in this platform to the next level." THE INCIDENT will be available across multiple podcast outlets as well as its website www.tellmeabouttheincident.com which also contains a trove of archival photos, articles, and news clips that will allow the listener to investigate the crime drama in real-time as newer episodes are released. About The Incident A true crime podcast told by the sole survivor of an event that left him looking over his shoulder for more than 30 years. A story of shame and redemption... and ultimately... a journey to forgiveness. WARNING: Podcast contains graphic descriptions of sexual activity/assault and violence. Produced by CCP Media Written/Narrated by Terry Vandivort Written/Directed by Cameron Cobb Sound Design/Original Music John Flores Original Music Jim Kuenzer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theincidentstory Instagram: @theincidentpodcast Website: www.tellmeabouttheincident.com MEDIA CONTACT: Cameron Cobb [email protected] 972.955.9748 SOURCE CCP Media MOLINE, Ill., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) and the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) have started negotiations on a new labor agreement. The current six-year master agreement covers approximately 10,100 production and maintenance employees at 12 Deere facilities and expires on Oct.1. In Iowa, the facilities are Davenport Works, Des Moines Works, Dubuque Works, Ottumwa Works, and Waterloo Works, including Tractor and Cab Assembly, Engine Works, and the Foundry. In Illinois, the facilities are Harvester Works in East Moline, North American Parts Distribution Center in Milan, and the Seeding Group and Cylinder Division in Moline. In Kansas, there is one facility, Coffeyville Works. A separate agreement also is being negotiated to cover nearly 100 production and maintenance employees at Deere parts facilities in Denver and Atlanta. Over its history, Deere has worked constructively with organized labor to provide competitive compensation and rewarding careers allowing employees, their families, and communities to prosper. "We are proud of the nearly 80 years of collaboration with our employees and the UAW," Brad Morris, vice president for labor relations at Deere & Company, said. "We look forward to honoring the contributions of our employees through the bargaining process and reaching an agreement that demonstrates a vision for our shared success and the success of all those who rely on us well into the future." For more information, please visit one.deere.com. About John Deere Deere & Company (www.JohnDeere.com) is a world leader in providing advanced products, technology and services for customers whose work is revolutionizing agriculture and construction those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich, and build upon the land to meet the world's increasing need for food, fuel, shelter, and infrastructure. SOURCE Deere & Company Related Links www.deere.com DUBLIN, Ohio, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EASE Logistics, a multi-operational supply chain and transportation solution company, and its owner Peter Coratola, Jr. have been recognized locally and regionally with awards demonstrating their growth, leadership, and dedication to the Ohio community. The honors are: Columbus Business First 40 Under 40 : Coratola, Jr. made the annual 40 Under 40 list which showcases the region's best and brightest young community leaders. To earn this honor, nominees must be successful in their careers, active in their communities, involved in philanthropic activities and other organizations, and boast stellar references. : Coratola, Jr. made the annual which showcases the region's best and brightest young community leaders. To earn this honor, nominees must be successful in their careers, active in their communities, involved in philanthropic activities and other organizations, and boast stellar references. Largest Central Ohio Privately Held Companies: EASE is ranked #55 on the Largest Central Ohio Privately Held Companies list in Columbus Business First. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 100 privately held companies in Central Ohio on this list grew their total revenue by almost 9% and accumulated $81.23 billion in 2020. Under Coratola, Jr.'s leadership, EASE Logistics has experienced exceptional year-over-year growth since it was founded in 2014. In 2021, the company reached a major milestone, hiring its 100th employee. EASE is proud of its growing footprint as an industry leader in Ohio, actively engaging in exciting partnerships, supporting community programs and non-profit organizations, and dedicating time, attention, and resources to ongoing volunteer efforts. "After an especially challenging year, I feel fortunate that we were able to maintain the growth of EASE and continue putting our people and relationships first," says Coratola, Jr. "Many of our leaders including myself are from Central Ohio, which makes winning these awards even more special. We're deeply rooted in transforming the local business landscape and personally invested in the community." About EASE Logistics EASE Logistics is an award-winning multi-operational supply chain and transportation solution, providing accelerated, innovative services that help deliver the products and goods of select clients by means of a highly effective global network. The knowledgeable professionals at EASE simplify the logistics experience with a unique and unmatched customer service model. For more information, visit www.easelogistics.com . SOURCE EASE Logistics Related Links http://www.easelogistics.com AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Empowering a Billion Women Worldwide (EBW Worldwide) ranks #28 on Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America and with this today announced it will be awarding $1,000,000 in one-year scholarships along with its partners to find, educate, train, and support 1,000 women leaders, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs for its 2022 programs. This Initiative is meant to help stimulate the economy through the power of women's innovation and forge a pathway for women to advance beyond the pandemic. "Access to opportunity, education and a support system for success is key to breaking the historical biases that have previously held women back from reaching their fullest social, health and economic potential. We are excited to bring this initiative to life with our partners to help stimulate the economy and create jobs post pandemic" says Linda Pringle Evans, Dean of The EBW Business School for Women. To find the world's most outstanding women of color, EBW started with a list of over 600 women's organizations. From this list, the EBW selection committee is narrowing its list to the top 100 women's organizations globally based on the following criteria. Organizations were chosen based on impact, reach, quality and depth of programs, reputation, leadership and brand. For winning organizations, EBW is providing one-year scholarships for 10 of their top members, each worth $1000.00. Organizations and those 10 leaders from each will be highlighted on The EBW Network. The list of 100 will be announced in the EBW Top 100 Global Women's Organizations on November 7, 2021. "We are so proud to bring to light the world's top 1,000 women leaders, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs from the EBW Top 100 Global Women's Organizations. Our greatest desire is that these women will gain access to new opportunities, know-how and connections. Together, these benefits are structured to help them fast track a new future enabling them to have the tools and support to succeed as leaders, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs" says Ingrid Vanderveldt, Founder and CEO of EBW Worldwide. EBW's educational programming and mentorship school begins in January 2022. To learn about the EBW 100, the 1,000 Women of Color initiative and or if you are interested in partnership or sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected]. To learn more about EBW Education please go to www.ebw2020.com. ABOUT EBW WORLDWIDE Empowering a Billion Women 2020 d/b/a EBW Worldwide is mission driven for-profit company that is focused on the S ocial, H ealth and E conomic empowerment of women and our partners and clients worldwide (The SHEconomy Project). EBW has two primary investment divisions: EBW 2020 focused on investing in leading women worldwide and our enterprise division- EBW Worldwide focused on investing in industry ventures that are socially, health and economically focused and is home to a fast-growing medical supply chain portfolio. EBW is WBENC and WOSB Certified, women founded, women run, American Sourced, American Made. Through our Sheconomy Project, and in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals- the EBW portfolio has been created by and for women with a goal to create, with their partners, $100B of global market impact by 2030. SOURCE Empowering a Billion Women Worldwide BLOOMINGTON, Ill. and MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GROWMARK, a farmer-owned cooperative focused on the success of its customers, and Indigo Ag, a company leveraging nature and technology to unlock economic and environmental progress in agriculture, today announced a joint effort to spur participation in the growing market for agricultural carbon. Under this collaboration, the GROWMARK System's network of FS branded retailers will help farmers navigate an increasingly complex soil carbon market and confidently get started on their carbon farming journey with the only high-quality, third-party verified credit program in operation today: Carbon by Indigo. The GROWMARK System and Indigo together will provide farmer owners with the end-to-end support necessary to succeed in the agricultural carbon opportunity. Participating FS retailers will help farmers evaluate and enroll in Carbon by Indigo and implement beneficial farming practices proven to sequester carbon and abate greenhouse gas emissions. Upon enrollment, Indigo will leverage its advanced capabilities for measuring and verifying on-farm environmental impact at scale to translate the effects of farmers' efforts into a new source of revenue in the form of premium carbon credits. "The opportunity for farmers to benefit from public demand for high-quality carbon credits is tremendous," said Mark Orr, Vice President, Agronomy, GROWMARK. "We're proud to work with Indigo to provide our farmer partners with a simple and informed path to generate maximum revenue for their efforts." The two companies are joined in a mutual effort to ensure farmers are equipped with informed guidance as they contemplate participating in the carbon market and, if they do choose to enroll, are supported with the resources and knowledge to maximize their agronomic, environmental, and financial success. Building on Carbon by Indigo's distinct focus on ensuring informed decision making, the GROWMARK System partnership enables farmers to confidently work with partners they know and trust to help them make the right decisions for their unique operation. Combining the extensive expertise of the GROWMARK System's network of trained agronomists with Indigo's experience operationalizing the demanding measurement and third-party verification standards set by leading global credit registries, the industry collaboration provides a simple and viable path for farmers to succeed with carbon in the long-term. "FS retailers in the GROWMARK System are proven industry leaders in offering trusted expertise to help farmers interpret and simplify the complexities of modern agriculture, and they do so over a broad geographical footprint," said Chris Harbourt, Global Head of Carbon at Indigo Ag. "We are excited to be working with GROWMARK and FS retailers to help further farmers' understanding of the fast-growing carbon farming landscape and support the development of the market to adequately reflect the value of farmers' environmental contributions." As demand for voluntary ag carbon credits grows into an estimated $42 billion farmer opportunity, Indigo and the GROWMARK Systemwhich continues to focus on identifying and supporting new paths for climate positive practices under its Endure sustainability initiativeare working to ensure farmers maximize the long-term profitability potential of their participation. A focus on high-quality credit generation is critical to this effort and to carbon credits' effectiveness as an outcomes-based approach to catalyze adoption of beneficial farming practices at scale. Carbon by Indigo's work to generate premium credits has in turn cultivated a network of premium credit buyers (including global brands like JPMorgan Chase, Ralph Lauren Corporation, The North Face, and Barclays) and resulted in a 35% increase in the price of Carbon by Indigo credits over the last year. You can learn more about GROWMARK here and Carbon by Indigo here. ABOUT GROWMARK, INC GROWMARK is an agricultural cooperative serving almost 400,000 customers across North America, providing agronomy, energy, facility engineering and construction, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services. Headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, GROWMARK owns the FS trademark, which is used by member cooperatives. GROWMARK also owns and operates SEEDWAY, the largest full-line seed company in the United States. More information is available at growmark.com. ABOUT INDIGO AG Indigo Ag improves grower profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health through the use of nature-based and digital technologies. The company's core offerings Biologicals, Carbon, Marketplace, and Transport integrate across the supply chain to optimize how the world's most impact crops are produced, sourced, and distributed. Founded in 2014 with a mission of harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, today the company's technology connects stakeholders across the agricultural ecosystem to unlock sustainability and profitability benefits for all. Indigo Ag is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN; Research Triangle Park, NC; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Basel, Switzerland. SOURCE Indigo Ag Related Links https://www.indigoag.com/ https://www.growmark.com/ RIDGEWOOD, N.J., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine if the advertising you saw on the internet helped to feed a hungry child. To make this dream come true, Infolinks Media has partnered with Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit focused on alleviating childhood hunger. Infolinks shares this goal and has developed a strategy to connect spending from digital media advertising to providing meals to children and families. "Infolinks Media is committed to supporting children in need. We have a vision where digital advertising can support business and help society at the same time. Giving back to our community is a priority for our team at Infolinks Media. As a part of that commitment, we have partnered with Feed the Children to help make a difference." says Robert Regular, CEO of Infolinks Media. Feed the Children is dedicated to helping families and communities achieve stable lives and to reducing the need for help tomorrow, while providing food and resources to help them today. The nonprofit provides food, essentials, school supplies and assistance to families across the U.S. Infolinks is thrilled to partner with Feed the Children as we work together to make a difference in the fight against child hunger. About Infolinks: Started in 2007, Infolinks Media is a leading digital media company that uses proprietary technology to connect brand advertisers to exclusive, transparent and viewable ad inventory across thousands of top publishers. Infolinks utilizes proprietary contextual intent targeting technology to target and achieve ultimate intent and performance on every impression. We pride ourselves on responsive personal service and support to ensure our customers succeed. For more information, visit https://www.infolinks.com/infolinks-partners-with-feed-the-children/. About Feed the Children: At Feed the Children, we feed hungry kids. We envision a world where no child goes to bed hungry. In the U.S. and internationally, we are dedicated to helping families and communities achieve stable lives and to reducing the need for help tomorrow, while providing food and resources to help them today. We distribute product donations from corporate donors to local community partners, we provide support for teachers and students, and we mobilize resources quickly to aid recovery efforts when natural disasters strike. Internationally, we manage child-focused community development programs in 9 countries. We welcome partnerships because we know our work would not be possible without collaborative relationships. Every dollar given goes eight times as far to provide food, hope, dignity and comfort. For more information, visit https://www.feedthechildren.org/. SOURCE Infolinks Media Related Links https://www.infolinks.com/infolinks-partners-with-feed-the-children/ BOSTON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global services firm International Citizens Group Inc. (ICG, InternationalCitizens.com) again made the Inc. 5000 list, ranking the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The company, which ranked 1509, drove growth primarily from its international insurance business, which grew 314% despite COVID-related travel industry headwinds. "The coronavirus crisis made it clear to internationally mobile citizens that international health insurance and travel insurance are vital in a volatile world," ICG CEO Joe Cronin said. "Our expert staff simplified the complex and anxiety-inducing process of obtaining international insurance in a pandemic for our customers. They also helped our renewing customers get their best plan throughout constantly changing global conditions. Their hard work and support of expatriates and globally mobile citizens continued our impressive growth in an unprecedented environment that created significant challenges." ICG joins an elite group that includes Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, and Patagonia. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." ICG was established to create, provide, and market high-quality resources, tools, and advice for expatriates, global citizens, and international travelers. The team at ICG has deep experience in both international travel and the insurance industry. This experience allows them to simplify the challenging process of selecting international insurance for their clients and ensure they get the best plan for their needs. International Citizens Insurance (www.InternationalInsurance.com) is owned and operated by ICG. The company's mission is to educate consumers on the value of global medical, life, and travel insurance while providing a resource to research, compare, and purchase plans for their relocation abroad or international trip. The company offers expatriate insurance, corporate group plans, international health insurance,volunteer group insurance,travel insurance,insurance for international employees, and cover for anyone living abroad or traveling throughout the world. This insurance has become more vital than ever in a world affected by an unprecedented global pandemic. Complete Inc. 5000 results can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. About International Citizens Group Inc. International Citizens Group Inc. provides expatriates and globally mobile citizens outside their home country access to resources and advice on moving, living, and working abroad. As a leading international insurance brokerage via InternationalInsurance.com, their goals are to educate consumers on the variety of available plans and help them find the best option for their health, well-being, and peace of mind. About Inc. Media Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. CONTACT: Nicole Gustas, Director of Marketing [email protected] SOURCE International Citizens Group Inc. Medivolve's Electronic Health Record Portal Enhances End User Experience Improving Patient Access to Records, Lab Workflow, and Reporting TORONTO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Medivolve, Inc. ("Medivolve" or the "Company") (NEO: MEDV) (OTC: COPRF) (FRA: 4NC) is pleased to announce a 236% increase in gross weekly revenues, driven by an influx of COVID-19 testing sales, proceeding the beta launch of the Company's new Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform on July 7, 2021. The HIPAA-compliant portal is introducing new opportunities to support the Company's change in testing operations in its network of retail collection site locations across the United States. Since adopting the new portal in early July: Record gross revenues of $1,005,050 based on the weekly average from July 4, 2021 , to July 31, 2021 , increased 236% compared to the $298,740 weekly average from the prior 4-week period June 6, 2021 , to July 3, 2021 . based on the weekly average from , to , increased 236% compared to the weekly average from the prior 4-week period , to . Record gross revenues per patient encounters increased 158%, based on the weekly average of $150.00 per patient from July 4, 2021 , to July 31, 2021 , compared to $58.00 per patient weekly average from June 6, 2021 , to July 3, 2021 . per patient from , to , compared to per patient weekly average from , to . Record tests per week increased 231%, based on the weekly average of 16,794 tests performed from July 4, 2021 , to July 31, 2021 , compared to 5,077 tests based on the weekly average from June 6, 2021 , to July 3, 2021 . "Medivolve's new portal has simplified and streamlined our ability to provide testing at a rate we've never seen before," says David Preiner, CEO of Medivolve. "Due to the new efficiencies the portal brings, patients can now receive all appropriate tests required to determine if they are COVID-19 positive, negative, or have developed antibodies." In addition to an easy-to-use simplified user interface, the software not only offers proficiencies in operational and financial workflows between the collection sites locations and its partnered labs but expedited lab results to its patients as well. Noteworthy features and benefits of Medivolve's EHR include: Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) improving data capture quality and aiding laboratory compliance Improvements from testing locations to CLIA certified laboratory workflow enabling quicker entry of patient information and certified results Access to real-time data providing patients the opportunity to make informed decisions about returning to school, work, or social gatherings Built-in quality control bringing uniformity, traceability, and accountability to testing services across all testing locations Upgraded security to meet healthcare regulations and compliance guidelines "I am extremely pleased with the implementation of the new portal allowing us to test patients in the communities we serve quickly," says Preiner. "In just the past five weeks, our testing centers are administering more tests than during our peak last December. That, combined with our new insurance reimbursement model, contribute immensely to our continued strong financial growth." About Medivolve, Inc. Medivolve, Inc. (NEO:MEDV; OTC: COPRF; FRA:4NC) is a healthcare technology company that seeks to reinvent the US healthcare system by leveraging a bespoke telehealth platform, a clinical diagnostic network, and a data-driven AI framework to improve patient care. The company was born out of the healthcare crisis; to rethink, relearn and ultimately, reimagine a better way for the healthcare system to operate. Our network of retail collection sites play an important role in recovery by giving all Americans access to fast, accurate, and inexpensive clinical services when and where they need it. These centers will also play a pivotal role in diagnostic testing, vaccinations, and other point-of-care services. We are building disruptive technologies to make it easier and faster to identify, treat, and prevent medical issues. In doing so, we are working to give patients a holistic and empowered view of their personal health. Our long-term mission is to permanently fix systemic issues in the nation's fragmented, overly complex, and expensive healthcare system. Medivolve's next phase of growth is about pivoting the model and putting the pieces together to build a profitable, SaaS-based health-tech company. We are bringing data-driven clinical diagnostics, physician recommendations, and prescription medications directly to people, all powered by a singular, streamlined technology network. Our team is united by a powerful, singular purpose: harnessing the transformative power of technology to create healthier lives. Underpinned by a bespoke, AI-driven platform, we're developing a stealth system that constantly gets smarter, takes the guesswork out of diagnostics, and flags critical health issues immediately to deliver an unparalleled level of personalization for each patient. We are determined to push the boundaries of what's possiblenot just for our business and our shareholders, but for physicians and patients, and for the future of healthcare. We are striving to achieve a continuity of care never seen before, a game changer for our business and for patients in the communities we serve. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to revenue and testing growth; the use of the new software platform; plans to further grow the Company's business; and plans to hire additional engineers and software developers. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information 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 information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. NEITHER THE NEO EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE Medivolve Inc. Related Links www.medivolve.net WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will host a media teleconference Monday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. EDT to discuss science investigations launching on the next SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station . Experiments aboard include investigations into protecting bone health with botanical byproducts, monitoring crew eye health, demonstrating improved dexterity of robots, exposing construction materials to the harsh environment of space, mitigating stress in plants, and more. Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at: https://www.nasa.gov/live SpaceX is targeting Saturday, Aug. 28, at 3:37 a.m. EDT for the launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This will be SpaceX's 23rd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the orbiting laboratory. To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Monica Witt at: [email protected] by 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23, for dial-in information. Participants in the briefing will be: Jennifer Scott Williams , manager at the Applications Client Support Office for NASA's International Space Station Program Research Office. Williams will share an overview of the research headed to the space station and how it can benefit humanity. , manager at the Applications Client Support Office for NASA's International Space Station Program Research Office. Williams will share an overview of the headed to the space station and how it can benefit humanity. Patrick Masson , professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and principal investigator for APEX-08, and Shih-Heng Su , co-investigator and assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison . The APEX-08 experiment will study plants' genetic responses to stress to identify key targets for genetic engineering of plants more suited to microgravity. , professor of genetics at the and principal investigator for APEX-08, and , co-investigator and assistant scientist at the . The APEX-08 experiment will study plants' genetic responses to stress to identify key targets for genetic engineering of plants more suited to microgravity. Fabio Peluso , team leader, and Valeria Lucci , co-investigator, for the READI-FP experiment. This investigation studies how bio-collagen and bioactive metabolites sourced from waste products in wine production could have potential protective effects on bone tissue during spaceflight. , team leader, and , co-investigator, for the READI-FP experiment. This investigation studies how bio-collagen and bioactive metabolites sourced from waste products in wine production could have potential protective effects on bone tissue during spaceflight. Juergen Drescher and Scott Ritter , principal investigators for Retinal Diagnostics, which will test the potential to capture images of the human retina in space using a commercially available ophthalmology lens. The lens is approved for routine clinical use with mobile devices. and , principal investigators for Retinal Diagnostics, which will test the potential to capture images of the human retina in space using a commercially available ophthalmology lens. The lens is approved for routine clinical use with mobile devices. Toyotaka Kozuki, chief technology officer of GITAI Inc. and principal investigator of the GITAI Robotic Arm Tech Demo, and Dr. Yuske Taguchi , director of business development of GITAI Inc, They will discuss the technology demonstration of a robotic arm designed to conduct common crew activities directed by teleoperations from Earth. , director of business development of GITAI Inc, They will discuss the technology demonstration of a robotic arm designed to conduct common crew activities directed by teleoperations from Earth. Ian Karcher , project engineer for MISSE-15 NASA, an experiment that will expose materials such as concrete, thin-film solar cells, and more to the harsh environment of space to test their performance and durability. , project engineer for MISSE-15 NASA, an experiment that will expose materials such as concrete, thin-film solar cells, and more to the harsh environment of space to test their performance and durability. Jeff Fitch , mission manager for the Faraday Research Facility, a new tool for conducting small experiments in microgravity. During this first mission, the facility will host a study testing remote drug delivery as well as experiments designed by Girl Scouts. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft also will carry crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory to support the Expedition 65 and 66 crews. The space station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. It has been occupied continuously since November 2000. During that time, 244 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station serves as the springboard to NASA's human exploration of deep space, including future missions to the Moon and Mars. For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympic Media, the fastest-growing company in Virginia, is excited to announce that Inc. Magazine has ranked them No. 13 on its annual Inc. 5000 and has ranked No. 1 in Advertising & Marketing. Olympic Media Ranks No. 13 Fastest Growing Company in America; No. 01 Fastest Growing Company in Advertising & Marketing, and; No. 01 Fastest Growing Company in Virginia on the 2021 Inc. 5000. Olympic Media Founder & CEO, Ryan Coyne The exclusive annual list details the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America where companies such as Microsoft, Under Armour, Intuit, and Patagonia first gained national attention. The most effective direct response ad agency in the country, Olympic CEO Ryan Coyne sought to provide a non-traditional agency model, offering zero-risk to all clients. "We are honored to be included in such an esteemed list which serves a 'who's-who' of American business," said Coyne. From humble beginnings in 2018, Coyne's entrepreneurial acumen and risk-taking methods have paid off. "We started as a one-man operation in an office the size of a closet. Now we have over thirty employees making up four departments, all dedicated to our diverse clientele and to each other." Headquartered just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Coyne has assembled an elite team of veteran digital operatives and marketing experts who have delivered results far beyond their client's expectations and their own. When asked about the astronomical success, Coyne offered his secret. "It's a pretty simple formulawhen our clients win, we win." About Inc. Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. SOURCE Olympic Media Related Links https://www.olympicmedia.com DENVER, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Optiv Security, a leading end-to-end cybersecurity solutions partner, announces the addition of three senior services leaders to support Managed XDR (MXDR), innovation and development, and security operations. These services areas are part of Optiv's comprehensive cybersecurity solutions platform that enables the company to help clients build for the future while partnering to create security and resilience. Optiv Security announces the addition of three senior services leaders to support Managed XDR (MXDR), innovation and development, and security operations. They include: John Ayers, Shane Cox and Rocky DeStefano. John Ayers , vice president MXDR , drives technology and security innovation, operations, and detection and response. , drives technology and security innovation, operations, and detection and response. Shane Cox , vice president of security operations , leads the growth and delivery of co-managed SIEM, authorized support, technology management, client success, and additional managed security services elements. , leads the growth and delivery of co-managed SIEM, authorized support, technology management, client success, and additional managed security services elements. Rocky DeStefano , senior vice president of innovation and development, is spearheading efforts to bring new offerings to market and enhance operational excellence across all of Optiv's cybersecurity services. "Our dedication to offering innovative cybersecurity solutions and unparalleled technical expertise are why Optiv is a trusted security leader," says David Martin, Optiv's chief services officer. "John, Shane and Rocky's mission-driven leadership, in-depth knowledge of the cybersecurity landscape, and industry experience will help propel our organization forward while delivering measurable results for our clients." Ayers, who has more than 20 years of cybersecurity experience, previously served as the chief product officer at Nuspire, vice president of product management at Netsurion, chief information security officer at both NETSource and Hosting.com, and led Level 3 global managed security services and DDoS. Cox has more than 20 years of industry experience. He most recently worked at Lumen Technologies where he led MSS delivery of DDoS, managed FW and UTM, SIEM management, and security monitoring and response. Prior to Lumen, he led the creation and optimization of various security programs at Safeway, Kaiser Permanente, and Cognizant. DeStefano most recently served as a product and control owner at JP Morgan Chase, where he was responsible for the strategy and ongoing execution for SIEM. Over the last 20 years he has operationally led the efforts of many Fortune 100 and U.S. Government entities and helped lead the product and delivery elements of several cybersecurity startups, including ArcSight, RSA NetWitness, Jask, and Cloudera. Learn more about Optiv's cybersecurity solutions at www.optiv.com/security-solutions. Follow Optiv Twitter: www.twitter.com/optiv LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/optiv-inc Facebook: www.facebook.com/optivinc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OptivInc Blog: https://www.optiv.com/explore-optiv-insights/blog Optiv Security: Secure your security.TM Optiv is a security solutions integrator "one-stop" trusted partner with a singular focus on cybersecurity. Our end-to-end cybersecurity capabilities span risk management and transformation, cyber digital transformation, threat management, cyber operations, identity and data management, and integration and innovation, helping organizations realize stronger, simpler and more cost-efficient cybersecurity programs that support business requirements and outcomes. At Optiv, we are modernizing cybersecurity to enable clients to innovate their consumption models, integrate infrastructure and technology to maximize value, achieve measurable outcomes, and realize complete solutions and business alignment. For more information about Optiv, please visit us at www.optiv.com . SOURCE OPTIV Related Links www.optiv.com NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SeeCares (or the "Company"), the world's premier AI technology platform for streamlining commercial real estate workflows, announced today that the Company has closed over $1.2 billion in transactions since the platform was first introduced to the marketplace in April 2021. These transactions were all executed in the U.S. and covered all property grades. SeeCares' technology answers the industry-wide call for solutions to shorten the time and costs involved in real estate underwriting. The SeeCares platform applies advanced technology to fully automate the processes of modeling and generating data-rich reports, both traditionally done in spreadsheets or word processors, taking weeks. By putting all the relevant information in one place, SeeCares helps real estate firms focus on clear and quick decision making, while cutting costs by nearly 80%. "This incredible milestone is a testament to the power of SeeCares' technology and underscores the significant demand for solutions that improve efficiency in the underwriting process," said Moshe Yeli, co-founder and CEO of SeeCares. "Leveraging the capabilities of AI and automation can generate high-quality models and comprehensive reports in a fraction of the time, at a fraction of the cost. In an industry where over 60% of underwriters still rely on heavily dated methods, this value proposition has resonated extraordinarily well, which has led to numerous key partnerships that have been a major driver for us over the past 12 months." Based on current deal flow and other growth indicators, SeeCares expects to close over $5 billion in transactions on its platform by the end of 2021. Dror Yaffe, SeeCares' co-founder and CTO added: "We are incredibly appreciative to all the lenders and partners who have shared their models and IPs with us, trusting the SeeCares technology to help them generate personalized models and in-depth memorandums. In particular, the token of confidence from Danny Fishman (Gaia RE), Yair Tilson (Kay Finance), Itzik Nahum (Prizma Capital), and all our CRE lending partners has been pivotal. We hope to soon multiply the number of deals SeeCares processes for its lenders and borrowers." SeeCares was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. For more information about SeeCares, please visit www.SeeCares.com. ABOUT SEECARES Founded in 2019, SeeCares is an AI platform accelerating commercial real estate workflows by cutting out grunt work and increasing efficiency. The tool helps lenders and stakeholders close deals quickly and confidently, by generating in-depth personalized underwriting models and reports or OMs in seconds. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, SeeCares cuts the time and costs of underwriting and origination by 80%, creating an additional layer of accuracy across the entire process. For more information, please visit www.SeeCares.com. COMPANY CONTACT Evan Chesir Head of Business Development and Marketing, SeeCares [email protected] MEDIA CONTACT Jake Malcynsky Gaffney Bennett PR [email protected] SOURCE SeeCares Related Links http://www.SeeCares.com STOCKHOLM, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SyntheticMR have entered a general software license agreement for distribution with Siemens Healthineers. The agreement enables Siemens Healthineers to market, sell and distribute SyntheticMR's product package SyMRI NEURO to their customers in various markets globally such as in the US, in Europe (CE-markets), Japan, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and ANZ. SyntheticMR and Siemens Healthineers signed a cooperation agreement in 2016, since 2018, SyMRI NEURO has been available for purchase on the Siemens Healthineers Digital Marketplace. The product can be seamlessly integrated in the clinical workflow. In addition to this, SyMRI NEURO can now be purchased together with MAGNETOM MRI scanners directly from Siemens Healthineers. "Through our partnership with SyntheticMR, we are further transforming syngo.via and Syngo Carbon into an independent advanced visualization platform while extending our reading & reporting solution", says Oliver Klinkow, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Syngo. "We are excited to see the SyMRI Neuro functionality available as part of our solution." "This license agreement is an important step towards a deeper collaboration with Siemens Healthineers on a global level," says Ulrik Harrysson, CEO, SyntheticMR. "We see a high level of interest in our medical imaging solutions to further enhance MRI workflows and provide decision support, and we are pleased to work together with Siemens Healthineers to bring this to the global market. The agreement represents a significant addition to our sales resources and enables us to further support our customers and healthcare providers worldwide." About Siemens Healthineers Siemens Healthineers AG (listed in Frankfurt, Germany: SHL) is shaping the future of healthcare. As a leading medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, Siemens Healthineers enables healthcare providers worldwide through its regional companies to increase value by empowering them on their journey towards expanding precision medicine, transforming care delivery, improving the patient experience, and digitalizing healthcare. Siemens Healthineers is continuously developing its product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that play an increasingly important role in the next generation of medical technology. These new applications will enhance the company's foundation in in-vitro diagnostics, image-guided therapy, in-vivo diagnostics, and innovative cancer care. Siemens Healthineers also provides a range of services and solutions to enhance healthcare providers' ability to provide high-quality, efficient care to patients. In fiscal 2020, which ended on September 30, 2020, Siemens Healthineers generated revenue of 14.5 billion and adjusted EBIT of 2.2 billion. Following the acquisition of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. the company has approximately 66,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available at www.siemens-healthineers.com. About SyntheticMR SyntheticMR AB develops and markets innovative software solutions for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). SyntheticMR AB has developed SyMRI, delivering multiple, adjustable contrast images and quantitative data from a single fast scan. The SyMRI product is available in different packages. SyMRI NEURO delivers multiple contrast images, tissue segmentations and quantitative data on the brain. SyMRI MSK provides multiple contrast images and quantitative data for MSK anatomies. SyMRI NEURO is CE-marked and FDA 510(k) cleared, SyMRI MSK is CE-marked and FDA 510(k) pending. SyMRI is a registered trademark in Europe and the USA. SyntheticMR is listed on the Spotlight Stock Market Exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For additional information, please visit www.syntheticmr.com. CONTACT: For additional information, please contact Ulrik Harrysson, CEO, SyntheticMR AB, +46 70 529 29 87 or [email protected]. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/syntheticmr-ab/r/syntheticmr-and-siemens-healthineers-collaboration-extended---symri-neuro-now-directly-available-thr,c3397416 The following files are available for download: SOURCE SyntheticMR AB LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GlowTouch LLC, a global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company based in Louisville, KY, is donating 30 beds to the ICU at Wenlock District Hospital in Mangalore, India. This is being facilitated through the company's GT Foundation as India continues to battle a widespread outbreak of the virus and space at medical facilities is being stretched to its limits. Shyamprasad Hebbar, Senior VP of Corporate Services (4th from left), attended the Wenlock Hospital's new ICU ceremony, representing GlowTouch and the GT Foundation who donated 30 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients. Wenlock District Hospital was converted in March into a facility that focuses exclusively on COVID-19 patients, providing ongoing testing and isolation labs for people who have tested positive. But the surge in cases has created a space crunch that threatens to make the existing problem worse. "Mangalore is where GlowTouch began, so supporting Wenlock Hospital in their fight against COVID was an effortless decision and vital to our community," said Vidya Ravichandran, CEO of GlowTouch and the GT Foundation. "It's heartbreaking to read the news and hear the stories, and we felt a need to do something that might alleviate the pressure." Wenlock is a teaching hospital, and the strain in India is such that the country's junior doctors - the U.S. version of residents - and even medical students have moved from shadowing more senior practitioners into front-line, decision-making roles. The GT Foundation has a long history with Wenlock and Lady Goschen Hospitals, particularly regarding care for the region's poor. Working with the Karuna Kirana Foundation, the joint effort has helped provide blood and blood products, chemotherapy agents, and antibiotics. "Our team in Mangalore has weathered this crisis well, and we continue to operate under some tough circumstances," said Shyamprasad Hebbar, Senior VP of Corporate Services. "But others are not as fortunate, and this is an opportunity to help the community at large and make a difference where we can." About GlowTouch GlowTouch is a privately held and WBENC-certified, woman-owned enterprise, founded in 2002. We provide personalized contact center, business processing, and technology outsourcing solutions to clients around the world. Our 2,300+ employees deliver operational excellence with high-touch engagement garnering recognition by independent bodies such as Everest Group, International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), and a six-time honoree on the Inc. 5000. GlowTouch is headquartered in Louisville, KY, with onshore contact centers in Louisville, KY, and Miami, FL; a nearshore presence in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and offshore locations in Mangalore, Bangalore, and Mysore India. To learn more about GlowTouch, visit www.GlowTouch.com , or email Tammy Weinstein at [email protected] . ### Related Images wenlock-hospital-new-icu-facility.jpg Wenlock Hospital New ICU Facility Ceremony Shyamprasad Hebbar, Senior VP of Corporate Services (4th from left), attended the Wenlock Hospital's new ICU ceremony, representing GlowTouch and the GT Foundation who donated 30 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients. SOURCE GlowTouch Arevalo is a seasoned leader with years of operational expertise. He is best known for his time at Uber where he joined in 2013 as General Manager of Mexico. As Uber's first employee in Latin America, Arevalo was responsible for launching and scaling Uber's ride sharing operations in Mexico and negotiating the company's first ride sharing agreements outside of the US. Under his leadership, Uber in Latin America grew to $10B in GMV and became one of the company's most profitable business units and Mexico's largest job creator. He went on to become Regional General Manager of Latin America followed by Head of Uber Eats for Europe, Middle East, and Africa - through which he grew and scaled the business 2.5x in 18 months. Arevalo comes to Tomorrow Health with a wealth of knowledge on scaling complex systems and problem solving to grow quickly and sustainably. He is joining Tomorrow Health to build and scale its home-based care marketplace, leveraging technology enabled operations to coordinate the products and services patients need in the home. He is passionate about building systems and teams from scratch with a constant focus on serving the end user. "I like to solve hard problems," he shares. "The harder it is, the more fun I tend to have. Solving healthcare in the United States has to be one of the most difficult problems out there. At Tomorrow Health, we're re-architecting the home-based care ecosystem by building a platform to holistically streamline the coordination and management of quality home medical equipment, supplies and services." To Arevalo, Tomorrow Health's vision of transforming health care at home was not only an intriguing problem to solve, but also a personal one. After losing his father to cancer in August 2020, Arevalo became even more inspired to re-envision broken parts of the healthcare system to create a more accessible and streamlined experience for patients in need. You can read his full story, " Why I joined Tomorrow Health ," to hear first hand how this experience informed his decision to join Tomorrow Health. Arevalo joins Tomorrow Health's team along with leadership hires in key roles across the business. Tomorrow Health's leadership team now includes Amazon alum Krishnakumar Rajagopalan as Head of Engineering , Warby Parker alum Kevin Rath as Head of Customer Experience , and Flatiron Health alum Shivani Stadvec as Head of Marketing . The team also recently announced it's Advisory Board and is thrilled to welcome Tony Xu, Sachin Jain, and Puneet Singh as new investors to the company. As Tomorrow Health scales to streamline the distribution of durable medical equipment and supplies to support patients, providers, insurance companies, and DME suppliers, they are looking to grow their team across engineering, operations and more. If you are passionate about reimagining healthcare with a stellar team, check out their open jobs: https://boards.greenhouse.io/tomorrowhealth . About Tomorrow Health Tomorrow Health enables exceptional healthcare for patients and their families in the place they want to be most home. By partnering with payors, referring providers and durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, Tomorrow Health streamlines the home-based care process to elevate the patient experience. Its data-driven platform matches patients and their families with high-quality DME suppliers, simplifies ordering and insurance processes, and offers high-touch support at every step. Partnering with more than 125 leading health plans and hospital systems across 29 states, Tomorrow Health is America's trusted partner for high-quality home-based care. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Obvious Ventures, BoxGroup and Rainfall Ventures, and current and former C-level executives from Humana, Tenet Healthcare, Flatiron Health, Quartet, PillPack, Stripe, Massachusetts Medicaid and the World Bank. For more information, visit www.tomorrowhealth.com or contact [email protected] Media contact: [email protected] SOURCE Tomorrow Health Related Links https://home.tomorrowhealth.com/ SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Non-alcoholic craft beer brewing pioneer Two Roots Brewing Co. announced today its continued distribution expansion with products now sold to grocery stores, liquor stores, bars, and restaurants across the Northeast market. The company has signed an agreement with Sheehan Family Companies to cover Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and upstate New York following a successful launch earlier this year in Massachusetts. Retailers are currently placing orders and products are hitting the shelves. Recognized as a leader in the high-growth non-alc craft beer category, Two Roots is the only non-alcoholic craft brewer to win back-to-back medals at the Great American Beer Festival. The launch includes their three core non-alcoholic craft beers, including 2019 Gold Medal winner Enough Said, a crisp Helles, 2020 Bronze Medal winner Straight Drank, a West Coast-style IPA, and New West, an East meets West style IPA. All three styles are available in six-packs of 12 oz. cans. The expansion now brings Two Roots availability directly to a total of ten states. (including California, Michigan, and Arizona). "We are thrilled to partner with the Sheehan Family Companies in these key states as we execute our expansion plan across the country," said Ron Goodson, President and CEO, Two Roots Brewing Co. "and CEO of Two Roots Brewing Co. The robust Sheehan distribution network, their strong retail partner relationships, and attention to our brand in the market will continue to accelerate the popularity of the non-alc craft beer growth phenomena. We are extremely confident in how Sheehan will represent Two Roots to meet the growing consumer demand for our ultra-premium, non-alc craft beer." "The non-alcoholic craft beer category continues to be in high demand," said Robert Hodson, Director of Corporate Brand Management, Sheehan Family Companies. "The Sheehan Family Companies is excited to expand our partnership with Two Roots, bringing their incredible non-alcoholic craft beer offering to retailers and consumers across the Northeast region." Retailers looking to add Two Roots can contact Brian Burnett, Sales Director at: [email protected]. About Two Roots Brewing Co.: Medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival and the Australian International Beer Awards, Two Roots Brewing Co. is unwavering in its dedication to quality, using only the finest hops and malts, unique brewing process, and dealcoholization technology, resulting in an award-winning non-alcoholic craft beer. The company operates breweries in San Diego, CA, and Auburn Hills, MI. For more information, please visit www.tworootsbrewingco.com SOURCE Two Roots Brewing Related Links tworootscannabis.com Jason Tremblay, Envie Holdings CEO, and founder and CEO of VacationVIP, says, "To rank among the top 12.8% of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. is an incredible honor. Through Vacation VIP's innovative approach, our hard-working team delivers quality prospects and tours to our clients. In many cases, we are able to offer timeshare developers ad-tech driven solutions that weren't previously available to them. As a result, VacationVIP and its sister brand, Seychelle Media, which ranked No. 844 on this year's Inc. 5000, are gaining recognition as a solution to the vacation ownership industry's challenges of timeshare owner growth." The Inc. 5000 methodology ranks U.S. privately held companies according to their percentage of revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. VacationVIP ranks No. 46 among all Inc. 5000 Advertising and Marketing companies and as the No. 6 fastest growing privately held company in the Orlando Metro area, and No. 51 in the state of Florida. During this period, which included a year of pandemic-related lockdown and travel restrictions, VacationVIP grew a remarkable 752.6% vs. the average media growth by companies on the Inc. 5000 of 543%. Describing this year's Inc. 5000 List as, "one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Media praised the companies that made the 2021 list for not only achieving this remarkable accomplishment but doing so during a time of crisis. Scott says, "This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." Earlier this year, FACEBOOK for Business profiled VacationVIP and Seychelle Media as a compelling case study of resilient businesses that thrived through the COVID-19 pandemic. "While many companies in the travel sector struggled in 2020, VacationVIP was able to serve our timeshare clients in relationships that felt like partnerships for getting through the unprecedented events of a global pandemic," says Jason Tremblay. "By helping our clients make adjustments to their offers and providing them creative messaging for their Facebook and Instagram campaigns, along with additional call center support and customized client care services, we were all able to get through a challenging year more successfully. At VacationVIP we measure our success by our client's success." About Envie Holdings Inc. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Envie Holdings is the parent company of a growing suite of brands including Seychelle Media, VacationVIP, TechEnvie, and VacationEnvie. The company is driven by its mission to create and deliver digital marketing solutions for vacation ownership and other verticals, designed to simplify processes, utilize game changer technologies and increase client return on advertising spend (ROAS). envieholdings.com SOURCE Envie Holdings It's been open season on Senior Citizens for too long. Billions of dollars are stolen from seniors every year and thousands are abused. It's too easy and not enough legal deterrent for thieves. Current laws are not working. Virginia's Law is going to change that. LOS ANGELES and TORONTO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Virginia's Law (Website) will fill in the gaps of current laws in Canada and the United States. It will implement more harsh sentences for those convicted of stealing from or physically abusing seniors. It will also provide a clear pathway for financial institutions to report suspected financial abuse of seniors. Virginia's Law is already getting strong support from Federal Politicians in Canada. Alzheimer's Society of Canada and Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) are also behind the newly proposed legislation. BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the board of directors of Whirlpool Corporation declared a quarterly dividend of $1.40 per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on September 15, 2021, to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 27, 2021. About Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. In an increasingly digital world, the company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit and Yummly. In 2020, the company reported approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 78,000 employees and 57 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com, or find us on Twitter at @WhirlpoolCorp. Website Disclosure We routinely post important information for investors on our website, whirlpoolcorp.com, in the "Investors" section. We also intend to update the Hot Topics Q&A portion of this webpage as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investors section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our webpage is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document. SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation Related Links http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 26Health announces the establishment of the 26Health Endowment Fund at Central Florida Foundation. This fund, created to support 26Health's expansion and service to the Central Florida community, was seeded with a 3.5 million dollar investment. The 26Health Endowment Fund represents the largest investment ever made in 26Health's future and secures the sustainability of the organization for years to come. The establishment of an endowment provides 26Health with a permanent, predictable source of income. The annual distribution from the fund can be used to support 26Health's initiatives and operating costs. The endowment also allows 26Health to receive legacy gifts dedicated to the organization. As the fund grows, so can 26Health. "At 26Health, we are constantly thinking about our long-term financial stability and viability. This endowment, established at Central Florida Foundation, the region's community foundation, will ensure our ability to support services for our uninsured patients for decades into the future," said 26Health's co-CEO and co-founder Dr. David Baker-Hargrove. 26Health aligned with the Central Florida Foundation because of its history of successfully stewarding nonprofit endowments and dedication to improving the lives of Central Floridians. The Foundation was established in 1994 and has helped invest over $73M in the Orlando community since then. "Central Florida Foundation is honored to support 26Health in this important milestone. This permanent source of charitable capital will ensure the stability of the organization now and in the future," said Nicole Donelson, vice president of philanthropy at Central Florida Foundation. To donate to the 26Health Endowment Fund or to discuss legacy gifts, contact Debo Ofsowitz at [email protected] or Nicole Donelson at [email protected]. About 26Health: 26Health is a true innovator in the healthcare space, building its foundation in response to complex transgender needs and ultimately branching out to reach additional minority and majority patient populations. Practitioners who can master the unique demands of the transgender patient population are well-equipped to extend themselves to all other patient populations. Their agility brings benefits to patients from all walks of life. With this incredible toolkit in hand, 26Health has expanded to offer pediatric care, women's healthcare, men's healthcare, and additional support in the form of telehealth and low-cost prepaid health plans. Learn about these services plus additional offerings by visiting 26Health.org. About Central Florida Foundation: Central Florida Foundation stewards philanthropic dollars on behalf of individuals, families, and nonprofits. We partner with people who are determined to make a difference in their community. Knowing that true change demands more than dollars and cents, we foster collaboration, fuel ideas, and spearhead the innovation that will transform our region for good. Learn more at cffound.org. Press Contact Contact Name: Dr. David Baker-Hargrove Contact Phone: (321) 800-2922, x1101 Contact Email: [email protected] SOURCE 26 Health, Inc. Related Links https://26health.org/ BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Two investors have filed a FINRA arbitration claim against Truist Investment Services, Inc., which is the broker-dealer unit of SunTrust Investment Services. The claimants are seeking up to $500K plus interest and costs after they suffered investment losses in Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda). Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas is representing these South American investors in fighting to recover their losses sustained after their Truist broker unsuitably recommended and sold Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) products to them. The claimants were already longtime clients of SunTrust Bank who were invested in traditional banking products when a financial advisor from Truist Investment Services recommended that they invest over six figures in Northstar (Bermuda) products. They were clear from the start that they didn't want to take on much risk. Now that the off-shore entity is in liquidation after filing for bankruptcy, and its owner Greg Lindberg is serving time in prison, the best chances these claimants have of recouping their losses is to pursue damages through FINRA arbitration. It is unclear why this Truist financial advisor recommended Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) to these customers when there were much safer, US-based alternatives available that would have provided very specific protections that these off-shore investments never could. The claimants, in their FINRA arbitration case, are alleging: The financial advisor involved appears to have gone unsupervised. Not only that, but year after year, when these investors' account was reviewed, opportunities were missed to remove the claimants from Northstar (Bermuda) and invest their funds in more suitable, conservative financial products. SSEK Law Firm is representing a number of investors, including other Truist customers, who are foreign nationals in their FINRA arbitration claims against the US-based firms that sold them Northstar Financial Services (Bermuda) products. If you suffered losses because your Truist Investment Services broker recommended this offshore investment to you, contact us below: Kirk Smith, [email protected] US Toll Free: (800) 259-9010 Mexico Toll Free: (800) 283-3403 International via WhatsApp (text only): 713-227-2400 Northstar Bermuda FAQs Northstar Bermuda Preguntas Frecuentes SOURCE Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas LLP Related Links http://www.investorlawyers.com "The 9thWonder team has seen immense growth and Scott has continued this forward trajectory with three new business wins in the past quarter," said 9thWonder's President, Josh Okun. "His like-minded industry experience, combined with his unique approach and enthusiastic energy, will benefit our existing client relationships while helping to generate new opportunities." Thaler has extensive retail, healthcare and fast-food experience with brands like McDonald's, White Castle, Party City, Five Below, Michael's, Broward Health, Dunkin' Donuts, which coincides with 9thWonder's in-depth portfolio, including Royal Rice, Jack in the Box, Nemours Children's Health System, Natrol, and Daawat Rice. Additionally, and prior to joining 9thWonder, Thaler led Mattress Firm's marketing operations and helped navigate the brand back to relevancy and profitability as their chief marketing officer. "I was immediately attracted to the opportunity to join 9thWonder because of their strategic approach, forward-thinking mentality, well-respected culture and focus on finding ways to make a difference for brands, not just about putting an award on a shelf," said Scott Thaler, chief marketing officer at 9thWonder. "The team works across so many industries and on such a variety of campaigns, and it's heartening to know a lot of the work they are doing and supporting serves a greater purpose. The one award the agency embraces is the clients' business results." In addition to growing the food and retail vertical, Thaler will also prioritize growing the agency's unique ConsumerX category9thWonder's proprietary model that uniquely and creatively appeals to the new majority of growing and influential audiences. This model identifies areas of opportunity and difference that generates proven results for clients. 9thWonder's ConsumerX team identifies those niche audiences in order to create passionate advocates for client brands. "My goal as chief marketing officer is to catapult 9thWonder to the next level of success through prosperous growth opportunities," said Thaler. "Our talented team can work with the best of the best." 9thWonder provides brand strategy, media planning, creative, research, digital strategy and development, public relations, and social media services to more than 45 clients across the globe. With a diverse network of over 130 team members in three countries, its hyper-targeted, culturally relevant and compelling work has been recognized by business leaders and peers alike. For more information on 9thWonder, please visit 9thwonder.com. About 9thWonder 9thWonder is a minority-owned independent marketing agency comprised of diverse thinkers committed to harnessing the power of difference. 9thWonder has offices spanning North America, South America and Asia, with capabilities including: brand strategy, media planning, creative, research, digital strategy and development, public relations, social media and more. With clients across a wide-range of industries, 9thWonder knows how to market to a diverse America and generate real marketplace results. Contact: Emma Wach [email protected] Direct: 630-390-8474 SOURCE 9thWonder ASHLAND, Ky., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kentucky Educational Development Corporation ( KEDC ), in partnership with BloomBoard, is accelerating career advancement for Kentucky teachers to support their growth and retention. New survey data from the nonprofit RAND Corporation suggests that one out of four teachers nationwide is considering quitting due to increased pandemic-related demands. Meanwhile, Kentucky teacher enrollment in the continuing education program, " Foundations in Teaching and Learning ," has tripled in 2021. More than 250 teachers are enrolled to earn Rank I or Rank II through job-embedded micro-credentials. The Kentucky Educational Development Corporation Research shows that high-quality, effective teachers are the most important factor in determining students' success in school. Unfortunately, COVID burnout is making it more difficult for schools to attract and retain teachers. Foundations in Teaching and Learning offers teachers an opportunity for renewal as they return to school this fall without adding an extra burden. "COVID burnout remains a real challenge for everyone, especially teachers," said Tanya Queen, Special Education instructor at Catlettsburg Elementary. "Last year, I wanted an opportunity to advance in my career, but I wasn't sure I'd have the time or money to go back to a university for a second master's degree. Foundations in Teaching and Learning gives me the flexibility to earn rank change without leaving my classroom and at a price that I can afford. This program allows you to take control of your professional growth and rediscover teaching with purpose." Micro-Credentials and Career Advancement National data trends show a progressive decrease in educator preparation program enrollment and completion in recent years, and Kentucky falls below the national average. KEDC's Foundations in Teaching and Learning program presents school and district leaders with a new avenue for educators to pursue meaningful careers in the classroom, promoting growth in the Kentucky teacher workforce. In addition, this state board-approved alternative to a traditional master's degree program enables Kentucky teachers to earn compensation changes and career advancement opportunities. "Micro-credential-based programs like Foundations in Teaching and Learning promote teacher retention because they offer an accessible and flexible alternative for career advancement that, until recently, has only been available through traditional university instruction," said Sanford Kenyon, CEO of BloomBoard. "We're encouraged by growing enrollment in our rank change program and its potential to improve both teacher and student outcomes in Kentucky classrooms." The Education Professional Standards Board's approval of the Foundations in Teaching and Learning program qualifies it as a rank change vehicle for teachers to achieve permanent Rank II or Rank I and to receive associated recognition and salary advancement in all public school districts in Kentucky. Additional program and enrollment information is available at bloomboard.com/program/kedc-continuing-education / . About Kentucky Educational Development Corporation KEDC provides support and adds value to member districts through a united spirit of cooperation and innovation. With 68 member districts statewide and over 50 years of service, KEDC is Kentucky's oldest and largest educational cooperative. For more information, visit www.kedc.org About BloomBoard BloomBoard offers micro-credential based advancement pathways for educators to meaningfully improve their instructional practice and accelerate their careers and their compensation. Their learn-by-doing process allows teachers to demonstrate growth through classroom practice. BloomBoard partners with states, universities, districts, and schools to create roadmaps for advancing educators based on a system's uniquely identified needs and gaps. They also offer programs directly to teachers, including the National Board Pre-Candidacy Program. For more information, visit bloomboard.com. Media Contact: Kelsea Kierstead [email protected] 608-216-7300 SOURCE BloomBoard WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP has launched a three-week television, and radio advertising campaign urging U.S. Senators to support allowing Medicare to use its power to negotiate drug prices with drug manufacturers. The seven-figure investment highlights negotiation as a critical step toward lowering prescription drug costs for all Americans, especially seniors who on average take between four and five medications each month and have a median income of just over $26,000 a year. "Pennsylvanians are sick and tired of paying three times what people in other countries pay for the same medicine," said Bill Johnston-Walsh, AARP Pennsylvania State Director. "People shouldn't have to choose between buying medicine and paying for food or rent. It's time for Congress to fix the unfair system that is rigged against Americans." The seven-figure national television and digital ad campaign will run on CNN, MSNBC, YouTube TV, over-the-top TV and connected television, including Roku, Hulu, and other high premium video placements. Ads running in Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will have additional coverage on MSNBC and CNN. The radio ads will air on African American/Black stations in Delaware and the Hispanic/Latino stations in New Jersey. In addition to advertising, AARP's campaign includes grassroots, tele-townhalls with elected officials, social media, coverage in AARP publications that reach nearly 38 million members, and testimonials from Americans who are struggling to afford their drug costs. Corresponding efforts reaching Pennsylvania's 1.8 million members and all older Pennsylvanians also includes tele-town halls with state elected officials, grassroots, and social media. The campaign comes as Congress considers allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices through a measure in the upcoming budget resolution. The program spends $129 billion annually on prescription drugs for seniors, however Medicare Part D beneficiaries could save $117 billion over 10 years by allowing Medicare price negotiation. A recent AARP survey shows that more than half (58%) of adults 50 and older are concerned they will not be able to afford prescription drugs over the next few years for themselves or their families. Respondents overwhelmingly agreed, across party lines, that it is important for the President and Congress to solve the problem this year, with 87% supporting allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. The successful negotiations with drug companies for the COVID-19 vaccine has made many voters more likely to agree that the government should negotiate lower prices for other drugs. To view the television ad, visit. About AARP AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media. CONTACT: Teresa Osborne, (717) 237-6482, [email protected], @AARPPA SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania Related Links http://www.aarp.org Abrigo Consumer Lending is a fully digital end-to-end solution that automates the entire life of the loan. Tweet this The new technology will particularly appeal to small business lenders. Abrigo's platform can support small business owners by offering not only the flexibility to quickly apply for a loan through the online dynamic application, but also to open an account anytime, anywhere. Creditworthy borrowers receive approvals through automated decisioning, giving financial institutions a competitive edge over their competition and fostering long-lasting relationships between lenders and small business owners. With the ability to increase retail loan volume efficiently, financial institutions can boost profitability and create a better customer and member experience. Other key features and functionality of the platform include: Quick analysis and automatic loan decisioning Mobile-first design Enhanced digital experience Document management Consumer Dynamic Loan Application Integrated CRM Centralized data for reporting and notifications Abrigo aims to arm financial institutions with the digital tools needed to support their communities. Abrigo was proud to put this goal into action throughout the pandemic, working with more than 500 financial institutions to streamline the Paycheck Protection Program loan process. As a continuation of this mission, as well as in response to changing customer expectations and behaviors, Abrigo is helping financial institutions expand their digital capabilities with the launch of its Consumer Account Opening solution in partnership with ProcessMaker. The automated account opening solution enables financial institution customers and members to open accounts online anywhere, anytime. The solution seamlessly integrates with the consumer loan platform and allows financial institutions to quickly onboard customers and members with a transformed digital experience. "The pandemic has heightened the importance of digitalization and online offerings at financial institutions, and consumers are increasingly expecting a seamless digital banking experience," said Jay Blandford, President at Abrigo. "Abrigo's expansion into the consumer market with the consumer lending and account opening solutions reaffirms our commitment to helping U.S. financial institutions increase opportunities for growth. By implementing scalable, end-to-end lending solutions like Abrigo's consumer lending platform, community financial institutions can become more profitable and have more time to focus on fostering customer relationships." Financial institutions can begin implementing Abrigo Consumer Lending and Consumer Account Opening solutions today. To learn more about the software or how to get started, visit www.abrigo.com/software/lending-and-credit-risk/consumer-lending-software. About Abrigo Abrigo enables U.S. financial institutions to support their communities through technology that fights financial crime, grows loans and deposits, and optimizes risk. Abrigo's platform centralizes the institution's data, creates a digital user experience, ensures compliance, and delivers efficiency for scale and profitable growth. Visit www.abrigo.com to learn more. Follow Abrigo on social media using @WeAreAbrigo. About ProcessMaker ProcessMaker is a no-code/low-code process automation platform and solution provider. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, ProcessMaker has hundreds of commercial customers and thousands of open source community users. Organizations rely on ProcessMaker to design, run, report, and improve their business processes. Learn more at www.processmaker.com. Twitter: @weareabrigo SOURCE Abrigo Related Links http://www.abrigo.com BERLIN and WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Acrolinx, a global leader in AI and NLP-driven enterprise content improvement and intelligence, is proud to welcome Christopher Rummel as Vice President of Sales for EMEA and Asia-Pacific, and Daniel Nutburn as Vice President of Global Partners and Alliances. They will help Acrolinx meet the growing cross-sector demand for AI-powered content governance and expand its penetration into global markets. Christopher joins Acrolinx with over two decades of sales leadership experience in the technology and software markets, having previously worked at PTC, EMC, Ellucian, and most recently, Cloudera. Christopher has a record of building, developing, and managing high-performance sales teams in complex and competitive environments, as well as cultivating lasting customer and partner relationships. With his extensive understanding of the EMEA and Asia-Pacific markets and growth-focused perspective, Christopher will build on Acrolinx's record growth in 2020. His role will focus on continuing to accelerate EMEA revenue, while expanding Acrolinx's market presence in new geographies and contributing to direct and partner go-to-market strategies. Christopher started on July 1 and is based in Frankfurt, Germany. Daniel Nutburn joins from Cloudera, where he was responsible for building the company's system integrator business in EMEA. He previously held a global sales leadership position at SUSE, managed ISV partnerships for Red Hat, and built a European partner business for Perfecto. Daniel's responsibilities will encompass alliance leadership, accelerating revenue through redefining Acrolinx's partner strategy and executing aggressive partner growth objectives. Daniel brings a wealth of experience in managing go-to-market strategies for global system integrators and a focus on partner-generated revenue that compliments Acrolinx's aggressive growth objectives. Daniel started on August 1 and is based in the United Kingdom. "Experienced and thoughtful leadership is essential for us to continue to grow our business, so I'm delighted to welcome Christopher and Daniel to Acrolinx," said Shane Cumming, Chief Revenue Officer at Acrolinx. "Their combined expertise will bolster an already strong team and I look forward to working with them to help companies supercharge their billions of digital touchpoints with clear, consistent, and inclusive content." About Acrolinx Acrolinx is an AI-powered software platform that improves the quality and effectiveness of enterprise content. Acrolinx helps some of the world's most valuable brands meet complex content challenges at immense scale across writers, languages, and cultures. Acrolinx delivers a unified and inclusive content experience across all digital touchpoints, all while avoiding editorial bottlenecks, quality issues, budget overruns, and compliance risk. Learn more at acrolinx.com . Acrolinx Score: 82 Contact: Cynthia Spiers, +1 9788357295, [email protected] SOURCE Acrolinx Related Links www.acrolinx.com LOS ANGELES, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- While much of California is returning to some sense of normalcy after more than a year battling COVID-19, it's important to recognize that the pandemic is not over. In fact, the number of cases and hospitalizations have been rising since the state reopened in mid-June, with the contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading quickly. Many Californians have put off annual check-ups, vaccinations, and preventive medicine during the pandemic to avoid the virus. In an effort to ensure that their combined 3.8 million members and their communities are getting vaccinated and resuming their routine wellness care, L.A. Care Health Plan and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) have launched a multi-pronged educational campaign with the help of award-winning actor Jaime Camil. In an effort to ensure that their combined 3.8 million members and their communities are getting vaccinated and resuming their routine wellness care, L.A. Care Health Plan and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) have launched a multi-pronged educational campaign with the help of award-winning actor Jaime Camil. Camil, who is known for his scene-stealing role in Jane the Virgin and the hit Mexican telenovelas You are My Destiny and La Fea Mas Bella, is supporting the Southern California health plans with public service announcements, Instagram Live events featuring medical professionals, and social media messages. "I was honored to join in this critical effort," said Camil. "This is very important to me personally because COVID-19 has had an unequal impact on the Hispanic community. I want to help get the facts out and advance health equity for all communities to ensure we all get through this without further suffering." Vaccination rates have stalled overall, but especially in Latino and Black communities, which were hit hardest by COVID-19. "COVID-19 vaccination is the key to bringing the pandemic to an end, yet too many people are still reluctant to get the shot," said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. "TV viewers love Jaime Camil, making him a terrific spokesperson to help us get out the word about the importance of vaccinations and also to help us debunk the obstructive myths that spread like wildfire on social media." The health plans are also concerned about delayed physical exams and routine tests during the pandemic, which could increase morbidity and mortality. "Regular wellness care is critical for preventing disease, and for detecting and treating illnesses before they become catastrophic," said Jarrod McNaughton, IEHP CEO. "We encourage all of our members to resume their routine checkups and tests, in partnership with their healthcare providers." The education campaign will include broadcast public service announcements and billboards featuring Camil. The campaign kicks off today with one of two Instagram Live events. Two Instagram Live events are set for: L.A. Care Instagram Live on COVID-19 Vaccines: Jaime Camil with Dr. Ilan Shapiro Tuesday, August 17 12:00 p.m. PST @LACAREHEALTH IEHP Instagram Live on Wellness Care: Tuesday, August 24 12:00 p.m. PST @IEHP_HEALTHCARE Social media posts featuring Camil will be used throughout the rest of the year. This educational campaign aligns with the commitment by both L.A. Care and IEHP to advance health equity for members and their communities. About L.A. Care Health Plan L.A. Care Health Plan serves more than 2.4 million members in Los Angeles County, making it the largest publicly operated health plan in the country. L.A. Care offers four health coverage plans including Medi-Cal , L.A. Care Covered , L.A. Care Cal MediConnect Plan and the PASC-SEIU Homecare Workers Health Care Plan , all dedicated to being accountable and responsive to members. As a public entity, L.A. Care's mission is to provide access to quality health care for L.A. County's low-income communities, and to support the safety net required to achieve that purpose. L.A. Care prioritizes quality, access and inclusion, elevating health care for all of L.A. County. For more information, follow us on Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn and Instagram . About IEHP Inland Empire Health Plan With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. In its 25th year, IEHP is supporting more than 1.4 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plans and has a growing network of over 7,300 providers and nearly 2,500 Team Members. Through dynamic partnerships with Providers and Community Organizations, paired with award-winning service and a tradition of quality care, IEHP is fully committed to their vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. For more information, visit iehp.org. SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) Related Links http://www.iehp.org "I couldn't think of a better moment in time to announce Alo Yoga as our first official wellness partner for NYFW: The Shows as we venture out of lockdown. Continued wellness should be top of mind for us all as we find our way back this September, and we are so appreciative to Alo Yoga for their support of our fashion community," said Leslie Russo, president of IMG's Fashion Events and Properties. The partnership will officially kick off on Sept. 9, with the Alo Wellness Dept., an immersive, invite-only event at Spring Studios offering several wellness touchpoints including a Kundalini yoga class, a meditative sound bath on the rooftop of Spring Studios and will continue on Sept. 10, with more wellness offerings including ear seeding acupressure, intuitive readings, astrology readings by Lisa Donovan, founder of The Pattern App, aura photos and custom wellness lattes. "We're so excited to welcome Alo into Spring," says Morgan Buksbaum, president of Spring Studios. "We can't think of a better brand to come into our space and provide the perfect experience for the fashion community to reconnect and find peace during The Shows." Through this partnership, Alo aims to bring mindfulness and wellness to the biggest fashion event of the year and celebrate connection, specifically as NYFW returns to in-person shows. "We're thrilled to partner with IMG this season as Fashion Week returns to New York. Alo exists at the intersection of fashion and lifestyle, so we see The Shows as the perfect venue to host a myriad of mindful moments for attendees to reconnect to themselves as well as each other," says Danny Harris, co-founder of Alo. This partnership marks continued expansion for the brand. This year, Alo saw an increase of sales growth in its apparel categories and launched into beauty for the first time with the debut of the Glow System in December 2020, a botanical-based, clean skin and body care regimen that can be found at retailers including Credo, Revolve as well as its brick and mortar stores. Alo will also be hosting events at its New York-based sanctuaries located in the Flatiron and SoHo areas from Sept. 6-12. Attendees can expect to see a Wellness Gifting Suite at the SoHo location, featuring the brand's debut skincare collection: Alo Glow System alongside a schedule of daily yoga, meditation and breathwork classes offered at the Flatiron location. On Sept. 9, Alo will host an invite-only dinner at Sutra, its rooftop restaurant located in Flatiron. Additionally, the brand will hold press appointments to present its Spring '22 collection at its Flatiron sanctuary from Sept. 6-9. About Alo Yoga Alo Yoga (Alo) is a Los Angeles-based premium lifestyle brand that specializes in luxury activewear with a mission to bring yoga to the world, spread mindful movement, inspire wellness and create community. Since launching in 2007, Alo has become a global leader in activewear design and its franchised fabrics. Alo is eco-aware and has been W.R.A.P. Certified in a humane and sweat-shop free environment since day one. An acronym for Air, Land, and Ocean, Alo has a studio-to-street mentality that transcends fashion and goes beyond the mat. Alo is available online at www.aloyoga.com and at Alo Sanctuaries in Los Angeles, New York San Diego, and Austin as well as select retailers. SOURCE Alo Yoga Related Links http://www.aloyoga.com NASHVILLE, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Humane is recertifying Braswell Family Farms for the outstanding care and handling of their hens. "Farmers like Braswell Family Farms, who do right by the animals in their care, are an exemplary example for everyone in the industry," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. "American Humane is thrilled by the dedication to good animal welfare that Braswell Family Farms exhibits year after year." American Humane Certified status is only achieved after a farm undergoes thorough inspections from independent auditors. Farmers must comply with more than 200 science and evidence-based standards, which were developed in collaboration with, and are regularly reviewed by, a Scientific Advisory Committee comprised of the world's leading veterinarians, animal scientists and ethicists. "At Braswell Family Farms it's our mission to glorify God while providing the safest highest quality eggs and feed and to better the lives of all the great folks we meet along the way. Year after year it's a great pleasure deepening our relationship with American Humane, our beloved hens and the many other family farmers on our team that are a part of delivering our specialty eggs to the marketplace," said Trey Braswell, president of Braswell Family Farms. American Humane, the country's first national humane organization, is the world's largest certifier of animal welfare. For more than 21 years the American Humane Certified program has worked to elevate animal welfare standards on America's farms and ranches. Today, the American Humane CertifiedTM program improves the lives of nearly one billion farm animals every year. For the past two decades, interest in farm animal welfare has steadily increased. Today, ten of the nation's top 12 grocery retailers carry products that are American Humane Certified. More than 90 percent of people surveyed by American Humane reported being "very concerned" about farm animal welfare and considering the consumption of humanely raised products to be "very important." "Not only are we a 4th generation family egg farm, but we also partner with over 25 family farmers who care for our birds each day. Their dedication is impeccable, as farming is seven days a week and requires lots of love and passion to succeed. It is such a joy to visit the farms and see the interaction with the birds," said Allyson Parris, director of food safety and compliance for Braswell Family Farms. Braswell Family Farms, a fourth-generation, family-owned, vertically integrated farm that has been providing nutritious food to American families for more than 75 years. Founded in 1877, American Humane has worked to improve living conditions for animals in agriculture for 145 years. "As more and more farmers continue to seek out independent, third-party certification, the humane movement will build momentum," said Dr. Ganzert. "Farmers who open up their operations to third-party inspections deserve our applause and recognition." About American Humane American Humane is the country's first national humane organization. Founded in 1877, American Humane is committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals, and our leadership programs are first to serve in promoting and nurturing the bonds between animals and people. For more information or to support our work, please visit www.americanhumane.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. SOURCE American Humane Certified Related Links https://www.americanhumane.org NEW YORK and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arevon Energy, Inc. ("Arevon"), a renewable energy company, has launched today through the combination of Capital Dynamics' U.S. Clean Energy Infrastructure ("CEI US") team and Arevon Asset Management, Capital Dynamics' former exclusive energy asset management affiliate. Arevon is 100% owned by an investor group comprised of APG, the California State Teachers' Retirement System ("CalSTRS"), and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority ("ADIA"). Arevon will support a standalone clean energy platform of 4.5 GW of operating, under construction, and late-stage development solar and battery storage projects, as well as a 3.0 GW pipeline. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by early 2022. With significant industry experience among its more than 100 professionals, Arevon will offer customized clean energy solutions to utilities and corporations and plans to expand its platform of solar and battery storage projects through customer acquisition, M&A, and select development activities. "Launching this clean energy platform gives Arevon the flexibility to expand our capabilities and engage in new partnerships," said John Breckenridge, Arevon's Chief Executive Officer and former Head of Clean Energy Infrastructure at Capital Dynamics. "As the renewables industry matures, it is essential we bring both innovative offtake solutions and operational excellence to the market. Our seasoned operations team, combined with our access to capital, positions us to accomplish those goals and continue to grow the platform's portfolio of clean energy assets in North America." Khadem AlRemeithi, Executive Director of the Real Estate & Infrastructure Department at ADIA, said: "Renewable energy is an area of keen interest for ADIA and we have built a sizeable, global portfolio in the sector. By investing alongside proven partners in Arevon, we are supporting the creation and future growth of an innovative renewable energy platform." Steven Hason, Head of Americas Real Assets at APG said, "As a pension investor, we are continuously looking for attractive infrastructure investments that help us realize stable, sustainable, and long-term returns for our pension clients. This transaction represents an opportunity to continue our clean energy investments alongside our partners and play a significant role in the U.S. energy transition. We look forward to further collaborating with our partners who share our long-term investment goals." In addition to Breckenridge, Arevon's management team includes three Executive Vice Presidents: Justin Johnson, former head of Arevon Asset Management, as Chief Operating Officer, Brian Callaway as Chief Financial Officer, and Tommy Greer as Chief Commercial Officer. Callaway joins the company from AES, where he was Vice President of Growth Initiatives and previously served as Vice President of Structured Finance and M&A for sPower. Greer joins from EDP Renewables, where he was the Head of Origination for North America. "We're launching into this next chapter with a deeply experienced team that shares a passion for driving the clean energy transition," said Johnson. "Arevon brings together an unmatched mix of project finance, construction, development and operations experience, aided by customized analytical tools that give us an edge when it comes to optimizing asset performance." Arevon will continue to provide consulting and support services to other generation assets for Capital Dynamics, an independent global private asset management firm based in Switzerland. Ropes & Gray acted as legal counsel to the Investor Group. About Arevon Energy, Inc. Arevon Energy, Inc. is a leading renewable energy company with roots as one of the largest renewable asset managers in the United States. Arevon's financial prowess and industry expertise come together to improve the structure and performance of clean energy assets across North America. Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, and New York City, Arevon uses innovative approaches and leading-edge technology to provide commercial, financial, performance asset management, and construction services to nearly 10 GWac of renewable energy assets delivering clean energy to utilities and corporations. For more information, please visit: www.arevonenergy.com About ADIA Established in 1976, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is a globally-diversified investment institution that prudently invests funds on behalf of the Government of Abu Dhabi through a strategy focused on long-term value creation. For more information: https://www.adia.ae About APG As the largest pension provider in the Netherlands, APG looks after the pensions of 4.7 million participants. APG provides executive consultancy, asset management, pension administration, pension communication, and employer services. We work for pension funds and employers in the sectors of education, government, construction, cleaning, housing associations, sheltered employment organizations, medical specialists, and architects. APG manages approximately 587 billion in pension assets as of May 30, 2021. APG has offices in Heerlen, Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, and Hong Kong. For more information, please go to https://apg.nl/en/ About CalSTRS The California State Teachers' Retirement System is the largest educator-only pension fund in the world, and the second-largest pension fund in the United States with approximately $308.6 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2020. Established in 1913, CalSTRS provides a secure retirement for more than 975,000 members and beneficiaries. SOURCE Arevon Energy, Inc. Related Links http://www.arevonenergy.com Fast Company's 2021 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, education, financial services, cybersecurity, and engineering. The 2021 awards feature workplaces from around the world with several of the honorees based outside the U.S, including ATB Ventures. "ATB Ventures is honoured to be recognized as an organization that is best in class in fostering a culture that is conducive to innovation," says Sue McGill, SVP of ATB Ventures. "As the pace of change pushes every company towards an inflection point where every aspect of their business model is being challenged, creating the right conditions to enable organizations to take positions on innovative technologies that are unproven is a necessity." "These leaders and teams created cultures of innovation and sustained them, even as remote work extended into 2021," says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "This newest list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators honors those organizations that found ways to collaborate and invent despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, ensuring employees were at the forefront." ATB Ventures is featured in Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators issue (September 2021), available online now . Join the Best Workplaces for Innovators conversation using #FCBestWorkplaces. ABOUT ATB VENTURES ATB Ventures is the research and innovation arm of ATB Financial, Alberta's leading personal banking company. Driving growth at the edges and exploring opportunities beyond financial services, ATB Ventures focuses on responsibility in technological advancement, helping companies bridge the gap between consumers' increasing concerns about privacy and security, and their desire for unique and advanced technological experiences. With trust at the core of its portfolio thesis, ATB Ventures recently launched Oliu , a self-sovereign digital credential platform and ATB Turing Box , a privacy-enhancing methodology for unlocking responsible AI. ABOUT ATB FINANCIAL With $54.9 billion in assets, ATB Financial is an Alberta-built financial institution that is a catalyst for economic growth in our province. We got started in 1938 to help Albertans through tough economic times. Today, ATB's more than 5,000 team members love to deliver exceptional experiences to nearly 800,000 customers through our many branches and agencies, our 24-hour Client Care Centre, four entrepreneur centres, and our digital banking options. Everything we do is focused on how we can serve Albertansfrom providing expert advice and supporting entrepreneurs to helping Albertans buy a home and grow their wealth. ABOUT FAST COMPANY Fast Company is the world's leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethonomics (ethical economics), leadership, and design. Written for, by, and about the most progressive business leaders, Fast Company and FastCompany.com inspire readers and users to think beyond traditional boundaries, lead conversations, and create the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with its sister publication Inc. Stephanie Mehta is editor-in-chief. SOURCE ATB Ventures Related Links https://atbventures.com NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA XL, the property & casualty and specialty risk division of AXA, expands regional underwriting capabilities with the addition of senior environmental underwriters Lindsay Judd, Jay Kao, Angela Case and Igor Pavlo. AXA XL also announced the promotion of Jeffrey Anastasio to lead its Environmental Claims team in North America. According to MaryAnn Susavidge, Chief Underwriting Officer for AXA XL's Environmental insurance business, "The Environmental insurance market continues to show growth opportunities, largely driven by increased construction and M&A activities. Companies looking to minimize their potential environmental liabilities find that pollution insurance is an effective risk management option. We're excited to welcome the added experience and enthusiasm that Jay, Lindsay, Angela and Igor bring to the team as we keep pace with our clients' environmental risks management needs." "We're equally excited to see colleagues like Jeff step up to new opportunities," said Ms. Susavidge. "Given his experience and technical expertise, Jeff, along with his team of dedicated environmental claims specialists, is invaluable helping our clients manage and control costs associated with pollution claims." Previously an environmental claims manager, Mr. Anastasio brings more than 14 years of claims management experience, having worked on AXA XL's environmental claims team since 2015. He assumes the role previously held by Kimberly MacDonald who was recently promoted to AXA XL's Head of Specialty Claims in the Americas. AXA XL's newest senior environmental underwriters include: Lindsay Judd in San Francisco . Ms. Judd brings more than 14 years of pollution insurance experience. She's held underwriting positions at Zurich and Chubb where she addressed the complex environmental risks in the real estate, municipality, hospital, biotech, manufacturing, and mergers and acquisitions industries. Prior to entering the insurance industry, she was the Director of Finance at a Brownfield Redevelopment firm, and provided environmental due diligence, regulatory and legal framework, and financial resources for those projects. . Ms. Judd brings more than 14 years of pollution insurance experience. She's held underwriting positions at and Chubb where she addressed the complex environmental risks in the real estate, municipality, hospital, biotech, manufacturing, and mergers and acquisitions industries. Prior to entering the insurance industry, she was the Director of Finance at a Brownfield Redevelopment firm, and provided environmental due diligence, regulatory and legal framework, and financial resources for those projects. Jay Kao in Los Angeles . Mr. Kao spent the last seven years as a senior environmental underwriter at Chubb, providing businesses with Site Pollution and Contractors Pollution insurance coverage. Prior to entering the insurance industry, he was a scientist for an environmental consulting firm. Mr. Kao spent the last seven years as a senior environmental underwriter at Chubb, providing businesses with Site Pollution and Contractors Pollution insurance coverage. Prior to entering the insurance industry, he was a scientist for an environmental consulting firm. Angela Case in Denver . With more than a decade of environmental underwriting experience honed at positions with WestCongress Insurance Services, Tokio Marine and Zurich , Ms. Case will address the multi-line P&C insurance needs of environmental businesses, such as recyclers, hazmat transporters, environmental contractors, consultants, and others. . With more than a decade of environmental underwriting experience honed at positions with WestCongress Insurance Services, Tokio Marine and , Ms. Case will address the multi-line P&C insurance needs of environmental businesses, such as recyclers, hazmat transporters, environmental contractors, consultants, and others. Igor Pavlo in Exton, Pennsylvania . Mr. Pavlo brings more than eight years of underwriting experience helping environmental businesses address their P&C insurance needs, most recently with Berkley Environmental. Mr. Pavlo is also a Marine Corp veteran. AXA XL's Environmental insurance business helped build today's environmental insurance market. Nearly three decades later, the team is still making strides, developing new pollution insurance products, finding new ways to address business' environmental risks and delivering products and service via an integrated approach taken by dedicated underwriting, risk consulting and claims handling teams. Follow AXA XL on Twitter and on LinkedIn. ABOUT AXA XL AXA XL, the property & casualty and specialty risk division of AXA, provides insurance and risk management products and services for mid-sized companies through to large multinationals, and reinsurance solutions to insurance companies globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com ABOUT AXA XL INSURANCE AXA XL Insurance offers property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty insurance solutions to mid-sized companies through to large multinationals globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com SOURCE AXA XL Related Links http://www.axaxl.com LINDON, Utah, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BambooHR , the industry's leading cloud-hosted software provider dedicated to powering the strategic evolution of human resources, today announced the addition of five new marketplace partners. These partnerships will provide more options for joint customers to create solutions to the most significant challenges HR is facing today, with enhanced features for time tracking, access management, training, and payroll. The BambooHR Marketplace includes 88 vendors and gives partners the opportunity to leverage the BambooHR open API to build connectors and integrations. They can also co-market and showcase their solutions to over 23,000 BambooHR customers, from hiring and onboarding, people and culture, compensation, benefits, and more, all designed to give joint customers the ability to streamline their HR experience across the board. "We're thrilled to partner with BambooHR to help customers automate key HR workflows in the WorkRamp LMS so that they can focus on what really matterscreating an amazing learner experience," says Rocky Paap, vice president of revenue at WorkRamp. "Top companies like Bitly are now able to quickly build and deploy dynamic learning paths in WorkRamp, based on existing employee data like department, location, tenure, and more. This is a game changer for rapidly growing and scaling teams." New partners include: WorkRamp WorkRamp is an all-in-one learning management platform for training internal employees, customers, and partners. The product includes features like training paths, embedded events, multilayered scorecards, live video challenges, badges, and rich multi-media training elements. This integration will allow customers to leverage employee data from BambooHR to accelerate learning for employees during their critical onboarding period and beyond. Aquera In most companies, HR is tasked with providing new employees with access to various systems they need to properly do their job. Since employees often need access to more than 10 systems, this process can be time-consuming and prone to error as employees change roles. When a new employee is hired within BambooHR, the Aquera integration allows companies to automatically provision and deprovision access to their IT directories or apps in a matter of minutes, which will save time and limit mistakes. Humley Humley's Digital HR Assistant is a ready-to-use, multi-channel conversational interface. It enables employees and managers to ask questions, request documentation, input data, and even make requests within one internal ticketing platform. This gives employees instant access to all the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it. Humley can automate 80 percent of HR requests, ultimately saving 30 percent more time. Synarion Synerion's automated systems use RFID/HID, barcode badges, magnetic stripe cards, biometrics, or touch screen inputs in place of paper cards to track working hours more accurately. All data collection can be done through the cloud and on mobile devices, including enhanced features from temperature detection to fingerprint biometrics. Envision BX Envision BX provides customers with the ability to connect their Xero account to their BambooHR account. This removes the tedious task of double entry and allows customers to push data from BambooHR directly into their Xero account. EnvisionBX also provides customers with the ability to push payslip data back into BambooHR for employee reference. "We pride ourselves on being cloud software implementation specialists, so it was of utmost importance to our business that we partnered with the best possible HRIS software in the global market. We are proud to partner with BambooHR," said Rod Wakefield, managing director at Envision Digital. About BambooHR Serving more than 23,000 organizations and almost two million employees worldwide, BambooHR is the only HR software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. BambooHR makes it easy for growing companies to manage essential employee information in a personalized, cloud-based, and secure system. BambooHR customers include innovators like Asana, SoundCloud, Foursquare, Freshbooks, Stance, Reddit, and Magnolia Homes. With customers in 100 countries, BambooHR's goal is to set HR professionals and organizations free to do great work. BambooHR also hosts more than 30,000 HR professionals at its annual HR Virtual Summit . To find out more, visit bamboohr.com or follow @bamboohr on social media. SOURCE Bamboo HR LLC Related Links www.bamboohr.com CAMPBELL, Calif., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Barracuda Networks, Inc. , a trusted partner and leading provider of cloud-enabled security solutions, today announced key updates to Barracuda RMM, the company's security-centric, cloud-based remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform. "The continued enhancements we are making to Barracuda RMM are part of our ongoing commitment to supporting MSPs in improving their security offerings," said Chris Crellin, Senior Director, Product Management, Barracuda MSP. "RMM tools must become part of an MSP's daily client security posture assessment and remediation. Today, we are making those tasks easier for service providers to drive business value within their customer base, by adding new features and capabilities focused on mitigating security risks and protecting customers' data and applications." Key highlights of the release include new integrations with Windows Defender Antivirus, updates to Microsoft and third-party software patch management functionality, enhanced integration with Barracuda Intronis Backup, and ServiceNow Service Desk integration. Windows Defender Antivirus provides baseline protection against threats Barracuda RMM now includes an integration with Windows Defender Antivirus, a free tool available through Microsoft, which MSPs can leverage to ensure their customers have integrated antivirus protection. Through Barracuda RMM's simple policy configuration options, MSPs can protect their endpoints through central management and alerting of Windows Defender Antivirus for all files, folders, and selected devices. Improved patch management processes for Microsoft and third-party software Third-party applications have become an increasingly used attack vector. As such, it is necessary for MSPs to include third-party software updates as part of their overall security service offering in order to protect their customers. Recognizing the critical nature of patch management as a recurring security remediation task, the latest Barracuda RMM release features the ability to apply patches immediately to identified devices and improve visibility on which devices are online or offline. Also included is third-party software patch management (Advanced Software Management) as part of the onboarding process for all new MSP partners. Expanded integration with Barracuda Intronis Backup The latest in a series of integration enhancements between Barracuda RMM and Intronis Backup includes the ability to seamlessly sync new information between the RMM and the Intronis management console, and view critical reports and alerts, such as missing backup reports and alerts on backups that fail to launch, all within the RMM tool. Together, Barracuda RMM and Intronis Backup provide essential protection and establish the proper security posture that includes regular assessment and data protection for a client's infrastructure. Integration with ServiceNow streamlines event and ticket management ServiceNow is an MSP-focused PSA tool that offers a strong, result-driven IT ticket management system. As MSPs are looking for strong PSA tools, the smart workflow of ServiceNow greatly aligns with Barracuda RMM's IT ticket integration. Barracuda RMM offers integrations between MSPs' foundational business tools empowering them to grow their businesses efficiently with centralized management of these tools. As a result of this bi-directional integration with ServiceNow PSA, when a ticket is created in Barracuda RMM manually or automatically, incidents and events are also created in ServiceNow. ServiceNow then treats those events as any other events in their event management system. This integration also enables MSPs to use their established event management, alert management, and ticket management systems in ServiceNow with Barracuda RMM. MSPs are no longer required to modify their workflows to take advantage of integration with ServiceNow. Additional enhancements that feature in the release include: Enhanced support for MacOS including a Mac Device Manager agent and upgrades for Catalina and Big Sur A new MSI install package for Barracuda RMM Device Manager agent for Windows Improved alerting emails including site, device, and alert configuration names in alert email subject lines Improved searching of reports, and more Partner Quote: "As a long-term partner of Barracuda MSP, we were excited to learn, when we decided to move forward with ServiceNow, that Barracuda RMM can integrate with it. With this new integration, we can centralize our events and IT ticket management through ServiceNow. The bi-directional communication ensures that when tickets are resolved, it closes the alert within Barracuda RMM, streamlining our management process and reducing our administrative overhead. Servicing over 500 client sites, it is important for us to be as efficient as possible, and Barracuda MSP has been a great partner to facilitate this." Nadra Yazaji, Senior Director, RSM US LLP For more information on Barracuda RMM, visit https://barracudamsp.com/product-details/barracuda-rmm/ . Resources: Read our blog post about the updates here: http://www.smartermsp.com/barracuda-innovates-with-new-updates-to-rmm-platform. About Barracuda At Barracuda we strive to make the world a safer place. We believe every business deserves access to cloud-enabled, enterprise-grade security solutions that are easy to buy, deploy, and use. We protect email, networks, data and applications with innovative solutions that grow and adapt with our customers' journey. More than 200,000 organizations worldwide trust Barracuda to protect them in ways they may not even know they are at risk so they can focus on taking their business to the next level. For more information, visit barracuda.com. Barracuda Networks, Barracuda, and the Barracuda Networks logo are registered trademarks of Barracuda Networks, Inc. in the US and other countries. Contacts Anne Campbell Barracuda Networks, Inc. 978-328-1642 [email protected] SOURCE Barracuda Networks, Inc. Related Links https://www.barracuda.com -- Long-term partnership intensified as of July 1, focusing on Cucumber, Pepper and Tomato -- NSIP's suite of genetic technologies to improve data driven decision making throughout the breeding and selection process ITHACA, N.Y., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BASF's vegetable seeds business has collaborated with Nature Source Improved Plants (NSIP) as an external collaborator since 2008, but as of July 1, 2021 we have entered into a more intensive, comprehensive partnership. The collaboration focuses on four key segments within our Cucumber, Pepper, and Tomato breeding programs to develop and execute breeding work-flows, combining the NSIP genomic selection toolbox and BASF germplasm and breeding expertise NSIP's experience in genomic selection across a variety of crops makes them an excellent candidate to complement our own internal expertise. By working as an additional partner in the specified breeding segments, NSIP offers knowledge that will help us introduce desired traits more quickly. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, NSIP will work closely with selected breeding teams, applying their extensive bank of algorithms to improve data driven decision making throughout the breeding and selection process. "By applying these algorithms with additional phenotyping, our breeding teams will improve the output of our predictive breeding efforts," says Johan Warringa, Head of R&D EMEA, Vegetable Seeds, BASF. Predictive breeding brings together tools such as phenotyping, genomic selection, and statistics to help breeders make data driven predictions of which lines will perform best in a given situation. Dr. Steve Tanksley, Chief Technology Officer of NSIP added, "NSIP is excited to be providing both its expertise and advanced analytical tools in this collaboration to develop higher yielding, and higher quality vegetables for the benefit of farmers and consumers worldwide." "Of course, we are also working on genomic selection in-house, but NSIP brings important additional expertise and their unique Operation Research based approach to breeding and statistical algorithms. By partnering with NSIP, we are launching forward in several areas where they can apply their existing expertise and that allows us to better focus on other key areas with our own research," says Jan van den Berg, Scouting & Collaboration Management, Bioscience Research, BASF. It's a key component of the strategy for BASF's vegetable seeds R&D division -- carefully selecting the best collaborations in order to stay on the cutting edge of research. "We cannot do it alone," says Andreas Sewing, Vice President R&D, Vegetable Seeds, BASF. "In order to tap into the best innovations, we must look outwards and bring expertise in where it can strengthen our own efforts. This is part of our R&D strategy, to strike the balance between internal experts in a very nuanced industry, with external partners, who can help us make big strides in specific sectors." Dr. Suresh Prabhakaran, Chief Operating Officer of NSIP, said, "Our aim is to be a trusted strategic partner and advance the frontiers of genomics and production technologies. We are excited to leverage complementary expertise of NSIP and BASF's vegetable seeds business to help increase productivity and meet the current and future food needs of our global community". Collaborations are an important part of business for all of BASF and since some of the company's other seed divisions have also shown interest in NSIP, this is an exciting opportunity to see what can be done with a stronger, more intensive and purposeful collaboration. "Especially since 2020 has taught us a lot about how distance is a much smaller factor in partnerships like this than we once believed," says van den Berg. "Distance between partners was often seen as a barrier, but after being forced to find work-arounds in 2020, we've come to realize that distance is just one factor, and often a surmountable one, especially in the case of using computational tools. It opens the door to even more collaboration possibilities for both the vegetable seeds business and the rest of BASF." These new ways of working are good news since collaborations are a great way to gain a new perspective, speed up a project, and come up with exciting new ideas. All of which is key to helping us bring better solutions to our partners more quickly and with improved health and sustainability traits that are delicious to eat! About BASF's Agricultural Solutions division With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That's why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work for farmers, society and the planet. In 2020, our division generated sales of 7.7 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels. About BASF At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 110,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of 59 billion in 2020. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com. About NISP Established in 2006, Nature Source Improved Plants (NSIP) is an advanced optimization analytics company located in New York, USA and Chiapas, Mexico; and dedicated to the conservation, evaluation and utilization of natural genetic resources to deliver high performing plant materials and creating value and efficiency through innovative and sustainable cutting-edge technologies for the global community. NSIP is focused on maximizing genetic performance via a unique pipeline of new breeding technologies based on genomics, operations research and other advanced fields of mathematics and computer science. NSIP's advanced genetics and breeding technologies have resulted in significant increases in productivity and quality across a wide variety of field, vegetable, perennial and orphan crops, while minimizing R&D costs. NSIP is also focused on the development of high throughput and high-fidelity in vitro propagation techniques to meet the needs of growers especially those involved in the production of perennial plantation crops. For more information about NSIP, please visit: www.nsiplants.com. Media Relations Suresh PRABHAKARAN Chief Operating Officer +1 317 989 0035 [email protected] SOURCE Nature Source Improved Plants, LLC Related Links https://nsiplants.com/ Ms. Frisbie brings over six years of banking experience to her role as Branch Manager. Prior to BCT, she served over five years as Banking Center Operations Manager for MVB prior to its acquisition by Summit Community Bank. Subsequently, Ms. Frisbie served as a Customer Service Representative with Summit. "Kaitlin's leadership experience in Operations as well as customer service experience will provide our customers a great experience," stated Alice P. Frazier, President and CEO. "Her proven record of getting the job done for the benefit of customers is sure to help BCT be the preferred community bank in Hedgesville." Ms. Frisbie is originally from northeastern Pennsylvania and attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. She has lived in the Eastern Panhandle area of West Virginia for several years and enjoys serving the local community through the Berkeley County Backpack Program and the Children's Home Society. During her personal time, Ms. Frisbie enjoys reading, hiking, and, along with her fiance, playing with their two dogs and doing home improvement projects. About the Company Founded in 1871 and celebrating their 150th year of service, BCT - Bank of Charles Town, also known as The Community's Bank, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Potomac Bancshares, Inc. (OTC:PTBS). With approximately $672 million in assets as of June 30, 2021, the Company conducts operations through its main office, an additional eight branch offices, and two loan production offices. BCT's offices are located in Jefferson and Berkeley Counties (WV), Washington County (MD), and Loudoun and Stafford Counties (VA). The Bank provides various banking products and services including free access to over 55,000 ATMs through the Allpoint network plus online and mobile banking for individuals, businesses, and local governments. The Bank also offers commercial lines and term loans, residential and commercial construction, commercial real estate loans and agricultural loans. The Residential Lending division offers secondary market and portfolio mortgage loans, one-time close construction to perm loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit. For over 60 years, BCT Wealth Advisors has provided financial management, investment, trust, and estate services to its clients. In 2019 and 2020, the Bank was named a "Best Bank To Work For" by American Banker. In 2018, Forbes named BCT a "Best In State Bank" for Maryland. The Company's shares are quoted on the OTC Pink Sheet marketplace under the symbol "PTBS." For more information about Potomac Bancshares, Inc., and the Bank, please visit our website at www.mybct.bank. SOURCE BCT - Bank of Charles Town Related Links http://www.mybct.bank WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Billancho is excited to announce the launch of its first-of-its kind bill payment crowdsourcing platform. The company's app-based solution allows for individuals who are facing challenging financial circumstances to raise funds from individuals and non-profit organizations to pay their financial obligations. "We are a team of entrepreneurs with a bold thought: By creating a community based on kindness we can drastically improve the lives of our friends, families, and the wellbeing of society as a whole" says Hakan Yurt, Co-Founder of Billancho. Billancho is launching at a time in which many American's find themselves in precarious financial situations. According to surveys by Apartment List and McKinsey, thirty percent of Americans missed their housing payments during the pandemic and four in ten Americans would have difficulty covering a sudden $400 expense. Even more distressing, nearly one-third of adults still say they face difficulty meeting their regular household expenses, according to the most recent survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. "Through our platform, families and individuals who have fallen behind in their bill payments can appeal to our community of donors to fund their bill fully or partially. To ensure funds are used to satisfy bill payments, once bills are funded, Billancho directly remits payment to the utility or service companies," Yurt explained. Billancho aims not only to help individuals improve their quality of life, but also to increase the overall welfare of communities. "Our hope is that people pay kindness forward every day, making the world a brighter place for their friends and neighbors who may be struggling financially. We believe that small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can change the world for the better" says Yurt, a serial entrepreneur with experience in IT and consulting. About Billancho Based in Washington D.C. Billancho provides individuals and families with a platform to channel the power of community to improve their financial wellbeing. SOURCE Billancho Related Links www.billancho.com HONG KONG, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BIT Mining Limited (NYSE: BTCM) ("BIT Mining," "the Company," "we," "us," or "our company"), a leading cryptocurrency mining enterprise, today reported its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. Cryptocurrency Business Progress BIT Mining has completed the transition of its business to an enterprise that covers cryptocurrency mining, data center operation and mining pool. The Company has commenced ethereum mining operations outside of mainland China, with a theoretical maximum total hash rate capacity of 600 GH/s deployed as of today. Based on the entire ethereum hash rate and ethereum price[1] of US$3,309 as of today, we currently produce approximately 13 ethereum per day, which are worth approximately US$43,017 in aggregate. The direct monthly costs of our ethereum mining operations are lower than 10% of the monthly revenue we recognized from ethereum mining operations, based on today's ethereum price. Ethereum mining machines with a total hash rate capacity of 4,800 GH/s are expected to be deployed by the end of October 2021. As of today, the theoretical maximum total hash rate capacity of bitcoin mining machines of the Company is approximately 1,425.3 PH/s. The Company has adopted a development strategy to focus on expanding its cryptocurrency mining operations globally. As of today, we have delivered 7,849 bitcoin mining machines with a total hash rate capacity of 292.7 PH/s to Kazakhstan, of which 3,293 bitcoin mining machines, with a total hash rate capacity of 121.0 PH/s, have been deployed at data centers in Kazakhstan and 4,556 bitcoin mining machines are waiting to be deployed. For the second quarter of 2021, we produced 186 bitcoins from cryptocurrency mining business, and recognized revenue of approximately US$9.5 million, representing approximately 2.1% of the Company's total net revenues. In terms of data center business, the Company has announced that it has entered into several term sheets to invest in cryptocurrency mining data centers globally, in May and June 2021. On June 21, 2021, we announced that two big data centers have suspended their operations according to the written notice from State Grid Sichuan Ganzi Electric Power Co., Ltd.. Data centers in Sichuan recognized revenue of approximately US$11.4 million, representing approximately 2.6% of the Company's total net revenues for the second quarter of 2021. We are now in the process of constructing one of our new data centers outside of mainland China, which is expected to begin operation late in the third quarter of 2021. In the meantime, the Company is proactively seeking additional high-quality mining resources to better execute its global development strategy. On April 15, 2021, we completed our acquisition of the entire mining pool business of Bitdeer Technologies Holding Company operated under BTC.com, including the domain name BTC.com and the cryptocurrency wallet of BTC.com. As a leading multi-currency comprehensive service mining pool, the total hash rate capacity of BTC.com accounts for about 10% of the entire bitcoin hash rate and the actual hash rate has remained fairly stable so far. From April 15, 2021 to June 30, 2021, the mining pool business recognized (i) revenue of approximately US$422.8 million, representing approximately 95.0% of the Company's total net revenues for the second quarter of 2021, and (ii) cost of revenue of approximately US$414.4 million, exclusive of depreciation and amortization. Removal of VIE Structure and Disposal of Chinese Lottery Business We have previously conducted our lottery business in China through a series of contractual arrangements with the lottery business related VIEs. In July 2021, the Company announced its decision to dispose of its Chinese lottery related business and the Company terminated all of its lottery business related VIE contracts. The lottery business-related VIE subsidiaries will be deconsolidated and their financial results will no longer be included in the Company's consolidated financial statements in the third quarter of this year as a result of eliminating the VIE structure. [1] The Ethereum price is based on the price on August 17, 2021, at UTC 0:00, published on https://coinmarket.com. Second Quarter 2021 Highlights Net revenues were RMB2,873.9 million ( US$445.1 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, representing a sharp increase of RMB2,854.3 million from RMB19.6 million for the first quarter of 2021, and a sharp increase of RMB2,870.3 million from RMB3.6 million for the second quarter of 2020. Net revenues during the second quarter of 2021 primarily consisted of RMB2,729.9 million ( US$422.8 million ) in revenue contribution from our mining pool business that we consolidated from April 15, 2021 , which accounted for 95.0% of total net revenues. ( ) in the second quarter of 2021, representing a sharp increase of from for the first quarter of 2021, and a sharp increase of from for the second quarter of 2020. Net revenues during the second quarter of 2021 primarily consisted of ( ) in revenue contribution from our mining pool business that we consolidated from , which accounted for 95.0% of total net revenues. Operating loss was RMB101.3 million ( US$15.7 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, representing an increase of RMB84.8 million from RMB16.5 million for the first quarter of 2021, and an increase of RMB49.0 million from RMB52.3 million for the second quarter of 2020. The increase of operating loss is mainly due to the impairment of cryptocurrencies and net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies. ( ) in the second quarter of 2021, representing an increase of from for the first quarter of 2021, and an increase of from for the second quarter of 2020. The increase of operating loss is mainly due to the impairment of cryptocurrencies and net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies. Non-GAAP operating income [2] was RMB6.4 million ( US$1.0 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, as compared with non-GAAP operating loss of RMB16.2 million for the first quarter of 2021, and non-GAAP operating loss of RMB33.7 million for the second quarter of 2020. was ( ) in the second quarter of 2021, as compared with non-GAAP operating loss of for the first quarter of 2021, and non-GAAP operating loss of for the second quarter of 2020. Net loss attributable to BIT Mining was RMB97.9 million ( US$15.2 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, as compared with net income attributable to BIT Mining of RMB13.2 million for the first quarter of 2021, and net loss attributable to BIT Mining of RMB86.3 million for the second quarter of 2020. ( ) in the second quarter of 2021, as compared with net income attributable to BIT Mining of for the first quarter of 2021, and net loss attributable to BIT Mining of for the second quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP net income [2] attributable to BIT Mining was RMB9.8 million ( US$1.5 million ) in the second quarter of 2021, as compared with non-GAAP net loss attributable to BIT Mining of RMB22.8 million for the first quarter of 2021, and non-GAAP net loss attributable to BIT Mining of RMB34.0 million for the second quarter of 2020. attributable to BIT Mining was ( ) in the second quarter of 2021, as compared with non-GAAP net loss attributable to BIT Mining of for the first quarter of 2021, and non-GAAP net loss attributable to BIT Mining of for the second quarter of 2020. Basic and diluted loss per ADS attributable to BIT Mining Limited for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB1.64 (US$0.25) . . Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to BIT Mining Limited for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB0.16 (US$0.03) . [2] Non-GAAP financial measures exclude the impact of share-based compensation expenses, impairment of long-term investments, impairment of cryptocurrencies, net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies, changes in fair value of derivative instrument, gain on previously-held equity interest and deferred tax benefit relating to valuation allowance. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to U.S. GAAP financial measures are set forth in the table at the end of this release. Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results Net Revenues Net revenues were RMB2,873.9 million (US$445.1 million) for the second quarter of 2021, representing a sharp increase of RMB2,870.3 million from RMB3.6 million for the second quarter of 2020 and a sharp increase of RMB2,854.3 million from RMB19.6 million for the first quarter of 2021. Net revenues were mainly comprised of the revenues from the mining pool business of RMB2,729.9 million (US$422.8 million), the data center business of RMB73.8 million (US$11.4 million) and cryptocurrency mining business of RMB61.6 million (US$9.5 million). The year-over-year and sequential increase were mainly attributable to our mining pool business that we consolidated from April 15, 2021. Operating Costs and Expenses Operating costs and expenses were RMB2,866.1 million (US$443.9 million) for the second quarter of 2021, representing an increase of RMB2,811.0 million from RMB55.1 million for the second quarter of 2020, and an increase of RMB2,829.8 million from RMB36.3 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to a significant increase of RMB2,675.9 million in cost for the allocation to pool participants associated with the mining pool business and an increase of RMB55.3 million in service expense associated with data center business, which were partially offset by a decrease of RMB18.3 million in share-based compensation expenses associated with share options granted to the Company's directors and employees. The sequential increase was mainly due to a significant increase of RMB2,675.9 million in cost for the allocation to pool participants associated with the mining pool business and an increase of RMB55.3 million in service expense associated with data center business. Cost of revenue was RMB2,810.5 million (US$435.3 million) for the second quarter of 2021, representing an increase of RMB2,805.9 million from RMB4.6 million for the second quarter of 2020, and an increase of RMB2,802.0 million from RMB8.5 million for the first quarter of 2021. Cost of revenue was comprised of the direct cost of revenue of RMB2,767.2 million (US$428.6 million) and depreciation and amortization of RMB43.3 million (US$6.7 million). The direct cost of revenue mainly included direct costs relating to (i) the mining pool business of RMB2,675.9 million (US$414.4 million), (ii) the data center business of RMB59.2 million (US$9.2 million) and (iii) the cryptocurrency mining of RMB28.5 million (US$4.4 million).The year-over-year increase was mainly attributable to a significant increase of RMB2,675.9 million in cost for the allocation to pool participants associated with the mining pool business and an increase of RMB55.3 million in service expense associated with data center business. The sequential increase was mainly due to a significant increase of RMB2,675.9 million in cost for the allocation to pool participants associated with the mining pool business and an increase of RMB55.3 million in service expense associated with data center business. Sales and marketing expenses were RMB3.4 million (US$0.5 million) for the second quarter of 2021, representing a decrease of RMB1.6 million or 32.0% from RMB5.0 million for the second quarter of 2020, and an increase of RMB0.9 million or 36.0% from RMB2.5 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year decrease was mainly due to a decrease of RMB2.0 million in share-based compensation expenses associated with share options granted to the Company's directors and employees and a decrease of RMB0.4 million in expenses for employees, which were partially offset by an increase of RMB1.4 million in marketing and promotion expense. General and administrative expenses were RMB45.9 million (US$7.1 million) for the second quarter of 2021, representing an increase of RMB10.5 million or 29.7% from RMB35.4 million for the second quarter of 2020, and an increase of RMB23.3 million or 103.1% from RMB22.6 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to an increase of RMB17.3 million in consulting expenses, an increase of RMB5.7 million in expenses for employees mainly due to consolidations of Loto Interactive and the mining pool business and an increase of RMB1.4 million in transaction expense associated with mining pool business, which were partially offset by a decrease of RMB12.1 million in share-based compensation expenses associated with share options granted to the Company's directors and employees and a decrease of RMB4.5 million depreciation mainly associated with leasehold improvements for the partial termination of our office lease in Shenzhen. The sequential increase was mainly due to an increase of RMB10.0 million in consulting expenses, an increase of RMB7.1 million in expenses for employees mainly due to consolidations of Loto Interactive and the mining pool business, an increase of RMB1.5 million in rental expense associated with Loto Interactive office rent and an increase of RMB1.3 million in transaction expense associated with mining pool business. Service development expenses were RMB6.4 million (US$1.0 million) for the second quarter of 2021, representing a decrease of RMB3.7 million or 36.6% from RMB10.1 million for the second quarter of 2020, and an increase of RMB3.7 million or 137% from RMB2.7 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year decrease was mainly due to a decrease of RMB4.2 million in share-based compensation expenses associated with share options granted to the Company's directors and employees which were partially offset by an increase of RMB1.0 million in expenses for employees mainly due to consolidations of Loto Interactive and the mining pool business. The sequential increase was mainly due to an increase of RMB2.8 million in expenses for employees mainly due to consolidations of Loto Interactive and the mining pool business. Net Loss on Disposal of Cryptocurrencies Net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies was RMB 55.6 million (US$8.6 million) for the second quarter of 2021, related to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrencies by using FIFO to calculate the cost of disposition during the second quarter of 2021. There was no such net loss for the second quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. Impairment of Cryptocurrencies Impairment of cryptocurrencies was RMB57.3 million (US$8.9 million) for the second quarter of 2021, mainly due to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrency assets including the cryptocurrencies payable to pool participants related to mining pool business during the second quarter of 2021. There was no such impairment for the second quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. Operating Loss Operating loss was RMB101.3 million (US$15.7 million) for the second quarter of 2021, compared with operating loss of RMB52.3 million for the second quarter of 2020, and operating loss of RMB16.5 million for the first quarter of 2021. Both the year-over-year increase and the sequential increase of operating loss were mainly due to (i) an increase in revenue and an increase in operating costs and expenses which were mainly attributable to the cryptocurrency mining business initiated at the end of February 2021, data center business consolidated from March 31, 2021 and the mining pool business consolidated from April 15, 2021 as described above; (ii) a provision of RMB57.3 million for impairment of cryptocurrencies mainly due to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrencies during the second quarter of 2021; (iii) the net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies of RMB55.6 million mainly due to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrencies during the second quarter of 2021, by using FIFO to calculate the cost of disposition. Non-GAAP operating income was RMB6.4 million (US$1.0 million) for the second quarter of 2021, compared with non-GAAP operating loss of RMB33.7 million for the second quarter of 2020, and non-GAAP operating loss of RMB16.2 million for the first quarter of 2020. The turning of non-GAAP operating loss to non-GAAP operating income on both year-over-year and sequential bases were mainly attributable to the cryptocurrency mining business initiated at the end of February 2021, data center business consolidated from March 31, 2021 and the mining pool business consolidated from April 15, 2021 as described above. Net (Loss) Income Attributable to BIT Mining Net loss attributable to BIT Mining was RMB97.9 million (US$15.2 million) for the second quarter of 2021, compared with net loss attributable to BIT Mining of RMB86.3 million for the second quarter of 2020, and net income attributable to BIT Mining of RMB13.2 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year increase in net loss attributable to BIT Mining was mainly due to (i) an increase of RMB2,870.3 million in revenue and an increase of RMB2,811.0 million in operating costs and expense which was mainly attributable to the cryptocurrency mining business initiated at the end of February 2021, data center business consolidated from March 31, 2021 and the mining pool business consolidated from April 15, 2021 as described above; (ii) a provision of RMB57.3 million for impairment of cryptocurrencies mainly due to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrencies during the second quarter of 2021; (iii) the net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies of RMB55.6 million mainly due to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrencies during the second quarter of 2021, by using FIFO to calculate the cost of disposition; and (iv) a provision of RMB33.7 million for impairment of Loto Interactive as an equity method long-term investment for the second quarter of 2020; there was no such impairment for the second quarter of 2021. The sequential increase in net loss attributable to BIT Mining was mainly due to (i) an increase of RMB2,854.3 million in revenue and an increase of RMB2,829.8 million in operating costs and expense which was mainly attributable to the cryptocurrency mining business initiated at the end of February 2021, data center business consolidated from March 31, 2021 and the mining pool business consolidated from April 15, 2021 as described above; (ii) a provision of RMB57.3 million for impairment of cryptocurrencies mainly due to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrencies during the second quarter of 2021; (iii) the net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies of RMB55.6 million mainly due to the decreasing market prices for cryptocurrencies during the second quarter of 2021, by using FIFO to calculate the cost of disposition; (iv) a gain of RMB36.1 million on previously-held equity interest in Loto Interactive as a result of re-measurement of the previously-held equity interest in Loto Interactive as of the acquisition date fair value on March 31, 2021; there was no such gain for the second quarter of 2021. Non-GAAP net income attributable to BIT Mining was RMB9.8 million (US$1.5 million) for the second quarter of 2021, compared with non-GAAP net loss attributable to BIT Mining of RMB34.0 million for the second quarter of 2020, and non-GAAP net loss attributable to BIT Mining of RMB22.8 million for the first quarter of 2021. The turning of non-GAAP operating loss to non-GAAP operating income on both year-over-year and sequential bases were mainly attributable to the cryptocurrency mining business initiated at the end of February 2021, data center business consolidated from March 31, 2021 and the mining pool business consolidated from April 15, 2021 as described above. Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash As of June 30, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB65.4 million (US$10.1 million) and restricted cash[3] of RMB284.7 million (US$44.1 million), compared with cash and cash equivalents of RMB173.4 million and restricted cash of RMB309.8 million as of March 31, 2021. Cryptocurrency Assets As of June 30, 2021, the Company had cryptocurrency assets of RMB410.8 million (US$63.6 million), the equivalent of 1,147 bitcoins, 1,083 ethereum, 61.4 million dogecoins and various other cryptocurrency assets, including those of the mining pool business that was consolidated from April 15, 2021 and those generated from the cryptocurrency mining business initiated at the end of February 2021. [3] Restricted cash represent: (i) deposits in merchant banks for mortgage loans and with special purpose use for general offer for our acquisition of a controlling stake in Loto Interactive, (ii) deposits in merchant banks yet to be withdrawn, and (iii) government grants received but pending final clearance. About BIT Mining Limited BIT Mining Limited (NYSE: BTCM) is a leading cryptocurrency mining company, with a long-term strategy to create value across the cryptocurrency industry. Its business covers cryptocurrency mining, mining pool, and data center operation. The Company owns the entire mining pool business operated under BTC.com, including the domain name BTC.com and the cryptocurrency wallet of BTC.com. The Company has also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 7-nanometer cryptocurrency mining machine manufacturer, Bee Computing (HK) Limited, to complete its vertical integration with its supply chain, increase its self-sufficiency while also strengthening its competitive position. Currency Convenience Translation This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars were made at the exchange rate of RMB6.4566 to US$1.00, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on June 30, 2021. Safe Harbor Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "target", "going forward", "outlook" and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under law. About Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement the Company's financial results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company uses non-GAAP financial measures, which are adjusted from results based on U.S. GAAP to exclude share-based compensation expenses, impairment of long-term investments, impairment of cryptocurrencies, net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies, changes in fair value of derivative instrument, gain on previously-held equity interest and deferred tax benefit relating to valuation allowance in the Company's consolidated affiliated entities. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to U.S. GAAP financial measures are set forth in table at the end of this release, which provide more details on the non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP financial information is provided as additional information to help investors compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and to enhance investors' overall understanding of the historical and current financial performance of the Company's continuing operations and prospects for the future. Non-GAAP financial information should not be considered a substitute for or superior to U.S. GAAP results. In addition, calculations of this non-GAAP financial information may be different from calculations used by other companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. For more information: BIT Mining Limited [email protected] Ir.btc.com The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi Piacente Tel: +1 (212) 481-2050 Email: [email protected] BIT Mining Limited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Amounts in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and U.S. dollars ("US$"), except for number of shares) December 31, 2020 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2021 RMB RMB US$ Audited Unaudited Unaudited ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 308,676 65,396 10,129 Restricted cash 3,829 284,656 44,088 Accounts receivable - 20,943 3,244 Amounts due from related parties 368 808 125 Prepayments and other current assets 22,980 96,547 14,953 Cryptocurrency assets - 410,792 63,624 Total current assets 335,853 879,142 136,163 Non-current assets: Property and equipment, net 19,779 343,236 53,160 Intangible assets, net 2,398 377,367 58,447 Deposits 1,480 26,018 4,030 Long-term investments 99,972 64,030 9,917 Right-of-use assets 9,327 11,329 1,755 Goodwill - 173,486 26,870 Other non-current assets 1,664 144,958 22,451 Total non-current assets 134,620 1,140,424 176,630 TOTAL ASSETS 470,473 2,019,566 312,793 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Short term loans - 136,299 21,110 Accounts payable - 384,349 59,528 Cryptocurrency assets borrowings - 38,508 5,964 Amounts due to related parties - 2,491 386 Accrued payroll and welfare payable 13,401 2,898 449 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 55,960 183,422 28,410 Income tax payable 549 5,695 882 Operating lease liabilities - current 3,710 6,360 985 Total current liabilities 73,620 760,022 117,714 Non-current liabilities: Long-term payables 526 406 63 Operating lease liabilities - non-current 5,807 6,257 969 Total non-current liabilities 6,333 6,663 1,032 TOTAL LIABILITIES 79,953 766,685 118,746 Shareholders' Equity: Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00005 per share, 700,000,000 and 1,599,935,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021, respectively; 430,127,692 and 604,330,240 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021, respectively 151 207 32 Class A preference shares, par value US$0.00005 per share;0 and 65,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021; 0 and 65,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021, respectively - - - Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.00005 per share; 300,000,000 and 400,000,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021,respectively; 99 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2021 - - - Additional paid-in capital 2,602,883 3,428,963 531,079 Treasury shares (143,780) (143,780) (22,269) Accumulated deficit and statutory reserve (2,183,918) (2,268,676) (351,373) Accumulated other comprehensive income 128,441 139,227 21,564 Total BIT Mining Limited shareholders' equity 403,777 1,155,941 179,033 Noncontrolling interests (13,257) 96,940 15,014 Total shareholders' equity 390,520 1,252,881 194,047 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 470,473 2,019,566 312,793 BIT Mining Limited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income (Amounts in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and U.S. dollars ("US$"), except for number of shares, per share (or ADS) data) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 March 31, 2021 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2021 RMB RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$ Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Net Revenues 3,648 19,559 2,873,919 445,113 6,712 2,893,478 448,143 Operating costs and expenses: Cost of revenue (4,616) (8,451) (2,810,450) (435,283) (8,600) (2,818,901) (436,592) Sales and marketing expenses (4,998) (2,492) (3,417) (529) (8,040) (5,909) (915) General and administrative expenses (35,373) (22,645) (45,856) (7,102) (65,249) (68,501) (10,609) Service development expenses (10,070) (2,749) (6,415) (994) (17,216) (9,164) (1,419) Total operating costs and expenses (55,057) (36,337) (2,866,138) (443,908) (99,105) (2,902,475) (449,535) Other operating income 453 561 579 90 4,544 1,140 177 Government grant 172 69 52 8 341 121 19 Other operating expenses (1,553) (309) (2,190) (339) (1,606) (2,499) (387) Net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies - - (55,618) (8,614) - (55,618) (8,614) Impairment of cryptocurrencies - - (57,331) (8,879) - (57,331) (8,879) Changes in fair value of derivative instrument - - 5,409 838 - 5,409 838 Operating loss from continuing operations (52,337) (16,457) (101,318) (15,691) (89,114) (117,775) (18,238) Other income, net 1,116 312 2,609 404 741 2,921 452 Interest income 2,554 499 137 21 4,945 636 99 Interest expense - (792) (3,975) (616) - (4,767) (738) Loss from equity method investments (2,769) (7,044) (1,728) (268) (7,980) (8,772) (1,359) Gain on previously held equity interest - 36,142 - - 36,142 5,598 Impairment of long-term investments (33,706) - - - (33,706) - - Gain from disposal of a subsidiary - 211 1,016 157 - 1,227 190 (Loss) income before income tax (85,142) 12,871 (103,259) (15,993) (125,114) (90,388) (13,996) Income tax benefit 60 - - - 3,653 - - Net (loss) income from continuing operations (85,082) 12,871 (103,259) (15,993) (121,461) (90,388) (13,996) Net (loss) income (85,082) 12,871 (103,259) (15,993) (121,461) (90,388) (13,996) Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests 1,236 (291) (5,339) (827) 1,685 (5,630) (872) Net (loss) income attributable to BIT Mining Limited (86,318) 13,162 (97,920) (15,166) (123,146) (84,758) (13,124) Other comprehensive income (loss) Share of other comprehensive income (loss) of an equity method investee 436 - - - (1,973) - - Foreign currency translation (loss) gain (415) 7,634 3,114 482 3,689 10,748 1,665 Other comprehensive income, net of tax 21 7,634 3,114 482 1,716 10,748 1,665 Comprehensive (loss) income (85,061) 20,505 (100,145) (15,511) (119,745) (79,640) (12,331) Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and Redeemable noncontrolling interest 1,236 (291) (5,377) (833) 1,685 (5,668) (878) Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to BIT Mining Limited (86,297) 20,796 (94,768) (14,678) (121,430) (73,972) (11,453) Weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares outstanding: Basic 430,009,704 487,551,175 596,995,942 596,995,942 430,005,930 542,881,582 542,881,582 Diluted 430,009,704 498,573,411 596,995,942 596,995,942 430,005,930 542,881,582 542,881,582 (Losses) earnings per share attributable to BIT Mining Limited- Basic Net (loss) income (0.20) 0.03 (0.16) (0.03) (0.29) (0.16) (0.02) (Losses) earnings per ADS* attributable to BIT Mining Limited- Basic Net (loss) income (2.01) 0.27 (1.64) (0.25) (2.86) (1.56) (0.24) (Losses) earnings per share attributable to BIT Mining Limited- Diluted Net (loss) income (0.20) 0.03 (0.16) (0.03) (0.29) (0.16) (0.02) (Losses) earnings per ADS* attributable to BIT Mining Limited- Diluted Net (loss) income (2.01) 0.26 (1.64) (0.25) (2.86) (1.56) (0.24) * American Depositary Shares, which are traded on the NYSE. Each ADS represents ten Class A ordinary shares of the Company. Numerator adjustment for net loss attributable to 500.com Limited BIT Mining Limited Reconciliation of non-GAAP results of operations measures to the nearest comparable GAAP measures (Amounts in thousands of Renminbi ("RMB") and U.S. dollars ("US$"), except for number of shares, per share (or ADS) data) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 March 31, 2021 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2021 June 30, 2021 RMB RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$ Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Operating loss from continuing operations (52,337) (16,457) (101,318) (15,691) (89,114) (117,775) (18,238) Adjustment for share-based compensation 18,649 212 187 29 23,752 399 62 Adjustment for impairment of cryptocurrencies - - 57,331 8,879 - 57,331 8,879 Adjustment for net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies - - 55,618 8,614 - 55,618 8,614 Adjustment for changes in fair value of derivative instrument - - (5,409) (838) - (5,409) (838) Adjusted operating (loss) income from continuing operations (non-GAAP) (33,688) (16,245) 6,409 993 (65,362) (9,836) (1,521) Net (loss) income attributable to BIT Mining Limited (86,318) 13,162 (97,920) (15,166) (123,146) (84,758) (13,124) Adjustment for share-based compensation 18,649 212 187 29 23,752 399 62 Adjustment for Impairment of long-term investments 33,706 - - - 33,706 - - Adjustment for deferred tax benefit relating to valuation allowance (60) - - - (3,659) - - Adjustment for gain on previously held equity interest - (36,142) - - - (36,142) (5,598) Adjustment for impairment of cyptocurrencies - - 57,331 8,879 - 57,331 8,879 Adjustment for net loss on disposal of cryptocurrencies - - 55,618 8,614 - 55,618 8,614 Adjustment for changes in fair value of derivative instrument - - (5,409) (838) - (5,409) (838) Adjusted net (loss) income attributable to BIT Mining Limited (non-GAAP) (34,023) (22,768) 9,807 1,518 (69,347) (12,961) (2,005) Weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares outstanding: Basic 430,009,704 487,551,175 596,995,942 596,995,942 430,005,930 542,881,582 542,881,582 Diluted 430,009,704 498,573,411 599,477,107 599,477,107 430,005,930 542,881,582 542,881,582 (Losses) earnings per share attributable to BIT Mining Limited (non-GAAP)-Basic Net (loss) income (non-GAAP) (0.08) (0.05) 0.02 0.003 (0.16) (0.02) (0.004) (Losses) earnings per ADS* attributable to BIT Mining Limited (non-GAAP)-Basic Net (loss) income (non-GAAP) (0.79) (0.47) 0.16 0.03 (1.61) (0.24) (0.04) (Losses) earnings per share attributable to BIT Mining Limited (non-GAAP)-Diluted Net (loss) income (non-GAAP) (0.08) (0.05) 0.02 0.003 (0.16) (0.02) (0.004) (Losses) earnings per ADS* attributable to BIT Mining Limited (non-GAAP)-Diluted Net (loss) income (non-GAAP) (0.79) (0.46) 0.16 0.03 (1.61) (0.24) (0.04) * American Depositary Shares, which are traded on the NYSE. Each ADS represents ten Class A ordinary shares of the Company. Numerator adjustment for net loss attributable to BIT Mining Limited SOURCE BIT Mining Limited Related Links http://ir.btc.com/ Centers in Montreal, Dublin and Sydney enable 24/7 supervision of leading autonomous AI-powered energy sustainability solution MONTREAL, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - BrainBox AI, a pioneer in predictive and self-adaptive commercial building technology, is pleased to announce that it is activating Network Operations Centers (NOC), which enable it to provide 24/7 support to its community of global customers. Having launched in 2019, BrainBox AI's cleantech solution is now installed in commercial spaces in 17 countries. The company has responded to this growth by developing a 'follow the sun' model, opening monitoring centers in Canada, Ireland and Australia. These centers provide real-time analysis of the HVAC systems in buildings, no matter where they are located. "We're thrilled to launch our global monitoring centers to support our growing worldwide customer base. This milestone enables us to introduce 24/7 observation, as we seek to significantly reduce energy use and the carbon footprint of commercial real estate space," says Jean-Simon Venne, co-founder and CTO of BrainBox AI. "Buildings produce close to one fifth of the world's total carbon emissions. Our easy-to-install technology helps buildings become greener by adding a seamless layer of autonomous artificial intelligence." Monitoring Center Benefits for BrainBox AI Customers: Safeguards communications between cloud AI and building assets Ensures thermal comfort in connected spaces Oversees HVAC asset operations and maintenance status Screens possible issues and resolves them remotely, if possible Informs on system inconsistencies that require onsite interventions BrainBox AI's deep learning and cloud-based computing algorithms communicate directly with a Building Management System (BMS) and optimize the building in real-time. This produces a saving in total energy costs of up to 25%, a 20 - 40% reduction in carbon footprint and a 60% increase in occupant comfort. Building operators can also see up to 50% extension in the service life of the HVAC equipment. The commercial real estate industry currently faces multiple challenges, from optimizing tenant comfort to enhancing the sustainable investment case for its portfolios, all while aiming to reduce energy use. The International Energy Agency states that, globally, buildings represent 30% of final energy consumption and almost 55% of total electricity consumption. With greater demand for electricity, the world needs to embrace sustainable energy management technology to achieve net zero carbon emissions for buildings. BrainBox AI is considerably reducing carbon emissions, impacting over 100,000,000 sq. ft. of real estate across 17 countries, with clients such as AMP Capital, GWL Realty Advisors and Holiday Inn. Recently, BrainBox AI was recognized by TIME as one of the Top 100 best inventions and by CB Insights as one of the Top 100 AI start-ups redefining industries in 2021. The company is also a member of the MaRS Discovery District, the largest urban innovation hub in North America. About BrainBox AI BrainBox AI was created in 2017 with the goal of redefining building automation through artificial intelligence to be at the forefront of a green building revolution. Headquartered in Montreal, a global AI hub, BrainBox AI has a workforce of over 100 employees and supports real estate clients in numerous sectors, including office buildings, airports, hotels, multi-residential, long-term care facilities, grocery stores and commercial retail. BrainBox AI works in collaboration with research partners including the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO) as well as educational institutions including Montreal's Ecole de technologie superieure (ETS) and McGill University. Learn more about BrainBox AI. SOURCE BrainBox AI CHICAGO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LEDBiz, the cloud-based app, is set to go live today. Compatible with iOS, Android, and cloud-based platforms, the software is designed to boost efficiency and simplify the project management of large-scale commercial lighting projects. Geared specifically for lighting dealers, distributors, contractors, ESCOs, and retrofitters, the software performs a range of functions, from project auditing to quoting new fixtures to streamlining retrofits for a range of commercial lighting projects. "The innovation we are bringing to the industry is truly groundbreaking," explains LEDBiz Founder, Brent David Ray. "The app significantly reduces the time it takes to perform audits and retrofits. For users, the advantages are almost immediate." According to one industry insider, the launch couldn't come at a better time. "With the massive push toward energy-saving LED, electricians and retrofitters need solutions that are accurate and easy to use," explains Paul Dowd, President of Straits Lighting. "We need ways to cut down on the time it takes to perform. For us, time is money." With uncompromising accuracy and up to 60% greater retrofitting efficiency, LEDBiz is designed to answer the call. For those who work daily in the commercial lighting space, business is about to get a whole lot easier and more profitable. About Our Company Comprised of NAILD-certified lighting professionals, industry experts, and leading software engineers, the company behind LEDBiz is focused on being the go-to software solutions provider in LED lighting. Founded in Chicago in 2008, the company is family-owned and operated. Contact Information Phone: +1-312-702-2966 Email: [email protected] Address: 20 West Kinzie Street Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60654, USA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ledbiz.software.solution Twitter: https://twitter.com/ledbiz1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ledbiz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ledbizusa/ SOURCE LEDBiz Related Links http://www.ledbiz.com MEXICO CITY, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology is the most powerful tool to democratize access to financial services. For hundreds of thousands of global companies and businesses, especially in Latin America, the ability to join the transactional and payments revolution will define their position in the market in the next few years. Technology in financial services translates into competitiveness, transparency and traceability, therefore, as more companies will access these solutions easily, safely and efficiently, the benefits will be greater for end users. With that goal, today, Broxel announced an agreement with Google Cloud to offer transactional technology solutions through Google Cloud's marketplace, open to any company or business, regardless size or geographic location. This agreement will help accelerate the adoption of financial technology, and promote both the competitiveness of companies and the integration of new services and solutions to end users. This three-year agreement includes: Broxel will migrate all its platforms to Google Cloud. With this, Broxel will provide all its services with the technological foundation of Google Cloud, including infrastructure, using Apigee to manage all their APIs and Workspace as its main internal collaboration tool. All of Broxel's value offering will be available in the marketplace of Google Cloud. The goal is having Broxel solutions available in Google Cloud's marketplace in the third quarter of 2021. "The financial sector is undergoing a transformation, driven in part, because users seek a better omnichannel experience that facilitates all types of operations. We have seen how new companies seek to satisfy this social demand, growing the sector with new technologies that place the user at the center. At Google Cloud, we have focused on bringing this technology closer to the companies to help them innovate and bring the best financial solutions to people and companies," said Julio Velazquez, Director of Google Cloud Mexico. "Broxel solutions in the marketplace will change the way companies access financial technology solutions. This strategic agreement with Google, a limitless geographic partner that shares our passion for innovation, removes entry barriers to transactional technology and democratizes the access to financial solutions for thousands of companies across LATAM. With this partnership Latin America can lead a FinTech revolution, and Mexico is the place where it is starting. This agreement goes far beyond working together as companies, it is about multiplying solutions for the market in a disruptive way," said Gustavo Gutierrez, Founder and CEO of Broxel. About Broxel Broxel is a leading payment technology company in Mexico with more than 1000 employees. Since 2011, Broxel has offered tailored financial services in the B2B (Business to Business), B2G (Business to Government) and Business to Consumer categories. The company has issued more than 12 million cards. Broxel is now a Top-10 LATAM neobank, and the only company in Mexico that has obtained two licenses under the new FinTech regulation. Earlier this year Broxel signed a partnership with AT&T. The company has licensing deals with MasterCard, VISA, and Carnet. SOURCE Broxel Related Links http://www.broxel.com RED BANK, N.J., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CEP Renewables LLC, an accomplished expert in the development of solar power plants on unusable land such as landfills, brownfields, Superfunds, and mining sites, will begin construction on the largest solar project installed on a capped landfill in North America. This 25.6 megawatt (dc) solar project located in Mount Olive, New Jersey, transforms the former Combe Fill North Landfill Superfund site, into an income-generating, clean energy producing asset. The Mt. Olive Solar Field will provide clean power for over 4,000 homes, create new jobs, and generate significant tax dollars, along with improving the quality of the environment for the local community. New Road Solar Project, constructed on a landfill site in New Jersey, was redeveloped by CEP Renewables. The 13-megawatt solar power project, completed in 2021, was the site that Governor Murphy chose to sign legislature that continues to advance New Jersey as a national leader in renewable energy. "New Jersey Governor Murphy's dedication to continuing to advance New Jersey's leadership role in the renewable energy industry demonstrates foresight for the state's future, better positioning it economically and preparing it to withstand climate-driven challenges," said Gary Cicero, Chief Executive Officer of CEP Renewables. "The Mount Olive solar project will contribute substantially to New Jersey's renewable energy mandate of 50% clean energy by 2030." The Mount Olive property served as a landfill from 1966 to 1981. It was not properly closed when the owner went bankrupt and abandoned the property in the early 1980s. In 1982, it was placed on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List of Superfund sites. "The landfill had a long and complicated history that challenged our community with environmental and financial hurdles. By taking the site through the redevelopment process, and through partnership with designated redeveloper CEP Renewables, this site has become a model for brownfield and landfill redevelopment projects in New Jersey. The township will recoup nearly $2.3 million in past taxes while at the same time transitioning the old landfill to a revenue-generating, clean energy power plant. We're very proud of that hard-fought accomplishment," commented Robert Greenbaum, Mayor of Mount Olive Township, New Jersey. If not properly capped and closed, landfills can become environmental hazards that pollute the surrounding land. If they are abandoned by their operators, municipalities, state, or federal governments are left to resolve the burden of costs to remedy the contamination and restore the area. This can be a significant drain on the local community and the state. "EPA Superfund sites are incredibly complex sites," said Alyssa Sarubbi, Project Manager for CEP Renewables. "They take an exceptional amount of time, investment, and advanced expertise to bring from inception to interconnection. The company has the capability, experience, and tenacity to get these types of projects done." CEP Renewables has developed and energized over $200 million worth of solar power generation projects comprising over 450 acres in just the past three years. About CEP Renewables, LLC CEP Renewables designs, develops, and builds grid-connected, utility-scale solar projects. With global expertise developing projects in Europe, Asia, and North America, the company has turned its attention to New Jersey and supporting the Governor's ambitious Energy Master Plan (requiring 100% utilization of clean energy by 2050). CEP utilizes its highly-skilled professional team to implement complex remediation, engineering, and permitting strategies that allow it to bring particularly challenging projects from conception to energization. For more information visit https://www.ceprenewables.com/. Contact: Jill Hansen 925-997-5956 [email protected] SOURCE CEP Renewables Related Links http://www.ceprenewables.com/ AMERSFOORT, Netherlands, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CLEVR, the low-code and no-code Software-with-a-Service specialist, announced that it has acquired Digitread, one of the world's rising stars in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system integration and a platinum-level solution partner of Siemens. The acquisition immediately raises the profile of CLEVR's geographic and vertical expansion within the industrial, manufacturing, marine and energy industry. The deal is supported by management and funded by CLEVR's majority shareholder, London-based Volpi Capital. For years manufacturing organizations and their suppliers have needed greater digitalization for their supply chains and production processes. The recent COVID-19 crisis exposed this, when many marine, manufacturing and engineering-to-order companies had to accelerate their digitization efforts and transformation. PLM and Mendix add-on solutions ensure process optimization, big data information integration and utilization to produce a sturdy digital backbone and maximize operational excellence. "Digitread enables us to combine PLM rock stars with CLEVR's low-code Mendix champions," said Angelique Schouten, named CLEVR CEO in March. "Very few companies can do what Digitread does, configuring and integrating some of the world's most complex systems in the industrial, manufacturing and marine space. We'll combine Digitread's high-touch approach with CLEVR's high-tech expertise and help manufacturing companies across the globe complete their digital transformations by offering off-the-shelf solutions and highly specialized consultancy services." Headquartered in Norway, with offices in Germany and Lithuania, Digitread is one of the most recognized and trusted names in PLM, a market that generates $26 billion a year. Digitread's 100+ customers include companies such as Kongsberg, Nexans and OneSubsea. "Everyone at Digitread is excited about working shoulder to shoulder with CLEVR," said Magnus Normann, Digitread's CEO. "PLM systems are product biographers. PLM is the process of managing a product and data from concept through design, manufacturing, service and finally disposal. With the help of monitoring tools, they convey detailed digital stories about products to managers, enabling them to increase sustainability, identify weaknesses, perform preventative maintenance, refine product performance or inform them on how to build new products. Low-code and no-code technology will help tell that story. The combination of skills and knowledge is good news for our customers." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. About CLEVR CLEVR is the low-code and no-code Software-with-a-Service (SWAS) solutions provider and the largest global Mendix expert partner. Managers overseeing the digitalization of their companies need skilled and experienced developers to help extract all the value and benefits available from low- and no-code development tools. CLEVR operates in 17 countries with a team of 230 people and supplies over 400 customers, including Continental, ING, eXp Realty, Siemens, Rituals, Cargolux, Nutricia, Etos, Eneco, Stella Fietsen, Mondi Group and T-Systems with solutions, services and tooling. Volpi Capital has supported CLEVR's buy-and-build strategy since 2019. Visit www.CLEVR.com for more information. About Volpi Capital Volpi Capital is a specialist European lower mid-market private equity firm. Volpi has a thesis-driven approach targeting ambitious businesses using enabling technologies to disrupt traditional B2B value chains. Volpi typically invests 25-75 million of equity in businesses with enterprise values between 50 million and 200 million and seeks to drive transformative growth through international expansion and consolidation. The firm, which was founded in 2016 by Crevan O'Grady and Marco Sodi, closed its first fund (Volpi Capital Fund I) in April 2018 with commitments of 185 million and its second fund (Volpi Capital Fund II) in January 2021 of 323 million. For more information visit www.volpicapital.com SOURCE CLEVR Related Links https://www.clevr.com/ SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As U.S. college admissions becomes more competitive and acceptance rates continue to shrink, many students are looking at applying to options beyond their own borders, particularly in the UK. Now, College Apps Abroad is offering students the chance to get expert advice and information on just how to do that with the recent launch of a self-guided study module, "Applying to the UK: Everything You Need to Know." Based in San Diego but serving students across North America, College Apps Abroad is an educational consultancy specializing in assisting students with their applications overseas. Sara Cavalieri is the founder, whose background in international education spans more than a decade working in admissions for some of the world's top universities, including The University of Edinburgh. "My goal was to make the information on how to apply to the UK accessible in a simple and affordable way," Cavalieri said. "Students can go at their own pace and cut straight to the chase about the whole process." The module, available for $49, is suitable for both college and graduate school applicants alike. It covers content such as what it's like to study in the UK, how to navigate the application portal (known in short as UCAS, or the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) and what UK admissions look forwhich Cavalieri says is entirely different to what U.S. universities assess. "UK admissionswhile very much focused on academicsis much more transparent," she said. Recent UCAS data has also shown that the number of Americans accepted into UK universities increased by about 30 percent in the most recent admissions cycle, which Cavalieri said is "a very positive outcome for those looking to take a different approach to education." In the module, students will also learn the recommended application timeline, hear from various UK university representatives and students, understand how to apply for a UK student visaall while getting a taste of UK culture and more. Registration for the module is available here. College Apps Abroad is a San Diego-based educational consultancy, providing support and guidance for students across North America who are applying overseas. Media Contact: Sara Cavalieri College Apps Abroad, Inc. 619-919-4656 [email protected] SOURCE College Apps Abroad Related Links https://www.collegeappsabroad.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Experimental Biology and Medicine (EBM), a multidisciplinary biomedical research journal, is working to advance our understanding of COVID-19. The Editor-in-Chief is currently handling manuscripts that focus on COVID to ensure that each paper undergoes a rapid yet thorough review. EBM's publisher, SAGE, is committed to assisting in spreading our research on COVID by ensuring all accepted manuscripts covering the virus are processed and published online as quickly as possible and are available via open access. Experimental Biology and Medicine recently published four articles focused on COVID-19. Hurwitz et al. (in press) examine the spread of COVID-19 at university hospitals. Kinzel et al. (in press) review the impact of COVID-19 on dental offices, infection mitigation strategies. Kuypers et al. (in press) report a new biomarker and its impact on those diagnosed with COVID-19. Finally, Seman et al. (in press) review physical exercise as a possible strategy treating COVID-19 infections. Dr. Ivy Hurwitz in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA), and corresponding author for "COVID-19 Global Pandemic Planning: Presence of SARS-CoV-2 Fomites in a University Hospital Setting" highlighted the impact of their study by saying, "Contamination of high-touch surfaces by SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to cause indirect nosocomial spread. We tested samples collected from surfaces outside of COVID-19 patient rooms and on health care provider workstations for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 using two PCR-based assays. While our study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 RNA were not widely present on exposed skin flora or high-touch surfaces in areas in the hospital locations tested, these results do not rule out the possibility of viral transmission through fomites." Dental offices have been greatly impacted by the spread of COVID-19 throughout the world. Dr. Michael Kinzel in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida (USA), and corresponding author for "Stopping the Spread of COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Offices: A Review of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Cross-Infection Prevention" said, "Our other work is studying aerosol transmission in classrooms. With respect to dental settings, classrooms are relatively simple as we generally understand aerosol and viral emission for people speaking, breathing, and for various ages. There is just not enough insight on how dental procedures affect the emissions of aerosols and viral particles, which demands dental practices to be very careful." The rapid spread of COVID-19 also greatly enhances the need for novel interventions and therapeutics. Dr. Frans Kuypers in the Division of Hematology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California in San Francisco, California (USA), and corresponding author for "Secretory phospholipase A2 in SARS-CoV-2 infection and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)" said, "A unique collaboration between Emory University School of Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Benioff Children's Hospital at Oakland enabled us to show that levels of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), a biomarker of inflammation, correlated with COVID-19 severity and acute multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children. These data align with earlier data in sickle cell disease and sepsis which showed that sPLA2 can be a harbinger of severe organ damage. Regular measurement of sPLA2 can provide an easy and useful biomarker to stratify risk and guide patient management for children with acute COVID-19 and MIS-C. This important proof-of-concept study provides new insights into inflammatory mechanisms involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection and may lead to novel therapies to modulate tissue damage in patients." Finally, Dr. Stefan Seman, a member of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education at the University of Belgrade (Serbia) and corresponding author of "Physical Activity and Exercise as an Essential Medical Strategy for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond" said, "Our paper approaches the current pandemic situation by analyzing and suggesting simple preventive measures that are widely accessible. Physical activity is low cost when it comes to economy, which is important due to difference in countries' finances, and can be utilized by a wide variety of populations. Most importantly, it can significantly reduce the amount of stress that health system sustains. On the other hand, this situation is a problem that the whole population faces and is the responsibility of all individuals. Preventives such as physical activity that can be utilized by many should not be ignored." While discussing the importance of these studies, Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, said, "Our journal wants to play an important role in providing information concerning COVID-19 that is useful to the scientific and clinical community as well as the public. With these four most recent Experimental Biology and Medicine articles, our authors provide valuable information on the control of SARS-CoV-2 spread in hospitals and dental offices; the potential role of exercise in attenuating the severity of COVID-19; and identification of a candidate biomarker for COVID-19 severity and acute multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children." Experimental Biology and Medicine, first established in 1903, is the journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine and is dedicated to the publication of multidisciplinary and inter-disciplinary research in the biomedical sciences. To learn more about the Society and how to become a member, visit www.sebm.org. For anyone interested in submitting a manuscript for consideration or viewing other articles published in the journal, please visit http://ebm.sagepub.com. Related Images image1.png SOURCE Experimental Biology and Medicine NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a Lead Plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Concho Resources Inc. ("Concho" or the "Company") (NYSE: CXO) from February 21, 2018 through July 31, 2019 (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas alleges violations of the Exchange Act of 1934. If you purchased Concho securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Concho Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Noah Wiesner toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected] The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the well spacing at the Company's Dominator Project was aggressive and highly risky, and premised on no reasonable basis to believe it would work as intended; (ii) 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; (iii) it was known or recklessly disregarded that any measures to mitigate well spacing risks were non-existent and/or impossible; (iv) these risks had manifested during the Class Period, causing underground well interference and permanently decreasing production, forcing the Company to scale back production targets and adopt more conservative spacing measures in its other projects; (v) it would take multiple quarters to unwind the impacts of the widespread well spacing failure; and (vi) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On July 31, 2019, after the close of trading, Concho released its financial results for the second quarter 2019. On this date, the Company revealed that the Dominator Project's 23 wells were spaced "too tight," and that Concho had already "incorporated learnings from [the Dominator Project] into its second half of 2019 program and future Delaware Basin projects." Concho also revealed that it would be forced to scale back production targets for the rest of this year, including by reducing its active rig count to 18, down from 33 in the first quarter 2019. On this news, Concho sank 22% to close at $75.97 per share on August 1, 2019, down from the closing price of $97.68 per share on July 31, 2019. 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. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member. If you purchased Concho securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/conchoresourcesinc-cxo-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-fraud-stock-422/apply/ or contact Noah Wiesner toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected] Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2021 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. Contact Information Noah Wiesner Bernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (877) 779-1414 [email protected] SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP Related Links http://www.bernlieb.com SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindbody, the leading experience technology platform for the wellness industry, today announced that Emmy and Golden Globe winning writer, actor, director, and producer Dan Levy will speak at BOLD 2021, the Mindbody Conference. To accommodate for the current events of the global community, BOLD 2021 will be offered both virtually and in-person at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina hotel in San Diego, Calif. from August 31-Sept. 2, 2021. During his session, on Thursday, Sept. 2, Levy will sit down for a moderated conversation with Mindbody CEO Josh McCarter to discuss his journey in creating what would become one of the most celebrated shows on television, Schitt's Creek. Levy will also discuss using creativity as an outlet to overcome obstacles, boost confidence, and pursue one's dream. Levy joins previously announced keynote speaker Jameela Jamil who will take the BOLD conference stage on Wednesday, Sept. 1. "We are honored to bring Dan Levy to the BOLD 2021 main stage, both in-person in San Diego and virtually for our customers across the globe," said McCarter. "Through his beloved work and powerful LGBTQIA advocacy, Levy has established himself as a leading light of courage and creativity that will no doubt inspire and empower our customers." 2021 marks the 20th anniversary since Mindbody's founding. The Company will be recognizing this milestone throughout the conference, including through a keynote presentation from Mindbody Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Rick Stollmeyer on "Building a Wellness Business That Lasts, How to Thrive in a Post-COVID World." "With hundreds of wellness professionals from a wide range of disciplines and business sizes looking forward to our annual BOLD conference, we are so pleased to be able to bring the industry back together again this year," said McCarter. "Each year, we gather the top professionals as expert speakers to answer the needs of our industry and this year is no exception." BOLD 2021 will bring together business owners, practitioners and experts from across the wellness services industry for educational sessions and unique wellness experiences led by dozens of nationally recognized experts discussing topics such as: Better Together: An Exploration on Inclusivity in the Wellness Industry Salon and Spa Owner's Guide to Profits How to Maximize Revenue While Building Personal Connections with AI-powered Messaging Social Media Explained: The Trends, Where to Play, and How to Play for Maximum Brand Relevancy and Growth Know Your Niche: Using Data to Identify Future Customers Additionally, Mindbody's senior leadership will highlight the Company's recent and upcoming products and features, showcasing how they can serve the entire wellness industry. Attendees will get an exclusive first-hand look at these newly unveiled products and features through interactive booths in the Expo Hall. Attendees will also have the opportunity to take in part wellness experiences, networking opportunities, and the popular BOLD Bash, which will be held at San Diego's famous Petco Park on Sept. 1. To learn more about BOLD 2021, or to register for the event visit https://mindbodybold.com/. About Mindbody Mindbody is the leading experience technology platform for the fitness, wellness, and beauty industries. Fitness studios, salons, spas, and integrated health centersfrom the newest entrepreneurs to the largest franchisesuse Mindbody's integrated software and payments platform to run, market, and grow their businesses. Consumers use Mindbody to more easily find, engage, and transact with wellness providers in their local communities and around the world. For more information on how Mindbody is helping people lead healthier, happier lives by connecting the world to wellness, visit mindbodyonline.com. Mindbody Media Contact: Tracy Richmond [email protected] 805-440-3003 SOURCE Mindbody Related Links https://www.mindbodyonline.com Ostapower has more than 30 years of experience leading large-scale IT organizations at AT&T and has been recognized for enabling technology to deliver customer and shareholder value as well as steering major technology transformations. Most recently, Ostapower served as AT&T's senior vice president of Technology Transformation, Architecture and Operations, leading AT&T's technology modernization to drive speed, cost and quality improvements. Olaf Heyden, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Diebold Nixdorf, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Teresa to our team. Her experience and successful track record of modernizing technology operations and driving major IT transformations will enable us to effectively streamline and continuously improve systems across the organization." As AT&T's chief digital officer, Ostapower led a digital transformation focused on delivering personalized and effortless customer experiences. During her tenure, she and her team enabled new self-service capabilities, which significantly increased free cash flow. She has received industry recognition as one of the Top 50 Women in Technology (National Diversity Council), Top 100 Most Innovative Chief Digital Officers Globally (Hot Topics), and in the CIO 100 (CIO Magazine). She currently resides on the boards of mce Systems, the University of Georgia Research Foundation and the University of Georgia Management Information Systems Advisory Board. About Diebold Nixdorf Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) is a world leader in enabling connected commerce. We automate, digitize and transform the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world's top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, our integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of consumers each day. The company has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 22,000 employees worldwide. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information. Twitter: @DieboldNixdorf LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/diebold Facebook: www.facebook.com/DieboldNixdorf YouTube: www.youtube.com/dieboldnixdorf DN-C SOURCE Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated Related Links http://www.dieboldnixdorf.com KINGSTON, ON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Era Media Inc. producers of MyDealers.ca and Canada's most popular boat buying and selling website BoatDealers.ca, are excited to announce the latest addition to their digital marketplace portfolio: RVDealers.ca. RVDealers.ca provides RV buyers and sellers with a proven digital platform of highly relevant content, innovative design, and an interactive interface. They are proud members of the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada, Ontario Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association, GoRVing Canada, and Canadian Camping and RV Council. According to Chris Perera, founder of RVDealers.ca and President of Digital Era Media Inc., "We are avid RVers ourselves so entering the RV market has been an ambition of ours for over 10 years. The proven track record of BoatDealers.ca and dominance in the Canadian market makes RVDealers.ca a natural extension of our offerings. We are committed to the long-term sustainability and growth of the Canadian RV industry. We will be encouraging RV ownership, participation, and assisting industry stakeholders in reaching their ideal buyers in a seamless manner." Paul Cassidy - a 35+ year RV industry veteran joins the team at Digital Era Media Inc as their National RV Sales Manager. "Chris and his DEM team have created a powerful platform for Canadian boat dealers. I am excited by the opportunity to join the team. We are committed to quickly establishing RVDealers.ca as the premiere website for not only Canadian RV dealers, but also manufacturers, after market suppliers, and all companies intent on growing their digital footprint in the Canadian RV industry," said Paul Cassidy in a statement. RVDealers.ca welcomes all RV industry members to reach out to learn more about opportunities to work together for the mutual benefit of all parties and the overall growth of the entire RV industry. About Digital Era Media Inc.: Digital Era Media Inc. (DEM) is a new age media company focused on digital technology and its application to media. It currently produces the MyDealers.ca suite of sites which includes BoatDealers.ca, OutboardDealers.ca, MotorcycleDealers.ca, SledDealers.ca, and QuadDealers.ca, as well as boating news source BoatBlurb.com. Launched in 2001, BoatDealers.ca provides boat buyers and sellers with a website of highly relevant content, innovative design, and an interactive interface. It is now the most visited marine website in Canada. Sales & Marketing Contact: Paul Cassidy National RV Sales Manager Digital Era Media Inc.1.888.909.4336 ext. 7014 [email protected] Media Contact: Scott Way Content & Social Media Manager Digital Era Media Inc. 1.888.909.4336 ext. 7013 [email protected] Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12881556 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Digital Era Media Inc. "This is an honor I get to share with friends, fans, and whoever walks down Hollywood Boulevard." - Don McLean Joining in the festivities were Don's longtime friend "Weird Al" Yankovic, who is a fellow Hollywood Walk of Fame recipient. Yankovic released a parody "The Saga Begins," that was set to the tune of "American Pie," which recounted the plot of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, from Obi-Wan Kenobi's point of view. The song was included on Yankovic's tenth album, Running With Scissors (1999), and went platinum, selling more than one million copies. In addition, the award-winning acapella group Home Free, participated in the celebration with a special performance of "American Pie," all while fans along Hollywood Boulevard couldn't resist singing along and having a good time. The five-member group recorded the song with McLean in 2020 and subsequently released a music video that won three Telly Awards in 2021. About Don McLean: Don McLean is a Grammy award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member, a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star recipient, and his smash hit "American Pie" resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) a top 5 song of the 20th Century. A New York native, Don McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history. After paying his dues in the New York club scene in the late '60s, he went on to score mega-hits like "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)," "Castles in the Air" and many more. Madonna, Garth Brooks, Josh Groban, Drake, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and countless others have recorded his catalog of songs. In 2015, McLean's manuscript of the lyrics to "American Pie" was auctioned by Christies, selling for just over $1.2 Million. 2019 honored Don with a star on the Las Vegas Walkway of Stars and his song "And I Love You So" was the theme for Prince Harry and Megan Markle's wedding. 2020 brought Don a new recording contract with Time Life which he released a catalog of recordings as well as a new album Still Playin' Favorites. Now, in 2021 "American Pie" appears in the Avengers' Black Widow and the upcoming Tom Hanks movie BIOS, a children's book will be released, and much more! And when you think things are slowing down, not so for Don McLean! MEDIA: DOWNLOAD LINK / B-ROLL (VIDEO) Contact: Jeremy Westby, 833 537 2911, [email protected] SOURCE Don McLean STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE: LPG) (the "Company" or "Dorian LPG"), a leading owner and operator of modern and ECO very large gas carriers ("VLGCs"), today announced that it entered into an agreement to sell the Captain Markos NL, a 2006-built, debt-free VLGC, which, as previously announced, had been classified by the Company as a vessel held-for-sale. The Company expects to deliver the vessel to its purchaser by August 31, 2021 and to realize cash proceeds between $42.0 million and $43.0 million. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "may," "will," "should" and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's current expectations and observations regarding future results, many of which, by their nature are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. Where the Company expresses an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, the Company's forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected, or implied by those forward-looking statements. The Company's actual results may differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including changes in the Company's financial resources and operational capabilities and as a result of certain other factors listed from time to time in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with Dorian LPG's business, please refer to the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" sections of Dorian LPG's SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the information contained in this press release. About Dorian LPG Ltd. Dorian LPG is a liquefied petroleum gas shipping company and a leading owner and operator of modern VLGCs. Upon completion of the aforementioned sale, Dorian LPG's fleet will consist of 22 modern VLGCs. Dorian LPG has offices in Stamford, Connecticut, USA; London, United Kingdom; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Athens, Greece. Visit our website at www.dorianlpg.com For further information: Dorian LPG Ltd. Ted Young Chief Financial Officer (203) 674-9900 [email protected] SOURCE Dorian LPG Ltd. Related Links http://www.dorianlpg.com LONDON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An exciting new partnership with multi-channel distribution partners, eCargo Holdings Limited, sees Dragonfly Biosciences expanding its global footprint across Asia into China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Asia Pacific is predicted to see an enormous and rapid surge once the regulatory landscape has adapted. Consumer interest there has definitely been piqued and brands from the US and UK are beginning to enter. British company, Dragonfly Biosciences, are the manufacturers of Dragonfly CBD oil, the award winning seed to shelf range of CBD oils and skincare products and they will be at the forefront, driving success across the category. Commenting on the exciting Asian development, Regan Saveall, Chief Executive at Dragonfly Biosciences UK, says, "We are proud to be driving global and category growth yet again. Dragonfly's success is embedded in its seed to shelf philosophy, which consumers value and trust. Our expansion across Asia will bring enormous success, both to our brand and the market. This new partnership complements our existing relationship with Health House International that is currently expanding Dragonfly in Australia. "Dragonfly's seed to shelf philosophy includes extensive research and development and stringent quality controls throughout the manufacturing process to ensure the highest and most consistent product quality. All of Dragonfly's CBD products are rigorously tested both in our own and independent laboratories. Every product is standardised to contain specific quantities of cannabinoids including, CBD." The partnership between Dragonfly Biosciences and eCargo Holdings Limited is part of a wider cooperation with Mellow Asia, opening up access to the Asian market through eCargo's extensive distribution and trading capabilities in the region. Lawrence Lun, eCargo Holdings Limited CEO commented on the partnership, saying, "We're excited to bring Dragonfly Biosciences into our brand portfolio and provide our Asia Pacific network with their award winning CBD products through both online and offline channels. Dragonfly's reputation in the market and their responsible practices promotes great confidence with our partners and shareholders and we look forward to a long and successful working relationship." He adds, "With an existing portfolio of reputable international brands, our established trade relationships, we are well positioned to drive and accelerate revenue growth based on satisfying regulatory requirements." The cannabis industry is booming and is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Some estimates predict that the value of the global CBD market may reach USD 5.3 billion by 2025[i]. About Dragonfly Biosciences Dragonfly CBD can be found at a variety of reputable stockists on the UK high street including Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury's and in pharmacies where professional advice may be sought on appropriate use of the product. Dragonfly is available in two ranges narrow spectrum and broad spectrum and in a range of strengths to take by mouth. Vitamin D is included in some oral preparation to facilitate consumers obtaining the UK government recommended daily dose of this essential vitamin. Dragonfly also produces a CBD skin care range. For more information, please visit www.dragonflycbd.com. About eCargo Holdings Limited eCargo is an eCommerce and Offline sales enabler providing solutions to brands from across the spectrum, utilizing proven executional capabilities to offer a transparent and integrated truly end to end solution. Its mission is to help brands sell more product in Asia - particularly China and Australia and its capabilities range across the value chain, including shipping and customs clearance, warehousing, logistics, all supporting their established online and offline distribution channels covering China nationwide, while extensive marketing expertise in these markets supports brand and sales growth. [i] Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil Market 2020 Industry Size, Share, Price, Trend and Forecast to 2025 | Medgadget SOURCE Dragonfly Biosciences OSLO, Norway and SHANGHAI, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Private Equity Fund Herkules Capital signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company Beckmann AS to Shanghai M&G Stationery. E. J. McKay acts as the exclusive financial advisor to Herkules in the transaction. James Li, Chairman of E. J. McKay, commented, "We are pleased to act as the exclusive financial advisor to Herkules Capital on the transaction. The Transaction is yet another example of E. J. McKay's expertise in the consumer and education industries and demonstrates our deep relationships in Europe and China." He further added, "The entire transaction process and documentation was conducted in virtual space without physical meetings. Technology enabled the technical work, our team's personal relationships in both Norway and China enabled the deal." About Herkules Capital Founded in 2004, Herkules is a leading Private Equity firm in Norway and invests in companies located in the Nordic region, primarily in Norway, and acquires majority interests in established businesses with strong growth potential. Herkules has made in close to 100 investments, comprising add-ons and 34 platform investments. It has one of the largest investment teams in Norway. About Beckmann Founded 75 years ago, Beckmann is a leading global backpack brand with its origin in Norway, supplying ergonomic backpacks and high-quality schoolbags for children around the world. Beckmann products are sold over 20 countries around the world. While languages and cultures differ, children around the world love Beckmann backpacks. About M&G Shanghai based M&G stationary is one of the largest stationery companies in the world. M&G covers over 80,000 retail terminals in China and distributes products in over 50 countries and regions. The company is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. About E. J. McKay E. J. McKay is an independent investment bank with a focus on Asia-related transactions. The Firm is headquartered in Shanghai and present in major financial centers around the world. E. J. McKay's services include M&A, strategic advisory and capital raising. E. J. McKay pioneered the China - Nordic transaction corridor, initiated the capital flows between China and India and has a history of advising clients on some of the most significant and complex transactions between China and Europe, North America, India, Latin America, and rest of the world. SOURCE E. J. McKay TURNERSVILLE, N.J., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EHired, a nationally accredited and established vendor of educational services focused on employment support and digital career service applications, is thrilled to announce the launch of its new website, https://ehired.edu. Awarded national accreditation as endorsed by the United States Department of Education (USDOE) through the Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) in December 2020, EHired continues to experience significant growth across the country within the technical vocational education sector as well as in the community workforce development space. The intention and goal of the website renovation was to update the overall presentation to reflect the ongoing growth and varying clientele the SaaS platform has grown to serve and accommodate. Colleges, High Schools, Vocational Schools and Workforce Agency across the United States have students using EHired.edu. EHired The site features more definitive information for prospective clients to peruse in order best evaluate the software against their needs. This expansion showcases features built and developed for clients in the secondary education, post-secondary education, community workforce agency, and government program areas of student and job seeker support. Visitors to the site will see real time usage stats and the resulting impact, ultimately bridging the gap between job seekers and employers. CEO/Founder of EHired, Frank Whelan shares, "the EHired team is dedicated to the core of our mission, which ultimately results in job seekers obtaining gainful employment. I am confident our new website will connect all the necessary pieces to make the mission happen for all stakeholders." EHired invites visitors to explore the sleek new website, narrating to audiences of career centers, students, and employers while exhibiting EHired's impact across the country in various pin map visuals. Finally, meet the EHired team as well as esteemed Advisory Board members in addition to indulging in the history of the accredited platform and its journey leading to today's success (https://ehired.edu/team). Located in the United States, EHired is the only SaaS vendor of educational services specifically developed for employment support and digital career service applications as well as recognized and Accredited by a United States Department of Education (USDOE) accrediting agency Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Education (MSA-CESS). EHired currently provides student to employment transition and career support software services nationwide, to over 200 educational institution campuses (https://ehired.edu/postsecondary) as well as public, private and government organizations. To learn about EHired, contact Shari Rossino, National Director of Business Development at [email protected] or at 856-562-1131. Contact: Shari Rossino E-Hired.com 856-562-1131 [email protected] SOURCE EHired Related Links https://ehired.edu TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. (OTC: EMMA), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company and leader in the treatment of sickle cell disease, announced today that on August 12, 2021, the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) of the Kingdom of Bahrain approved a Temporary License for Importation of Pharmaceutical Product for Endari. The Pharmaceutical Products Regulation Department of the NHRA is responsible for ensuring the quality, safety, and efficacy of pharmaceutical products in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Endari, Emmaus' prescription grade L-glutamine oral powder, is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for treating sickle cell disease in adult and pediatric patients five years of age and older. With a total population of 1.8 million, the incidence of sickle cell disease in the Kingdom of Bahrain is estimated at 2.1%. Emmaus is in the process of applying for marketing authorization for Endari. In the meantime, the NHRA approval permits the importation of Endari in the Kingdom for up to 12 months to treat sickle cell disease patients on an early access basis to address an unmet medical need. Emmaus estimates that there are approximately 225,000 sickle cell disease patients that are reachable and could potentially be treated with Endari throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. "We are pleased that the NHRA has approved Endari on a temporary basis. Along with the submission of our marketing authorization applications to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Kuwait Food and Drug Control earlier this year, the temporary license approval is another important step in our meeting our commitment to serve sickle cell disease patients in the MENA region," said Yutaka Niihara, M.D., M.P.H., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emmaus. George Sekulich, Senior Vice President of Global Commercialization of Emmaus added, "While we prepare our first shipment of Endari to our distributor in Bahrain, we are working to build our relationships with the hematologists and patient advocacy groups in the Kingdom. In addition, Emmaus continues collaborating with clinicians on providing Endari on a named-patient basis in the Bahrain and the wider MENA region." About Emmaus Life Sciences Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, marketing and sale of innovative treatments and therapies, including those in the rare and orphan disease categories. For more information, please visit www.emmausmedical.com. About Endari (prescription grade L-glutamine oral powder) Indication - Endari is indicated to reduce the acute complications of sickle cell disease in adult and pediatric patients five years of age and older. Important Safety Information The most common adverse reactions (incidence >10 percent) in clinical studies were constipation, nausea, headache, abdominal pain, cough, pain in extremities, back pain, and chest pain. Adverse reactions leading to treatment discontinuation included one case each of hypersplenism, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, burning sensation, and hot flash. The safety and efficacy of Endari in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease younger than five years of age has not been established. For more information, please see full Prescribing Information of Endari at: www.ENDARIrx.com/PI. About Sickle Cell Disease There are approximately 100,000 people living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the United States and millions more globally. The sickle gene is found in every ethnic group, not just among those of African descent; and in the United States an estimated 1-in-365 African Americans and 1-in-16,300 Hispanic Americans are born with SCD.1 The genetic mutation responsible for SCD causes an individual's red blood cells to distort into a "C" or a sickle shape, reducing their ability to transport oxygen throughout the body. These sickled red blood cells break down rapidly, become very sticky, and develop a propensity to clump together, which causes them to become stuck and cause damage within blood vessels. The result is reduced blood flow to distal organs, which leads to physical symptoms of incapacitating pain, tissue and organ damage, and early death.2 1Source: Data & Statistics on Sickle Cell Disease National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 2020. 2Source: Committee on Addressing Sickle Cell Disease A Strategic Plan and Blueprint for Action -- National Academy of Sciences Press, 2020. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding early access and potential marketing approval of Endari in the Kingdom of Bahrain. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties which change over time, including uncertainties related to marketing approval in the Kingdom of Bahrain and elsewhere in the MENA region and other factors previously disclosed in the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and actual results may differ materially. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Emmaus assumes no duty to update them, except as may be required by law. SOURCE Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. Related Links http://www.emmausmedical.com Each profile is free to view and packed with high-quality insights, providing businesses with detailed company information. Users can take advantage of these insights to identify, target, and connect with the right laptop manufacturers and suppliers. This company information includes employee insights, company competitors, the impact of emerging trends and challenges, the latest news, and more. Free Insights Included for all Laptop Manufacturer and Supplier Profiles: List of product and service category offerings and primary operating industries Risk of doing business score across four different metrics List of key executives and their roles within the company Company financials and general organizational information Global, national, and regional competitors List of key clients Top trends and challenges within operating industry and expected influence on business impact Latest company news with the ability to sign up for timely news alerts Get Started to View Free Company Insights Laptop Companies on BizVibe BizVibe's platform contains 10M+ company profiles, spanning across 200+ countries, categorized into 40,000+ products and services. There are 100+ company profiles related to laptop manufacturers and suppliers on BizVibe, covering 40+ product and service categories. Each company profile contains detailed insights dedicated to helping procurement and sales teams find trusted suppliers and target sales prospects. Examples of laptop manufacturer and supplier company profiles that can be discovered on BizVibe include: Custom laptop manufacturers Gaming laptop manufacturers Leather laptop bag manufacturers Laptop battery manufacturers Laptop motherboard suppliers Laptop packaging suppliers Get Free Company Profile Access for all Categories Company Profiles for Buyers and Sellers BizVibe's modern B2B platform is designed to help both global buyers and sellers. Powered by the latest best-in-class solutions, BizVibe provides outstanding product features for both category managers and sales professionals. Features for Buyers: Quickly discover the right suppliers Create short lists and custom alerts Mitigate supplier risk and evaluate suppliers Send RFIs/RFPs Learn how BizVibe helps buyers: https://www.bizvibe.com/find-suppliers Features for Sellers: Target the right sales prospects Qualify leads Analyze buyer potential API integration and data enrichment Learn how BizVibe helps sellers: https://www.bizvibe.com/sellers About BizVibe BizVibe has been conceptualized and built by a team based out of Toronto, Bangalore, and London. We are a branch of Infiniti Research and have dedicated units in all three locations. BizVibe helps buyers find the most relevant suppliers from around the world and help sellers target prospects who need their products and/or services. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com and start for free today. Contact BizVibe Jesse Maida Email: [email protected] +1 855-897-5880 Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/ SOURCE BizVibe Related Links https://www.bizvibe.com/ Top Game Development Companies-experts in delivering high-standard 2D, 3D, Android, AR, Cross-Platform etc at GoodFirms. Tweet this Many are investing in the gaming industry and seeking for best game developers. It is significant to choose an excellent partner to design, build, test and release it. Currently, there are numerous game developers in the market, which has made it challenging for service seekers to find reliable game developers. Thus, GoodFirms.co has unveiled the list of Top Game Development Companies to assist the service seekers. Moreover, here is a list of game development companies specialized in developing 2D, 3D, Android, AR, Cross-Platform, Facebook, and HTML5 Games. Take a Sneak Peek at the List of Top Game Development Companies worldwide and experts in delivering high-standard 2D, 3D, Android, AR, Cross-Platform, Facebook, and HTML5 Games: Top Game Development Companies: Argentics, Cubix, Whimsy Games, Logic Simplified, KEVURU GAMES, Next Big Technology (NBT), Riseup Labs, Visartech Inc., Kmphitech, Nimblechapps Pvt. Ltd. https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-companies Top 2D Game Development Companies: Appingine, BEETSOFT CO., Ltd, SYNARION IT SOLUTIONS, Orion InfoSolutions, Buildbox Developers, Juego Studio Private Limited, Perpetio, Terasol Technologies, The NineHertz, Algoworks. https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-companies/2d Top 3D Game Development Companies RV Technologies Softwares Pvt. Ltd, Aalpha Information Systems India Pvt. Ltd., Crickle Studio Pvt. Ltd., INGIC, Technoloader, InnoApps Technologies Pvt. Ltd., APPSTIRR, iQlance Solutions, Technource. https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-companies/3d Top Android App Development Companies: OpenXcell, Utility, Ads N Url, Mobcoder, Swenson He, RipenApps, SoluLab, SPEC INDIA, Day One Technologies, Zco Corporation. https://www.goodfirms.co/directory/platform/app-development/android Top AR Game Development Companies: N-iX, Chaos Theory, Bit Space Development Ltd, Mantreza Technologies Private Limited, Jploft Solutions Pvt. Ltd, ViitorCloud, Awakeen Studio Pvt. Ltd., Queppelin, Azmi Studio, Vidhema Technologies Pte Ltd. https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-companies/ar Top Cross Platform Game Development Companies: Quokka Labs, MobMaxime, Anthill Worldwide, iLogos Game Studios, Sababa Labs LLC, Unanimous Studios, JoyTime Apps, Vibra Infotech, Emblem Technologies Private Limited, Codehunt Technology Pvt Ltd. https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-companies/cross-platform Top Facebook Game Development Companies: Brillmindz Technologies, Apps Nado, Lafont Innovation LLC, iLogos Game Studios, Golden Logic Company, Brainsmiths Labs, Softclain Technologies Private Limited, SRGH, South Games Studio, Onlyplay. https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-companies/facebook Top HTML5 Game Development Companies: Logic Simplified, TechPhant Consulting Group, FuGenX Technologies, CreatioSoft, Appiskey Inc, HelloPixelsDigital, GamePix, Freak X Apps, Mobitsolutions, Technogiq IT Solutions Private Limited. https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-companies/html5 Washington DC, based GoodFirms is an internationally renowned B2B research, ratings, and reviews platform. It aims to associate the service seekers with top companies. The analyst team of GoodFirms conducts an assessment to evaluate every firm from different industries following three main critical criteria that are Quality, Reliability, and Ability. These components are sub-divided into several parameters such as to determine the complete background of every firm, years of experience in their proficiency, online market penetration, and client reviews. Focusing on overall research measures, agencies are provided the scores that are out of total 60. Thus, considering these points companies are indexed in the catalog as per their categories. Moreover, GoodFirms uplift the service providers by asking them to be involved in the research process and present strong proof of the work done by them. Hence, grab a chance to Get Listed for free in the list of outstanding IT companies, best software, and other organizations from various sectors of industries. Securing a position among the list of top companies at GoodFirms will help you spread your wings globally and attract new prospects to earn more revenue. About GoodFirms: GoodFirms is a Washington, D.C. based research firm that aligns its efforts in identifying the most prominent and efficient game development companies that deliver results to their clients. GoodFirms research is a confluence of new age consumer reference processes and conventional industry-wide review & rankings that help service seekers leap further and multiply their industry-wide value and credibility. Rachael Ray (360) 326-2243 [email protected] SOURCE GoodFirms Related Links https://www.goodfirms.co COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced today that its board of directors elected four new Executive Officers at its annual election and welcomed a number of new members. The newly appointed chair of the board is Morgan State University's (MSU) Omar Muhammad, replacing Myra Norton, CEO of Arena Analytics. The newly appointed chair of the board is Morgan State University's Omar Muhammad. Tweet this Chair Omar S. Muhammad, MSUs EDAC; Vice Chair Chung Hei Sing, Applied Derivative Research; Treasurer Michael J. Howard, MJH Group; Secretary Jennifer Elisseeff, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Medicine "I don't take this opportunity for granted. Working with other board members several years ago, we were able to provide diversity by investing in entrepreneurs (African American and women) and staffing. It is an honor to take the role of chair for this innovative and driven organization," said Omar Muhammad, chair of the board, and director of MSU's Entrepreneurial Development and Assistance Center (EDAC). "Myra served as chair with the utmost integrity and I intend to continue the momentum in this next year. After the challenges (Global Pandemic and Racial Inequities) posed on all of us last year, we plan to find more ways to support our entrepreneurs as we navigate this new economy." "Omar brings many years of experience leading support for Maryland's entrepreneurs. His service as board chair for TEDCO will be a gift both to TEDCO and to the State" said Myra Norton, former chair of the board, and CEO of Arena Analytics. "I'm looking forward to seeing this new board leadership continue building the organization for its next stage of growth in service of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Maryland." TEDCO's new elected officials include the following diverse slate: Chair Omar S. Muhammad , MSU's EDAC , MSU's EDAC Vice Chair Chung Hei Sing , Applied Derivative Research , Applied Derivative Research Treasurer Michael J. Howard , MJH Group , MJH Group Secretary Jennifer Elisseeff , Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Medicine "There aren't enough words available for me to express my sincere gratitude for Myra's support and encouragement," said Troy LeMaile-Stovall, CEO, TEDCO. "I felt it from our first chat during the interview process and it continues to this day and always. TEDCO and I are truly indebted to her." "Excited seems too small a word for how I feel about having Omar as TEDCO chair," said LeMaile-Stovall. "His energy, passion and creativity will amplify TEDCO's mission to new heights. And having both he and I as black men leading TEDCO at this juncture of history isn't an accident. I can't wait to work with him and the TEDCO Board to bring real wealth expansion and inclusion to more Marylanders." TEDCO is managed by a 19 member Board of Directors, 14 of whom are appointed by the Governor, two appointed by the President of the Maryland Senate; and two appointed by the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates - each to staggered 4-year terms. The 19th member is the Maryland Secretary of Commerce, who serves ex officio. Each member appointed by the Governor is confirmed by the Senate. TEDCO's full board of directors are: Chair, Omar S. Muhammad, MSU; Vice Chair, Chung Hei Sing, Applied Derivative Research; Treasurer, Michael J. Howard, MJH Group; Secretary, Jennifer Elisseeff, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; John Bohanan, Cornerstone Government Affairs; Kathie Callahan Brany, FITCI; Cliff Coppersmith, Chesapeake College; Ellen Flowers-Fields, College of Southern Maryland; Matthew Lee, FASTech; Myra Norton, Arena Analytics; John Parris, Parriad, LLC; Kelly M. Schulz, Maryland Department of Commerce; Amita Shukla, Vitamita; Eben Smith, Three|E Consulting Group; Francis Smyth, Century Engineering; and Robert Wells, Miles & Stockbridge. Omar S. Muhammad is an entrepreneurship ecosystem builder working with entrepreneurs, small businesses, corporations and government entities. Currently serving as the director and EN-TRE-PRE-NEUR for the EDAC at MSU. He has been actively involved in entrepreneurship since the age of 12, served as a vice president for a non-profit organization where he operated a $4 million small business loan fund within Baltimore's Empowerment Zone, provided small business counseling and entrepreneurial training for women and other budding and existing entrepreneurs. He served as a business columnist for a national business newspaper and a business radio talk show host for 22 years on National Public Radio. Omar is the board chair for TEDCO and serves on other committees to further build entrepreneurship ecosystems. Omar holds a Masters in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland and a Bachelors of Science from Morgan State University. Chung Hei Sing is currently the CEO of Applied Derivative Research, an impact-oriented research platform leveraging technology to preserve and grow wealth in a way that positively impacts society. Passionate about impact, he is an advisor to AARP, an aging-focused nonprofit and board member to Corporate Esports Association, an esports for charity and HR-solutions focused organization. Previously, he served in a vice president capacity for a hedge fund and COO for a fintech blockchain organization. Prior to that, he deployed his multi-disciplinary investment and business experience across industries and asset classes to support the growth of various multi-million-, multi-billion-dollar investment firms and their portfolio companies. Chung is a graduate of George Washington University and Harvard Business School. Michael J. Howard is a private investor, strategic advisor, board member and philanthropist. He is the founding member of the MJH Group, a private investment and management consulting firm. For more than 20 years, Michael has been able to translate his corporate vision and proprietary investment strategy into consistent economic returns and operational efficiencies for the firm and its clients. He was an early investor in several technology companies with successful exits. In addition, Michael was named by a national publication as one of the top private investors in early-stage technology companies. Prior to forming the MJH Group, Michael had a distinguished professional career with PricewaterhouseCoopers and the US Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Corporation Finance. Michael is a Certified Public Accountant who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Morgan State University. Jennifer Elisseeff is the Morton Goldberg Professor and director of the Translational Tissue Engineering Center at Wilmer Eye Institute and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at JHU. In 2004, Elisseeff cofounded Cartilix, Inc, a startup that translated adhesive and biomaterial technologies for treating orthopedic disease, acquired by Biomet Inc in 2009. Also in that year, she founded Aegeria Soft Tissue, a startup focused on soft tissue regeneration and wound healing. She is a member of the National Academy of Inventors (and advises a number of biotech companies around the country). She received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in medical engineering from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. In 2018, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine. Former Delegate John L. Bohanan, Jr. joined Cornerstone Government Affairs in October 2015. He served on the staff of U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for 22 years, and as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for St. Mary's County from 1999 until 2015. During this time, he served on the Appropriations Committee, chairman of the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee, member of the Capital Budget Subcommittee, and chairman of the Spending Affordability Committee. For 21 years, John was principally responsible for interfacing with the Congressional District's two largest military installations Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center. John began his career on Capitol Hill and later became a senior staff member with Tracor Applied Sciences before opening an office as a project analyst and operations manager with SFA, Inc. His affiliations include: St. Mary's County Historical Society; Historic Sotterley, Inc.; the Judith P. Hoyer Blue Ribbon Commission on the Financing of Early Child Care and Education; the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland; and the St. Mary's County Juvenile Drug Court Team. Kathie Callahan Brady is a passionate advocate for the start-up community because of its transformative impact on the lives of founders and team members as they, in turn, shape society's future. As president and CEO of Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI) since 2016, Frederick's first and largest incubator/accelerator, Kathie reenergized the organization, growing its client base by nearly 300% to 70 members in 2021. An entrepreneur and teacher, Kathie founded four successful companies in various industries and has over 30 years' executive-level experience in IT, real estate and business development, which she draws upon to help others achieve success. Clifford P. Coppersmith is in his fourth year as the president of Chesapeake College where he focuses on the mission to provide liberal arts transfer and workforce training programs for the region. Born in the West Indies, Cliff grew up in Western New York and began his college education at Jamestown Community College. A military veteran, he earned degrees at St. Bonaventure University and Oklahoma State University. He was also an intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. Cliff began his higher education career teaching history and anthropology at the College of Eastern Utah. He was later an administrator at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Before joining Chesapeake, he was dean and CEO at City College at Montana State University in Billings. Ellen Flowers-Fields serves as associate vice president for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at the College of Southern Maryland. She oversees all areas of the non-credit economic and community development programming including the Center for Trades and Energy Training, Maryland Center for Environmental Training, the Workforce Center, the SBDC, the Non-Profit Institute, the Transportation Center and adult basic education. Ellen has over 25 years of experience in workforce development and human capital management. Her diverse background includes supporting entrepreneurship and small business development efforts, acquisition, project management and implementation of various federal, state and local programs that address community economic development needs. Throughout her career she has acquired and managed over $100 million in support of various economic and community development initiatives. Her affiliations include: Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland Executive Board Member; National Association of Workforce Development Professionals Member; and the Maryland Economic Development Association Member. Matthew Lee began his career designing optical data links for ground-based radar and circuits that serviced training devices at the Army Research Laboratory. As an electronics engineer, Matthew managed custom hybrid products in the Patriot Missile System used during Operation Desert Storm. He founded FASTech Inc, based in Rockville, Md., in 1990. FASTech offers a wide range of services including custom application and database design, network engineering and desktop support, web technologies, digital audiovisual technologies, and cybersecurity. He received his master's degree from The Johns Hopkins University. His affiliations include: KoBE Government Contracting Alliance President; Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation Board; U.S. International Development Center President; Acting board member and commissioner, Baltimore Changwon (South Korea) Sister City Committee; County-wide Recreation and Parks Advisory Board; and the Maryland Cybersecurity Council. Myra Norton is the president & CEO of Arena, a technology company that helps organizations vitalize, stabilize, and diversify their workforces to improve organizational performance and impact. Previously, she was the CEO of Community Analytics, an analyst at Northrop Grumman, a professor in Mathematics and Statistics at Temple University, Towson University, and the US Naval Academy, and an Administrator in the College of Science & Technology at Temple University. She serves as Immediate Past Chair on the Executive Committee of TEDCO. Norton earned a BS in Math Education from the University of Alabama and earned an MA in Mathematics and an MS in Statistics at Temple University. John C. Parris is co-founder and managing partner at Parraid, LLC, a St. Mary's County, Maryland product engineering company focused on telemetry data and mission-critical communication solutions. Prior to Parraid, John was co-founder and CEO for Smartronix, Inc., which grew from a 3-person startup to a $650M global IT and engineering solutions provider before being recapitalized by New York City-based OceanSound Partners in December 2019. Specializing in Cloud Computing and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Smartronix was a multi-year leader in Gartner's magic quadrant for global cloud transformation services and provided ISR support services for US Combatant Command clients on five continents. He is a 1986 graduate of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Kelly M. Schulz is the secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce, with experience working in the government, private sector and as a small business owner. She is a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates and previously served as the secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor. At Labor, she managed an agency with nearly 2,000 employees and an operating budget of more than $375 million. While representing Frederick County in the Maryland House of Delegates, she served on the Economic Matters Committee with a special interest in legislation relating to financial institutions, economic development, labor and employment, unemployment insurance, and workers' compensation. Secretary Schulz obtained her Associates degree from Monroe Community College and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hood College. Amita Shuklais an innovator, entrepreneur, and writer passionate about helping minds unlock their potential. She is the founder and CEO of Vitamita, which focuses on developing transformative ideas for human well-being, and the author of Enduring Edge: Transforming How We Think, Create and Change. Amita regularly advises individuals, teams, and organizations and delivers talks and workshops to diverse audiences. Previously, she spent close to nine years at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) where she evaluated and invested in healthcare innovations. Before NEA, she helped found and lead several startups. Amita serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Johns Hopkins and previously served as a Mentor-in-Residence at the university's School of Medicine. Amita was first appointed to the TEDCO board in 2010 and is currently its longest-serving member. She holds a BA in biochemistry from Harvard, an MBA from Stanford, and 10 patents. Eben Smith is president of Three E Consulting Group with two decades of business management experience in both the public and private sector with key emphasis in supplier diversity, strategic sourcing, economic development, community engagement and contracting and procurement. Over the last 20 years he has worked closely with other regional, state and local leaders to create jobs, grow the economy and create capacity in the minority business community. His firm has provided consulting services on some of the biggest projects in the Washington metropolitan region including MGM National Harbor, The Clean Water Partnership P3, PSEG Keys Energy Center, Prince George's County P3 for School Construction and the I-495 and I-270 P3 Program. Francis X. Smyth has served as the CEO and president for Century Engineering, Inc. since December 1996, on numerous charitable boards and is a past chairman of TEDCO. Beginning his career by founding and growing a mid-Atlantic regional document storage company to one of the largest in the country, he orchestrated a sale to Iron Mountain Records Management. Continuing with Iron Mountain as a senior executive charged with growth through acquisition, Francis successfully transitioned to acquire his own company, Century Engineering, when Iron Mountain went public. Guiding Century from a 90 person company to over 600 professionals offering services throughout six states, Century is now a partnership of key personnel building for the future. Francis graduated Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in history, Loyola University Sellinger School of Business with an MBA and was awarded the 2007 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for business services in Maryland. Robert Wells is a principal attorney at Miles & Stockbridge. He focuses his legal work on healthcare regulatory and corporate matters, advising clients on a broad array of complex legal and operational matters, including corporate compliance and complex regulatory issues. His entire career has focused on counseling leaders and executives to help organizations achieve their business goals and objectives. Robert has served on the governing bodies of educational institutions, including West Virginia University and Indian Creek School School in Crownsville, Md. and has been selected for inclusion by Best Lawyers in America and recognized as a leading lawyer for healthcare by Chambers USA. About TEDCO TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com. Media Contact Tammi Thomas Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, TEDCO [email protected] SOURCE TEDCO Related Links tedcomd.com TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First International Bank of Israel (TASE: FIBI) one of Israel's major banking groups, today announced its results for the first half and second quarter of 2021, ended June 30, 2021. Financial Highlights Net profit of NIS 390 million and return on equity of 17.2% in the second quarter of the year; and return on equity of 17.2% in the second quarter of the year; Net profit of NIS 677 million and return of equity of 15% in the first half of the year; and return of equity of 15% in the first half of the year; Growth of 6.6% in credit to the public over the past year and growth of 4.4% in the first half of the current year; Continued reduction in the volume of loan repayment deferrals caused by the Corona crisis: the ratio of deferred debts to total credit amounted to 0.2% compared to 1.9% at the end of 2020; Growth of 6.1% in total income; The Bank continued to expand its services in the capital market and in investment consulting: growth of 32.7% in the past year in the customer assets' portfolio (deposits and securities) and 9.5% in the first half of the current year; Ratio of Tier I equity capital to risk components of 11.67%; The Board of Directors of the Bank decided on a dividend distribution in the amount of NIS 225 million which amounted to 30% of the net profit for 2020. Profitability Net profit in the second quarter of 2021 of the First International Bank Group amounted to NIS 390 million, as compared to NIS 168 million in the corresponding quarter last year, a growth of 132.1%. Return on equity in the second quarter reached 17.2%. In the first half of the year net profit amounted to NIS 677 million, a growth of 99.7%. Return on equity reached 15%. Growth and efficiency Total income of the Bank increased by 6.1% in the first half of the year, as compared to the corresponding period last year. Total financing income increased in the first half of the year by 7.6% compared to the corresponding period last year, and amounted to NIS 1,484 million. Commission income increased by 2.9% compared to the corresponding period last year, which includes commission income from capital market operations which increased by 6.4%. Credit to the public increased last year by 6.6%, and in the first half of the current year, by 4.4%, and amounted to NIS 96.3 billion. In the second quarter of the year, credit grew by 2.9%. The growth in credit was characterized by the continued broadening of credit and this was evident in the residential loans sector, which grew by 12.6%, in the small businesses sector which grew by 10.5%, and in the household sector, which grew by 3%. The Bank continued to grow in the capital markets and in the investment consulting field: the customer assets portfolio (deposits and securities) in the last year grew by 32.7% and amounted to NIS 580.3 billion. In the first half of the current year, the customer assets portfolio grew by 9.5%. Deposits from the public increased by 13.2% in the last year and by 3.2% in the first half of the current year, and reached NIS 146.3 billion. The First International Bank continued to improve efficiency in accordance with its strategic plan and the efficiency ratio improved to 59.5% in the first half of the year and to 58.6 % in the second quarter, as compared to 61.8% in 2020. As part of the efficiency measures taken, in June 2021, the Bank approved an early retirement plan under which employees which corresponded to defined criteria, would be entitled to retirement at beneficial terms. Financial stability The improving trend in the capital attributable to the shareholders of the Bank continued and grew in the first half of the year by 7.7% (representing growth of NIS 708 million) and amounted at June 30, 2021 to NIS 9,849 million. The Tier I equity capital ratio increased to 11.67%, as against the required regulatory ratio of 8.26% (or 9.26% excluding the relief granted by Bank of Israel to the Israeli banking system). The Board of Directors of the Bank approved a dividend distribution of NIS 225 million, which comprised of 30% of the net profit for 2020. The dividend distribution policy of the Bank, according to which the Bank shall distribute up to 50% of the net profit, remains unchanged, and the application thereof will be examined in accordance with developments and regulation. Quality of the credit portfolio The volume of deferral of loan repayments due to the Corona crisis demonstrated a sharply improving downward trend, indicating the quality of the credit portfolio as well as the quality of the Bank's borrowers: the ratio of deferred debts to total credit to the public at the end of the second quarter amounted to 0.2%, compared to 0.5% at the end of the first quarter, and to 1.9% at the end of December 2020. Income in respect of credit losses amounted to NIS 137 million in the first half of the year, compared to expenses of NIS 322 million in the corresponding period last year. During 2020, in view of the high level of uncertainty caused by the Corona crisis, the Bank increased the credit loss provision by NIS 436 million. In the first half of 2021, the Bank recorded income in respect of credit losses, mostly due to the decline in the collective provision, due to an improvement in macro-economic indices and indicators showing the level of risk inherent in the credit portfolio of the Bank, as well as the continued decline in the volume of deferred repayment of debts. Notwithstanding the above, the Bank maintains high provision cushions: the ratio of the provision for credit losses to the balance of credit to the public reached 1.19% in contrast to 1.05% at the end of 2019, prior to the outbreak of the Corona crisis. The Corona crisis Towards the end of the second quarter of 2021, the rates of morbidity in Israel began to increase again. The Bank is well prepared for the various scenarios monitoring the different risks and follows the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Bank of Israel. All this while maintaining business continuity and continuity of service to customers, both at the branches and in the digital realm. The Bank is taking measures to ensure business continuity. Management comment Ms. Smadar Berber-Tsadik, CEO of the First International Bank Group stated that: "In the first half of the year, the First International Bank presented results that reflected continued growth across all segments of operation, including the credit portfolio and capital markets activity, while maintaining financial stability and a high quality of assets. We maintain this growth during times of global change and uncertainty, and it reflects the trust in the Bank by its customers, as well as their high satisfaction regarding our service, professionalism and technological innovation." CONDENSED PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND PRINCIPAL EXECUTION INDICES Principal financial ratios For the six months ended June 30, For the year ended December 31, 2021 2020 2020 in % Execution indices Return on equity attributed to shareholders of the Bank(1) 15.0% 8.1% 8.6% Return on average assets(1) 0.80% 0.47% 0.49% Ratio of equity capital tier 1 11.67% 10.71% 11.18% Leverage ratio 5.49% 5.49% 5.29% Liquidity coverage ratio 137% 139% 150% Ratio of total income to average assets(1) 2.6% 2.9% 2.7% Ratio of interest income, net to average assets (1) 1.6% 1.8% 1.7% Ratio of fees to average assets (1) 0.8% 1.0% 0.9% Efficiency ratio 59.5% 60.5% 61.8% Credit quality indices Ratio of provision for credit losses to credit to the public 1.19% 1.28% 1.38% Ratio of impaired debts or in arrears of 90 days or more to credit to the public 0.87% 1.18% 0.86% Ratio of provision for credit losses to total impaired credit to the public 184% 151% 221% Ratio of net write-offs to average total credit to the public (1) - 0.18% 0.10% Ratio of expenses (income) for credit losses to average total credit to the public (1) (0.30%) 0.72% 0.52% Principal data from the statement of income For the six months ended June 30, 2021 2020 NIS million Net profit attributed to shareholders of the Bank 677 339 Interest Income, net 1,380 1,318 Expenses (income) from credit losses (137) 322 Total non-Interest income 819 754 Of which: Fees 711 691 Total operating and other expenses 1,308 1,254 Of which: Salaries and related expenses 800 752 Primary net profit per share of NIS 0.05 par value (NIS) 6.75 3.38 Principal data from the balance sheet As of 30.6.21 30.6.20 31.12.20 NIS million Total assets 173,028 152,719 167,778 of which: Cash and deposits with banks 56,673 46,144 57,802 Securities 16,244 11,715 13,105 Credit to the public, net 95,191 89,215 90,970 Total liabilities 162,758 143,634 158,243 of which: Deposits from the public 146,276 129,160 141,677 Deposits from banks 5,035 1,881 2,992 Bonds and subordinated capital notes 2,833 4,375 4,394 Capital attributed to the shareholders of the Bank 9,849 8,712 9,141 Additional data 30.6.21 30.6.20 31.12.20 Share price (0.01 NIS) 10,440 7,310 8,514 Dividend per share (0.01 NIS) - 125 125 (1) Annualized. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME (NIS million) For the three months ended June 30 For the six months ended June 30 For the year Ended December 31 2021 2020 2021 2020 2020 (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited) (audited) Interest Income 856 714 1,585 1,429 2,878 Interest Expenses 146 54 205 111 241 Interest Income, net 710 660 1,380 1,318 2,637 Expenses (income) from credit losses (128) 165 (137) 322 464 Net Interest Income after expenses from credit losses 838 495 1,517 996 2,173 Non- Interest Income Non-Interest Financing income 53 64 104 61 148 Fees 350 323 711 691 1,371 Other income - 1 4 2 4 Total non- Interest income 403 388 819 754 1,523 Operating and other expenses Salaries and related expenses 402 373 800 752 1,532 Maintenance and depreciation of premises and equipment 86 86 171 172 344 Amortizations and impairment of intangible assets 25 23 51 47 96 Other expenses 139 135 286 283 597 Total operating and other expenses 652 617 1,308 1,254 2,569 Profit before taxes 589 266 1,028 496 1,127 Provision for taxes on profit 208 97 361 145 368 Profit after taxes 381 169 667 351 759 The bank's share in profit of equity-basis investee, after taxes 23 7 36 5 29 Net profit: Before attribution to noncontrolling interests 404 176 703 356 788 Attributed to noncontrolling interests (14) (8) (26) (17) (38) Attributed to shareholders of the Bank 390 168 677 339 750 NIS Primary profit per share attributed to the shareholders of the Bank Net profit per share of NIS 0.05 par value 3.89 1.68 6.75 3.38 7.48 STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (NIS million) For the three months ended June 30 For the six months ended June 30 For the year Ended December 31 2021 2020 2021 2020 2020 (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited) (audited) Net profit before attribution to noncontrolling interests 404 176 703 356 788 Net profit attributed to noncontrolling interests (14) (8) (26) (17) (38) Net profit attributed to the shareholders of the Bank 390 168 677 339 750 Other comprehensive income (loss) before taxes: Adjustments of available for sale bonds to fair value, net (7) 157 4 (90) (4) Adjustments of liabilities in respect of employee benefits(1) (20) (154) 46 (15) (74) Other comprehensive income (loss) before taxes (27) 3 50 (105) (78) Related tax effect 8 (1) (18) 35 26 Other comprehensive income (loss) before attribution to noncontrolling interests, after taxes (19) 2 32 (70) (52) Less other comprehensive income attributed to noncontrolling interests - - 1 - - Other comprehensive income (loss) attributed to the shareholders of the Bank, after taxes (19) 2 31 (70) (52) Comprehensive income before attribution to noncontrolling interests 385 178 735 286 736 Comprehensive income attributed to noncontrolling interests (14) (8) (27) (17) (38) Comprehensive income attributed to the shareholders of the Bank 371 170 708 269 698 (1) Mostly reflects adjustments in respect of actuarial assessments as of the end of the period regarding defined benefits pension plans, of amounts recorded in the past in other comprehensive income. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (NIS million) June 30, December 31, 2021 2020 2020 (unaudited) (unaudited) (audited) Assets Cash and deposits with banks 56,673 46,144 57,802 Securities 16,244 11,715 13,105 Securities which were borrowed 32 45 11 Credit to the public 96,340 90,371 92,247 Provision for Credit losses (1,149) (1,156) (1,277) Credit to the public, net 95,191 89,215 90,970 Credit to the government 101 852 656 Investments in investee company 675 611 636 Premises and equipment 945 979 965 Intangible assets 279 244 272 Assets in respect of derivative instruments 1,307 1,671 1,897 Other assets(2) 1,581 1,243 1,464 Total assets 173,028 152,719 167,778 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Deposits from the public 146,276 129,160 141,677 Deposits from banks 5,035 1,881 2,992 Deposits from the Government 435 495 459 Bonds and subordinated capital notes 2,833 4,375 4,394 Liabilities in respect of derivative instruments 1,440 1,940 2,314 Other liabilities(1)(3) 6,739 5,783 6,407 Total liabilities 162,758 143,634 158,243 Capital attributed to the shareholders of the Bank 9,849 8,712 9,141 Non-controlling interests 421 373 394 Total equity 10,270 9,085 9,535 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 173,028 152,719 167,778 (1) Of which: provision for credit losses in respect of off-balance sheet credit instruments in the amount of NIS 79 million and NIS 73 million and NIS 86 million at 30.6.21, 30.6.20 and 31.12.20, respectively. (2) Of which: other assets measured at fair value in the amount of NIS 353 million and NIS 87 million and NIS 247 million at 30.6.21, 30.6.20 and 31.12.20, respectively. (3) Of which: other liabilities measured at fair value in the amount of NIS 382 million and NIS 133 million and NIS 258 million at 30.6.21, 30.6.20 and 31.12.20, respectively. STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (NIS million) For the three months ended June 30, 2021 (unaudited) Share capital and premium(1) Accumulated other comprehensive loss Retained earnings (2) Total share- holders' equity Non- controlling interests Total equity Balance as of March 31, 2021 927 (133) 8,684 9,478 407 9,885 Net profit for the period - - 390 390 14 404 Other comprehensive income, after tax effect - (19) - (19) - (19) Balance as at June 30, 2021 927 (152) 9,074 9,849 421 10,270 For the three months ended June 30, 2020 (unaudited) Share capital and premium (1) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) Retained earnings (2) Total share- holders' equity Non- controlling interests Total equity Balance as of March 31, 2020 927 (203) 7,818 8,542 365 8,907 Net profit for the period - - 168 168 8 176 Other comprehensive income, after tax effect - 2 - 2 - 2 Balance as at June 30, 2020 927 (201) 7,986 8,712 373 9,085 For the six months ended June 30, 2021 (unaudited) Share capital and premium (1) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) Retained earnings (2) Total share- holders' equity Non- controlling interests Total equity Balance as at December 31, 2020 (audited) 927 (183) 8,397 9,141 394 9,535 Net profit for the period - - 677 677 26 703 Other comprehensive loss, after tax effect - 31 - 31 1 32 Balance as at June 30, 2021 927 (152) 9,074 9,849 421 10,270 For the six months ended June 30, 2020 (unaudited) Share capital and premium (1) Accumulated other comprehensive loss Retained earnings (2) Total share- holders' equity Non- controlling interests Total equity Balance as at December 31, 2019 (audited) 927 (131) 7,772 8,568 356 8,924 Net profit for the period - - 339 339 17 356 Dividend - - (125) (125) - (125) Other comprehensive loss, after tax effect - (70) - (70) - (70) Balance as at June 30, 2020 927 (201) 7,986 8,712 373 9,085 For the year ended December 31, 2020 (audited) Share capital and premium (1) Accumulated other comprehensive loss Retained earnings (2) Total Non- controlling interests Total equity Balance as at December 31, 2019 927 (131) 7,772 8,568 356 8,924 Net profit for the year - - 750 750 38 788 Dividend - - (125) (125) - (125) Other comprehensive loss, after tax effect - (52) - (52) - (52) Balance as at December 31, 2020 927 (183) 8,397 9,141 394 9,535 (1) Including share premium of NIS 313 million (as from 1992 onwards). (2) Including an amount of NIS 2,391 million which cannot be distributed as dividend. Contact: Dafna Zucker First International Bank of Israel e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +972-3-519-6224 Ehud Helft GK Investor & Public Relations e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +1-646-201-924 SOURCE First International Bank of Israel IRVING, Texas, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FleetPride, Inc. announced today that it has acquired the assets of National Truck Repair in Longview, Texas, which was founded in 2008 by Jim Head. Justin Head, Jim's son, will remain onboard as service manager. FleetPride will provide parts and service in the Longview market with added support from the FleetPride branch in nearby Kilgore, Texas. "Since 2008 we have created great partnerships with our customers and have built a tremendous team," said Jim Head. "Being a part of a growing, national heavy duty parts and service company will give our employees and customers more support and capabilities than ever before. I am proud of what we have built at National Truck Repair and excited about the future career opportunities for my employees. The acquisition process is a lot of work and the FleetPride team has been here with us every step of the way. I am also excited to see my son, Justin, carry on the legacy with FleetPride." "Today, National Truck Repair and FleetPride join together in East Texas; it is a privilege to welcome the new team members to the FleetPride family," said Mike Harris, senior vice president of sales and operations for FleetPride. "Jim and Justin Head have built a strong foundation over the years with talented people, including skilled technicians and support staff committed to an exceptional customer experience. We have many mutual customers in the local market plus national fleets, making National Truck Repair a great fit for FleetPride." FleetPride now has 28 locations in its home state of Texas, more than any other state. The new location in Longview has 16 bays and ideal access from I-20. This will be FleetPride's fourth Service Center in Texas, joining locations in Alice, Corpus Christi and Seminole. FleetPride continues to grow its national parts and service operations. If you are interested in learning more about how to become part of the FleetPride network, please contact Jeff Crosson, FleetPride vice president of mergers and acquisitions, at [email protected]. About FleetPride, Inc. Headquartered in Irving, TX, FleetPride is the nation's largest distributor of truck and trailer parts and service in the independent heavy duty aftermarket. FleetPride's sophisticated network of 280 stores, 53 service centers and 5 distribution centers means customers get the parts and services they need, when and where they need them. Customers can click, talk, chat or visit with FleetPride's team of 3,500 experts empowered and motivated to solve problems and create tailored solutions for each customer's unique needs. To find your local FleetPride branch or service center, or to cross-reference, search, and shop for parts by VIN, visit the new www.fleetpride.com. SOURCE FleetPride, Inc. Related Links http://www.fleetpride.com SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- B2B website design and marketing agency, Bop Design, made the 2021 Inc. 5000 List as 4167 on the exclusive list. Agency co-founders and leaders, Kara Jensen and Jeremy Durant, stated they are ecstatic to have made the list for the second year in a row. The annual Inc. 5000 list honors the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. The Inc. 5000 list is compiled by Inc. magazine and is considered a prestigious achievement. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Bop Design was listed as 3900 on the 2020 list and is featured at 4167 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list. "It's an honor to be on the list for a second year in a row," said Kara Jensen, creative principal and co-founder of Bop Design. "With all the challenges of 2020 and 2021, we are grateful to join the list of independent small businesses that experienced growth over the past year." The rankings on the Inc. 5000 list are compiled based on the percentage of revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify to be on the list, companies must be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent. Companies that previously appeared on the list include Intuit, Zappos, Microsoft, and Oracle. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." Jeremy Durant, business principal and co-founder of Bop Design, said his team is delighted to be on the list for a second year running. "Kara and I had a vision for Bop Design and we are truly thrilled to see it thriving all these years later. Our company culture is one of teamwork and dedication. I think you can see that in how our agency has grown over the past few years." Bop Design is a global B2B web design and marketing agency headquartered in San Diego, CA. Bop Design works exclusively with B2B firms in the software, high-tech, industrial, and life science space on web design, digital marketing, and content marketing programs. Source: Bop Design Contact: Jeremy Durant, Business Principal 888-670-7803 www.bopdesign.com SOURCE Bop Design Related Links http://www.bopdesign.com RESTON, Va., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ligado Networks today announced Charles F. Bolden Jr. has joined its Board. Major General Bolden (USMC-Ret.) is a highly decorated naval aviator, test pilot, and astronaut who served as the 12th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 2009 to 2017. Throughout his distinguished career, Administrator Bolden has forged innovative solutions and programs through government and industry collaboration. During his NASA tenure, he created the Space Technology Mission Directorate and ushered in a new era focused on innovation in aeronautics technology. Mr. Bolden oversaw key initiatives including an increase in the fleet of Earth-observing satellites, the landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars, and the launch of spacecraft to Jupiter. He later served as a U.S. Department of State Science Envoy for Space and was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his lasting contributions to human spaceflight, space operations, and aeronautics research. During his distinguished 34-year career with the U.S. Marine Corps, General Bolden flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam and later served as a test pilot for the Naval Air Test Center. His numerous civilian and military honors include the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Legion of Merit. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006 and into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017. "I am committed to helping Ligado leverage its technology and spectrum resources for the benefit of all Americans and the enterprises that serve them. Deploying Ligado's spectrum for 5G and IoT will help the U.S. remain the world's leader in technology and innovation, while increasing connectivity and economic opportunity for communities across our country. I am convinced the solutions-driven industry leaders at Ligado and the leadership of this Administration and Congress share these goals. I look forward to working together to achieve them, and that's why I have joined the Ligado team," said Mr. Bolden. "As Ligado moves forward with its licensed commercial L-band spectrum to serve American critical infrastructure industries with secure mobile private 5G networks, including the nation's first 5G mobile satellite IoT network, we are thrilled to welcome Charles Bolden onto our team," said Ligado CEO Doug Smith. "His lifelong leadership in advancing technology-based solutions to some of our country's toughest challenges will be invaluable to the company and the country." "We are honored to welcome former NASA Administrator Major General Charles Bolden to our board. He is an exemplary American whose dedication to this country over several decades is a testament to his leadership and character. Everyone at our company, as well as the numerous U.S. departments and agencies Ligado serves, will benefit from Mr. Bolden's extensive experience driving innovation and shaping U.S. policy in the science, space and military communities," Ligado Board Chairman Ivan Seidenberg added. About Ligado Networks Building on 25 years of experience providing crucial satellite connectivity, our mission is to modernize American businesses by delivering secure and reliable 5G connectivity solutions needed to transform their operations and realize the efficiencies of a digital world. Our plans to deploy licensed mid-band spectrum in public and private 5G networks will help pave the way for future innovations and economic growth across America. For further information Ligado Networks Media Contact: Ashley Durmer, Chief Communications Officer Tel: 703-390-2008 [email protected] SOURCE Ligado Networks BEIJING, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaotu Techedu Inc. ("Gaotu" or the "Company") (NYSE: GOTU), a leading online large-class after-school tutoring service provider in China, today announced that Mr. Wei Liu, Vice President, has tendered his resignation for personal reasons. The resignation is effective on the same day. Mr. Larry Xiangdong Chen, the Company's founder, Chairman and CEO, commented, "On behalf of Gaotu, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Wei for his dedication and valuable contribution to the Company through these past years. We respect his decision and sincerely wish Wei continued success in the future." About Gaotu Techedu Inc. Gaotu is a technology-driven education company and online large-class after-school tutoring service provider in China. The Company offers foreign language, professional and admission courses, and also offers K-12 courses covering all primary and secondary grades through the brand Gaotu K12. Gaotu adopts an online live large-class format to deliver its courses, which the Company believes is the most effective and scalable model to disseminate scarce high-quality teaching resources to aspiring students in China. Big data analytics permeates each aspect of the Company's business and facilitates the application of the latest technology to improve teaching delivery, student learning experience, and operational efficiency. For further information, please contact: Gaotu Techedu Inc. Ms. Sandy Qin, CFA, CMA E-mail: [email protected] Christensen In China Ms. Vivian Wang Phone: +852 2232 3978 E-mail: [email protected] In US Ms. Linda Bergkamp Phone: +1-480-614-3004 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Gaotu Techedu Inc. Related Links ir.gaotu.cn NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO) today announced that the Company will report results for the second quarter fiscal 2022 on September 2, 2021, before the market opens, and hold its quarterly earnings conference call at 7:30 a.m. (central) the same day. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available at http://genesco.gcs-web.com/financial-information/quarterly-results An audio archive of the call will be available at http://genesco.gcs-web.com/financial-information/quarterly-results for up to one year In addition, a summary of the second quarter results will be available on the Genesco website on September 2, 2021 , at http://genesco.gcs-web.com/financial-information/quarterly-results About Genesco Inc. Genesco Inc., a Nashville-based specialty retailer and branded company, sells footwear and accessories in more than 1,455 retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, principally under the names Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Little Burgundy, Schuh, Schuh Kids, Johnston & Murphy, and on internet websites www.journeys.com , www.journeyskidz.com , www.journeys.ca , www.littleburgundyshoes.com , www.schuh.co.uk , www.johnstonmurphy.com , www.johnstonmurphy.ca, www.nashvilleshoewarehouse.com, and www.dockersshoes.com . In addition, Genesco sells footwear at wholesale under its Johnston & Murphy brand, the licensed Levi's brand, the licensed Dockers brand, the licensed Bass brand, and other brands. For more information on Genesco and its operating divisions, please visit www.genesco.com . SOURCE Genesco Inc. Related Links http://www.genesco.com FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 9; Released: April 2021 Executive Pool: 359 Companies: 16 - Players covered include Basler AG; Cognex Corporation; Hermary Opto Electronics Inc.; Isra Vision AG; Keyence Corporation; LMI Technologies, Inc.; Mvtec Software GmbH; National Instruments Corporation; Ricoh Co., Ltd.; SICK AG; Stemmer Imaging AG; Tordivel AS and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Application (Quality Assurance & Inspection, Positioning & Guidance, Measurement, Other Applications); Offering (Hardware, Software); Product (PC Based, Smart Camera Based) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World. Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry ABSTRACT- Global 3D Machine Vision Market to Reach $2.9 Billion by 2026 Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for 3D Machine Vision estimated at US$1.7 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$2.9 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.7% over the analysis period. Hardware, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record 9.5% CAGR and reach US$2.1 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Software segment is readjusted to a revised 10% CAGR for the next 7-year period. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $502.3 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $460.9 Million by 2026 The 3D Machine Vision market in the U.S. is estimated at US$502.3 Million in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$460.9 Million by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 9.1% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 8.9% and 7.9% respectively over the 2020-2027 period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 7.9% CAGR. More MarketGlass Platform Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide. Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years. CONTACTS: Zak Ali Director, Corporate Communications Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Phone: 1-408-528-9966 www.StrategyR.com Email: [email protected] LINKS Join Our Expert Panel https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp Connect With Us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./ Follow Us on Twitter https://twitter.com/marketbytes Journalists & Media [email protected] SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Related Links http://www.strategyr.com FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 16; Released: August 2021 Executive Pool: 1997 Companies: 68 - Players covered include Amkor Technology, Inc.; ASE Technology Holding, Co., Ltd.; Broadcom Ltd.; Intel Corporation; Pure Storage, Inc.; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC); United Microelectronics Corporation and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Product (Memory, MEMS, CMOS Image Sensors, Imaging & Optoelectronics, Advanced LED Packaging, Other Products); End-Use (Consumer Electronics; Information & Communication Technology; Automotive; Military, Aerospace & Defense; Other End-Uses) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific; Rest of World. Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry ABSTRACT- Global 3D TSV Devices Market to Reach $12.7 Billion by 2026 Three-Dimensional (3D) Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) technology is steadily gaining image as the highly-advanced semiconductor packaging model that dramatically improves chip performance and functionality. A breakthrough System-in-Package (SiP) model, 3D TSV basically focuses on making interconnects to stack multiple dies, by drilling via-holes that are later filled with conductive material such as copper, to fabricate integrated chips (ICs) with high-level performance and space efficiency attributes. Driven by growing demand from global electronics manufacturers for innovative, high-performance chip architectures and designs in advanced packaging with superior performance, power consumption, and form factor features, 3D TSV technology has made robust progress within the global semiconductor sector. While the trends in the global electronics sector continue to put focus on advanced wafer packaging technologies such as 3D TSV technology, factors such as expanding Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) sector, stupendous increase in communications services providers (CSPs) operations, intensified activity in corporate data centers, and growing proliferation of cloud computing services are placing laser focus on 3D TSV. Over the past few years, the global electronics sector has been witnessing progressive advancements in all the core segments including consumer electronics, automotive electronics, medical electronics, and defense electronics among others. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for 3D TSV Devices estimated at US$4.2 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$12.7 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 20.5% over the analysis period. Memory, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 19.9% CAGR to reach US$4.5 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Mems segment is readjusted to a revised 21.6% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 22.2% share of the global 3D TSV Devices market. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $808.8 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $3.4 Billion by 2026 The 3D TSV Devices market in the U.S. is estimated at US$808.8 Million in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 16.73% share in the global market. China, the world second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$3.4 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 24.4% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 15.7% and 17.1% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 15.6% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$4.3 Billion by the close of the analysis period. Asia-Pacific (including China and Japan) is spearheading growth in the global 3D TSV market, led by countries such as China, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia that are key centers for the production of consumer electronics and automobiles. The growing demand for silicon wafers in the production of smartphones and the implementation of 5G technology, are particularly fueling market growth in the region. In 2019, collective laserassisted bonding process for 3D TSV integration using nonconductive paste (NCP) was developed in South Korea. This allows the simultaneous stacking of many TSV dies to enhance productivity, while keeping the solder joints reliable using LAB (laserassisted bonding) technology. Growth of the Asian 3D TSV market is also being fostered by the rising adoption of new memory technology and the presence of key market players in the region. In Europe and North America, increasing R&D activities related to 3D IC design is aiding market growth. The rising 3D packaging with the use of TSV technology in the semiconductor sector is being fueled by the requirement to enhance performance and lower time delays. Also, the growing use of TSV technology for functional integration along with wafer fabrication and assembly in the semiconductor sector is spurring market growth. Europe is at the forefront in terms of 3D TSV technology, given the presence of various R&D companies. In Latin America, the 3D TSV market is gaining from the rising demand for various electronic products. In the region, Brazil is a main market for cell phones, computers and other consumer electronics. CMOS Image Sensors Segment to Reach $1.7 Billion by 2026 In the global CMOS Image Sensors segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 18.9% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$390.7 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$1.3 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$570.9 Million by the year 2026. More MarketGlass Platform Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide. Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years. CONTACTS: Zak Ali Director, Corporate Communications Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Phone: 1-408-528-9966 www.StrategyR.com Email: [email protected] LINKS Join Our Expert Panel https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp Connect With Us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./ Follow Us on Twitter https://twitter.com/marketbytes Journalists & Media [email protected] SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Related Links http://www.strategyr.com DUBLIN, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Data Center Colocation Services Growth Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global colocation services market continues to maintain its growth streak through the pandemic and is expected to continue on a high growth trajectory over the next 5 to 7 years. Key factors that will drive growth during this period are increasing demand from hyperscale data centers, high levels of investment pouring in, significant increase in data creation and consumption, high volumes of data traffic fuelled by emerging technologies, such as 5G, edge, IoT, along with AI/ML developments, ever-increasing enterprise outsourcing, increasing adoption of hybrid-cloud, and the high degree of data center activity in emerging economies. Colocation services are driven significantly by the increasing need for hyperscale capacity from the enterprises primarily from public cloud services provider segments. The contribution to demand is expected to continue throughout the forecast period. Hyperscale data centers are expected to increase from 509 data centers in 2019 to 890 in 2025 at a CAGR of 9.76%. Most development is expected to happen in Asia and North America. Asia-Pacific is expected to have a majority share in hyper-scale data centers globally, with more than 40% of the market share by 2030. North America's market share is expected to decline gradually during this period. Europe is expected to see its hyper-scale market share maintained between 19% to 20% as development in secondary markets and key locations of the Nordics and Eastern Europe drive growth in the continent. As the enterprise outsourcing boom continues, companies are becoming more aware about the benefits of using third-party data center services; there is a better understanding and appreciation of the benefits of leveraging specialist service providers to facilitate their IT operations and mitigate risks. Enterprises are implementing multiple infrastructure options to ensure optimal deployment of each application. The shift from capital to operating expenses and decreased hardware maintenance burden will motivate enterprises to adopt third-party data center services. Data creation has increased manifold due to increased penetration of internet-enabled devices and industrial sensors, such as IoT devices, leading to high demand for data transfer and data storage systems. This has led to massive investments in data centers across the globe. This increase in data center investment, mainly from technology firms will be a key driver for market growth. Cloud investments are mainly driven by North American technology firms that are investing heavily in hyperscale facilities across the globe. The data center industry is also witnessing a massive wave of investment activity from special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and marquee investors; this is expected to take M&A activities to the next level in the coming years. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to become a hub for data center construction as companies in China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan try to take advantage of the coming boom in data creation due to 5G technology. The APAC colocation services market is the largest in the world with a revenue contribution of 41% in 2020. APAC is expected to become a hub for data center construction as companies in China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan invest to take advantage of the coming boom in data creation due to 5G technology. India is a key market to watch out for in APAC. It offers tremendous growth potential over the forecast period with an estimated CAGR of 22%. It is one of the fastest growing data center market in the world and is expected to emerge as the next hub of APAC during the forecast period. North America is the second largest market in the world for colocation services; even though NA is expected to maintain its second position throughout the forecast period, its overall global revenue share is expected to gradually decline over the forecast period. Key Topics Covered: 1. Strategic Imperatives Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on Data Center Colocation Services Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine 2. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Data Center Colocation Services Data Center Colocation Services Scope of Analysis Data Center Colocation Services Segmentation Key Competitors for Data Center Colocation Services Key Growth Metrics for Data Center Colocation Services Data Center Colocation Services Market - Market Trends Hybrid Colocation - Cloud-on-ramps Fuel Hybrid Cloud Adoption Sustainability Takes Center Stage Energy Storage - The Lithium-ion Era Growth of Hyperscale - The Juggernaut Pushes On Robotics - The Next Phase of Data Center Automation Market Consolidation - M&As and JVs at an All-time High Edge Computing - Rise of Distributed Intelligence Artificial Intelligence - Optimizing Data Center Performance Growth Drivers for Data Center Colocation Services Growth Restraints for Data Center Colocation Services Forecast Assumptions - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Forecast - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Forecast Analysis - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Forecast by Industry Vertical - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Forecast Analysis by Industry Vertical - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Forecast by Service Type - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Forecast Analysis by Service Type - Data Center Colocation Services Competitive Environment - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Share - Data Center Colocation Services Revenue Share Analysis - Data Center Colocation Services 3. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Data Center Colocation Services: North America 4. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Data Center Colocation Services: Europe 5. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Data Center Colocation Services: APAC 6. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Data Center Colocation Services: Rest of World 7. Growth Opportunity Universe - Data Center Colocation Services Growth Opportunity 1: New Product Development for Market Expansion Growth Opportunity 2: Geographic Expansion for Revenue Acceleration Growth Opportunity 3: Edge and Modular Data Centers for Latency Needs Growth Opportunity 4: Capitalize on Cloud Growth for Revenue Diversification Growth Opportunity 5: Enhanced Value Proposition for Competitive Differentiation 8. Next Steps For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bmopwd Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry ABSTRACT- Global Focused Ion Beam Market to Reach $1.3 Billion by 2026 Focused ion beam, or FIB, refers to a technique that is used primarily in the semiconductor industry as well as the in the fields of materials science and biology for the purpose of site specifically analyzing, imaging, depositing, milling, machining, manipulating, and ablating materials. The operation of a FIB instrument is somewhat similar to that of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), with the exception that FIB utilizes a beam of ions, while SEM uses a beam of electrons for imaging the sample within the chamber. FIB can also be integrated with scanning electron microscopy into a single dual-beam system with both ion and electron beam columns, thereby allowing the investigation of the same feature through the use of either of the two beams. However, FIB is quite different from direct-write ion beam lithography, such as proton beam writing, which also utilizes a beam of focused ions, but in which the modification of materials occurs through other mechanisms. Most commercially available FIB systems currently use liquid metal ion sources, particularly gallium ion sources. In addition, elemental iridium and gold-based ion sources are available. In a gallium-based liquid metal ion source, gallium is placed in close proximity to a tungsten needle and heated to a liquid state, wetting the tungsten and flowing to the needle tip, where the opposing surface tension forces and application of a strong electric field results in the formation of a cusp-shaped tip known as a Taylor cone. The radius of the tip of the cone is as small as 2 nm. The application of a large electric field on this extremely small tip results in ionization as well as field emission of gallium atoms. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Focused Ion Beam estimated at US$826.7 Million in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$1.3 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 8.2% over the analysis period. Ga+ Liquid Metal, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 9.1% CAGR to reach US$916.9 Million by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Gas Field segment is readjusted to a revised 6.1% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 21.7% share of the global Focused Ion Beam market. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $301 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $178.8 Million by 2026 The Focused Ion Beam market in the U.S. is estimated at US$301 Million in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 34.1% share in the global market. China, the world second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$178.8 Million in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 10.8% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 6.6% and 7.5% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 8.6% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$194.4 Million by the close of the analysis period. Growing focus on semiconductor failure analysis is expected to drive demand for focused ion beam technology. Electronic components can have multiple failure modes, which can be classified in many different ways, such as by cause or time. Failures could occur due to various causes, including impact or stress, mechanical shock, ionizing radiation, excess voltage or current and excess temperature. In semiconductor devices, issues related to device packaging can cause failures owing to short or open circuits, mechanical stress on the device, and contamination. Failures typically occur either in the early stages of the part's lifetime or close to the ending stages. Burn-in procedures are typically utilized for detecting early failures. There are various critical applications that use a wide array of electronic components, including computers, railway signals, telecommunications, life support systems, and aerospace systems. Analyzing the different causes of failures in specific electronic components can prove helpful in creating more reliable product designs. For instance, a resistor's power-handling capability can significantly deteriorate upon its application in high-altitude aircraft. A sudden fail-open fault could cause numerous secondary failures in case it is fast and the circuit has an inductance, which could lead to causing large spikes in voltage exceeding 500 volts. A damaged chip metallization could consequently result in secondary overvoltage damage. In addition, thermal runaway could end up causing catastrophic failures, such as melting, explosions, or fire. In recent years, FIB has been gaining widespread popularity for its application in the field of microcircuit failure analysis. The use of FIB system milling for cross section enables engineers in reviewing and verifying the faults at specific locations. FIB systems can also be utilized for removing the local passivation layer for exposing underlying metal lines for liquid crystal analysis, emission microscopy, or electron or mechanical beam probing. A FIB system is also sometimes needed in local circuit testing for localizing the defect. The FIB system is required for forming probe pads or cutting polysilicon and metallization lines for isolating interconnections. In addition, the FIB system's passive voltage contrast is commonly utilized in integrated circuit failure analysis for locating opens and shorts within the circuitry. FIB is also gaining widespread prominence as a technique for performing failure analysis of very large scale integrations. The benefit offered by FIB in terms of the beam accurately targeting an extremely small surface area, the defect's location can be determined without disrupting the surrounding circuit, thus enabling a more efficient and quick failure analysis as compared to other methods. Plasma Segment to Reach $234.8 Million by 2026 In the global Plasma segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 7.4% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$127.1 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$209.7 Million by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$21.3 Million by the year 2026. More MarketGlass Platform Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide. Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years. CONTACTS: Zak Ali Director, Corporate Communications Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Phone: 1-408-528-9966 www.StrategyR.com Email: [email protected] LINKS Join Our Expert Panel https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp Connect With Us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./ Follow Us on Twitter https://twitter.com/marketbytes Journalists & Media [email protected] SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Related Links http://www.strategyr.com DUBLIN, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Health Information Exchange Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Set Up, Type, Implementation Model, Application, End User, and Deployment, and Geography" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The health information exchange market was valued at US$ 1,411.56 million in 2020 and is projected to reach US$ 3,326.98 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.31% during 2020-2028. The market growth is primarily attributed to the rising government support for the adoption of EMR/EHR systems and growing emphasis on healthcare cost optimization. However, the data security and privacy concerns hamper the market growth. The rapid growth of health information technology has led to the increase in exchange of patient medical information through electronic health records (EHRs). The systems can collect patient information as well as share the information with other healthcare professionals involved in the patient's care. The governments, healthcare authorities, and market players are actively supporting the adoption of EHR systems to streamline the process of healthcare activities. Moreover, the systems enable efficient data gathering and exchange, allowing healthcare professionals to enhance the quality of the treatment. In 2009, the federal government of the US announced allocation of US$ 27.0 billion as an incentive program for hospitals and healthcare providers to encourage the adoption of EHR/EMR as a part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. Moreover, additional fund allocations were announced to train and educate health information technology workers to implement EHRs to streamline the healthcare information exchange and record keeping activities. In 2001, the government of Canada launched a strategic initiative to modernize its ICT infrastructure in healthcare and promote the adoption of EHRs. According to a data published on NCBI, in 2015, around 91.0% of the Canadians had their data registered on EHRs, and an estimated 91,000 physicians were using EHR systems for day-to-day work. Moreover, according to a survey conducted by Canadian Medical Association in 2017, around 85.0% of the physicians in the country were using EMR systems. Also, as per estimates published by the Canada Health Infoway in 2020, EHR data is available for around 93.8% Canadians. In 2002, England announced a launch of the National Plan for IT, a new initiative to enhance the functionalities of existing healthcare system. Moreover, in 2012, the government passed the Health and Social Care Act to use patient's information for research purpose. Such initiatives in the UK are anticipated to drive the adoption of EHR systems in the country. In Germany, an estimated 90% of physicians in private practice are using EHR systems as of 2020. Further, according to a data published on NCBI in 2020, the EHR adoption rate in New Zealand has reached around 97%. Also, the government of India has launched the Transforming India Mission to generate digital health records of all the Indian citizens by 2022. Such government initiatives are expected to drive the adoption of EHR systems, which will eventually propel the growth of the health information exchange market by 2028. The health information exchange market is witnessing substantial growth amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A few factors such as higher emphasis on the utilization of healthcare IT infrastructure for data transfer, ease of use, and cost optimization are propelling the adoption of health information exchange during the pandemic. For instance, during the pandemic, in March 2020, HealtHIE Nevada (US), increased its patient data exchange by 36% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the growing patient volumes, the demand for EMR and EHR platforms to manage complex patient data has increased, which ultimately accelerated the market growth during the pandemic. Reasons to Buy Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the health information exchange market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global health information exchange market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin security interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Health Information Exchange Market - Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Coverage 3.2 Secondary Research 3.3 Primary Research 4. Global Health Information Exchange Market- Market Landscape 4.1 Overview 4.2 PEST Analysis 4.2.1 Health Information Exchange Market in North America: PEST Analysis 4.2.2 Health Information Exchange Market in Europe: PEST Analysis 4.2.3 Health Information Exchange Market in Asia Pacific: PEST Analysis 4.2.4 Health Information Exchange Market in Middle East and Africa: PEST Analysis 4.2.5 Health Information Exchange Market in South and Central America: PEST Analysis 4.3 Expert Opinions 5. Health Information Exchange Market - Key Market Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Government Support for Adoption of EMR/EHR Systems 5.1.2 Growing Emphasis on Healthcare Cost Optimization 5.2 Market Restraints 5.2.1 Data Security and Privacy Concerns 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Increasing Potential in Emerging Economies 5.4 Future Trends 5.4.1 Next Generation HIE with the Help of Artificial Intelligence and Voice Recognition 5.5 Impact Analysis 6. Health Information Exchange Market - Global Analysis 6.1 Global Health Information Exchange Market Revenue Forecast and Analysis 6.2 Global Health Information Exchange Market, By Geography - Forecast And Analysis 6.3 Market Positioning of Key Players 7. Health Information Exchange Market Analysis - By Set Up 7.1 Overview 7.2 Health Information Exchange Market, by Set Up 2020 & 2028 (%) 7.3 Public 7.3.1 Overview 7.3.2 Public: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 7.4 Private 7.4.1 Overview 7.4.2 Private: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8. Health Information Exchange Market Analysis - By Type 8.1 Overview 8.2 Health Information Exchange Market Revenue Share, by Type (2020 and 2028) 8.3 Query Based 8.3.1 Overview 8.3.2 Query-Based: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8.4 Direct Mediated 8.4.1 Overview 8.4.2 Direct Mediated: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8.5 Consumer Medicated 8.5.1 Overview 8.5.2 Consumer Medicated: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9. Health Information Exchange Market Analysis - By Implementation Model 9.1 Overview 9.2 Health Information Exchange Market Revenue Share, by Implementation Model (2020 and 2028) 9.3 Centralized 9.3.1 Overview 9.3.2 Centralized: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9.4 Decentralized 9.4.1 Overview 9.4.2 Decentralized: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9.5 Hybrid 9.5.1 Overview 9.5.2 Hybrid: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 10. Health Information Exchange Market Analysis - By Application 10.1 Overview 10.2 Health Information Exchange Market Revenue Share, by Application (2020 and 2028) 10.3 Workflow Management 10.3.1 Overview 10.3.2 Workflow Management: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 10.4 Internal Interfacing 10.4.1 Overview 10.4.2 Internal Interfacing: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 10.5 Web Portal Development 10.5.1 Overview 10.5.2 Web Portal Development: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 10.6 Other Application 10.6.1 Overview 10.6.2 Other Application: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 11. Health Information Exchange Analysis - By End User 11.1 Overview 11.2 Health Information Exchange Share, by End User, 2020 and 2028, (%) 11.3 Healthcare Providers 11.3.1 Overview 11.3.2 Healthcare Providers: Health Information Exchange - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 11.4 Healthcare Payers 11.4.1 Overview 11.4.2 Healthcare Payers: Health Information Exchange - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 11.5 Pharmacies 11.5.1 Overview 11.5.2 Pharmacies: Health Information Exchange - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 12. Health Information Exchange Market Analysis - By Deployment 12.1 Overview 12.2 Health Information Exchange Market Revenue Share, by Deployment (2020 and 2028) 12.3 On-Premise 12.3.1 Overview 12.3.2 On-Premise: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 12.4 Cloud Based 12.4.1 Overview 12.4.2 Internal Interfacing: Health Information Exchange Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 13. Global Health Information Exchange Market - Geographical Analysis 14. Impact Of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Health Information Exchange Market 14.1 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 14.2 Europe: Impact Assessment Of COVID-19 Pandemic 14.3 Asia-Pacific: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 14.4 Middle East and Africa: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 14.5 South and Central America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 15. Health Information Exchange Market- Industry Landscape 15.1 Overview 15.2 Growth Strategies Done by the Companies in the Market, (%) 15.3 Organic Developments 15.3.1 Overview 15.4 Inorganic Developments 15.4.1 Overview 16. Company Profiles 16.1 Health Catalyst, Inc. 16.1.1 Key Facts 16.1.2 Business Description 16.1.3 Products and Services 16.1.4 Financial Overview 16.1.5 SWOT Analysis 16.1.6 Key Developments 16.2 Nextgen Healthcare Information System, LLC 16.2.1 Key Facts 16.2.2 Business Description 16.2.3 Products and Services 16.2.4 Financial Overview 16.2.5 SWOT Analysis 16.2.6 Key Developments 16.3 McKesson Corporation 16.3.1 Key Facts 16.3.2 Business Description 16.3.3 Products and Services 16.3.4 Financial Overview 16.3.5 SWOT Analysis 16.3.6 Key Developments 16.4 Optum, Inc. 16.4.1 Key Facts 16.4.2 Business Description 16.4.3 Products and Services 16.4.4 Financial Overview 16.4.5 SWOT Analysis 16.4.6 Key Developments 16.5 Oracle Corporation 16.5.1 Key Facts 16.5.2 Business Description 16.5.3 Products and Services 16.5.4 Financial Overview 16.5.5 SWOT Analysis 16.5.6 Key Developments 16.6 eClinicalWorks 16.6.1 Key Facts 16.6.2 Business Description 16.6.3 Products and Services 16.6.4 Financial Overview 16.6.5 SWOT Analysis 16.6.6 Key Developments 16.7 Allscripts Healthcare, LLC 16.7.1 Key Facts 16.7.2 Business Description 16.7.3 Products and Services 16.7.4 Financial Overview 16.7.5 SWOT Analysis 16.7.6 Key Developments 16.8 General Electric Company 16.8.1 Key Facts 16.8.2 Business Description 16.8.3 Products and Services 16.8.4 Financial Overview 16.8.5 SWOT Analysis 16.8.6 Key Developments 16.9 Cerner Corporation 16.9.1 Key Facts 16.9.2 Business Description 16.9.3 Products and Services 16.9.4 Financial Overview 16.9.5 SWOT Analysis 16.9.6 Key Developments 16.10 Orion Health group of companies 16.10.1 Key Facts 16.10.2 Business Description 16.10.3 Products and Services 16.10.4 Financial Overview 16.10.5 SWOT Analysis 16.10.6 Key Developments 17. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xq391i Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com DUBLIN, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Laboratory Freezers Market by Product (Cryopreservation, Plasma Freezer, Explosion-Proof Freezer, Enzyme Freezer, Ultra-Low Freezer, Blood Bank Refrigerator, Pharmacy Refrigerator, Chromatography Refrigerator), End-user (Hospitals), and Region - Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global laboratory freezers market is projected to reach USD 5.7 billion by 2026 from USD 4.7 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 4.9%. The laboratory freezers market has shown a significant rise in demand in 2020 and 2021 as they are extensively used for the proper storage of COVID-19 vaccines. The laboratory freezers market during 2022-2026 may show growth if booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines are made mandatory during the forecast period. The freezers segment holds the highest market share, by products, in the laboratory freezers market, in the forecast period On the basis of products, the laboratory freezers market is segmented into freezers, refrigerators, and cryopreservation systems. In 2020, the freezers segment accounted for the largest share of 52.4% of the market. The large share of this segment can be attributed to their utility in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and academic and research institutes to support vaccine development and in medical laboratories and hospitals for storing test samples. The ultra-low-temperature freezers segment to grow at the highest CAGR in the freezers market, in the forecast period The freezers market is segmented into enzyme freezers, plasma freezers, explosion-proof freezers, flammable material freezers, laboratory freezers, and ultra-low-temperature freezers. The ultra-low-temperature freezers segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Growth in this segment is largely driven by the utility of these freezers to store sensitive stem cells, virus samples, bone grafts, and other biological samples used for research purposes. The laboratory refrigerators segment has the highest market share in the refrigerators market, in the forecast period In this report, the refrigerators market is further segmented into blood bank refrigerators, chromatography refrigerators, explosion-proof refrigerators, flammable material refrigerators, laboratory refrigerators, and pharmacy refrigerators. The large share laboratory refrigerators segment is due to the utility of these products in the short-term storage of test samples in medical laboratories, hospitals, and clinics. These refrigerators meet routine laboratory storage requirements and simplify laboratory operations. North America holds the largest share in the laboratory freezers market, by region, in the forecast period The laboratory freezers market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The large share of the North American region is mainly due to the high healthcare expenditure in the US & Canada and the growing R&D spending on pharmaceuticals & biotechnology in this region. The presence of a large number of laboratory freezer and refrigerator manufacturers in the region also plays a pivotal role in boosting market growth, with the adoption of advanced laboratory freezers by different end-user segments. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Laboratory Freezers Market Overview 4.2 North America: Laboratory Freezers Market, by Product 4.3 Laboratory Freezers Market: Geographic Mix 4.4 Regional Mix: Laboratory Freezers Market 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Market Drivers 5.2.1.1 Rollout of COVID-19 Vaccines Requiring Freezer Storage 5.2.1.2 Increasing Demand for Blood and Blood Components for Transfusion and for Support in Cancer Therapy 5.2.1.3 Growing Number of Organ Transplant Procedures 5.2.1.4 Technological Advancements in Laboratory Freezers and Refrigerators 5.2.2 Market Restraints 5.2.2.1 Growing Use of Refurbished Laboratory Freezers 5.2.3 Market Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Vaccine Development for Emerging Infectious Diseases 5.2.3.2 Rising Growth Opportunities in Developing Countries 5.2.4 Market Challenges 5.2.4.1 Lack of Awareness of the Utility of Specialized Lab Freezers and Refrigerators 5.3 Scenarios: Pessimistic, Realistic, and Optimistic 5.3.1 Laboratory Freezers Market 5.4 COVID-19 Impact Analysis 5.4.1 COVID-19 Health Assessment 5.5 COVID-19 Economic Assessment 5.6 Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 on the Economic Scenario 5.7 Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 on the Economic Scenario in the Laboratory Freezers Market 5.8 Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customers' Businesses (YC-YCC) 5.8.1 Laboratory Freezers Market 5.8.1.1 Revenue Sources are Shifting Towards More Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Solutions 5.9 Average Selling Price Trend 5.10 Ecosystem/Market Map 5.11 Value Chain Analysis 5.12 Patent Analysis: Ultra-Low-Temperature Freezers 5.13 Case Study Analysis 5.14 Technological Analysis: Ultra-Low-Temperature Freezers 5.15 Regulatory Landscape 5.16 Trade Analysis: Key Markets for Import/Export (Ultra-Low-Temperature Freezers) 5.17 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 6 Laboratory Freezers Market, by Product 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Freezers 6.2.1 Ultra-Low-Temperature Freezers 6.2.1.1 Rising Demand for Ultra-Low-Temperature Freezers for COVID-19 Vaccine Storage to Drive Market Growth 6.2.2 Laboratory Freezers 6.2.2.1 Growing Number of Diagnostic Tests to Support the Growth of the Laboratory Freezers Market 6.2.3 Plasma Freezers 6.2.3.1 Increasing Demand for Plasma in Therapeutic and Research Applications to Drive Growth in this Market 6.2.4 Enzyme Freezers 6.2.4.1 Growing Use of Enzymes in Research and Biotechnology Applications to Drive Market Growth 6.2.5 Explosion-Proof Freezers 6.2.5.1 Growing Awareness and Safety Concerns in Hazardous Laboratory Settings to Boost the Growth of this Market 6.2.6 Flammable Material Freezers 6.2.6.1 Need to Maintain a Safe Environment to Ensure Sample Integrity of Valuable Flammables to Boost the Growth of this Market 6.3 Refrigerators 6.3.1 Laboratory Refrigerators 6.3.1.1 Need to Meet Routine Laboratory Storage Requirements and Simplify Laboratory Operations to Drive the Growth of this Market 6.3.2 Blood Bank Refrigerators 6.3.2.1 Need for Blood and Blood Products for Transfusion During Surgical Procedures to Promote the Growth of this Segment 6.3.3 Pharmacy Refrigerators 6.3.3.1 Development of an Increasing Number of Innovative Drug Formulations That Require Storage Under Specific Temperature Conditions is Driving the Demand for Pharmacy Refrigerators 6.3.4 Flammable Material Refrigerators 6.3.4.1 Rising Awareness on Safety Standards and Practices in the Use of Flammable Materials to Drive Growth in this Market Segment 6.3.5 Explosion-Proof Refrigerators 6.3.5.1 Increasing Awareness on the Importance of Maintaining Safety in the Laboratory Workplace to Drive the Growth of this Market 6.3.6 Chromatography Refrigerators 6.3.6.1 Growing Number of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies to Propel the Growth of the Market 6.4 Cryopreservation Systems 6.4.1 Need for Appropriate Cryopreservation Storage Systems to Ensure Sample Integrity to Drive the Growth of this Segment 7 Laboratory Freezers Market, by End-user 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies 7.2.1 High Demand for Temperature-Controlled Storage of Pharmaceuticals and Biological Molecules in this End-user Segment to Drive Market Growth 7.3 Blood Banks 7.3.1 Increasing Demand for Whole Blood and Blood Products Driving the Growth of this End-user Segment 7.4 Pharmacies 7.4.1 Need for Proper Storage of Vaccines to Propel the Growth of this End-user Segment 7.5 Academic & Research Institutes 7.5.1 Focus on COVID-19 Research Has Boosted the Growth of this End-user Segment 7.6 Hospitals 7.6.1 Increasing Government Support for Public Hospitals and Improvements in Healthcare Infrastructure to Drive Growth in this End-user Segment 7.7 Medical Laboratories 7.7.1 Rising Volume of Diagnostic Testing in Laboratories to Promote the Growth of this End-user Segment 8 Laboratory Freezers Market, by Region 9 Competitive Landscape 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Key Player Strategies/Right to Win 9.2.1 Overview of Strategies Adopted by Players in the Laboratory Freezers Market 9.3 Revenue Share Analysis 9.3.1 Revenue Analysis for Key Players in the Laboratory Freezers Market 9.4 Market Share Analysis 9.4.1 Laboratory Freezers Market (2020) 9.5 Company Evaluation Quadrant 9.5.1 Company Evaluation Quadrant: Laboratory Freezers Market 9.5.1.1 Stars 9.5.1.2 Pervasive Players 9.5.1.3 Emerging Leaders 9.5.1.4 Participants 9.6 Competitive Leadership Mapping for Start-Ups (2020) 9.6.1 Progressive Companies 9.6.2 Dynamic Companies 9.6.3 Starting Blocks 9.6.4 Responsive Companies 9.7 Competitive Benchmarking 9.7.1 Company Product/Service Footprint (20 Companies) 9.8 Competitive Situations and Trends 9.8.1 Product Launches & Approvals 9.8.2 Deals 9.8.3 Other Developments 10 Company Profiles 10.1 Key Players 10.1.1 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. 10.1.2 Haier Biomedical 10.1.3 Phc Holdings Corporation 10.1.4 Eppendorf AG 10.1.5 Avantor, Inc. 10.1.6 Helmer Scientific 10.1.7 Middleby Corporation (Follett Products, LLC) 10.1.8 Liebherr 10.1.9 Felix Storch, Inc. 10.1.10 Biolife Solutions, Inc. (Stirling Ultracold) 10.1.11 Blue Star Limited 10.1.12 Philipp Kirsch GmbH 10.1.13 B Medical Systems 10.1.14 Standex International Corporation 10.1.15 Evermed S.R.L. 10.1.16 Arctiko A/S 10.1.17 Vestfrost Solutions A/S 10.1.18 Glen Dimplex Medical Appliances (LEC Medical) 10.2 Other Emerging Players 10.2.1 So-Low Environmental Equipment Co. Ltd. 10.2.2 Changhong Meiling Co. Ltd. 10.2.3 KW Apparecchi Scientifici Srl 10.2.4 Jeio Tech 10.2.5 Refrigerated Solutions Group 10.2.6 Stericox India Private Limited 10.2.7 Thalheimer Kuhlung 10.2.8 Antylia Scientific 11 Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ote8y1 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com DUBLIN, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Accu-Chek Inform II, Freestyle Lite), by Region (North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, MEA), and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global point-of-care glucose testing market size is expected to reach USD 4.1 billion by 2028 growing at a CAGR of 3.9% An increase in the demand for point-of-care testing (POCT) has been witnessed in recent years. As compared to the conventional laboratory testing performed central lab settings, glucose POCT aids in performing effective diagnosis at the patient's bedside. Easy and convenient operation of POCT has largely favored the growing usage of glucose meters across medical settings. The demand for performing bedside monitoring of blood sugar levels efficiently in a capillary blood sample and the need to ensure better management of carbohydrate metabolism has propelled the point-of-care glucose testing market players to launch innovative glucose meters in the market. Various companies are investing in the development of needle-less blood glucose monitoring devices to offer painless management of diabetes in patients. For instance, GlucoTrack - a product manufactured by Integrity Applications (Israel) performs quantification using electromagnetic, ultrasonic, and thermal waves in combination. In addition, Eversense is another painless glucose monitoring subcutaneous implant offered by Senseonics. This implant is able to quantify glucose levels in interstitial fluid when placed beneath the skin. This is followed by data transmission to show the results in real time. The latest no-code monitoring systems help in minimizing the errors that occur due to incorrect entry of strip codes. Whereas, others are incorporating noble metals such as silver, gold, and platinum which effectively reduces the electrical noise further improving accuracy. Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market Report Highlights Accu-Chek Inform II accounted for the largest revenue share in 2018 and is anticipated to maintain this trend throughout the forecast period. Bayer CONTOUR blood glucose monitoring system is set to grow with a CAGR of 5.5% from 2019-2025. In terms of volume, the i-STAT ranked above all owing to its multipurpose utility in the diagnostics industry. North America is the leading regional market due to the higher penetration of novel diagnostic techniques. is the leading regional market due to the higher penetration of novel diagnostic techniques. Asia Pacific has registered the fastest growth rate owing to numerous untapped growth opportunities in diagnostics and ever-increasing prevalence of diabetes. has registered the fastest growth rate owing to numerous untapped growth opportunities in diagnostics and ever-increasing prevalence of diabetes. A robust network of local manufacturers has significantly contributed to the revenue generated in this region Some of the key market participants are F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Abbott, LifeScan, Inc., and Nova Biomedical among others. Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Market Variables, Trends & Scope 3.1 Market Dynamics 3.1.1 Market Driver Analysis 3.1.1.1 Introduction of CLIA waived tests 3.1.1.2 Growing prevalence of diabetes 3.1.1.3 Rising demand for short turnaround time glucose POC testing 3.1.2 Market Restraint Analysis 3.1.2.1 Potential interference and calibration issues in glucose meters 3.1.2.2 Presence of ambiguous regulatory as well as reimbursement framework 3.2 Point-of-Care (POC) Glucose Testing Market Analysis Tools 3.2.1 Industry Analysis - Porter's 3.2.2 PESTEL Analysis 3.3 Point-of-Care (POC) Glucose Testing Market: Covid-19 Impact Analysis Chapter 4 Point-of-Care (POC) Glucose Testing: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis 4.1 Definitions and Scope 4.2 Product Market Share Analysis 4.3 Segment Dashboard 4.4 Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2016 to 2028 for the following 4.5 Accu-Check Aviva Meter 4.6 Onetouch Verio Flex 4.7 i-STAT 4.8 Freestyle Lite 4.9 Bayer CONTOUR Blood Glucose Monitoring System 4.10 True Metrix 4.11 Accu-Check Inform II 4.12 StatStrip Chapter 5 Point-of-care (POC) Glucose Testing Market: Regional Market Analysis, 2016-2028 (Value) (USD Million) 5.1 Market share analysis, 2020 & 2028 5.2 Regional Market Dashboard Chapter 6 Competitive Landscape 6.1 Company Overview 6.2 Financial Performance 6.3 Product Benchmarking 6.4 Recent Developments F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Abbott Nipro PlatInium Equity Advisors, LLC (Lifescan, Inc.) Nova Biomedical ACON Laboratories Trividia Health, Inc. Prodigy Diabetes Care, LLC Bayer AG/Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG EKF Diagnostics For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ydgkb7 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Download free sample report 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 Transformers market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Transformers 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/transformers-sourcing-and-procurement-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 Transformers 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 Transformers suppliers listed in this report: This Transformers procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies. Toshiba Corp. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Hitachi Ltd. Siemens AG 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 SCOTTSDALE. Ariz., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GO FIRST (formerly known as GoAir) announced a new sales and content distribution partnership with WorldTicket as its GDS sub hosting partner and Discover the World as its sales distribution partner. The tripartite global distribution partnership will strengthen GO FIRST's penetration in the international market and will enable the carrier to expand its inventory and services to more than 180 countries. WorldTicket and Discover the World are in sales partnership and the synergies between the two companies will assist GO FIRST to extend its global presence. The partnership will help GO FIRST in faster recovery post-Covid and bring in incremental business and mature loads. The agreement with WorldTicket will allow travel agents to easily book GO FIRST flights via their GDS. GO FIRST's code will be visible in the GDS for the first time with the prefix of W2 acting as marketing carrier. This will include all routes up to 11 months of the booking date. Kaushik Khona, CEO, GO FIRST, said: "We are excited to partner with Discover the World and WorldTicket to strengthen our international presence. DTW and WorldTicket are global leaders in global sales and distribution, and their combined expertise and reach will give impetus to our growth plans in the global market. The outsourcing of our global sales will open avenues for additional revenue streams while minimising risk." Discover the World, a leader in global sales and marketing representation, with its presence in the forefront, will help GO FIRST reach the travel companies, build market awareness and trust and drive growth. Peer Winter, VP Commercial Business Development at WorldTicket commented: "We are absolutely thrilled to enter into this global distribution partnership with GO FIRST and Discover the World, who will be acting as dedicated sales partner in many countries. Global OTAs, TMCs as well as Business Travel chains will finally be able to book seats on GO FIRST's flights via their preferred GDS, which will result in additional revenues and an optimized load factor for GO FIRST. By outsourcing their entire GDS distribution to WorldTicket/Flex Flight (W2), GO FIRST will be able to exploit new revenue streams resulting from global sales with a higher average revenue quality, without any risks and without any running costs. Moreover, GO FIRST will be able to use the same API integration to our 'Air connection engine' platform in order to potentially benefit from other services offered byour group such as Virtual Interlining including Thru Bag. By partnering with Discover the World, W2 and GO FIRST will benefit from 100% targeted sales based on historic market KPI's, which will contribute to generating large volumes for GO FIRST resulting from GDS Sales via W2." Aiden Walsh head of Airline Development for Discover the World said, "We are so delighted to work alongside GO FIRST and WorldTicket to bring these excellent products and innovative approach to our trade partners. We will be introducing and educating agents and we see great opportunities to grow sales especially with TMC's and Tour operators who in the past would not of consider GO FIRST as they could not be booked via the GDS. With WorldTicket GDS distribution and GO FIRST's excellent product offering, great value and on time performance, we see this as a winning combination for our trade partners." Discover the World will partner to offer Sales and Marketing to select markets. GO FIRST has been on a global expansion drive and this partnership will further fortify its plans to leverage international sectors. About GO FIRST: Founded as GoAir, GO FIRST, which was recently rebranded from GO AIR, is the aviation foray of 285-year-old Wadia Group that comprises leading brands including 150-year-old Bombay Burmah, 140-year-old Bombay Dyeing, 102-year-old Britannia Ltd., 67-year-old National Peroxide Limited, and a nine-year-old Bombay Realty. About Discover the World: Discover the World has earned a reputation as an innovative global sales representation leader in the travel industry through a worldwide network of 85 offices in more than 60 countries. With a portfolio of over 100 clients utilizing its sales, marketing and business process outsourcing services, the work of Discover the World has a direct positive impact on the growth of our clients and trade industry partners every day. SOURCE Discover the World BRENTFORD, England, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GSK NEXT, the disruptive innovation arm of the science-led global consumer healthcare company GSK, has set out to discover, incubate, and scale new businesses across the changing face of everyday health and wellbeing. As part of that effort, GSK NEXT has launched the Re/Wire Health Studio, an initiative that invites emerging consumer health and technology companies to partner with GSK's consumer division to provide better access to everyday health care, create seamless everyday health experiences, and improve health outcomes for consumers. The Re/Wire Health Studio is built to collaborate with startups focused on next generation diagnostic solutions that address evolving consumer needs. Each focus area is aligned with core ideas surrounding everyday health issues that are prevalent amongst consumers specifically related to: Oral Health Women's Health & Wellness Mental Resilience "If there's one thing the pandemic has taught us, it's that amazing solutions happen with the right collaborative spark. We're seeing huge disruption and partnership opportunities in the consumer health space and we're excited about fusing the trusted science and scale of GSK Consumer Healthcare with brilliant new thinkers and makers across everyday health," said GSK Vice President and Head of NEXT, Nick Tate. The Studio invites applications from innovative growth- and early-stage companies with disruptive technologies that will shape the future of consumer health. GSK welcomes startups from around the world to apply, but must be capable and prepared to launch in the U.S. with a minimum viable product or service in development or in-market. The Studio will identify strategic opportunities for startups to partner with GSK and provide the selected Studio companies with the market opportunities, guidance, and partnerships to build momentum towards scaling globally. R/GA Ventures will act as an operational partner in the Studio, contributing to the overall innovation strategy, startup selection, and nine-week Studio execution. The six startups selected will have access to R/GA's creative capital services with award-winning strategists, technologists, designers, and consultants to help them develop their businesses and prepare them for future milestones. Startup applications to participate in the Studio are now open through September 20, 2021. The final cohort will be selected by October 11, 2021. The Studio will kick off in November 2021 and run through January 2022. For more information about the Re/Wire Health Studio, please visit: rewirehealthstudio.com and follow @GSK and @rgaventures on Twitter. About GSK NEXT GSK NEXT is the strategic commercial growth engine for GSK Consumer Healthcare, focused on the creation and scaling of net-new product, service and platform businesses across everyday health. About R/GA Ventures R/GA Ventures helps industry leaders embrace disruption, connecting them with emerging startups, technologies and consumer behaviors to drive their businesses forward. Since 2013, R/GA Ventures has run 15 programs to date and has a portfolio of more than 90 companies across a variety of verticals. R/GA Ventures and R/GA are part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations. Learn more at ventures.rga.com and by following @rgaventures . SOURCE R/GA Ventures Related Links https://rewirehealthstudio.com/ HOUSTON, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GSV announced today the raise of a $1 Million Partner Preferred investment led by Golden Section Ventures (GSV) to drive expansion on their already significant growth. MXTR is the leader for marketing automation and lead management solutions for franchise and multi-location organizations. MXTR "The MXTR team are experts in their field. They know this problem well and are solving it fast. The rapid customer adoption is evidence of their knowledge and appreciation for the unique problems facing multi-location organizations in the franchise and manufacturing space," says Dougal Cameron, General Partner at GSV. "We are proud of our entire team, the product that has been built and the positive impact the MXTR platform delivers for our customers," stated Mickey Locey, MXTR President and Co-founder. "Now with the GSV investment, we are positioned nicely to expedite growth and continue on the vision that Joe and I have for the company." "The alignment with GSV is extremely exciting," stated Joe Mauro, MXTR Co-founder. "The GSV team brings expertise and experience building B2B SaaS companies. This relationship is going to equate to great things for our employees and our customers." "We love partnering with creative founders who have lived experience in their customer's shoes. There is no replacement for this kind of context. Joe Mauro and Mickey Locey are exactly the kind of founders we are looking for. We are confident this team will continue driving success for their customers, their team, and their industry," says Adam Day, General Partner at GSV. MXTR is the leader for marketing automation solutions for enterprises with franchise and dealer networks. The company's solutions help drive results from managing syndicated leads and coordinating marketing efforts across widespread brands and locations. For more information, please visit www.mxtrautomation.com. GSV is a Houston based investment fund specializing in early-stage B2B software companies at the inflection point of expansion. GSV partners with driven entrepreneurs to build great companies. The fund is excited to meet entrepreneurs who have a deep understanding of the end customer's problems and an existing product with demonstrated traction. For more information, please visit www.gstvc.com. MXTR Automation 1000 Commerce Park Dr, #300r Williamsport, PA 17701 https://mxtrautomation.com Golden Section Ventures 808 Travis Street, Suite 1406 Houston, Texas 77002 8889359359 https://gstvc.com [email protected] SOURCE GSV GLEN ALLEN, Va., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company (NYSE: HBB) announced today that Gregory H. Trepp, President and Chief Executive Officer; Michelle O. Mosier, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and R. Scott Tidey, Senior Vice President, Consumer Sales and Marketing, Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc., will participate in the Midwest IDEAS Investor Conference to be held virtually on August 25-26, 2021. The Company's presentation, which will be pre-recorded, is scheduled to be available at 7:00 am CST on August 25th and will be accessible through the conference site. The presentation will also be webcast and can be accessed through the conference website, the host's main website at www.IDEASconferences.com, and in the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.hamiltonbeachbrands.com. About Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company is a holding company for Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc., a leading designer, marketer, and distributor of a wide range of branded small electric household and specialty housewares appliances, as well as commercial products for restaurants, fast food chains, bars, and hotels. The Company's consumer brands include Hamilton Beach, Proctor Silex, Hamilton Beach Professional, Weston, TrueAir and Brightline personal care products. Hamilton Beach licenses the brands for Wolf Gourmet countertop appliances, CHI premium garment care products, and Clorox air purifiers. Hamilton Beach markets the Bartesian premium cocktail delivery system through an exclusive multiyear agreement. Through a partnership with HealthBeacon, Hamilton Beach is the exclusive marketer and distributor of a smart Injection Care Management System in the US and Canada under the brand name Hamilton Beach Health. Commercial brands include Hamilton Beach Commercial and Proctor Silex Commercial. For more information about Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company, visit the Company's website at www.hamiltonbeachbrands.com. About IDEAS Investor Conferences IDEAS Investor Conferences are sponsored by a group of buyside companies for the benefit of regional investment communities. The IDEAS Investor Conferences are held annually in Boston, Chicago and Dallas and are produced by Three Part Advisors, LLC. Additional information about the events can be located at www.IDEASconferences.com. SOURCE Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company Related Links http://www.hamiltonbeach.com Merge completion of global marketing services providers, HH Global and Adare International LONDON and CHICAGO, Aug. 17 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HH Global is pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of Adare International (including Purple Agency), from the private equity firm Endless LLP, following the signing of an agreement on Monday 21 June 2021. The combined business will generate approximately $2.1bn in annual sales. This deal will create a combined global business with over 4,000 employees and a presence in more than 65 countries, cementing HH Global's position as market leader. It will also allow stronger in-country operations, helping to propel seven of our local markets to achieve local annual run rates of over $50m revenue for the first time. Mike Perez, Group CEO of HH Global, expressed: "Following on from the successful integration of InnerWorkings in October last year, we are thrilled to join forces with Adare International. Welcoming new clients and colleagues on board is always an exciting process, and the strength of Adare International in these areas was a key motivation for our interest in acquiring them. I'm also particularly excited to enhance our capabilities in creative services in the healthcare and B2B sectors with Purple Agency, and to take advantage of the enhanced geographical reach and local revenue within their regional operations. The complementary nature of our business models and our shared passion for innovation, sustainability, and commitment to delivering outstanding services, assures me that this acquisition will allow us to continue to boost the growth momentum we have built over the last few years. On behalf of everyone at HH Global I would like to wish both employees and clients alike from Adare International a very warm welcome to the HH Global family." Andrew Dutton, Group CEO of Adare International, is also excited for what the merge will mean for the future, stating "Having been the CEO of Adare International since 2016, I have had the privilege of helping to grow our business into the exceptional marketing services provider it is today. Our dedication for delivering innovative, integrated marketing solutions to clients around the world aligns perfectly with the strengths of HH Global, making us confident that this partnership represents the best path for our company going forwards." About HH Global Founded in 1991, HH Global is a global outsourced marketing execution provider. Applying proven processes, industry-leading technology, and the deep expertise of over 4,000+ employees, we develop innovative solutions that drive down the cost of our clients' physical marketing procurement and content development, while improving quality, sustainability, and speed to market. For more information, please visit hhglobal.com About Adare International Adare International is a British-headquartered provider of marketing services with strong procurement, creative and data offerings. From digital content and print management to logistics and point of sale, Adare International provide a full suite of services. Adare International also has an excellent procurement offering, as well as innovative content and interactive service lines. For more information please visit - Adare | Harmonise Your Marketing (adareinternational.net) About Purple Agency Owned by Adare International, Purple Agency is a global marketing agency, who specialise in healthcare, B2B and dedicated studios. The company have a global reach, with offices across the UK, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Brazil, and presence in over 40 countries. Their service offerings include Purple Health, which covers the full healthcare marketing spectrum, from sickness to wellness, intervention to prevention, and animal to human. They also offer Purple B2B, bringing fresh insight into companies' business marketing communications, as well as Purple Studios which allows companies to build dedicated studios for their targeted needs. For more information please visit - Purple Agency | About us Strategic Motivation As with the recent merge with Innerworkings, the rationale behind this latest acquisition is centred on the strategic fit and complementary nature of the businesses, ultimately allowing HH Global to further consolidate its leading position within market. The acquisition will allow HH Global to expand capacity and reach, particularly in Europe and Latin American markets, in which our combined presence will grow our in-country capabilities. Furthermore, Adare International's impressive solution offerings, as well as expanded agency and interactive service lines, will allow HH Global to significantly diversify and increase our proposition. Along with improving upon current services, the acquisition will also establish an increased capability in market sectors such as healthcare and B2B marketing. The merge will ultimately result in an unparalleled marketing and execution firm that will provide our clients with meaningful opportunities to increase the value they receive from our services. Being chosen as Adare International's acquisition partner reflects the reputation and status HH Global has managed to achieve in recent years. We will ultimately be in a stronger position to transform and grow our long-term client relationships as their trusted solutions partner. SOURCE HH Global Related Links http://www.hhglobal.com ST. LOUIS, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAGE Studios, a leader in the salon and spa studio space, announced they will open their first two locations in the St. Louis area! The two locations will be in Warson Woods in St. Louis County and O'Fallon in St. Charles County. IMAGE Studios is an exclusive studio salon that provides modern, high-end salon spaces to beauty, health, and wellness professionals. Their affordable rates make it possible for professionals to become successful entrepreneurs. St. Louis IMAGE Owner, Shelly Stengel is delighted to open multiple locations in the St. Louis area and offer an alternative to traditional salon ownership. "I looked at a number of different opportunities but was blown away by the IMAGE mission, business model, and people. I knew that our community of beauty professionals would be as impressed with the concept as I was!" Shelly is thrilled to begin a new journey to help community members find success in entrepreneurship. "The look and feel of our modern, high-end design is like nothing else in the St. Louis area! We are setting the highest standard for design and support for our beauty professionals, and I am so excited to be part of this journey. These locations will be a benchmark for cutting-edge design," says Shelly. Founder and CEO, Jason Olsen, commented, "We are delighted to have such a high caliber franchisee like Shelly bring the IMAGE Studios brand to Missouri. Our franchise is driven by our core values of creativity, freedom, and success, for both our franchisees and the health, beauty, and wellness entrepreneurs who build their businesses with IMAGE." IMAGE Studios helped launch 364 new entrepreneurs in 2020 - with the overwhelming majority being businesses owned by women and minorities. IMAGE is currently franchising in 45 states with locations across California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee, Oregon, and Ohio. They're growing rapidly and have just sold locations in Kentucky and Georgia. They boast the simplicity of their concept: IMAGE Studios provides an incredible space and atmosphere; their IMAGE Pros bring their passion, talent, and clientele. Together, they create an intoxicating formula for success for their small business owners across the country. SOURCE IMAGE Studios SELBYVILLE, Del., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The in-flight catering services market size is anticipated to record a valuation of USD 21 billion by 2027, according to the most recent study by Global Market Insights Inc. The industry is slated to see exponential growth driven by the increasing adoption of commercial aircraft. There are continuous developments across the airline sector mainly in the Middle East region. Most of the chief airlines are increasingly opting to outsource the in-flight catering services in a bid to upgrade their meal offerings. In addition, the continuously proliferating air traffic across the world coupled with the rise in the number of air travelers, specifically in the Asia Pacific will significantly drive the growth of the market. The in-flight catering services market share from bakery & confectionery is poised to observe a growth rate of more than 6.1% through 2027. Moreover, providers of in-flight catering services across the globe are adopting key strategies, such as partnerships, and acquisitions to expand their reach and customer base. They are also coming up with new facilities to meet the rising passenger requirements. For instance, in April 2020, Dnata, major Dubai-based airport services firm partnered with Aer Lingus, an Irish national carrier in order to operate its catering services. Through this partnership agreement, Dnata offered catering services to all the latter's flights departing from Dublin. LSG Group, Gate Gourmet, and Saudi Airlines Catering are some other major industry participants. Mentioned below are some prominent factors shaping this business avenue lately: Growing inclination towards first-class passenger seating Annual remuneration from the first-class aircraft seating segment is expected to record nearly 14% of the in-flight catering services market share in the analysis timeline. The growth is ascribed to the increasing preference for luxurious class travel by the wealthy class of people. In addition, the price of this class is expected to be approximately five times more compared to that of business class. In-house sourcing to see higher footprint Demand for in-house sourced in-flight catering services is anticipated to exceed USD 5.5 billion by 2027. This is mainly owing to the insufficiency of airlines that offer in-house catering services across the world. Moreover, in-house catering services can be put together easily with limited available options, such as vegetables, salads, and fruits. In addition, the higher prices associated with full course meals and the ease of availability of the outsourced meals at a relatively lower price will boost the in-flight catering services market progression. Request a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/4634 Rising intake of bakery & confectionery items The in-flight catering services market share from bakery & confectionery is poised to observe a growth rate of more than 6.1% through 2027. This can be owed to the higher provision of several bakery and confectionary items, including chocolates, muffins, biscuits pastry, desserts, and snack bars during flight hours. Breakfast cookies, as well as savory snack mixes, are also provided as a complimentary treat by some of the leading airlines as these sweets aid in limiting the impacts of in-flight sickness. However, the increasing concerns over sensitive and allergen food items have made way for the imposition of a host of cautionary methods. Expanding passenger count in Latin America The in-flight catering services market in Latin America could witness a rate of 6% up to 2027. This is due to the rising government support towards the expansion of the airline sector to offer reasonable costs & taxes with effective infrastructure and regulatory environment. It has also been estimated that passenger volume in the region will double by 2034. The strong presence of some of the topmost airlines, including LATAM, and their growing efforts to form joint ventures with several other bigwigs, like Delta Airlines, will lead to the progression of the aviation sector in the region. About Global Market Insights Inc. Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology. Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll-Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: [email protected] Related Images in-flight-catering-services-market.png In-flight Catering Services Market Growth Predicted at 6.1% Through 2027: GMI The in-flight catering services market share from bakery & confectionery is poised to observe a growth rate of more than 6.1% through 2027. SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc. THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today SynED, a national non-profit organization that identifies emerging best practices for effective articulation between employers, job seekers, and education providers, announced that Will Dantzler, co-founder and COO of Rofori Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana, is this month's CyberHero. Will Dantzler CyberKnights Mr. Dantzler recently spearheaded the creation and rollout of CyberKnights, an online platform for understanding organizational cybersecurity needs and assessing, developing, and retaining cybersecurity talent. In selecting him as CyberHero, SynED considered his innovative and systematic approach to solving the nation's cybersecurity workforce shortage, which comes as threats from ransomware and other cybersecurity attacks continue to rise. "I came up with the idea a couple years ago when I saw the NICE Framework," Mr. Dantzler said. "What we saw was a way to bring some order to, traditionally, an area that really didn't have a baseline of how you should look at cybersecurity talent, from an objective point of view outside of certifications." The CyberKnights platform is based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology's NICE (National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education) Framework, which establishes national standards and a taxonomy to assess cybersecurity skills, education, training and workforce development. With NICE as the starting point, the CyberKnights platform enables individual job seekers to assess and grow their skills, allows employers to assess their cybersecurity needs and access cybersecurity talent. It also provides a space for educators and policymakers to align curricula and training programs to current standards and employer needs. It's a one-stop shop for addressing the immense cybersecurity labor shortage in the United States. "We're looking to become the national database where all the initiatives, trying to bring all of these stakeholders together, whether they're at the municipal, state, federal level, and across all 50 states, across all communities adopt the NICE Framework," Mr. Dantzler said. "We feel that we have produced an actionable platform that enables execution of the NICE Framework for all of these different stakeholders." Mr. Dantzler was well positioned to come up with the idea, after starting a company in the 1990s that successfully streamlined complex and time-consuming business functions for private and public sector clients and from that first company, founded Rofori Corporation. Rofori is a Native American and Veteran owned business, specializing in bringing together disparate data points, systems, and stakeholders in a way that solves complex challenges. "Will is one of those special people," said Stan Stahl, founder of cybersecurity awareness nonprofit SecureTheVillage. "His heart, his passion, he really wants to make a difference. Will's in it because there's a greater good that he believes in, that I believe in." When it comes to cybersecurity awareness and workforce development in the United States, there are countless entities and programs at the local, state, and federal levels trying to close the cybersecurity workforce gap. Many have a narrow focus, such as veteran hiring, increasing the number of women in cybersecurity, or K-12 education initiatives. "Our feeling is, why not try to create a national database where you bring all of those stakeholders together under one umbrella," added Mr. Dantzler. The NICE Framework, itself an attempt at categorizing and clarifying cybersecurity work, entails numerous spreadsheets and data points that can be difficult to make actionable. CyberKnights is designed to accommodate all of the data points and relationships, allowing individuals to navigate the Framework from different perspectives and make it more actionable. At MasterCard, with more than 600 in-house cybersecurity professionals and dozens of open cybersecurity positions to fill, CyberKnights is being piloted as a replacement for their existing cybersecurity evaluation and hiring framework. "We are using CyberKnights for assessing and upskilling talent. We are trying to use CyberKnights to replace our existing proprietary cybersecurity framework with the NICE Framework, and we are using it for talent search," explained Sulabh Bhattarai, Lead Information Security Engineer at MasterCard. "CyberKnights does that really well." Importantly, CyberKnights is adaptable and extendable so that it can keep up with evolving standards and stakeholders. Rofori has started dialogue with the NICE office at the U.S. Department of Commerce to ensure CyberKnights stays in sync with their evolution of the NICE Framework. Recently, CyberKnights began expanding its platform to include high school students interested in careers in cybersecurity. Rofori has worked with the Idaho National Laboratory and the State of Idaho to allow high school students to take the CyberKnights assessment, and identify training for the opportunity to get placed in internships in Idaho. Mr. Dantzler expects CyberKnights will continue expanding its capabilities for K-12 students. CyberKnights is also a key partner in the Purdue University Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program, a U.S. Department of Labor grant seeking to connect employers with 5,000 apprentices. CyberKnights tracks the apprentices all the way from an initial assessment, through their progress in their school's cybersecurity curriculum, to how their portfolio of skills developed in the classroom and the apprenticeship builds up to the skills needed in full-time roles envisioned by the employer. Purdue, with one of the nation's top cybersecurity programs, sought out CyberKnights as a key partner due to the platform's functionality and Mr. Dantzler's responsive and ethical approach to the work. "We really enjoyed working with Will and his team," said Geanie Umberger, currently the Associate Vice President for Research at Penn State University (formerly with Purdue University). "The functionality of [CyberKnights] was really very nice. He partnered with us and it was part of this entire program that we were putting in place." Mr. Dantzler, who was born and abandoned in South Korea before being adopted by an Ohio family, is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate with a MS in Safety Management from Central Missouri State University and an MBA from the University of Missouri Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business. He is involved with Rotary International and is a former Chairman of Holt International Children's Services, the largest international adoption agency finding families for children. He is involved with promoting youth firearms safety as a Board Director with the Civilian Marksmanship Program. Does Mr. Dantzler see the number of open cybersecurity positions decreasing any time soon? "We're not going to see a significant decrease in the next couple of years, but what we can do is lay the groundwork so that long term, we will have a standardized workforce assessment and development process so that number doesn't exponentially increase going forward into the future," he said. Mr. Stahl, of SecureTheVillage, sees the country finally getting closer to a more robust and effective approach to cybersecurity. "NICE and its successors, this taxonomy, is where it's going to be at. Schools will teach to it, employers will categorize the kinds of people they need to it as well. And it will help in that 'how do we sort things out appropriately' place. And Will's right at the front end of that." About SynED CyberHero's Series SynED's CyberHero's series, which highlights cyber heroes who quietly go above and beyond in helping to secure our nation and communities, is a monthly column published nationally. SynED is a non-profit organization that acts as a catalyst to help you help others to improve their lives through education and knowledge and skill acquisition, giving them rich career opportunities. Our team will help you explore the many possibilities and potential solutions available to achieve your desired outcomes. SynED is the proud recipient of the 2021 Association for Career & Technical Education Business-Education Partnership Award. About Rofori Corporation Rofori offers innovative cloud solutions for assessing cybersecurity risk, leveraging standards and best practices widely adopted through the National Institute of Standards and Technology frameworks. Rofori offers CyberKnights, a NICE Framework-based solution for talent assessment, development, and retention aimed at supporting the career acquisition and journey for the cybersecurity workforce. To learn more, visit www.cyberknights.us Contact: Liz Fraumann 858.735.2288 [email protected] SOURCE SynED NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys Foundation USA, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to computer science (CS) and maker education across the U.S., announced today that it is adding four additional computer science modules for K-12 teachers to its digital learning platform, the Pathfinders Online Institute. Educators can now choose from over 30 unique courses and trainings geared to meet different skill-levels, grades and programming interests. The new offerings are meant to help ease teachers back into the classroom and STEM computer science learning loss after a year of remote and hybrid instruction. The new materials can be accessed for free at Infosys.org/pathfindersonline. According to the 2020 State of CS Report, 28 states recently passed new laws to promote computer science education but not all mandated funding for professional development for teachers. Additionally, a recent study by the Kapor Center that surveyed over 3,500 PreK-12 CS teachers found that over a quarter of respondents felt limited by their own subject matter expertise and expressed a need for low-cost computer science professional development. The Pathfinders Online Institute addresses these challenges by providing educators with access to computer science curricula, innovative professional development and first-of-its-kind streamable K-5 lessons for educators with no computer science background at no cost. "Teachers have overcome insurmountable instructional challenges over this past pandemic year," said Kate Maloney, Executive Director, Infosys Foundation USA. "As they return to the classroom and seek to capture their students' imaginations, the Foundation is providing creative resources. This will help them bring leading edge computer science and making curricula to their classroom, so their students are equipped with the fundamental digital literacy required to succeed in a tech-driven world." Infosys Foundation USA is partnering with CS is Elementary, Raspberry Pi and BirdBrain Technologies to offer these innovative learning modules that will help educators enhance their computational fluency. The modules include: - Kode5 with CS is Elementary (Grades K-5): Kode5 consists of a baseline computer science program for any school: a set of five on-demand courses that provide 20+ hours per grade of computer science education. Virtual co-teachers provide the instruction, while classroom teacherseven those without experience, training, budget or special facilitiesmanage and support students' experience. - Programming Essentials in Scratch in partnership with Raspberry Pi (Grades 4-8): In this six-part course, educators will receive an introduction to block-based programming within the Scratch environment. - Python and Robotics with the Finch Robot in partnership with BirdBrain Technologies (Grades 6-12): In this course, educators will be introduced to physical computing and learn how to use the Finch Robot across a variety of computer science concepts. The first 100 U.S. public and charter school teachers to apply will also receive one free Finch Robot 2.0. - Design, Build and Code a Rover with Raspberry Pi (Grades 8-12): In this six-part course, educators will learn to build a physical project using the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller. The first 1,000 U.S. public and charter school teachers to apply will also receive a free Raspberry Pi Pico hardware kit. "The Covid education crisis showed that we can teach K-5 computer science via distance learning if we keep students continuously engaged and provide expert virtual co-teachers," said John Pearce, Executive Director, CS is Elementary. "Kode5 courses are built upon this concept, enabling scalable baseline K-5 CS instruction for any child in any school, grade, classroom, or family." "Robots are powerfully motivating CS learning tools that bring computer code to life, but they are most effectively used by teachers who are well-supported," said Tom Lauwers, Founder and CEO, BirdBrain Technologies LLC. "That is why we are so excited by this opportunity to offer educators a free course and robot with Infosys Foundation USA, to help teachers spark deep and joyful CS learning in their classrooms." "Supporting computer science and maker educators is a critical part of our work," said Matt Richardson, Executive Director, Raspberry Pi Foundation North America. "We're delighted to collaborate with Infosys Foundation USA on these free courses and to help students use newly-acquired skills in order to solve problems that matter to them." The courses are open to all K-12 teachers across the U.S. and can be accessed by creating a free account on the Pathfinders Online Institute at Infosys.org/pathfindersonline. About Infosys Foundation USA Infosys Foundation USA was established in 2015 with the mission of expanding computer science and maker education to K-12 students and teachers across the United States, with a specific focus on increasing access to underrepresented communities. The Foundation achieves impact through delivering professional development programs for teachers, partnering with leading nonprofits, and delivering innovative media campaigns that inspire everyone to be creators, not just consumers, of technology. For more information, visit infosys.org/USA. SOURCE Infosys Foundation USA NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that IT By Design ranked No. 3463 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other internationally known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. "We're honored to be named to the Inc. 5000 annual ranking for the first time in our history," said Sunny Kaila, Chief Executive Officer, IT By Design. "This recognition clearly demonstrates our leadership among managed service providers and the commitment to our customers as well as to the continued success of the MSP industry. We celebrate this honor with our strategic partners who have helped us expand our capabilities to add greater value to our services." Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." About IT By Design With more than two decades of experience as a technology services providerfirst as an MSP, and then for MSPsIT by Design (ITBD) helps clients navigate the volatile technical landscape. As an authority on MSP-trained technical talent, it understands the challenges customers face when recruiting team members. ITBD addresses those issues through many solutions: dedicated staffing, 24x7x365 NOC services, helpdesk solutions, RMM virtual admin, vCIO consulting, security, and professional services. ITBD is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, and has facilities in India and the Philippines. Learn more about ITBD at www.itbd.net. More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Methodology Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year's Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. About Inc. Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/. SOURCE IT By Design Related Links http://www.itbd.net DALLAS, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) was awarded a task order contract by the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) to provide counterintelligence, counterterrorism and human intelligence support to the 902nd Military Intelligence Group at Fort Meade, Maryland. The contract has a value of $235 million over a five-year period. "Jacobs continues to bolster its cyber and intelligence portfolio with this significant contract, which builds on our longstanding relationship with the U.S. Army and reinforces our commitment to support the mission of the 902nd Military Intelligence Group and INSCOM," said Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions Senior Vice President of Cyber & Intelligence Caesar Nieves. "To meet the continuously evolving threats facing national security, we're harnessing our advanced cyber and intelligence solutions along with our integrated approach and wide-ranging program support capabilities to deliver innovative, mission-focused outcomes that are important to our customers." As part of the task order, Jacobs will perform work that enables critical sensitive activities in the areas of cyber intrusion damage assessment, geospatial intelligence, language-enabled socio-cultural analysis, digital media forensics and human intelligence targeting. At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence and spread of variants of COVID-19, and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 2, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 2, 2021, and in particular the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Part II, Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 SOURCE Jacobs Related Links http://www.jacobs.com ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeremiah's Italian Ice the hottest brand in the frozen dessert category has surpassed yet another milestone as the brand prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, as well as, the opening of its 50th location. Proving itself a frozen force in the QSR dessert space, the brand has successfully grown from 22 corporate units in 2019 to 50 units this year, and is on track to open an additional 20 locations by year's end. The 50th location was awarded to Hali Brecht and will be opening in Deltona, FL this August. Brecht started working at Jeremiah's right out of high school as a part-time employee. In less than two years, she became a store manager and eventually an area manager, helping open a dozen corporate stores. Brecht's new franchise will be located at 605 Courtland Blvd in Courtland, on the corner of Courtland Blvd & Fort Smith Blvd near Publix. "Jeremiah's is a place of so many incredibly important events first dates, weddings, homecomings," said Brecht "It warms my heart that one of our customers has even named their child Jeremiah in honor of our exceptional brand. It's a remarkable testament to how special the Jeremiah's brand truly is." The brand is also proud to announce its #3 ranking as a top food franchise in 2021 by Entrepreneur Magazine and its inclusion in Entrepreneur's Top New Franchise List of 2021. In addition, Jeremiah's Italian Ice was listed on QSR Magazine's 2021 40/40 List as one America's hottest fast casual restaurant concepts and its founder, Jeremy Litwack was recognized by Nation's Restaurant News as one of the most influential restaurant CEO's as part of its 2021 Reader's Picks. Another exciting addition to the Jeremiah's family is the LEAP Academy, which is a brand new Training and Development Center. At LEAP Academy, the paramount focus is to lead through the brand's Core Values, Vision, and Mission that unite the company. Employees will learn the art of making the perfectly layered Gelati and master the skills needed to operate a Jeremiah's franchise. At LEAP Academy, Store Managers, Franchise Owners, and high-potential Frog Squad Members, can also expect to perfect the Jeremiah's Chill Chat, Launch Pad, GX360, and much more. "As I look back on the last 25 years, I can honestly say I am humbled to be where we are today. This all started out as a high school dream and watching it come to fruition has been truly extraordinary," said Litwack. "I'm so grateful to have had such an incredible opportunity to give back to these communities, but without our customers and franchisees none of this would have been possible." Jeremiah's is showing no signs of slowing down, awarding 194 franchise units across more than 74 franchise groups and projecting nearly 70 open units by year's end. In addition, the brand is looking forward to expand its presence into new markets, with franchise agreements awarded in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Nevada and Colorado. "We knew that the concept was poised for growth when we first started working with Jeremiah's," stated Cameron Cummins, Co-Founder of Pivotal Growth Partners and Chief Development Officer for Jeremiah's Italian Ice. "I've been involved in franchising for nearly 20 years and I have never seen pent up demand resulting in growth like this before. We are proud of our team for all the hard work they have contributed and are eager to share Jeremiah's delicious frozen treats with communities in new markets across the country." To help guide the brand's rapid expansion, Jeremiah's Italian Ice has partnered with Pivotal Growth Partners an experienced team of franchise veterans who've led some of the top brands in foodservice to award-winning growth. Each Jeremiah's location boasts an upbeat atmosphere full of vibrant colors and offers over 40 flavors of indulgent high-quality Italian Ice, as well as creamy Soft Ice Cream. A synthesis of these two core products, the Jeremiah's Gelati is the showcase of the menu with layers of Italian Ice swirled with thick, homemade Soft Ice Cream, offering nearly limitless flavor combinations. Jeremiah's franchisees are embedded in the local community and are crucial to helping keep communities smiling through tough times. Jeremiah's wants to continue to expand its footprint so people across America can taste how amazing their treats are and to help local entrepreneurs make their dreams come true. To learn more about the Jeremiah's Italian Ice franchise opportunity, please visit: www.jeremiahsfranchise.com/ About Jeremiah's Italian Ice Founded in 1996 and franchising since 2019, Jeremiah's Italian Ice has come to be known not only for its superior frozen treats, but also its outstanding customer service, community involvement, and an exciting brand image that exudes the Jeremiah's motto - LIVE LIFE TO THE COOLEST. Focused on delivering flavorful experiences to each and every guest, Jeremiah's is committed to serving its vibrant, flavorful treats up with a smile in a lively environment. With 50 locations throughout Florida, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas, Jeremiah's is offering franchises across the Southern United States. To help guide the brand's rapid expansion, Jeremiah's Italian Ice has partnered with Pivotal Growth Partners a team of franchising veterans who've led some of the top brands in foodservice to award-winning growth. For more information about Jeremiah's franchise opportunity, visit https://www.jeremiahsfranchise.com About Pivotal Growth Partners Pivotal Growth Partners (PGP) is a full-service Growth & Development Firm with an unparalleled track record of success in growing franchise brands. The experienced team at PGP has awarded & developed more than 5000 franchised businesses across the US and internationally, working with startups and some of the world's largest companies. With a combined 50+ years of experience and a network of growth and development partners, Pivotal Growth Partners creates value, growing small, regional companies into nationally acclaimed brands. PGP deploys proven processes and systems to effectively grow a business, by creating a "Results Focused" Franchise Growth & Support Culture within its brands. For more information, visit www.pivotalgrowthpartners.com. SOURCE Jeremiahs Italian Ice Related Links https://jeremiahsice.com OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jet Linx, the only locally-focused, global private aviation company providing aircraft management, joint ownership and Jet Card membership services through its 20 locations nationwide, today announced the appointment of Paul Kloet as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions and the promotion of Jason Vanis from Senior Vice President to Senior Vice President of Integrations, both new leadership position for Jet Linx. Effective immediately, Mr. Kloet is responsible for managing and leading all facets of M&A opportunities, including identifying Part 135 acquisition opportunities and value-added ventures, optimizing integration priorities and developing integration strategy. Mr. Vanis will continue to oversee select Jet Linx Base locations while also leading projects to integrate newly acquired companies into Jet Linx. The announcement was made by Jamie Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jet Linx. "Jet Linx has witnessed exponential growth in recent years, and we are excited for Paul and Jason to lead us into our next phase of expansion through the acquisition of select Part 135 operators in both existing markets we already serve and new markets we have slated to open," said Mr. Walker. "Paul brings to Jet Linx an impressive skillset and deep experience in leading M&A transactions that will undoubtedly advance our growth strategy and allow us to accomplish our business objectives through strategic ventures and acquisitions. Jason, who has been an integral part of the Jet Linx team for almost two decades, is intimately familiar with our brand and operations, which makes him the perfect person to facilitate our post-acquisition integration activity. We look forward to the many exciting initiatives Paul and Jason will be pursuing in the coming months." New M&A Positions Added to Drive Private Jet Company's Growth & Expansion Strategy Tweet this Mr. Kloet brings to Jet Linx over 12 years of experience building and leading businesses to success in diverse and dynamic environments. Previously, Mr. Kloet served as the first Chief Financial Officer of Chicago-based BIG Construction, where he successfully led the company through the rapid growth experienced during its first two years of operations while supporting $70M of revenue. Mr. Kloet has also held several senior level and leadership roles at influential companies and firms, including UBER, Victory Park Capital, Goldman Sachs & Co. and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Said Mr. Kloet, "I am honored to be joining Jet Linx at such an exciting and pivotal time for the company. As a true innovator and leader in the industry, Jet Linx's portfolio of products and services are truly unrivaled, and I am thrilled to be working with such an impressive team in accelerating the brand's growth." Mr. Vanis, an industry veteran with over 23 years of experience in aviation, has spent a collective 19 years with Jet Linx. Mr. Vanis first joined Jet Linx in 2002 as a Flight Department Manager, where he was responsible for overseeing the scheduling of aircraft and crew. After six years with the Company, he launched Aviation Integration as a Managing Partner in order to provide efficiencies and training to the aviation industry. Mr. Vanis returned to Jet Linx in 2010 as the Manager of Scheduling and Dispatch and has since held the roles of Vice President of Flight Operations, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Business Intelligence & Technology and, most recently, Senior Vice President overseeing the management of its Base locations nationwide. Said Mr. Vanis: "I am delighted to assume this new and expanded role as we prepare to enter the next phase of our growth strategy. I have had the pleasure and fortune of being part of the Jet Linx family for over 19 years and have never been more excited about the future. I look forward to supporting Jet Linx in perfecting our post-acquisition strategy and integration process." The executive appointments follow an aggressive year of growth for Jet Linx, which includes the acquisition of Meridian's Aircraft Management & Charter business in July 2020, the largest Part 135 operator serving New York and the tri-state area. Recently, Jet Linx announced that Jet Linx Miami, its 20th location and first in Florida, will open in Fall 2021, followed by a new, state-of-the-art private terminal for Jet Linx Omaha that will debut in June 2022. For more information on Jet Linx, please visit www.jetlinx.com . About Jet Linx Aviation Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in Omaha, NE in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers three different ways to experience private aviation a guaranteed jet card, joint ownership, and private jet management program providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman safety rated operator, an accomplishment earned by less than one percent of all aircraft operators in the world. In 2019, Jet Linx became the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star trained and accredited private aviation company in the world. In addition to establishing the independent global rating system's preeminent and unparalleled service standards for the in-flight experience, Jet Linx also collaborated with Forbes Travel Guide to develop their own customized, proprietary Jet Linx standards of service excellence. Jet Linx is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska and has Base locations in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Omaha, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St. Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit the Jet Linx website ( www.jetlinx.com ). SOURCE Jet Linx Related Links http://www.jetlinx.com NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Gelo is launching a tracker that gives kids the power to follow their parents around the internet with ads constantly urging them to ditch single-use plastics and go greener at home. The Parent Track , developed by eco-friendly hand soap company Gelo in partnership with Mischief @ No Fixed Address, comes as more children than ever before are educating their parents to be more environmentally savvy. All kids have to do is visit The Parent Track on their parents' or family devices for said laptops, computers, phones and tablets to get automatically cookied. From then on, that device will receive numerous digital ads with messages from kids encouraging their parents to follow more sustainable practices. These ads, which follow the users around the internet, lead to a suite of educational tools created by Gelo to give guidance on how to be kinder to the environment. "When it comes to sustainability, our future is quite literally in the hands of our kidsso we've given them this cheeky tool to help educate their elders," said Curan Mehra, Founder and CEO of Gelo. The gel pod pouches results in a whopping 97% less packaging waste compared to the equivalent number of single-use bottles. Curan continued: "More than 1.3 billion tons of plastic waste will flow into the world's oceans over the next two decades without widespread intervention. It's hoped that this somewhat annoying drive for awareness will convert to tangible change in households across America and beyond." Ads include notes such as: "You still kiss your kids in public; don't embarrass them more by buying single-use packaging." And: "Your kids aren't mad that you bought single-use packaging, they're just disappointed. Which is way worse." This tool comes at a time when young climate activists have captured the world's attention. Following 2019's global sustainability strike, in which an estimated 1.6M children took part, a Nature Climate Change study found that kids studying the environment increased their parents' level of concern by an average of 23%. The research found that daughters had the greatest effectand an almost double (40%) increase in the level of concern among conservative parents. The Parent Track was created in partnership with Gelo's creative partner Mischief @ No Fixed Address. Associate creative directors Dylan Wagman and James Leake said: "Using strategies we learned from our own parentspersistence and guiltthe Parent Track utilizes cookies to help kids convince their parents to quit single-use plastics once and for all." ABOUT GELO & THE PLASTIC CRISIS One gelo gel pouch, which refills five bottles of hand soap, results in a whopping 97% less packaging waste compared to the equivalent number of single-use bottles. By virtue of their compact design, gelo refills also dramatically reduce the end users' carbon footprint, slashing carbon emissions associated with transportation by 93%, when compared with the equivalent volume of single use bottles. Gelo has helped divert millions of bottles from landfills since launching on World Earth Day last year. More than 1.3 billion tons of plastic waste will flow into the world's oceans and land over the next two decades without widespread intervention, according to a group of leading experts . It is estimated that 64% of all plastic among packaged goods and retail sectors is recyclable, according to the latest Global Commitment Progress Report compiled with the United Nations, government entities and more than 500 major plastic-producing companies around the world. However, only 1.9% is reusable. Gelo's formulas are biodegradable and the pouches the pods are delivered in are recyclable and manufactured with 100% wind energy. The gelo refill pod also dissolves completely, unlike competitor refills which are packaged in another plastic bottle. CONTACT: Nikolina Zulj, [email protected] SOURCE Gelo Products DETROIT, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital marketing and data services company, KORTX, has been named to Inc. Magazine's annual Inc. 5000 list, ranking 2,705 nationally and 38 in Michigan. This marks the third consecutive year KORTX has landed a spot on the Inc. 5000, with exponential revenue growth of 150 percent from 2017 to 2020. "We take pride in our story and our evolution," said Damon Henry, KORTX Founder and CEO. "While we have all faced extremely trying times this past year, we are especially proud of the growth we've fostered across our organization from both a staffing and revenue perspective. Our success is a direct result of our team's commitment to our core offerings digital advertising, data strategy, and data-inspired creative as well as the trust and confidence our clients have in us." Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year's list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020's unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, these companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." To learn more about KORTX, visit www.kortx.io. About KORTX KORTX is a digital marketing and data services company working with agencies and brands to translate their media, data and creative into tangible, actionable strategies for real people. KORTX has worked with clients across various industries to create personalized digital experiences for end users with KORTX products, processes, and partner teams, resulting in real, repeatable data-based breakthroughs. KORTX is recognized as "A Great Place to Work", featured on the Black LUMAscape and NMSDC-certified. KORTX was founded in Detroit, is still in Detroit, and believes Detroit has gifted it a fundamentally different approach to optimization: experiences refined for people. About Inc. The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. SOURCE KORTX Related Links http://www.kortx.io BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- La Granja Restaurants just opened a new restaurant on 9774 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33434. Boca Raton residents are welcome to come for lunch or dinner. If they are in a rush, they can call ahead for curbside or delivery. (561) 409-3955. Fresh Homestyle Cooked Food. Come for lunch or dinner! Call 561-409-3955. La Granja offers authentic Latin cuisine in an affordable and accessible way. Customers love their grilled steak, grilled chicken, and fajitas. La Granja also offers family meals featuring a choice of meat, rice, beans, and fries. Patrons rave about their fresh homestyle fresh meals. Homestyle Fresh Cooking and Fast, La Granja Specials Satisfy Individuals and Families. Here are a few of La Granja's Specials: La Granja's popular 1/4 chicken with rice and beans is the complete meal of choice for lunch and dinner. Come eat a 1/4 chicken meal with rice and beans, starting at only $5.99. Order 1/4 chicken with black beans and rice or with fried plantains and soda, which starts at only $8.25. Feel like steak for lunch or dinner? Get a 1/2 lb. grilled steak served with two side orders, starting at $12.25. La Granja's menu includes chicken, pork, steak, or seafood meals. La Granja's Menu includes Lomo Saltado, Chicken, Ceviche, Jalea, and Whole Caribbean Snapper. A favorite dish at La Granja is its traditional Rotisserie Peruvian Chicken called "pollo a la brasa," slow-roasted for two hours on a rotisserie machine. La Granja Boca West is located off Glades Blvd just east of 441. It is west of the Florida Turnpike. Boca Raton keeps growing as many people move from up north down to sunny South Florida. With its growing population, of course, people need to eat. They need a local restaurant which provides homestyle fresh food and fast. If people are in the mood for real Peruvian food, they can find the nearest La Granja restaurant location. Type in a zip code here. La Granja Restaurants are located from Miami to Orlando. Please visit. Delivery is also via DoorDash, UberEats and GrubHub. Call (561) 409-3955. La Granja Restaurants owes their expansion to their delicious cuisine, outstanding customer service and affordable prices. Over the last 20 years, they have opened their doors in several locations including Kissimmee, Apopka, Palm Beach, Downtown Miami and now West Boca. La Granja has won awards such as "The Best Family Style Peruvian Restaurant." Customers love their grilled steak, grilled chicken, and fajitas. La Granja offers family meals featuring a choice of meat, rice, beans, and fries. For more info, go to www.lagranjarestaurants.com. Related Images la-granja-boca-west-just-opened.jpg La Granja Boca West just opened. Fresh Homestyle Cooked Food. Come for lunch or dinner! Call 561-409-3955. SOURCE La Granja Restaurants SAO PAULO, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuvemshop, Latin America's leading e-commerce platform, today announced that it has raised a $500 million Series E round of funding. Latin America E-Commerce Leader, Nuvemshop Raises $500 Million from Insight Partners and Tiger Global Management The round was co-led by Insight Partners and Tiger Global Management, with significant participation from Alkeon and Owl Rock. Other investors that joined the round included Sunley House Capital and VMG Partners, as well as existing investors Accel, Kaszek, Kevin Efrusy, Qualcomm Ventures LLC, and ThornTree Capital. Following the company's $90 million Series D financing in March 2021, this newest round of financing values the company at $3.1 billion and brings Nuvemshop's total funding in the last 10 months to more than $620 million. Nuvemshop (also known as Tiendanube in Spanish speaking countries) empowers entrepreneurs to build and grow thriving online businesses. Nuvemshop's platform serves more than 90,000 merchants across Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, ranging from direct-to-consumer (DTC) upstarts to an expanding roster of dominant brands such as PlayMobil, Billabong, Colombraro, Zaira Beauty, Osram, Lolja, Vitabe and StrappyCo. Today's funding will help accelerate the company's growth in current markets and support the company's geographic expansion into new countries, including Colombia, Chile and Peru. "With 650 million consumers, Latin America is not only a huge market, but it is the fastest growing e-commerce market in the world," said Matt Gatto, managing director at Insight Partners. "By offering its powerful and easy-to-use platform, built and tailored specifically for Latin America, Nuvemshop is uniquely poised to continue to lead the region's digital transformation. We're thrilled to be part of its next chapter of incredible growth." Despite the massive market, e-commerce in Latin America still represents only about 6 percent of retail sales in the region, compared with 30 percent or more in some other parts of the world. Nuvemshop projects the penetration rate will reach 60 percent over the next decade as smartphone usage continues to grow, digital banking increases, and logistics infrastructure improves. Furthermore, the pandemic year has become a dramatic accelerator for e-commerce and fintech products. In addition to geographic expansion, the funding will help Nuvemshop accelerate its payment and logistics capabilities, which will further drive e-commerce penetration in the region. In order to accelerate these capabilities, the company also plans to use its new funds for M&A opportunities. Earlier this year Nuvemshop launched a beta version of its own payments solution platform for merchants that enables faster and more secure purchases. It also reflects the Latin American consumers' approach to paying for retail purchases over time. A full 70% of the credit card transactions on the platform happen via installments. Since its beta launch, the new product has already seen explosive growth and will be made broadly available to all merchants over the course of the next year. Nuvemshop's logistics capabilities enable merchants to seamlessly deliver directly to consumers via partnerships and integrations with what would otherwise be a highly fragmented network of carriers. The company will continue to broaden its set of warehouse and carrier partners to help accelerate the adoption of e-commerce in Latin America by driving down the click-to-delivery time in most regions now typically 5 to 6 days to an eventual goal of the 1- or 2-day delivery, which is now standard in the U.S. "We envision a world in which anybody can convert a passion project into a thriving business," said Santiago Sosa, CEO and co-founder of Nuvemshop. "From the start, we have focused on building solutions tailor-made for Latin American merchants. This singular purpose has cemented Nuvemshop as the standard for merchants in this region to build direct relationships with their customers. This additional funding will allow us to not only enable our merchants to be more successful, but will enable Nuvemshop as a platform to aggressively drive e-commerce progress in the region. Faster payments and reliably shorter delivery times will cause e-commerce to further explode in the region." Nuvemshop will also expand its capabilities to serve larger merchants by expanding its sales and customer support staff, as well as continuing to invest in resources and support for its rapidly growing ecosystem of app partners and agencies. "Retailing is a very cultural-specific business and Nuvemshop's highly localized product and ecosystem of hundreds of app partners and agencies offer an unrivaled end-to-end solution for merchants and consumers,'' said John Curtius, Partner at Tiger Global Management. "Nuvemshop not only has the technology and services that Latin American businesses require but an intimate insider's understanding of the cultural subtleties that will drive its customers' market success. The company is laying the foundation of the e-commerce infrastructure for the next decade." About Nuvemshop Nuvemshop is the leading e-commerce platform of Latin America committed to empower and motivate all entrepreneurs to transform their passions into thriving businesses. With over 90.000 merchants, it integrates products, payments, shipping as well as provides an ecosystem with more than 1.000 partners, such as Facebook, Instagram, marketplaces and brick and mortar stores. The company currently has more than 600 employees and offices in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. About Insight Partners Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight Partners has invested in more than 400 companies worldwide and has raised through a series of funds more than $30 billion in capital commitments. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Across its people and its portfolio, Insight encourages a culture around a belief that ScaleUp companies and growth create opportunity for all. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners. About Tiger Global Management Tiger Global Management is a leading global technology investment firm with over $70 billion under management. The firm focuses on private and public companies in the internet, software, and financial technology sectors. Since 2001, Tiger Global has invested in hundreds of companies across more than 30 countries, including investments ranging from Series A to pre-IPO. The firm aims to partner with dynamic entrepreneurs operating market-leading companies in its core focus areas. Tiger Global's investments have included JD.com, UiPath, Stripe, Databricks, Bytedance, Snowflake, Facebook, Alibaba, Procore, Chime, Peloton, Attentive, LinkedIn, Flipkart, and Toast. SOURCE Nuvemshop NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Radio Agency recently highlighted an advertising strategy for businesses that can be leveraged to dramatic effect with the recent shift in the Talk Radio landscape. Writing in the company's online blog, Mark Lipsky, CEO of The Radio Agency, pointed to the TALKERS Magazine 2021 "Heavy Hundred" list as a potential goldmine for brands looking to get valuable marketing leverage from some of Talk Radio's brightest luminaries. Mark Lipsky, CEO & Creative Director of The Radio Agency Sean Hannity, Dave Ramsey and Mark Levin: 2021's Top Three in the "Heavy Hundred" "The death of Rush Limbaugh left a vacuum in conservative Talk Radio with no shortage of would-be successors to entertain Rush's audience," Lipsky noted. "That creates opportunity for new Talk Radio advertisers to buy primetime airtime for less than the premium rates that Limbaugh once commanded." Representing the most popular "Spoken Word Content" entertainers, this year's TALKERS Top Ten includes Sean Hannity, Dave Ramsey, Mark Levin, Brian Kilmeade, Joe Madison, Dana Loesch, Mike Gallagher, Thom Hartmann, Michael Berry, and Joe Pagliarulo. Taken as a group, these entertainers provide fertile ground on which advertisers could grow a new brand or business. "Every market has influential talk show hosts able to present the benefits of your product or service with the earnest credibility of a trusted next-door neighbor," Lipsky explained. "The challenge is securing their endorsements at a fair price that will deliver incremental sales to cover or exceed the incremental cost of their services as spokesperson." But first, a business has to secure the personality's endorsement. That takes professional representation who knows the industry, including how to approach each radio host, station, channel, stream or network. And then there are the pitfalls that trip up many well-meaning, but inexperienced brand managers and non-radio experts trying to figure it out on the fly. "Many advertisers fall into the trap of only buying AM Drive or PM Drive radio times," Lipsky pointed out. "But if the nighttime host delivers 25% of the audience size of the morning show at 20% of the price, you could be excluding your most profitable opportunity by prejudging what will work and what won't. The Radio Agency's access to Nielsen's latest audience ratings in all 253 radio markets gives us a competitive edge to make the right media choices and negotiate rates and schedules from a position of strength." For the latest information on radio advertising strategy, visit The Radio Agency's blog online. And follow them on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube. About The Radio Agency Sound Advertising For nearly 30 years, The Radio Agency has delivered results for popular American brands like Priceline, Sony, ADT, and Zoom. One of the few audio-only advertising agencies in the country, The Radio Agency plans, places, and manages successful audio campaigns for clients across North America, Europe, and Australia. The agency has written and produced thousands of radio commercials with an intense focus on generating lasting results, rather than just clever marketing slogans. Learn more at: www.TheRadioAgency.com. Media Contact: Mark Lipsky (610) 892-7300 x108 [email protected] SOURCE The Radio Agency Related Links http://www.TheRadioAgency.com INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced executive leadership changes and the creation of neuroscience and immunology business units. These changes will increase Lilly's focus on introducing breakthrough new medicines to millions of people with unmet needs. Effective September 5, Lilly Bio-Medicines will split into two business units: Lilly Neuroscience and Lilly Immunology. Anne White, currently senior vice president and president of Lilly Oncology, will lead Lilly Neuroscience as senior vice president and president. An experienced leader in drug development who has led and grown Lilly's oncology business over the past several years, White will be responsible for Lilly's launched products and Phase 3 portfolio in pain and neurodegeneration, including the potential launch of donanemab for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The company recently announced Breakthrough Therapy designation for donanemab and its intention to submit a biologics license application (BLA) under the accelerated approval pathway later this year. Jacob (Jake) Van Naarden, currently chief executive officer of Loxo Oncology at Lilly, has been promoted to senior vice president, CEO of Loxo Oncology at Lilly and president, Lilly Oncology, and will be unifying these organizations. He also will join Lilly's executive committee. Van Naarden has played an essential role in forging the Loxo Oncology at Lilly research and development program and has been critical to the success of its oncology pipeline. Prior to joining Loxo Oncology, Van Naarden served in various biotechnology investment, operations and advisory roles. Patrik Jonsson will lead Lilly's launched products and Phase 3 portfolio of medicines in dermatology, gastroenterology and rheumatology as president, Lilly Immunology, in addition to his ongoing responsibilities as senior vice president and president, Lilly USA and chief customer officer. Lilly recently announced positive Phase 3 results for new biologic entities of mirikizumab for ulcerative colitis and lebrikizumab for atopic dermatitis. A 30-year Lilly veteran with success in numerous international leadership roles, Jonsson previously served as senior vice president and president of Lilly Bio-Medicines and general manager of Lilly Sweden, Scandinavia, Italy and Japan. "As we prepare for an exciting period of growth and the potential launch of new breakthrough medicines over the next few years, these leadership and organizational changes will allow us to realize the many opportunities we have to improve the lives of people around the world," said David A. Ricks, Lilly's chairman and CEO. "Anne, Jake and Patrik's extensive experience will bring the focus and agility necessary to lead the growth of our existing medicines and the global introduction of Lilly's late-stage pipeline for the benefit of patients across a diverse set of medical conditions." Lilly also announced that after more than three decades, Alfonso (Chito) Zulueta, senior vice president and president of Lilly International, will retire from Lilly at the end of 2021. Ilya Yuffa, currently senior vice president and president of Lilly Bio-Medicines, will succeed Zulueta to lead the company's commercial operations in all markets outside the U.S., except for Canada. With a tenure of nearly 25 years at Lilly, Yuffa previously served as vice president of U.S. Diabetes for Lilly USA and president and general manager of Lilly's Italy Hub in addition to numerous global positions in finance, business development, sales and general management. "Chito's contributions have had a profound impact on our company. His legacy is grounded in his unwavering commitment to patients, development of industry-leading commercial capabilities and mentorship of countless leaders," said Ricks. "Ilya's breadth of experience and devotion to excellence makes him uniquely qualified to lead our growing international business and support the launch of new medicines around the world." Mike Mason will continue to serve as senior vice president and president, Lilly Diabetes, with responsibility for the company's launched products and Phase 3 portfolio of diabetes therapies, including the potential launch of tirzepatide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at lilly.com and lilly.com/newsroom. Lilly Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), including related to leadership changes and Lilly's strategy, and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and expectations. There can be no assurance that the leadership changes will achieve Lilly's objectives or that Lilly will execute its strategy as planned. For further discussion of risks and uncertainties relevant to Lilly's business, please see Lilly's most recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements. SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company Related Links www.lilly.com When asked about LoanPro being listed as one of the top 6% on the Inc. 5000, Lloyd Roberts, LoanPro's co-founder & CRO, said, "We are so grateful for the acknowledgement and validation that being listed on the Inc. 5000 provides. We honor our valued team members for their vision, passion, & hard work. We have now tripled-down on building the best Loan Management Software on the market. LoanPro is dedicated to building the best LMS to improve the lending marketplace we all rely on and have a positive impact in the world we all live in." LoanPro's SaaS-based loan servicing, management, and collections software has found success in the fintech industry by providing its users with increased automation and data visibility. By focusing on specific lender pain points, LoanPro's loan management solution has been picked up by over 600 lenders including important players in the lending ecosystem, such as Rocket Loans, Snap Finance, Jackson Hewitt and Axcess Financial. LoanPro was able to rapidly grow despite a challenging year for many businesses in the United States. Both workforce mobility and a configurable product were paramount in ensuring LoanPro's clients were not only able to stay open and continue their business, but to truly thrive during uncertain times. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." About LoanPro LoanPro offers the only truly API-based, mid-market and enterprise Loan Management Software in the US/Canadian marketplace. LoanPro is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) "the cloud" and is designed to streamline both loan servicing and loan collections workflows. LoanPro is trusted by 600+ lenders, who enjoy increased transparency, control, flexibility, real-time database access, calculation accuracy, and scalability, all on a PCI, SOC I, & SOC II certified platform. For more information visit loanpro.io. About Inc. Media The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com. CONTACT: Lloyd Roberts, CRO (800) 559-4776 ext: 707 [email protected] SOURCE LoanPro Related Links https://www.simnang.com/loanpro/ Mental and Nervous conditions ranked third among the top causes of long-term absence from work (more than 90 days) in 2020 Tweet this In fact, a recent Washington Post Kaiser Family Foundation survey earlier this year revealed that 62% of healthcare workers said worry or stress related to COVID-19 had a negative effect on their mental health. A 2020 North Carolina State University study found that on average, healthcare professionals reported enough symptoms of depression to be diagnosed with clinical depression. And Yale School of Public Health survey data of thousands of health workers showed worrying rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder amid the worsening pandemic. According to the tally of long-term disability claims submitted in 2020 by healthcare professionals insured by MGIS, the top five reasons for filing the claims were: Cancer Musculoskeletal (back condition, rotator cuff, carpal tunnel, knee, etc.) Mental and Nervous (tie) Injury (tie) Nervous System (Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis) "The increased incidence of mental health disabilities last year highlights the importance of comprehensive disability insurance for healthcare professionals," Brunken explained. "A specialized disability insurance policy is one way to obtain the full coverage they need for burnout- or stress-induced disabilities. This can be done through improved Mental & Nervous and Drug & Alcohol (MNDA) benefits." The American Journal of Medicine estimates that 40-50% of physicians experience burnout in an average year. Their studies also suggest this burnout regularly transitions into major depression, substance abuse, and even suicide. "So, even when there is not a pandemic," Brunken added, "it is important for physicians to have specialized policies that will pay out for multiple occurrences of mental health or addiction issues, that do not have a cap on benefits, and that do not exempt preexisting conditions like depression from coverage." About MGIS MGIS is a leading national insurance program manager that builds and manages specialized insurance programs for healthcare professionals. For more information, visit www.mgis.com. SOURCE MGIS Related Links http://www.mgis.com MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Merchology, an online retailer of custom logo gifts and apparel, has landed at #4141 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Companies. The list offers a deep dive into the most important segment of the economy America's independent entrepreneurs. This is Merchology's fourth consecutive appearance on the competitive list. Less than 10% of companies make it on the Inc. 5000 list four times. Merchology emerged from the challenges of 2020 stronger than ever, as they continued to launch new services and brand partnerships, as well as expand their sustainable lifestyle brand Zusa. Merchology's quick adaptation to customer's needs, such as the debut of the MerchBox, which ships gifts directly to recipients' doorsteps, propelled the company to new heights. With the development of new tools and a rapidly growing team, Merchology is working hard to continue their success and expand their capabilities. "Making this list for the fourth time is an honor and a little bit unbelievable after the volatility of 2020," said Merchology CEO, Dick Ward. "We are so proud of how our team pivoted to create new product offerings and services to serve our customers during the pandemic. With all of the uncertainty in the world, there has never been a more important time to recognize your clients and employees, and Merchology is here to help our customers do that. Most of all we are incredibly grateful for our own employees and customers, who are the reason we are on this great list." Merchology employs nearly 200 people between their Minnetonka, Minnesota office, Reno, Nevada facility and newly opened Harrisburg, Pennsylvania facility. The company partners with over 300 brands, including Under Armour, Patagonia, YETI, S'well, Moleskine, Helly Hansen, Apple and more. Merchology applies custom company logos using a variety of techniques, including embroidery, screen print, digital print, embossing, laser engraving, and more. "The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we've lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people." SOURCE Merchology Related Links https://www.merchology.com/ Prohibiting police from engaging in pursuits contributes to violent crime. Prohibiting police from a "stop and frisk" of a suspect believed to be armed contributes to violent crime. Letting accused violent criminals out of jail without bail while they wait for trial increases violent crime. District Attorneys refusing to prosecute accused criminals contributes to rising violent crime. Politicians should do a "ride along" with local patrol officers before suggesting changes in policing. Politicians should meet with crime victims before suggesting changes in policing. Politicians who want to defund the police should not be able to use tax money to hire private security to protect themselves. "The rise in violent crime wasn't just predictable, it was predicted," said National Police Association spokesperson, Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith (Ret). "Letting more criminals on the streets while handcuffing police had only one possible outcome. Now the American people are paying the price." The survey of 1,182 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on August 12, 2021 by the National Police Association and Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. Full results of the survey, including demographic data, will be published later today by Rasmussen Reports. About The National Police Association The National Police Association (NPA) is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, EIN 82-0647764, founded to educate supporters of law enforcement in how to help police departments accomplish their goals. The NPA works to bring national and local attention to the anti-police efforts challenging effective law enforcement, building public support for needed actions through public service announcements, legal filings, articles authored for the NPA by law enforcement experts and the NPA Report. For additional information, please visit www.nationalpolice.org. SOURCE National Police Association Related Links https://nationalpolice.org GRAY, Tenn., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- When nearly three thousand moms meet in Nashville, Tennessee, next month for the annual MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) conference, educational options will be a major topic of conversation. The Old Schoolhouse will be there to highlight the benefits of homeschooling and to provide helpful resources. An increasing number of parents are taking charge of their children's education due to recent pandemic-related school disruptions and concern over the nation's continual slide into a post-Christian culture. Through their trade magazine, Paul and Gena Suarez have been encouraging home educators for two decades, and they look forward to interacting with moms at MOMcon 2021. It will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort on September 9-11, 2021. Attendees can meet Paul and Gena at The Old Schoolhouse booth in the Marketplace on all three conference days: Thursday (10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.), Friday (10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and Saturday (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). "Mothers start planning for their children's education before their babies start crawling," says Gena Suarez, publisher of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. "That is wise because a baby begins learning on Day One, and true homeschooling begins that same day." Through their trade magazine, Paul and Gena Suarez have been encouraging home educators for two decades, and they look forward to interacting with moms at MOMcon 2021. It will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort on September 911, 2021. Attendees can meet Paul and Gena at The Old Schoolhouse booth in the Marketplace on all three conference days: Thursday (10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.), Friday (10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and Saturday (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Conference-goers will be able to purchase subscriptions to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and memberships to SchoolhouseTeachers.com. The magazine is published quarterly, providing moms with 120 pages of homeschooling help, encouragement, and resources. SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an online, Christian full curriculum featuring more than 400 courses (PreK12), 450 streaming videos, support for parents, and numerous organizational tools. One membership gives a whole family unlimited access to the site. "We are delighted to be partnering with MOPS," explains Gena, "as our two organizations share similar goals. Both are Christ-centered, Biblically-based, focused on families and supportive of moms and dads." MOPS started in 1973 when a group of moms with young children banded together to encourage each other. While its acronym stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers," it has expanded over the years to include mothers of school-age children. Today, MOPS is equipping and encouraging moms in more than 68 countries. The upcoming conference in Nashville, Tennessee, is being designed as a weekend for moms to rechargebeing encouraged in their mothering, marriage, leadership, and faith. Featuring notable speakers, live worship, and breakout sessions with authors and experts, MOMcon 2021 has been likened by planners to "a weekend at the spa, but for your soul." Mothers are invited to "come as you are, and leave a little closer to who you want to become!" About The Old Schoolhouse The Old Schoolhouse (www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com) is a privately held corporation that publishes the industry-leading homeschool education print magazine, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, as well as hundreds of books and planning support tools for homeschooling families. SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a division of The Old Schoolhouse, supports over 9,000 member families with more than 400 courses for preschool through high school, as well as educational videos, World Book Online, transcripts, report cards, planning tools, and recordkeeping. Established in 2001, The Old Schoolhouse is focused on providing high-quality, encouraging, affordable solutions for homeschooling families. Contact: Paul & Gena Suarez +1 888-718-4663 [email protected] SOURCE The Old Schoolhouse "Mountain America is proud to support educators with grants to help provide essential learning tools," says Sharon Cook, chief marketing officer at Mountain America Credit Union. "The Mountain America Education Grants help teachers get creative and expand educational opportunities in their classrooms." Since 2016, Mountain America has awarded more than 40 grants to teachers and school leaders to support classroom learning. Last year, Mountain America Education Grants funded a variety of programs, including entrepreneurial, music, STEM and development programs. Terra Academy in Vernal, Utah held an entrepreneurial day to help students advance problem-solving and math skills and learn what it takes to run a successful business. Students at Ensign Elementary, Bell View Elementary and West Jordan Middle School expanded their STEM skills using interactive technology. The grants also provided partitions for speech therapy sessions, musical instruments and chairs and desks for elementary students, among other projects. Mountain America is accepting applications through October 1, 2021. The 2021-2022 grant recipients will be announced online by October 29, 2021. For additional details and to apply, visit https://www.macu.com/grants. SOURCE Mountain America Credit Union Related Links http://www.macu.com BILLERICA, Mass. and JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- nanoMesh LLC, a subsidiary of Exogenesis Corporation, today announced the formation of a Medical Advisory Board supporting the commercial launch of the nanoMesh product line offering to the clinical community. nanoMesh is indicated for the repair of abdominal wall hernias and abdominal wall deficiencies that require the addition of reinforcing material to obtain the desired surgical result. nanoMesh is commercially available in the US[1]. nanoMesh possesses a unique nanometer-level surface texture, via the application of Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) technology[2] during manufacturing. Joining the nanoMesh Medical Advisory Board: David Earle, MD, (MA) FACS - Chair: Dr. Earle, Director, New England Hernia Center - Associate Professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine, obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Arizona State University in 1986, and his MD degree from the University of Arizona in 1990. He completed his general surgical training at The State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center at Brooklyn in 1995, and fellowship training at the Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, affiliated with New York Medical College in Westchester County, New York in 1997. He was then hired as the Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery at SUNY, and subsequently recruited to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA in 1998 as the Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery. During his 17 years in Springfield, Dr. Earle founded and directed a Minimally Invasive Surgical Fellowship, was Director of the Esophageal Physiology Laboratory, and served on the board of the Baystate Medical Education and Research Foundation. Dr. Earle has been nationally and internationally active in research, device development, and clinical care, where approximately 90% of his practice was focused on hernia repair, acting as a referral source for the Northeastern United States. Dr. Earle has been involved in a variety of roles in national surgical societies, including Chairman of the Guidelines Committee of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and two terms as a Board Member of the Americas Hernia Society. He has been a longstanding Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery, and member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. He has been involved in hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific and clinical journal articles, scientific meeting presentations, invited lectures, and faculty for surgeon courses around the globe. He has written over a dozen book chapters in the field of minimally invasive surgery and hernia repair, and recently published his own textbook of Natural Orifice Surgery. Karl Andrew LeBlanc, MD (LA): Karl A. LeBlanc, MD earned his medical degree from LSU Medical School in Shreveport, where he also completed his internship and residency in general surgery. He also received his Masters of Business Administration from LSU. He is Board Certified in general surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). He is also a member of the Society for Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS), Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and is one of the founding members and past presidents of the Americas Hernia Society (AHS). He is a Master Surgeon for Laparoscopic Surgery and has been active in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery since its origin. He helped found the Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship in Baton Rouge and served as the Fellowship Director from 2004 - 2020. Dr. LeBlanc has authored eight textbooks on minimally invasive, robotic, and hernia surgery and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical literature. Dr. LeBlanc specializes in hernia and abdominal wall reconstruction surgery. He also has special interest in surgery for weight loss, gastroesophageal reflux and foregut disease. Yuri William Novitsky, MD, Director, Comprehensive Hernia Center, Columbia University Medical Center (NY): Dr. Novitsky is internationally known for his expertise in advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery as well complex inguinal and ventral hernia repairs. Driven by a determination to improve outcomes for the millions of patients who undergo hernia surgery each year, he has focused intensively on research to advance surgical technique and improve tissue responses to surgical mesh. He is perhaps best known for pioneering techniques for minimally-invasive ventral hernia repair and open abdominal wall reconstructions; the procedure known as transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR), which he first described in 2006, has become widely adopted worldwide since he published three-year results in 2009. His current national leadership roles include chairmanship of the Practice Advisory Committee, Americas Hernia Society; membership on the Guidelines Committee of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES); the Value Analysis Initiative of the SAGES Hernia Task force; American Hernias Society Board of Governors, and others. Dr. Novitsky earned his medical degree at Albany College and completed residencies in General Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center and University of Massachusetts, Worcester, followed by fellowships in minimally invasive surgery at University of Massachusetts and the Carolinas Medical Center. He was Chief of Laparoscopic Surgery for four years at University of Connecticut Health Center prior to his move to Cleveland in 2011. For nanoMesh product inquiries, please visit: [https://exogenesisnanomesh.com] Previous Announcements Exogenesis previously announced August 3, 2021, a National Distribution Agreement with Veteran's Healthcare Supply Solutions (VHSS) for the nanoMesh Product Line Offering to the Clinical Community Exogenesis previously announced July 6, 2021, Expansion of the nanoMesh Product Line Offering to the Clinical Community Exogenesis previously announced June 9, 2021, Secondary Endpoint Achieved in nanoMesh Pathogen Inhibiting Protein (PIP) Uptake Studies Exogenesis previously announced June 1, 2021, Primary Endpoint Achieved in nanoMesh Pathogen Inhibiting Protein (PIP) Uptake Studies Exogenesis previously announced April 21, 2021, nanoMesh LLC (a subsidiary of Exogenesis Corporation) Completed First-In-Man Clinical Implantation of nanoMesh. Exogenesis previously announced on April 6, 2021, Completion Filing of a Second Pre-Marketing Notification Application (510(k)) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regarding nanoMesh. Exogenesis previously announced on January 26th, 2021, completion of production validation and sterilization validation as an immediate prelude to commercialization of nanoMesh. About nanoMesh Exogenesis Hernia Mesh ("nanoMesh") is a proprietary hernia repair product developed and being commercialized by nanoMesh LLC. Constructed of monofilament Polypropylene (PP) and surface treated with Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) technology, nanoMesh is the first hernia repair device in the market with surface nano-modification. nanoMesh is indicated for the repair of abdominal wall hernia defects, including inguinal (direct & indirect). nanoMesh is not indicated for transvaginal pelvic organ prolapse repair. About Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam ("ANAB") Technology Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam ("ANAB") is a low-energy accelerated particle beam that is being commercialized as a nano-scale surface modification technology. ANAB is created by acceleration of neutral argon (Ar) atoms with very low energies under vacuum which bombard a material surface, modifying it to a shallow depth of 2-3 nm. This is a non-additive technology that results in modifications of surface topography, structure, and energy. Medical implants treated with ANAB technology have recently been granted FDA regulatory 510(k) clearance for use in spinal interbody fusion (IBD) devices. About the Hernia Repair Market The global hernia repair market[3] is forecasted to reach $5.8B by 2026. Hernias often occur at the abdominal wall and are generally visible as an external bulge especially during straining or bearing down. It affects people to a large extent, causing significant pain and discomfort. Age, pregnancy, obesity, muscle strain, and surgery increase the risk of hernias. Surgical meshes of various constructions have been in use since the late 19th century. In recent years, research in the area has increased due to increasing numbers of post-surgery complications such as infection, fibrosis, adhesions, mesh rejection, and hernia recurrence. Research has focused on the analysis and implementation of a wide range of materials and coatings, meshes with different fiber thickness and porosity, a variety of manufacturing methods, as well as surgical and implantation procedures. Most recently, surface modification methods, as well as the development of nanofiber-based systems, are actively being explored as promising pathways to increase biocompatibility of available mesh.[4] About Exogenesis Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, Exogenesis is a private, venture-capital-backed company that has developed a proprietary technology to modify and control surfaces without applying a coating or creating sub-surface damage. Exogenesis is commercializing a platform technology, NanoAccel, utilizing Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) and Gas Cluster Ion Beam (GCIB) technologies that modify and control surfaces of materials at a nanoscale level. The company's proprietary technologies are used for surface modification and control in a broad range of biomedical, optical and semiconductor applications. For more information, please visit www.exogenesisnanomesh.com or contact us at [email protected]. [1] Exogenesis Hernia Mesh received FDA 510(k) premarket clearance September 26, 2019 [2] Protected under patents both issued and pending. [3]https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/05/13/1822683/0/en/Global-Hernia-Mesh-Market-To-Reach-USD-5-78-Billion-By-2026-Reports-And-Data.html [4] "Past, Present and Future of Surgical Meshes: A Review" - Membranes (Basel). 2017 Sep; 7(3): 47. SOURCE nanoMesh LLC NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates has updated its award-winning i-Ready program to help educators address unfinished learning and continue to deliver engaging instruction as students work to meet ambitious goals this upcoming school year. The updates are designed to provide educators with deeper insights into students' learning, engage students in grade-level work, motivate students with new instruction, ensure students are on track for reading success, support Spanish-speaking students, and more. "Over the last 10 years, i-Ready has supported the teaching and learning process in schools nationwide," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "Throughout this time, we have continually worked to enhance the program to meet the needs of teachers and students alike. Now, at this critical time as teachers are tasked with addressing unfinished learning caused by the pandemic, these latest updates will go a long way in helping students achieve grade-level expectations and make real gains." A number of the new i-Ready tools were designed to provide teachers with a more precise understanding of students' instructional needs. These include teacher-assigned Standards Mastery which allows teachers to measure students' understanding of grade-level standards and get instructional supports to address next steps. The addition of 5-Level Placements by domain allows educators to better understand the level of support students need in a specific domain and more easily see progress throughout the year. Improved demographic data filters help administrators better understand the impact of unfinished learning on different student groups. Teachers will have resources to prepare students for grade-level work in reading and mathematics with enhancements to Tools for Scaffolding and the Prerequisites report. Adaptive phonics lessons for Grades K2 and new reading comprehension lessons for Grades 38 were also added to help students build their skills and engage in productive struggle. All these materials are built with equity in mind and feature expanded representation so students see themselves reflected in what they're learning. Additionally, i-Ready offers a new way for students to engage in learning fractions with the ability for teachers and students to create their own puzzles in the popular Cloud Machine Learning Game. More than 200 new literacy tasks will help teachers measure student progress toward reaching grade-level expectations and meeting state screening requirements. This includes expanded benchmark assessments and new Oral Reading Fluency progress monitoring for Grades 16, as well as new Early Reading Tasks to assess phonological awareness, phonics, and other concepts to support teaching and help address state screening requirements. To support Spanish-speaking students in dual-language or transitional-bilingual programs, i-Ready will feature a new Spanish reading assessment for Grades K6 that connects to high-quality instructional resources. Authentic Spanish reading lessons for Grades K2, covering phonics, phonological awareness, and reading comprehension, will help students build Spanish literacy. New Spanish versions of many mathematics Personalized Instruction lessons for Grades K6 will offer equitable learning experiences. A number of new functionalitiesincluding the ability to assign Teacher Toolbox resources to Google Classroom in fewer steps, the ability for teachers to batch print reports for all students, and morewill save time for teachers. Targeted professional development options and updates to the Online Educator Learning platform will additionally help teachers address unfinished learning and get the most out of i-Ready. More about i-Ready i-Ready, which was recently named a 2021 SIIA CODiE Awards finalist in the Best Formative Assessment Solution category, makes the promise of differentiated instruction a practical reality for teachers and students. It combines powerful assessments and rich insights with effective and engaging instruction in Reading and Mathematics to address students' individual needs. The Diagnostic provides educators with actionable criterion-referenced and normative data to deliver impactful, equitable learning experiences. Teachers administer the Diagnostic at the beginning of the school year to chart a course for their instruction and to personalize i-Ready instructional paths. A midyear and end-of-year Diagnostic helps students and teachers measure growth and engage students in data chats. Teacher-led and personalized instruction continues throughout the year to help students grow and access their grade-level learning. Today, i-Ready serves more than 9.5 million students nationwide and is currently being used by 25 percent of all K8 students across all 50 states. To learn more about i-Ready and its new updates, visit CurriculumAssociates.com/Products/i-Ready/Whats-New. About Curriculum Associates Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students. Contact: Kati Elliott KEH Communications (410) 975-9638 [email protected] Charlotte Fixler Curriculum Associates (978) 901-6066 [email protected] SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC Related Links www.curriculumassociates.com ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As more electric vehicles (EV) make their way into the U.S. transportation fleet, building an expansive network of publicly accessible charging locations is necessary. The movement also begs an important question: How can retailers enter this emerging business sector? A new report from the Fuels Institute Electric Vehicle Council, "Best Practice Guide for Installing and Operating Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure," shares insights on how business owners can make strategic decisions about investing in charging infrastructure, from the initial conversations to ultimately serving customers. While studies show most EV owners (80%) charge at home, this behavior is poised to change as the market grows. "The EV landscape continues to change at a rapid pace," said John Eichberger, executive director of the Fuels Institute, adding that the Electric Vehicle Council recognized that there is a significant need to grow and develop a public charging network. However, too many questions about what it takes to develop a successful project can lead to uncertainty and inaction. "This report takes a holistic approach to answering these questions to increase confidence and allow business owners to engage with utilities, equipment manufacturers and local permitting authorities more comfortably and effectively," he said. The report analyzes several questions: 1. Assessing the business case. 2. Utility engagement. 3. Working with local authorities that have jurisdiction over site locations. The report also shares several case studies from early adopters who have already invested in the public EV charging space. "Understanding the various issues involved in evaluating the business decision to invest in public charging is important," said Eichberger, adding that the report dives deep into the factors involved with installing a successful EV charging station and covers questions related to assessing the public policy environment. "Best Practice Guide for Installing and Operating Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure" can be downloaded free of charge at fuelsinstitute.org/Research. For additional questions, please reach out to Amanda Appelbaum, director of research, at [email protected]. SOURCE Fuels Institute ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Automotive Airbag Market: Overview Automotive airbags refer to passenger restraint devices in vehicles that assist in protecting the passenger's chest and head in the event of a crash or a collision. The airbags are designed to act and expand in milliseconds, providing a cushioning for the occupants in the car. During the forecast period, from 2021 to 2031, the global automotive airbag market is expected to grow steadily. The market is expected to be driven by the implementation of strict occupant safety standards in cars throughout the world. Another major element driving the global automotive airbag market is improving public awareness regarding safety features. Automakers are including airbags as a standard feature in their automobiles in order to persuade more people to buy them. As a result, the global automotive airbag market is anticipated to grow even faster. In 2020, the global automotive airbag market was valued over US$ 12.1 Bn. The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period. To understand how our report can bring difference to your business strategy, Ask for a brochure at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4200 Key Findings of Market Report Next-generation Sensor Technology to Reduce Risk of Airbag Injury With the development of sensors in cars to glean data that guarantees various control units communicate better, the automotive airbag market is expected to experience considerable shift in the near future. These control units include belt tensioners, airbags, and other vehicle features that can quickly detect an imminent collision. Honda, a Japan-based automaker, has collaborated with Autoliv, a Swedish airbag producer, to reduce the likelihood of injuries in a variety of collisions. The key to gaining a competitive advantage over other manufacturers in the automobile airbag industry is to invest in research and development activities. They are stepping up their efforts to put the airbag closer to the passenger in order to reduce the risk of airbag injuries. Sedan Manufacturers Leverage Business Opportunities Created by New Rear Seat Airbags In the automotive airbag market, rear seat airbags are a game-changing invention. The new Mercedes S-Class is gaining popularity as a result of its one-of-a-kind back seat airbags, which cushion passengers in the event of a frontal collision. Companies in the automotive airbag market are drawing inspiration from such advancements to expand their research into sedan-specific rear seat airbags. Airbag manufacturers and automakers are expected to work together to provide safe sedans with improved overall ergonomics, such as inflated seat belts and addition of kid seats. Airbag systems that can be put at the rear of the front seat are seeing increased production by companies. Request Special Discount at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=4200 Automotive Airbag Market: Growth Drivers Vehicle density in larger cities and increased traffic congestion, along with human errors while driving, are expected to raise the risk of car accidents. In order to be ready for such unforeseeable circumstances, customers are demanding automobiles with enhanced safety measures. The increased demand for automobile safety is pressuring automakers to include sophisticated safety technologies in their vehicles. Industry players are leading the market with technical innovations that improve vehicle passenger safety. Development and design of new automotive airbag systems that considerably lower the likelihood of damage to vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle collision are being pursued by key industry participants. Buy Research Report on Automotive Airbag Market by TMR at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=4200